Regatta 1/2/07-1/12/07--Berries

[marienbad]

And now you can have berries for desert at dinner. It should be called: "The Marienbad Desert."

[WendyandBarry]

The food was good, not great, the problem was mostly with the steaks, they were dry, what I mean there was no juice in them. My wife likes her's rare, mine medium no blood from hers, no juice from mine I ask and was told they were cooked 2 times, just like at a convention, even in the Polo Grill ????, except the Beef Wellington was nice and juicy including the shell/bread which should have been flakey.

Also the deserts were somewhat dry, European style. The tiramisu was just not made right no layers, and the soufflé was just awful, but all 6 of us did enjoy the ice-cream and fruit plate.

 

Barry

[JimandStan]

One of the reasons, in fact, I would say the primary reason that "O" has evolved into a superb product is that the people at the very top take the time to be involved in such ephemera as "the Berry Wars".

 

What is more even more impressive is that FDR is willing to come onto these boards, admit that they blew it , and offer a concrete resolution. All this, with a breathtaking lack of corporate CYA! Ladies and gentlemen, this is not your ordinary Cruise Line!

 

Note to Mr. Del Rio: Next time you're in Manhattan, do try Le Perigord (52nd Street & 1st Ave). We never get through a meal there without saying how much it reminds us of dining on Oceania.

 

Hope to see you all onboard, sometime!

[SnugglesMom]

My husband and I were also on the Regatta. This is the best cruise we've ever been on. We've been on 15 cruises with 5 diffferent cruiselines. We loved many things about this cruise ....size of ship, speed of the internet, smoking policy,library, casual attire, and the food. Our favorite restaurant was Tapas on the Terrace....Variety and quality of food was very good including the berries we had at breakfast each morning. We didn't meet anyone who said they wouldn't sail on Oceania in the future. We certainly plan to sail on Oceania again.

[drwong]

Who ever thought berries would have been so popular? (or so controversial?!?)

[Frede Sander]

We were on Regatta in June from Dover to Stockholm,i can honestly say that it was a great cruise and the food exellent as good as any cruise we have been on exept of course the Quen`s Grill on QE2.

 

We are booked 11March Miami to Miami and staying on Regatta for the cruise over the Atlantic so we can avoid American Airports with their insane security and ill behaved employees many of whom can`t speak English.

 

Looking forward to go onboard The Regatta in March.

 

Frede Sander

[fsalzer]

Who ever thought berries would have been so popular? (or so controversial?!?)

I haven't eaten the berries on any previous Oceania cruises but, thanks to this thread, I can hardly wait for Nautica's Istanbul-Rome B2B cruise this fall. :D

 

Fred

[dkbustr]

OK, Boysen girls,:p

 

I've followed this thread until I'm Black and Blue, and decided I have to add my own two cents.

 

I'm not here to Huckle my Elders in a Rasp-y voice, but sometimes you reach the point where the Straw breaks the camels back. I've Mul-led over my response and something finally Goose-d me to post.

 

Don't think I'm Cran-ky.....oops sorry, thought my phone was Dingle-ing.

 

Now...I've lost my train of thought...Oh well.:rolleyes:

 

Mike

[spain]

Who ever thought berries would have been so popular? (or so controversial?!?)

Didnt yall have a very controversial "Berry" as Mayor in DC a few years ago?:eek:

[MaggieS]

Marienbad - I agree with you about Roys. There's nothing like it in my book. Have eaten at Maui, Spanish Bay, Scottsdale, but Maui remains my fav.

[drwong]

Didnt yall have a very controversial "Berry" as Mayor in DC a few years ago?:eek:

 

Hah! We did, and Mayor Barry's still alive and kicking, and now a member of our city council. And oh, what headlines he still makes - getting caught by the FBI, the Metropolitan Police, the Park Police, at all hours of the night. It's almost as much fun as having that guy from Arkansas back in the White House! :D Speaking of which, there's also a Congressman from Arkansas named Marion Berry. Who woulda thought!

[LEBA]

drwong....

 

You know perfectly well that whenever the Mayor was picked up by police that he was enroute to appointments with his "counseling" clients!

[garykool81]

I'm actually rather surprised by the comments made by the OP regarding "poor" food quality. I find them shocking, and frankly, it seems as though their party might have had unrealistic expectations.

 

Since I also live in the Washington, D.C. area, I can easily say that this person must not be comparing Oceania's cuisine to any restaurant in this region, including those rated quite highly.

 

I'm an advid gourmet diner, and frequent places such as Marcels, 1789, Butterfield 9, Tabard Inn and a host of other venues in DC -- all of which are rated between three and four stars. I've also had the opportunity to dine at several five star restaurants, such as Azul in Miami and Picasso in Las Vegas.

 

While I would never go as far as saying that Oceania's cuisine is equal to that of a five star, land-based restaurant (anyone who tells you they've had five star cuisine at sea should be slapped), the food onboard Oceania is without question the *best* I've experienced in the cruise industry -- and EASILY equal to a solid three to four star venue such as Tabard Inn or Butterfield 9 in Washington, D.C.; and that is saying a LOT.

 

I've sailed on Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, Carnival and Norwegian, and I can easily say without a hint of hesitation that Oceania has the best cuisine in the field.

 

My only guess here is that:

 

1. We're not getting the full story from the OP.

 

2. Expectations were to find cuisine equal to the Inn at Little Washington (they'll know what this is having been from the DC area), which is entirely unrealistic.

 

3. FDR was correct, and the ship simply was running a low inventory on fresh fruits or berries.

 

As far as being "bored" in the daytime as the OP complains about, why exactly didn't you bother to research prior to your cruise? The Oceania website and entire marketing plan makes it *CRYSTAL* clear that passengers are pretty much on their own during the daytime. This means peace and quiet, no pool parties, no hairy back contests -- just a nice, relaxing cruise.

 

If you need stimulation such as pool Olympics, stick to RCCL or other mass-market ships.

 

Something else I'd want to point out is that Oceania had by far the *BEST* fruit of any cruise we've been on -- always perfectly ripe, fresh, etc.

[orchestrapal]

Gary, you're RIGHT-ON!:)

[rebeccalouise]

I concur, wholeheartedly, with the above post.

 

I have not been on Regent, Seabourn, Crystal or Silver Seas. I imagine that the cuisine is better on these vessels- and the cost is at least double the cost of Oceania. So my expectations would be higher on the above mentioned vessels.

 

Oceania is more expensive and the food is better than the mass market lines. I do think Celebrity runs a close second but Oceania was the best I have had so far.

 

The stand outs were the rice pudding, afternoon tea scones and desserts in general, the gnocchi pesto in Toscana, the lobster biscque in Polo Grill, the Tapas food in general- good variety, presentation.

[Nitrodog]

Well garycool81, I just find this astounding. A young man your age enjoying the muted venues of Oceania? Liking the cuisine, doing nothing more during your days at sea than reading, nodding off and listening to a string quartet yet still content? Do you mean to tell me that the fact that many of the other passengers surrounding you were substantially older and yet you still enjoyed their company?

 

Now come on garycool81, don't tell me that after dinner you somehow occupied yourself by having an aprés diner drink or sat with people you met and that this was an acceptable diversion. Or perhaps you were forced to walk on deck after dinner and smell the sea breeze.

 

Well if in fact you answer yes then I am greatly anticipating meeting the other Oceania passengers on our up coming cruise if you are representative of what we should expect.

 

I know there will be no Caribbean music by the pool and I do think i'll miss that. I also wish they had a craps table in the casino not to mention high speed internet. I wouldn't expect that I'll be able to order sweetbeads or fiddleheads in any of the restaurants but then I know these things and STILL I am willing to forgo these desires and still have a remarkably wonderful time.

 

Wish me luck.