GregoryPaul

When logic fails, try sarcasm?

OP titled his post “NEVER AGAIN.” That’s his decision based on his circumstances - and I kinda see his point. Others on here are acting like his post is titled, “OCEANIA UNFAIR” which it most certainly is not.

He said he was offered a $200 FCC and that he could use it on an upcoming Asian cruise for which he has (now, had?) booked 3 Vista Suites. I have no dog in this fight but if true, Oceania could have done a lot better, current stock price (NCLH up 5.56% YTD) be damned.

Unless the matrix glitched and i missed it, we are on an Oceania forum meant for discussion around Oceania cruises.

I don’t really get the idea of tying food, drink, entertainment, port or excursion expectations to level of cabin or suite. Lousy (or terrific) food is lousy (or terrific) food no matter the square footage of your cabin. Good friends, we have cruised with have taken inside cabins while we “luxuriate” in an aft suite. They are probably more discerning food critics than we are. Where does it say that they have to accept less? Same goes with our sons who know more about music than we do but don’t want to spring for the big suites. Ditto excursions, ports visited etc. I think that once we get past the obvious suite amenities, all passenger expectations are - or should be - about the same for the same cruise.

Sthrngary your posts are always well thought out. I enjoy reading them, maybe consider changing your online ID to “the voice of reason.” I have been following this thread and really hope that OP does let us know how it all ends. I am of 2 minds on this subject. Yes, bad weather can happen anywhere at any time. Yes the ship, it’s passengers and crew’s safety needs to be the number one priority. Yes, our ticket says the cruise line can do pretty much whatever they want with us. But for the poster who attacked the OP by saying; “Don’t you know any better than to schedule a cruise to Bermuda in March?” I answer that we’re all just invested amateurs here. I say, why didn’t the cruise line know better than to schedule a cruise to Bermuda in March? They should know most about potential sea conditions, ship capabilities, etc. I live in South Florida and know all about the vagaries of tropical weather. If sailing to Bermuda in March is such an extreme risk, then the cruise line should at the very least be planning for contingencies - and no, sailing in circles, then 2 days in Jacksonville shouldn’t be one of them. And if it is the best the cruise line can do (because of port schedules, port union rules, all the things they have to deal with) then yes they should offer some type of compensation more than $200 as a future cruise credit. Do they have to? No. But it’s the right thing to do. I hope they eventually do. Keep us posted!

BTW, sure hope you’ve been able to find a few things to enjoy. We got off the day you got on, we both liked the self guided art tour (get a player from Reception), thought the lead guitarist in the Seaside Band did a great Carlos Santana tribute and also enjoyed the wine dinners & tastings. And if you are lucky enough to have Aariff as your butler, he can make almost anything happen. Enjoy what’s left!

Let’s see: 1/10 of 1% = .001 .001 * X = $200 X = $200,000.00 I agree they should be much more accommodating but we gotta figure out how to get you on a cruise ship for less money!

Sorry I even brought it up.

I have no experience in that part of the world, can’t wait to go and am jealous. My two cents is to think hard about the $ you save by booking your own tour vs the peace of mind knowing that if anything goes wrong on an Oceania tour (at a markup ) the ship WILL wait for you. This just happened to us on Riviera. Can look at the price differential as the cost of insurance.

Had one last cruise on Riviera (3/2-3/12).

Funny you mention that. For how beautiful the ship is and how immaculately maintained she is, I also thought that detail stood out - and it isn’t just deck 10. Maybe all the good wallpaper hangers were busy that year?

TL:DR Enjoyed it but will probably wait a bit before cruising again Was Onboard Oceania Riviera 3/2-3/12 Ship. Beautiful redo (admittedly we had never sailed on her before). The “crazy wild” carpeting looks more crazy wild in photos than up close and in person. For us, the ship size, passenger count and ship amenities were all about right. Loved taking the self guided art tour, get a player from Reception. Passengers. Met some very nice folks. Heard another guest comment that the average age appeared to be between 80 and dead. Probably not too far off. With 1250 guests on board there was still only the same six or eight of us in Horizons at night listening to the band. Oh well, sample size of one, others said it wasn’t typical in their experience. Excursions. We only booked 3. First (power snorkeling) was cancelled by the tour operator (heavy winds). The second (waterfall tour and river tubing) had a mixup which led to us sitting on the riverbank waiting for about an hour. Everyone involved blamed each other but the good (great!) news is that because we booked it thru Oceania, the ship waited (again almost an hour) for us to return and didn’t leave without us … take note all wishing to save $ by booking excursions themselves direct. All in all more of a pleasant interlude than a problem. River was very low (no rain) so it was more like Disney Lazy River than rapids but that’s just luck of the draw. Third tour (catamaran to Nevis with bus tour, lunch and beach time) was a bit heavy on the bus tour and light on beach time but lunch was good n local. BTW, one of our traveling companions had a bad experience with the Destination desk onboard but I wasn’t there so really have no fair opinion. Cabin. We have been spoiled with aft suites on previous cruises and were worried that our mid deck PH would not work out for us (we like to sit on our balcony a lot). Not to worry - we enjoyed both our cabin and balcony. Plenty of storage, lots of receptacles. Best shower ever on a cruise ship. I should have paid more attention to Cruise Critic and stayed off deck 11, though. That overhang really does over hang. Spa. Wife’s department. She (and friend) thought services were very good. I thought they were very expensive, what do I know? Butler. Absolutely amazing. Don’t usually need much from a butler but Aariff always seemed to want to help us out. Said things like; “So glad you finally ordered room service so I could see you again” and actually sounded like he meant it. He found us wife’s favorite white wine by the glass when many “Somms” couldn’t (or probably wouldn’t). A true gentleman, I honestly feel like I am a better person for having met him. Side note: both FDR jr & Harry Sommer were onboard at diff times with their families. All stayed in PH cabins near us with Aariff as their butler. Maybe we lucked out to get him - or maybe just a coincidence. Housekeeping. They were their usual never-saw-them-but-the-cabin-was-always-perfect selves. Well, maybe except the soap. We were down to a quarter sized sliver that we could see through by day 10. But we made it work. And no waste! Entertainment. Maybe the less said, the better. Across the board they were really painful to watch and/or listen to. Except the lead guitarist in the Seaside Band. If you scrunched your eyes and ears (?), you could imagine Carlos Santana playing for you. HE was that good. Food. Very good almost all the time. But very bad sometimes. Food is personal so I won’t drag you through everything we liked or didn’t like. Jacques was my favorite along with Polo (waiter correctly steered me away from the Rib Eye “too thin from our purveyor this trip” and he was right). Toscana was everyone’s least favorite (tasteless sole, leathery veal, inedible desserts), Red Ginger delighted us the first time and failed us the next (had better sushi from Publix), GDR’s menu didn’t excite. Buffet was always an excellent choice. First La Privee menu was one over-the-top rich dish after another, the second dinner was much more agreeable. Service in all the restaurants was excellent. “Somms” treated us well across the board and handled/decanted the ten 20-25 year old bottles I brought well, even with a few tricky corks. Also enjoyed the 3 wine tastings we made it to. Staff. I can only imagine what their HR department is going through trying to make it all work out in these trying times. But they pulled it off. Almost across the board, everyone greeted us first, was pleasant and tried their darnedest to help us out. Hats off to Oceania. The only bad experience I had was the 11th floor concierge who seemed overly protective of her door. Told me if I “didn’t unlock it right I was just standing in the way” and told an elderly couple trying to unlock it to “stop before they broke the ship’s equipment.” Not really complaining here. Bring cheerful 24/7 is hard and I get it (you don’t want to run afoul of me on one of my bad days). One bad experience out of 1,000 really is doing pretty good. Embarkation . Only had to wait because we were dumb enough to show up early, otherwise No problems. Debarkation. On time, Lousy traffic getting out, though. And take my advice, Uber if you are going to Avis. Medical. Our cruise made national news when we unloaded a 78 year old Covid patient and his companion (in Dominica?) Saw the “Hazmat suits” dealing with several other patients, too. Ya pays your money and ya takes your chances these days. Buy insurance! One of our group tested positive the first day back and my throat is telling me a test is in my immediate future, as well. Summary. All in all a very good cruise and my whole group enjoyed it. I think we will wait a few years before trying Oceana again but that is a reflection on us, and our lifestyle, and nothing against the cruise line. I’m sure I’m forgetting something. Hope something in here helps someone. Enjoy your cruise!

Thanks Sthrngary. Absolutely correct. Of course it was not that bad when we were in there. They wouldn’t have let us go in … and I’m not that stupid. And as you noticed, it got even worse later that morning (when they put the closed-pool-netting up).

No notice displayed when either of us got in. In fact, both of us asked and were allowed in. Sea states change over time. Things got worse before this vid was taken. Then got even worse than this and the “pool closed” net eventually went up. (If I ever consider acting bad on a ship I’ll be sure to consult, tho)