Regatta Review

4.5 / 5.0
423 reviews

Another great cruise!

Review for Canada & New England Cruise on Regatta
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roothy123
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Sep 2016
Cabin: Inside

This was our 11th cruise with Oceania, so obviously we do love it. The only other lines we've cruised are Viking Ocean (1 cruise), Celebrity (2), and Princess (1). Our favorites are Viking Ocean and Oceania. I was glad to get back to Regatta, one of the smaller ships, and the first ship we cruised on back in the early 2000s. The itinerary included some smaller, lesser-known places that I was excited to explore. They did not disappoint, although a couple places were a little light on sightseeing if you only stayed in town on your own. We rented cars, did a lot of planning, and had a great time everywhere we went.

As for the cruise experience, I think this was definitely one of the best cruises we've had in terms of food, service, cruising companions, crew, etc. Our room steward Madi and assistant Komang were great. Captain Hansen and Ray Carr cruise director were top notch and worked well together. I enjoyed going through the Cape Cod Canal, which I guess not many ships are able to go through. The Captain kept us very well informed of things we'd see and experience. We loved cruising again with Jaime, the maitre D in the Terrace. The weather was great, which always is a good thing, although we did have high winds at sea one night due to Hurricane Matthew fallout.

We ate in the Terrace for dinner a lot, as we both love it there. It was disappointing to not be able to eat outside most of the time, but when you cruise in October in Canada, that's what you get. In return, we got fabulous fall foliage most places we visited, especially out in the countryside. The grand dining room seemed better this cruise than in past cruises, and Polo and Toscana the same as always (very enjoyable). Waves is much more than a hamburger stop, and it's open late which we like. I only went to Tea twice and drank very little in any venue so can't comment on bars, drink prices, etc. Enjoyed the "Americano" coffee at Baristas - better than the coffee on the Terrace. Only ordered room service once as a snack - it was good, but best to order 20 minutes before you want it!

Cabin Review

Inside

Cabin F

Smallish but certainly adequate. Kept clean and neat; really all we care about. At least it's very dark at night!! Used the TV to "see" a preview of what was outside, or popped down to 5 to go outside.

Port Reviews

Corner Brook

It's easy to think there's not much to do in Corner Brook, but if you rent a car and take a quick trip in the fall to Gros Morne National Park (south side - Tablelands) I think you'll love this stop. It's a beautiful but slightly remote area. We loved it.

Halifax

We rented a car and drove to Lunenburg and Blue Rocks. Beautiful.

Saint John (New Brunswick)

We rented a car and drove to St. Martins to see the caves (get there at low tide or within a couple hours of it for best experience), short visit to Fundy Trailway, etc.

Bar Harbor

Had been there before, but had much more appreciation for it this time. Went to Jordan Pond on Explorer bus (beautiful), then around to Northeast Harbor, Otter Cliffs, found from above one of the places that photographers love (Boulder Beach), and explored the West Street historic area and place where people walk across to Bar Island at low tide.

Boston

Didn't really get excited about Boston. Went to Quincy Market briefly, then went to upstairs area of Faneuil Hall. Park Rangers give a talk on the significance of this hall. Inspiring. Walked around Boston a bit but it was very cold and windy from Hurricane Matthew and I decided to pop inside the "T" (metro) and go to Harvard. Interesting, but loaded with tourists (was Columbus Day, a holiday). An enjoyable day but not astounding. Back on the ship, I enjoyed the close up view of Logan and the (many) planes coming in. Others I talked to walked the Freedom Trail. You don't need to book an excursion to do that - free and easy and fairly well marked. Do some research.

Newport

Rented a car and drove to lighthouses. Then did a quick Cliff Walk - took the bus ($2, pay on board) from around the Breakers to the end and then back on the bus to Perrotti Park. A huge Princess ship had a huge line for its tenders - if you're on Princess, plan for a long wait! Cliff Walk was fun, but pay attention when you get to the "rough walk ahead" part - it truly is rough, walking over large boulders. Not for the faint of heart. It was a little hard to see those mansions, from the street or from the walk - keep that in mind if your heart is set on that. We didn't do any inside tours - not interested.

Montreal

Went to Montreal a day early; embarked ship next day. Just went to St. Joseph's Oratory and a few other local places (Old Port, etc.) - not crazy about Montreal, particularly since we had been there before. However, we enjoyed it.

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