Ship Report - Oceania Cruises' - REGATTA

The m/v Regatta is Oceania Cruises' first vessel and the Miami-based cruise line is working hard to promote this, their first mid-sized, destination-oriented cruise ship. The 30,300-ton Regatta which entered service on July 5 accommodates 660-passenger is an attractive and stylishly decorated vessel.

Most everyone is aware that the ship started life with the now-defunct Renaissance Cruises that designed and built eight identical mid-sized ships.  The Regatta, which debuted in 1998 as Renaissance's R2, is now chartered by Oceania, which gave it a $10 million refit. Notwithstanding the usual upgrades to machinery and navigation equipment, stateroom facelifts included swank bed linens and custom mattress sets. All four restaurants received new flatware, glassware, china and table linens.  One of the biggest improvements is found on deck 9 where the pool area has been totally upgraded with a new teak deck and quality chaises covered with blue and white cushions.
 

The ship exudes a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. One does not experience the feeling of hustle and bustle that comes with several thousand other passengers vying to use the ships facilities. The crew is earnest in wanting their guests to feel welcome and go out of their way to accommodate your requests. Unquestionably a Five-Star touch! Service is enthusiastic and warm, courtesy of a well-trained and young European staff.

Regatta's ports of call are nicely creative as she is able to visit smaller (and more small-ship friendly) places.

Dining: Ocean Cruises' say they've got 'the best dining at sea' - and it's fair to say they're getting close, offering four dining experiences, three of them specialty venues without the extra charge. They have teamed up with world-renowned Master Chef, Jacques Pepin whose appointment as the Executive Culinary Director was clearly a stroke of genius. One of the world's most celebrated chefs, he was personal chef to three French heads of state, including de Gaulle. It is planned that he will periodically sail with the line to oversee operations and occasionally will host cooking demonstrations.

The Grand Dining Room is by far the most beautiful and largest venue, offering an intimate dining ambiance. Good food with good service comes out course after course. They also provide a full breakfast menu with the usual and not-so-usual (a selection from the menu includes; broiled kippers with sautéed onions, grilled lamb chops) as well as made-to-order favorites. Lunches are similar, with a selection of items ranging from broiled wahoo with a confit of apple and onion in a white cider sauce, London broil, a fabulous salad of shrimp, tofu, potatoes and mixed vegetables with peanut sauce called gado-gado and everyone's favorite dessert, crème brulee.

The sunny Terrace Cafe is favored for breakfast perhaps because of it's close proximity to the buffet or maybe because it's adjacent to the pool deck.  At breakfast, the Terrace Cafe has one omelet station and endless platters of fresh fruit, smoked fish, and baked goodies amid the requisite breakfast fare. Buffets are not my favorite, but the Terrace Cafe makes it work, accomplishing what's commonly unattainable at a buffet. Service stations appear fresh, clean and straight from the galley. Wait staff frequently join guests at the end of the line to escort them and plate to a table and there's a constant parade of friendly servers eager to assist with whatever you need. Though definitely present, bar servers never hovered annoyingly.

The Terrace Cafe lunch is equally as good with lots of choices such as crispy spring rolls, perfectly grilled fish, sushi and freshly cooked pizza.

The three dinner-only specialty restaurants are excellent and do not require reservations, and they have no surcharge.

The Terrace Cafe at night turns into Tapas on the Terrace by way of a few brilliant decorative touches such as Mediterranean chair covers, its own themed china, handsome glass and iron candleholders in the centers of each table and is perfect for serious dining. Buffet style, diners can choose from literally dozens of bold flavors and textures. Favorites include the traditional Spanish potato and onion omelet, the plump fresh shrimp soaked in garlic and oil and really excellent paella. Predictable desserts like flan and rice pudding are good, but irresistibly crispy churros are excellent.  Word has it that Tapas has been so successful that plans have started to expand the concept by mid-October. Originally intended for the aft terrace only, word of mouth onboard was so positive that soon the indoor Cafe tables were filling up. Custom-made table linens will drape the inside dining tables and lovely candleholders will be added, as well.

The clubby Polo Grill is the most intimate of the three-offering melt-in-your-mouth dry-aged steaks, lamb and veal along with a good selection of fresh seafood. The Toscana offers stunning ocean views and vies to serve five-star Italian cuisine

Waves is the place for a later lunch (until 5 p.m.) offering hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches and even fried calamari plus a daily special and some rather ordinary salads, all served with fries and the most extraordinary cole slaw. High tea is served daily at 4 p.m. in Horizons. The pastries and tea sandwiches are nice, as are the scones served with whipped cream.

Room service is available 24/7, but don't expect food from the restaurants (except in the suites) as they offer a shortened menu selection of chicken breasts, steaks, soups and some fairly decent but ordinary cold sandwiches. They do offer a terrific cheese platter and their delicious crème brulee.

Public Rooms: The ship's decor pays obvious homage to Ritz-Carlton's "traditional luxe" interiors, here it's used to create a floating country-club atmosphere. The ship's reception has the requisite polished dark mahoganies and muted fabrics and a sweeping staircase. Martinis, a bar just outside the casino, has a great selection of classic and special martinis along with anything else one finds at a full-service bar. The Casino is small but can get lively.

The Grand Dining Room is found on deck 5 as are the two duty-free shops. One is filled with the usual cruise line logo apparel and a selection of handbags, scarves, bathing suits and "dressy" apparel for women and men. The other shop stocks the usual selection of duty-free perfumes and jewelry.
 
The sole Laundromat is on deck 7. However, expect long lines at the Laundromat in spite of the excessive $3 per load. Use the laundry/dry cleaning service instead as it's reasonably priced. Other public rooms include, on deck 9, Oceania@Sea, the onboard Internet area. On deck 10 is the Polo Grill, Toscana, and the very lovely and fairly well stocked Library.

Regatta has eight lounges and bars: Horizons, Waves, Martinis, Polo Bar, Regatta Lounge (the ship's showroom), the Grand Bar, Tapas Bar and Toscana Bar. Horizons is popular for several reasons: the magnificent sweeping views (it was R2's Observation Lounge), afternoon tea, and, interestingly, one of two "legal" spots to smoke on this otherwise non-smoking ship (the other is a tiny group of tables tucked away forward starboard corner of the pool deck on Deck 9).

For those who need to keep in touch, Regatta's Oceana@Sea, has eighteen computer stations available, but ongoing, fully attended computer classes have priority over those with email needs. There are also two computers in the Library Internet but there's usually a line, there is a plan to add three more PCs in the Library soon.  Access at $.95 per minute is expensive by competitors' standards but packages can make it as low as $.60, however, printing is free as are memory card readers for downloading digital images.  The ongoing computer class space challenge is annoying for those who have to stay in touch. 

Cabins: Regatta has 330 guestrooms, suites and penthouses with more than 50% of the outside staterooms with verandas. One nice touch is "Tranquility Bed," dressed in 350-count Egyptian cotton linens, silk-cut duvets and goose-down pillows.

Veranda Staterooms are 216 square feet, including the teak balcony (surprisingly, furnished with two very cheesy white plastic chairs and a small table). Oceanview and inside cabins (at 165 and 158 square feet respectively) are rather, cozy. There's not quite enough storage and closet space and the casual dress code reduces space requirements somewhat. Kudos for the wooden hangers, though. There's a good-sized desk-cum-vanity table, love seat, small coffee table and desk chair.

Every cabin has a 21" color television with "On-Demand" films offering reasonably recent films. Two night tables and a handy on/off switch for the main cabin lights frame the bed. Bathrooms are pint-sized, but amazingly utilitarian with strategically placed shelves inside and outside the vanity cabinet. Small showers (along with generous amounts of shampoo, conditioner, bath gel and body lotion) get the job done. I'm happy to report there is good lighting, piles of plush towels, a terry robe and the usual fixed hair dryer.

Other cabin amenities include, nightly turn-down, satellite telephones (there's no voice mail, so it impossible to leave and get messages), safes, multiple mirrors, 110-volt AC outlets and Internet access ($25 hook-up charge plus Oceania@Sea's prevailing per minute rates) and alarm clocks.

Penthouse Suites are 322 square feet, Vista Suites are sized at 786 square feet and Owner's Suites are a 962 square feet. All suites feature marble bathrooms with bathtubs (Vista and penthouses have whirlpools), entertainment centers, fully-stocked minibars, nightly pre-dinner canapés and 24/7 butler service. Vista and Owner's Suites have lovely wrap around balconies, and canopied queen-sized beds.

Entertainment:  Regatta is more about destinations than cruising, evidenced by the lack of glitzy stage productions. There is an excellent orchestra and string quartet, some cool jazz sessions and song and dance in Horizons nightly. There is at least one worthwhile enrichment lecture daily along with the usual art auctions, bingo games and such.  

The outdoor pool whilst small, with the new teak decking and quality loungers, is lovely.

The spa is operated by London-based Harding Bros. Ltd. and offers an excellent menu of treatments like lavender deep-cleansing facials, holistic citrus facials, foot and ankle massages and aroma stone therapy massages. Fitness classes, including Pilates, are complimentary. Yoga is available, but on a one-to-one basis only (and one pays for the instructor).

Hair salon services for the most part were comparable to most ships. Refreshingly, there was no hard sell of beauty products.

Life on-board: Regatta makes no apologies for their lack of a kids' program, which means kids are limited to endless hours of table tennis, shuffleboard, small-pool swimming or, God forbid, TV in the cabin. One has the feeling that all are designed to neither discourage nor encourage.

Passenger make-up:  Ocean report that nearly 95 percent of the passenger carried on Regatta's first season consisted of mostly American couples. There are a few groups of single older woman, less than a handful of families and few to no singles traveling alone.

Dress Code: As there are no cocktail parties or formal dinners programmed by the ship, country club casual by night and T-shirts, shorts and sandals by day are the acceptable dress.

Gratuities: $10.50 per person is debited each day for staff service (count on an additional $3 per person each day in suites and penthouses because of the 24/7 butler service).