St Paul Girl

My god...the girl was looking for thoughts and observations about the food on Oceania, not attacks.

 

We are taking our first Oceania Cruise in November and I admit, I have been a lurker and now I know why. I have never seen such viciousness and disdain for a simple question/comment.

 

It's no wonder Oceania is losing customers and can't fill their ships. If I had to deal with most of you on this board, I'd jump ship too!

 

Thank you to those who gave constructive and informative replies. We too were concerned about the comments we seem to see all over the internet about the lack of quality in Oceania's food as of recently. We went with Oceania due to the itinerary and food plus we wanted to try another line.

 

I'm certain many of you will "attack" my posting for being critical of the nastiness, however, the difference between me and you, is I don't know you and don't want to know most of you. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Thank you very much for your informed comment.

The comments here are mostly from persons who exclusively sail with Oceania and have only their experience with Oceania for comparison.

I said, we choose this cruise primarily because of the itinery. I had already booked a Princess cruise but cancelled when my TA said that Oceania had a 21 day cruise at the same per diem rate as Oceania and many more interesting ports.

We will write a detailed review when we get back. Will the food be a focus, Yes it will and it will be compared to other cruise lines, Princess and Celebrity, but more importantly, to outside restaurants.

And to all of the posters who said that I was "complaining"?????????

Please read any of my posts. Also, please let me know about your "culinary" experience before you even think of commenting. You have to compare your comments to something else before they can be legitimate.

Cyber bullies, you know who you are, save it for who you really are!

St Paul Girl I've reading the same threads as you and am wondering also. However, i don't think salt is the primary issue (despite the comment above); you can't seriously dictate that all people eat food at the same salt levels - people with low blood sugar crave salt like a deer at a salt lick; people with salt restrictions become used to its absence.

Spice is another matter; it can mean "hot" like habanero , or taste based like cumin or cardamom; this is where Oceania has excelled; they used bold flavors where others feared to tread.

On my January cruise we enjoyed most of the dishes and when I was concerned (not specific to the ship) I requested and got more spice on my Lobster Fra Diavolo, and it was yummy (despite posts complaining about the Lobster).

I agree with you 100%! It's not necessarily the "heat" but the proper use of spices that make a culinary statement. From a simple dry rub(cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, brown sugar and garlic and onion powder) on a steak or garlic in a red sauce, all add to the taste experience.

Try the dry rub on a steak, no need to add anything to that steak but a nice Cabernet!

If you are lucky enough to have the Indian Dinner scheduled in The Terrace -- do not miss it. While the vindalooo will not melt your tonsils, it certainly has not been dumbed down. It left a pleasantly warm glow.

I say don't miss it because there were a number of people who came in, saw the choices (many Indian foods and some that weren't) and spun on their heel and left huffing about 'not eating that stuff'. Too bad. Their loss.

Thanks for the heads up! We will definitely keep our eyes on the daily menus for it.

Why not wait until your cruise & judge for yourself

Everyone has different tastes

As I mentioned in the other thread there are many factors that can alter one's tastes buds

Go enjoy the cruise with an open mind

JMO

That's always been the plan. I just posted it to see other persons opinions compared to other cruises. If you have not cruised on anything other than Oceania, well there is nothing to compare it too other than real land restaurants.

We are "foodies" and know how food should be prepared if you own a restaurant.

We have cruised only on Princess(2) and Celebrity(1) and found the food on Princess to a notch above "wedding" catered food in the MDR and did not think the specialty restaurants were worth the upsell after one try.

Celebrity, in Luminae, was as good as any top notch restaurant that we tried in cities around the world, well worth the up charge.

We choose Oceania solely because of the great itinery for South America.

We will not starve on this cruise and look forward to the food as that is the "feature" that is talked about and advertised by Oceania.

Well, with all of the posting that we have had concerning the "cuisine" on Oceania becoming "bland" due to the corporate direction of Oceania to "cater" to it's target clientele, I believe that a separate tread should be created to discuss this trending topic in detail.

Also, I believe that Oceania monitors Cruise Critic, so this may help all of us who appreciate finer cuisine on our cruises, NOT bland meat and potatoes.

I'll start with the comment about the Caesar salad dressing being no better than some concoction of mayonnaise and nothing else and having to request the "original" dressing because Oceania clientele prefer the other non bland dressing.

I would also like to say that any food served from any kitchen has to contain at least some salt to begin the cooking process, or it is NOT worthy of being served anywhere.

From a restaurant perspective, salt should not be available on the table. The food should be prepared properly when being cooked not after.

Anyway, let's see how this goes and please be respectful of persons comments unless they want meat and potatoes, then go ahead and flame them.:)

Happy Cruising everyone!:)

Original recipe did not have anchovies but Worcestershire sauce that gave it the flavour.

This the second "original" recipe that I have posted:

http://partaste.com/worldrecipes/original-tijuana-caesar-salad-homemade-dressing-recipe/

Also, the original recipe is NOT really Italian BUT Mexican who was an Italian immigrant to Mexico!

The bottom line is Oceania has to stop catering to the non existent tastes, or more appropriately, the non tastes of some of its clientele.

A Caesar salad without garlic and a few other ingredients is NOT a Caesar salad. Call it a romaine leaf salad with some kind of non descript dressing!

I don't prefer a bland version ever, but what use is it to attack the waiter who is just delivering the product? Make a comment on the review requests that come out after a few days on board. Let management know.

 

The waiter can't change anything.

 

(Yes, I did note that you were talking about your tablemates, not yourselves!)

Okay, so now I have it all straightened out! Every time we order food on Oceania, we have to ask for them to cook it the "original" way not the bland way!:)

I still can't believe that they serve a Caesar salad without garlic! That is NOT a Caesar salad! It should be called a romaine salad.

Also, I agree, the waiter is not the problem, it's the management.

I would not wait for management to change the recipes, I would ask to speak to the "chef" and make it known that when serving "us" that he has the liberty to cook as it should be done, NOT the corporate BLAND way.

My daughter can look at her cell phone and tell what is going on in her house..it is amazing..we were at her other house in Palm Springs and told her how comfortable the temperature was and she laughed and said of course it was she adjusted the air conditioning on her cell phone..

What a world we we live in..Fabulous..

Jancruz1

We can view the inside of our house, turn lights on or off, adjust temperature and will be alerted when the temperature falls too low or too high. Also, we have a security system that will sound off if any one enters and doesn't know the security code.

BUT, Police rate security system alarms at the bottom of 911 calls.

Don't worry, be Happy! That's why we all have insurance. It can all be replaced.

Just to add to the confidentiality of using any personal identifier on the web today.

The biggest issue today is that of Facebook. People use their real names, etc and broadcast to the world that they are on vacation. Talk about advertising that you are away!

Using names on this board is nothing compared to Facebook. Law enforcement use it to catch criminals and criminals use it to find us.

Welcome to the 21st cyber century!

I did mean peppers (jalapeño) instead of chillis. I doubt, from the taste, that it had any bell peppers, onions, or garlic either. Mostly just tomato sauce.

You are right, it's the jalapeno peppers and the garlic that give it that spicy taste.

As I mentioned before, for some stupid reason, when "dumbing down" food, some one with ZERO culinary experience always seems to say "get rid of the garlic" .

Anyway, great discussion. We hope that we are not going on a 21 day cruise that looks like a "meat and potatoes" experience!

Gazpacho has peppers not chillies. :)

Ingredients of a true Gazpacho recipe, please notice "jalapeno pepper" which gives it a gentle spicy taste

• 1 1/2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
  
• Tomato juice
  
• 1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
  
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
  
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
  
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
  
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
  
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 1 lime, juiced
  
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted, ground cumin
  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
  

Start here: you can get about 33 shots (measured) from a fifth of booze. You do the math.

Are you saying that you get 33 shots per bottle? That means less than one oz. per pour.

Everyone says the Oceania pours are small, so this is decent revenue center for them.

Even at happy hour, 2 for 1 pours, they make money.

Most of the higher end pours, Grey Goose and most of the whiskies are all about $1 an oz when buying 750ML bottles. There are a few exceptions on the bar menu.

My husband buys the "alcohol included" on aii cruise, Princess and Celebrity so far and will buy the "prestige" package from Oceania on our first Oceania cruise in November.

I'm sorry your offended. Being confined to a wheelchair or walker is not a limitating factor in the definition of the term that so offends you.

 

I feel entirely comfortable allowing St. Paul Girl to make her own observations and draw her own opinions, on the multiple issues, based upon her upcoming O cruise. She'll be able to do so with out the biased opinions of people on either side.

Thank you Pinotlover!

We have travelled the world since both of us were very "young" and continue to do so as we enter the "better" years of our lives.

We are in our early 60s, have been retired for almost 10 years and appreciate all things in life.

You only get to live once, so enjoy, is our motto!

Food and service is highly subjective. My wife and I are foodies, therefore all my comments on the subject come that perspective.

 

We will be back on the Marina the end of October for a ten (10) day cruise. We are currently scheduled for two (2) La Reserve dinners, one Privee evening, four (4) Specialties restaurants evenings, leaving probably 2 MDR, and 1 Terrace Dinner.

 

In February, we have a fifteen (15) day cruise on the Nautica.

 

I will hold my future food comments until I have completed both of those cruises. I will only say that food quality on our June Nautica cruise was far behind that of previous cruises. While they still had exceptional entrees like the prime rib in Polo Grill, many of their overall offerings were bland due to a corporate decision to tone down recipes. I will say that a reasonable size Group of cruisers cheered bland because they don't want anything "spicy". As I said above, it's subjective. However, imo, O's decision to replace gravies and sauces with runny tasteless apple sauce to accompany roast pork is a glaring example of their questionable moves. Gazpacho, stripped of all chilis and left to taste like unseasoned tomato soup is another example. In late February, I'll be prepared to give a new larger overview.

 

As far as shore tours, I've made my feelings quite known. IMO, and imo only, if Oceania's tour guide plainly says" this tour is not appropriate for wheelchairs or walkers", then Oceania should not allow those using such on the tour. I know others strongly disagree with me on this issue likewise.

 

We'll see where we are in late February.

Wow, we are going on our first Oceania cruise this coming November, and if this statement is any where near being the case, this could be a culinary disaster for us.

We had a similar case when on a tour of Italy, most of the clientele were "mature" citizens and from what we learned is that any included meals would be toned down so as NOT to offend these persons, ie NO Garlic, or any spices!

We are are in our early 60s and are "foodies"! We have been told by all of you folks how great the food is one Oceania. I hope that "you all" have not been pulling our legs about the food.

Anyway, I hope that this "toning down" is only a myth.

FDR has built a cruise line, based upon brand loyalty and appealing to a senior wealthy clientele. My last cruise had 82% past O cruisers, the cruise before that was 76% past O cruisers.

 

Problem is that clientele is getting progressively older and he's no attracting new younger cruisers. Many of the first timers on that June cruise voiced a strong dislike and disappointment in many of the bland dishes that were served. Dishes that according to the chef and "had been made more agreeable to a wider spectrum of passengers ". Bland. Many comments about how " this is not the best food on the ocean!" came from those first timers.

 

 

That long ride of counting on past loyal cruisers, many of them now in or near their 80s, may be running out of steam. Making dishes blander to appease those with minimum taste buds is not path to drawing in a new younger generation of cruisers. When people in their 60s start wondering if they are to young for Oceania, something has to change.

Well, we are taking our first Oceania cruise this coming November and we are in our early 60s. We are "foodies", so we will tell it like it is! I sure hope that Oceania hasn't toned down the food. From what we have read from you folks, we are expecting the food to be above average of other cruise ships.

We have been on recent Princess and Celebrity cruises.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why it has evolved that passengers from certain areas of the World are required to prepay their tips, and may not remove them.

Poetic justice, don't you think?

How many people posting on this topic actually pay the per person gratuities? We all have ppd gratuities from our TA or from Oceania!

Just a comment to make everyone think about their posts!

Take a chill pill St Paul girl; sometimes you send an entree back but sometimes when the experience is so poor you do not want a repeat. And sometimes you just lose your appetite. In my case I notified the waiter, head waiter and talked to the head chef the next day- he acknowledged there had been other complaints about the prime rib, ribeye and the amazingly small potato. People who share their opinions on CC should be appreciated not badgered.

Wow, I never meant it to be "badgering". My opinion was that how where you compensated for this "missed" meal? Did they not charge you for the entrée, free bottle of wine, free dessert? I am being sarcastic!

On a cruise, you have to be heard or just live with it. This can really make anyone loose their appetite.

At any restaurant, would you "Live with it"?

Anyway, ordering any cut of beef can be a crap shoot today with the price of fine cuts where they are and the quality.

I just hope that our first cruise with Oceania will be as great as everyone has told us.

I experienced exactly the same as Sandbag7 on our Marina cruise last week. I giant slab of pink meat,

no marbling or taste, in fact I couldn't cut it.( I ordered it medium rare) The potato experience was just as dismal. Very

disappointing!

So, did you send it back? Commenting to us really does not help. The "chef" must be informed and it should be done again! If no one sends the inferior product back, the inferior product continues. Send it back until it RIGHT!

Remember, you are at a restaurant.

TC2,

I suggest you read the posts more carefully before you reply.

In this case the TS was not disappointed or complained about the "wine choices" or the size of the pours. Rather they had a problem with the sommelier's attitude because TS did not purchase wine by the bottle but instead used their package.

Similarly in the other thread you ignored 2 posts about prevention of terrorist attacks in Mallorca & Canary Islands and instead you were wondering why they had not heard about the attacks in Barcelona.

Chill out, Paul! People some times are not as attentive as you are!:D

OK, so we have been told that in a certain venue a certain entre is "always overcooked." Am I expected to actually believe this? Am i to believe also that nobody EVER sends any entre back? This is a "luxury" cruise line that serves overcooked food? get real.

I seem to being hearing the same thing. Remember that you are in a restaurant that you are paying for. If the entrée is NOT cooked to your liking, send it back!

Don't let the waiter tell you anything different.

No matter how many times it takes the kitchen to get it right, keep sending it back!

If every thing is marked waitlist, move over offers may only be done IF guarantees were sold. Were they for your cruise? Oceania has really cut back on offering them!

 

One of the post did remind me of one fact. There isn't one FPD for a cruise. Some groups negotiated 3 or 4 months prior dates while other have 6 month out dates. Constant juggling act!

Yes, "Guarantees" were sold for most categories and the math on 150 days for our cruise id correct.

The OP didn't indicate if it was post or pre FPD. That can make a lot of difference!

Full payment was required by June 9th. It is 21 day South America cruise.

Hi Everyone:

Just noticed that all cabins/suites on our cruise are "WaitList".

Can anyone please explain to us what this means.

Thank you very much:

Did not say that I would skip it, but all his advertising featured him with his pictures out front so we expected him to be there. I did say we had a good time but it should have been explained better in advance. Either way he seems to be the best choice for good tours in Bora Bora.

Just to add a little more about Patrick's Tour. Obviously there is no guarantee that you will have him as your tour guide on the boat. He owns several boats which lessens the odds. When we booked all of his boat as well as the Motu picnic, unless he is away visiting his 2 other children, he has 3 of them, he will be present at the picnic after the tour on his own, his family owns the motu, where the picnic takes place. He will personally dance for the group, etc on the motu. Well worth the tour, but even if Patrick is not the guide don the boat, he other guides are very good and entertaining.

He has 3 or 4 boats and at least two land vehicles. When a ship is in port they are all busy. You can't expect him to be on every one.

 

If you do one of their tours make sure to include the Motu picnic.

We and 30+ persons booked all of Patrick's boats in Nov 2015. Patrick was with us in our boat and obviously for the motor picnic.

Best Motou tour!