First cruise on Riviera

In general, it was very nice. Enjoyed the food,service,cabin,entertainment,etc....But did have 3 less than perfect experiences .

1. Locked in cabin for 20 mins. due to door being stuck and carpenter had to come in thru balcony to get us out. Late to show and felt trapped(have claustrophobia issues). Just apology,nothing else.

2. Lunch order in Waves did NOT come and had to reorder and WAIT again. Maitre de came over to apologize and took cabin number,but never rec d anything.??

3.Disembarkation was AWFUL, first 20 min. late and no announcements.Then switched floors and crowd of older people with suitcases had to climb stairs,or wait LONG time for elevator. Sure some missed their flights, NOT HANDLED well at all.

These made for a less than great experience. Quite different than last O cruise last yr.on Insignia.Not sure why,but did NOT book another as I planned and may try another line next.

Wonder what other thought of this?Anyone else have probs.on cruise that ended Dec.13th?:confused:

Every cruise line has small issues....I would be grateful to be on the Riviera vs: the bigger and more important issues that those on Insignia faced.

#3 could have been a problem with Immigration officials

people do not listen to the procedure for disembarking

Standing by the exit blocking the line for those that have had their number called or blocking the elevators on deck 6 impeding traffic with bags

seems to happen on every cruise

1...Just apology,nothing else.

2...Maitre de came over to apologize and took cabin number,but never rec d anything.??

Not sure what you expected beyond apology?

#3 could have been a problem with Immigration officials

 

They call the shots. We have had to wait WAY longer than 20 minutes in the past. It depends on when they arrive and how many of them.

Personally I would rather wait half an hour for great food than 5 minutes for inedible stuff! and I think for a snack bar the food at Waves IS great!

I am having a hard time with 3 minor things getting a thumbs down. Oh, we were on the PG and were locked out on our balcony for over an hour...It was late...no one heard us...we still laugh about it!

I am having a hard time with 3 minor things getting a thumbs down. Oh, we were on the PG and were locked out on our balcony for over an hour...It was late...no one heard us...we still laugh about it!

OP had a balcony as well as a phone so how bad could it have been to wait a few minutes for the problem to be fixed.

Number two, when you have all day on a beautiful ship to have to wait for lunch is really something to be upset about. Starvation is a terrible thing!:rolleyes:

Disembarkation always can vary by some time and many times it is because the ship has not been cleared. Stuff happens.

please re read my first sentence.Said it was good cruise,just 3 things than made it less than perfect.

Re. apology for probs. Just wondered WHY they took stateroom number, thought we MIGHT get some small freebie.Just this token would have said SORRY.No biggie tho.

Know immigration causes probs.but announcements should have been made earlier.Esp. re.disimbarkation area,floor. Many older cruisers had a hard time going up stairs and I wasn t the only one there feeling it was handled poorly.

This was my 3 rd O cruise and just comparing it to previous ones which seemed to ME much better ,perhaps larger ship??Had been on Insignia,and Regatta.

Did NOT book onboard as planned,but maybe in future.Just trying Crystal next.

Know immigration causes probs.but announcements should have been made earlier.Esp. re.disimbarkation area,floor. Many older cruisers had a hard time going up stairs and I wasn t the only one there feeling it was handled poorly.

 

Usually it is deck 6 for disembarking & there are elevators so not sure why people could not use them ... except for the fact that others are blocking the exit when you do manage to get off

In our experience (2 O class cruises) they did tell you in the instructions where to wait for your number to be called

but who read the instructions :rolleyes:

Did NOT book onboard as planned,but maybe in future.Just trying Crystal next.

Voting with your wallet and your feet is an excellent strategy, IMHO

Crystal is an entirely different kettle of fish.

We found the ambience and service dreadfully stilted, and left a big future cruise discount on the table, because they just aren't our thing; yet others whose opinions we respect swear by them.

Give it a shot, even if you do finally decide that Oceania is a better fit for you, at least you will have something to compare it to.....

And you may just love it! :p

I agree with Alexandra, debark was a mess.

We were told to go to deck 5. I was near the supposed exit as I was in one of the first groups scheduled to get off the ship.

I did hear a staff person say that a reason for the switch was that new staff was boarding on deck 5. That was the fact but iI couldn't tell you if that was the reason.

The Customs/Immigrations people got off on deck 5 a short time before the announcement. I don't think they had anything to do with the change in decks.

I made my flight (noon-ish) without any problem but don't know about anyone else. No-one on my bus seemed worried.

And on another of Alexandra's comments, I too spoke to a staff member and at the end of the conversation, he asked for my cabin number. I was reporting back to him about something he has asked about. I sort of expected a note thanking me for my help/suggestions. None came. Not a big deal - just odd.

I also agree with Alexandra: The cruise was fine - no issues - good food, excellent staff, elegant ship - but not a good ending.

Peggy

Peggy

We were also on that sailing. IMO, the delay in disembarkation was not due to Oceania but due to Customs. Making it worse were people blocking the isles rather than sitting out of the way and waiting for their color to be called. I can imagine that people with early flights were anxious to get off but creating gridlock on decks 5 and 6 did not make it any easier or faster to disembark.

In terms of the elevators. While nothing can be done about it, throughout the cruise I did feel that the Riviera needed more elevators. We are used to ships carrying 700 passengers having eight elevators (4 aft and 4 forward). The Riviera, with 1250(?) people has only six elevators. There were issues trying to use the elevators several times during the cruise -- especially the aft elevators when 100+ (guesstimate) of passengers are trying to get up to Polo, Toscana and the Terrace Café. When all departing passengers need to be out of their staterooms at 8:00 a.m., there were likely hundreds of people with their luggage trying to use the elevators at the same time. Not sure what the solution to this would be.

Agree that this was an excellent cruise - perfect service, great food - all on the most beautiful ship that we have ever sailed on.

I agree with Alexandra, debark was a mess.

 

We were told to go to deck 5. I was near the supposed exit as I was in one of the first groups scheduled to get off the ship.

 

I did hear a staff person say that a reason for the switch was that new staff was boarding on deck 5. That was the fact but iI couldn't tell you if that was the reason.

 

The Customs/Immigrations people got off on deck 5 a short time before the announcement. I don't think they had anything to do with the change in decks.

 

I made my flight (noon-ish) without any problem but don't know about anyone else. No-one on my bus seemed worried.

 

And on another of Alexandra's comments, I too spoke to a staff member and at the end of the conversation, he asked for my cabin number. I was reporting back to him about something he has asked about. I sort of expected a note thanking me for my help/suggestions. None came. Not a big deal - just odd.

 

I also agree with Alexandra: The cruise was fine - no issues - good food, excellent staff, elegant ship - but not a good ending.

 

Peggy

 

Peggy

And good to see not just ME.

Just feel such problems could be EASILY fixed or avoided and they would have NO complaints and a bunch of happy cruisers.

Did write the first 2 probs.on comment card,but not disembarkation mess,of course.

Travelcat, I agree SOME probs were from passengers,but NOT THE majority.We also saw customs staff leave on deck 5, asked at reception and told deck 5.No announcement re deck change till 8 25.Then all H...broke lose,stairs jammed and elevators.

Travelcat, I agree SOME probs were from passengers,but NOT THE majority.We also saw customs staff leave on deck 5, asked at reception and told deck 5.No announcement re deck change till 8 25.Then all H...broke lose,stairs jammed and elevators.

You were much closer to this situation than we were -- I only saw the mass of people hanging around -- you couldn't even walk through deck 5. We will quietly hidden away in the Grand Bar with a few other passengers that were getting off the ship at 9:00 a.m. (we didn't get off until closer to 9:30 a.m.). It did seem odd that the announcements took a very long time to begin.

SOME probs were from passengers,but NOT THE majority.

I think that we all have to realize that the average Oceania Passenger is an older person of some means, many of them with one heath issue or another, who is used to receiving some degree of deference in a crowd situation.

When every other person in that crowd is ALSO an older person of some means with the odd health issue; frustration is bound to ensue.

Ease of disembarkation is a huge priority for the staff, but lets face it, many Passengers never read (should that be pretend to never read?) the Instructions which they are given, and a good portion of those who do, choose to disregard them "because".

The Crew, who don't have the Authority to stop us from breaking the Rules, have no other choice but to smile and make the best of it.

Jackie - it is a long time since I have been on the Voyager but the Mariner only has two lifts (elevators) in the stern area. I thought that was the case all along - you have made the comment before on another thread - but this time I checked the deck plan to see. 4 lifts in the bow area, 2 in the stern.... And those aft lifts get congested too, especially at meal times.

Gerry

Ease of disembarkation is a huge priority for the staff, but lets face it, many Passengers never read (should that be pretend to never read?) the Instructions which they are given, and a good portion of those who do, choose to disregard them "because".

Not to be argumentative, but I don't understand the above. What are the written Instructions to which you refer and which "a good portion of" us passengers are accused of disregarding? Where were they to be heard or found?

We were aboard the previous Riviera trip. Disembarkation was exactly the same mess as described above. The written instructions we received told us to be out of our cabin not later than 8:00 a.m. and to wait in a public area for the color and number of our tags to be called. Nothing more.

We followed these simple instructions, only to encounter a mass of humanity covering every bit of seating and most of the floor on decks 5 and 6 because the exits were still sealed.

While everyone had been required to vacate by 8:00, actual disembarkation did not begin until about 8:45. Where were 1,200 people expected to wait in comfort during that time? And what Instructions did we disregard?

This is not to blame the crew at all. I expect, along with many posters above, that such delays and inconvenience are precipitated by the unpredictable, unknowable rituals and procedures of Customs & Immigration, with possibly a bit of voodoo thrown in. Okay, so be it. The crew do what they can with what they're given.

But to claim that the crowding and discomfort were caused by obtuseness on the part of "a good portion of" passengers is unwarranted, in my opinion.

Do I have potential solutions in mind? Sure, but I can think of a rebuttal for every one of them from the cruise line's reasonable point of view. Nevertheless, I hope that O won't stop trying to figure out a better system. In our two arrivals at Miami, it has been the same zoo both times leaving a bitter taste in the mouth.

Mind you, that won't stop us from wanting to experience it again and again if that's what it takes to sail with O again and again….:)

We have gone to the pool deck to wait for the call

problem when getting of the elevators was people standing with bags waiting for their numbers to be called blocking the elevator exits

Others standing in the line but not moving ahead because their number was not called yet

Everyone wants off first

The written instructions we received told us to be out of our cabin not later than 8:00 a.m. and to wait in a public area for the color and number of our tags to be called. Nothing more.

We followed these simple instructions, only to encounter a mass of humanity covering every bit of seating and most of the floor on decks 5 and 6 because the exits were still sealed.

While everyone had been required to vacate by 8:00, actual disembarkation did not begin until about 8:45. Where were 1,200 people expected to wait in comfort during that time? And what Instructions did we disregard?

But to claim that the crowding and discomfort were caused by obtuseness on the part of "a good portion of" passengers is unwarranted, in my opinion.

 

We were on this Riviera cruise as well.

The problem as I see it is that most of the passengers want to be next to or as close as possible to the exit. Those spaces are limited but there is plenty of room on the rest of the ship.

We went to the Horizons. While it is not that close to the exit, there is lots of room there to accommodate many passengers and we were practically alone there; and the elevator was always empty when it arrived at floor 15 :D

If one truly waits there (or other such public space) until your color is called, then you should not have this problem because they won't call the next color until it can be accommodated. When we were called, we did stand in a short line that moved well - it took no more than 5 minutes of standing in line. (granted, we were in n o hurry and were in the last group).

One thing to bear in mind is that all cruise lines truly do want you off as soon as possible on the last day. So, if there is a hold up it is not something they are intentionally doing.

Dang, Paulchili, wish I had known you were aboard. I've followed your posts for years with great respect and would have liked to meet you.

Okay, so this is my "Duh!" moment. It did not occur to us to proceed upstairs rather than down when eight o'clock rolled around. We assumed (our bad) that the upper levels would already be in the scrubbing-down-for-the-next-cruise process and that the staff would want us waiting relatively close to the exit. Oh well….

Next time we'll do better.

Dang, Paulchili, wish I had known you were aboard. I've followed your posts for years with great respect and would have liked to meet you.

 

Thank you for the compliment.

Maybe we did meet and you just didn't know it was Paulchili :D

Perhaps next time :)

Happy trails.

Correction - I see from your signature that you were on the Riviera TA. I was on the next one out of MIA - my bad.

same confusion on HIS disembarkation. Why don t the staff realize probs.and correct them .More detailed instruction,more announcements,more staff to HELP.,etc.Oddly I saw NO STAFF in general areas to help the older cruisers with walkers,scooters,luggage,etc. Felt sorry for them and glad I was physically able to get up those stairs with my bag.

The 2 poster s who had less difficulty admitted in LATE group,,,9am.and in no hurry. Sadly MANY were in FIRST group and IN A HURRY.

As I mentioned, this was NOT THE ONLY reason I chose NOT to book onboard as planned.Just one of a few problems I experienced.Have been on many of the luxury and premium brands and NONE are PERFECT,some just a tad better than others.Also, fun to TRY new things and see what s best for you.

same confusion on HIS disembarkation. Why don t the staff realize probs.and correct them .More detailed instruction,more announcements,more staff to HELP.,etc.Oddly I saw NO STAFF in general areas to help the older cruisers with walkers,scooters,luggage,etc. Felt sorry for them and glad I was physically able to get up those stairs with my bag.

The 2 poster s who had less difficulty admitted in LATE group,,,9am.and in no hurry. Sadly MANY were in FIRST group and IN A HURRY.

As I mentioned, this was NOT THE ONLY reason I chose NOT to book onboard as planned.Just one of a few problems I experienced.Have been on many of the luxury and premium brands and NONE are PERFECT,some just a tad better than others.Also, fun to TRY new things and see what s best for you.