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Our experience  with  the Brazilian place   was  we got our salad & other items from the self serve section

We had finished  that by the time the 1st skewer of  sausage arrived

I do not care for them so waited for the next offering  ..finally the short ribs (actually more like  fatty pot roast on the skewer ) we each got  a piece

Next  about 15 mins later  mini lamb chops ... the man at the table next to us asked for 2  as they were small .."NO" was the answer you have to wait until we come back around

 At this point   we left 

 

YMMV

 

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On 2/4/2020 at 7:31 PM, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

In thinking about it, we have heard that the buffet dinner on Oceania is rather ample.  On the other hand, Regent's Pool Grill is very basic.  We found it by no means sumptuous and, as far as we know, the menu does not change.  It is a place to come to when you return from a day of touring for instance and a great idea if you need to drop in for something quick and simple to eat.  

 

We found that the food on Oceania looks better than it tastes.  The buffet looks great but, in our opinion, the quality is not there.  Oceania is not a luxury cruise line but I do feel that their food in their specialty restaurants are excellent.  

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On 2/4/2020 at 9:44 AM, wripro said:

Sea Dream is considered luxury but their ships are very small (100 passengers) and have limited itineraries int the Caribbean and Med.

 

I'd say the best luxury line for the OP would be either Seabourn or Regent as they have the most relaxed dress codes. They're are still codes though and need to be complied with.

 

Agree with you.  I'm wondering if you posted something about enjoying the Brazilian restaurant on Crystal (can't find the post so I don't know who it was)?  Based on what I've read on CC, maybe 5% of CC'ers actually enjoyed that restaurant.  Must admit that my husband liked the soup (do not recall if it was mushroom or something else) but he couldn't eat at the fatty fish or overcooked shrimp that was presented.  

 

I know that Seabourn is your favorite luxury line and is also the one that we have not been on.  Since you are "here", I have two questions:  1). What is offered to guests when they board the ships in terms of restaurants; and 2) Is the main dining room opened for lunch on sea days?  If not, what is available?

 

Thanks!

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1 hour ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

We found that the food on Oceania looks better than it tastes.  The buffet looks great but, in our opinion, the quality is not there.  Oceania is not a luxury cruise line but I do feel that their food in their specialty restaurants are excellent.  

The buffets on Oceania are very "colourful" - but not refined -  they try to do "French style" of pastries as well

I liked the Jacques restaurant and the Italian however the portions are huge comparing to Italy, I am afraid I had far  better meat as in "Polo" on land. I only take Oceania for Caribbean . For sure not in Europe.

I must be careful concering comments on Seabourn - I was on the Ovation in my hometown and I inquired about MDR -

the maitre d'h ( previously on other company ) told me in Europe when ship is in port the MDR is closed

so I suppose the MDR is open on sea days .   

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On 2/17/2020 at 12:32 PM, vistaman said:

I did not like the "Brazilian" style food on Crystal , i am afraid.  I hope Crysal will introduce something better on the new ocean ships as those "meat skewers"  . Probably some people like it as well...

I adore Churrascaria, and it's my favourite place to eat dinner on board after Umi Uma.  Great options, the best baked potatoes I've ever had, and terrific variety.  Most vegetable/salad options generally than any other dinner venue.  Good service, nice evening atmosphere.  I think it's getting better, and I hope they don't replace it any time soon. 

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On 2/19/2020 at 12:24 PM, vistaman said:

The buffets on Oceania are very "colourful" - but not refined -  they try to do "French style" of pastries as well

I liked the Jacques restaurant and the Italian however the portions are huge comparing to Italy, I am afraid I had far  better meat as in "Polo" on land. I only take Oceania for Caribbean . For sure not in Europe.

I must be careful concering comments on Seabourn - I was on the Ovation in my hometown and I inquired about MDR -

the maitre d'h ( previously on other company ) told me in Europe when ship is in port the MDR is closed

so I suppose the MDR is open on sea days .   

 

Jacques is our favorite dining venue on Oceania.  Fortunately, we were in a Vista suite so we were able to dine only in specialty restaurants at night.  It was a challenge finding food for lunch on the ship.  We ended up ordering "steak and lobster" sandwiches "hold the steak" (aka a lobster sandwich) and fries.  Red Ginger was also quite good.  I have read that people enjoy "Polo" and we did as well - to a point.  

 

Thank you for letting us know that the MDR is in fact closed on sea days on Seabourn.  I heard that quite some time ago and would be disappointed if I were on their ships.  Regent's Explorer closes their MDR every day at lunch but they open two of their specialty restaurants (the equivalent of Polo on Oceania and a French restaurant that does not hold a candle to Jacques) on sea days and alternate between the two restaurants on port days.

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6 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

 

 

Thank you for letting us know that the MDR is in fact closed on sea days on Seabourn. 

 

FALSE    And you are not reading what was written properly.

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25 minutes ago, saminina said:

 

FALSE    And you are not reading what was written properly.

 

Wow - you don't have to shout.  I did mix up sea days and port days.  So, the MDR is closed on port days? That doesn't make me feel any better.  Is there any nice, sit-down restaurant open on port days?  Sorry for the error - it was done innocently!

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If you are interested in wearing shorts in the evening on a luxury line:

 

On a warm climate SB Caribbean cruise last year, in the evening the outdoor pool area had several people dining in *nice* shorts at the “Earth and Ocean” gourmet small plates restaurant.  It was very popular, and as it was first come first serve , you had to get there either very early or very late to get a seat.

 

And as Vistaman mentioned, Hapag Lloyd’s luxury ships MS Europa ( German) and Europa 2  ( German and English) have evening gourmet buffets with indoor and outdoor dining and shorts are allowed.  It is my favourite line as far as food and service goes ( and the high prices reflect this), but most pax are from German speaking countries and though crew speak English ( the Filipino food serving crew typically speak  better English than German) , as do some guests, there are typically only a few pax from English language countries.

 

 

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On 2/19/2020 at 10:59 AM, Travelcat2 said:

 

Agree with you.  I'm wondering if you posted something about enjoying the Brazilian restaurant on Crystal (can't find the post so I don't know who it was)?  Based on what I've read on CC, maybe 5% of CC'ers actually enjoyed that restaurant.  Must admit that my husband liked the soup (do not recall if it was mushroom or something else) but he couldn't eat at the fatty fish or overcooked shrimp that was presented.  

 

I know that Seabourn is your favorite luxury line and is also the one that we have not been on.  Since you are "here", I have two questions:  1). What is offered to guests when they board the ships in terms of restaurants; and 2) Is the main dining room opened for lunch on sea days?  If not, what is available?

 

Thanks!


1.  On boarding, SB offers lunch in the indoor/outdoor Colonnade dining venue.  There is a buffet, but you can also order entrees directly from the table, but from a limited menu.

We typically board early ( 12) and head straight for that venue and have champagne, and that is when we know the cruise has really started. By the time lunch is over, our suite is ready too.

 

2.  The MDR was usually open for lunch sea days, and we love that calm, quiet air-conditioned, sit-down luxury venue. Most people prefer eating outside in the other venues in fine weather.

It was closed every day when the ship was in port in the Caribbean ( which was every day of the port-intensive two week cruise) , as everyone seemed to be getting off the ship. We missed it. The Colonnade was open as was the pool grill area, where you could order from your table. 
The exception was that on the day when they did “Caviar in the Surf” not in the surf but in the pool because weather precluded tendering at the planned beach, they opened the MDR for a subsequent wonderful galley lunch served in MDR, using the food that would have been at the beach buffet.

 

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