And the final scores are in…
One of the primary purposes of this cruise was to judge for ourselves whether or not this travel genre was for us, or if we needed to experiment further to find “our thing.” Please keep in mind that the things stated here are strictly personal opinions but, for what they are worth, here we go:
Primary among the objectives was to judge whether or not the motion, limited as it is on a large ship, would create nauseating side effects for my spouse. After four years in the U.S. Navy I was pretty much certain that I would suffer not, but my wife? I’m glad to say that the constant, nearly imperceptible motion was not an issue for her.
However, as a footnote to that statement let me add that the not-so-shuttle motion of the “tender” boats, in particular embarking and disembarking same, was a major issue. In the future, now that we understand what tendering is, it will be a major consideration when selecting excursions and, perhaps to a somewhat lesser degree, even cruising itineraries.
Secondarily, excursions offered during a cruise versus privately arranged tours, I believe we both would agree that we enjoy the individual interaction of the private tour, with its built-in flexibility, over the follow the “group 10” sign at the front of the group of 46 people being unleashed on a museum or cathedral site.
Vs
We had:
Tuscana, an Italian, or pasta-heavy menu
Red Ginger: An Asian cuisine
Jacques: A French restaurant
Polo Grill: The closest thing I found to a steak house
Let me preface this by saying that everyone has their own “tastes” when it comes to cuisine, and everyone will have a different experience. We talked to several couples who had traveled previously with Oceania and most of them expressed to us that the restaurant service/food on this cruise fell short of Oceania’s own goal, “The Finest Cuisine Afloat.”
Our dinner at Tuscana was acceptable. One of our table-mates was quite critical about several procedural things that he felt needed to be brought to the attention of the staff. Example, he had to bring to the attention of the supervisor on staff (food service captain?) that when the waiter combined the balsamic vinegar with the olive oil for bread-dipping he mistakenly poured the olive oil first, causing the balsamic vinegar to puddle in the bottom and not mix, even when stirred. (who knew?) Also, when asked how old their wine offerings were, the Sommelier did not know the exact age, a grievous sin in our fellow consumer’s book.
Now, me? I would be fine if I could predict the hue of a red wine, but to those who take such things seriously, I imagine these faux pas are critical. I look more for the lesser things, like have I ever heard of anything on the menu! I would say that the meal was not unforgettable, but I forgot what I had.
Red Ginger was a problem to begin with, given my aversion to all things in the vegetable arena. Others who are less critical of garden crops, thought it was fine, but most did not rave about the meal. My biggest take away was the fellow diners. There was a genuine repore that developed instantly between three couples of various backgrounds.
Jacques was a disaster. The French theme ran deep through the menu with sparse translations offered in minimalistic fashion. And the service was terrible, in any language. Of the six people at our table, at least three (and I believe the number was four) of us, including yours truly, were served the wrong meal. I had a plate full of little lobster mini-rolls (that’s the only way I can think to describe it) in a sauce set in front of me. Not knowing what it corresponded to on the menu, Idugin. It was reasonably good, albeit skimpy. After eating about 80% of the little pieces of lobster meat, the plate was snatched up from in front of me, andIwastold that it wasn’t my meal, almost in a scolding tone as if it was my fault that the meal was placed in front of me. I then received a bowl of green pea soup with ham “chunks” (possibly as many as four micro-pieces of ham were therein, had I dug to the bottom). The first slurp of the soup however was enough for me. The soup was served cold, and I’m not saying they let it sit too long before bringing it to the table. The pea soup had been refrigerated turning it into exactly the gross configuration that most people think of when they hear Green Pea Soup. I could not eat it. And, as I said, at least two others at our table likewise received a meal that had been ordered by someone else. The service, in addition to being error-rated (I think I will copyright that word!) was slow. So slow, in fact that one couple left before dessert to attempt to catch the last portion of that evenings stage presentation, only to return disappointed because they had missed it all.From seating to the completion of dessert was over 2 1/2 hours!
The Polo Grill was a decent imitation of a good old fashion steak house, with fancy names and small portions to make it special. My steak was ample, and well cooked, so I must give them credit for that. But the story here was that it was our anniversary dinner, the company with whom we shared the evening made it a fine evening and, as detailed earlier, after finishing the main course, I offered a toast to Alicia and shared our story with the other two couples. Just as I finished, as if I had launched a flare for the waitstaff, they brought an Anniversary cake with a burning candle atop of it, and four or so of the staff sang in celebration of our seventh anniversary. Perfectly timed and executed, it was a wonderful finale to a wonderful evening.
So overall, I would give the Finest CuisineAfloat a C-plus, partially for portion size, partially for execution, with bonus points pulling it up from average because of the friendly, helpful staff.
But when you really get down to it the one glaring omission was the lack of a “general store.” No matter how well planned you are, no matter who packs what, there will invariably be one item that was either forgotten, or it ran out, or….
With 1200 guests aboard your vessel, would you ever have someone who needs a Tylenol, a box of Kleenex, a pack of gum? Tums, or sun tan lotion? The one boutique had a single small group of shelves that carried a couple of nail files but the selection was abysmal and the hours they were open was something ridiculous like 9:30-11 pm. A bandaid? Maybe you can get one at the Medical Center when they are open, from 8-10 am and 6-8 pm.
So for us it boils down to:
Would we do it again? I would say the answer is a resounding maybe. We have already committed to a December of 2026 Mediterranean cruise with my daughter and son-in-law. It will be with Oceania’s closest competitor, Viking. We will be better prepared, better packed, and going with eyes wide open, loaded with comparative data and not afraid to make comparisons. We spent what, for me, is a great deal of money on this cruise. I know that it is virtually impossible to please everyone all the time. I realize everyone looks for different details to be covered their way. But when it’s my money, I’d like to think my desires can be, periodically, met. I’d rather walk away from a meal having eaten an ample quantity of something I enjoy, than walk away knowing that someone said I should enjoy this more because THEY think it is better to have a colorful plate placed in front of you than a perfectly prepared steak.
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