Replacing Polo Grill or Toscana with Red Ginger in Regatta, Nautica and Insignia?

I think many passengers will agree that the "Fusion" Asian-Western style of Red Ginger adds another dimension to the cuisine offered by Oceania - a style which is quite different from that offered in any of its other restaurants. Dare I suggest it could even be a "first" for any restaurant at sea offering such imaginative cuisine (correct me if I am mistaken!) However, the Red Ginger is only available on the Riviera, Marina and the Sirena, and not on its other ships.

I just wondered what would be your view if Red Ginger were to replace either the Polo Grill (or Toscana) on the Regatta, Nautica and Insignia as well?

Not a fan of Fusion/Asian food; but as long as Oceania kept Toscana I'd be OK with it.

I have lived in and traveled throughout Asia and love Asian food, but I wasn't as impressed with Red Ginger as I thought I would be based on all the raves here. Don't me wrong; I enjoyed my meals there, but it isn't my favorite.

Another negative vote from me........It's OK, well prepared, nicely presented, but the food is generic and a little bland, even when you ask for extra heat. You can have all my speciality bookings on my Sirena trip next month, unless Tuscan Grille surprises me, but at first glance the menu looks like an arranged marriage.

I think if the Tuscan grill & RG work out on Sirena then it may be implemented on the other R-ships when they go for refurbishment

I am not a fan of RG ..some dishes were OK

I have lived in and traveled throughout Asia and love Asian food, but I wasn't as impressed with Red Ginger as I thought I would be based on all the raves here. Don't me wrong; I enjoyed my meals there, but it isn't my favorite.

This talk about switching out the Specialty Restaurants on the older, smaller ships has been making the rounds ever since the Marina was introduced.

I broached the subject with a very wise Oceania official at about that time and his reply was:

"If we do change the Specialty Restaurants:

30% of the Passengers will call us geniuses

30% will say that switching them is the single worst decision made since man took to the sea in ships

30% will insist that the new configuration is the way that the Restaurants were ALWAYS set up.

10% will provide affidavits that they were never informed that the Specialty Restaurants existed, and will demand compensation."

I have lived in and traveled throughout Asia and love Asian food, but I wasn't as impressed with Red Ginger as I thought I would be based on all the raves here. Don't me wrong; I enjoyed my meals there, but it isn't my favorite.

That's interesting.

When I first went into Red Ginger, I thought Fusion food would never work, unless it is very good.

Unlike what you thought, I thought this time, the fusion recipes did work.

Like you , I love Asian food - after all, I am Chinese and I cook Thai, Malaysian, Chinese and Indian. Having said that, I have to say the food in Red Ginger isn't quite like anything I found in Asia , it's different yet subtley Asian, that's what so clever about it.

I did not expect everyone would agree with me that Red Ginger is great. But I guess food is very subjective. So I fully recognize everyone's differing views. Thank you all for your opinions.

If the Sirena dining venus are a success perhaps this can be expanded to the other three R ships. The Sirena has Red Ginger and Tuscan Steak looks like a good combination of the Polo Grill and Toscana. In addition at lunch in the MDR food from Jacques is featured.

Another negative vote from me........It's OK' date=' well prepared, nicely presented, but the food is generic and a little bland, even when you ask for extra heat. You can have all my speciality bookings on my Sirena trip next month, unless Tuscan Grille surprises me, but at first glance the menu looks like an arranged marriage.[/quote']

 

I will gladly take them - thank you very much :D

Regent had an Asian Fusion restaurant when they were Radisson and it was called Latitudes. It was replaced with a Polo Grill and I moan the loss of the Garlic Galangal Chicken. I loved that restaurant.

Red Ginger is not the same as Latitudes. I love the Sea Bass.

I like both Polo and Toscana. I'd be happy if the R ships had a bit of differentiation and Regatta maintained the current restaurant configurations.

On this Q&A thread from May, 2016, James Rodriguez, EVP Sales/Marketing at Oceania said it would be likely that Regatta, Insignia and Nautica would get Red Ginger/Tuscan Steak along with Jacques Bistro during their next dry dock.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2351257

He also said the dry docks were planned by be completed by Q2 2017. Not sure how this will happen. Insignia will be on her World Cruise from January through July and I checked the current itineraries of the other two ships between now and July 2017 and don't see any "breaks" in schedule that cannot be attributed to a Charter.

Joe

I am tired of polo and Toscana but not a fan of red ginger other than the sea bass. I don't know how folks on the world cruise could eat in those two restaurants over and over. It would be great to have restaurants that rotate or at least rotate the menu

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It would be great to have restaurants that rotate or at least rotate the menu

Why don't you simply rotate the Oceania ship which you sail on ? :confused:

And of course the R ships offer a Red Ginger course in the GDR almost daily.

I am tired of polo and Toscana but not a fan of red ginger other than the sea bass. I don't know how folks on the world cruise could eat in those two restaurants over and over. It would be great to have restaurants that rotate or at least rotate the menu

 

 

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To many O cruises -- try Silversea or Crystal for variety :)

Count me and DH in as those who aren't fans of Red Ginger. But my understanding was always that the INTENTION was to switch all of the "R" ships over to the new regime as they went into drydock.

From reading these posts, I'm wondering. And of course, it would be wise for Oceania management to wait to see how popular the change IS before they commit all the ships to the same routine.

We were on Nautica June 24-July 15 which was still Polo/Toscana. We soon board Sirena which has the "new system". We booked two reservations in the new Tuscan Steak and one in RG, but the odds are good that we'll cancel the RG. We'll see.

We liked having Jacques choices in the GDR at dinner but they were very repetitious ... I had thought (poor me) that there'd be a different choice every night.

Not so.

Mura

And of course the R ships offer a Red Ginger course in the GDR almost daily.

 

 

 

To many O cruises -- try Silversea or Crystal for variety :)

Agree

Next cruise on Seabourn

Time for a change

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Why don't you simply rotate the Oceania ship which you sail on ? :confused:

They all are the same

We've been on all the ships except Sirena and we will be on her for 34 nights in March. Since we do not like red ginger we will probably not use those reservations. Tuscan steak will be fine for a few dinners but No one eats in the same restaurant over and over unless they own it

A few specials might be good. There is one pasta special in Toscana but that's it.

I would add that we sail often with many o regulars. Most of us have between 10 and 20+ cruises. Most think the restaurants are getting "old" and often don't even use the reservations allotted much less seek extras

For those new to o or those with a handful of o cruises I am sure it's great. For those with many o cruises it is getting tired

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Different strokes ...

On Renaissance we used to get phone calls begging us to book a specialty restaurant. In general we weren't interested. Maybe we did one each on a cruise.

But recently we are MORE likely to book the specialties ... more likely on Marina than on the "R" ships just because of the variety. We love Jacques, don't care for RG, enjoy limited visits to Toscana and Polo.

When in a suite, we will take advantage of the opportunity to order in from a specialty (or GDR) on a night when we've been out and about all day.

We've met people on board who will NOT dine in the GDR. If they can't get a specialty reservation, they will go to Terrace.

As I said, different strokes. We've always preferred the variety in GDR and for the most part have had great luck in what we've ordered. We had a butler on a 21 day cruise who booked us into specialty restaurants just about every night and we cancelled most of them.

But bored? No.

Then again, our longest cruise was 24 days ...

I don't doubt we'd enjoy Seabourn, Silversea, Crystal ... but so far we aren't inclined. Would love to make it to the free cruise on Oceania, but while we're closing in on #15 I'm not sure we'll get there!

Mura

Here's another vote for Red Ginger from frequent O cruisers.

It's our favorite.

à chacun son goût

They all are the same

 

We've been on all the ships except Sirena and we will be on her for 34 nights in March. Since we do not like red ginger we will probably not use those reservations. Tuscan steak will be fine for a few dinners but No one eats in the same restaurant over and over unless they own it

 

 

A few specials might be good. There is one pasta special in Toscana but that's it.

 

I would add that we sail often with many o regulars. Most of us have between 10 and 20+ cruises. Most think the restaurants are getting "old" and often don't even use the reservations allotted much less seek extras

 

For those new to o or those with a handful of o cruises I am sure it's great. For those with many o cruises it is getting tired

 

 

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That's interesting what you said.

Perhaps Oceania ought to go even one step further , reinvent and introduce more new themed restaurants that would serve food with an extra "theatrical flare" plus entertainment? To start with some ideas, how about:

1) A Spanish/Latin American or Churrascaria restaurant with Latin Singers and Dancers?

2) A Polynesian Restaurant serving Luau and having Polynesian entertainment?

3) A Seafood restaurant specializing in fresh catch-of-the-day from local ports of call, not the frozen types you get from Miami, FL ! Or maybe there could even be a tank where diners can select their fish fresh?

4) A Turkish/Middle-Eastern restaurant with waiters dressed in Arabian Night costumes , and complemented by entertainment with belly dancers?

5) The Waves restaurant would have more of a beach theme with waiters and waitresses in swimsuits (if it is not too politically incorrect)!

Perhaps other cruisers have some other ideas and suggestions?

That's interesting what you said.

 

Perhaps Oceania ought to go even one step further , reinvent and introduce more new themed restaurants? To start with some ideas, how about:

 

1) A Spanish/Latin American restaurant with Latin Singers and Dancers?

 

2) A Polynesian Restaurant serving Luau and having Polynesian entertainment?

 

3) A Seafood restaurant serving Fresh catch-of-the-day, not the frozen types you get from Miami, FL ! Or maybe there could even be a tank where diners can select their fish fresh?

 

Perhaps other cruisers have some other ideas and suggestions?

Unfortunately, that is when you wake up.......

It was a nice dream though :D

I don't need to be entertained when I dine although I admit tha my favorite dining venue on any ship is Qsine on celebrity. Of course the food is the entertainment

I don't think kitschy themed restaurants would be a good fit for Oceania.

It's about variety

Imagine the same menu in the gdr every night

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I don't need to be entertained when I dine although I admit tha my favorite dining venue on any ship is Qsine on celebrity. Of course the food is the entertainment

 

I don't think kitschy themed restaurants would be a good fit for Oceania.

 

It's about variety

Imagine the same menu in the gdr every night

 

 

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If you want variety, perhaps Oceania can re-create some dishes from the winning recipes of America's Top Chef, or Britain's Master Chef TV programmes? I think Celebrity had one of its final nights using recipes from winners of Top Chefs in its menu, and that was Fab-Buu-Loos.

Here's another vote for Red Ginger from frequent O cruisers.

It's our favorite.

à chacun son goût

We do too. It has a very different taste profile on it's menu from other offerings on the ship.