Regatta in port

  Oceania’s ‘MS Regatta’:  Right on Tonnage And Right on Tone

 By Roger J. Ritchie

The MS Regatta is one of a fleet of ships created to roam the globe with more independence than available to the mega-cruisers and to offer just about all the facilities of one of the elegant floating resorts. Hence the tonnage and configuration of the Oceania Cruises’ three-ship fleet. A modern reading of the cruise ship lifestyle with a personality derived from the preferences of the (now defunct) Renaissance cruise line of about 10 years ago, Oceania Cruises inherits some wonderful planning and excellent thinking in the configuration of the company’s three vessels and has adapted them to a “tone” of operation that is their own.
The vessel represents 30,000 tons of smart engineering and 593 feet of remarkable comfort. This is, for many of Oceania enthusiasts, a right sized ship in this rapidly changing cruising world. Perhaps it would be called a medium-size a few years ago. Now at 684 passengers, Regatta is slipping into the small-cruise-ship category. With its high crew-to-guest relationship and rather spacious (and varied) public spaces Regatta is well equipped to compete for service plaudits alongside the so-called small-ship luxury cruisers. The repeaters are usually at least 50 percent of the passenger count.
With just 50 percent capacity on my transatlantic repositioning voyage in November, nothing was crowded and no service more than a moment away. But Regatta is clearly able to deliver a very similar level of service even at her maximum passenger count.

The Country Club goes to sea
The atmosphere—the décor—and the fittings aboard Regatta are keyed to a concept of the upscale country club. Her plush interior décor achieves that tone so well you half expect to see the plush fairways stretching away outside the windows!
The ship’s passengers are encouraged to play the role of country club guest with dress suggestions that include “country club casual.” The clubby, comfy, cozy furnishing style is consistent throughout the ship with big cushions and window seats along with faux fireplaces and many shaded table lamps. This emphasis on plush comfort for the eye and body gives Regatta a cozy and quite lovable character… “Ralph Lauren meets the St. Andrews Golf Club”… in fact The Regatta Country Club. Just as the dinner jacket has disappeared from the country club, the Regatta has no formal nights. While diners all over the ship are doing their “country club” thing, the service never wavers from fully formal and well up to black tie standards.

Choices, Choices—in styles of eating and sleeping
Selection and choice are the key words the Regatta’s management handbook. No food may be boring, and no appetite or preference goes unsatisfied. The remarkable emphasis on food selection and quality is the big difference between the Oceania Cruises’ ships and other cruise concepts. The first feature is the dine-anytime single seating in the Grand Dining Room – then the come-as-you-are choice of the Tapas of the Terrace followed  by the two “alternative” dining venues: The Polo Grill and the Toscana Restaurant.
The Grand Dining Room, entered through a charming Grand Bar, is the room that, if it did not have sea vistas on three sides, would deserve a surround of 36 holes of a superb golf course. The room is warmly decorated with (my favorite touch) the Regatta-motif little lamps on the tables. The menu is more than generous with a wide variety and does not repeat during a two-week cruise. The table service—remember the crew count of 1.6 crew per passenger—is as slick as any cruise ship on the ocean. The Jacques Pepin culinary touches show up here with some of his signature dishes as highlighted selections and his participation in the overall shape of the menu’s configuration.
Meanwhile – up on Deck 10 – the two themed gastro-hot-spots invite one’s reservation for ship-top dining as a change of scene and menu. The 96-seat Polo Grill is a steak house luxe in style that provides an intimate space with the fussing-over-the-guest type of service that costs big bucks in any city ashore. Huge steaks and large lobsters are the stars of a strong menu of international favorites.
Located on the other side of Regatta’s top deck is the Toscana Restaurant—a decidedly spiffy Italian restaurant with Regatta’s signature level of attentive service and, in common with the Polo Grill, a stellar quality and imaginative dining venue. Toscana is discreetly elegant with an intimate feel to its décor. The ceiling is low and the windows are big. Up here the deluxe service includes an amazing selection of fresh breads and rolls along with a novel presentation of a dozen unusual olive oils for the pre-repast dipping and nibbling. These upstairs options are by reservation only but there is no extra charge to dine in the two venues. The fact that all the dining locations have their own galley is part of the individuality in their character along with the evident pride the staff take in making their restaurant the most popular on the ship!
The daytime resort café—Waves—is transformed into a Tapas café-restaurant as yet another evening dining (or perhaps snacking) option. A world of hot and cold selections is offered for indoor or outdoor consumption. With so many nationalities in the galley Executive Chef Yves Segers has enough team members to create authentic tapas as well as sushi and other light options. In warm climates the outdoor Tapas-on-the-Terrace is a charming choice for a tropical evening. The wine waiters are well organized and will whisk your partially consumed bottle of vino to wherever you happen to be at lunch or dinner.  Another benefit of the ship’s modest size.

Deck 10 – the  pleasure deck –
At the forward end of the top deck is the Horizons Room and bar. This is the classic panorama space for sitting, playing Bingo and evening drinking and dancing.The Horizons space also exudes that comfy country club ambience, with its cushioned chairs, rich colors and dark woods. The Horizons room is also the setting for afternoon tea à la Oceania. That is to say, the cruise line makes a point of creating a certain formality in providing a traditional teatime service. The genteel service and rich furnishings make this is a relaxing rather English china-cups-and-cucumber-sandwiches type of afternoon experience.
Walking toward the stern the Fitness Track on Deck 10 connects to the foyer serving the Library, which overlooks the Pool Deck below (Deck 9.) The library gets a big thumbs-up for its quiet comfort and excellent book supply.

And for Sleeping—the stateroom choices
Stateroom selection is as varied as the dining-venue selection onboard. The concept works from the bottom (Deck 3) to the top (Deck 8) the rooms increase in three stages on the ship’s outside, with a fairly small number of inside cabins (158 square feet) on each level. An extra wrinkle is the enhanced amenity package included in the Deck 7 staterooms—dubbed the Concierge service.
The non-balcony cabins are 143 to 165 square feet; balcony cabins (Decks 6 and 7) are 216 square feet (including the teak verandah) and the 52 Penthouse Suites on Deck 8 are 322 square feet. The Deck 8 suites have a full bath as do the Owners and Vista Suites—all other accommodations are small shower-only bathrooms. Stateroom storage is sufficient but not generous. All staterooms feature the ultra-comfy Tranquility Bed done up either as twin beds or queen sized according to guests’ preferences with goose down pillows and plush bedding as well as a comfortable seating area with a sofa, breakfast table and vanity desk. Butler service is provided.
Oceania Cruises inherited staterooms on Decks 6 and 7, which are smaller than the standard of services onboard would indicate. The Deck 8 staterooms are right-sized for the Regatta’s luxury feel. Deck 7’s modest cabin size, is upgraded with its Concierge package which includes a bunch of amenities that make the guest feel well cared for. These thoughtful “concierge” touches include soft blankets for balcony sitting on cool evenings and the DVD player and DVD library access, a proper clothes brush and a welcoming bottle of bubbly.
Regatta stateroom closets offer real coat hangers, not those fiddly hooked motel-variety. Even some of the big lines still do not trust their guests with hangers that might be expropriated! The shampoo/condition/lotion/shower gel bottles are from Caswell-Massey—an old Anglo/American brand. A mini-fridge is on hand for any quick ‘pick-me-ups’ that might be needed. All staterooms are uniformly calm in their color tones, with low-key selection for all the fabrics and carpets.
The four Vista suites (786 square feet) at the bow are rather more appealing (and priced to match) than the six Owners suites (962 square feet) located at the stern. But, all are very attractive and good value, equipped with 42-inch plasma flat-screen TVs with a Bose surround-sound system and full baths and butler service adds to the luxury of the suites. Good value comes to mind with a review of all of Regatta’s accommodations. The pricing of the staterooms is highly competitive and nobody onboard can say that the voyage was not a superior value—no matter where onboard their pillow with its Good Night chocolate was located. 

Energy and Intimacy—the Oceania characters
The intimacy of the Regatta pleased this writer’s fellow travelers on the recent trans-Atlantic crossing leaving the appealing city of Lisbon for the New World. The smaller scale of the public spaces on the Main Deck (Deck 5) brings accessibility to the main dining room (at the stern) and the Regatta Lounge (at the bow) from all staterooms which are mainly above on Decks 6, 7, and 8.
On Deck 5 between the main rooms are the foyer, shops Martini Bar and Casino all overlooking, on each side, the promenade deck. All are classic-clubby in style with low ceilings, figured fabrics and dark woods. The Regatta Lounge hosts the main entertainment events and offers a reasonable dance floor for the dancers responding to the Big Band-style of toe-tapping music by an eight-piece ensemble.
A lively list of daily activities fill up the sea days for those inclined to traditional cruise ship occupations, in the Trivia, Bingo, and card-playing category. The card room and the computer center are adjacent to the forward stairway lobby which also serves the Horizons Lounge/bar. They have tall windows and provide the feeling of intimacy that pervades the ship. 

Spa my voyage
For the size of the ship, Regatta’s spa facilities are spacious and varied. The Steiner people of England bring their expertise to a suite of treatment spaces that offer all the expected massages, therapies and detoxifications. The trainers and beauticians in the salon and the gymnasium have all the equipment needed to meet the international standards of the ship. A spa-deck area in front of the treatment and exercise zones provides an optional—additional fee—outdoor relaxing spot with chaise-side service. There’s a bubbling thalasso-therapy tub for this small glassed-in area accessed through the gymnasium’s dressing rooms. There are pleasant steam rooms leading from the dressing rooms. The mounds of white towels and attentive staff earns my praise for this facility. The adjoining fitness center features the latest cardiovascular workout machines and weights as well as Pilates, Yoga and aerobics classes.

Entertainment to a different tune
In Regatta I see a clear difference in the management concept of a good time at sea. The big show of the day moves from the show room or theatre to the dining venues on board. The Regatta’s “show” people are mostly in the galleys and dining rooms. The main lounge is the setting for more cabaret-style entertainment. The Regatta does well with its individual-artist shows and everyone enjoyed the close-to-the-action style of the traditional (here’s the word ‘intimate’ again) cabaret.

And then . . . some unique touches found onboard:
*Cabanas (deck space) for the reclusive—“I want to be alone”…as Greta Garbo used to say. A dodge-the-crowd preference catered to with eight curtained areas similar to what hotels offer around the pool. The cabanas enjoy a forward view over the bow, a chaise lounge for two, shaded to order, and a special level of deck service. They may be reserved for the voyage or for the day ($50 on port days and $100 on sea days).
*The extensive TV and audio selection offers a really nice selection of music programs, along with current movies and some good classics.
*Convenience—nothing too far way – an inherent benefit from the size of the ship. *Regatta is uncrowded in getting on and getting off and offers the always reasonable proximity for those forgotten sunglasses.
*A handy launderette on Deck 7
*Cell-phone service being installed for that “never out of touch” assurance needed by many travelers. Anywhere on the ship the new service provides at-sea voice and texting service at much better than the existing ship-to-shore system
*No trays are evident in the buffet area as the management dislikes any hint of cafeteria service. So, waiters carry your buffet selections to your white-linen-covered table.

A small cruise company with a big heart!
Oceania Cruises is a company with a mission! With a small fleet (at present) the vigorous pursuit of the company’s hospitality style (and onboard experience) plays out very well for the growing number of dedicated enthusiasts. One of the appealing characteristics—a passion for good food—plays out in the “more people in the kitchen than on the showroom stage” attitude.  “We want to present a unique style with an obvious respect for our guests,” says Nicola Volpe, the General Manager on board Regatta. There’s a flash of passion in Mr. Volpe’s Italian eyes when making this declaration and stating the company credo, which he repeats with a quiet firmness: Confidence, Consistency, and Constant Improvement. This conviction is pleasantly clear to his guests who need not worry about the intensity of the cruise line’s interest in winning yet another repeater.

Is a repositioning cruise for you?
To Europe in the spring and to the USA/Caribbean in the autumn—ships migrate to their seasonal cruising areas. If you like long, lazy days at sea with no ports and fuss to disrupt the reading of books, playing of cards and eating, eating, eating—then the repositioning cruise is the voyage for you. And as a further incentive, the modest popularity of these voyages means that the lines peg the rates at a virtually “on-sale” level. The choice of ships and origination/destination ports increases annually as more operators look to European waters for summer-cruising patronage. Most cruise lines now make the trans-Atlantic voyages easy to find, as a separate category, and reward the patrons of this (somewhat) specialty market with excellent rates.
Will it be rough? —the seas, that is. The concern for the fair-weather cruisers about open-sea swells and robust waves is quite valid and this topic should be considered by the queasy-tummy group as the cruise line cannot promise any level of ocean tranquility.
But the likelihood of rough weather is diminished if a South Atlantic looping voyage is selected. For example, a call at Madeira or the Canary Islands takes the vessel into warmer, milder waters before the main ocean crossing. A Florida or Caribbean destination also holds the prospect of mildest conditions for the voyage. My own experiences have always been favorable.

-- Roger J. Ritchie is a Contributing Editor for ShipsandCruises

 

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