My experience on Oceania Cruises aboard the beautiful Regatta completely exceeded my expectations. The ship, service and experience were wonderful.
The Regatta is in excellent condition; the décor is very tasteful and understated and truly feels like a country club at sea. I never felt lost or overwhelmed on the ship- it is the perfect size. The pool area, midship on deck 9, features a large pool and two hot tubs, with plenty of teak deck chairs and Balinese Day beds for couples. Oceania has a wonderful self serve laundry on deck 7; the room is large, with 4 washers and 4 dryers and couches and chairs to sit on. The laundry was never crowded, even on sea days.
We stayed in a category A1 Concierge Class verandah cabin. The cabin is small, but breathtakingly decorated with a headboard made out of cobalt blue fabric against dark wood; add in the crisp white linens and it is very classy. There was plenty of storage space in the closets for clothing and shoes and lot of drawers throughout the cabin. The cabin had a dvd player and the movie library is huge. The verandah had two chairs and a table; we had room service and there was plenty of room for a full table set up. The bathrooms are a bit on the small side with only a shower, and no tubs. On the plus side, there are a lot of shelves in the bathroom for storage.
We were very impressed with the service in all areas onboard the Regatta. Our cabin steward was wonderful and always had our cabin made up by the time we came back from breakfast. Service in all of the restaurants was very fast; the moment we sat down, someone was there filling our water glasses and asking if we would like anything else. The Front Desk attendants were very friendly and knowledgeable.
The food overall was impressive. In the Grand Dining Room we never had to wait to be seated, there were always tables for two (although these tables were quite close together) and the menu had a large variety of tasty options. They also offer Canyon Ranch Spa cuisine showing the calorie, fat and sodium counts on the menu. Toscana, the alternative Italian restaurant (no additional charge) had good food and atmosphere, but it wasn’t really to our liking. We did however enjoy the olive oil and balsamic vinegar cart they bring tableside; it has around 20 varieties of each! The alternative steakhouse Polo Grill (no additional charge) was our favorite restaurant on the ship with outstanding food and a beautiful décor of leather chairs, dark woods and forest greens. Tapas on the Terrace, located on deck 9 aft, this wonderful outdoor dining option was our second favorite on the ship and featured extensive stations of tapas within the Terrace Cafe.
There were hardly any activities available during the sea days, I suppose that it’s a good thing they offer such port intensive itineraries. In the evening, there was music playing in both of the bars, but most ended by 9pm. The daily program advertised a “late night disco” starting at 10:30pm; however it was only a computer in the middle of the dance floor where you choose your own songs. The evening performances each night were made up of a magician, a comedian and Oceania’s “cast” of four singers/dancers. Our favorite evening was the Deck Party after leaving San Juan, the music and dancing went on past 11pm and the deck was packed. Oceania had Bridge Directors on this sailing and they taught beginner and intermediate bridge lessons.
The guests onboard seemed to consist mostly of 50+, retired couples. There were no children and I saw very few single guests. Our 14 days on the Regatta were very relaxing and we came away loving this product. Oceania is the perfect choice for clients who are ready try a deluxe cruise product.
Visit our Oceania Cruises Specials page for information on upcoming voyages.
Bridgett Quinn
Sales Assistant
