Marina Crossing

[janmarand]

I am in the 20 plus range of cruises with O and would say this one was not the best.   Not because of the changes to itinerary which probably one has to expect in the North Atlantic in April, but because of the passengers.   LHT calls them VIPs, I would say VUPs (very unpleasant people).   I witnessed both homophobic and racist incidents.   Makes one wonder if its because it was an Oceania cruise sold at NCL prices.

 

[Finlaggan]

1 hour ago, janmarand said:

I am in the 20 plus range of cruises with O and would say this one was not the best.   Not because of the changes to itinerary which probably one has to expect in the North Atlantic in April, but because of the passengers.   LHT calls them VIPs, I would say VUPs (very unpleasant people).   I witnessed both homophobic and racist incidents.   Makes one wonder if its because it was an Oceania cruise sold at NCL prices.

 

Totally agree, with over 35 cruises under my belt at a fairly young age, but only 14 on O, I can confirm that this crossing WAS different. I would cross the North Atlantic in the Dead of winter, it’s a fantastic experience, so weather doesn’t bother me, nor missing ports of call. The standard of “dress”, behaviour of many passengers as set out above was disgusting. The maintenance of the vessel in some areas was poor and was of some concern. As for LHT’s comments about VIP passengers, we must have been on a different ship. It was more like the Dover/Calais car ferry than an upper premium experience. The only entitlement I saw was queue jumping. I agree VERY UNPLEASANT passengers, with all the prejudice and bad behaviour they brought with them. Altogether an unpleasant and uncomfortable experience. 

[babysteps]

3 hours ago, janmarand said:

I am in the 20 plus range of cruises with O and would say this one was not the best.   Not because of the changes to itinerary which probably one has to expect in the North Atlantic in April, but because of the passengers.

 

2 hours ago, Finlaggan said:

Totally agree, with over 35 cruises under my belt at a fairly young age, but only 14 on O, I can confirm that this crossing WAS different.

 

We were on the prior cruise (got off Marina in NYC when your cruise started) and thankfully seemed to have a different crowd.  Got to talking to some of the entertainment staff one day, they said that each cruise can have a markedly different vibe, and that by end of embarkation day they can tell what that vibe will be.  Guess there are some things not completely in our control...

[RJB]

7 hours ago, janmarand said:

I am in the 20 plus range of cruises with O and would say this one was not the best.   Not because of the changes to itinerary which probably one has to expect in the North Atlantic in April, but because of the passengers.   LHT calls them VIPs, I would say VUPs (very unpleasant people).   I witnessed both homophobic and racist incidents.   Makes one wonder if its because it was an Oceania cruise sold at NCL prices.

 

 

5 hours ago, Finlaggan said:

Totally agree, with over 35 cruises under my belt at a fairly young age, but only 14 on O, I can confirm that this crossing WAS different. I would cross the North Atlantic in the Dead of winter, it’s a fantastic experience, so weather doesn’t bother me, nor missing ports of call. The standard of “dress”, behaviour of many passengers as set out above was disgusting. The maintenance of the vessel in some areas was poor and was of some concern. As for LHT’s comments about VIP passengers, we must have been on a different ship. It was more like the Dover/Calais car ferry than an upper premium experience. The only entitlement I saw was queue jumping. I agree VERY UNPLEASANT passengers, with all the prejudice and bad behaviour they brought with them. Altogether an unpleasant and uncomfortable experience. 

I am sure that you are telling it like it was, but does not sound like any Oceania cruise that I have been on.  Not the crowd that we were with 2 years ago on a T/A to Barcelona or the one from N.Y. to London a few years before that. All nice people that followed the rules which there were not too many of them.  Those kind of people do not make for a pleasant time on a ship for that many sea days.  Hope just the exception.  

[LHT28]

8 hours ago, janmarand said:

 Makes one wonder if its because it was an Oceania cruise sold at NCL prices.

 

well you were lucky  then because I certainly did not pay NCL prices

[RJB]

7 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

well you were lucky  then because I certainly did not pay NCL prices

 

7 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

well you were lucky  then because I certainly did not pay NCL prices

Our prices were very good compared to regular Oceania prices.  Most T/A's are discounted somewhat. 

[LHT28]

6 hours ago, Finlaggan said:

 As for LHT’s comments about VIP passengers, we must have been on a different ship. It was more like the Dover/Calais car ferry than an upper premium experience. The only entitlement I saw was queue jumping. I agree VERY UNPLEASANT passengers, with all the prejudice and bad behaviour they brought with them. Altogether an unpleasant and uncomfortable experience. 

 I guess I should have put next to my VIP comment

I was being sarcastic

Several people were crabbing during the cruise  but maybe being cooped up for several days had some impact on that

 

The pushing ahead in line was just plain rude ..maybe they are  entitled in their daily life  or were raised in a barn ...who knows

Anyway overall most of the cruise was good inspite of the weather  & missed ports

JMO

[janmarand]

32 minutes ago, RJB said:

 

I am sure that you are telling it like it was, but does not sound like any Oceania cruise that I have been on.  Not the crowd that we were with 2 years ago on a T/A to Barcelona or the one from N.Y. to London a few years before that. All nice people that followed the rules which there were not too many of them.  Those kind of people do not make for a pleasant time on a ship for that many sea days.  Hope just the exception.  

We have done a few T/A cruises also and enjoyed every one.  as you say, let's hope it was the exception.

[janmarand]

12 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

well you were lucky  then because I certainly did not pay NCL prices

Nor did we, but I suspect quite a few on the group booking did.

[bbtondo]

Is it possible that a large group booking was onboard your cruise?  Sometimes that can get a little crazy.

[LHT28]

Just now, bbtondo said:

Is it possible that a large group booking was onboard your cruise?  Sometimes that can get a little crazy.

There was a Go Next group on the sailing but I fail to see  how that would affect people being rude  unless they are normally that way.

 

Going to the repeaters party  the crowd was in the hall by Horizons  & people backed up around the elevators as well as the stairwells 

Some  people tried to sneak in the port side doors  but were turned away as they wanted everyone to meet the Captain etc..

One group decided they were  special  & the men  pushed past my DH  & I  in the line  ..then of course the wives just had to be next to their spouses & pushed past as well

Then signalled their friends to come on with them

Now Horizons is a large space  & it is not like they were going to run out of chairs or food & drink.

I do like to see who the top sailors are   but next trip I will not bother going

JMO

 

[warburg]

Thank you, LTH28, for your review. I enjoyed it especially because our first TA with O was in November, Rome/Miami, on Marina. Your posts are always enjoyable, and I will look forward to your CC return. We are also taking a kind of break from cruising because our next is October 2020.  It is the same itinerary as our first Rome/Miami TA, but on Riviera. I hope it doesn't snow on that one. It is certainly more likely than the new activity on your TA. Great photos. They were a first for me, Lyn.

Mary

Edited April 25, 2019 by warburg

[pingpong1]

Hello Mary (Warburg).... Mary (also) and Kelvin here.  We'll also be on the Riviera TA from Rome to Miami in Oct 2020.  We're hoping to convince a few of our friends/couples to come along with us.  This will be our first O cruise and are very much looking forward to it.  We've also been Regent cruisers in the past (and have a couple more R cruises booked) and we're more than willing to give O a try - with a completely open mind.  We'll pray for calm seas, a happy crew, interesting fellow cruisers, some good ports, and "the best cuisine afloat".  Best Regards!

Edited April 26, 2019 by pingpong1
spelling

[pinotlover]

Lyn;

 

As always, thanks for the comprehensive review. After our 20 day August cruise on on the Nautica, we will likewise take an extended CC break since our next O cruise isn’t until late Jan 2021. We’re doing a 15 day July 2020 Uniworld River Cruise along with taking a group on a  fun wine country trip in 2020 to the Oregon and WA State. Going back to Vegas for a week, to see all the changes since we were there a decade ago! An Arizona trip during most of February to visit a bunch of our Snowbird friends we miss. Oceania just isn’t perculating up on our lists currently.

 

Things are perhaps changing to rapidly rapidly for some of us on Oceania. Similar to a posting above, I truly don’t understand why country club casual is so objectionable to some cruisers, and some find it imperative to bust the system. I don’t understand Oceania’s desire to facilitate those cruisers. Nearly two years ago, our disembarkment at Southampton was equally chaotic to Lyn’s comments. I don’t understand why Oceania hasn’t established procedures to efficiently deal with it. 

 

Enjoy your summer and happy travels!

[Kate-AHF]

I thought the whole idea of a TA was to re-position the ship.  If the cruise line feels they have exhausted the available client base in one area (say, the Caribbean) then it makes sense to send the ship elsewhere when that occurs to take advantage of new demand.... regardless of the weather on the crossing.  Earlier crossings make sense to me as Europe is SO crowded in season as to not be worth the crush.  But parts of Europe have a LOT of appeal in April.

[pinotlover]

Kate;

 

I remember the lovely Lyn Anderson singing “I never promised you a Rose Garden “. You are absolutely correct, in today’s crowded cruise industry, the primary purpose of a TA is to get a ship from one market to another. Sometimes that transfer needs to be done earlier than later. Just because the cruise line offers you a ride along, often at a discount, doesn’t mean you’re getting a Rose Garden of a ride. Buyer Beware!

[Lady of the Nile]

On ‎4‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 7:13 PM, LHT28 said:

My review on the Marina crossing April 5 to 19th

This is my opinion

Well we started on a gloomy New York day .

In Saint John N.B. It was cool & sunny

We met friends there & had a non tourist tour, then lunch with a stop at the reversing rapids before heading back to the ship.

Halifax another day & another climate zone, cold & damp we met friends there and walked along the waterfront then to lunch & back to the ship.

We ventured out later in the day to meet with more friends & by the time we got back onboard the snow was starting.

Overnight it snowed & the seas were bumpy so the Captain decided to miss Newfoundland

 

We had a lot of snow drifts on the decks, some of the crew enjoyed the snow experience

Had some bumpy seas, then as we got close to Ireland a very rough night

After 5 sea days in a row we docked in Cobh ...WHEW!!

It was a very cold, wet & a very windy day ..many went ashore but we opted to stay on the ship

Got the laundry done so all is good .

Late in the day an announcement came from the Captain that we will be staying overnight in Cobh due to a storm system ...Finally a good night's sleep without rocking & rolling

 

We will be missing Dublin & heading to Saint Malo

As we headed out the next evening the seas wee too rough for the pilot to get off so he had a free day on the Marina ..we did a technical stop near Falmouth UK so he could get off & return to Ireland

In St Malo the weather was sunny so all was good

DH was not feeling well so we opted to stay onboard again

Lots of coughing going around the ship so not surprised that people are sick.

 

LeHavre I had a taxi booked with 2 other couples to Honfleur,  sadly we did not go with them.

I am hoping they had a good time ..

DH ended up with a fever to go along with the cough.

He ended up at the Medical centre that evening along with many others

After a battery of tests a shot in the derriere & some antibiotics he was released

 

 

Overall the cruise was good

All the time changes really affected us & our body clock,  plus being cooped up inside for most of the cruise due to weather conditions we felt tired a lot.

Not sure I would do a crossing again I think we prefer to fly to Europe have a nap & get on with things Getting the time change over with all at once.

The cruise was too early for a Northern crossing in my opinion

 

My biggest complaint as usual is why can they not server the  food HOT in the Terrace  or anywhere for that matter .

 

The ship is good shape with some minor damage in the storm but the crew are working on those issues.

I did not go looking for nicks & stains & nothing really jumped out at me.

 

There seemed to be a lot of VIP's on this cruise & the rudeness they bring with them is noticed.

 

Saw a lot more suits with ties at the repeaters party, but if you do not want to keep up with the elite there were plenty that still did not wear a suit & looked just fine.

 

Taking a break from CC as we do not have any cruises in the near future

Happy sailing

 

 

Hello, we were also on this cruise, still recovering after both of us caught that very expensive flu, my husband's bill came to $2,000.00, and I had to go to the hospital as soon as we were home, it was hell on earth. Second time on Oceania, probably will be our last, we compared it to the Riviera we took a few years ago, and it was for our 50th Wedding Anniversary. The weather was awful, the gangways were terrifying, my husband has a mobility scooter, and when we could finally get off, he was confined to the suite with room service and as his wife and carer, would not leave him. Captain did a great job, staff were wonderful, of course it was an Act of G-d, but there are many memories of this cruise which I will never forget (not too many good ones). Anyway home now, will think twice before arranging any more vacations.

[bbtondo]

18 hours ago, LHT28 said:

There was a Go Next group on the sailing but I fail to see  how that would affect people being rude  unless they are normally that way.

 

Going to the repeaters party  the crowd was in the hall by Horizons  & people backed up around the elevators as well as the stairwells 

Some  people tried to sneak in the port side doors  but were turned away as they wanted everyone to meet the Captain etc..

One group decided they were  special  & the men  pushed past my DH  & I  in the line  ..then of course the wives just had to be next to their spouses & pushed past as well

Then signalled their friends to come on with them

Now Horizons is a large space  & it is not like they were going to run out of chairs or food & drink.

I do like to see who the top sailors are   but next trip I will not bother going

JMO

 

 

In our experience when there is a large group of people that know each other on a cruise, whether it's just a large group of friends, or alumni group, or work bonus trip, etc, they can sometimes be loud, rude, etc.  I don't know why, but this has just been our experience a couple of times.

 

 

[LHT28]

Just now, Kate-AHF said:

I thought the whole idea of a TA was to re-position the ship.  If the cruise line feels they have exhausted the available client base in one area (say, the Caribbean) then it makes sense to send the ship elsewhere when that occurs to take advantage of new demand.... regardless of the weather on the crossing.  Earlier crossings make sense to me as Europe is SO crowded in season as to not be worth the crush.  But parts of Europe have a LOT of appeal in April.

It is also  the route they take  that can be a problem

By the time we got to France the weather was  much better  & we stayed in Southampton  where the temps were in the 70's

Going via Canada  in April  was not the best choice

May is better  for that route

Going from Miami or Rio  would be warmer & maybe less storms

We were caught inbetween 2 bad storm systems  which no one can predict 2 yrs out  when the cruise lines do  the itineraries

 

[LHT28]

Just now, bbtondo said:

 

In our experience when there is a large group of people that know each other on a cruise, whether it's just a large group of friends, or alumni group, or work bonus trip, etc, they can sometimes be loud, rude, etc.  I don't know why, but this has just been our experience a couple of times.

 

 

Yes groups  can be loud  but  some of the rude people were not part of the group  they were just RUDE by nature  I think

JMO

[Paulchili]

On 4/26/2019 at 9:38 AM, LHT28 said:

Yes groups  can be loud  but  some of the rude people were not part of the group  they were just RUDE by nature  I think

JMO

Lyn -I am late to this thread -somehow I missed it.

Thank you for your review. Sorry about all the issues you & M have encountered - sounds like not the best cruise you have ever taken. Hope M feels better soon.

It has been my observation on several of our last O cruises that the clientele on Oceania has changed over the years and perhaps that explains some of the things you and others here have observed (in dress code, rude behavior, etc).

FWIW - we are doing a TA next Fall but going West so we gain an hour just about every day - it makes it a bit easier 🙂

I can understand you taking a break from CC but hopefully you’ll be back soon - you will be missed.

[Rob the Cruiser]

Our 34-day Amazon Grand Voyage from Miami to Buenos Aires aboard Sirena was a 22-day Miami-Rio and a 12-day Rio-Buenos Aires back-to-back.

 

The Miami to Rio segment was fabulous. We met many polite, interesting people. It couldn't have been any better.

 

The Rio to Buenos Aires was much different. There were 16, yes 16, alumni groups aboard. They behaved as if the ship belonged to them. One group even tied their school banner on the guardrail of the walking track. (It was removed shortly after.)  If one person had a good position in line, the rest of the group would barge ahead as if they had priority over everyone else.

 

Another group insisted on expressing their political views even when people told them that they don't talk politics. Then there was a group that made condescending non-stop comments about silly people that live in "flyover states". On-and-on. Think of rude behavior and it was probably on display.

 

That won't stop us from sailing with Oceania. Luck of the draw, or in the case no luck.

Edited April 29, 2019 by Rob the Cruiser

[RJB]

10 minutes ago, Rob the Cruiser said:

Our 34-day Amazon Grand Voyage from Miami to Buenos Aires aboard Sirena was a 22-day Miami-Rio and a 12-day Rio-Buenos Aires back-to-back.

 

The Miami to Rio segment was fabulous. We met many polite, interesting people. It couldn't have been any better.

 

The Rio to Buenos Aires was much different. There were 16, yes 16, alumni groups aboard. They behaved as if the ship belonged to them. One group even tied their school banner on the guardrail of the walking track. (It was removed shortly after.)  If one person had a good position in line, the rest of the group would barge ahead as if they had priority over everyone else.

 

Another group insisted on expressing their political views even when people told them that they don't talk politics. Then there was a group that made condescending non-stop comments about silly people that live in "flyover states". On-and-on. Think of rude behavior and it was probably on display.

 

That won't stop us from sailing with Oceania. Luck of the draw, or in the case no luck.

These people and groups should be bared forever from Oceania.  Not what we need.  

[greenbeanie]

I enjoyed visiting Halifax, St. John, and Cobh/Cork in cold weather - that's how the locals spend much of the year (in fact, cold is relative!). I was fully expecting a cold, and wet, transit across the Atlantic, so our crossing was right in line (except I wasn't expecting snow, or to have to stay inside for two days), and I feel like it was representative of a wintry-ish crossing is.  Anyone can visit cities and cross the ocean in the summer, but for me it was an opportunity to see what life is like for likely half the year.

 

And the early season crossing - priceless to arrive in France and England at the pinnacle of spring.  Of course spring's timing can vary, but we arrived at a perfect time.  

 

We stayed five days in London/Bath at the end of the cruise - temperatures were above average, and it was sunny.  Not so sad to miss the gray and gloom of London, although it did rain as we headed to the airport.

 

As far as the weather was concerned, this cruise was a perfect experience for me. Even the high seas for a couple of days were, well, worthwhile.  Unfortunate to miss two ports, but a safe decision (considering the recent Viking Sky incident).  

[nyfeds]

It was a pleasure meeting you and your husband, Lyn.

 

This crossing was a wild weather roller coaster ride.  It was a wonderful itinerary, very ill timed.  We were tremendously disappointed to miss Dublin, which was to be the highlight of this cruise for us.

 

We have been on 4 crossings, 3 of which had weather issues causing port cancellations.  With that said, we are done with crossings.

 

We have also been on 3 Oceania cruises.  I do believe we are done with Oceania for a variety of reasons I shall not get into.

Denise