Live from Regatta

[judi666]

7 days in and somewhat disappointed at the food. It is adequate, but the wow factor is definitly missing.  As usual, the written lofty descriptions barely recognizable with the actual item.  Plating of food, even in the specialty restaurant, is very plain and uninspired. Nothing like photos I have seen posted in the past. Taste overall very bland.

Certainly edible.  So far the best things have been the lobster in the Waves grill and the great sushi in the terrace cafe. I don’t eat red meat, my husband has mentioned the steak is “ok”. I know it’s totally subjective on my part.

 

I really am not thrilled with the included beverage package.  The wines by the glass are fine, but the selection is small.  There is no problem what’s so ever being served multiple glasses at the dining venues.  You are always being asked to upsell to better bottles. A tiny bit of  condescention on the part of the  sommelier.  The upsell to the other package is very expensive for this 21 day cruise.  It would be a bargain on a shorter cruise that wasn’t port intensive. Once again it’s subjective on my part, I don’t drink enough to justify the cost.

 

I have not been on Oceania for 6 years and the cuts in many areas are obvious.  Not sure that the new higher pricing is warranted. There are many new ships that are more modern in cabin space and amenities.  Regatta itself is lovely and kept in excellant conditions. The service is polite and attentive, if impersonal.

 

We have been in the veranda cabins many weeks on past cruises. I was younger and the small space was just fine. Now that I’m older and have cruised on several different lines ( Windstar, Regent, Holland America) with larger, more spacious rooms and bathrooms in the same general pricing catagory.  Now I  feel like it’s very confining and the bathroom is sort of laughable in its very tiny size. It is functional, if claustrophobic. I have no issue with the shower.  I would not book the small cabin again. We have a concierge veranda.
 

The lack of an app is really ridiculous. There is very little info on the TV.  It seems like Oceania is stuck in about 2005.  The internet is not very good (did not expect it to be). Hopefully this will be upgraded in the future.

I hate the daily deluge of the Currents, paper flyers and special sales etc. what a waste.  This should all be on an app.  I can’t imagine how much trash has to be dealt with.

 

The one ship excursion we took, was basically  half the population of Nuka Hiva coming to port in their personal vehicles, each taking 4 passengers. It was the luck of the draw on if you were outside in the back of a pickup in 90degree heat, or in a aircondition SUV.  It was very chaotic.  The island itself was beautiful. 

3rd time on this itinerary, which is beautiful. 

 

 

[Snaefell3]

Is Regatta still using a refrigerated cargo container up on Deck 11 as a make-do, awaiting repairs?

[jonthomas]

We have done 2 cruises on Vista...beautiful ship, excellent food.

But will be on Regatta in Sept to Alaska. 

Now with 2 new ships, it will be more difficult to fill the old smaller ships. 

If the food is also not at par with what Vista and Allura offer, there better be an "extraordinary" sale to move the inventory on the old ships.

[judi666]

2 hours ago, Snaefell3 said:

Is Regatta still using a refrigerated cargo container up on Deck 11 as a make-do, awaiting repairs?

No, don’t see one.  It’s too hot up there to look all the way around.

[judi666]

1 hour ago, jonthomas said:

We have done 2 cruises on Vista...beautiful ship, excellent food.

But will be on Regatta in Sept to Alaska. 

Now with 2 new ships, it will be more difficult to fill the old smaller ships. 

If the food is also not at par with what Vista and Allura offer, there better be an "extraordinary" sale to move the inventory on the old ships.

I always love the smaller ships, but food and cabin are not a good value.  Have not tried the larger Oceania ships.

[osandomir]

3 hours ago, judi666 said:

7 days in and somewhat disappointed at the food. It is adequate, but the wow factor is definitly missing.  As usual, the written lofty descriptions barely recognizable with the actual item.  Plating of food, even in the specialty restaurant, is very plain and uninspired. Nothing like photos I have seen posted in the past. Taste overall very bland.

Certainly edible.  So far the best things have been the lobster in the Waves grill and the great sushi in the terrace cafe. I don’t eat red meat, my husband has mentioned the steak is “ok”. I know it’s totally subjective on my part.

 

I really am not thrilled with the included beverage package.  The wines by the glass are fine, but the selection is small.  There is no problem what’s so ever being served multiple glasses at the dining venues.  You are always being asked to upsell to better bottles. A tiny bit of  condescention on the part of the  sommelier.  The upsell to the other package is very expensive for this 21 day cruise.  It would be a bargain on a shorter cruise that wasn’t port intensive. Once again it’s subjective on my part, I don’t drink enough to justify the cost.

 

I have not been on Oceania for 6 years and the cuts in many areas are obvious.  Not sure that the new higher pricing is warranted. There are many new ships that are more modern in cabin space and amenities.  Regatta itself is lovely and kept in excellant conditions. The service is polite and attentive, if impersonal.

 

We have been in the veranda cabins many weeks on past cruises. I was younger and the small space was just fine. Now that I’m older and have cruised on several different lines ( Windstar, Regent, Holland America) with larger, more spacious rooms and bathrooms in the same general pricing catagory.  Now I  feel like it’s very confining and the bathroom is sort of laughable in its very tiny size. It is functional, if claustrophobic. I have no issue with the shower.  I would not book the small cabin again. We have a concierge veranda.
 

The lack of an app is really ridiculous. There is very little info on the TV.  It seems like Oceania is stuck in about 2005.  The internet is not very good (did not expect it to be). Hopefully this will be upgraded in the future.

I hate the daily deluge of the Currents, paper flyers and special sales etc. what a waste.  This should all be on an app.  I can’t imagine how much trash has to be dealt with.

 

The one ship excursion we took, was basically  half the population of Nuka Hiva coming to port in their personal vehicles, each taking 4 passengers. It was the luck of the draw on if you were outside in the back of a pickup in 90degree heat, or in a aircondition SUV.  It was very chaotic.  The island itself was beautiful. 

3rd time on this itinerary, which is beautiful. 

 

 

It was interesting to read your review. Your opinion is definitely valid. One thing that surprised me most of all is the “great sushi” in the Terrace cafe. We like sushi but find that they are hardly comparable even with the cheapest offerings we had anywhere on land.

[PhD-iva]

Regatta is a small ship. I’ve sailed on the very similar Sirena. There’s no need for an app onboard. Not enuf stuff going on. No 5,000 pax trying to get their meals scheduled. I can see the need on an X ship, or RCC, Carnival, etc.

In my opinion, no need for an app on O.
Now, “improve the wifi” - did I hear anyone say? YES, now you’ve got me going on that one!

[TRLD]

Also on this cruise. Our first time on Oceania, along with over 200 others also on their first Oceania cruise. 

 

About the only thing that really stands out food wise compared to other lines is the ability to get grilled lobster each night in the Cafe. The specialty resturaunts have more expansive menus than on some other lines, but not necessarily much difference in quality.

 

We booked this cruise because of the itinerary, starting in Papeete and ending in San Pedro on a small enough ship to visit Bora Bora.

 

There are some things that are very nice such as the string quartet playing during afternoon tea. But we find overall the environment  not a good fit for us.

[judi666]

2 hours ago, osandomir said:

It was interesting to read your review. Your opinion is definitely valid. One thing that surprised me most of all is the “great sushi” in the Terrace cafe. We like sushi but find that they are hardly comparable even with the cheapest offerings we had anywhere on land.

I think it is probably better because we are in French Polynesia, where tuna is so locally available.  We saw the chefs at the fish market in Nuku Hiva yesterday buying big carts of fresh fish,

[babysteps]

8 hours ago, TRLD said:

 

There are some things that are very nice such as the string quartet playing during afternoon tea. But we find overall the environment  not a good fit for us

@TRLDif you could expand a bit on how O is not a good fit for you, I think that could help other folks considering the line for the first time. Thanks for taking the time to share your viewpoint! 

[Vallesan]

11 hours ago, judi666 said:

I always love the smaller ships, but food and cabin are not a good value.  Have not tried the larger Oceania ships.

We also enjoyed the smaller ships but sailed on the Riviera in late 2022 then the Sirena in early 2023. We now feel that the bigger Oceania are a better fit for us although we do prefer smaller ships. 
 

Silversea are pricing themselves out of the market for us. Looks like we might be moving more towards Seabourn, if the price is right! 

Edited April 7 by Vallesan

[roberts2005]

We were just on the prior cruise of the Regatta for 21 days.  While there were some not so great nights, the majority of our meals were excellent.  Especially enjoyed the pasta and veal in Toscana. The steaks in Polo were very good as well.  My favorite was the NY strip.   My wife was on a gluten free diet and the staff went out of their way to accommodate her needs.  They would come by our table every night to make sure everything was done right.

[bradpole]

11 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

Regatta is a small ship. I’ve sailed on the very similar Sirena. There’s no need for an app onboard. Not enuf stuff going on. No 5,000 pax trying to get their meals scheduled. I can see the need on an X ship, or RCC, Carnival, etc.

In my opinion, no need for an app on O.
Now, “improve the wifi” - did I hear anyone say? YES, now you’ve got me going on that one!

You read my mind!  I was going to submit a reply saying basically the same thing, then I saw yours.  Once you read the currents on day 1 and 2 there is hardly any variation (which we enjoy).  The one item that does change is the opening time for Terrace Cafe for breakfast; dependent on if it is a sea day or port day.  
 

As for the OP’s comment regarding the wasted paper for ship advertising I have to say O’s use of “ship spam” is laughably tiny compared to the mass markets!  Art auctions, laundry specials, shopping talk, free charm bracelet, $10 sale, “clearance” T shirt sale, etc..  Thankfully none of that onboard O, just the occasional spa “special” or the book onboard reminders

[TRLD]

3 hours ago, babysteps said:

@TRLDif you could expand a bit on how O is not a good fit for you, I think that could help other folks considering the line for the first time. Thanks for taking the time to share your viewpoint! 

There is a lot that Oceania does very well. The staff is very good, with good service. The food is on average better than the adult focused mass market lines such as Celebrity  HAL  and Princess. I mention those because that seems to be where a lot of the first timers seem to be coming from. But not knock your sox off better. The sushi and grill to order, including in the Cafe at night is very nice.

 

The Regatta does not feel crowded. Thing like tender operations run very well. Since this is a Pepeete to San Pedro cruise you use tenders a lot. The unique itinerary is probably why a lot of first timers.

 

From conversations I have had the biggest things that some do not like is the schedule. The food venue hours as an example. One gentleman mentioned that he had never been on a ship where one could not get a cheese plate after 9:30. That dinner started at 6:30. That the only main show is at 9:30. 

 

There is a lot we like, such as tea with the string quartet each afternoon. The other passengers, including the first timers  are interesting, well traveled, and come from a variety of back grounds.

 

However for us the overall energy level of the cruise is too low. We have done and contine to do many cruises on a variety of lines from 50 passenger ships to 5000 passenger ships. We tend to like sea days and often do transatlantic or transpacific cruises. Prior to this cruise we liked booking long cruises with lots of sea days on a number of other lines and thought we were good at providing our own entertainment. We might do a unique, heavy port, itinerary on Oceania in the future, but not anything with a large number of sea days such as this cruise and most likely not if we can do the itinerary on another line.

 

 

Edited April 7 by TRLD

[EJL2023]

Just a few comments.  As noted..food is certainly subjective. But to describe it as edible as the best you can do…..hmmmm

 

Regarding wine by glass….fine but small selection?? There are 33 wines by glass available.  Seems like a pretty decent selection to me….and we have never had an issue finding something we like from the selection of 33. 

 

Regarding pressure to upgrade wine?? I guess just bad luck…never experienced this on our Oceania cruises.  We have been asked if we would want to attend an upcoming wine tasting event, we politely advise no and end of story. 
 

Regarding the app….i just don’t see this as needed personally, but obviously some do so no biggie. Not having it cuts back some on people wandering aimlessly onboard with their eyes looking down glued to their phone while standing in front of elevators so you can’t get off or blocking walkways….you know, like happens continuously in the grocery store and other public places. 

[ak1004]

15 minutes ago, EJL2023 said:

Just a few comments.  As noted..food is certainly subjective. But to describe it as edible as the best you can do…..hmmmm

 

Regarding wine by glass….fine but small selection?? There are 33 wines by glass available.  Seems like a pretty decent selection to me….and we have never had an issue finding something we like from the selection of 33. 

 

Regarding pressure to upgrade wine?? I guess just bad luck…never experienced this on our Oceania cruises.  We have been asked if we would want to attend an upcoming wine tasting event, we politely advise no and end of story. 
 

Regarding the app….i just don’t see this as needed personally, but obviously some do so no biggie. Not having it cuts back some on people wandering aimlessly onboard with their eyes looking down glued to their phone while standing in front of elevators so you can’t get off or blocking walkways….you know, like happens continuously in the grocery store and other public places. 

 

But you can always find faults if you dig deep enough.. 

 

Nothing is perfect, but we find much more positive than negative on O.

 

WiFi needs a lot of improvement (which I understand is already better on Vista), but the app? This is not a 6,000 ship. 

 

That said, I never found a good value in R ships. The cabins and the bathrooms are small, upgrading to PH usually brings the price to SB level, and passenger/space ratios are not in line with the newer ships. And if I see a unique itinerary, I usually can find it with other lines for better value.

[EJL2023]

4 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

But you can always find faults if you dig deep enough.. 

 

Nothing is perfect, but we find much more positive than negative on O.

 

WiFi needs a lot of improvement (which I understand is already better on Vista), but the app? This is not a 6,000 ship. 

 

That said, I never found a good value in R ships. The cabins and the bathrooms are small, upgrading to PH usually brings the price to SB level, and passenger/space ratios are not in line with the newer ships. And if I see a unique itinerary, I usually can find it with other lines for better value.

Agree on the value on the smaller ships and to me this is mostly driven by the need for the PH, but sometime a deal can be had on those.  We recently did a Caribbean cruise on Sirena in a PH for $380 pp.  it was our test to see if we would like the smaller ships….we enjoyed it but definitely prefer the larger O class and Vista.  But we would be open to sailing on smaller again for the right itinerary and getting a decent deal on a PH. 

[Vallesan]

19 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

That said, I never found a good value in R ships. The cabins and the bathrooms are small, upgrading to PH usually brings the price to SB level, and passenger/space ratios are not in line with the newer ships. And if I see a unique itinerary, I usually can find it with other lines for better value.

I agree with you about the ‘value’ of the smaller ships. We always had PH on the smaller ships but when you compare the ‘R’ class PH to Seabourn entry level there’s little competition really. However in saying that Seabourn is becoming more expensive and Silversea has just about out priced itself for us.  
 

So for the moment Concierge on the larger Oceania ships seems to be our best fit!

[roberts2005]

A point on WiFi.  I kept my phone on silent and connected during the night.  Using wifi calling I was able to receive voicemail.  The next morning I was able to return the calls, again using WiFi calling.

 

Now, with 2 accounts per cabin, my wife and I were able to text each other.  I consider both a plus.

[Classiccruiser777]

Oceania has declined while becoming more expensive to the point that we’re not considering them for the foreseeable future.

[basor]

25 minutes ago, Classiccruiser777 said:

Oceania has declined while becoming more expensive to the point that we’re not considering them for the foreseeable future.

Which cruise line are you now looking at or are you leaning to land based trips?

[ak1004]

28 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

I agree with you about the ‘value’ of the smaller ships. We always had PH on the smaller ships but when you compare the ‘R’ class PH to Seabourn entry level there’s little competition really. However in saying that Seabourn is becoming more expensive and Silversea has just about out priced itself for us.  
 

So for the moment Concierge on the larger Oceania ships seems to be our best fit!

Agree about SB unfortunately.

 

For us the price difference is even bigger because we book OV. Don’t really need veranda. And FV on Vista is a great value.

[Mrs f.]

27 minutes ago, roberts2005 said:

A point on WiFi.  I kept my phone on silent and connected during the night.  Using wifi calling I was able to receive voicemail.  The next morning I was able to return the calls, again using WiFi calling.

 

Now, with 2 accounts per cabin, my wife and I were able to text each other.  I consider both a plus.

Anything specific we have to do in order to text? It would be grand to be able to text my husband on the ship. We're frequently looking for each other

[roberts2005]

4 minutes ago, Mrs f. said:

Anything specific we have to do in order to text? It would be grand to be able to text my husband on the ship. We're frequently looking for each other

As long as you are both logged in to the wifi, it should work as it does at home.  I did not need to do anything special..  Only issue I had, was switching between my ipad and phone..

[Vallesan]

14 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Agree about SB unfortunately.

 

For us the price difference is even bigger because we book OV. Don’t really need veranda. And FV on Vista is a great value.

 

I was looking at an 11 day cruise when we were onboard Silver Dawn last June. The cruise was Nice to Lisbon, September 2024, on the Whisper, built in 2001 and a few thousand tons smaller than the ‘R’ class ships, but with only 390 guests.

 

So, the Port to Port price paid in full at the time of booking and with no refunds  was around £10,000 maybe a few hundred pounds less I can’t remember exactly, but that was for a superior veranda. I  didn’t want to book and pay in full so far out without some sort of refund schedule.

 

So I’ve ‘watched’  the prices over the last few months and today, since the change in price structure a short time ago, and the price hikes, the cheapest suite OV would be £14000, or £1300 a night, around about C$ 2233 per night!!!

 

I enjoyed the trip on the Dawn, I enjoyed the butler,  but he really wasn’t ‘necessary’, I enjoyed the caviar, but could have lived without it,  the food was good but not exceptional. However, the Norwegian Fjords were amazing. Throw in some great weather and it really was a wonderful experience.

 

However,  everything has a ‘price’ and 11 days around the Med, with most ports that we have visited before, apart from the highlight of actually sailing into Seville, at those prices is just a step too far for us.

I know you can’t judge a holiday, wherever or however you travel, purely in terms of cost but sometimes you just have to draw the line and say “This line no longer ‘fits’ me”!