First Oceania Cruise...21 Days on Regatta...No Thanks...Back to Celebrity

[jwindham]

I hope all of you realize that the OP was a hit and run. Has not returned at all to this thread. 

[ak1004]

1 hour ago, jwindham said:

I hope all of you realize that the OP was a hit and run. Has not returned at all to this thread. 

 

Yes, I noticed that too. Takes all the credibility of this so called review.

[TRLD]

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

 

Yes, I noticed that too. Takes all the credibility of this so called review.

Except that there are 2 other of us from the same cruise with similar comments as well as indications in posts from a person on the next cruise.

[cluso]

On 4/23/2024 at 3:37 PM, durberville said:

*sighs. Thanks for the honest review but man o man am I bummed. Have booked our first Oceania cruise on the Regatta for October (25 days). Sounds like it will be a floating nursing home with poor food. I convinced my husband to try this line since we’ve become disillusioned with Celebrity. Full of regret now. 😟

 

We are on Regatta this October, and we are not ready for a nursing home.  We will be doing The Tail of the Dragon twice this July.  Zoom, zoom.  🤪

[ak1004]

38 minutes ago, TRLD said:

Except that there are 2 other of us from the same cruise with similar comments as well as indications in posts from a person on the next cruise.

 

Well, my experience on the Regatta was completely different. While I prefer the newer ships, we had a great cruise. Hard to believe that things changed so dramatically in 1.5 years.

 

But then again, different people look at different things. I would never mention that a singer has "distinctive European accent", but that's just me..

 

"Shower size frighting"? Yea.. 5 minutes of Google search would avoid UGLY surprises. 

[TRLD]

9 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Well, my experience on the Regatta was completely different. While I prefer the newer ships, we had a great cruise. Hard to believe that things changed so dramatically in 1.5 years.

 

But then again, different people look at different things. I would never mention that a singer has "distinctive European accent", but that's just me..

 

"Shower size frighting"? Yea.. 5 minutes of Google search would avoid UGLY surprises. 

Funny way you chose to pick two specific comments out of all of the comment made. Two comments not mentioned by others, while ignoring other aspects mentioned by others.

 

Some of which other cruisers have indicated are a normal aspect of Oceania cruises.

 

Especially since their post pointed out many things Oceania does well included with aspect why they will not be back. Just as we will not. Even someone with 10 previous Oceania cruises made some similar observations about this cruise.

Edited April 25 by TRLD

[ak1004]

24 minutes ago, TRLD said:

Funny way you chose to pick two specific comments out of all of the comment made. Two comments not mentioned by others, while ignoring other aspects mentioned by others.

 

Some of which other cruisers have indicated are a normal aspect of Oceania cruises.

 

Especially since their post pointed out many things Oceania does well included with aspect why they will not be back. Just as we will not. Even someone with 10 previous Oceania cruises made some similar observations about this cruise.

 

I don't doubt comments by others, and I don't doubt that this was your experience. I just pointed out that our was completely different in most aspects. The comments I picked were in the UGLY category, this is why I picked them. Excursions prices are higher, but not higher than other lines (I just happened to look at SB excursions recently and was shocked by the prices). We typically prefer to book our own tours.

 

But the fact that OP posted this so called review and didn't bother to come back speaks volume.

[TRLD]

1 minute ago, ak1004 said:

 

I don't doubt comments by others, and I don't doubt that this was your experience. I just pointed out that our was completely different in most aspects. The comments I picked were in the UGLY category, this is why I picked them. Excursions prices are higher, but not higher than other lines (I just happened to look at SB excursions recently and was shocked by the prices). We typically prefer to book our own tours.

 

But the fact that OP posted this so called review and didn't bother to come back speaks volume.

Maybe they simply chose not to engage in debate with those that seem dismissive of their opinion.  Or for that matter may have not had anything to add.

 

All it speaks to is they made their opinion known and then had better things to do with their time.

[ORV]

1 hour ago, TRLD said:

Except that there are 2 other of us from the same cruise with similar comments as well as indications in posts from a person on the next cruise.

Don’t attribute too much negativity to my earlier reports. I was initially concerned about wine choices and berry provisions and a couple of other things.  The food choices and quality have greatly increased. Perhaps it took a little time for them to be distributed through the proper channels. 
 

So far not real happy with the trivia, although that might sound trivial to some it’s important to some of us. I attribute that to lack of experience to a new CD on the job. He’s a nice young man but it’s not the style of trivia us regulars have been accustomed to. That hasn’t stopped us from having fun though. 
 

What do I like?  The food has been up to the regular standards after a weak start. Our room steward has done a fantastic job. The Service, wait staff etc, for the most part has been excellent, with a rough patch here and there. One of our favorite bartenders, Baptiste, is in Martinis. Although we don’t have a drink package or have been going to HH, we know others there are in good hands. 
 

We don’t really go to the shows so have no input there. 
 

The activities are pretty much par for the course for Oceania. Should they rethink them and try to energize them some? Absolutely! 
 

What do I not like?  Well, they brought back that Germain swill someone has called Champagne. Quite frankly Cooks is much better for a Sparkling Wine. On Marina we had Heidsiek. The Raymond Red blend is not on the by the glass menu like it was on Marina last month. Quite disappointed in that. You can buy a bottle for $50 though. Maybe they figured out it was too good for the by the glass menu, although it retails for 10-14 dollars a bottle. The bed is just not as comfortable as they always have been. We’re in a cheap room, Ocean view, but they’ve always been good here before. 
 

But, I hate to complain, so we’ll just call these observations. All in all we’re having a great time. One thing to consider is that the passengers are a heavy California mix. I’m not saying that’s bad, I love a lot of people from CA, but it not the standard FL, NY, TX, Midwestern people we normally see. It’s just a little different vibe. 
 

There’s nothing that will make me not book again in the future. 

Edited April 25 by ORV

[Vallesan]

44 minutes ago, TRLD said:

Funny way you chose to pick two specific comments out of all of the comment made. Two comments not mentioned by others, while ignoring other aspects mentioned by others.

 

Some of which other cruisers have indicated are a normal aspect of Oceania cruises.

 

Especially since their post pointed out many things Oceania does well included with aspect why they will not be back. Just as we will not. Even someone with 10 previous Oceania cruises made some similar observations about this cruise.

I guess at the end of the day we are reading the ‘opinions’ of a tiny number, not even a handful, of people who were actually on the cruise. If there were maybe 10 who agreed with the OP there were still maybe 600+ who haven’t expressed an opinion here.

My advice to anybody yet to take their first cruise with Oceania, or any other line for that matter, who has been put off by these posts, is to go with an open mind. If you go with the mindset that a, b or c are going to be really bad then … self fulfilling prophecy … they will be!!!

Edited April 25 by Vallesan

[pinotlover]

My often repeated advice for the newbies is to dramatically curb your expectations. Perfect example being my recent cruise where about half the ship were newbies. Continued stream of complaints and/or disappointment with the food. They had completely; hook, line, and sinker; bought into the marketing pizzazz of “ finest cuisine at sea” and had boarded with oversized expectations of what that cuisine would be. Disappointment could only result when expectations are so high. Be realistic, you’re on a ship, most often at sea, which is feeding a large number of people. The food can be very good at times, but this isn’t a Michelin star experience. Don’t come in expecting it.

[REDSTRIPETYPE]

So here I am back after being "slagged" for not engaging in all the nonsense and therefore apparently having no credibility.

 

So here are my thoughts now after having read thru all the various comments and by the way I wont be responding again because its not enjoyable.

 

1) Doesn't have to be Red Stripe, I like all kinds of beer and loved that they had local Tahitian beer...Hinano...it was great! (look at that a positive comment)

2) Interesting that I got criticized for saying European accent. I did that to not appear racially motivated especially with the war in Europe.

3) Very happy to see that the people who did comment about the male singer not only agreed but were far more critical the I was. ( hit the nail on the head there!)

4) Funny that most people on these boards think that its mostly complainers and that our opinion should therefore be taken with a grain of salt...if you don't want honest, forthright info then get off the board.

5) My intention was not to say that Celebrity is better or that people should "jump ship" (ha ha) from Oceania, but just to say that the alleged luxury and food experience wasn't enough for us personally to return to Oceania.

6) Incredible the stuff that people choose to slag, like my comment about the early pool chair hogs at 0615...what does the time of sunrise have to do  with that...I didn't make it up it happened!

7) And for the rest  of you naysayers...remember I started with all the good things...I guess my analogy would be this...if you thing that the enormous amount of money you pay for airline business class is worth it than go with Oceania...and although comparing Celebrity with Oceania is like comparing apples and oranges (both fruits but very different) we choose the Celebrity fruit because we can go on two Celebrity cruises for the price of one Oceania cruise.

OVER AND OUT!

 

 

[TRLD]

1 hour ago, Vallesan said:

I guess at the end of the day we are reading the ‘opinions’ of a tiny number, not even a handful, of people who were actually on the cruise. If there were maybe 10 who agreed with the OP there were still maybe 600+ who haven’t expressed an opinion here.

My advice to anybody yet to take their first cruise with Oceania, or any other line for that matter, who has been put off by these posts, is to go with an open mind. If you go with the mindset that a, b or c are going to be really bad then … self fulfilling prophecy … they will be!!!

Pretty much a summary of CC. Only a couple percent of the cruise market even reads the site  far less post.  Pretty rare to get 3 posting about the same cruise on a 5000 passenger ship let alone a 600 passenger ship.

 

In the end the only person whose opinion matters is each individuals. The only way to really find out if you will like it is to try it.

[TRLD]

1 hour ago, ORV said:

Don’t attribute too much negativity to my earlier reports. I was initially concerned about wine choices and berry provisions and a couple of other things.  The food choices and quality have greatly increased. Perhaps it took a little time for them to be distributed through the proper channels. 
 

So far not real happy with the trivia, although that might sound trivial to some it’s important to some of us. I attribute that to lack of experience to a new CD on the job. He’s a nice young man but it’s not the style of trivia us regulars have been accustomed to. That hasn’t stopped us from having fun though. 
 

What do I like?  The food has been up to the regular standards after a weak start. Our room steward has done a fantastic job. The Service, wait staff etc, for the most part has been excellent, with a rough patch here and there. One of our favorite bartenders, Baptiste, is in Martinis. Although we don’t have a drink package or have been going to HH, we know others there are in good hands. 
 

We don’t really go to the shows so have no input there. 
 

The activities are pretty much par for the course for Oceania. Should they rethink them and try to energize them some? Absolutely! 
 

What do I not like?  Well, they brought back that Germain swill someone has called Champagne. Quite frankly Cooks is much better for a Sparkling Wine. On Marina we had Heidsiek. The Raymond Red blend is not on the by the glass menu like it was on Marina last month. Quite disappointed in that. You can buy a bottle for $50 though. Maybe they figured out it was too good for the by the glass menu, although it retails for 10-14 dollars a bottle. The bed is just not as comfortable as they always have been. We’re in a cheap room, Ocean view, but they’ve always been good here before. 
 

But, I hate to complain, so we’ll just call these observations. All in all we’re having a great time. One thing to consider is that the passengers are a heavy California mix. I’m not saying that’s bad, I love a lot of people from CA, but it not the standard FL, NY, TX, Midwestern people we normally see. It’s just a little different vibe. 
 

There’s nothing that will make me not book again in the future. 

On ours the mix was more UK, Australian, Canadian. The US passengers were more diverse. A lot escaping winter.

 

 

[Harters]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

The food can be very good at times, but this isn’t a Michelin star experience. Don’t come in expecting it.

As well as the "finest cuisine at sea" puffery, O's website references Michelin at least a couple of times suggesting that the ships' galleys are of Michelin quality (whatever that means in this scenario) The references are cutely worded, of course, as you'd expect from the copywriter. It all goes to raise expectations and I can understand how newbies might well be disappointed. That said, there is a high proportion of returning customers - it was 80% on my recent Vista cruise - so most of us know what we can expect. And, presumably, generally like it. 

[ORV]

Since this is round trip LA it’s popular with locals since they don’t have to fly. 

[ak1004]

2 hours ago, REDSTRIPETYPE said:

we choose the Celebrity fruit because we can go on two Celebrity cruises for the price of one Oceania cruise.

 

 

Haha.. good luck with that, especially with the newest Celebrity ships.. Many times when you account for all inclusions and compare apples to apples (cabin size, refundable deposit etc), Celebrity actually becomes more expensive.

[ORV]

10 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Haha.. good luck with that, especially with the newest Celebrity ships.. Many times when you account for all inclusions and compare apples to apples (cabin size, refundable deposit etc), Celebrity actually becomes more expensive.

Well let’s just say Oceania is not for everyone as well as Celebrity is not for everybody. I do tend to like them both but I’m aware of what the product is on both. 

[Kay S]

1 hour ago, TRLD said:

Pretty much a summary of CC. Only a couple percent of the cruise market even reads the site  far less post.  Pretty rare to get 3 posting about the same cruise on a 5000 passenger ship let alone a 600 passenger ship.

 

In the end the only person whose opinion matters is each individuals. The only way to really find out if you will like it is to try it.

I often find that my fellow cruisers (no matter the line) have no idea what CC is or that it even exists.  It's not productive to rely too heavily on a CC review.  As you say, the only person whose opinion matters is your own.

 

 

[jonthomas]

Enjoyed Regatta to Alaska last Sept, booked it again for this Sept. 

Yes many older folks. They are inspiring on an active cruise like that. Plenty of all ages.  

Its a busy itinerary, the tours are pretty much all the entertainment we need. Hoping to have the good food we had last year. 

[TRLD]

2 hours ago, Harters said:

As well as the "finest cuisine at sea" puffery, O's website references Michelin at least a couple of times suggesting that the ships' galleys are of Michelin quality (whatever that means in this scenario) The references are cutely worded, of course, as you'd expect from the copywriter. It all goes to raise expectations and I can understand how newbies might well be disappointed. That said, there is a high proportion of returning customers - it was 80% on my recent Vista cruise - so most of us know what we can expect. And, presumably, generally like it. 

Yep. We found the food to be pretty much along the same lines as on many other lines.  Had some good meals on board, also had one of the worst meals we ever had on board. My wife got an oddly cut piece of salmon. Much thicker on one end than the other. The thin end properly cooked the thick end dramatically under cooked. In my case that night it was pork medallions. While te in thing with pork these days is to cook it medium rare with some pink, this was very rare, with blood under each piece  OK for steak  not so much for pork. A case of kitchen execution, not quality of recipe. 

 

But really if you put a group of people in a dining room and served them dishes from the GDR/MDR in a blind taste test with meals from other lines I doubt that one could tell the difference. The placebo effect applied to food.

Edited April 25 by TRLD

[JDincalif]

5 hours ago, ORV said:

One thing to consider is that the passengers are a heavy California mix. I’m not saying that’s bad, I love a lot of people from CA, but it not the standard FL, NY, TX, Midwestern people we normally see. It’s just a little different vibe. 

We like it 😉

[ak1004]

34 minutes ago, TRLD said:

 

But really if you put a group of people in a dining room and served them dishes from the GDR/MDR in a blind taste test with meals from other lines I doubt that one could tell the difference. The placebo effect applied to food.

 

Trust me, if I'm served food from Oceania and Celebrity, I will know the difference even if blindfolded. We had friends with us on our last O cruise who sailed exclusively on Celebrity for over 20 years, they noticed the difference from day 1. 

[clo]

6 hours ago, ORV said:

I love a lot of people from CA, but it not the standard FL, NY, TX, Midwestern people we normally see.

A favorite cruise was a Norwegian coastal one with only about 100 pax. There were only two other USA'ers and it was great. A well traveled group so there was always lots to talk about.

[Kay S]

5 hours ago, ORV said:

Since this is round trip LA it’s popular with locals since they don’t have to fly. 

True.  That would factor in for us, certainly.