THe RIVIERA.....EXTREMELY disappointed!!!

My point is they could help the situation! If they had to pay more they should take that into consideration when charging for the cruise. Or just say we are tendering most ports to keep your prices lower.

Thought that I was backing you up in my prior post (despite my typos). Not sure that it is as easy as you state. Would any company want to pay three times the port fees to dock (guessing that many large ships are three times the size of the Riviera). And, what about having to tender 3,000+ people vs. 1,000 people?

Definitely do not think that Oceania tenders to keep prices lower. Rather, the ports want as much money as possible and will charge what they can and the larger cruise lines will pay it. People on Carnival, for instance, pay a small percentage of we pay on Oceania but there are thousands of them. Their $1,000 cruise may be as big of a deal to them as our $10,000 cruise is to us. In my opinion, docking should be first come, first served but that is not how it works. I don't think (but am not sure) that St. Kitts is a port that Oceania visits frequently.

All of us that cruise know that ports can and will be missed for various reasons.

Travelcat you are one of my favorite posters. I feel I was unfairly attacked by those people M&M who said I felt entitled. I took no offense at all at your remarks and appreciated your thoughtful responses. Obviously if I took all of these cruises with Oceania so far I love the line over any other. Lots of the comments make sense and I welcome those, but there is no reason to jump on someone who posts something not favorable about a particular cruise. Thank you. :hearteyes::hearteyes:

Thought that I was backing you up in my prior post (despite my typos). Not sure that it is as easy as you state. Would any company want to pay three times the port fees to dock (guessing that many large ships are three times the size of the Riviera). And, what about having to tender 3,000+ people vs. 1,000 people?

 

Definitely do not think that Oceania tenders to keep prices lower. Rather, the ports want as much money as possible and will charge what they can and the larger cruise lines will pay it. People on Carnival, for instance, pay a small percentage of we pay on Oceania but there are thousands of them. Their $1,000 cruise may be as big of a deal to them as our $10,000 cruise is to us. In my opinion, docking should be first come, first served but that is not how it works. I don't think (but am not sure) that St. Kitts is a port that Oceania visits frequently.

 

All of us that cruise know that ports can and will be missed for various reasons.

Ships, and this goes for ANY SHIP, of any size from any Line, do not choose where they are berthed in a Port. The harbormaster from the port authority assigns their place.

Those assignments are designated based on the needs of the ship (i.e, do they need to load water, supplies or fuel, offload waste, or get repaired).

With ships shifting ports like mad because of the hurricane, it is likely that the vessels which you saw at dock had needs which superseded those of Riviera.

Disappointing perhaps, but nothing that could be controlled by Oceania. Rivieras' Captain may or may not have been informed of the reason for the change.

Ships are only seen as point to point transportation on a transatlantic crossing. Otherwise, they visit ports via what are known as yachting privileges. The trip is what one is buying, not the ports (which is what it says all over the brochures, the website and the cruise contract)

My point is they could help the situation! If they had to pay more they should take that into consideration when charging for the cruise. Or just say we are tendering most ports to keep your prices lower.

As pointed out in several posts above ... the cruise lines have no control over where or how dock space is assigned. This is entirely at the discretion of the port authorities. That decision is made based on a lot of factors and how much a cruise line is willing to pay is NOT one of those factors. 'O' does not choose to tender in order to "save money" ... if that were the case why wouldn't they tender at all ports? Again, you seem to believe that money is the driving force behind everything.

Jim & Stan ...

(y) Couldn't have said it any better. (y)(y)(y)

Applause. you have accomplished your task. I am sure you are happy and proud but point taken is I don't need harassment when I only came here to tell the truth. It is not ok how you attack and bully here but enjoy yourselves. Especially M&M.

On Riviera’s previous cruise, we missed our first port, Santa Marta, Colombia, where we were due to DOCK, because the pilot there decided it was too windy for us to dock, and the Captain wisely agreed. I have missed tender ports on previous cruises (and even often joked that we took our second cruise in 2009 because our first in 2008 missed Delos and Mykonos due to sea conditions.)

This stop last month would have been my first time in South America, and I had spent hours reading up on Simon Bolivar in preparation for visiting the home there where he died, which now also is an art museum and botanical garden.

My view is that I am incredibly fortunate to have such first-world problems and only blame Oceania when Oceania is at fault.

. And like last year at Malta, we tendered when not supposed to while way lesser ships were docked.

 

I think everyone has a right to review their cruise. Obviously I only responded because the poster had brought up the issue. We still have 2 more cruises booked with Oceania. I just feel that cuts have been taken and cruisers should be aware and it is not fair to attack someone who brought up problems. Again I did not want "preferential treatment because of the money I spent" but I spent more to cruise with Oceania than someone on Carnival or MSC and expected better.

I know that it's frustrating if something happens that was unexpected. Especially after you've paid a lot of money for the experience that you thought was going to happen. I agree with you that everyone has the right to review the cruise they've been on.

I don't understand what you mean when you say "while way lesser ships were docked". If you're referring to mass market cruise lines, I think it's an inaccurate statement. There are some large suites on those ships whose passengers are paying a lot of money too. As other posters have mentioned, where you dock or tender has nothing to do with how much you've paid for your cabin. The captain of the cruise ship has no say in where the ship docks. The harbor master makes that decision.

FWIW, I've been on 3 Oceania cruises and have never tendered when we should have been docked. I've only missed one port in those 3 cruises and that was because of choppy water. I'm not a cheerleader for Oceania, I'm just saying.

A couple of years ago we took a Regatta cruise that missed two ports due to a hurricane. We were disappointed but completely understood and agreed with the ship’s master, placing safety above all else.

Oceania was able to get us to Jamaica, an unscheduled port, for two nights/three days. Having never been to Jamaica we were glad for the visit. Also, one evening there was an open bar for everyone, all beverages gratis.

O can’t control the weather and did what they could to make lemonade out of lemons. We had a great time.

We have cruised over 40 times...on seven different cruise lines. Other than a very difficult weather situation on a Celebrity Antarctic cruise, we have only missed a port or had a port substitution three times and it has happened on 3 out of our 5 Oceania cruises. We are embarking on an Oceania Riviera caribbean cruise next week..we like Oceania, but I will only cruise with them on itineraries where it is not a big deal for us if we miss a port...will no longer consider cruising them for a "bucket list" itineraries...they are too quick to change/cancel ports and they are sometimes very poor communicators regarding the reasons and giving maximum notice for changes. I believe they have a corporate culture of being minimally communicative with passengers when irregular situations occur..whether it be dealing with norvirus, port changes due to weather, or docking/tender changes.

... I believe they have a corporate culture of being minimally communicative with passengers when irregular situations occur..whether it be dealing with norvirus, port changes due to weather, or docking/tender changes.

You make a very good point regarding the communications issue in “irregular situations.” The ship’s officers disappeared during our February 2016 early-terminated Riviera norovirus cruise.

You make a very good point regarding the communications issue in “irregular situations.” The ship’s officers disappeared during our February 2016 early-terminated Riviera norovirus cruise.

I agree.

Had Sorrento cancelled a couple of years ago in favour of Naples. We could see that other ships were anchored in Sorrento from our dock in Naples. So no matter what the reason was, weather, cost, safety etc it could have been handled better with some information. First we officially knew was going to bed after show we saw it on next day's brochure. We had heard folk talking about cancelled excursions and wondered. Surely it could have been mentioned at end of show at least.

The lack of information fuels the disappointment and leads to disgruntled passengers. Maybe someone will come on and tell me that there is some reason it can't be publicised. I know that they don't need to tell us as we have it in conditions that ports can change due to unforeseen circumstances. But it would certainly be polite to offer some explanation.

Our recent Marina ‘virus’ cruise was not nice,but made ten times worse for us personally with lack of communication.

As I said earlier,at least on a St.Kitts cruise with Royal clipper, we were made aware what the missed port problem was about and I have never seen or heard a complaint about it.

Does Oceania have a problem with communications.?

Lack of communication is the cause of the greatest dissatisfaction when we are dealing with unfortunate situations. When the plane is late, the airport staff tell you nothing, when something you ordered doesn't arrive on time, you get no explanation, and when a ship cannot get into port or the passengers are falling ill, no announcement is made to give you peace of mind.

Things go wrong all the time....... It is not that it goes wrong, it is how the company/management handles the debacle. For some reason large organisations have grasped this simple fact.

Our recent Marina ‘virus’ cruise was not nice,but made ten times worse for us personally with lack of communication.

As I said earlier,at least on a St.Kitts cruise with Royal clipper, we were made aware what the missed port problem was about and I have never seen or heard a complaint about it.

Does Oceania have a problem with communications.?

I know it can be very frustrating when there is lack of communication on the ship. I guess it varies from ship to ship. On our cruise in the Oceania Sirena from San Diego to Rio we had the impression that the communication was very good. We were always informed about any delays and Manager director and Cruise Director were always available.

Ivi

Lack of communication is the cause of the greatest dissatisfaction when we are dealing with unfortunate situations. When the plane is late, the airport staff tell you nothing, when something you ordered doesn't arrive on time, you get no explanation, and when a ship cannot get into port or the passengers are falling ill, no announcement is made to give you peace of mind.

 

Things go wrong all the time....... It is not that it goes wrong, it is how the company/management handles the debacle. For some reason large organisations have grasped this simple fact.

Did you forget a "not"?

It would seem to make the point better.

In December we did a Panama Canal transit. Last port was Costa Rica the day before the captain announced because of ocean swells we would not be going to Costa Rica but to Grand cayman which didnt excite me one bit. I was disappointed but understood safety was first.

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Did you forget a "not"?

 

It would seem to make the point better.

Oops Yes the"not" was missing. Thank you for pointing it out. It should read .... large organisations have NOT grasped this fact. J

Well! to put this out there we have been on three Oceania Cruises and have had three cancelled Ports because of swells. One missed Port last year on Marina was because of propulsion problems in the Cayman Islands. This year on Riviera there was also propulsion problems that caused us to be late arriving in St Barts! I accept that there will be tender cancellations, particularly since this year was particularly windy for the whole of our 24 day b2b cruise but searching these boards you will find that propulsion problems seem to be a recurring problem, is there something wrong with these ships?

I also understand that ships book well in advance of their schedule the Ports and secure docking tender years in advance of preparing brochures and opening bookings.

And in some cases they will out and out lie. We were on Insignia for a port stop in the Falklands. Beautiful weather the best all season (according to our tour guide who we phoned). Port was cancelled after we dropped anchor due to weather. Weather was --- the crew lost the anchor. So is this miscommunication or lying. Once at Ushuaia -- crew was out welding a new one.

And in some cases they will out and out lie. We were on Insignia for a port stop in the Falklands. Beautiful weather the best all season (according to our tour guide who we phoned). Port was cancelled after we dropped anchor due to weather. Weather was --- the crew lost the anchor. So is this miscommunication or lying. Once at Ushuaia -- crew was out welding a new one.

Come on Paul, a ship does not lose an anchor like a person loses an earring.

It might have been human error or it might have been a rogue sea.

Calling a lie is pretty severe. :(

Come on Paul, a ship does not lose an anchor like a person loses an earring.

 

It might have been human error or it might have been a rogue sea.

 

Calling a lie is pretty severe. :(

Greetings, StanandJim. from South Beach. Great weather here, today. You two helped me out before the 2015 Insignia Panama Canal transit. You told me how an aunt had successfully survived the in tub shower. I used her tip, and managed very well. I am sure you two know when Riviera's refit will be. I want to cruise on her again, after that. She is one of my favorite ships, and is just gorgeous. I love Frank Del Rio's taste in art. When i feel like it, I wander the ship as if i am in a museum. The painting outside the Library is endlessly amusing. Thanks in advance.

Mary

The problem with the Falklands,is that the weather can change dramatically very quickly.The week before we were able to tender across,a Princess ship dropped passengers off on a beautiful sunny day,only to see the weather change so quickly,the passengers were stranded there for the night.They stayed in the Islanders homes!

Paul,maybe the Captain had knowledge of weather change whilst cruising into Port Stanley.

Come on Paul, a ship does not lose an anchor like a person loses an earring.

 

It might have been human error or it might have been a rogue sea.

 

Calling a lie is pretty severe. :(

Well, we were on the same cruise as Paul and I confirm that Insignia lost an anchor while trying to go at anchor at the Falkland Islands. The sea was like a mirror, the lady from the Falkland Tourist Office came to Insignia on high heels, we bunkered fuel for mor than three hours while floating up and down before the port entrance of the Falkland Islands. Still, the captain maintained that we were not able to tender because of the high winds and swells.

In Ushuaia the truth came out when the crew was replacing an anchor. Still the whole crew kept lying and said it was regular maintenance, replacing the anchor. The broken-off part of the original anchor was on the quay, right beside the ship. One significant member of the crew told us that the anchor was lost at the Falkland Islands, when we showed him pictures of the broken anchor.

We have spent over $26,000 on our two Oceania Riviera cruises since last May.

Respectfully, it doesn’t matter if you’re spending $26,000 on a Penthouse Suite or if you found a $199 deal on Groupon, so I kindly recommend that you reconsider your thoughts. Spending more money on a cruise doesn’t make you special even though you may feel that you should, and it most certainly doesn’t allow you to circumnavigate the rules imposed by each governing agency.

I’m not an Oceania cruiser, so I don’t have a reason to defend their practices. But I do feel the need to point out your flawed logic because it seems to be the reason why people are replying to your comments in a way that you are perceiving as rude.

About which ship gets to berth where, its not because Oceania “chooses” to pay less which forces them to tender. There’s a logic that seems to be beyond many cruiser’s comprehension, even seasoned ones. For example, If you’re in port with a 6,000 passenger Royal Caribbean Oasis class ship (which do frequent St Kitts), you can bet with 99.9% certainty that they will be docked before you. It doesn’t matter that you consider them a “lesser cruiser line”. As a side note, passengers on a Royal Loft Suite on those ships are more likely paying more than what you’re paying for your Penthouse suite on Oceania, but they shouldn’t expect priority docking privileges because of that either.

Over 35 years, have sailed on most major cruise lines as well as several smaller ones, and I still can’t figure out who gets to go where. Even when visiting the same port on the same cruise line, sometimes our ship is in one berth while the next we are somewhere else. And there are times when my ship is docked while a sister ship from the same cruise line is tendering. Once again, there’s more to this logic than many of us can comprehend.

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