Too many comments that Os food is not what it used to be.

[jonthomas]

 In all kinds of sources, not just here on CC.

 

Recently read this from someone on the Nautica.

 

"On the Nautica, Have to say we’ve been very underwhelmed by the quality of the food. We expected so much more. The staff is trying very hard but they seem inexperienced and don’t function cohesively. This is our first cruise on Oceania and have also traveled on NCL, Princess and Uniworld so we have something to compare it to. We were planning a 77 day voyage in late 2023 with Oceania but that’s off the table now."

 

Our own experience, Insignia , 3 years ago,  pre covid, amazing. Have never in over 50 cruises with Celebrity and others, including Viking, experienced such deliciousness. 

 

Riviera in March of 2022, very good on first leg, mediocre second leg when new, inexperienced staff arrived.

 

We cruise with O exclusively now and hope that, things improve as staff gain more experience.

 

I would like to ask everyone, when you see an issue with the food, or it is not what you expect from O, please bring it to the attention of those in charge. I know we are just a small number here on CC, but any comments brought to attention may make a difference.

 

We now cruise with O exclusively, food taste and quality is our number one priority.  

 

O needs to stand behind their slogan of "the best food at sea".

 

 

 

[1985rz1]

I think all cruise lines are suffering from post covid issues, especially crew staffing and supply chain issues.  While the reports are somewhat disturbing, we need to give O and other lines a chance to come back.  Comparing food/crew experiences pre-covid to post covid is a bit of and apples and oranges.  

[Noxequifans]

27 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

I think all cruise lines are suffering from post covid issues, especially crew staffing and supply chain issues.  While the reports are somewhat disturbing, we need to give O and other lines a chance to come back.  Comparing food/crew experiences pre-covid to post covid is a bit of and apples and oranges.  

Agree .... covid has impacted many areas .... not surprised cruise ships are feeling the results. 

[Robjame]

Where was Nautica when this was reported? Iread reports but (I think) it was Israel that was unable to provide the quality of meat that Oceania demands. If you don’t have the quality product then no amount of chef magic is going to produce gourmet results. 
The war in Ukraine must be affecting produce availability.

[jonthomas]

yes I also agree with that...

 

unless others start saying that  the food on other cruise lines is now better than O and O cant make that claim anymore...

 

so far I have not found anyone that could say that.....

 

again, a very subjective issue....so it has to be a generalization...and even that is very difficult...

 

We stopped cruising on Celeb and food was the main reason. Unless you are in a suite, and dine in areas separate from the rest. The food in the regular dining areas was no longer acceptable to us. 

[jonthomas]

We were on the Riviera on a TA in March and only made note of the difference we felt when there was a change in staff. We did it  on the questionnaire to which there was no reply. 

[LHT28]

With all the hype about the food on O  I think new cruisers  have high expectations

 

O has their faults  & nothing is perfect 

We have had some  not so good dishes  on O   but for the most part  they do a good job

JMO

 

[jonthomas]

We were so spoiled on the Insignia, the food was the best we had ever had. Yes pre covid. 

That Insignia cruise had made us give up all other cruise lines. 

 

Looking back, I wish we had complimented the staff more. Just amazing. 

One example comes to mind.

 

I wanted a mac and cheese, but the server said they were all out of it. Which was ok. 

 

I got something else which was just delicious. As I sat down, the chef brought to the table a plate of hot mac and cheese and said, they shouldnt have said they are all out, it is no problem to make more. I was just so amazed at that gesture. It was certainly not expected.  For us, that incident separated O from all others. I must say, that it is also probably because of the small size of the Insignia. I had always been hesitant to go on a small ship. Now I see them very differently. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 minute ago, jonthomas said:

We were so spoiled on the Insignia, the food was the best we had ever had. Yes pre covid. 

That Insignia cruise had made us give up all other cruise lines. 

 

Looking back, I wish we had complimented the staff more. Just amazing. 

One example comes to mind.

 

I wanted a mac and cheese, but the server said they were all out of it. Which was ok. 

 

I got something else which was just delicious. As I sat down, the chef brought to the table a plate of hot mac and cheese and said, they shouldnt have said they are all out, it is no problem to make more. I was just so amazed at that gesture. It was certainly not expected.  For us, that incident separated O from all others. I must say, that it is also probably because of the small size of the Insignia. I had always been hesitant to go on a small ship. Now I see them very differently. 

Our cruise on Riviera in January got top marks for food and service – I had previously sniffed at Oceania's claim of the best food at sea but now I'm a believer.

 

But the executive chef makes a huge different on any ship.  Early in our cruising history we were on Coral Princess twice in 6 months; different exec. chef, completely different food (same menus, but execution???).

[jonthomas]

Yes, O has also been known for consistency. No matter what ship or who the exec chef was, you could count on the best food at sea. 

 

Of course with that kind of message out there, the expectations are very hard to live up to. 

[welshfamily]

Food is very subjective.

Having just returned from The Rivera in our opinion the food was good overall.

The speciality restaurant excluding Toscana were excellent. The terrace particularly at night plus special evening eg French night very good. Breakfast , excellent, if you could think of a breakfast food it was available, The terrace at lunch was good however not quite as good as before Covid simply because dishes were repeated quite often. 
The let down for us was the main dinning room. The choice here has declined. Main courses were just not exciting. Appetisers repeated too often and there was too much reliance on the ‘always available’.  I will agree some staff were new however all were willing and pleasant. 
We would recommend Oceania. 

[njhorseman]

30 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Yes, O has also been known for consistency. No matter what ship or who the exec chef was, you could count on the best food at sea. 

 

Of course with that kind of message out there, the expectations are very hard to live up to. 

"The Finest Cuisine at Sea" is a registered trademark, not an objective statement of quality. It's an advertising slogan and as such is permissible sales puffery . 

 

In other words Oceania's saying it has "The Finest Cuisine at Sea" doesn't make it true.

[SargassoPirate]

Food is subjective.  I've never gone hungry on a cruise ship and by the looks of some passengers they haven't missed too many meals either.

 

 

[jonthomas]

Not the point of going hungry....yes many will eat slop on any ship...any cruise line...

 

We pay more to be on O, for the very reason that the food is supposed to be better...hype, maybe....sloganism, yes of course....

 

 

[DENIE]

On our July Riviera cruise, the food was amazing.  We really only had one "miss" the entire cruise, and everything else was quite good to amazing.  

 

Although we booked another cruise on Vista in 2024, we have one coming up on HAL.  I know HAL  folks often rave about the food, but I have a feeling it won't be of the same caliber (we are sailing with a bunch of friends who selected this cruise).  We were former Celebrity cruisers, and I felt the food on Oceania was definitely a step up.  

 

Our bottom line is that there will always be good food, and would rather be ON a cruise ship than OFF.  😁

Edited September 12, 2022 by DENIE
clarification

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

"The Finest Cuisine at Sea" is a registered trademark, not an objective statement of quality. It's an advertising slogan and as such is permissible sales puffery . 

 

In other words Oceania's saying it has "The Finest Cuisine at Sea" doesn't make it true.

But it is true.

[GICNJC]

We were on a Baltic Cruise in July 2022.  The food was great, but some menu items were not available due to supply chain issues.  Even at our local supermarkets have had items that just they can not get from suppliers.

I truly believe O wants to provide great culinary experiences, but as the ships travel around the world, their supply chain will not be back to par for a while.

I am happy they don't offer up stale, moldy, or rotting food (perhaps with the exception of blue cheese)

[njhorseman]

35 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

But it is true.

In your opinion. Others may disagree...based on what some people have written on other cruise lines' boards.

I would say it's the best I've had at sea, but I haven't cruised on any of the "luxury" lines.

I have had some poorly prepared food on Oceania, so they're not remotely close to approaching perfection.

[njhorseman]

7 minutes ago, GICNJC said:

 

I am happy they don't offer up stale, moldy, or rotting food

I was offered rotting fruit for dessert once in Toscana. I couldn't believe they let that garbage (literally it belonged in the garbage) out of the kitchen and the staff didn't care one bit...in fact gave me an attitude about it.

Saw ants crawling on the cheese in the Terrace Cafe.

[emd138]

Our last cruise in July was not up to par, but we still enjoyed it.  Creme Brulee without the sugar on top is insane to me.  Not one venue, all of them.  We had several other dishes that were just not good. WIth that said, I run a plant, and have many of the same issues that they are experiencing, and have 2 more booked.  I hated Celebrity, their food was terrible to my taste, and that was before COVID.

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

27 minutes ago, emd138 said:

I hated Celebrity, their food was terrible to my taste, and that was before COVID.

The food in Luminae is good – but at that point you're already paying Oceania prices!

[CorgiToo]

Just returned from 11 days on the Marina in the Baltic. The food was great in all the specialty restaurants and the main dining room. We only had 320 passengers, so it was possible to eat in the specialty restaurants more than once. As a result, the main dining room was practically empty in the middle since most guests requested window seating. It was open for breakfast and dinner, with excellent service and a great variety of menu offerings, One evening we "took a break" from the specialty restaurants only to find an outstanding beef wellington on the menu that was superior to the prime rib we had at Polo, 

 

Looking forward to a week in the Caribbean on Celebrity after Thanksgiving, since we love Aqua Class for the opportunity to enjoy Blu for dinner every night. 

 

[vadraw]

I'm on the Sirena now.  Fifth Oceania cruise; 1st post covid.  I believe the food service is as good or maybe even better than my previous experiences.  I was pleasantly surprised based on some of the feedback on this forum.  That said, it depends so heavily on the particular chef, crew, etc you happen to encounter on your cruise.  I believe they are clearly attempting to replicate the pre-covid food experience.  Providing this just as an additional data point.

[LaCroisiereS'amuse]

I came back from 2 weeks on Insignia in August & found the quality to be as good as before.  The thing I didn't like was the abundance of vegetarian/vegan options - one evening half the main course options were non meat/fish severely limiting options for omnivores.  I come on a cruise for a treat......I leave the health kick at home.

[MEFIowa]

I suspect a function in 2022 of the realities of so many issues, both personal and supply. 

 

Wife and I had no such complaints on Riviera (12/21) when cruising was restarting. Since then the world has dramatically changed.