Regatta Disappointment

[nadalina]

I’ve been on well over 100 cruises since 1989, mostly on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, but it has been on my bucket list to sail on an Oceania ship for years. Frankly, it’s too expensive for me, but I recently returned from a 7-night on the Regatta out of Long Beach, California. I admit that I’m a very picky cruiser and I had high expectations prior to boarding, and I wanted so badly to be blown away by their excellence. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I was so disappointed in the service and food. The ship is lovely and exudes an elegant sophistication.  I traveled alone and had one of the 150 sq. ft. solo cabins.  I was afraid I would be unhappy with the room but I wasn’t. Yes, it was small but they smartly utilized every tiny space and there was plenty of storage space. I was in 6030 and the view was obstructed but not as badly as the other solo cabins. Mine only had a small rescue raft outside my window instead of the much larger lifeboats, so I could see the ocean whereas others could not. I’m going to write a review, but just quickly and briefly, here are a couple of my main complaints. On the first day my steward asked if I had any special requests and I asked for ice every day and ginger ale in my fridge. I didn’t think that was a major deal but evidently it was because I only got ice three days out of the seven. I asked again and again and gave gentle reminders but it did no good. I ordered room service twice. Both times the food was really not good. The first was a cheeseburger (cooked medium) and fries. The beef was cooked well done, cold, hard and dry. So were the fries. No mayo, ketchup or mustard. The salt shaker was empty. The second time I ordered some snacks. The shrimp cocktail (3 shrimp) was good, but the spinach and artichoke dip was so cold and so hard that I had to scrape it out of the tiny container with a spoon and it came out in one glob and wasn’t edible. The “salsa” was puréed tomatoes ONLY with no taste at all. No salt or pepper. And the cheesecake was so dry and tasteless that I couldn’t eat it. All of my steaks were served extremely well done, cold and dry. The sirloin steak was so tough and dry it was inedible and what was supposed to be a small filet on a ciabatta roll was too tough to be from a tenderloin. It looked beautiful on the plate but was cooked well done, cold and was probably a piece of top sirloin.  At the only tea time I went to, I went early and was the first person served. I asked for three little sandwiches, all different. The bottoms of the various breads were slightly wet and the tops were so hard I couldn’t eat two of them. The chicken salad was on a tiny roll and it was okay. The meals in the Polo Grill and Toscana were okay but nothing to brag about.  I’ve had much better meals in restaurants at home. I could go on and on but I’ll stop here. The bars and wines, both in product and service, were excellent. I genuinely hate my experience turned out this way. But for once I was ready to leave the ship. And for the price I paid, I wish I had used the money to go on three Celebrity cruises.  Please feel free to ask any questions.

Edited May 19, 2023 by nadalina
Changed we’re to were

[Elbig]

Wow. How unfortunate. Obviously your experience is vastly different than those of us that are fans of Oceania. Did you report your concerns during the trip? Have you contacted Oceania since your return?

[MarkWiltonM]

Sorry you had such bad food. We had decent food recently on Sirena but poor service in the MDR. And we had okay but mostly humdrum food in Riviera even more recently but with good service. None of the food on either ship was outstanding, but it was more consistently okay than other cruise lines we've been on (mostly Celebrity and HAL). However, we order room service frequently for lunch and it was quite good on both ships. Food cooked properly and even warm when it arrived. Specialty restaurants were not worth bothering with--none of them. But, overall, you just never know about the food from cruise to cruise and it comes down to the ship's chef at the time and, I suppose, many other variables. All that said, we have three more cruises booked on Oceania because we like the line overall. I do think Oceania's marketing of "the finest cuisine at sea" is a classic case of "overpromise and underdeliver." 

[pinotlover]

I believe Mark’s comments above are right on. Dramatically over cooked meat was a problem on both our recent cruises.

 

I’ll repeat earlier posts I’ve made. We believe that Oceania typically does a fairly good job overall. However, one must calibrate their expectations and ignore some of the marketing hype. Otherwise, disappointment is sure to follow.

[cruiserchuck]

We just put a hold on an upcoming cruise on Riviera.  Meals served lukewarm or cold is one of my biggest concerns on cruises.  I hope Oceania gets their act together soon.  

 

We usually sail Celebrity or HAL.  We have done one Oceania cruise before, and enjoyed it.  With the extraordinary fares, the rates are very competitive with Celebrity/HAL.  We also notice similar comments about food/service slipping on the Celebrity/HAL boards.

[Snaefell3]

Regatta sails out of San Pedro, not Long Beach.  I wonder how a cruiser with 100 cruises wouldn't know.

 

Had a room service take an hour on Regatta this week.  After I mentioned it, the Restaurant Mgr stopped me in the hallway to apologize the next day.

Stuff is going to happen, but Regatta, in my experience, was into making it right.

[Flatbush Flyer]

43 minutes ago, nadalina said:

…. I recently returned from a 7-night on the Regatta out of Long Beach, California. I admit that I’m a very picky cruiser and I had high expectations prior to boarding, and I wanted so badly to be blown away by their excellence. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I was so disappointed in the service and food.

…..And for the price I paid, I wish I had used the money to go on three Celebrity cruises.  Please feel free to ask any questions.

Sad that your expectations fell short. Kind of weird about those issues too. 
We were on Regatta for a month this past spring and did not encounter any unacceptable meals except one, which was truly due to the cook in Waves not understanding what really goes into a Reuben sandwich. On the first try I got a mix of corned beef and brisket. Sent it back with the clear explanation that it should only have had corned beef. You guessed it: next thing they brought was a corned beef sandwich with nothing else on it. In this particular instance, third times was a charm - actual Reuben (and quite good).

Back to you: Did you complain (nicely/immediately) to the Maitre d’ or F&B manager and/or send the Room Service meal back? In our experience, saying something nicely makes sure that you’ll get it corrected and (word travels fast) not have a second bad experience. 
As for Celebrity $, I’ve often compared their bottom line pricing with O. And, for an apples to apples comparison for all that O provides (but is extra cost on Celebrity), particularly intercontinental air fare or air credit, I’ve always found O to be in the same $ ballpark as Celebrity.

But, at least you tried O and now you can go back to Celebrity if it is a better fit.

[PhD-iva]

So sorry about your experience. There’s no excuse for what you experienced. 

[nadalina]

37 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

Regatta sails out of San Pedro, not Long Beach.  I wonder how a cruiser with 100 cruises wouldn't know.

 

Had a room service take an hour on Regatta this week.  After I mentioned it, the Restaurant Mgr stopped me in the hallway to apologize the next day.

Stuff is going to happen, but Regatta, in my experience, was into making it right.

Hahaha…..you’re right, of course, we did sail out of San Pedro. I flew into and stayed in Long Beach but I do know the difference. Thanks for calling me out on it though. 

[LHT28]

Too bad  it was  not good 

As others said I hope you mentioned the food issue to the GM  or someone in authority  while onboard

 

Not getting ice  is just poor  staff   & should have been reported to the head housekeeper  or the GM

 

[Woofa]

Thank you for letting us know. So sorry your food was not up to expectations.  If you have not already, please let your TA and Oceania know.  I hope your future cruises, regardless of line are better.

For those future cruisers reading this, never accept the kind of food being described.  While good food is not the only thing one gets while cruising O, it is certainly a big one and if the food is as described above please immediately let someone know.  No excuse for these kind of issues but if there is a problem, someone in charge needs to know to help fix it.

Not making excuses but I have sent back overcooked steaks in high level steak houses more than once.  These things do happen but for the premium I am paying they need to get me at least close to what I order.

Now, as @pinotlover said above, we also felt the basic steak on our January Riviera cruise was nothing special.  We did have superior steaks in Polo but for example the terrace grill was such I started ordering other options.  (Lamb, shrimp, etc. was much better.)

This was not something we felt the need to complain about as it was not cooked poorly, we just felt this was not up to the other food standards and ordered accordingly.  Again polo was better and the MDR beef Wellington also very good.  Lamb was good everywhere we tried it.

[nadalina]

For those of you who asked, no, I didn’t complain at the time. Perhaps I should have.  I wondered while onboard if I was the only one having a disappointing experience with the food, thinking I might be being overly critical. However, as I was leaving the ship, I ran into a large wedding party group that I had met on the first day and they, too, were very disappointed and even more critical than I was. So that confirmed it wasn’t just me. 
 

I did have wonderful experiences with some of the crew members, the most significant one being a wine sommelier from Ukraine named Uliana.  She is delightful and I hope we will keep in touch. 
 

It isn’t that anything was terribly bad on this cruise, just disappointing. It’s the little things. The nuances of elegant service just wasn’t there. Like the waiter in the Terrace Cafe who would bring me coffee and place it on the table too far away for me to reach, or the assistant waiter in the MDR who would pick up my plate before I was finished and without asking first, or the waiter in Toscana who served the only gentleman at the table of four first before the three ladies because the man was closest to him. I expect more from O!!

[Twiga]

I was on the Regatta from April 16 to May 4, 2023, 18 days.  We never had any of the problems  described by the OP.  Room service food was on time and at the proper temperature.  In fact, I would say that 95% of the food was perfect in all venues.  I am really surprised by the OP's comments. It is unfortunate that she experienced these deficiencies.  She definitely should have said something at the time.  Oceania is great at making things right when they learn of a problem.  For example, the sticky buns at the Terrace Cafe were not "sticky."  I let the head chef know and from then on they served true sticky buns!  For future Regatta and Oceania cruises, you have the ability to make things right.  Just say something!

[nadalina]

And I do plan to let O know about my experiences on the comment survey they send out. 

[MEFIowa]

2 hours ago, nadalina said:

I’ve been on well over 100 cruises since 1989, mostly on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, but it has been on my bucket list to sail on an Oceania ship for years. Frankly, it’s too expensive for me, but I recently returned from a 7-night on the Regatta out of Long Beach, California. I admit that I’m a very picky cruiser and I had high expectations prior to boarding, and I wanted so badly to be blown away by their excellence. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I was so disappointed in the service and food. ... The meals in the Polo Grill and Toscana were okay but nothing to brag about.  I’ve had much better meals in restaurants at home. I could go on and on but I’ll stop here. ...

Too bad you didn't buy your fare off of some serious cabin upgrade sale to make it less expensive.

 

You had very high expectations. And it seems like food can be obsessive for some cruisers, esp. solo cruisers. Did you eat at Terrace Cafe? If so, what did you think? We love it. (Never have eaten in the GDR so far. Always prefer the TC when not in a specialty restaurant.)

 

BUT I note you didn't discuss the solo gatherings or other interactions O has for both solo and non-solo cruisers on board. Did you do any of that?

 

(Wife and I were 1st time cruisers on Riviera 12/2021 and then 2nd time on Sirena 11/2022. We had a fantastic time.

[sunlover12]

Sorry to hear of your experience. What you have described is not the norm, IMO.

I've been on Regatta 3 times, the most recent being March 2022. The food and service were wonderful each time. Requesting that your ice bucket be filled every day and it wasn't is a service flaw. That shouldn't happen.

You mentioned that the cheesecake was dry and tasteless. I am sorry to hear that. My experience is that Oceania's desserts are fabulous. I can't recall one bad dessert I've had.  You also mentioned being on Royal Caribbean.  I've sailed with them a few times and found their desserts to be truly awful. I couldn't eat them.  

 

I think so much depends on the staff on duty at the time of your cruise.

 

Regarding the comment survey that you mentioned, unless things have recently changed, that can only be done while you are on the ship. It's too late once you disembark. 

 

 

[PhD-iva]

1 hour ago, nadalina said:

And I do plan to let O know about my experiences on the comment survey they send out. 

Yes, as Sunlover12 mentioned, the cruise survey isn’t available after you disembark. However, an email to O is a second-best option. Someone here will have a suggestion for an email address to use. Always better to complete the survey before disembarking, but…….that ship has sailed.

[LHT28]

JMO

 If you have an issue  with food , service  or anything  tell someone in management  at the time of the issue

if you do not mention the problem at the time  they cannot fix it

 

When you get home  there is not much they can do to make it right for you

YMMV

[Zebra Cruiser]

2 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Too bad you didn't buy your fare off of some serious cabin upgrade sale to make it less expensive.

 

You had very high expectations. And it seems like food can be obsessive for some cruisers, esp. solo cruisers. Did you eat at Terrace Cafe? If so, what did you think? We love it. (Never have eaten in the GDR so far. Always prefer the TC when not in a specialty restaurant.)

 

BUT I note you didn't discuss the solo gatherings or other interactions O has for both solo and non-solo cruisers on board. Did you do any of that?

 

(Wife and I were 1st time cruisers on Riviera 12/2021 and then 2nd time on Sirena 11/2022. We had a fantastic time.

Not sure why you feel food is obsessive especially for solo cruisers??  

[Zebra Cruiser]

I spent five weeks in 6030 in December/January.  I also was very happy with the solo cabin, although I felt the price was excessive.  Sorry for your experience.  While I had some serious concerns regarding how the corporate office responded to passenger concerns, I had no complaints regarding the ship, service or food on board.  I should add I never ordered room service because there really was nowhere to eat in the cabin! 

Edited May 20, 2023 by Zebra Cruiser

[FeliciaLee]

13 hours ago, Twiga said:

We never had any of the problems  described by the OP.  Room service food was on time and at the proper temperature.  In fact, I would say that 95% of the food was perfect in all venues...  For future Regatta and Oceania cruises, you have the ability to make things right.  Just say something!

Exactly correct.

 

We only had a couple of glitches on Sirena in January and addressed this issues, which were immediately corrected. And in the end, it ended up being one of the best cruises we have ever taken!

[Flatbush Flyer]

43 minutes ago, FeliciaLee said:

Exactly correct.

 

We only had a couple of glitches on Sirena in January and addressed this issues, which were immediately corrected. And in the end, it ended up being one of the best cruises we have ever taken!

Absolutely. In an earlier post on this thread, I mentioned an almost flawless recent month long Regatta cruise. And we’ll be back on her at the end of the summer for about three weeks.

[MEFIowa]

11 hours ago, Zebra Cruiser said:

Not sure why you feel food is obsessive especially for solo cruisers??  

In this specific case, I don't think the OP mentions any excursions or any solo gatherings or any shows. Essentially ALL about the FOOD. And much of the issue here seems about ROOM SERVICE, eating alone in your cabin.

 

BUT I did choose my words carefully: "And it seems like food can be obsessive for some cruisers, esp. solo cruisers." This OP not the first where food dominates a solo cruiser's complaints. We all know O touts its food.

 

 

[Classiccruiser777]

On these kinds of posts I always question why the person didn't raise the issues onboard, while they were occurring, but waited to complain on a forum well after the fact. I have no sympathy.

[redraider1966]

24 minutes ago, Classiccruiser777 said:

On these kinds of posts I always question why the person didn't raise the issues onboard, while they were occurring, but waited to complain on a forum well after the fact. I have no sympathy.

Plus 1.