Thank you for taking the time to share your first time impressions of Oceania. While they do describe their ships as "luxurious", Oceania is not a true luxury line, IMHO, We have found the service in the Grand Dining Room to be so inconsistent over the 18 years we're been sailing on O, that there have been some cruises where we never tried dining there at all. Too bad your experience with Terrace was so chaotic and that you didn't try Red Ginger, which is usually the most consistent in terms of quality and service.
Itinerary, with a small(ish) ship, is the most important thing for us and with the way Oceania is now pricing its cruises, it is easier to find a true luxury voyage for just about the same amount of money.
Sorry it was a bit of a disapointment for you and hope you pointed out the deficiencies on your final cruise survey.