Hello Everyone!

My partner Hiro and I are going with a group of about a dozen friends on Oceania "Regatta" 14 day cruise from Istanbul to Venice departing April 23rd '06.

Until now, we've mostly cruised with RSSC, and love the experiences we've had. Sure hope this cruise will be up-to-snuff as well! ;)

Any of you nice "Luxury Cruise Talk" folks thinking about going too? Anyone have any Oceania inside scoop? Let's talk!

Cheers!

Eric

Since I have been involved with Oceania for 3 years and have been on 12 cruises..I will be happy to answer any questions..I am sure Susan can also give you the "scoop"
Jan

By the way Eric, what cabin did you take?
Jan

Promise us a review when you return. That's the trip I am planning and have to admit I am a bit nervous not going with RSSC. Anxious to hear about your experience. Thanks, Jan

Dear Jan & Jan,

Thanks for your kind replies! We're booked on the Concierge Level Verandah Stateroom #7020 Category A3, Deck 7. I'm a little nervous about the smaller size of stateroom that we'll be getting (approx. 190 sq. ft.)versus what we're used to (approx. 300 sq. ft.) on the RSSC "Voyager" this past September. But we'll just have to deal with it!

When we were on the old RSSC "Song of Flower" two summers ago in the Baltic, the stateroom size was comparable with our Oceania "Regatta" stateroom, and come to think about it...our stateroom on RSSC "Diamond" in the summer of '04 was only about 225 sq. ft., so I suppose I shouldn't be such a worry wart! It's just that those cruises were for a shorter duration, and this Oceania cruise is 14 nights! We had an opportunity to upgrade our stateroom to a suite about four weeks ago, but decided that the extra $1000 per person would be better spent in other ways, no doubt partly on the bar & wine tab since Oceania "Regatta" is non-inclusive for adult beverages. We really got spoiled with RSSC, what with set-ups in the stateroom and wine & cocktails inclusive at dinner!

We actually would not have actively pursued Ociania on our own since we're happy with our RSSC experiences, but a group of good friends have decided to go on this particular cruise do to its superb itinerary and reasonable price point, so we decided to give Oceania a test-run!

Any thoughts are appriciated...

Cheers,

Eric

Hi Eric..You have an excellent stateroom portside on deck 7..if you do laundry you are quite close as it is by stateroom 7078..
Th Stateroom is laid out quite well with a shower stall..(no tub)..the only small area is at the end of the bed where it is quite narrow..I love the picture of you but on Oceania..no tuxes..Frank Delrio, President says if you wear a tux you are put to work!!
Tho I adore RSSC..I love the length of Oceania cruises and the itineraries..in my opinion they cant be beat!!
The service is excellent and the food the best at sea..there are 2 alternate restaurants that are also excellent (no charge) the Polo is a steak house and Toscanna, Italian..the menus in those two restaurants never change so it does not matter if you go the first week or second week..personally I love the Grand Dining Room where the menu is different every night..
In Toscana they are bringing back a dessert by popular demand called Chocolate Lasagna..be sure and try it..
You will find the service excellent and the ambiance wonderful..
If you have any specific questions..dont hesitate to ask..
Regards and happy sailing,
Jan

Jan,
Do the two alternate restaurants mentioned also serve the Grand Dining Room menu of the day? That could be a win-win situation I guess.

No the Grand Dining Room has a separate menu. Polo Grill is primarily a quality meat lovers menu. Toscana is Italian. You can read a recent review on Oceania from a RSSC passenger on this site. It is from Judy and John posted October 16. I also posted a review in early July if you are interested.

Susan is correct..each restaurant has a completely different menu..the difference is Polo and Toscana never change and GDR changes every night for the whole cruise
Jan

Would it be nice to have the GDR menu available there for those who want to join us but not keen on the alternative restaurant items? If the big ship Diamond Princess can offer this on its theme Personal Choice dining rooms, I think the Oceania kitchen can manage it even better. And more use of its alternative restaurants will mean less stressful for the GDR staffs. Comments?

Louis,
The alternative restaurants are full all of the time. The menus in Polo and Toscana have a variety of options. If someone in your group cannot find a suitable option, I would imagine they could make a special request.

Susan..I am not sure that is correct..I do believe that the specialty restaurants only offer what is on the menu..otherwise it could really be a problem with people wanting to order from other restaurants..The largest table in the specialty restaurants only seat 8 so I suggest that if some of the group only like the GDR menu they eat there that night..
Jan