A Regatta Thread of My Own.

[ORV]

Just thought I’d start a new thread about the current 4-20 / 5-1 cruise. I wanted to separate any new comments from the previous thread. Anyone currently on this cruise feel free to post. Or not on this cruise feel free to chime in, except for that woman that’s always hijacking threads with personal nonsense. 
 

Halfway through. No missed ports. Mazatlan today. Weather is mid 80s and lovely. Repeaters partly tonight, looking forward to some free drinks. 

[ORV]

Thanks to the current OCA/ FCC onboard, Jenny Faust, we finally got our Platinum hats and bags on our 29th cruise. We’ve been told no by at least 3 other Ambassadors ever since they started this program. We were at 21 when they started this. Not really the hat and bag, but the principle.  

[basor]

6 minutes ago, ORV said:

Thanks to the current OCA/ FCC onboard, Jenny Faust, we finally got our Platinum hats and bags on our 29th cruise. We’ve been told no by at least 3 other Ambassadors ever since they started this program. We were at 21 when they started this. Not really the hat and bag, but the principle.  

Jenny is the best!!

[DrHemlock]

3 hours ago, ORV said:

except for that woman that’s always hijacking threads with personal nonsense. 

🤣🤣🤣

[WESTEAST]

26 minutes ago, ORV said:

Thanks to the current OCA/ FCC onboard, Jenny Faust, we finally got our Platinum hats and bags on our 29th cruise. We’ve been told no by at least 3 other Ambassadors ever since they started this program. We were at 21 when they started this. Not really the hat and bag, but the principle.  

Congratulations! Interesting as we had same experience on Riviera last month - after asking the FCC, Iwona Goodman when we would receive our hats and bags, both appeared that night when we returned from dinner! Hats are nice but not so sure about the bags.

[Kay S]

4 hours ago, ORV said:

 except for that woman that’s always hijacking threads with personal nonsense. 
 

 

🤷‍♀️????

[jondfk]

Hi ORV

 

We are aboard with you, and, never reluctant to share an opinion, I’ll add a few thoughts.  I know we’ve sailed together before on other LA sailings.

 

Overall impression, little changed from prior O experiences, all of which have been on Regatta.  For the most part this is a very good thing.  We have an excellent steward and butler, more attentive steward than last sailing.  Our butler though very good falls just short of the excellence demonstrated last sailing.  We did a butler letter, our first, and this made a positive difference, though our requests are quite modest.

 

Elsewhere service has been mostly good though it’s a people based product and performance does vary individual to individual.  We have felt the ship is more crowded than our prior sailings some of which were post Covid capacity limited.

 

Those fretting that I service has slipped would leave us struggling to say where.  One change for the worst imho is the closure of Baristas after dinner.  The venue is now strictly a bar, espesso drinks are absolutely refused.  We have been redirected to the Terrace which would be fine except requests there are fulfilled, reluctantly.  Okay I found a gripe, but I think we can agree it’s a minor one.

 

If other noteworthy highs or lows present themselves, I’ll post further.

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

16 hours ago, WESTEAST said:

Congratulations! Interesting as we had same experience on Riviera last month - after asking the FCC, Iwona Goodman when we would receive our hats and bags, both appeared that night when we returned from dinner! Hats are nice but not so sure about the bags.

Bags are useless.

[pinotlover]

2 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Bags are useless.

Only as long as you don’t forget to pack the backpack like I did for Japan, then it really came in handy. Very cool mornings so sweaters or windbreaker. Then off later into the bag. What to do with the water bottles and telephoto lenses? Into the bag. It was a saving backup!

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

Only as long as you don’t forget to pack the backpack like I did for Japan, then it really came in handy. Very cool mornings so sweaters or windbreaker. Then off later into the bag. What to do with the water bottles and telephoto lenses? Into the bag. It was a saving backup!

Agreed. Don’t forget the backpack.

That said, I trust that you’ll agree that the O “messenger bags” provided at each O Club milestone level aren’t exactly top quality gear. The single Velcro fastener on the big flap cover, the shoulder strap et al. are at the low end of the performance spectrum for regular use.

[AMHuntFerry]

Hey, but there's an access hole for your headphone wires! 😉 

[vlthom]

We recognized straightaway that the bags were not something that we'd ever use.  So, we left them in their cellophane and returned them to the Club Ambassador (or whatever she's called these days).  Since they seem to be in short supply, our hope was that someone else would get ours and be pleased to have it.  We felt that it was silly to bring them home and later dispose of them.  If these were better quality, we might have hung onto them.

Edited April 26 by vlthom

[iowananny]

We like our bag but one is all we needed so we did return the second one we were given.  We used it every day and bring it back on every cruise.

 

We even bring back our aluminum water bottles and return our new ones so they can be reused.  Little things can make a difference.  I may sound like an environmental nut case but that makes me happy because I am.

[ORV]

Enough about bags. I guess we don’t have to burn 🔥 clean fuel in Mexico. 

[AMHuntFerry]

16 minutes ago, ORV said:

Enough about bags. I guess we don’t have to burn 🔥 clean fuel in Mexico. 

But then you get photo-bombed by...a bag

[jannray]

I'm enjoying this thread.  My DH and I start our first ever O cruise on the Regatta to Alaska in a regular veranda cabin on level 6 right over Baristas!  Really interested in everything you have to share.  Any tips? We board on May 30. Starting the countdown!

Edited April 27 by jannray

[ORV]

11 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

But then you get photo-bombed by...a bag

That there is funny, I don’t care who you are. I didn’t even think about that, just that guy that got his face all covered with soot from the exhaust. 

[ORV]

11 minutes ago, jannray said:

I'm enjoying this thread.  My DH and I start our first ever O cruise on the Regatta to Alaska in a regular veranda cabin on level 6 right over Baristas!  Really interested in everything you have to share.  Any tips? We board on May 30. Starting the countdown!

Just go with an open mind. Tips?, enjoy the ship and Alaska. I love them both. But, if you have any specific questions I’d be happy help. 

Edited April 27 by ORV

[jannray]

Mind and heart wide open!

[mauibabes]

@jannray The one that works for me, if you have an issue, tell someone who can resolve it. Nothing is worse here on CC when a person comes home and complains but never gave the staff a chance to resolve it. Especially if it is a service issue or a food issue, tell them. You will also have a mid cruise survey and they DO read them. If what you ordered is not right, call the Waiter or Maitre d over and let them know so they can get you a different dish. 
Polo, try my DW’s favorites, Waldorf Salad, Filet Mignon, I go for the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail and always order a Quartet for desert, need a taste of everything. 
Toscana, the bread basket is wonderful and add the Olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar Trolly cart, 🤪👍, DW must have the Lasagne which can be an appetizer or entree size portion. All the Pasta is fresh and if a Chef’s Special Pasta, always great. Lots of other great entrees, especially the Dover Sole, and the beat goes on. 

Alaska is beautiful, dress properly because it can be warm, cool and wet, oh yes, and it will change in 10 minutes. That umbrella in your closet will get some use more than likely. 
Enjoy,

Mauibabes

[jondfk]

Hi it’s me again with a few random thoughts as our voyage nears its end.

 

Alcohol stock.  As I mentioned prior we first sailed O on Regatta, from FP shortly after she restarted in April ‘22.  On that long trans pacific voyage alcohol selection was quite meager and thinned out considerably as we approached Los Angeles, no such tendency noticed this voyage.  The counter in Horizons remains chock full of bottles, nothing is obviously missing, though I have no doubt that someone’s favorite isn’t available but everything I’ve asked for except tawny port has appeared on request.

 

if you happened to read my live from for our first sailing you may remember the challenges I had getting club soda for the room.  The butler was quite insistent that this was impossible and provided sparkling Varo as an alternative which would be fine except that the bottles don’t seal and the bubble last minutes.  Club soda was available at every bar and I took to grabbing a couple very time we passed a tray full, eventually our butler started to place these in the fridge but he never provided any as part of his daily routine, fast forward, in our letter I informed our butler on this sailing that I would drink 2 or 3 daily, but no Coke etc.  He reordered the fridge accordingly and has kept a backup stock of 2 or 3 near the ice buckets.  1000% improvement.  Speaking of ice we also requested restock of ice in the early afternoon, this has been a bit hit or miss, but requests for ice on demand are met within about 15 minutes.  Yea.

 

 

Edited April 28 by jondfk

[ORV]

Thanks for adding extra info Jon. Since we are only drinking wine at meals after the first couple of days we’ve found things on the list that work for us. The Prosecco is pretty good and much better than the Germain champagne. We do miss the Raymond red blend but find the Deakin Shiraz a decent red. The Backhouse Pinot is not that good for what we like. 
 

In the late afternoon’s we also do a Mikey in the room. 
 

If anyone is going to be on the next leg that’s on this one let me know. I may have a bottle or two left over. 
 

Cabo today. High 75 and sunny. Nice

Edited April 28 by ORV

[DrHemlock]

20 hours ago, ORV said:

In the late afternoon’s we also do a Mikey in the room. 

Ha ha....okay, you made me google "Mikey."  So, does O stock it or do you have to bring your own aboard? 

[ORV]

I’ve never Googled it, and it might mean something else than what I meant. I was referring to a practice by a poster here named Mike. 
 

I feel whatever food issues there were on the cruise previously to this have been straightened out. 
 

Perhaps the biggest issue I see is new people in visible positions on board and lack of experience in the Oceania culture. 
 

This cruise has definitely got better as it’s progressed. 

[ORV]

I am annoyed at the change in orange juice and how you must ask for fresh squeezed to get a decent oj. Orange juice is not brown, just saying. It’s a little thing that some might not notice, but it’s the little things that add up to the complete experience.