Oceania Cruises M/V Regatta By Richard Jenkins Caribbean Adventures

WOW!  Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Oceania Cruises really has developed a distinctively different cruise line. Mr. Del Rio has stated that the onboard experience of his company’s first ship, the 684 passenger Regatta, as “the casual ambiance of a fine country estate at sea” The Regatta, which was the first ship christening in the Port of Barcelona by the President wife, the lovely Marcia Del Rio as the ship’s Godmother on June 26, 2003.

It was apparent to us that this was different; you could feel the affluent private atmosphere around us as we embarked the M/S Regatta in Lisbon , Portugal on November 3, 2004 on this “Romance of the Sea” cruise for our Transatlantic crossing of the pond to Miami , Florida .

With Concierge Mario Alberto Gutierrez helping us with the check in at embarkation and then proceeding to the ship in record time with two white gloved stewards assisting us with our carry on bags to our stateroom, where our Steward, Francis introduced himself.  Our stateroom feature a private teak veranda and the famous “ Tranquility bed”, featuring  a firm mattress, plush duvets, goose-down pillows and sheets with extra high thread counts. Rumor has it that many guests are asking to purchase the bedding after their cruise. Better check any extra large baggage coming of the ship at disembarkation. Francis our Steward asked us about our bedding, we told him that it was out for cleaning. Unfortunate for us the bag never made it to shore.

Anyway, Oceania Cruises is really a distinctively different cruise line. Two modern luxury ships Insignia and Regatta with a third vessel, the Nautica to join the fleet starting in November 2005. Each ship carries just 684 guests with a European crew of 386 Officers’ and Cruise/Hotel Staff.

Nearly 70% of all staterooms feature private verandas and service is provided by an attentive European staff. At Oceania Cruises, the priority is an extraordinary cruise experience that will fit varied interests and exceed all of your expectations.

This includes the finest cuisine I have seen on any cruise ships in many years; carefully crafted menus by world-renowned Master Chef Jacques Pepin. The Regatta offers the flexibility of open-seating dining in four exquisite restaurants; with a country club atmosphere where the expectation is to dress comfortably with no formal nights to worry about. With our first day at sea adjusting to the time zones we explored the comfortable surroundings and modern amenities of this immaculate ship. We lounge around the decks caressed by the fresh sea air and the way this ship handle the seas. We were impressed with her maneuverability as we cruise through the shoals off the coast of Portugal .

After a wonderful night’s sleep and coffee delivered to our stateroom, it was off to the Fitness Track on Deck Ten. Thirteen laps equal one nautical mile. I started with seven laps and by the end of the cruise worked up to thirteen laps. This is something all should do with Regatta’s relaxed atmosphere and excellent cuisine especially since this cruise had no Ports of Call for walking off those extra deserts. To complement this relaxed atmosphere, a wealth of amenities was always waiting for us.

The Regatta Boutique, World- class Beauty Salon and Spa with a state of the art fitness center, eight different lounges and bars, a Monte Carlo style casino, an English inspired library stocked with something for everyone, high-tech internet café, a pool deck with two whirlpool spas and much more.

The Regatta duty free Boutique has an experience staff of five under the management of Carmen Culea. They have a wide selection of an exclusive collection of jewelry, and Chronoswiss watches, even one that was watch of the year in 2003, a chronoscope armband. They also feature name brands as Indigo Palms, Tommy Bahama and many more. The one thing the Boutique lacks is a bottle shop for guests that would like to enjoy a cocktail on there Verandah; although you may purchase bottles at any bar at a marked up price or just call the 24-hour room service. The staff will be happy to rush a couple of cocktails to your stateroom or suite.

At the Mandara Spa and Salon we introduce ourselves to Manager Sharon Gardner. Sharon has spent 12 years at sea, starting as a massage therapist working with other cruise lines and now managing a staff of seven for Oceania . You need to check out the before and after photos of Joni’s hair (my wife) to see the magic they performed. Also the many massages they offer, such as the “Massage around the World” treatment. This is a combination of four different massage styles from around the globe. The massages and the Thalassotherapy Bath treatments are something you do not want to miss.

Regatta’s eight distinctive lounges and bars each have their own special ambiance. Horizons offers a sweeping view from the bow, Martinis offering numerous incarnations of this famous cocktail by Head Bartender Daniel Jara Maya in a Living Room setting, Polo Bar in the specialty restaurant, Polo Grill offering single-malt scotch and full-grain whiskeys, The Grappa bar with Grappas from all over Europe in yet another specialty restaurant Toscana, The Grand Bar with a infinite variety of premium cocktails just outside of the Grand Dining Room, Regatta Lounge Bar were the nightly shows are performed, the Terrace Café Bar in the Tapas on the Terrace where one can get an eye opening Bloody Mary and of course the Wave Bar at the Pool deck.

The Horizons Lounge doubles for the Afternoon High Tea with fresh baked petit fours and other fresh made goodies with a variety of fine English teas. Almost a meal by it self.

The following is a snapshot of information on just some of the Officers’ and Staff that make this outstanding ship what it is – a world of affordable luxury, value, and personalized service.

Captain Dimitrios Flokos was born in the seaport city of Volos approximately 150 miles north of Athens , Greece . He comes from a long line of seafarers where both his Grandfather and father were Captains. One of the more memorable commands for the Captain was while working with Commodore Cruise Line on the Cruise ship MV Caribe where he had the honor of serving as Captain on one of the very same ships that his father also commanded more than 30 years prior. Over the next few years he was in command on the R1, R2, R3, R4, and R6. He remained convinced even after the hardships of September 11th that with the exquisite beauty and unique design of these vessels they would bring prosperity and good fortune to anyone who had the vision to create a market for these ships. He could not have been more delighted when Oceania Cruises appeared on the horizon with their plan to do just that. Once again he was involved in the start up and up grading of the M/S Regatta and M/S Insignia in France . Captain Flokos believes that when you are a Captain you must always be ready to act at any given moment because you face a wide variety of issues daily. You must ensure the safety and well being of passengers and crew while also dealing with the unknown factors of nature. The Captain feels that he has been fortunate that during his career he has experienced no major events or catastrophes on board.

General Manager Nicola Volpe comes from a town close to Florence, Italy in Tuscany where he grew up in a family of Chianti wine and olive oil farmers. He attended the local Hotel School in Montecatini and began his working experience in leading Italian Restaurants and Hotels. At the age of 17 he decided to travel abroad in order to enrich his knowledge of food and beverage while improving the command of foreign languages. Following the bankruptcy of Renaissance Cruises in September 2001, Nicola looked after the laid up ships in Marseille (six altogether) in the position of Owner’s Hotel Manger, taking care of the Hotel maintenance while presenting the vessels to potential buyers and charter parties. When Oceania Cruises offered him the new challenge to become General Manager, he was delighted to start this new Cruise venture and to be able to stay on his favorite vessels at the sane time.  On a personal note I just want to say that Nicola has a strong resemblance to the cultural icon in television broadcasting of Regis Philbin of the Regis & Kelly morning show, Who What to be a Millionaire and Super Millionaire fame. Look out Regis!

Concierge Mario Alberto Gutierrez was born in the beautiful valley of San Jose , Costa Rica . Due to his father’s job, he relocated to many counties, which helped him to learn many of the 7 languages that he now speaks fluently.  He has worked for Royal Caribbean as part of the “Start up Team” that opened 8 of their vessels. He then joined Cunard Lines’ M/S Caronia as Concierge, and served on the QE2 as Night Hotel Officer and opened their newest and largest ship in the world, The Queen Mary 2 as Head Concierge. Mario Alberto joined the Oceania Cruises family in April of 2004, on the Regatta’s sister ship M/S Insignia, and is very happy to be sailing on such gorgeous and stylish vessels.

Cruise Director David Shermet is a true, native Southern Californian where he still makes his home. His parents and one older sister reside there as well. He attended the University of Arizona on a baseball scholarship and in 1986 was part of the National Championship team. After being drafted by the Houston Astros in 1988, he spent two seasons playing professional baseball before going to sea. He has been working on cruise ships since 1992. As a Cruise Director, David loves meeting people and enjoys good conversations, gaining insight into so many different lifestyles. The challenge of keeping you entertained throughout your cruise is a demanding task, but one that is rewarded time and again when just one guest takes home a smile or special memory of their cruise. David is honored to be working for such a prestigious line as Oceania Cruises.

Destination Manager Julia Block was born in Dallas , Texas , but left the capital of the Cowboys, for the capital of cruise ships and makes her home in Weston , Florida . A 17 year cruise industry veteran, Julia spent 13 years shore side as well as on board over 35 ships. On this sailing we had no ports of call so Julia spent most of her time fine tuning Oceania Shore Excursions for the Caribbean .

Casino Manager Nik Early comes from the city of Coventry in the heart of Warwickshire , England . Nik joined Oceania Cruises in March 2004 and was delighted to be back onboard an “R series” vessel of which he had so many fond memories.

Desk Top Publisher Susanne Buchleiter; A Special Thanks for permitting me to use excerpts from her many written accounts of the Officers and Staff of the Regatta. Susanne delivers an outstanding Shipboard Information, Stories, and the Daily Program with the ship’s Oceania Currents publication, which is far beyond any recent ship’s program that I have seen. Keep up your outstanding work and if you so desire, email us with any of your great stories and we will place them on our web site for our clients to enjoy. Thanks again and Good Luck with your future husband.

The Medical team on board this sailing is Doctor Jorge Sanchez from Colombia and Head Nurse Carman Petrica from Romania . Doctor Sanchez is experience in Diving Medicine and was a Combat Medic in the United States Army for four years. Regatta has a fully operational hospital that serves both guests and crew 24 hours.

Last but not least the most important person on board the Regatta with exception to the Captain, Executive Chef Wolfgang Maier. Wolfgang was born in the county side of Carinthia , in Austria . At the age of 14, he entered the hospitality industry as an apprentice in culinary school in the World Cup village of Bad Klein Kirchheim , a well known winter ski resort in the Austrian Alps. In 3 years time Wolfgang started his collection of culinary skills in various well known 5 star hotels throughout Western Europe , where he got his first taste of working with a diverse group of culinary experts. After completing his military service, Wolfgang decided to begin his life at sea, with Hapag Lloyd, then went to 6 star Silversea Cruises where he spent 4 years working up the Galley ladder to Executives Sous Chef. With a reputation that preceded him, Oceania invited him to be part of the inaugural team for their first ship Regatta. As Executive Chef, Wolfgang and his army of 60 Chefs and 5 Assistance Chefs create daily gastronomic events that surpass all expectations using only the finest ingredients in these 5 star menus that were crafted by world renowned Master Chef Jacques Pepin, Oceania Executive Culinary Director. These gastronomic delights are then delivered with the epicure guidance of Andreas Piccinen, Maitre d’Hotel, and the Head Waiters along with staff waiters and waitresses.

In closing, Caribbean Adventures has a special DVD edition of Oceania Cruises CHARTING A DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT COURSE….  Call Richard or Joni now to reserve your DVD and guarantee your Stateroom or Suite at 1-800-283-8200. Special note of interest: This sailing and related story on the Oceania Cruises M/V Regatta, November 3 through the 13, 2004 was entirely funded by Caribbean Adventures. It is the expectation that Caribbean Adventures will be selected by Oceania Cruises for a follow up story on one of there vessels next year. Bookmark this web site and keep checking back for more information and specials. Thanks, Caribbean Adventures.