Oceania viewpoint from a seasoned Regent Cruiser
Istanbul – Athens
Sail date: June 20, 2007

First, for those that don’t know, we won this cruise via a Charity Raffle and we were the one and only prize winner. My husband is a member of our local Rotary International Club and they decided to purchase passage in on this cruise and each member was responsible for selling a quantity of tickets. He decided to buy his quota of tickets and we won a Concierge level cabin including airfare, visas, and port charges. We had a choice of a nominal cash prize or the cruise for this date and we being avid cruisers, chose the cruise. It was our intention to try a cruise on Oceania and so for us we were more than thrilled. We paid for an upgrade to Penthouse level since were told that would make it more comparable to the lowest (H category) on Regent. We wanted to keep an open mind and tried hard not to compare – I got on not wanting to like O. We recently sailed on Holland America’s flagship Amsterdam and so we would judge between that and Regent’s three ships.

I am going to start with the bottom line – will we cruise O again ? Absolutely.

The itinerary was wonderful. Two days in Istanbul, Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Corfu, Kusadasi, Delos, Katakolon, Dubrovnik. And Athens. Overnight in port in both Istanbul and Athens. Late night departure from Mykonos and Istanbul to maximize time in port.

The Nautica: We loved the ships décor. Absolutely reminded us a very upscale country club with beautiful fabrics, dark woods comfortable seating in a traditional motif. The layout of the public rooms on the ship we felt made the ship feel very intimate and very inviting. Martini’s lounge with the piano and the bar were a great meeting place. Another bar at the entrance to the Grand Dining Room was well placed. The rooms were frequently filled and never felt crowded. Easy to get most places and the small size of the ship was perfect for us.

Fellow Passengers: Over all, they were terrific, fun loving, well traveled and frequent cruisers. We met passengers from all over – although a bulk were Californians, New Yorkers and Floridians. We met a number of people from Down Under and from South Africa as well. A number of people we met and talked with had sailed at least 3-4 times and some had sailed on Regent, Seabourne, Crystal and Silverseas. The demographic was slightly younger. More passengers in their 30’s and 40’s and more families. Most I would say were mid-50’s. Very sociable.

Activities: All the ship activities were directed at this demographic. Very active shore excursions with lots of walking, hiking and active – few available just bus tours Very little that were just get on the bus and get talked at. I did not recall seeing more than one walker and one wheelchair. While children were discouraged, there was no program for them, there were a handful of well behaved and well traveled kids on board. Even the two year old charmer who attended many adult oriented activities was beyond the norm. I think that the parents, knowing that this line is not geared for kids really did more than expect someone else to entertain them and I want to commend those parents because the kids were really well mannered beyond what I have seen of late.

Limited Smoking! As one of those former smokers who quit years ago, I have become allergic to cigarette smoke. As a “gambler” I was in heaven in the casino and the other areas of the ship being mostly smoke free was a huge plus. Having spent time with smokers in adjacent cabins on Regent, we really relished the bars and other venues on this ship.

Room Service Breakfast – The days we had early excursions we had room service breakfast. We as suite passengers were entitled to full breakfast, but, we prefer eating lighter and the express menu was fine for us. Fresh berries daily! (Frozen on Regent) but the winning thing was that before the breakfast was delivered the butler (that was mostly what he did for us) would call us to let us know he was coming to bring breakfast. A small thing done well. Oh – and the coffee was a strong European blend – much to our liking..

Excursions: We bought a package of excursions that fit in with the cruise’s theme of “Crossroads of History” which included one full day excursion and some half day excursions in each of the ports. The guides were all excellent, patient and spoke English fluently. The excursions all had some free time to explore the areas visited. The buses were comfortable, clean and modern. Each morning you would meet in Nautica Lounge (the theater) and would turn in your ticket for your bus assignment. It was so well done and timing was pefect so you never felt crowded. The groups were relatively small. On the walking tours you never had to strain to hear the guides. The prices were very reasonable. We felt we had good value. The largest group for any of our tours was about 24 people. Lots of room to spread out on the bus. We did skip one tour and had we gone earlier to the excursion desk to let them know, they would have sold the ticket for us and credited our money back for the cost of that tour. We only cancelled that day because of the heat, but, they had modified that tour to accommodate the heat and keep the guests comfortable. At the end of the tour at Ephesus, they had staff waiting at the exit with a picnic cooler full of cold wash cloths with lemon scent to them to wash up and cool down! A really nice touch.

Food: While the food was excellent (we felt the beef and lamb were actually better quality and in some cases better prepared) Presentation was wonderful. The Jacques Pepin menu was a static menu of choice of a steak, a chicken and a salmon prepared to his standard. Other dishes were comparable to Regent offerings including a perfectly prepared Foie Gras, a Mushroom Risotto starter, fruit soups, salads, caviar topped potato. (I loved the Versace china). Much of the food on Regent is prepared to order just like any fine restaurant. Food on O – some is prepped to order but not all. The executive chef, Rolando (?) is French, Cordon Bleu trained and formerly with RSSC having worked for Tobias. Food was still done well. Some of the side dishes were just not what we’d have ordered – not bad, just not to our taste. We had perfect Wienerschnitzel the last night. The Polo Grill and Toscana were both very good. Just barely notch below Signatures and comparable with Portofino and Latitudes. Whole Maine Lobsters and great prime rib and steaks in Polo and food in Toscana just as good as any fine Italian. Waves, the pool grill made better hamburgers and side dishes. Pizza in the Terrace Café was excellent. Less choices in the buffet at lunch. We did not try Tapas on the Terrace. Food on Regent is just slightly better but not by very much.

Beverage Service: Well, nothing can top all inclusive. Signing for drinks was just not that terrible. The liberal alcohol policy helped transition us – we could bring aboard beverages for in cabin consumption. We missed being handed a glass of champagne upon boarding, but, the bottle of Perrier Jouet waiting in our cabin helped us get over that experience. Some one gifted us a bottle of Mumm’s Napa cuvee as well. During the wine tasting, passengers were offered a wine package of some great vintage choices and we purchased a package. Wines are priced comparable to a restaurant and the prices were fair. To compare with Holland America, the markup on HAL was 4 times what we’d have paid in the local wine store and 3 times store price on O with a $12 - $15.00 bottle in store being $40 on O – vs $50 on HAL. Mixed Drinks ranged from $4.25 for Drinks of the Day (5 or six kinds) to $9.00 for Grey Goose Martini’s. Good wines available by the glass for $6-10 each. Soft drinks were $2.00 per can and no package available. The cruise director told us that the head office is looking at some changes to this. Our total bar bill for a 12 day cruise was $60.00 per day for two of us. We definitely drank less wine at dinner then the never empty Regent Glass but we have been drinking less overall at home and we were up early every day for our chosen intense early daily touring.

Service: Several staff members we spoke to came from Crystal, Seabourne, Silverseas, and Regent. All were very experienced. About 50/50 European and Asian/Filipino. All with smiles on their faces and genuinely happy. One employee told us that working for O was the best for him because they had more time off and the contracts were shorter so they saw family more often. We frequently saw the staff in the various ports – having fun and laughing. Something small that we liked – when you finished your meal and were leaving the restaurants, all the staff you passed by on the way out thanked you for dining there. I felt very welcomed. Service was always spot on. One day, when I commented to our Butler, we were not sure “what to do with him” he took all of Frank’s shoes and polished them. We only ordered evening canapés one time and when we failed to return our order form, he started coming by to remind us to please order food. We still declined to have more food than we wanted to consume.

Entertainment: We went to several shows – most of the entertainment consisted of music. One comedian, Sarge, had us laughing for a full hour. He will be in a one man show in New York and if we go to NYC, we will make a point to see him. There were no glitter and glitz Las Vegas revues, but there were four staff entertainers who sang as an ensemble and the shows were contemporary and enjoyable. One entertainer we saw on a Regent Cruise – top notch violinist, Hanna Starscova (?) and one entertainer was a singer with major stage credits in Broadway plays in London’s West End who we would happily have paid admission to hear. She was standing room only in the showroom both nights and was above and beyond what we ever expected (short of hearing the Platters one cruise – but that was on Royal Caribbean way back before we found Regent). The Nautica Orchestra and the resident String Quartet were all top end, They did a daily performance near the main dining room for three sets during pre-dinner which was lovely as well as during tea service. The lounge pianist, held court before and after dinner and kept Martini’s full. Several nights he played a Name that Tune Musical Team Trivia just after the show that filled the room and was something that all the passengers we spoke with enjoyed. Several times we were at Sail away parties and one evening – from Mykonos, the party was 60’s and 70’s dance party that topped any sail away party we’ve attended. Two hours of really fun, heavily participated in party – comparable to a good Wedding party, complete with conga line and more foot movement for those sitting on the pool lounges. The final show was the four entertainment staff doing a tribute to Hollywood and it was terrific fun. The show lounge full and at the end the crew came out and sang Auld Lang Syne and We are Family – breaking into dance party including crew and passengers. Only one show fell short according to other passengers – a flautist, and we did not attend that show – we were busy closing the dining room with some other guests.

Embarkation and Disembarkation: We boarded in Istanbul. We booked a tour on arrival with Oceania who offered tours to the overnight hotel guests on the way to the hotel. We took the morning of embarkation to visit the Spice Market, The Underground Cistern and take a cruise on the Bosphous. The tour ended at 12:30 at the ship, We had a private guide lined up for 1:30 and we were able to board the ship, drop our hand luggage in our room with assistance from a crew member who showed us to our cabin, which was ready at 1:00, peek in the closets and at the room, go up to the Terrace and have a fast lunch and meet our guide on time. There was a bottle of Perrier Jouet waiting as well as a gift from friends of some Mumm’s Napa Cuvee. Very smooth. What really impressed me was the disembarkation process. No announcements from the ship. You were given a check in time, went to the Nautica Lounge. Checked in at the desk and were whisked off to your transportation right on the clock – no waiting – no lines. About 25 passengers at a time and mostly arranged by the flights that were booked. Full breakfast in the main dining room. Luggage was trucked to the airport and waiting for you at the curb. Staff was there with carts to load it so you could walk inside and check in at the desk for your flight. Maybe it was because we overnighted in port that made it easier for them to do that. But it was a perfect end to a great cruise.

Things we missed: No fruit bowls in the rooms, although we never eat from them! No fresh flowers in the rooms, but they were in the public rooms. I missed the dressing table but the desk worked fine. Free internet and telephone as a Silver SSS member. No SSS party – but there is a party for repeaters which we will have next time. I love those Salt Sticks in the RSSC breadbaskets, but, I am supposed to be on a salt free diet.

Conclusion: We’re booking our 2008 Baltics Cruise on O. We really enjoyed the cruise. The flavor is different than Regent. More people were out and about on the ship. Maybe because there were fewer suites to hide in. They were out and about in the lounges. People were down to earth – no pretense. All Country Club casual. We took one whole less bag! Frank brought a jacket but could have left it home. Port intensive meant that there was less relaxing – if we wanted it, it was there. Daily Trivia, Tea and Bingo. Good Casino. Nice Gym. Pool was beautiful. Excursions were well done. Nice touches we liked. Loved the Balinese Beds. We think Regent has it all, but, this was also pretty perfect for us. YMMV. I will be calling Ngaire to book the Baltics next week.