Vallesan

Sthrngary please don’t assume the Ultra Luxury would definitely be better. Having been fortunate enough this year to sail Oceania, Caribbean, Silversea, Norwegian Fjords and Seabourn Eastern Med including Israel, I can say that all three were great cruises all in different ways. Food was great to indifferent on all three lines. Service on all three was excellent but maybe Seabourn went above and beyond, but on second thoughts that could have been Ssea! Weather also plays such an important part. Who wants to sit under heaters with a blanket outside on cold weather cruise? Warm weather cruising lends itself so much better to outside activities. I suppose I’m getting boring now repeating myself again … we all have different expectations some of which are unrealistic no matter how much you pay!

Georgina was it just the eggs benny?? I agree if they can’t cook a dish to a decent standard they shouldn’t serve it! I’ve never been on a ‘mass market’ ship so have nothing other than Oceania, Seabourn and Silversea as comparisons. Before anyone jumps to the conclusion that I’m rich, entitled or anything else, I’m not, but I do have mobility problems so need a small ship. Physically the Riviera size ships are about as big as I can manage. I always think it’s dangerous to take others on your favourite cruise lines. Firstly, everyone has different tastes. Secondly, we always ‘rave’ about our holidays to others and maybe when they decide to join us we become more critical, just in case they don’t see what we saw. Finally, I have found that food varies according to the area you’re sailing in mainly because the passengers differ so much and have different expectations. And maybe that’s the crux of the whole matter …. expectations vary! I can never understand why Mac & cheese is served in a decent steak restaurant on a ship…. but then I’m from the UK and would never eat such a dish at anytime! Some people eat pizza for dinner! We all have different tastes and expectations. We all need to keep our expectations ‘real’ and then we won’t be disappointed, and of course food is only one aspect of a ‘cruise’!

Having cruised on Oceania, quite a number of times, and Seabourn, both pre and post 2020, I just have to say that comparing what ‘was’ with what ‘is’, is a complete waste of time. Firstly food is a very subjective area. Secondly all lines have cut back since 2020. Nothing stays the same. Today it is what it is, don’t look back just look forward to happy cruising…. it is what it is!

We live in the UK. Barcelona is only a few hours away with plenty of daily flights but we always fly in a day or two before. Delays are common but not necessarily a calamity. But I would hate to have a flight cancelled on the day and then have to scramble around looking for another. Who needs that stress when you can travel calmly a day or so before! Apart from anything else an extra night or so in a hotel, when you’re spending so much on a cruise, is neither here nor there!

Only Morocco was cancelled due to security concerns all the others were cancelled due to exceptionally bad weather.

I use a rollator and I can see how the Regatta could be a problem. The larger Oceania ships are better. I’ve not sailed on the Vista but I would assume that that’s even better again. The newer Seabourn ships would be ok and they show accessible routes on their deck plans so take a look. Also the larger Silversea would be ok. I think the newest Nova has good self opening doors etc. I must admit I’ve not had problems on any of the ships and there’s always somebody happy to open a door!

We sailed SB in 2018 and O (many times) pre 2020. We have sailed O, R class and Riviera in the last 12 months. We’ve also sailed Silver Dawn and SB Encore this summer. All cruise lines have changed since the pandemic. Yes, all reviews, apart from the physical size of suites etc. are subjective. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that the itinerary is probably most important when it comes to choosing a ship. Port cancellations We sailed O in the Med in August 2022 and had 2 ports cancelled, one in the middle of a storm, and the Caribbean in February 23 again with 2 ports cancelled. We sailed Silversea in June 23 to Norwegian Fjords with no cancellations. We sailed SB Encore, Greek Islands, in September with one port cancelled. I hear lots of people complaining about O cancelling port stops but, personally, I can’t see any benefit to them avoiding a port without good reason. Service All three lines are excellent. O offers great service. Seabourn’s service was even better, but Silversea went above and beyond. BUT, again it’s all subjective. One persons idea of ‘great service’ is another person’s ‘intrusive’! Food Again completely subjective. People rave about O’s Red Ginger miso glazed sea bass, I find it far too sweet! In general Oceania wins for me. Seabourn have fewer restaurant choices and both meals we had in the TK were a real disappointment. Silver Dawn has greater choice of restaurants and we enjoyed all the food but Silver note didn’t open until 8pm, too late for us, the grill was outdoor … not in June in Norway! So really the choices were a bit limited. Suites Easy comparison really : Verandah on Silversea and Seabourn compare with … Verandah on Oceania Riviera, Marina and Vista BUT O, R class verandah, especially bathrooms, are far too small, so only PH is comparable. So I started by saying the itinerary is really the most important consideration. SB had great deck parties, sail-away, caviar, shellfish events etc. in the Med and Greek islands…. warm weather cruising. Oceania, none that I remember on warm weather cruises. Silversea, cooler weather cruise, a few indoor events that were lovely. I guess the itinerary you pick, and the time of year, will be the most important factor when you cruise. Sea days, love them or hate them, time in a port, your personal preferences, many factors are in the mix, not just the cost, when you choose a cruise. I don’t think there is a ‘perfect’ cruise where all passengers disembark and say that was the best trip I’ve ever done! You make your choice and you pay your money!

The Riviera and Marina were originally due for a refit in 2020/21 but we all know what happened! Both the Riviera refit and the Marina were put back. The Riviera was refurbished in November 23 and the Marina is due in May 24. I can’t see any reason why that would be put back especially as the ship has no sailings between the end of April and May18th. My only concern was that refit might run over! As others have said don’t listen to the grumblers. You have had 2 cruises on the ship that ‘you loved’ so why should this be any different? I think there are many people still comparing ‘what was’, pre March 2020, to ‘what is’ now. It’s a fruitless exercise. All cruise lines, without exception, have changed. We have ‘what is’ and if it doesn’t suit then the only alternative is to stop cruising!

Late April 2024. First cruise, after refit, due 18th May 2024. Fingers crossed!

So sorry to hear about your issues. I also require assistance but, unlike your mother, have done for many years so I am more aware of the pitfalls. As LHT has said it’s the responsibility of the Port Authority to provide assistance but Oceania could probably have been more understanding on board. I do know that they will only allow you to use their wheelchairs onboard in an emergency. I had a similar problem disembarking in Valletta… no wheelchair assistance and a very long walk. Fortunately I had a walker with a seat with me so could sit down. We waited almost an hour for assistance but it did come. For future reference if you need assistance please make sure you let Oceania know by filling in the medical form before you sail so they can arrange assistance for boarding. Also, speak to guest services a few days before you disembark to make sure you have assistance on the dockside. I think you may just have been unlucky this time. Hopefully should you require assistance in the future it will be there.

I agree! Times certainly are changing! We have sailed Nautica, Riviera, Sirena, Silver Dawn and Seabourn Encore in the last 12 months and yes they are all different to the pre-2020 days. IMHO the quality hasn’t really deteriorated but the menu choices on all the lines have become smaller. Just maybe, we now choose something that wouldn’t have been our first choice in the past, don’t enjoy it as much, and then blame the quality? Just guessing! On the plus side the amount of waste with the smaller menus must be drastically reduced, which can’t be bad. I think you could be right that not everybody would be prepared to pay more for keeping the ‘quality, formula’s and size’ the same. I love small ship cruising but have stopped comparing ‘what was’ with ‘what is’! Life moves on. Change happens. I just go and enjoy!

I wonder if there are ‘mystery cruisers’ like there are mystery shoppers? If so sign me up to be a ‘mystery cruiser’ straight away …..but only for the luxury lines!!

I’ve seen all the photos/videos and I have to say she doesn’t really appeal to me! Reminds me a little of the Viking ships! Just my opinion and I could very well be wrong. Once she’s in full service the passengers views will tell us more. Who knows she might just be the best thing since sliced bread!

Any coffee is available in GDR you just need to ask the waiter. https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Documents/Menus/81604382387/Grand-Dining-Breakfast-Menu.pdf

Really interesting thread! So objective. It just shows that there really are ‘different horses for different courses’. We sailed on the Encore in 2018, Singapore to Dubai, and it was amazing. So, we booked a cruise for 2019 but unfortunately had to cancel. Then of course came the ‘lost years’. We sailed SS in June on the Dawn and loved it …. amazing butler, lovely cosmopolitan travelling companions (very important for any cruise for us), good food. Maybe an odd niggle but then what in life is perfect? So, due to board Encore again in a few weeks. I’m really interested to see how well it has stood up to the last few years and how it compares to our very recent Silversea trip. At the moment it’s difficult for me to choose between the two. Maybe after this next trip I will come down one way of the other although, my guess is, that itinerary at specific times will win us over at the end if the day.

I agree with you. We have sailed on three different O ships since last summer and the food ‘choice’ is very much smaller. In the MDR they now include a vegetarian and vegan choice in the mains so this cuts a reduced menu even further, unless of course you want vegan or vegetarian. I struggled some evenings mainly because the three standards, salmon, chicken and steak, IMHO, were all below par. In saying all that, you will never go hungry, but Oceania can’t really claim to have the ‘best food at sea’ . Recently sailed Silversea and it was very good, maybe even better than O … but hey it’s all subjective!

I use the app weather&radar great information.

Absolutely!!👍👍 ENJOY!

Just for information flightsfrom.com gives flight routings from all airports. It’s very useful. Flying long haul from the UK the airport taxes are very high so if you break your journey in Europe ie. Amsterdam, Paris or Frankfurt for instance you only pay UK to Europe tax so the total taxes, and therefore overall price, is cheaper. From the NW of England our choices of nonstop are non-existent. If you fly via Dublin you can go through US immigration there so that’s a bonus. In saying that we flew Heathrow - Miami BA in February and it was fine. We arranged it ourselves because we had air miles to use. We have only used Oceania flights once … LHR to Hong Kong…. we arrived @ 4pm for a 10pm sailing the same night!! Mind you that was back in 2016 when flights were a bit more reliable. If I had know then what I know now I would never have taken such a risk but then it was an O flight so I’m sure they would have sorted us out!!

BTW you didn’t technically book ‘cruise only’ because you opted for the on board credit but you obviously decided to take the air credit. I have sailed with Oceania since 2015 and have always had free Wi-Fi. In fact I did read somewhere that after October 1st when SM comes into being all passengers, irrespective of package, will be able to have two devices connected at the same time. Please don’t quote me on that because I’m not how true that is! I guess we will have just wait and see!

Maxamise thank you for a very comprehensive review. Yes it was long but it was really helpful. Our first Oceania cruise was on the Riviera in a PH which was beautiful but we didn’t use the butler much either. We’re not really butler people! When we sail on the Riviera now we take a veranda which we find ample. After that cruise we moved to the smaller ships which I enjoy more .. I think. We sailed on the Riviera again last autumn and I did enjoy the extra restaurants but I have to agree with you that the standard of the food and the menus have all suffered. We found the choices quite limited some evenings and the quality not always as it should have been. In fact we have another trip on the Riviera in January but that was chosen purely for the itinerary so we will stay with it. I can see your dilemma if you have sailed Seabourn. I’m not altogether certain you can compare O’s larger ships, even the brand new Vista, to Seabourn if only because of the number of passengers. We have sailed Seabourn and are due sail again next month so it will be interesting to see if the experience is as good as it was in 2018. We sailed with Siversea in June and that was different yet again. I was afraid that it might be ‘stuffy’ with everyone having butlers but we were pleasantly surprised. Our butler, Amit, was amazing without being intrusive. We really enjoyed the experience. But I guess, overall, I’m of a similar opinion to you, and wonder if O’s pricing is getting to the point where you have to start to wonder if other lines offer a better experience for a similar cost.

Hope your next cruise lives up to expectations! If not, then there are other small cruise ships available! You pay your money and you take your chance!

Thanks for the clarification LHT28. Sorry if I missled anyone.

Sorry. I just made an assumption I’ve not actually been in a veranda cabin I was just going by the pictures. Have they not replaced the tub? with a walk-in shower?

I’ve not sailed on the Marina yet, and maybe PinotNoir hasn’t either, so that’s why I didn’t mention the ship. Nothing sinister although she is due a refit in April 24. Yes definitely go up to a PH on the smaller ships the veranda cabins, and especially the bathrooms, are small. Having said that I think the veranda cabins on the small ships now have large showers since the refits.