Regatta Review
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Oceania Regatta. Jan 2006. 7th cruise (Norwegian, Holland America, Carnival and Century prior). I am 37 Years old. Traveled with my 45 year old spouse.
Fellow passengers: Nearly all fell into the 60+ range. A few scattered younger couples, although nearly all of those were traveling with older relatives. About 3 kids (great for us, not for them!) Everyone we met had traveled and cruised extensively. In many cases this did not translate to cultural sophistication. (i.e., the fellow passenger openly leering at a topless sunbather on a beach in St. Barts . Then, quotes overheard: When I was in Vienna I had a hard time getting by because I do not speak Austrian& I sure miss my Fox news& ). Every passenger we met had seemed to have also cruised the luxury lines such as Crystal, Radisson, Silver Seas, Windstar, etc, yet they were very satisfied with Oceania which compared favorably. In fact, I think most people we met were return passengers. Additionally, a lot of retirees seemed to be open to making new friends.
Embarkation, the Cabin: Embarking was the fastest we had seen. We arrived about 1:30 PM from the airport, checked in, and were handed our charge and key card. It was white, which I imagined kept us riff- raff from being confused with the other passengers who had blue or silver cards. While our documentation suggested we would have to wait until 3pm, we walked right onto the ship. Because the cabin was not quite ready, we headed to the Terrace Cafe for an outdoor buffet lunch. The choices and service were great (as they would be the entire cruise). We then went to our steerage (aptly named, category F) cabin which was now ready. I believe this cabin was about 160 square feet. Usually with a cabin this size, negotiations take place daily regarding who is getting showered and ready and when, as there is no way two people can move around the cabin at the same time. The cabin was in excellent condition. We found it to have adequate storage space. (As it turns out, I could have packed far less given the Country Club Casual dress code. More on that later&) For some unknown reason, I did not pack my hair dryer. What a mistake. The one in the bathroom was completely useless and it made every day a bad hair day.