Is Oceania Cutting Back on the Shipboard Experience?

[Paulchili]

I sure hope O is not declining. Probably not. There must be explanations for the above experiences.

 

You are probably right, but...

When we ran out of fresh berries on our cruise from Valpa to PPT, no one was surprised. After all, you don't expect them to last forever nor are you expecting fresh berries from Easter Island, Pitcairn or Fakarawa. Also, it was their first run on that itinerary, IIRC, so they had no past supply data to rely on.

But running out of berries in the Med is a different story.

[CintiPam]

My original post was wrong about the shows. There indeed were several shows by individual entertainers in Horizons but I only attended the one. My mistake!

[CintiPam]

Now that Solar Yellow has mentioned it, I also noticed that the security team on this cruise was very standoffish compared to others we have experience. Usually a smile and a welcome back was offered but far less often on this cruise.

 

Perhaps one reason is that for several ports on this trip, people were very late getting back to the ship, often not back with 10 minutes until sailing time. In fact, in Monaco one man's name was called out just a few minutes before our 11 PM departure! :)

Edited June 7, 2014 by CintiPam

[CintiPam]

But running out of berries in the Med is a different story.

 

Certainly not the end of the world, but just very odd IMO. Because we had just cruised on the same ship (the lovely Riviera) in January of this year, I thought I would point out some of the changes I observed which surprised me. Other than these oddities, it was a fantastic cruise.

 

We very much look forward to our Mayan Mystique cruise on Riviera in January 2015.

 

Props to Solar Yellow who not only maintained our Roll Call list of about 70 but also a complete spread sheet for all the private tours various members arranged so others could readily see what was available.

 

One very outstanding tour was one he arranged with Amalfi Marine where six of us had the use of a lovely fast motorboat (30 foot?) and knowledgable Captain for the day to travel up the Amalfi Coast from Amalfi to Capri and back. Although I had traveled on the Amalfi Drive by private van previously, the views from the water really are incomparable, and I highly recommend this mode of transportation for your future visits to this area.

Edited June 7, 2014 by CintiPam

[redraider1966]

"No afternoon trivia for four days on the cruise."

 

It's often the case on port-intensive cruises like yours that afternoon trivia is not on the program on those days when the ship's stay in port extends into the evening. The expectation is that many pax take advantage of the later departure to spend more time on shore.

[Paulchili]

One very outstanding tour was one he arranged with Amalfi Marine where six of us had the use of a lovely fast motorboat (30 foot?) and knowledgable Captain for the day to travel up the Amalfi Coast from Amalfi to Capri and back. Although I had traveled on the Amalfi Drive by private van previously, the views from the water really are incomparable, and I highly recommend this mode of transportation for your future visits to this area.

 

Pam.

I agree with you. We had taken the local boat from Amalfi to Positano and back as we had visited both places before on the land tour. The view from the water is amazing. The same can be said about seeing Cinque Terre from the water.

[oceansandseas]

o

 

A previous poster mentioned that there were no flowers. When we were on Marina last January, I noticed that there were no flowers except for the white flowers at the bottom of the staircase. I often wondered if they were real or artificial. Could not get a close enough look at them, but could not see any water in the crystal vase. We travel on another cruise line and even in a regular balcony, have a single flower in the room.

 

I believe that Oceania has never been big on flowers. The lady with the most cruise days was presented with a bouquet of flowers though.

 

Therefore it is not something that has been dropped, but I believe something that Oceania was not big on from the start.

 

o

[Fontana]

I'm not a frequent contributor .... We would sail Oceania again in a heartbeat and would highly recommend it to anyone.

 

Agree with Solar Yellow We have just returned from sailing on the Regatta to Alaska (pre-refit).

 

We enjoyed this cruise very much, but did experience a couple of small changes, since our last cruise | OS (August 2013) -

 

We did not receive a 'Bulgari gift set' on this cruise and the 'Complimentary in-suite bar setup with 6 full-size bottles of your choice of premium spirits and wines' has changed to making a request to the Butler for a bottle of wine or spirits. We did this on embarkation and the Butler advised he would make a request to his Manager for approval. He noted permission may not be granted immediately, and we may have to wait until the next day for our bottle of Gin!

Fortunately, our Butler did in fact return that evening and we enjoyed a pre-dinner G & T :)

Edited June 7, 2014 by Fontana

[CintiPam]

We all know that Oceania is not in the shuttle business, but one of our friends (in a very lovely Owners' Suite!) pointed out that she was very upset that while in Marseilles, there was a very long wait for the shuttle bus from the industrial port into town, a much longer wait than stated. The wait, together with a lot of sun out on the concrete, made her exhausted long before she even got into town.

 

Oceania did not provide any shade or water.

Edited June 9, 2014 by CintiPam

[LHT28]

 

Oceania did not provide any shade or water.

 

Have they stopped providing bottle of water when you leave the ship???

[Sekhmet]

Have they stopped providing bottle of water when you leave the ship???

 

Well, they hadn't stopped a few weeks ago in Polynesia - always at the gangway as the tenders were being boarded (almost all ports were tendered), and they maintained a supply on shore as well.

[orchestrapal]

Agree with Solar Yellow We have just returned from sailing on the Regatta to Alaska (pre-refit).

We enjoyed this cruise very much, but did experience a couple of small changes, since our last cruise | OS (August 2013) -

We did not receive a 'Bulgari gift set' on this cruise and the 'Complimentary in-suite bar setup with 6 full-size bottles of your choice of premium spirits and wines' has changed to making a request to the Butler for a bottle of wine or spirits. We did this on embarkation and the Butler advised he would make a request to his Manager for approval. He noted permission may not be granted immediately, and we may have to wait until the next day for our bottle of Gin!

Fortunately, our Butler did in fact return that evening and we enjoyed a pre-dinner G & T :)

 

We were on the same Alaska cruise. We did have our 6 bottles as well as the Bulgari Gift Set in the suite as well as for the two previous cruises.

[Fontana]

 

We were on the same Alaska cruise. We did have our 6 bottles as well as the Bulgari Gift Set in the suite as well as for the two previous cruises.

 

Hmmm! :confused:

I did mention during the cruise to our Butler and the Housekeeping staff that both the Gift Set plus the 6 bottle Bar Set Up were currently, still advertised on the Oceania Website as items provided in the OS.

We also, noted the above on both the mid-cruise and prior to disembarkation questionnaires. *I should note, during the cruise we had no problems requesting our Butler to fetch a replacement bottle of alcohol when required.

[LEESRE]

 

Oceania did not provide any shade or water.

 

Small bottles of water were provided in the atrium near the door before you got to check your cruise card. This was at every port. Yes there was no shade on the quay but then again I could not see how Oceania could have provided this. The bus was some way from the ship, they could have taken the umbrella from their suite if shade were needed.

Edited June 9, 2014 by LEESRE

[kiawahdon]

We all know that Oceania is not in the shuttle business, but one of our friends (in a very lovely Owners' Suite!) pointed out that she was very upset that while in Marseilles, there was a very long wait for the shuttle bus from the industrial port into town, a much longer wait than stated. The wait, together with a lot of sun out on the concrete, made her exhausted long before she even got into town.

 

Oceania did not provide any shade or water.

 

It is important to keep in mind that in many ports Oceania has no control over the shuttles. They are provided by either the local port authority or the tourist office. If they are not on schedule all O can do is what your friend did- complain. In France, anything could go wrong and often does with various work rules, port traffic, etc.

[pacheco18]

 

We were on the same Alaska cruise. We did have our 6 bottles as well as the Bulgari Gift Set in the suite as well as for the two previous cruises.

 

I am in regatta vista now

6 bottles and Bulgari gift set

[CintiPam]

Have they stopped providing bottle of water when you leave the ship???

 

No, there was plenty of water available but one would not have time to go back onboard to get some more while waiting for a shuttle done the pier aways with the chance of missing it.

 

Of course, that reminds me of another surprising issue on this trip. On two days, the only bottled water available was carbonated. I did not realize this and opened one and thought it had gone bad.

 

Another strange provision-stocking surprise in the Mediterannean.

[CintiPam]

I was very interested in taking one of the culinary classes but when our port times were changed many months ahead of departure for our arrival in Kusadasi at 12 noon there was a conflict between our land tour to Ephesus and the culinary class I wanted.

 

I kept checking online on the Oceania website hoping that the class time would change but it never did. Imagine my surprise when the day of the class I found out that the class was indeed changed to the morning. Too late then for me!

Edited June 9, 2014 by CintiPam

[Fontana]

I am in regatta vista now

6 bottles and Bulgari gift set

 

Pleased to hear this. ENJOY!

Now I am really curious why we didn't?

I'm quite a fan of the Bulgari products and on our last b-b cruise last year, we were given 2 sets :)

[oceanbabe]

We were on the Marina cruise before you to Lima. I enjoyed most of the shows in spite of previous negative remarks about this. I loved the Artist Loft. I recently read that may only be given on world cruises soon. Does anyone know if this is true? The Brunch prior to our last day was also an unexpected extra. All was good about this cruise. Sorry u did not have such a good cruise. The only negative we found: my husband was hurt getting off the tender in Fakarava. Hurt his knee and ankle as not enough crew to help getting off tender. Should have a ramp from tender to island. No one from crew came to check on him. The medical clinic staff were very good treating him.

[LHT28]

I loved the Artist Loft. I recently read that may only be given on world cruises soon.

 

seems doubtful since the Riviera & Marina are not doing a world cruise ..YET

The comment was about the Insignia

Edited June 9, 2014 by LHT28

[CintiPam]

Now that I have got the negatives out of the way, I have to post that this was a wonderful cruise, with excellent service all around, fabulous food, good entertainment plus wonderful ports.

 

Nolan Dean was a very competent Cruise Director, who kept us well- informed with all we needed to know to get the best out of our port days but was not overly chatty. It turned out that it was his last Oceania cruise; he is returning to eastern Tennessee where he has a home and an infant.

 

My favorite person onboard was his assistant, Corey Powell, who conducted many of the daily Trivia sessions and seemed always on duty and present for assistance with a nice smile and great attitude. For example, he was the man who tracked down a concierge for me to obtain non-carbonated bottled water when carbonated water was all that was on offer on the tables when disembarking. (Putrid stuff!)

 

Trivia was played always in Martinis and for the first time on an Oceania cruise, we found the players to be normal people who did not get carried away by either nationalistic loyalties or competitive fever. Everyone who played did so in the spirit of fun, and we really enjoyed this entire group of people. I now am the proud owner of an Oceania fold-up umbrella so I can put my Azamara one in the closet. And Gerry got two more Oceania baseball caps; the boutique only sells ones that say Riviera, not Oceania, so these prizes are wonderful.:D

 

Our cabin was always shipshape thanks to our attendant Francis, and I loved our mid-ships location on Deck 8.

 

The food seemed even better than usual. We ate five nights in the specialty restaurants, two at the Terrace Cafe and three in the Grand Dining Room. We enjoyed our first night dinner at Jacques so much that when we decided to stay onboard on our Civitavecchia port day, we asked that morning if we could dine there, and snagged a 6:30 PM reservation. That way I got to eat both the lobster thermidor and the duck entrees! I must say that the onion soup served there was the best I ever have tasted, and I have tasted many bowls!:)

 

We really enjoyed Greek food night in the Terrace Cafe and the grilled shrimp, lobster and amazing lamb chops were a big hit with me. I always have enjoyed the complete immersive dining experience at Red Ginger and this trip was no exception. Once again, Toscana provided our least favorite meal of our cruise; we had better pasta in the Grand Dining Room. We dined our last night at Polo and enjoyed the center stern table and delicious beef. That table was so far apart from the others that it felt like a private dining experience.

 

Of course, I had many opportunities to order my double surf/no turf/no bun lobster lunch at the Waves Grill, and enjoyed every one of them.

 

Sticky buns were on offer three mornings at the Terrace Cafe and the cappucinos and cooked to order omelettes were a great start to my day. There was a lot of Greek yogurt on offer this trip, a change from our January cruise.

 

I gained several pounds on this cruise and still am working to get rid of some of them.:o

 

I will write tomorrow about the entertainment.

Edited June 10, 2014 by CintiPam

[dundeene]

Soft fruits on this cruise were fantastic and plentiful.

Lobster quality was very high having filled the tanks in Bar Harbor. There was a lobster night in Terrace Cafe with mountains of lobster!

 

My experiences in Tuscana were the best in 4 cruises. Crisp attentive service, amazing food served hot and flavorful. The only slip in 3 visits was overcooked gnocchi on one occasion. The pesto and filet with gorgonzola and spinach was fantastic! If you haven't sailed Oceania take a look at this menu

http://www.oceaniacruises.com/documents/menus/oclass/toscana/01-Toscana-Main-Menu.pdf

 

There was a huge floral sculpture at the bottom of the grand staircase. It was made of @ 100 orchids in individual vials woven together. Gorgeous!

 

The team on-board provided great service from reception to our stewards Ganna and Christopher, outstanding servers; Bagus, Cosimo, Prasad,

sommeliers were knowledgable. We received welcomes and smiles from security on return to the ship. Many of the staff took the time to ask us about our tours and seemed genuinely interested in providing a great cruise experience. The one exception was Destination Services. They did not seem interested in helping independent travelers. When I asked for a map of 2 upcoming ports, they directed me to the concierge instead.

 

We thought Chris Croxson was a fantastic speaker. We appreciated the fact that he could be found in Horizons chatting with passengers while whale watching. He identified the species we saw sharing his knowledge (and his binoculars;) His talks were very well prepared and visual aides were up to date even to include pictures he took daily.

 

Has Oceania's on-board experience suffered? Not in my opinion. This was my 4th O cruises and I will board Insignia June 30th and have a 2015 cruise booked. The quality of dining experiences, friendly service, restrictive smoking policies, lack of formal nights, and port intensive itineraries keep us coming back.

[ohmark]

Personally I'd rather see a good movie than a mediocre show! Or spend my time lingering over a good dinner.

And, of course, there are those of us who would rather see a good show than a mediocre movie. Movies I can watch at home by walking to the tv and lifting up my remote. Shows, with singers and dancers, not so easily.

Edited June 11, 2014 by ohmark

[CintiPam]

I previously mentioned that we had no lounge show three of our 10 nights, but when there was one, we found them very enjoyable. By far the best were the three (one a tribute to the music of Elton John and Billy Joel; one a tribute to the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and the last a "Flower Power" 60's show; clearly they know their audience!) performed by the members of the Jean Ann Ryan Company, four young singers and four dancers plus two ballroom dancers. This troop did not have the enormous talent of the group we saw perform the same shows in January (who were awesome) but still they were talented and enjoyable. The lead male singer was fantastic.

 

Other nights we had two shows by a very entertaining John Charles (singer, songwriter and comedian) who can imitate the singing voice and style of whomever the audience requests. A very charming man who puts on a great show. Magician Fred (and Bobbie) Becker also did a good job. We actually walked out on the show by musician comedian Jimmy Travis, who was doing comedy from the 50's in my opinion and was so corny it made me nauseous.

 

The four-piece classical quartet was amazing and we enjoyed them very much. The bands both were good and I was very sorry that neither ever performed on the pool deck during the day.

Edited June 12, 2014 by CintiPam