Oceania First-Timer Review - 40s couple

[spryder]

We weren't sure what to expect with Oceania before booking our first cruise with them, since there are a fair amount of complaints 'round these parts that "they aren't what they used to be", etc. etc.  So now that we're back from our first cruise (South America/Antarctica on Oceania Marina) we figured we'd share some of our experiences and provide some info we wish we'd had back when we were in the decision-making process.

 

Who we are: couple in their 40s, we've cruised 6-7 times now, mostly Celebrity, once with Princess and once with Viking Ocean.  Never had a bad cruise but would say our absolute favorite up to 2022 was with Viking Star (Panama Canal).  Food/itinerary are generally our top concerns when picking a cruise - on-board entertainment we very rarely take part in, though I do enjoy an occasional port-related lecture.  With that in mind, Oceania's "Best Food at Sea" claim definitely caught our interest and we decided to give them a go in 2023.

 

The ship: We were on Oceania Marina for 20 days, Buenos Aires to Santiago with 3 days in Antarctica.  Previous to departure we'd read quite a few complaints about Marina being a bit "dated" and dinged up.  While there were definitely some dings in the room (cabinets dinged, closet sliding door was janky, few broken tiles in the bathroom) just about all public spaces in the ship looked immaculate to us.  If there was one problem in the public areas I guess I'd say some of the dinner ware (plates, silverware, etc.) felt scuffed up and ready for replacement, but it really wasn't all that bad.  As a whole we'd say the ship was in pretty great shape.

 

The room: We had a B1 Veranda on the 8th floor.  Good-sized room, bathroom had a separate large bath/shower AND a small stand-up separate shower.  I've heard the bathtubs are going to be largely torn out during the next refurbishment - all I can say is that would be a real shame for us, as we used the tub almost daily.  Taking a nice hot bath in the middle of the day - especially in Antarctica! - was a real treat for us and a first on any cruise ship we've been on. 

Staff/service: Exceptional.  Room was cleaned according to our schedule, almost never had to wait very long for drinks/refills, there always seemed to be plenty of staff on-hand just about everywhere.  No complaints.

 

Food:  Did it live up to the "Best Food at Sea" claim?  We'd say YES, absolutely.  Apart from one failure in the MDR (Maine lobster somehow came out mealy and completely inedible, guessing overcooked) we have nothing but praise for just about every dining location.  I'm never a big fan of buffets but the Terrace Cafe was consistently excellent - especially anything from the carving station.  MDR was solid every time except that once.  Specialty dining was superb.  We didn't try the Polo Grill, but thoroughly enjoyed Toscano, Red Ginger (twice), and Jacques.  Best meal we'd say was Red Ginger (miso glazed sea bass + duck and watermelon salad), but all 3 were excellent and we would have gone more often EXCEPT it was exceptionally difficult to ever get a 2-person table reservation at any specialty restaurant.  Every time except once we had to sit in on a table for 6, which isn't the end of the world, but it did frequently mean that we were stuck there for a solid THREE HOURS to finish our meal.  And we're just not those people - 90 minutes, no problem, but 3+ hours (once at Red Ginger our 6:30pm dinner didn't finish until 10:15pm) is just way too long for our tastes.  It also means that they won't start taking your order until all six people are seated, and once that took almost a half hour because one couple lost track of time.  This might not be a deal breaker for most people - but it was for us.

 

Food nitpicks: One thing we never seemed to properly enjoy, no matter the venue, was a regular, good old steak.  We had some excellent beef dishes but steaks always seemed to be pretty mediocre cuts, lots of connective tissue, VERY chewy and often cooked well beyond the medium rare we'd requested.  Entrana and hanger steak were excellent though, as were all other meats we tried.  I'd also add that the "smoothie station" by Waves was kind of a let-down, as their "smoothies" were really more just like fruit juice and crushed ice.  Humphrey Slocombe ice cream was also much talked about ahead of time but we tried them all and only the "Regatta Royale" was a real hit with us - most of the other ones were either just OK or pretty disappointing.  Lots of unusual ingredients which didn't really add much to the experience (corn flakes, toast, corn, sesame seeds, etc.).

 

Croissants were out of this world.  PERFECTLY prepared and baked, just like Paris.  I had one every single morning for breakfast and was never disappointed.  

Coffee in restaurants/buffet was decent, coffee at Barista's was excellent (and never too long of a wait).

 

Organization/Communication:  This is one area where Oceania falls short.  Lots of miscommunication or vague communication when it came to port docking details - times, locations, what you would and wouldn't need to bring with you in terms of documentation.  It left a lot of people confused and we'd frequently see people running back to their rooms at the last minute because they didn't bring a 2nd ID or copies of their CDC vaccination cards, etc. on an excursion.  Excursion organization was also a bit of a mess compared to previous cruises we'd been on - lots of (seemingly) unnecessary waiting/queueing in cramped/overpacked spaces, with poor communication about what to expect once we'd gotten off the ship.  Disembarkation was also a bit of a wreck and was quite delayed - by the time we were 45 minutes past our disembarkation time we asked the announcer why our color hadn't yet been called and he flat out told us just to go ahead and disembark because "the color system doesn't really matter anyway".  Ugh.

 

(For what it's worth, embarkation was an absolute breeze and was very well organized.  Though we were more or less first in line and things may have gone downhill after us.)  

 

Entertainment: Again, not something we tend to participate in, but the lead lecturer was superb.  I made sure to see all his presentations.  There were 3 others in the Antarctica team, 2 were pretty solid, one I felt just kind of phoned in his talks (one was literally just him reading what felt to be a list taken straight from Wikipedia about what groups of animals are called... felt very low effort and the sort of thing a substitute teacher might use to entertain a class of fifth graders.) We didn't attend any of the stage shows - none of their descriptions really piqued our interest, and it was basically impossible to have a specialty restaurant dinner AND see a show on the same night just because the dinners tended to run so long, even if you got the earliest 6:30pm seating.

 

Ship comfort: An important category for this cruise since it crossed the infamous Drake Passage twice, and during heavy storms on the way back.  The ship definitely rocked and rolled but it handled the DP great in my opinion.  I tend to get motion sickness pretty badly but wasn't sick/uncomfortable once (Meclizine was a big help).  We did see a few people fall down during the worst of the passage, and during two meals plates/food/silverware were flying off some tables, but on the whole I felt like the ship handled extremely rough sea conditions very, very well.   That said, the experience up at the restaurants on 12 or Barista's on 14 was pretty dicey during the worst of the crossing.

 

Fellow passengers:  Average ages I'd say were 65-70.  Felt like the mix was somewhere around 60% American, 20% European, 20% Asian.  Nice people overall.  If there was a single "theme" to the people we'd met and talked to it was the fact that the vast, VAST majority of them were lifelong Oceania cruisers.  It seemed that almost everyone had taken at least 5-10 previous Oceania cruises and many people we'd met said they'd never cruise with anyone else.  

 

Overall impression:  We really liked Oceania.  The food was every bit as good - indeed even better - than we'd been lead to expect before we booked.  Definitely room for improvement on the communication/organization end of things, but overall we were very impressed and would definitely consider them again in the future.

[MEFIowa]

We did 9136 A4 Concierge on Riviera 12/2021 and my wife certainly concurs with the bathtub comment! NOT all of the bathtubs were taken out, thankfully.
 

"We had a B1 Veranda on the 8th floor.  Good-sized room, bathroom had a separate large bath/shower AND a small stand-up separate shower.  I've heard the bathtubs are going to be largely torn out during the next refurbishment - all I can say is that would be a real shame for us, as we used the tub almost daily.  Taking a nice hot bath in the middle of the day - especially in Antarctica! - was a real treat for us and a first on any cruise ship we've been on."

[MEFIowa]

30 minutes ago, spryder said:

...The ship: We were on Oceania Marina for 20 days, Buenos Aires to Santiago

 

Food:  ...and we would have gone more often EXCEPT it was exceptionally difficult to ever get a 2-person table reservation at any specialty restaurant.  Every time except once we had to sit in on a table for 6, which isn't the end of the world, but it did frequently mean that we were stuck there for a solid THREE HOURS to finish our meal....

A somewhat odd complaint. EVERYONE gets to make the requisite number of specialty reservations in advance. They are NOT unlimited. You just don't get to eat in one every night! You can try, as apparently you did, but then you have to do what they allow you to do. So, you're complaining that you got an extra evening at one over and above what you were reserved in advance. First world problems!

 

Wife and I have found the Terrace Cafe is our place to eat outside of the couple specialty reservations we make in advance. Eating under the stars aft. 

[Woofa]

Thank you for your review.  Was on Riviera last month and we agree about the steak.  However, Polo was the one place we thought it was superior.  Definitely try there next time.  I ended up ordering the lamb chops in terrace grill instead of steak and was pretty happy.

Edited February 14, 2023 by Woofa

[jonthomas]

food the most important thing for us....

 

could no longer tolerate Celeb after being Elite plus....

 

unless paying for suites to eat with the "upper class".....then might as well sail O, cheaper than suites on C...and all the stuff they give us for elite plus is included with O....

 

hate Cs class system.....

[mauibabes]

@spryder Our compliments on your evaluation, especially from a first timer who “We weren't sure what to expect with Oceania before booking our first cruise with them, since there are a fair amount of complaints 'round these parts that "they aren't what they used to be", etc. etc”.  Yes, some Oceania cruisers can be critical when delivered a sub Oceania standard of cruise experience but you were willing to try cruising with Oceania anyway. So glad you liked it. 
We were with you on this cruise and we thought it was one of our best ever, specially due to the itinerary. Your comments were valid as there is room for improvement, especially in the organization and group processing. If I may offer a few suggestions to help you improve on your overall experience. 
Room, I expect this will be improved with the final stage of Oceania ship Reimagining set for 2025. It is a Bummer it is being put off that long but I am sure there are very good reasons all the stars are not aligning until then. Your  bathtub and shower bathrooms will not be lost, there will still be some availability in multiple stateroom categories.  All the A Concierge and B Verandas are the same rooms, deck and location are the differences, with some extra amenities included. Should your next Oceania cruise be included in one of their “Up to 4 Category Upgrade Sales” if you can get a bump to a Penthouse for Veranda $$, grab it as it is great to have 50% more space, walk in closet, Room Service with In Suite Specialty Dining and your Butler.

Food, I would say you were right on again. We were seated with 6 all but once in the Specialty restaurants and had used our first round of reservations within the first half of the trip. We shied away from them during the sailing from Punta del Este to Ushuaia, just in case the weather threw us a curve ball. Our Butler did get us a Polo reservation for 2 late in the cruise but as you experienced, extra reservations were hard to come bye. We also had a second dinner in Red Ginger AFTER they had run out of the FAMED Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass. I had to resort to the RG Rack of Lamb which is Outstanding. There was a supply issue for the sea bass. Can you believe it, we were in Chile, but that is what happened.  We have eaten in Red Ginger since February 2011 when RG was introduced by Oceania on Marina and we have never experienced an “Out of stock” situation and I shared my thoughts with the Maitre D and on to the Food and Beverage Director. This is NOT Oceania!  We too would never stand for a 3+ hour dinner in any restaurant other than La Reserve or Privee so make your preferences known to the Maitre d or the Wait Staff that you need expedited service that evening, they will accommodate you. Sorry you missed Polo, it is the only place to get your steaks, the 28 day, dry aged Prime Steak. In the GDR or TC, they can be good or like you experienced.  In the other Specialties, they too are excellent, love the Filet Mignon. A couple more suggestions, Jacques, all the usual French cuisine but definitely the Pumpkin Soup and the Sea Bass for two, it does take 30 minutes to prepare so just wait, it is Delicious. Toscana, Fresh Pasta is always great, the Special of the day is always worthy of an Appetizer size sampling as is the Lasagne.  My DW compares the Lasagne to every Italian restaurant she dines in and Toscana’s reigns supreme. Needless to say, an order is ALWAYS DELIVERED TO OUR TABLE. One last suggestion for the GDR, when we need a break from all the rich food, we order Jacques Roasted Chicken and it is Delicious. What we did find is the portion size has been reduced but it is still an ample size.  The Terrace Cafe is just as recently rated, The Best Buffet.  When you have the weather that allows for dining under the stars, it is definitely a delight and you can easily get a table for two. One last dining reservation suggestion, Do Not waste a Specialty Reservation for the first night of your cruise. When you Embark, go straight to the Reservation Desk on Deck 5 and check the availability because that night there is almost always a table in all four of the Specialty Restaurants. Be a little flexible though. 
 

Entertainment, we missed all the shows as well but that was our choice. People do not cruise Oceania for the glitz and glamour of their shows.  Great young kids in singing and dancing roles starting out and they do have talent.  We have spent time with them in their other ship duties serving the guests and they are great.  Some of the Comedians can be a bit much but all in all, they are entertaining. The Lecturer’s were well received and this was Oceania’s Inaugural Antarctic Cruise Program and I expect it will get even better as it is being offered into the 2024 and 2025 South American seasons. 

 

Overall, your appraisal was as posters on this Board would expect. The Oceania experience does create a lot of new family members and Refugees from other lines.  I believe there were over 775 Repeaters as they are called on our cruise.  Yes, a very loyal following and as you sail O’s other itineraries and future Allura and R Class ships, you will understand the attraction. The Oceania Loyalty Program is excellent and there were probably 50-75 on board who had 20 or more Cruise Credits. That means they have all earned at least ONE Two Week Free Cruise, just by enjoying sailing Oceania. Being in your 40’s just means you can appreciate some special experiences and even some of an “older generation”. We are taking our 40 something kids on a Vista Inaugural cruise in October, just to show them “where their inheritance is going”. Glad you enjoyed your cruise on Marina and just maybe our paths did cross on that great Antarctic Inaugural cruise. If you happened to have attended the Cruise Critic, Meet and Greet, then yes it did as we were the Greeters with Name Tags. 
Mauibabes
 

[gdlamberth]

3 hours ago, spryder said:

We had some excellent beef dishes but steaks always seemed to be pretty mediocre cuts, lots of connective tissue, VERY chewy and often cooked well beyond the medium rare we'd requested.  Entrana and hanger steak were excellent though, as were all other meats we tried.

Just out of curiosity, did you try the "Surf 'N' Turf sandwich at Waves.  DW is GF so she orders Surf 'N' Turf no bun and has the best steak meal we had on the ship. As you suggested in your review we have been on 4 Oceania cruises so far (though all were in South Pacific).  I, on the other hand, order 2 Surf "N' Turfs hold the bun and hold the Turf  and have a great Langostino lunch😉😋.

 

BTW, very well written review!

 

Greg

 

Edited February 14, 2023 by gdlamberth

[1985rz1]

@spryder On the topic of bath tubs, not all are going to be replaced with showers only.  Here's the list of those staterooms retaining bathtubs if  Marina's referb is like Riviera's:

 

 

Edited February 14, 2023 by 1985rz1

[Blockschip]

I am confused by the CDC vaccination cards. Is there some place that still requires proof of vaccination?

[OhState1]

Some South American countries require proof of a yellow fever vaccine in certain circumstances. 

[spryder]

1 hour ago, Blockschip said:

I am confused by the CDC vaccination cards. Is there some place that still requires proof of vaccination?

Chile still officially requires proof of C19 vax though no one actually checked anything from us.

[BigCheese1]

Thanks to both Spryder and Mauibabes for interesting info.

[DENIE]

Great review!  We also came from Celebrity and sailed our first Oceania (Riviera) cruise this past June and are hooked - booked another on the Vista.  I agree with others about the steak - I usually only order a filet mignon in the actual steakhouse.  Mine was done to perfection in the Polo Grill.  I pretty much agreed with everything you said.  

[Wynterwynd]

On 2/14/2023 at 12:41 PM, gdlamberth said:

Just out of curiosity, did you try the "Surf 'N' Turf sandwich at Waves.  DW is GF so she orders Surf 'N' Turf no bun and has the best steak meal we had on the ship. As you suggested in your review we have been on 4 Oceania cruises so far (though all were in South Pacific).  I, on the other hand, order 2 Surf "N' Turfs hold the bun and hold the Turf  and have a great Langostino lunch😉😋.

 

BTW, very well written review!

 

Greg

 

I had to laugh at this…the ‘surf and turf, hold the bun’ is my absolute favorite also and when I cruised last summer with a group of friends, it quickly became everyone’s.  Followed by a small dish of ice cream (sugar free or not) with the delicious caramel sauce.  I can’t wait for July and our next cruise!

[DrivesLikeMario]

As an Oceania newbie, I really appreciate your review.  Thank you!

[bikegrrrl]

We are going on this cruise in 2024, also newbies to Oceania.  Thanks for your review!!  I am a little concerned about how I am supposed to pack for the Amazon, Antartica, and a nice dining room....  did you find this cruise to be formal in the evening, or were people a little more relaxed?

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, bikegrrrl said:

We are going on this cruise in 2024, also newbies to Oceania.  Thanks for your review!!  I am a little concerned about how I am supposed to pack for the Amazon, Antartica, and a nice dining room....  did you find this cruise to be formal in the evening, or were people a little more relaxed?

We did  Northern Europe & Arctic circle  cruise a few years ago

went from 30C + to below 0C  in the same month

We took puffy coats that squished down /hats /mitts    also had warm weather clothing   good walking shoes

I wore my jeans on the flight over  & on colder days  in Norway & Svalbard 

 

Evenings  are pretty  casual  nice slacks/polo or dress shirt for men  blazer if he likes

nice slacks/skirt  & nice top  or dress for ladies

Laundry is the key

We took one 26 in suitcase  each  & 1 carry on to share  with meds/electronics etc

Mix & match/ wash n wear   as much as possible

 

It should not be  a problem for your cruise intinerary   just do not over pack

[terrydtx]

@spryder,We are also Celebrity refugees and we booked our first O cruise on the Marina for the same itinerary as yours, but in March 2025 we will not go to Antartica and it is only 18 nights. We booked an A2 cabin for less than a Celebrity Sky Suite on the Equinox in 2025 for only 14 nights. We are looking forward to the "best cuisine at sea" as we have seen Celebrity's food quality even in Luminae go downhill over the last year. Thank you for your review.

[DCGuy64]

On 2/28/2023 at 5:03 PM, LHT28 said:

We did  Northern Europe & Arctic circle  cruise a few years ago

went from 30C + to below 0C  in the same month

We took puffy coats that squished down /hats /mitts    also had warm weather clothing   good walking shoes

I wore my jeans on the flight over  & on colder days  in Norway & Svalbard 

 

Evenings  are pretty  casual  nice slacks/polo or dress shirt for men  blazer if he likes

nice slacks/skirt  & nice top  or dress for ladies

Laundry is the key

We took one 26 in suitcase  each  & 1 carry on to share  with meds/electronics etc

Mix & match/ wash n wear   as much as possible

 

It should not be  a problem for your cruise intinerary   just do not over pack

I really love your posts, being newbies to Oceania they are very helpful. And I love the idea they have a laundry facility onboard. Helps enormously in terms of not over packing. Thank you!

[MEFIowa]

2 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

... And I love the idea they have a laundry facility onboard. Helps enormously in terms of not over packing.

Yes, wife did laundry on our 10-ight Sirena cruise 11/2022. Though we didn't on our 10-night on Riviera 12/021. These were just 10-night cruises. We'll definitely need it for our 20-night B2B on Riviera 10/30-11/19, 2023!

[meg1021]

On 2/28/2023 at 2:22 PM, bikegrrrl said:

We are going on this cruise in 2024, also newbies to Oceania.  Thanks for your review!!  I am a little concerned about how I am supposed to pack for the Amazon, Antartica, and a nice dining room....  did you find this cruise to be formal in the evening, or were people a little more relaxed?

We just got back from 48 days on the Insignia, from San Francisco to Rio. The second 24 day segment was from Santiago to Rio, so we needed clothes for 90+ degree weather to 30s and snow.  We had packable puffers that had hoods.  They are relatively inexpensive ($50-$100), and are available online. I bought my knee length one from Macy's, and my husband's from Amazon. His folds up into one of the pockets of his jacket, mine into a small bag, which is included.  They weigh around 8 0z, and information is online about what temperature they're good in.  I would also suggest bringing long sleeve Under Armor, since it can be layered under sweaters,etc.  It's a bonus to have free laundry facilities onboard, so no need to over pack. A packable windbreaker would also be good to have.  If you're planning on going to Iguazu Falls in Argentina, and planning on doing to Grand Adventure that takes you on a zodiac under the falls, bring an extra set of dry clothes and put them in the water proof bag provided, for you shoes and electronics.  We did the Grand Adventure, which I highly recommend, but I didn't have dry clothes, and walked the upper circuit of the Falls in very wet clothes.

 

I hope that you enjoy this itinerary.  We certainly did!  The scenery is breath taking and the excursions were unbelievable from Punta Arenas, Ushuaia, and the Falklands.  Puerto Chocobuco excursions were a disappointment.  Oceania hired a fantastic Antarctica team, led by Stephanie Martin, who gave running commentary from the bridge.  The remainder of the team gave informative enrichment talks, and were very helpful answering passenger's questions.  Enjoy your upcoming cruise!!

[mauibabes]

We did the BA to Santiago cruise in January on Marina and it has become my DW’s #1 cruise, supplanting the Amazon.  We did it with one 25” suitcase and one Carry On bag each.  I use a CPAP so load all my meds and electronics in the same bag on board the aircraft as it does not count against the bag limit.  You can pack comfortably in these two bags each. No sports jacket needed, just evening wear with slacks and always LS shirts as I expect restaurant's to be cool. DW always dresses nicely, no ball gowns 🤪  Again, layers. We also did the Iguazu Falls Pre trip and that was an outstanding addition to our trip and highly recommended. Sorry folks, Niagara Falls is a 6 compared to the 10 of Iguazu Falls, especially if there has been recent rain in the Andes which there was for us.  
 

From everything I have experienced or read from other posters, all the O presenters on the various cruises have been Outstanding. With temps in the 30’s plus the wind, to 85-90 in Argentina, we survived with layers. DW had the Puffer and I took my old reliable Duluth Trading Company California winter coat and we were just fine.  Remember, you can view most everything from inside horizon’s or elsewhere inside and you don’t have to hang outside for hours trying to freeze solid.  
it is an awesome trip and the views of Antarctica are breathtaking. The motion of the ocean can effect be rough. We had the 20-25’ waves and winds to 50 mph. Some became ill but overall it was a very doable experience. Go and Enjoy.

Mauibabes. 

[YoPhilly]

On 3/17/2023 at 11:49 AM, MEFIowa said:

Yes, wife did laundry on our 10-ight Sirena cruise 11/2022. 

My husband does the laundry when we cruise!!  😁

Edited March 18, 2023 by YoPhilly

[mauibabes]

@YoPhilly

And I too do the laundry but I do get an assist when multiple washers and dryers are done at the same time🤪 Besides, it is a great place to meet other guests and get the low down on what is going on aboard. I can even iron 😇

I am sure I will be in charge of laundry duty on Vista in October. We may also use the 3 Free Wash bags as well to lessen my workload, ha ha!

Mauibabes

[Izaak Walton]

Thank you so much for the detailed and thorough review. We will be on the same cruise in 2024, and it will be our first time on O, as well. Food is a big deal for us, too, so I am looking forward to that.

 

Having visited Iguazu twice in the past, we won't be taking that excursion, but I second the recommendations. It is truly spectacular.