Offer from O for an oversold cruise

[tgg]

17 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

I realize this is controversial. Our first ship’s performance was Rat Pack stuff out of the 50s and early 60s. We were told they were doing Glen Miller on the cruise before us. In Horizons, between band breaks, they were playing Perry Como over the speakers. There’s a huge sentiment growing of “ Enough of this crap”. Is making it to the late 70s, 80s, or 90s asking too much? If not now, when?

 

 

Agree - totally, completely, wholly, and then some. Time moves on and so have we.

[SophieM]

Did they take away the potato chips along with the salted nuts?? 😩

[LHT28]

Pinot

So  can you ask them to add extra spice  when ordering  ?

If they say no spice is available choose another item

You already  know  they will be bland dishes  for your tastes 🤔

[MEFIowa]

30 minutes ago, SophieM said:

Did they take away the potato chips along with the salted nuts?? 😩

I laughed last year on Riviera (12/22) to find potato chips served at night at Baristas. Only time I ever saw them. In small bowls along with the finger foods. I never had any, so no idea if they were salted or not. Did seem to be just plain potato chips, no cheese, bbq, or sour cream flavors, for example.

[PhD-iva]

5 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Pinot

So  can you ask them to add extra spice  when ordering  ?

If they say no spice is available choose another item

You already  know  they will be bland dishes  for your tastes 🤔

How do you know ahead of time that it’s going to come out bland unless you ask for extra spices?

[SophieM]

We are addicted to the potato chips & (salted) peanuts during happy hour in Martini’s. Still trying to lose the extra poundage from last month’s cruise thanks to those. 🤣

[PhD-iva]

Just now, SophieM said:

We are addicted to the potato chips & (salted) peanuts during happy hour in Martini’s. Still trying to lose the extra poundage from last month’s cruise thanks to those. 🤣

Omigosh I love potato chips! They’re my Kryptonite!

[LHT28]

16 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

How do you know ahead of time that it’s going to come out bland unless you ask for extra spices?

For  me  I wait  & taste the dish  & if it requires something more  the wait staff will bring the tray of spices  in Red Ginger  to liven up your dish

 

 I have not had to do that ..last time  the dish was so spicy hot my tea felt cold

Instead of just bringing me a new dish they tried to make it less spicy 🙄

[pinotlover]

So the laugh of the day, one has to laugh instead of cry. We’re on Day four and have now had 3 of 4 ports cancelled. I think we have the JV team in the bridge! If it’s windy, they cancel ports.

 

Anyway back to food. Went to the GDR today for lunch and ordered the veal piccata. I got veal in a ( tasteless) brown gravy. It was a mostly forgettable meal, but I complained to the head waiter that it wasn’t what I ordered, and if one checked the menu, there is no veal with brown gravy on it. 
 

Upon returning to our room, I promptly received a call from the Executive Chef and explained the issue. He told me he was from Italy and knew exactly what piccata is and that dish isn’t. However, the orders from Miami are to call it veal piccata! 🥺 

 

He told me he would relay my comments to Miami. I asked “ if I ordered chateau briand “ should I expect a hamburger and French Fries if that is how Miami chooses to label it. He assured me he understood the issue!
 

 

[MEFIowa]

17 hours ago, pinotlover said:

...I realize this is controversial. Our first ship’s performance was Rat Pack stuff out of the 50s and early 60s. We were told they were doing Glen Miller on the cruise before us. In Horizons, between band breaks, they were playing Perry Como over the speakers. There’s a huge sentiment growing of “Enough of this crap”. Is making it to the late 70s, 80s, or 90s asking too much? If not now, when?

Though suddenly I'm picturing myself next month on Sirena in the E. Caribbean by the pool listening to a medley of songs that includes Nobody's Fault but Mine, Back in Black, Enter Sandman & Come Out & Play/Keep 'Em Separated! Being 59 I'm definitely a child of hard rock & roll.

[SophieM]

Wowzer!! However, it appears to me that we now have our strategy. We will flood them in kind rejections of misnamed dishes. Poor chef will be in constant contact with Miami.  Maybe Miami will see the light?!? Chef must be totally frustrated, too. 

 

Darn it on your missed ports. Which ones? 

[sunlover12]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

So the laugh of the day, one has to laugh instead of cry. We’re on Day four and have now had 3 of 4 ports cancelled. I think we have the JV team in the bridge! If it’s windy, they cancel ports.

 

Are those ports tendered or docked? Do you know if other ships have ported there? Will be boarding Sirena in a few days and at this point I am far more worried about ports being canceled than the food.  

[pinotlover]

1 hour ago, SophieM said:

Wowzer!! However, it appears to me that we now have our strategy. We will flood them in kind rejections of misnamed dishes. Poor chef will be in constant contact with Miami.  Maybe Miami will see the light?!? Chef must be totally frustrated, too. 

 

Darn it on your missed ports. Which ones? 

We’ve missed Biarritz, Vilagarcia port for Santiago de Compostela, & Oporto. Only Biarritz was a tender.

[TERRIER1]

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

So the laugh of the day, one has to laugh instead of cry. We’re on Day four and have now had 3 of 4 ports cancelled. I think we have the JV team in the bridge! If it’s windy, they cancel ports.

 

Anyway back to food. Went to the GDR today for lunch and ordered the veal piccata. I got veal in a ( tasteless) brown gravy. It was a mostly forgettable meal, but I complained to the head waiter that it wasn’t what I ordered, and if one checked the menu, there is no veal with brown gravy on it. 
 

Upon returning to our room, I promptly received a call from the Executive Chef and explained the issue. He told me he was from Italy and knew exactly what piccata is and that dish isn’t. However, the orders from Miami are to call it veal piccata! 🥺 

 

He told me he would relay my comments to Miami. I asked “ if I ordered chateau briand “ should I expect a hamburger and French Fries if that is how Miami chooses to label it. He assured me he understood the issue!
 

 

This is not news. Pre-covid I ordered the veal piccata in the GDR. I was served what you were. I told the waiter that I think they delivered the wrong dish. I was told it was veal piccata. They have had this issue for years and it has not been corrected.

[SophieM]

Well, that’s not good news. Isn’t there someone in the boards who has a direct line to Frankie DelR?

[jonthomas]

MIssed ports, other cruise lines compensate for that. In this case, with so many missed, you are really owed something. 

[Guppy99]

On 10/14/2022 at 10:58 AM, MEFIowa said:

That's a claim, an assertion.

 

Someone on a FB O group posted this AM they had the same offer for their upcoming Insignia cruise, too. Fascinating to see this arising suddenly like this, when not seeing it earlier in 2022.

 

The complaints about passenger service in 2022 have been seemingly consistent about inexperienced crews. There are rules on how long crews can stay aboard. Thinking Sirena was last to reenter service in early 2022 and her crew may be time limiting out, for example.

 

IF there are crew issues, better to have 500 or 550 passengers on an R-class than 650. And O seems to be selective in who they are offering the option to, not just some blanket anyone want to move offer. For some are mentioning they didn't get the offer.

So you think Oceania is lying?  This is not a stretch at all. People are feeling more comfortable wrt Covid, testing restrictions have been generally lifted, and people have a significant amount of FCC that has to be used by a certain date. It's an unprecedented situation and it is not only possible but likely to have happened. No need to look for a more complicated solution or assume they are not being truthful.

[Guppy99]

4 hours ago, pinotlover said:

So the laugh of the day, one has to laugh instead of cry. We’re on Day four and have now had 3 of 4 ports cancelled. I think we have the JV team in the bridge! If it’s windy, they cancel ports.

 

Anyway back to food. Went to the GDR today for lunch and ordered the veal piccata. I got veal in a ( tasteless) brown gravy. It was a mostly forgettable meal, but I complained to the head waiter that it wasn’t what I ordered, and if one checked the menu, there is no veal with brown gravy on it. 
 

Upon returning to our room, I promptly received a call from the Executive Chef and explained the issue. He told me he was from Italy and knew exactly what piccata is and that dish isn’t. However, the orders from Miami are to call it veal piccata! 🥺 

 

He told me he would relay my comments to Miami. I asked “ if I ordered chateau briand “ should I expect a hamburger and French Fries if that is how Miami chooses to label it. He assured me he understood the issue!
 

 

It's far more likely that the harbor master has closed the port. If a port is cancelled, you should receive a refund of port taxes/fees.  If they tender instead of docking, then that does not apply for obvious reasons.

[AMHuntFerry]

25 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

It's far more likely that the harbor master has closed the port. If a port is cancelled, you should receive a refund of port taxes/fees.  If they tender instead of docking, then that does not apply for obvious reasons.

Oceania does not refund port taxes/fees, just shorex booked through them.

[1985rz1]

38 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

It's far more likely that the harbor master has closed the port. If a port is cancelled, you should receive a refund of port taxes/fees.  If they tender instead of docking, then that does not apply for obvious reasons.

O bundles the port fees into it cruise pricing, so they aren't broken out like on some other lines.  Since you aren't being charged port fees as line items, there are no port fees to refund.  That's been O's policy.

Edited October 22, 2022 by 1985rz1

[osandomir]

3 hours ago, pinotlover said:

We’ve missed Biarritz, Vilagarcia port for Santiago de Compostela, & Oporto. Only Biarritz was a tender.

It’s unfortunate that you missed so many ports. No matter what was the reason for cancellations but it’s always risky when you cruise in this region in October.

[Guppy99]

31 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

O bundles the port fees into it cruise pricing, so they aren't broken out like on some other lines.  Since you aren't being charged port fees as line items, there are no port fees to refund.  That's been O's policy.

That's policy is disingenuous and should be objected to by affected passengers. It also creates a very self-serving incentive which in turn creates an appearance of impropriety.

[1985rz1]

43 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

That's policy is disingenuous and should be objected to by affected passengers. It also creates a very self-serving incentive which in turn creates an appearance of impropriety.

I don't agree, especially since it's pretty clear in the T&Cs.  But to each his own.

 

BTW, I think Viking does the same.

Edited October 22, 2022 by 1985rz1

[pinotlover]

1 hour ago, osandomir said:

It’s unfortunate that you missed so many ports. No matter what was the reason for cancellations but it’s always risky when you cruise in this region in October.

I agree with you. 
 

Therefore, henceforth I will strongly discourage people from booking this and other Med cruises so late in the year. It’s a crap shoot. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose badly. The itinerary was great, the timing awful. October is too late for this itinerary.

[susiesan]

If you look at the cruises in November and December from Miami, they are all waitlisted which means they are sold out. Even cruises on the R ships are waitlisted which rarely happens. It's because many of use have use it or lose it credits that are going to expire at the end of 2022. It's the main reason I am cruising on Marina Dec. 4, 14 days.I wasn't going to let O keep hundreds of dollars for nothing so I booked a cruise I wasn't particularly excited about, just spending my credit. Some on my cruise are being offered to switch because this cruise is oversold. If O would extend the FCC's into 2023 more people would give up their space and take a different Oceania cruise. I would gladly give up my space if I could apply the credit to a cruise I've been looking at for Sept. 2023., to the Canary Islands.