Rate the Restaurants on Riviera

[itzfitz]

Hope this hasn't been asked, but on Nov. 4, I can make reservations in the specialty restaurants on Riviera.  This is my first Oceania cruise.  For those of you experienced Oceania cruisers, how should I prioritize my reservations?  Please rate them in order of preference.  Is there one I absolutely can't miss?  We like virtually all types of cuisines so that's not an issue.  All recommendation will be much appreciated.  Thank you all in advance!

Patty

[seachelt]

You will get 1 reservation in each of the specialty restaurant. On Nov 4 you should book all of them. You can't subtitute one restaurant for another.

That being said, my absolute favourite is Jacques. All 4 are fabulous though.

terri

[WESTEAST]

All four are great however, we've ranked our favourites: 1, Red Ginger 2, Jacques 3, Toscana and  4, Polo.

[mauibabes]

We board Riviera on Monday and will share some more thoughts after we have dined.  We have eaten in all the restaurants and it is truly personal preference. We love the menu’s in Toscana and Red Ginger, Polo is always great Prime steaks and Jacques has some amazing dishes. I believe the toughest reservation to book is Red Ginger. 
I am sure you will get a lot of feedback and recommendations but here are a few of my favorites, not necessarily my wife’s who doesn’t eat fish.

Red Ginger: Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass and the Duck and Watermelon Salad, the Restaurant Manager suggested the Rack of Lamb and it is wonderful. We order the fish and athe lamb and share the lamb around the table.

Toscana, enjoy the Olive Oil and Balsamic cart and breads. My wife rates every Italian restaurant against the Toscana Lasagne and the Oso Buco and Filets and of course all the fresh pasta.

Polo with the Prime beef is great, love the jumbo shrimp cocktail is a wonderful starter, the prime rib, the Porterhouse, etc. are great. Also the fresh Maine Lobster is great if you like lobster AND your waiter does all the work digging out the meat. 

Jacques has a wonderful French Onion Soup and my favorite is the Pumpkin Soup, the Escargot, the Filet, the Sea Bass for two and the Filet of Sole are great. Of course the Lobster Newburg is excellent.  🤪. 
All the reports we have received from friends currently sailing on Marina are 11 stars on a 10 star scale in all the Premiums, even better than it was pre pandemic. 
You will just have to tough it out and make your own decisions. Life is tough. 

Mauibabes,

 

 

[espmass]

All sound wonderful.  I have been passing time reading and re-reading all the sample menus while waiting for my February cruise on the Riviera.

[Clutj]

MAuibabes, would love a post of a photo of new Toscana menu if you get a chance

[patty1955]

29 minutes ago, espmass said:

All sound wonderful.  I have been passing time reading and re-reading all the sample menus while waiting for my February cruise on the Riviera.

That's my favorite way to plan a cruise.

[clo]

We certainly don't dislike Thai but, of Asian cuisines, it's not our fave. And kinda the same about fusion so we didn't use our Red Ginger slot but did Jacques twice and the others once each. Jacques escargot is the best I've ever had including what I've made at home.

 

[itzfitz]

Another question.  The cruise we are on is 11 nights.  Can you only book each restaurant once per cruise? How is the food in the main dining room?

[mauibabes]

Will try to post it next week.  I am sure it will be posted on the wall outside Toscana. I hear the new Italian menu items are great so will definitely be trying as many as possible as often as I can. I have heard the GDR has been very good and since it changes daily, lots to choose from every day. 

itzfitz, one question is your Stateroom level. In a Suite, you have access to more Premium reservations. If A and B Veranda and below, you might only have one in each that you can book now BUT you can also get space available reservations directly with the desired restaurant once aboard. Since the cruises will probably not sail full, there is a good chance you can get additional reservations, no matter what level you are booked in. FYI, A and B Veranda, Room Service dinner is from the GDR and in Suites, you can order from the Premiums. 
Believe me, you will not starve! 
Mauibabes

[Clutj]

Correct, one advance rezy per restaurant.  Once you are on board, the rezy desk, the restaurant directly when staffed, the concierge if you have that level, or your butler can perhaps get you additional slots.  Some of that depends on what class of room you have (higher the better), some on whether you are willing to dine late (better odds) and with other people at your table (also better odds).  Also, checking at the last minute can work because people might cancel after a long day onshore.  I like the main dining room and you can check the ever-changing posted menus by 10am or so; usually plenty of choice and there is always a “fixed menu” of 5 or so of their specials that night.  The terrace provides a more relaxed venue and sometimes has fresh food bought in the port that day, themes sometimes tied to where you are, a dish or two copied from the specialty restaurants, and they always have a grill where they make lobster, shrimp, lamb chops, and steaks to order for you (just tell them not to overcook if you prefer that). 
 

PS: I like Jacques, Red Ginger, Toscana and Polo in that order.  The dish recommendations above were some of the most popular options.  I would add the lobster fra daviola (if it survived changes at Toscana…), and also the octopus carpaccio, a beautiful dish that HAS to still be on the menu…

Edited October 11, 2021 by Clutj

[KatieBelle]

Unless you are staying in one of the top suites, for an 11-day cruise you will have one reservation per restaurant.  Because this is your first Oceania cruise, we would most definitely recommend making reservations in all the specialty restaurants.  Then you should report back your own ranking of favorites.  We would love the insight of fresh palates.  

 

Some don't have use for the Grand Dining Room.  We raised a family of boys that were all in on sports.  I have yet to calculate how many years I have given to standing in my kitchen.  So for me, I have no desire to schlep plates at dinner.  I enjoy being served and the GDR provides relaxed service in an elegant setting.  Others want faster service.  There is definitely something for everyone.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Katie

[Paulchili]

3 hours ago, itzfitz said:

For those of you experienced Oceania cruisers, how should I prioritize my reservations?  Please rate them in order of preference

1 Jacques

2 Jacques

3 Jacques

4 Jacques

Oh, did I mention Jacques?😀

They are all very good. All kidding aside, my favs are Jacques, Red Ginger, Polo and Toscana - in that order.

Enjoy!

[shank63]

For my taste, all four of the specialty restaurants are great, a little better than the GDR but with a more intimate atmosphere.  In addition to the 4 preregistrations, I’ll take any additional opportunities offered on any of the 4, however my wife isn’t too keen on Red Ginger.  

[clo]

2 hours ago, Paulchili said:

1 Jacques

2 Jacques

3 Jacques

4 Jacques

1 foie

2 foie

3 foie

4 foie 🙂

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, Paulchili said:

1 Jacques

2 Jacques

3 Jacques

4 Jacques

Oh, did I mention Jacques?😀

They are all very good. All kidding aside, my favs are Jacques, Red Ginger, Polo and Toscana - in that order.

Enjoy!

So I take it you won't be sailing on Vista 😀

[Paulchili]

6 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

So I take it you won't be sailing on Vista 😀

Only as penitence - they'll have to drag me on (and off) 😀

Seriously - I'll decide after sailing on her rather than form an opinion now. It will be fun exploring the new dining venues and hopefully they might serve some Jacques classics in MDR?

Edited October 12, 2021 by Paulchili

[DeanoNorthPerth]

11 hours ago, itzfitz said:

Another question.  The cruise we are on is 11 nights.  Can you only book each restaurant once per cruise? How is the food in the main dining room?

You can only PRE-book once per cruise at your cabin level but you may be able to make extra bookings once onboard. Talk nicely to the person stationed at Terrace in the mornings to do specialty bookings.

Grand Dining Room is a mighty fine substitute if no bookings are available at the specialty of your choice.

[itzfitz]

Thank you all for your ratings.  I will be certain to post my ratings after we return in mid-January!  I'm so looking forward to trying them all.

[Redtravel]

Enjoy…..all are good.   Also, like the grand dining room and the buffet.  On most cruise lines, I avoid buffets.  On Oceania, the buffet at night is amazing.  It is especially nice if you like dining out on deck.  

[PhD-iva]

6 hours ago, Redtravel said:

Enjoy…..all are good.   Also, like the grand dining room and the buffet.  On most cruise lines, I avoid buffets.  On Oceania, the buffet at night is amazing.  It is especially nice if you like dining out on deck.  

++++!

[EasyGoingGuy]

We also love Jacques... but for some reason last cruise... (when was that (seems so long ago))... it was birthday night and there were at least 4 renditions by the crew of happy birthday during our dinner.  While I don't mind this while eating at Chile's or Applebees, it was definitely not enjoyable in what should have been a fine restaurant dining experience.  Don't know why, probably bad luck of the draw, but Jacques had the most.  Sorry, not really to the OP's question, but it has bothered me since... well, whenever.

[clo]

30 minutes ago, EasyGoingGuy said:

We also love Jacques... but for some reason last cruise... (when was that (seems so long ago))... it was birthday night and there were at least 4 renditions by the crew of happy birthday during our dinner.  While I don't mind this while eating at Chile's or Applebees, it was definitely not enjoyable in what should have been a fine restaurant dining experience.  Don't know why, probably bad luck of the draw, but Jacques had the most.  Sorry, not really to the OP's question, but it has bothered me since... well, whenever.

I think they could have acknowledged it with a special little dish or something.

[DeanoNorthPerth]

1 hour ago, EasyGoingGuy said:

We also love Jacques... but for some reason last cruise... (when was that (seems so long ago))... it was birthday night and there were at least 4 renditions by the crew of happy birthday during our dinner.  While I don't mind this while eating at Chile's or Applebees, it was definitely not enjoyable in what should have been a fine restaurant dining experience.  Don't know why, probably bad luck of the draw, but Jacques had the most.  Sorry, not really to the OP's question, but it has bothered me since... well, whenever.

So I take it your name is ironic?

[clo]

38 minutes ago, DeanoNorthPerth said:

So I take it your name is ironic?

I think one can be "easy going" and still wish they wouldn't do that.