Hibiscus13

We sailed the up the Amazon with Oceania on Sirena - San Diego to Rio.  We did the Oceania excursions just because it seemed easier than planning in what I thought would be remote ports.  The excursions were pretty good, some better than others, as usual.  Some ports better than others, as usual.

OP, thank you for your analysis and confidence in posting your experience.

 

As a new patron of Oceania (1 voyage in September), this does NOT give me confidence to book another cruise.

 

What you described is not acceptable on any cruise line period; and certainly not on Oceania given their product offering advertising and the cost.

 

I moved up from Celebrity and to be very frank, I expect a significant improvement in service, food etc. On Marina the experience was very good; I did not experience things as you have described, thankfully.

 

I am very mindful of the many posts on all the cruise boards, from long time patrons, all noting the declining standards on HAL, Princess, Celebrity etc. At the same time prices are increasing.

 

This had better not be the trend on Oceania.

 

I am even more concerned because I have to use Cdn$ to pay which makes my cruise 32% more expensive than most others.

Exactly - we wouldn't be as upset if we hadn't paid boutique pricing for mass market experiences. We chose this sailing and this ship because we were pleased with our first experience on Riviera (this is the only time we've ever sailed twice on the same line) and our expectations were high. Given the chance to provide feedback we're keen to see how things go for the next two weeks.

Hibiscus13 did you fill out the MID CRUISE COMMENT CARD? I had 20 plus cruises with "O" but my worst experience was on Sirena in July 17. The Junior Head Waiter refused to change my meal in Grand Dining Room because I am on Low Salt Diet, this is very unusual for me according to my pass experience. I did fill out the Mid Cruise Comment Card but nobody got

back to me and tell me why this cannot be done. It is poor management and I will not sail that ship again.

 

Rosie

We did. And had calls from the appropriate heads of departments to say thank you for the comments. But the food specifically has been a sore point of a lot of guests on the ship.

We had our meeting with the GM this morning, as well as the Food and Beverage Manager. It was not my intent to just come to CC and complain, I wanted to give a rounded perspective for other one time or new to Oceania guests. We have seen it on this ship, and others, on this CC board and others - those who are die hard fans of something do not often see issues where there are problems, they put up with it because they don't want to feel badly about something they've decided to support.

That doesn't help the cruise line and it doesn't help future guests make informed decisions. I did not sit with the GM to give him a long list of complaints. I want my experience to be awesome, and I want to help them make it so - constructive and specific things that can improve everyone's experience.

They have run out of a lot of wine, the provisioning was not nearly enough for the consumption on the ship. Which is odd, we have noticed a lot fewer pax drinking on this ship than on any other sailing. On the plus side, they are going shopping today in Manaus to try and find something, and promise updated wine menus (right now we play guess which wine is available with the sommeliers to see what's available to drink).

We have another two weeks onboard, we are hoping for improvement in areas that can immediately be dealt with. Whatever the outcome, we are pleased at the opportunity to speak with those that may make decisions to improve the situation.

In a way they are making it easy for you. When you are this unhappy about everything, it makes your decision not to return to Oceania a slam dunk :D.

It does. Too bad we spent a significant amount of money to find that out.

Crew components do regularly change, but someone tossing a bread basket on the table is something I've never seen.

 

We were on Sirena in October 2016 -- so that's quite a while ago! -- and our experience was not at all what you are reporting. (I'm not doubting you!) If standards have slipped so much, more attention needs to be paid.

 

Mura

Even sadder, the tossing of the bread basket happened on NYE in the GDR. It was honestly the worst we've ever seen on a ship and our meal that night was so disappointing. We met others leaving the Dining Room that night as disappointed as we were - we've yet to return to eat there...

Thanks for the replies - after posting this we headed for lunch and found meat in the vegetarian lentil and bean dishes (not sure what true vegetarians would eat here) and took pics of the empty dishes piled on our table that were ignored for half an hour by wait staff as they stood at the clearing station directly behind us (we asked for water glasses, side plates, after being ignored for that time too). I've started taking photos because I suspected there would be doubters as to the level of service we have been experiencing.

And at dinner tonight we were informed that the ship is out of two more wine by the glass choices, it's hot, people are drinking whites, and the two Sauvignon Blanc options are both sold out. I suspect our white wine of choice will be gone shortly...expect mutiny to ensue....

Hi all - I know there is another live thread for this sailing already, but thought I'd give some alternate perspectives to those posted. By no means do I want to diminish the other passenger's enjoyment of this cruise but in a lot of ways the experiences she is having are opposite to ours - especially regarding the food and staff onboard. There have been a few posts recently from new to Oceania passengers who might also be interested in hearing some current thoughts.

Someone on that thread asked specifically about the food on board, does it live up to the Oceania expectations and reputation. We have only sailed Oceania one other time, this past February on Riviera. We chose Oceania then because of their reputation as a food and wine lovers line, with options and interesting choices for lots of tastes. We were not disappointed with that cruise. We enjoyed the ship, the staff, the food and the wine.

If our experience on Sirena on this voyage had been our first with Oceania, we would not have booked again. There have been some really nice meals on this ship, but there have also been inedible dishes, poorly cooked meat, overcooked everything. There are some amazing crew working unbelievably hard to make everything go smoothly, and there are crew who toss bread baskets onto tables at diners in the GDR, without so much as eye contact.

If you are thinking about adding a wine by the glass beverage package to your booking, prepare to be disappointed. By Day 3 several offerings were 'sold out' and not replaced. Liked the Chardonnay on Day 2? Couldn't have it on Day 3 of a 35 day sailing. Last night at Tuscan Steak we were not presented with the usual olive oil menu (which was memorable, there were at least 10 bottles on the list) because there were no choices left, just one kind available.

Sound picky? Not really when you consider the cost of this voyage, it's a substantial amount of money to be disappointed as often as we have been. We have spoken to lots of people on board, some have zero complaints (and that's awesome) and some are angrier than you can imagine. I know that's the case on most sailings, but there are some legitimate areas that Oceania needs to take a look at. We will probably spend a lot of money on cruises in the next 20 years, and we will be a lot more cautious about who gets those vacation dollars.

How long did it take to get to Nelson's Dockyard in a taxi, and what did the return trip cost?

This is what our confirmation says, I don't expect to know where our cabin is until we get on the ship.

"You have booked a guarantee cabin. You will receive your cabin assignment when you check in for your cruise, and your cabin may be located on any deck of the ship. Below is the description of your guarantee cabin(s):

TBD - Veranda Stateroom - guarantee"

So far on the Epic I have yet to experience service at a bar (or anywhere other than the specialty restaurants) that is worthy of a tip on top of the 18% gratuity already tacked on.

It sounds like that is the cost for each segment. So if you want the pass for the entire 21 days, you have to book it both for January 3 and for January 13.

 

But that said, it seems kind of expensive to me. For comparison, the 7-day pass last month was US$129 on-line, and for a 9-day pass later this month it's US$149 on-line. I thought NCL had a very attractive exchange rate for Canadians, so it doesn't seem like a 10- or 11-day pass would be CA$231. I guess you should probably call them…

I called - that's the cost for the entire cruise, both segments. All booked, thanks!

Hi all, we're booked on the 21 day Med trip on the Epic leaving January 3. We've never bought spa passes before as we've only done warm weather cruising. But I think the Med in the winter, it might be worth getting a Thermal Suite Pass.

Here's where I need some help. I'm on the NCL website and I have two options, I can choose a Suite Pass for January 3 or January 13 only, at a cost of $231 CAD per pax. Does that mean I get access for the whole segment of the cruise (as it's a B2B), starting on either January 3 or January 13? Please don't tell me that's the cost per day, only on those two available dates.

Any help would be appreciated!

Hi all -

We are considering booking the January 2016 sailing in the Mediterranean on Epic. We are new to NCL and I'm having a hard time finding information that definitively explains the differences between a Mini Suite, a Spa Suite and the different Haven cabins.

I've found information that suggests that some suites have access to Haven but I cannot tell for sure based on the pages that I'm looking at on the NCL website.

Can anyone clarify what the perks are for each type of cabin? We are interested in perks like the concierge service, access to Haven, but not necessarily a butler if that helps with suggestions.

Thank you!

Our favourite on that list would be Bonaire. We've been diving and snorkeling in Aruba but we enjoyed Bonaire more.

I can't do the karma perfume, but I can do the soap and body lotion. Probably because of the mixture in the soap & lotion, not with perfume content. Some Lush things do bother me - the Jungle solid conditioner sets me off…

 

I'd really wish women would not put on perfume in close quarters like a cruise ship. Yes, close quarters. Stuck in an elevator, sitting in a restaurant with lots of closely-spaced tables, at the small piano bar… I've had many a meal and even an evening ruined because some bore of a woman decided everyone within 200 yards of her had to smell her perfume…even worse are women who smoke - they have to put on an excessive amount of perfume to be able to smell it through the stench of the cigarette smoke they live in.

I hate hotels that have the scent machines, too. Where I work is one of the offenders. I have to know where those machines are so I can avoid going near them!

We've had several cruise ship meals that were ruined for us because we were seated next to women who were doused with fragrance. We could not smell or taste our food, their perfume was that overwhelming.

I love fragrance (favourites are Hermes Eau de Merveilles and a few Fragonard fragrances) but I hardly wear it now because so many others are assaulting my senses on a daily basis. We used to endure the unpleasantness, now we ask to be reseated in restaurants. What's the point of spending good money on a nice meal and good wine if it's just going to taste like perfume?

Fragrance should be subtle, not offensive.

For us it was the opposite - our experience on the PG was much more 'cultural' and 'polynesian' than our stay in either Bora Bora or Tahiti.

The performances that we saw on land were far less impressive than what we saw on the ship. You can't get much more authentic than Les Gauguines, or the troupes that are invited to perform on the ship while we were on board.

I also want to know the difference between Ato's and Pinnacle Snorkeling tours. I want to do some snorkeling here but need to decide which tour is best.

Hibiscus - if we both do Ato's tour, I would trade you my Vegetables for your meat. Ha Ha;)

John

I would agree John, but Hubs is a HUGE meat eater, and it's always spoken for around here :)

The meal isn't make or break for me, I'm looking for the experience...and like Emdee says, if the location is what Fakarava is all about, I can afford to skip a meal.

It was the Scuba Fakarava single tank dive that was cancelled. He doesn't want to do the two tank because then I'm waiting around for him for more than a few hours.

Yes, PG does call when they cancel. We've had two excursions cancelled on Fakarava to date.

We're in the same boat goletans! Hubs was supposed to dive, they've cancelled his trip and now we aren't sure which option to take. I did book the Pinnacle snorkel - but Hubs thinks we should do Ato's tour. I see that we are on Marilyn's list with Ato - so we need to decide asap.

I'm also a non-meat eater (not vegetarian, just picky :))

If anyone has any input - please help us out!

I don't know I just picked it out at the pedicure place! If I go back to the same place I will find out and post for you! I cruise in 10 days so it won't be TOO long before I'm back in there!

It looks a lot like the OPI polish: Cuckoo For This Color (which, I currently have on my toes!)

Age can limit activity, but at 63, I bike 120 miles a week. I don't get left behind.

 

Age does influence things like music preferences and interests. I am sure that I would not be able to discuss most of the popular music today.

 

Older people sometimes are a bit jaded. My Daughter asked me if I was interested in going to DisneyWorld, and I had no interest. Been there, done that.

 

My Son and Daughter have encouraged us to travel with them on cruises, and we have been on one with my Daughter's family and Son and friend, as well as a second cruise with my Son and his friend. We do all the same things they do, except we don't go to the casino.

Age is just a number.... In the past three years I've done three trips with my dad who is in his early 60's, two to Europe and one to China. He's getting a bit slower with arthritis but he can still move when he needs to (traffic in Beijing is crazy).

We probably have more in common with those who are retired or semi retired, we don't have kids and we spend 4+ months of the year travelling. I just wanted to get a sense of the demographic that travels with Vantage - we're already booked.

But i would say thay all must be fitt

I was just concerned that we might feel a bit out of place in our late 30's. We'll have no problem if the pace is quick :)

Can anyone tell me what the average age of a Vantage traveller is?

Defintely just the hallways, they smelled 'campy'? I guess that's the best way to describe it. The staterooms smelled clean, no worries there at all.