Live from Regatta

[PhD-iva]

35 minutes ago, roberts2005 said:

As long as you are both logged in to the wifi, it should work as it does at home.  I did not need to do anything special..  Only issue I had, was switching between my ipad and phone..

Important to set phone in “airplane mode” to avoid potential outrageous charges if connecting while at sea…..

Also, (and I’m a technophobe) also need to set a switch to enable wifi calling. 
Did I miss anything?

[Classiccruiser777]

2 hours ago, basor said:

Which cruise line are you now looking at or are you leaning to land based trips?

 

At the risk of hearing all the criticisms and defensiveness about O, Cunard. We don't drink, don't take shore excursions and our last two O cruises were disappointing. There were several cabin issues and the food has definitely declined. "Simply more" is simply more expensive and with the recent decline the value proposition is no longer there for us.

[TRLD]

9 minutes ago, Classiccruiser777 said:

 

At the risk of hearing all the criticisms and defensiveness about O, Cunard. We don't drink, don't take shore excursions and our last two O cruises were disappointing. There were several cabin issues and the food has definitely declined. "Simply more" is simply more expensive and with the recent decline the value proposition is no longer there for us.

We feel that simply more is Oceania trying to put their base fare inclusions to be more in line with Viking.

[ak1004]

9 minutes ago, Classiccruiser777 said:

 

At the risk of hearing all the criticisms and defensiveness about O, Cunard. We don't drink, don't take shore excursions and our last two O cruises were disappointing. There were several cabin issues and the food has definitely declined. "Simply more" is simply more expensive and with the recent decline the value proposition is no longer there for us.

 

Our last Cunard cruise in 2022 was pretty poor. Entertainment and activities were amazing, but food and service were poor. Of course it's different if you are in a suite, but in a regular dining room, the food on O is in a different league.

[bradpole]

3 hours ago, Classiccruiser777 said:

Oceania has declined while becoming more expensive to the point that we’re not considering them for the foreseeable future.

Everyone has different perspectives and experiences, I do agree Oceania is becoming more expensive, but we haven’t seen any decline in the areas that are important to us….thankfully. Is everything perfect?  Not a chance, has it been perfect in the past?  No, but we continue to enjoy our experiences!

[basor]

19 minutes ago, Classiccruiser777 said:

 

At the risk of hearing all the criticisms and defensiveness about O, Cunard. We don't drink, don't take shore excursions and our last two O cruises were disappointing. There were several cabin issues and the food has definitely declined. "Simply more" is simply more expensive and with the recent decline the value proposition is no longer there for us.

Thank you for your insight - not every cruise line is a good match for everyone so always nice to have options.  For those that booked under OLife in the past, the "new" O has lost it's appeal but finding another line that does not have the same inclusions is becoming more difficult.

[Vallesan]

11 minutes ago, TRLD said:

We feel that simply more is Oceania trying to put their base fare inclusions to be more in line with Viking.

I guess if it’s not for you then you have other choices.
 

We all do!

 

We just need to choose the line that suits us ‘Now’ the past is the past!

[Snaefell3]

3 hours ago, Mrs f. said:

Anything specific we have to do in order to text? It would be grand to be able to text my husband on the ship. We're frequently looking for each other

"WiFi calling" is a current selectable option on both Android and Apple phones.

 

For shipboard WiFi calling to work,

• Your cellphone provider has to allow it.

   - AFAIK, all US providers do

   - Last I looked, Australian providers were forbidden by law from doing so

• You must be logged onto the ship's WiFi with audio-grade internet available.

• Your cellphone has to be new enough to have the option (last 10 years?)

• Your cellphone must have "WiFi Calling" enabled

• Your phone must be in Airplane mode or have "roaming priority is by WiFi" selected

 

Whether voicemail or texting works is up to your cellphone provider.  Ask them.

 

PS: We've gotten spam calls at 5am Hawaiian Standard Time, 8am PDT.  😒

 

[zalusky]

17 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

Regatta is a small ship. I’ve sailed on the very similar Sirena. There’s no need for an app onboard. Not enuf stuff going on. No 5,000 pax trying to get their meals scheduled. I can see the need on an X ship, or RCC, Carnival, etc.

In my opinion, no need for an app on O.
Now, “improve the wifi” - did I hear anyone say? YES, now you’ve got me going on that one!

 

I would disagree with that.  There were a number of times I wanted to see the menu's while on a late port day to decide if I was going to eat on land or go back to the ship.  That also implies the ship network needs to be accessible via land.  

 

In addition while the service was great I will not sail R class ships again.  The lack of self service laundry and adequate BATHROOMS next to Horizon and the theater is a deal breaker.

Edited April 7 by zalusky

[basor]

1 minute ago, zalusky said:

 

I would disagree with that.  There were a number of times I wanted to see the menu's while on a late port day to decide if I was going to eat on land or go back to the ship.  That also implies the ship network needs to be accessible via land.  

We found that the Princess app did not work off the ship so would not be an advantage in this case..

[zalusky]

Just now, basor said:

We found that the Princess app did not work off the ship so would not be an advantage in this case..

 

Thats the point.  It's something they need to fix.

[judi666]

5 hours ago, TRLD said:

There is a lot that Oceania does very well. The staff is very good, with good service. The food is on average better than the adult focused mass market lines such as Celebrity  HAL  and Princess. I mention those because that seems to be where a lot of the first timers seem to be coming from. But not knock your sox off better. The sushi and grill to order, including in the Cafe at night is very nice.

 

The Regatta does not feel crowded. Thing like tender operations run very well. Since this is a Pepeete to San Pedro cruise you use tenders a lot. The unique itinerary is probably why a lot of first timers.

 

From conversations I have had the biggest things that some do not like is the schedule. The food venue hours as an example. One gentleman mentioned that he had never been on a ship where one could not get a cheese plate after 9:30. That dinner started at 6:30. That the only main show is at 9:30. 

 

There is a lot we like, such as tea with the string quartet each afternoon. The other passengers, including the first timers  are interesting, well traveled, and come from a variety of back grounds.

 

However for us the overall energy level of the cruise is too low. We have done and contine to do many cruises on a variety of lines from 50 passenger ships to 5000 passenger ships. We tend to like sea days and often do transatlantic or transpacific cruises. Prior to this cruise we liked booking long cruises with lots of sea days on a number of other lines and thought we were good at providing our own entertainment. We might do a unique, heavy port, itinerary on Oceania in the future, but not anything with a large number of sea days such as this cruise and most likely not if we can do the itinerary on another line.

 

 

I agree the general energy level on this particular cruise seems very low.  It’s hard to actually explain.  There are tons of really nice, well traveled folks.  There are activities available, but every day the same things. How many times can you play baggo or do the mini-golf?  The other two times we did the shorter  version of the cruise it seemed different. I’m not talking about silly contests on carnival, just things like a bridge tour, deck barbecue, or lectures on the very interesting places we have been. There have been a couple of lecturers, but the content is thin.

once again it’s really subjective on my part, as I have no interest in needlepoint or shell crafts.  The wine or spirit tastings they have are nice, but are expensive for what they offer and not something you want to do daily.

I think I had some nostalgia for the past when we did a 32 day Med cruise and a couple of the French Polynesia itineraries, a Panama Canal etc. all on the smaller ships of Oceania. 
Being older, it’s just a bit less fun.  It’s not about the small ship, as in 2019 we did 40 days on one of the Windstar “motor yachts” that was a much smaller ship.

 

Agreed the tender staff did an amazing job, with our many tender ports!  I was wowed by their efficiency and really caring attitude. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Snaefell3]

8 minutes ago, zalusky said:

 

Thats the point.  It's something they need to fix.

They are not allowed to.  Ship's WiFi, by IEEE 802.11 standards, is short ranged: not more than 100m from the closest shipboard antenna, and in practice generally less.

[basor]

19 minutes ago, zalusky said:

 

Thats the point.  It's something they need to fix.

My point is that Princess having an app is no more advantageous than O not having an app for this particular situation

[TRLD]

Just now, Snaefell3 said:

They are not allowed to.  Ship's WiFi, by IEEE 802.11 standards, is short ranged: not more than 100m from the closest shipboard antenna, and in practice generally less.

In addition all of that information is in the shipboard server. If one connected using cell service or the internet off ship the app would connect to the corporate app server which would not have the shipboard data in it. Do not see why they would change it. In most cases on Princess one can access the dinner menu via the app in the morning before leaving ship.

[judi666]

5 hours ago, EJL2023 said:

Just a few comments.  As noted..food is certainly subjective. But to describe it as edible as the best you can do…..hmmmm

 

Regarding wine by glass….fine but small selection?? There are 33 wines by glass available.  Seems like a pretty decent selection to me….and we have never had an issue finding something we like from the selection of 33. 

 

Regarding pressure to upgrade wine?? I guess just bad luck…never experienced this on our Oceania cruises.  We have been asked if we would want to attend an upcoming wine tasting event, we politely advise no and end of story. 
 

Regarding the app….i just don’t see this as needed personally, but obviously some do so no biggie. Not having it cuts back some on people wandering aimlessly onboard with their eyes looking down glued to their phone while standing in front of elevators so you can’t get off or blocking walkways….you know, like happens continuously in the grocery store and other public places. 

There may be 33 wines by the glass in the dining rooms ( I will have to look this evening, it seemed to be less) but at least half are not interesting to me. Several are wines that retail for $6-10. 

The wines by the glass at the terrace cafe and waves grill are maybe 6-8, certainly not 33. 
After the first few days, the wine folks know we aren’t going to upgrade and don’t ask again.

 

 

 

[Mrs f.]

1 hour ago, Snaefell3 said:

"WiFi calling" is a current selectable option on both Android and Apple phones.

 

For shipboard WiFi calling to work,

• Your cellphone provider has to allow it.

   - AFAIK, all US providers do

   - Last I looked, Australian providers were forbidden by law from doing so

• You must be logged onto the ship's WiFi with audio-grade internet available.

• Your cellphone has to be new enough to have the option (last 10 years?)

• Your cellphone must have "WiFi Calling" enabled

• Your phone must be in Airplane mode or have "roaming priority is by WiFi" selected

 

Whether voicemail or texting works is up to your cellphone provider.  Ask them.

 

PS: We've gotten spam calls at 5am Hawaiian Standard Time, 8am PDT.  😒

 

Thanks

[Classiccruiser777]

1 hour ago, zalusky said:

 

In addition while the service was great I will not sail R class ships again.  The lack of self service laundry and adequate BATHROOMS next to Horizon and the theater is a deal breaker.

 

Has the self-service laundry on deck 7 been removed?

[zalusky]

21 minutes ago, Classiccruiser777 said:

 

Has the self-service laundry on deck 7 been removed?

No but there is only one self serve laundry for the whole ship.  The O ships have one on each floor!

[zalusky]

1 hour ago, TRLD said:

In addition all of that information is in the shipboard server. If one connected using cell service or the internet off ship the app would connect to the corporate app server which would not have the shipboard data in it. Do not see why they would change it. In most cases on Princess one can access the dinner menu via the app in the morning before leaving ship.

 

Thats my point.  They can upload daily data to corporate and with a decent app you can also offload a copy to your phone before leaving.  I do not want to carry a planner with me.  I hate wasting paper.

[BarbaraM]

1 hour ago, judi666 said:

There may be 33 wines by the glass in the dining rooms ( I will have to look this evening, it seemed to be less) but at least half are not interesting to me. Several are wines that retail for $6-10. 

The wines by the glass at the terrace cafe and waves grill are maybe 6-8, certainly not 33. 
After the first few days, the wine folks know we aren’t going to upgrade and don’t ask again.

 

 

 

No change in wines by the glass if you upgrade to Prestige.  

[EJL2023]

2 hours ago, judi666 said:

There may be 33 wines by the glass in the dining rooms ( I will have to look this evening, it seemed to be less) but at least half are not interesting to me. Several are wines that retail for $6-10. 

The wines by the glass at the terrace cafe and waves grill are maybe 6-8, certainly not 33. 
After the first few days, the wine folks know we aren’t going to upgrade and don’t ask again.

 

 

 

Whenever we have been in the Terrace Cafe we have asked for the wine menu and been given the same one as in all other restaurants.  Now Wave I’m not sure as typically will not have any wine and stick with beer there if anything at all. Also, my comment regarding wine was because in your initial post on the issue you simply stated there was a lack of choice and that the wine included was fine…..but now it seems you are saying less than half just did not interest you and now even include retail pricing. So the story has changed from what my comments were based upon. 

Edited April 7 by EJL2023

[Kay S]

4 hours ago, basor said:

We found that the Princess app did not work off the ship so would not be an advantage in this case..

Don't get me started on that infernal Princess app... Lack of app is one reason we're moving over to Oceania.

[judi666]

5 hours ago, EJL2023 said:

Whenever we have been in the Terrace Cafe we have asked for the wine menu and been given the same one as in all other restaurants.  Now Wave I’m not sure as typically will not have any wine and stick with beer there if anything at all. Also, my comment regarding wine was because in your initial post on the issue you simply stated there was a lack of choice and that the wine included was fine…..but now it seems you are saying less than half just did not interest you and now even include retail pricing. So the story has changed from what my comments were based upon. 

I counted the wines by the glass on the menu at Waves and Terrace cafe, this afternoon. There were 8. Have not been to dinner yet, but still doubt there are 33.

I think the point I was making is that the choice is limited to very low end wines with the Simply More package. Obviously we could bring our own, and in fact we did. Some of the wines we tried are certainly drinkable, but others sub par. 
 

Im wondering why you care enough to be snarky about what I clearly stated  was my personal subjective opinion.  Your experience could have varied from mine, different ships, different cruise itinerary. 
 

[bradpole]

15 hours ago, judi666 said:

I agree the general energy level on this particular cruise seems very low.  It’s hard to actually explain.  There are tons of really nice, well traveled folks.  There are activities available, but every day the same things. How many times can you play baggo or do the mini-golf?  ....

What you're describing sounds like every O voyage I've been on.  I can't remember if it was this thread or another where I remarked that after the first or second day we hardly need to refer to Currents anymore because we know at 9:30 baggo is in horizons, followed by put put at 10:30, 2:30 shuffle board and 3:30 mini golf... or whatever times/order that particular cruise director has them scheduled for.  One does not book an O cruise for entertainment.