Worst cruise on a beautiful ship!

THE WORST CRUISE

Having been on this site for the last year , I know that there are many DEVOUT, unconditional fans of Oceania cruise line who will undoubtedly find pleasure in 'countering" or possibly even forthrightly attacking each and every point I make!

It is for the benefit of those possible future new O passengers that I make the effort to share what are clearly our personal opinions. Given that we no longer plan to be a future customers of O , I won't need to endure the often sarcastic and caustic replies that are posted when the "O

groupies " see negative comments ... Here goes :

We had a penthouse suite which was lovely . Kept up very well by housekeeping . We enjoyed Julia so much that we gave her additional gratuity, in addition to the all incl pre paid gratuitous that was incl in our fare.

We enjoyed each and everyone of the four specialty restaurants ..... The cuisine as well as the charming attentive service was delightful.

The ship itself (other then the foolish configuration of spa locker rooms )is beautiful ! Why built two seperate locker rooms ; one for steam and sauna and one shower and no mirror and then need to go to yet another locker room for use of the one bathroom or one other shower? Both men and women had two distinct seperate rooms! Why could they not have had one larger stream/sauna / showers and toilet I just one area for each sex rather then the two for each? No combs, no mirror in one area. Made no sense to me . Also while the steam area made much noise, ..... Very little heat ! They shut it down several times during the sailing for "maintenance " in an attempt to improve... No positive change resulted ,

The Sanctuary, outside , was wonderful and most relaxing.

What made this trip poor for us , other then the several days of rough seas and generally poor weather with missed ports and late or early departures due to three ER airlifts .... All of course which could not be avoided on any cruise line ..... Was as follows:

Poor, was the terribly chronic slow and poor service in the MDR : no matter if the room was full of totally empty, each dinner took about 2 1/2 hours.... Long elapsed time between the courses and apparently overwhelmed wait staff . The food in MDR was at best, mediocre . Many other similar complaints overheard with repeated apologies from the maitre d .. But no changes effected! Even though we always arrived at 7:00... We never made it on time for the. 9:30 show!

Food being as fair as it was , on three occasions , I put in an order the day before for a special entree request they was a served in other specialty restaurants and also offered to room service. IT WAS DENIED!

So henceforth we had dinners in our suite several times allowing us to order what we wanted from where we wanted ! The down side was they most food deliveries , even breakfasts , delivered to suite was tepid in temperature ....even coffee ! While staff in MDR always asked upon guests departures , how things were. They were told... But changes were never apparently made.

If only the wait staff were as present and as attentive as the Sommeliers were.. My God... They were there instantaneously, the moment one sat down ( great source of additional revenue for O!)

Poor meals and service in MDR. Many passengers are at Terrace just to avoid the long wait. Long time ait to get in MDR, long wait to place orders and long wait to get services.

Entertainment on board was better then expected .. Varied and quite enjoyable ,

The CD, Ray.. A joke.. Basically just an announcer of the days events and repeating the captains noon announcements which were mumbled and not well articulated . I thought that CD s are meant to be entertaining... He is not at all ... He makes PA ANNOUNCEMENTS .. That's it..

The front desk reception staff highly uninformative and not knowledgeable to simple queries . I needed to go to deck 11 and address any questions to our exec lounge concierge ,Damiano, to get answers . Front desk staff abrupt she often rude.

Overall the crew on deck, Waves, boutiques , inattentive , unfriendly , possibly at the end of their contracts and burnt out and or worried about their fate with NCL buying O!!

There were of course some delightful attentive crew..... But far too

few to be found ! Very little if any deck service ... Bars of course were always fully stocked and staffed with friendly bartenders !

Our last experience on Crystal and Silversea, where we hope to return , has a 100% more attentive and friendlier crew... Smiling, chatting with guests, even often remembering names..... Not at all on this sailing.. They were there to do their assignment ... Often appeared

reluctant to the even do so !

Not a great ambience !

Our butler was terrible: Rude.surly when we first met him... Only

asking why we were on board early! We got on board and went to our penthouse when instructed to! Did not even help us put

Luggage on bed or explain butler services!

It got so bad that we needed to ask for another butler. This only after 3 days of having to endure s very angry man with major attitude !

We met with the head butler; clearly he knew what we were attempting to communicate with him... Our butler was changed immediately ! Replacement was great and was what was to be expected from the onstart! Later found out that our original butler was also ending his contract with this sailing... Still no excuse for his lack of care !

Worse were the services provided by the ships physician. Granted it was rough sailing, with many ill crew and passengers. Coughing was rampant throughout the ship. Nevertheless, I have in all my years working in the medical field EVER met such a rude, arrogant physician . His exam at best lasted 3-5 minutes. He barely listened to chest. Never checked ENT.. Unless I asked! He has his basic protocol/

Nose and throat swabs testing for 'influenza '.... CBC Panel and then a shot of cortisone .. For this you are billed $550.00 then he gives you a bunch of OTC MEDS such as Tyndall, losenges ., etc, EVERYONE whom we spoke to on board shared that they received the same " care"... In and out in 5 mins. Bottom line. After spending close to $2,000.00 for both of us ..no relief whatsoever! I told him that I was wheezing at night and could not sleep.. No response. Finally i diagnosed myself as having an URI and took the meds that I took a long!

Granted, ship docs are typically not known for their astute skills or personalities.. But this one from Turkey was most unknowledgeable... Didn't know basic drugs ....I would not refer a sick cat to him! Another interesting point when both my wife and I took our temps before we went to medical center, we were afebrile each time but when the nurses took our temps each time we both were told we had fevers of 101! Both thermometers in room showed 97.5 or 98.1 ! I hate to think that they have " rigged " their equipment.. But what would justify the often 3.0 variance??

Additionally, they need a clerk or receptionist in the medical center. Both nurses were totally overwhelmed with paper work with explaining to each coming passenger the fee schedule rather than having that tend to to the needs of bedridden ill patients who were calling out for assistance . The doc stayed in his office just shouting out: "NEXT"!

Trust me, it was bad.

That's it, even if would not have gotten ill.. I would have rated this cruise a 4... Having been ill with all that other issues.. I rate it: "horrible!"

even in our earlier sailimgs on rccl or Princess, we were received more warmly!

We look forward to returning to Crystal... We don't need a penthouse or a butler we just need a pleasant responsive crew!

I don't think it matters which cruise line you cruise with, the doctor on board is the luck of the draw. You can get good ones or bad ones. Unfortunately for you, you hit the bottom of the draw. We have encountered bad doctors on other lines. It sounds like your main complaint was the medical attention and the cost of it. Previous cruisers have talked about how expensive it is to get medical treatment on board, so you should have been aware of that as well as there have been several comments about the temperature of the food in the MDR. Please realize this can happen on any cruise line, not all cruises are perfect, but it does sound like you enjoyed portions of your cruise, so remember the good and forget about the bad. Nothing in this world is perfect and if it was perfect, the world would be an extremely boring place to live.

I will make only one statement..."I have $3500 in free vouchers from Silversea" and you would never get me on another ship of theirs.

No cruise is perfect, and I had a few issues with Oceania, but it was not horrible, and the food in the MDR was always excellent as well as the service.

So... what ship was this on? :cool:

THE WORST CRUISE

That's it, even if would not have gotten ill.. I would have rated this cruise a 4... Having been ill with all that other issues.. I rate it: "horrible!"

even in our earlier sailimgs on rccl or Princess, we were received more warmly!

We look forward to returning to Crystal... We don't need a penthouse or a butler we just need a pleasant responsive crew!

Well, David, at least you now know which lines suit you and which don't, so hopefully your next cruise will be a much happier one.

So... what ship was this on? :cool:

He was on "The Mal de Mer of the Seas"....

Thank you for taking the time to do an in depth review. It must have been difficult to have rough seas, poor weather and then get sick. Quite a sad combination.

It sounds like your expectations of Oceania may have been a little off from the beginning. While I think that it is the best premium plus/luxury lite cruise line out there, IMO, it cannot be compared to luxury cruise lines (Crystal, Silversea, Seabourn and Regent). While some Oceania passengers disagree, I feel that comparing Oceania with Regent (for instance) is comparing apples and oranges.

In terms of the butler, it's good that you said something and that butlers were changed. While we generally get excellent butlers, there occasionally is one that needs to be either retrained or let go. The only way Oceania knows which ones are not doing their jobs is to report it.

I am also interested to know what ship you were on.

So... what ship was this on? :cool:

Marina

Great comments by the OP. Sorry it went so poorly for you. I agree that it was good you made the comments to the head butler and got the situation corrected.

I will comment, in hopefully a neutral fashion, on one issue, Dining times/lengths. For many fellow Americans, this often becomes an issue. Many Americans become conditioned by the "Flip that Table" attitude displayed in many restaurants around the country, and expect three course meals to be served in 35-50 minutes and out the door. On most river cruises, this becomes a big issue for many Americans when the evening meal is paced to take 2+ hours. Some Americans are climbing the wall, while others, like myself, enjoy the slow paced European style and the opportunity to enjoy the company of those sharing the table with us. There seems to be little compromise between the groups, it is what it is. I believe the OP is correct from my observations, that the MDR meals are more intentionally based on the European methodology. However, that does not excuse the food from not being the proper temperature.

My recommendation in this area is one of three: (1st) tell the wait person, when you sit down, that you are having X courses and want to be out by Y o'clock; or (2) since I've never suffered from lack of food on an O cruise, simply skip dessert, or the less desired course, to shorten your time at the table; (3) the food at the Terrace is always good and you can shove it down as fast as you want.

I will comment, in hopefully a neutral fashion, on one issue, Dining times/lengths. For many fellow Americans, this often becomes an issue. Many Americans become conditioned by the "Flip that Table" attitude displayed in many restaurants around the country, and expect three course meals to be served in 35-50 minutes and out the door.

 

I would agree

in this fast paced society people forget how to relax & enjoy a leisurely dinner with tablemates & conversation

Most people want it yesterday

If we want to see a show we ask for a 2 top & explain we will be going to the show we can be done within the hour on most nights

Lyn

DrJW's post (in addition to several other negative reviews lately) has caused me to ponder why the impression is Oceania fans on these boards are so "devout" and attack the naysayers on the forums. My belief is most people use these forums to learn and to communicate with others that share similar interests. When posters come on here and focus only on the negative and have such strong reactions to things many of us would seldom consider being an issue, the "fans" can get defensive.

Some will say they learn from the negative comments as well and I would agree with that. However, while tone is difficult to interpret on line, sometimes it's crystal clear. DrJW is a good example of this. The ship was beautiful, the cabin attendant was fabulous, the food in the alternative restaurants was great, and the entertainment was better than expected but those factors were barely mentioned so he could focus on what he didn't like and even named the thread "Worst Cruise on a Beautiful Ship." In my experience, not one of his complaints would have mattered to me in the least. I have no use for a butler (and butlers are human, of course), I would never visit the ship's doctor for a cough (especially if I were a doctor myself and even had the necessary meds with me), I love the Terrace Cafe and almost never eat in the MDR (plus, the slow service is a well-known topic around here), the cruise director doesn't make or break my cruise, and the locker room? Meh.

And as far as the attitudes of the crew, I have trouble believing this, even if they were at the end of their contracts. Perhaps it was a reaction to the attitude they were receiving? I don't know, I don't even think a negative attitude would cause the staff on any Oceania ship to be rude and dismissive. I will admit, I think the security crew could have been far warmer on Riviera last May but it certainly didn't ruin my cruise or even make me consider not cruising with Oceania again.

The point I guess I'm trying to make is, perhaps if the comments weren't so over the top in their negativity and weren't clearly aimed at trying to influence people to not cruise with Oceania, the fans on these boards wouldn't "attack." I've read reviews that had some feedback for improvement but were very fair. I don't recall the people that make those types of comments getting attacked.

Now, for my attack; if you recall, DrJW lost his shiznit when he found out laundry was $2! Perhaps it would have been best if he had cancelled his cruise at that time.

I'm curious. Who was the Cruise Director that you thought was so awful. You mentioned his first name was "Ray." It wasn't Ray Solaire, was it? If it was, it is a pity that service was so slow in the MDR that you never made it to one of his shows as he is a fantastic entertainer. Also, if you were a Teatime Trivia fan, you would have found his games to be very enjoyable.

Now, for my attack; if you recall, DrJW lost his shiznit when he found out laundry was $2! Perhaps it would have been best if he had cancelled his cruise at that time.

+1

I agree with your entire assessment.

Seeing many of the pre cruise posts by OP I just knew they would not enjoy their Oceania cruise. Also, I have a feeling I would not enjoy sharing a dinner with them.

In all the years I have been on this board I never recall anyone "firing" their butler.

Hopefully, in the future they will cruise on a line they will enjoy better.

though I have enjoyed each of my O cruises, despite a couple of bumps that I had to have addressed.

Have never defended the line when negative reviews appear.

But the wheels really fell off in this review, when the medical story started.

You bring thermometers on a cruise? You needed a Doctor's opinion before starting meds you (a doctor?) had brought along incase of a URI?

How did $550 each balloon to almost $2000?

I read the review out of interest for another cruise line. I found it a balanced review. Yes, he was mad about what happened but I could also clearly see the positives in his review.

Maybe when you are ill on a ship this would dampen the experience and the taste for food also and in general no one is "happy" when they are ill. This could be another factor of the not so great experience.

To the European dining culture. :):o We spend a lot of time on the Canary Islands and I must say, 2 and a half hours is minimum for us. Lets say we go at 7:00 pm. We very often don't leave the restaurant until 10:30 or 11:00 pm. I agree with one of the posters, if you need to leave early, it usually works to let the waiter know.

I hope you have a lovely cruise next time around whichever ship you choose.

I have been waiting for this good doctors review and I must say I am pleasantly surprised he had such nice things to say about the ship..I had bet my DH a few months that this gentleman who was so unhappy before the cruise would really dislike it and I was only half right..I am happy he at least liked the ship..

I am on the Regatta now and truly this is the best crew we have ever had..every single crew member has been wonderful..I will write more when I return ..

Jancruz1

I was waiting for his review. Could have written it a month ago.

I was waiting for his review. Could have written it a month ago.

+1

Is there anyone who didn't see this coming?

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

+1

Is there anyone who didn't see this coming?

 

 

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+2

I hope those contemplating sailing O do not think of us as Cheerleaders for the line. We are all seasoned cruisers (some on many lines) who took a lot of time trying to help the OP with his never ending repetitive questions regarding his first cruise. Some could not contain themselves as it was hard to do with OP. I did expect this review (he did like most of it surprisingly) and do hope he truly finds his niche on some other line. I will admit that we had one Butler we just didn't like, nor he us for some reason. We just let it go, it's not that important to us. MDR, we have had many problems there, we just avoid, perfectly happy at Terrace. As for reception...I too feel they need some customer service re-training. Does this ruin my cruise? No, life is too short to dwell on the minor things. I have enjoyed each and everyone of my O cruises, even though there may have been some bumps along the way this will remain my line of choice.

+2

I hope those contemplating sailing O do not think of us as Cheerleaders for the line. We are all seasoned cruisers (some on many lines) who took a lot of time trying to help the OP with his never ending repetitive questions regarding his first cruise. Some could not contain themselves as it was hard to do with OP. I did expect this review (he did like most of it surprisingly) and do hope he truly finds his niche on some other line. I will admit that we had one Butler we just didn't like, nor he us for some reason. We just let it go, it's not that important to us. MDR, we have had many problems there, we just avoid, perfectly happy at Terrace. As for reception...I too feel they need some customer service re-training. Does this ruin my cruise? No, life is too short to dwell on the minor things. I have enjoyed each and everyone of my O cruises, even though there may have been some bumps along the way this will remain my line of choice.

Deb,

I agree. There are bound to be times when some things just don't work out perfectly, but it has never been a deal breaker for us.

We don't always have a butler but when we did, they did vary - some were better than others (mostly personality) but never awful.

We too avoid the MDR for dinners - have occasional breakfast or lunch there.

With whatever occasional problems we have encountered over the years, Oceania is still by far the best fit for us. We have tried them all (except Crystal).

I can understand that Oceania is not a perfect fit for everyone - that is why we are so fortunate to have all those choices.

+2

I hope those contemplating sailing O do not think of us as Cheerleaders for the line. We are all seasoned cruisers (some on many lines) who took a lot of time trying to help the OP with his never ending repetitive questions regarding his first cruise. Some could not contain themselves as it was hard to do with OP. I did expect this review (he did like most of it surprisingly) and do hope he truly finds his niche on some other line. I will admit that we had one Butler we just didn't like, nor he us for some reason. We just let it go, it's not that important to us. MDR, we have had many problems there, we just avoid, perfectly happy at Terrace. As for reception...I too feel they need some customer service re-training. Does this ruin my cruise? No, life is too short to dwell on the minor things. I have enjoyed each and everyone of my O cruises, even though there may have been some bumps along the way this will remain my line of choice.

So there have been Butler problem, MDR problems and Customer Service problems but all is good:confused::rolleyes:

So there have been Butler problem, MDR problems and Customer Service problems but all is good:confused::rolleyes:

I have been on 12 cruises and yes there is bound to be some problems in different areas at different times, nothing is perfect all the time. Do these things add up to me never wanting to cruise with this line again? NO!! I have had the best butlers in the world on this line (kudos Churchill and Vijay), I have had some wonderful meals in GDR and I have had some wonderful people at Reception. I just wanted to point out that sometimes things just don't always go the way you want and it is different on each voyage. Do things go perfect for you all the time:rolleyes:

I have been on 12 cruises and yes there is bound to be some problems in different areas at different times, nothing is perfect all the time. Do these things add up to me never wanting to cruise with this line again? NO!! I have had the best butlers in the world on this line (kudos Churchill and Vijay), I have had some wonderful meals in GDR and I have had some wonderful people at Reception. I just wanted to point out that sometimes things just don't always go the way you want and it is different on each voyage. Do things go perfect for you all the time:rolleyes:

Agree with everything that you posted!

Paulichili, I have to disclose the fact that we did "fire" a butler (not on Oceania -- on Regent). He argued about everything. I asked him for more laundry bags -- he said that we had some (didn't bother to look and see that we did not). It really bothered me to ask for another butler but I could not see us continuing the cruise without making a change. We learned later that he had recently been "upset" about something and was not performing up to his normal level of service. IMO, he should not have been working if there was a problem that took him away from performing his duties.

I feel strongly that if there is a real problem on Oceania (or Regent) it is important to speak out. I learned this from two G.M.'s on Regent. They do not want to read about problems on Cruise Critic or once a passenger has disembarked when they can no longer fix the problem. Let them know (in a kind way) and they will do everything within their power to fix it.

 

Paulichili, I have to disclose the fact that we did "fire" a butler (not on Oceania -- on Regent).

 

I feel strongly that if there is a real problem on Oceania (or Regent) it is important to speak out. I learned this from two G.M.'s on Regent. They do not want to read about problems on Cruise Critic or once a passenger has disembarked when they can no longer fix the problem. Let them know (in a kind way) and they will do everything within their power to fix it.

I guess that is why I have not read about it :D

I agree that if there are problems, they should be addressed with proper authorities. It is fair to both sides - a passenger should not receive poor service but the employee should have an opportunity to correct his/her mistakes.

I don't see it mentioned by OP that this was the case.

Based on his prior posts, the OP appears to have been "disgusted" (his word) with O before he even boarded -- whe he found out that laundry wasn't free. His experience sadly seems to have gone downhill from there. Wish him better experiences on another line.