Myan Mystique no Mistake

[writer100]

The Riviera returned to Miami yesterday, carrying us and a new perspective on "big" ship cruising. Our previous experience was one cruise on Regent Navigator (just okay) and four Seabourn ships, very good, the largest of which is 450 pax. So it was with a range of trepidations that we chose Riviera. Was the ship simply too big? How did the crew relate to so many people? The food--raved about on this site- could hardly measure up to SB.

Could it?

One of the penalties of excellence is that the occasional stumble looms larger than if performance was at a lower level.

Let us begin, somewhat naughtily, with the bed linens. She Who Must Be Obeyed usually travels with her own pillow case, such is her distrust of thread counts et al. She pronounced the bed, its pillows and sheets, the best ever. ("Ever" includes the Bristol in Paris, the Connaught in London, and a sampling of Four Seasons worldwide).

Yes. the cabin is a bit smaller than the Seabourn offering. And the storage provisions in the B category are far less commodious than SB's walk-in closet. Still, perfectly adequate for a ten-day cruise. The bathroom is cleverly done in a smaller space than SB's; one larger sink is actually more useful than two smaller ones. The shower has been excoriated by others. Still, one wonders what the designer was thinking.

Let us move to happier subjects. For example: the crew. Whoever does O's staff hiring deserves plaudits. Our experience was always as though this was our tenth cruise, rather than our first on O. Staff everywhere were warmly welcoming, eager to please, to help, to encourage, to reassure, to urge yet more food on one's plate. They were, to use my partner's phrase, "naturally charming." This includes the bartenders in every lounge--we tried them all. Though not a single bar tender had heard of a Hemingway Daiquiri or a Blackberry Bramble. Nor did they have the necessary ingredients to make either cocktail when presented with the recipe. (As noted earlier, any deviation from perfection tends to seem disproportionately significant.)

On to the food. Err, the multiple cuisines. Hands down, the best food we have enjoyed at sea. It compares favorably to some lauded restaurants on land. Though there were odd variations, particularly in the Terrace. At breakfast, many hot dishes weren't. I attribute this to the general buffet structure, (On SB, lots of dishes--pancakes, corned beef hash, poached eggs etc.--are special orders, created for you and hand carried to you.) At one Terrace luncheon three dishes were so heavily salted that they were inedible: green pea soup, Virginia ham and corned beef. I don't labor under any dietary restrictions (as yet) but it as though for all three dishes the recipe was distorted. Really. BUT, the specialty restaurants were wonderful. We enjoyed them all. To pick a nit or two, the chef's hand almost everywhere seems to shy away from spices. Although we called at Mexico twice, the only culinary nod to that country was guacamole one night. Alas, it was disappointingly bland. (Several passengers wondered why there was no Fiesta Night or some similar celebration of all things latin and edible.)

Entertainment seemed to present dual (or possibly dueling) images of O. On the one hand, the Riviera quartet is charming, and the Duo were redolent of a chanteuse at a left bank boite. And then there was the comedian whose mentor was Jackie Mason, and whose schtick was perhaps more appropriate to the borscht belt. (We left after a few minutes, but I admit the audience was guffawing heavily.) We never got to trivia, so my only contacts with Nolan Dean were via his morning tv precis of the day's events. He radiated endless enthusiasm, so full marks for that.

In sum--I hear you saying "at last"--this was a memorable cruise because of what O has created within Riviera. We will probably sail on Seabourn again. But I am certain we will be back to Oceania.

[Mura]

I'm just going to object to your complaints about over salted food -- although I wasn't on your cruise! And I haven't been on Riviera, although I have been on Marina, Regatta, Insignia and Nautica.

 

I tend NOT to salt my food when I'm cooking -- my mother objected to people always salting their food before tasting it. And just on general principles when I am cooking, salt goes in with a very light hand. And I never salt my food before eating it, because Mom would come back and haunt me.

 

We've never noticed a salt problem on the O ships (although I have seen others who have made the same comment so you aren't the only ones).

 

I don't ask you to judge by my taste buds at all. I just find it hard to credit that food was so over-salted as to be inedible. (Now, if your complaints were primarily that the ham and corned beef were too salty, that sometimes comes with the meat itself. I know that when I prepare them I have to "de-salt" them in advance.)

 

Still, it sounds like you had a great time.

 

(I will agree with you about Mexican foods being too bland ... I like the jalopenos and habaneros to be spread with a heavy hand.)

 

Mura

[digtexas]

I have been on only one, very short cruise on Seabourn, on one of the new, larger ships. On Oceania and Crystal the servers toast bagels, English muffins, etc. for you.(although Crystal has a variety of flavors and O appeared to have only plain bagels) On Seabourn, which had a limited breakfast buffet IMO, one had to separate an obviously not fresh, pale English muffin, drop it in a conveyer toaster, and stand there, like at the free breakfast at the Fairfield Inn, and wait for the muffin to toast. I do not consider that luxury treatment. I agree that food on Riviera is superior to anything that we encountered on Seabourn.

[writer100]

I'm just going to object to your complaints about over salted food -- although I wasn't on your cruise! And I haven't been on Riviera, although I have been on Marina, Regatta, Insignia and Nautica.

 

I tend NOT to salt my food when I'm cooking -- my mother objected to people always salting their food before tasting it. And just on general principles when I am cooking, salt goes in with a very light hand. And I never salt my food before eating it, because Mom would come back and haunt me.

 

We've never noticed a salt problem on the O ships (although I have seen others who have made the same comment so you aren't the only ones).

 

I don't ask you to judge by my taste buds at all. I just find it hard to credit that food was so over-salted as to be inedible. (Now, if your complaints were primarily that the ham and corned beef were too salty, that sometimes comes with the meat itself. I know that when I prepare them I have to "de-salt" them in advance.)

 

Still, it sounds like you had a great time.

 

(I will agree with you about Mexican foods being too bland ... I like the jalopenos and habaneros to be spread with a heavy hand.)

 

Mura

Mura, the pea soup was left on many tables barely tasted, a clear reflection (I think) of its saltiness. The Virginia ham and the corned beef were both over the appropriate limit. Most of the time, one adds an IMO (plus humble) when voicing such opinions. Believe me, the aforementioned offerings were really and truly inedible.Still, when you recall that the voyage included 30 meals, 3 disappointments are a tiny blip on the arc of experience.

[writer100]

I have been on only one, very short cruise on Seabourn, on one of the new, larger ships. On Oceania and Crystal the servers toast bagels, English muffins, etc. for you.(although Crystal has a variety of flavors and O appeared to have only plain bagels) On Seabourn, which had a limited breakfast buffet IMO, one had to separate an obviously not fresh, pale English muffin, drop it in a conveyer toaster, and stand there, like at the free breakfast at the Fairfield Inn, and wait for the muffin to toast. I do not consider that luxury treatment. I agree that food on Riviera is superior to anything that we encountered on Seabourn.

Sir, your description of how one obtains toast on the larger SB ships is accurate. However, in addition to the breakfast buffet, you can also order from your server at your table any of a long list of offerings. Eggs any way you wish; pancakes, French toast, corned beef hash, steak, lamb chops, ,and so on. I think that is a luxurious option. The point of difference really was that too many of the breakfast options on O were never hot. On SB they usually are, and if not, you may send them back.

One thing I forgot to mention about O is the bread. Remarkable in both the varieties offered, and the quality. One could easily become addicted to their sesame rolls.

The big surprise on Riviera was how much we enjoyed the total O experience.

[Mura]

Mura, the pea soup was left on many tables barely tasted, a clear reflection (I think) of its saltiness. The Virginia ham and the corned beef were both over the appropriate limit. Most of the time, one adds an IMO (plus humble) when voicing such opinions. Believe me, the aforementioned offerings were really and truly inedible.Still, when you recall that the voyage included 30 meals, 3 disappointments are a tiny blip on the arc of experience.

 

Aside from anything else, as we've often said here taste is in the mouth of the beholder. And even if I were to have been there and disagreed with you, your perception is always right, even if only for you. And you are the only person who counts!

 

If lots of people failed to finish the soup it does sound like you were right. I wonder if someone forgot the soup had already been salted!! I have done that myself! And ham and corned beef can easily be too salty. When I make a ham I usually do a preparatory step just to reduce the natural saltiness. (Simmering it in water for 15 minutes a pound with some clove-stuck onions, brown sugar and spices, really does help. I just made a ham but omitted this step for time considerations and it was noticeably saltier than the last ham I made.)

 

Not trying to make excuses for the kitchen on your cruise because these these happen. I suspect my opinion would have been the same as yours.

 

As you say, a few mediocre (or worse) meals on a cruise can be understood.

 

Mura

[Emperor Norton]

The Riviera returned to Miami yesterday, carrying us and a new perspective on "big" ship cruising. Our previous experience was one cruise on Regent Navigator (just okay) and four Seabourn ships, very good, the largest of which is 450 pax. So it was with a range of trepidations that we chose Riviera. Was the ship simply too big? How did the crew relate to so many people? The food--raved about on this site- could hardly measure up to SB.

Could it?

One of the penalties of excellence is that the occasional stumble looms larger than if performance was at a lower level.

Let us begin, somewhat naughtily, with the bed linens. She Who Must Be Obeyed usually travels with her own pillow case, such is her distrust of thread counts et al. She pronounced the bed, its pillows and sheets, the best ever. ("Ever" includes the Bristol in Paris, the Connaught in London, and a sampling of Four Seasons worldwide).

Yes. the cabin is a bit smaller than the Seabourn offering. And the storage provisions in the B category are far less commodious than SB's walk-in closet. Still, perfectly adequate for a ten-day cruise. The bathroom is cleverly done in a smaller space than SB's; one larger sink is actually more useful than two smaller ones. The shower has been excoriated by others. Still, one wonders what the designer was thinking.

Let us move to happier subjects. For example: the crew. Whoever does O's staff hiring deserves plaudits. Our experience was always as though this was our tenth cruise, rather than our first on O. Staff everywhere were warmly welcoming, eager to please, to help, to encourage, to reassure, to urge yet more food on one's plate. They were, to use my partner's phrase, "naturally charming." This includes the bartenders in every lounge--we tried them all. Though not a single bar tender had heard of a Hemingway Daiquiri or a Blackberry Bramble. Nor did they have the necessary ingredients to make either cocktail when presented with the recipe. (As noted earlier, any deviation from perfection tends to seem disproportionately significant.)

On to the food. Err, the multiple cuisines. Hands down, the best food we have enjoyed at sea. It compares favorably to some lauded restaurants on land. Though there were odd variations, particularly in the Terrace. At breakfast, many hot dishes weren't. I attribute this to the general buffet structure, (On SB, lots of dishes--pancakes, corned beef hash, poached eggs etc.--are special orders, created for you and hand carried to you.) At one Terrace luncheon three dishes were so heavily salted that they were inedible: green pea soup, Virginia ham and corned beef. I don't labor under any dietary restrictions (as yet) but it as though for all three dishes the recipe was distorted. Really. BUT, the specialty restaurants were wonderful. We enjoyed them all. To pick a nit or two, the chef's hand almost everywhere seems to shy away from spices. Although we called at Mexico twice, the only culinary nod to that country was guacamole one night. Alas, it was disappointingly bland. (Several passengers wondered why there was no Fiesta Night or some similar celebration of all things latin and edible.)

Entertainment seemed to present dual (or possibly dueling) images of O. On the one hand, the Riviera quartet is charming, and the Duo were redolent of a chanteuse at a left bank boite. And then there was the comedian whose mentor was Jackie Mason, and whose schtick was perhaps more appropriate to the borscht belt. (We left after a few minutes, but I admit the audience was guffawing heavily.) We never got to trivia, so my only contacts with Nolan Dean were via his morning tv precis of the day's events. He radiated endless enthusiasm, so full marks for that.

In sum--I hear you saying "at last"--this was a memorable cruise because of what O has created within Riviera. We will probably sail on Seabourn again. But I am certain we will be back to Oceania.

 

I appreciate the write up. How would you compare the overall service/staff interactions to Seabourns smaller sisters?

[ricki]

I have been on only one, very short cruise on Seabourn, on one of the new, larger ships. On Oceania and Crystal the servers toast bagels, English muffins, etc. for you.(although Crystal has a variety of flavors and O appeared to have only plain bagels) On Seabourn, which had a limited breakfast buffet IMO, one had to separate an obviously not fresh, pale English muffin, drop it in a conveyer toaster, and stand there, like at the free breakfast at the Fairfield Inn, and wait for the muffin to toast. I do not consider that luxury treatment. I agree that food on Riviera is superior to anything that we encountered on Seabourn.

 

Hi Danny,

 

How did you think the service was on O compared to Crystal?

 

David thinks the food is much better on the Marina than on Crystal. I tend to agree, except for the sashimi and sushi.

 

Ricki

[writer100]

I appreciate the write up. How would you compare the overall service/staff interactions to Seabourns smaller sisters?

 

Sir, the little sisters are indeed little, so no surprise that crew learns your name. (Which isn't, of course. learning who you are.) The staff have a lot more time to , well, serve. I don't know if crew to pax ratios on the smaller ships are different from the larger SB ships, but it does feel different. More attentive. But the thing that amazes about O--I really am quoting my wife, who has no patience for servility and has an uncanny ear for the false notes in human conduct--is that time after time when food was delivered to our cabin, or the waiter served a course, or a waitress offered us fresh drinks, we would look at each other, shake our heads, and say in unison, "Where do they find these people?" That's how strong was the sense of natural charm, expressed as warmly personal service.

[LEESRE]

Writer100,

 

Must agree about the temperature of the food on O in the buffet and sometimes in the MDR. We found the food not to be hot, unlike you say Seabourn is.

We have sailed with both lines and we love both lines it is horses for courses I surpose.