Jim_Iain - Live - comparison of Oceania Regatta - Vista Suite to Celebrity Millennium Royal Suite

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, Provence55always said:

Pommery is one of France’s most renowned Champagne houses👍. Your suite looks fabulous very open and inviting.

Thanks much.   I don't drink so about the only name I know is Chateau Lafite Rothchild. 

 

Maybe we will find someone that will enjoy it

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, awhfy said:

Pomeroy champagne is excellent!  I’ve saved your chicken recipe but will make it without the mushrooms (violently allergic). The creamed spinach will be a staple for fall/winter meals. I’ve been looking for a good creamed spinach recipe that didn’t take all day

 

your suite looks perfectly lovely with comfortable furniture

 

I was telling Iain I was keeping the recipe for Creamed Spinach also.    It was really good.  What surprised me was how fast it was to make.   They key is to wilt the spinach to keep a bit of texture but some may prefer it cooked down.

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, canderson said:

A scone with strawberry jam that isn't also treated to clotted cream is a travesty!  While not to be found in the dairy department of the local Albertson's, we do have access to a version of clotted cream here in the U.S.  Of course, it's pasteurized after production, and it's in a jar and imported from Devon!  You can get it at Whole Foods here in the U.S., among other sources.

 

The problem here in the U.S. is that proper clotted cream starts from an unpasteurized product, and that doesn't fly here per FDA regulations.  There are some states that allow the sale of raw milk, and there, it's possible to make your own.

 

 

 

 

 

I have to agree with you there.    I've made clotted cream before as we can buy Raw Unpasteurized Milk at some of our specialty stores.

 

Will be interesting to see if they have clotted cream on Oceania.     They definitely do on Cunard, but some not in Grills have been complaining that they have been substituting whipped cream on some of their cruises.

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, Lastdance said:

Jim, would you please find out if. they do have half & half onboard?  Thank you!

 

Will take a look around and get back to you.

[DaKahuna]

Bon Voyage Jim.  Looking forward to this even though Oceania is not currently on our radar. 

 

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, SSFrance69 said:

Thanks for sharing your experience! We fell in love with Oceania. Even better than that burger in Terrace cafe... try one of the burgers in Waves grill. I loved the Texan one. It was so juicy! I've sailed on Riviera and Vista. Both of those have wonderful pizza in the evenings at Waves Grill. Not sure if they have that pizza oven and menus on Reggata... but worth checking out. My favorite was a pizza with prosciutto, arugula and burrata cheese! 

 

We took a full ships tour today from top to bottom.    I was reading the burgers at Waves Grill.... incredible

 

To be honest I don't think I saw the pizza but when I just asked Iain he said yea at Waves Grill.  

 

Iain said the pizza with prosciutto, arugula and burrata cheese  sound fantastic

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, billc23 said:

Wow! What a beautiful room with a nice layout and comfortable looking furniture. Celebrity upper suites, while large, always have a lot of dead space regardless of the decorator. Oceania's room layout looks well thought out.

Actually the Vista Suite is larger than the Royal on Millenium

 

The Vista Suite is 622 Sq Ft and 344 Balcony

While the Millennium RS is 538 Sq Ft and 194 Sq Feet balcony

 

The one negative is that there is no door between the living room and bedroom.   Also another feature I miss of the Royal Suite is there are no Closet in the Living Room.

 

One other feature I don't like about Vista Suite is there is no under bed storage for the suite cases.   The bed itself is a true U.S. King and like Celebrity they have a nice pillow menu but display it nicer on a silver platter (at least in the Vista Suite)

 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 07:39 PM by Jim_Iain

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, maggie.1008 said:

Jim,

 

So glad you made it with time to spare. I was nervous for you.

 

I have been invited to the Vista and Owner`s suites when we had friends sailing with us. Both are beautiful. Getting very excited to board the Regatta in the 26 ! Happy girl when my floor floats. Thanks for taking time out of your vacation so we all can enjoy. Cheers, Heather

 

Thanks Heather --- you won't be disappointed.    I'm favorably impressed.   It is a nice size ship and doesn't feel small at all.

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, maggie.1008 said:

Jim, we have stayed in a Penthouse Suite twice and had a Butler both times. Both were on the O Rivera ship. 

 

That's great.   If you have stayed in a SS on Celebrity,  how would they compare. 

 

BTW -  do Penthouses have under bed storage.    I was just wondering what the non-suites would do for storage.

[NMTraveller]

Following along...  Oceania is looking very good so far.

[Oceangoer2]

4 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Interesting.   I've never heard that before.

Me neither....carton purchased yesterday educated me....assume it was close to 1/2 & 1/2.  Like the ship so far?

[Jim_Iain]

 

A couple more comparisons -- this time Barista

 

Barista is the equivalent to al Bacio.    They use smaller paper cups which of course means a stronger coffee --- Something I like.   Currently all coffees, teas and soft drinks are included in the fare.    Service is quick.     Very small selection of mini pastries.

 

The regular coffee served is very drinkable unlike the battery acid Celebrity brews up in the buffet.     I had a cup of coffee with breakfast this morning and was very nice.

 

 

Edited Sunday at 07:50 PM by Jim_Iain

[Oceangoer2]

33 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I was telling Iain I was keeping the recipe for Creamed Spinach also.    It was really good.  What surprised me was how fast it was to make.   They key is to wilt the spinach to keep a bit of texture but some may prefer it cooked down.

I'm in the process of prepping the dish now......a little later I'm ready to start the last phase of creamed spinach and finishing the chicken.  So far it's a step by step but easy to do.

[Jim_Iain]

Ok now a biggie ---

 

Let's Compare menus ---

 

Oceania doesn't have a Suites Only Dining room so like the old days all guests eat in the Main Dining Room if not dining in the no fee Specialty Dining.  I will be posting the Menus on the Oceania Live for the remainder of the cruise but for comparison I am posting Day 1 Oceania vs Day 1 Luminae Day 1

 

Menu 1

 

 

 

Luminae

 

For Comparison  I will also post MDR Celebrity Day 1

 

 

 

[Maggie 1008]

Jim, the PH suites on the O class ships are about 440sq ft. They feel much more spacious than the Sky suites on X. I believe SS are about 320sq ft. 
Not sure about the size on R class ships. 

[Gracie115]

26 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

That's great.   If you have stayed in a SS on Celebrity,  how would they compare. 

 

BTW -  do Penthouses have under bed storage.    I was just wondering what the non-suites would do for storage.

 

We have been in both SS on X and Penthouse on Oceania Vista.  We had underbed storage on the Vista.  The Penthouse felt bigger than the SS on X.  The balcony was large and had a table, 2 chairs and a lounge.  Bathroom much larger on Vista.

[dctravel]

Thanks for doing this. Not sure Oceana is on our cards in the near future (since we still have kids at home and don't get much opportunity to vacation without them, unless they are at camp during the summer), but I'm already fascinated!

[bigbeergut]

Jim,

 

You are posting now, does that mean that the internet speeds are acceptable?

[81Zoomie]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Ok now a biggie ---

 

Let's Compare menus ---

 

Oceania doesn't have a Suites Only Dining room so like the old days all guests eat in the Main Dining Room if not dining in the no fee Specialty Dining.  I will be posting the Menus on the Oceania Live for the remainder of the cruise but for comparison I am posting Day 1 Oceania vs Day 1 Luminae Day 1

 

Menu 1

 

 

 

Luminae

 

For Comparison  I will also post MDR Celebrity Day 1

 

 

 

The O menu puts Luminae to shame.  Please let us know what you think of your evening dining experience 😋.

[SSFrance69]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

We took a full ships tour today from top to bottom.    I was reading the burgers at Waves Grill.... incredible

 

To be honest I don't think I saw the pizza but when I just asked Iain he said yea at Waves Grill.  

 

Iain said the pizza with prosciutto, arugula and burrata cheese  sound fantastic

Wonderful. I tried as many of those burgers as time allowed on our 10 day sailings. It was a struggle to try everything I wanted because the GDR also served a fabulous lunch menu on sea days. Even more of a struggle this last March on Vista which also had Aquamar. Oh my how I loved their gazpacho and crispy chicken sandwich. Wait until you get on Marina or Riviera which have all the specialties (all included). Jacques (my favorite), Red Ginger, Toscana and Polo Grill. Amazing food everywhere. Our last Oceania sailing was just in March and I'm already having Oceania withdrawals. We have two sailings booked next year. One with my daughter who is in her 20s, so I booked Celebrity Ascent Aqua class (really enjoyed Blu last year) to Caribbean, and then Alaska with my husband trying Holland America for the first time. HAL won because it goes to Glacier Bay and Oceania had no sailings that went through Glacier Bay. So that all means no Oceania until 2026 for us. I'm going to be so ready by then. Who am I kidding? I'm ready today. 😆

[SSFrance69]

8 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

The O menu puts Luminae to shame.  Please let us know what you think of your evening dining experience 😋.

On both our O sailings, we had the Veal Oscar the first night from that menu and it blew me away. OK this is VERY important. If you enjoy seafood dishes... you MUST order the Halibut Viennoise if it's on the GDR menu any of the evenings. I heard so much about it... and that it was worthy of cancelling a speciality restaurant if spotted on the GDR menu for that evening, that when I saw it on the menu one night, I did a happy dance. It did NOT disappoint. Also the Lobster Thermidor in the Jacques specialty restaurant was one of my favorite dishes on Riviera and they had the same J. dish on one of the GDR menus when we sailed Vista. Excellent. I could go on and on and on. I'm salivating and practically shedding a tear just thinking about it.

[DaKahuna]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

  Very small selection of mini pastries.

 

But the most important question - do they have those delicious almond croissants and lemon tarts? 

 

[haynesra]

Jim if can please post the daily activities list as well. Thanks

 

[SSFrance69]

57 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

But the most important question - do they have those delicious almond croissants and lemon tarts? 

 

O's pastries taste like you're in Paris. Even the hotel director on Vista who was from France, said in his opinion they are just as good as the pastries he's used to at home. In comparison, I'd say O has a slightly better edge over Celebrity for both the almond croissants and the chocolate croissants. O also has an afternoon tea EVERY DAY that has a lovely service with scones and other treats (clotted cream if you request it) whilst a string quartet plays. I can't say anything about lemon tarts, as I have not tried them on either line.

[babysteps]

Glad you are enjoying the cruise @Jim_Iain!

 

On the topic of clotted cream - in the US if you can find regularly-pastuerized (not ultra) heavy cream you can DIY. We get a quart at a time and by the time we finish there are actual clots of clotted cream left. Very good on berries!