Too many comments that Os food is not what it used to be.

[PhD-iva]

I’m pretty grouchy in the morning before coffee. I definitely need a 2nd cup before I feel civilized.

[Nol2929]

As many have already posted here, very few businesses or industries have survived the past two years unscathed.

[BenMurphy]

On 9/12/2022 at 8:59 PM, jonthomas said:

yes I also agree with that...

 

unless others start saying that  the food on other cruise lines is now better than O and O cant make that claim anymore...

 

so far I have not found anyone that could say that.....

 

again, a very subjective issue....so it has to be a generalization...and even that is very difficult...

 

We stopped cruising on Celeb and food was the main reason. Unless you are in a suite, and dine in areas separate from the rest. The food in the regular dining areas was no longer acceptable to us. 

Dine in an area seperate from the "rest"  what on earth does that mean and who are "the rest?"

 

[pinotlover]

As I have posted previously, I’m waiting for our Oct Sirena cruise to form any opinion on these matters. 
 

What will the new Oceania look like? Covid, and the effects thereof, are not past us. It still affects everything, whether some want to admit it or not. At this point, I believe trying to make comparisons of the pre Covid Oceania and the post Covid Oceania is as silly as comparing 1960 NY Yankees to the 2010 Yankees. An exercise with no meaning or importance. History is history. There’s a new mountain of debt that separates the past from the future.

Only question is does the New Oceania meet my wants, needs, and expectations at a price I’m willing to spend going forward. What the old Oceania did is no longer in the picture or part of the evaluation. Stop living in the past.

[jonthomas]

2 minutes ago, BenMurphy said:

Dine in an area seperate from the "rest"  what on earth does that mean and who are "the rest?"

 

 

Celeb has become a very segregated cruise line, those in suites and those who are not. That is what I meant by "separate". Suite guests are separated from the rest, with their own area for breakfast and other dining. The rest or those not in suites,  are not allowed into those venues. Hope that clears it up. 

 

On O, I dont feel that there is that separation between those paying for higher staterooms or those in an inside. 

[oskidunker]

On 9/13/2022 at 8:55 AM, jondfk said:

We don’t have decades of O experience which is perhaps helpful.  Still we sailed Regatta for 18 days in April, and are currently onboard for a further 16 days.  A few comments comparing our first voyage to the current one.

 

1.  On both sailings we ran into a dud service team in the GDR, can’t say it was inexperience either time but the problem was the same.  In both cases they attempted to “join” us with a larger table meaning let the large table set the pace, it should have been obvious that this wasn’t going to work when they ordered 4 courses and we 2, still we had to wait through two of their courses before advancing our own meal.  It happened the first night of the current sailing, the host asked about our meal on the way out and we provided honest feedback, service since has been spectacular.  I’d label such service as lazy, trying to minimize trips to the kitchen.  Lazy.

 

2.  We had two quite lackluster experiences at Toscana in April, so much so that we were reluctant to try again, but we booked for night 2 with low expectations.  Wow what a turn around, service great, food great, we even saw the olive oil cart this time.  We don’t have another booking, but I wish we did, perhaps something to change for our second segment.

 

3.  As for food quality, I’d say clearly better than other lines we’ve sailed.  But a few disappointments, notably veal based dishes which should be tender (assuming it’s not overcooked) have been routinely as tough as shoe leather.  One dish simply couldn’t be cut with any available knife.  Otherwise however most meals have been very good or better.  Pasta dishes in particular seem to be exceptional, something we noticed in April as well.

 

in the main were are more than satisfied with O food and service though we do note both can fall down on particular days or dishes.

If they don’t pound the veal it will be tough. If they overcook it, it will be tough.i hesitate ordering this be cause so many things can go wrong. Have Tuscan first night on Sirena Oct 1.Not sure what I will order. Maybe order two entrees in case it is bad.

[1985rz1]

8 hours ago, ToxM said:

Well as OP appears not to want to comments … my last observation is that sitting there with no drink because nobody has offered you one, clearly getting agitated about it all the while, when one is in a buffet style restaurant so it’s not a huge walk to liquid seems to be an awfully easy way to get into a right state on holiday. 

 

I think it's  called entitlement.

[jonthomas]

"Well as OP appears not to want to comments"

 

there is not much I can say....

 

you expressed your displeasure in a way I would not have...

 

IMHO, you would have done far better, by quietly talking to someone in charge...and of course pointing it out in the questionnaire...although I must say, nothing I pointed out on the questionnaire received any comment...but there is hope it was noted....

 

my usual experience has been that when you raise your voice, or are unruly in any way, you lose respect of others and then your requests are ignored.....

[govanguy]

2 minutes ago, Rv6flyer said:

Many here are quick to comment, if you read and uderstand my post nowhere did i say i raised my voice. I said i talk loud which is normal for me

Eh?

[1985rz1]

On 9/13/2022 at 8:23 AM, Rv6flyer said:

Service sucks also. Had my hole breakfast with no water or coffee. Some one showed up as I was getting up to leave. I told them loud enough that Other tables heard. No one ever walked by.

 

8 minutes ago, Rv6flyer said:

Many here are quick to comment, if you read and uderstand my post nowhere did i say i raised my voice. I said i talk loud which is normal for me

 

Looks like a different spin on your original posting.  

[jonthomas]

not sure who you are asking if they are Canadian, if it is me, yes. 

 

as for me, the more angry I am , the more my voice is quieter, slower and what I say is much more measured. it has served me well.....

[bbtondo]

I understood that RV6flyer was at the buffet.  On my recent cruise on the Riviera at the breakfast buffet a server comes immediately up to the table when you return with your food and offers juice, tea, coffee, water.  I'm surprised that this did not happen to Flyer.  If not, I understand his disappointment.

Edited September 14, 2022 by bbtondo

[bbtondo]

On 9/13/2022 at 12:48 PM, jondfk said:

We weren’t sharing, but the waiter nonetheless let the large table next to us dictate the pace of our meal which is, as I wrote, just plain lazy.

I can understand your disappointment with the waiter timing your meal the same as the large table next to you.  I would also not be happy about it.  

[ghstudio]

Our experience: Just off sky princess with excellent service.  In buffet, someone always offered to get water, juice, coffee...whatever as soon as you sat down and tables cleared very quickly.  Food...not up to the service...buffet was good, seasoned, varied; MDR good service but unseasoned, uninteresting, not well plated food (and we were in club class).  

 

Celebrity: No one ever offered a drink in buffet...hard to even order a real drink.  Haven't been on Celebrityh since Covid and probably won't be again since we really dislike the french balcony (infinity balcony) concept..we use the balcony. Unlike Princess, they have tiered dining with different menus...aqua class (Blu) is much better than the regular MDR.  We haven't experienced Luminae....would not pay those prices to be on Celebrity....

 

Looking forward to the Oceania small ship experience next year.

[jondfk]

20 hours ago, bbtondo said:

I can understand your disappointment with the waiter timing your meal the same as the large table next to you.  I would also not be happy about it.  

I will say that after the first poor incident service has been supreme.  Someone way back in the thread commented that O seems to be responding to feedback, definitely true in our case.  It’s clear some sort of note has been added to our file - fine so long as the mission was accomplished.

 

the only question that remains is whether the note will be copied forward to leg 2 of our B2B.

 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, jondfk said:

I will say that after the first poor incident service has been supreme.  Someone way back in the thread commented that O seems to be responding to feedback, definitely true in our case.  It’s clear some sort of note has been added to our file - fine so long as the mission was accomplished.

 

 

Once you make a comment or complaint  onboard

You will be noted  someplace  & get extra attention LOL

We joked that they must have our photo up in the crew area  to be  recognized

Seemed everyone knew our names 😁

[Juno1956]

I totally agree if there is a problem, let the managers know early on. We are currently on our 3rd week on Regatta. After a few days my husband had a quiet word with the food and bev manager re the food and service in the buffet restaurant. Since then the service has soared and the staff at the buffet seem happier  to be there! No complaints about the service in the MDR. 
We’ve had a curry made just for the two of us and having another one tonight. We’re not in a penthouse or suite, just happened to mention that Azamara did a curry for us earlier this year!

I wanted to cancel my forthcoming cruises with Oceania but they have really excelled so will give them another chance!

[BWV]

We were on the Marina in May. This was our first Oceania cruise, having done many HAL cruises and one Cunard transatlantic. The food was terrific. Also, the service was wonderful. My husband walks with a cane, and when we were in the Terrace, someone immediately took his plate to a table and brought any drinks we ordered. We were totally satisfied.

 

[jjeffjb]

We disembarked Insignia one week ago.  It was our 19th O cruise and the first time I rated the food very good and not excellent.  Our biggest disappointment was Toscana.  The entrees were disappointing.  I happen to chat with the GM and complimented him on the staff as the service was overall, excellent throughout the ship.  He said that they were working hard to bring back the level of food and service to pre-covid days but that they were not there yet.  

Edited September 16, 2022 by jjeffjb

[tanny18]

As a cruiser on Oceania (24 wonderful ones), I decided to try Silversea - more expensive, but more perks.  That being said, the service was impeccable, the wine wonderful, but the food left very much to be desired.  I expected 5 star dining and got a mediocre 3 star.  I had Oceania to compare it too, and there was no comparison whatsoever!!!  😞 On a 10-day cruise, I sent back 4 dinner meals!!  I guess every cruise line is suffering some sort of post-covid aftereffects.  I am going back on Oceania in January, and hopefully the food will be as it was in 2019 when last I sailed.  Arlene

[ssawjo]

1 hour ago, jjeffjb said:

We disembarked Insignia one week ago.  It was our 19th O cruise and the first time I rated the food very good and not excellent.  Our biggest disappointment was Toscana.  The entrees were disappointing.  I happen to chat with the GM and complimented him on the staff as the service was overall, excellent throughout the ship.  He said that they were working hard to bring back the level of food and service to pre-covid days but that they were not there yet.  

We were probably on the same cruise, having disembarked on September 10, after 46 days.  I found the pasta dishes in Toscana to be excellent, especially the pasta of the day, BUT I was very disappointed with Polo.  The steaks, other than the filet, were not really that good and the sides were only adequate but I loved the onion rings and their clam chowder was really good. The GDR was sometimes not that great but we were satisfied.  The staff in all of the dining areas were wonderful.  I did find one or two of the wine stewards to be sometimes put out by our requests (I wouldn't go into details).  

 

Food tastes are very subjective so these are only my opinions.  

 

 

[J80crew]

On 9/13/2022 at 12:09 AM, CorgiToo said:

Just returned from 11 days on the Marina in the Baltic. The food was great in all the specialty restaurants and the main dining room. We only had 320 passengers, so it was possible to eat in the specialty restaurants more than once. As a result, the main dining room was practically empty in the middle since most guests requested window seating. It was open for breakfast and dinner, with excellent service and a great variety of menu offerings, One evening we "took a break" from the specialty restaurants only to find an outstanding beef wellington on the menu that was superior to the prime rib we had at Polo, 

 

Looking forward to a week in the Caribbean on Celebrity after Thanksgiving, since we love Aqua Class for the opportunity to enjoy Blu for dinner every night. 

 

I hope you’ll enjoy your experience in Blu, but you might temper your expectations. We are on Summit now in Aqua class, and our experience with Blu has been disappointing. To start, we have had to wait 30 minutes for a table every night, as has anyone who wants to dine past 6:00.  There is one sommelier where there used to be two, and fewer wait persons, so slower service. The food—for us a combination of items from the Blu menu and from the main dining room menu—has been just okay. We will be happy to go back to Oceania. 

[oskidunker]

1 hour ago, tanny18 said:

As a cruiser on Oceania (24 wonderful ones), I decided to try Silversea - more expensive, but more perks.  That being said, the service was impeccable, the wine wonderful, but the food left very much to be desired.  I expected 5 star dining and got a mediocre 3 star.  I had Oceania to compare it too, and there was no comparison whatsoever!!!  😞 On a 10-day cruise, I sent back 4 dinner meals!!  I guess every cruise line is suffering some sort of post-covid aftereffects.  I am going back on Oceania in January, and hopefully the food will be as it was in 2019 when last I sailed.  Arlene

Thats good to know. 

[HiFi43]

Currently on the Marina, over the years we have sailed on every Oceania ship as well as a number of other upscale lines. We have been on 4 times since Oceania started up again after Covid. There were some training issues and some food quality issues during the early restart phase, nothing major, with so many new staff after Covid. On Marina today the staff has shown all the retraining has really upped the service level. And my wife and I have found the food quality level to be actually a step up from what we have learned to expect from Oceania over the years. 
 

I realize many passengers have different tastes and, also at times, chef’s make mistakes but in my experience no other cruise line we have been on has come even close to the quality consistency of Oceania. 

[jonthomas]

So good to hear from many of you,  that O is still offering best food at sea or that they  are making every effort to combat issues of staffing and training.

Edited September 16, 2022 by jonthomas