I had an opportunity to visit Oceania’s Regatta while in port in Miami and I wanted to take a moment and share my thoughts and observations.  Oceania themselves refer to the Regatta as the “Flagship of the Fleet”.   She was originally built in 1998 for then Renaissance Cruises and was recently refurbished in 2011.   She is a true elegant small ship at just 684 guests, based on double occupancy.

My first observation was impressive.  The profile of the vessel is very sharp.  The white hull vs. blue (ala Renaissance) really looks great.   Once I boarded Regatta, I was very impressed with the impeccable shape she is in.  Every public area and the suites I saw were in new condition which even on other small ships isn’t always the case.

The ship hasn’t changed internally much since her days as a Renaissance ship and the layout is easy and flows well with most public areas on decks 4 and 5 and the balance of the decks home to the suites and staterooms.   Of course there is also the pool deck which is home to the casual restaurant and poolside buffet, and the Canyon Ranch Spa.

The main thoroughfare of the ship is deck 5 and here is where you will find the dining room, main lounge, bars and casino – truly the heart of the vessel.    In addition to the main dining room there are two alternate restaurants on deck 10 – Polo Grill and Toscana as well as the Horizons lounge and the casual dining of the Terrace Café on Deck 9.

I did have an opportunity to see the suites on deck 8 which were very spacious with large balcony.  These levels also come with butler service to enhance the voyage.   While not all of the accommodations are suites, they are all well appointed.  In addition to the suites are the standard balcony staterooms, ocean view staterooms and a very small number of interior staterooms.

Oceania is a line renown for their elegance and service and all indications is that the Regatta certainly lives up to the standard