Vista changes

[pinotlover]

Just got this email from Oceania via my TA.

 

“” Subject: Vista - Privee updated

 

Dear valued guest,

 

We would like to inform you of an important update to your Privee reservation.

 

Kindly be advised Privee will not be offered due to the new concept being programmed onboard Vista. Therefore, your reservation has been removed and a full refund will be issued to your original form of payment…””

 

My TA hasn’t a clue as to what’s going on. Time will tell. Any others getting this email?

[LHT28]

Did you have a La Reserve type dinner booked or just the Privee dining experience ?

 Maybe they will now be doing La Reserve dinners only

 

[pinotlover]

The Privee was booked. We had ten people booked which is max occupancy. One would imagine Oceania would offer us first choice if a La Reserve dinner was their plan. Oceania did NOT! They merely canceled our reservation. 
 

They didn’t send us any information on menu options.

 

 

Edited April 21, 2023 by pinotlover

[mauibabes]

I received the same notice yesterday as our May 18 reservation was cancelled. I made the reservation a couple months ago. I am not even going to guess why,”out of my pay grade”, because this has to be a decision from well up the food chain.  I will address it with the F&B Director or GM at the Meet and Greet with FDR. 
🙏😇 Definitely ready to Check In for the Founder’s Cruise. 
Mauibabes

[cruisingxpert]

I got the same email for my May 28th Privee booking but I wasn't even a valued guest🤥

Mine was addressed

"Dear Value Guest,

[cruisingxpert]

56 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

” Subject: Vista - Privee updated

What cruise date was your Privee for?

[Cliff-FLL]

We got the same email, along with a refund for both nights we'd booked.  I may have misinterpreted the explanation, but it appears that the Privée concept will be merging with the La Réserve.  Privée will continue to be a limited-seating dining venue but the guests will have paid separately for special, exclusive menus, just as they currently do with La Réserve.  There will not be wine pairings and they will no longer be renting it to private groups.  As I said, I'm sure I have some of the details wrong but, if I know Cruise Critic, they'll be someone in the wings ready to pounce.

Catherine & Linda - Sorry!  No Privée in September!

Edited April 21, 2023 by Cliff-FLL

[cruisingxpert]

I loved the Privee bookings - I'm beginning to miss Marina and Riviera already. 

[tvmovielover]

We booked Privee for ourselves and BIL and SIL for one of our anniversaries on Marina.  We had a wonderful meal and lots of attention and our waiter recognized and was very good to us in the MDR for the rest of the cruise.  I would do that again and liked it as well or better than our somewhat pretentious La Reserve meal on our last cruise.  I miss Marina too.

 

[pinotlover]

34 minutes ago, cruisingxpert said:

What cruise date was your Privee for?

June 20th.

 

 

[Cliff-FLL]

Let's see...

They've eliminated Jacques, Privée, & La Réserve.  Instead, we now have Ember, which seems to be curiously close to an upscale Denny's and a new, hybrid version of La Réserve and Privée that sounds iffy.  Tell me again how Vista is supposed to be an improvement on Marina & Riviera.

[pinotlover]

36 minutes ago, Cliff-FLL said:

We got the same email, along with a refund for both nights we'd booked.  I may have misinterpreted the explanation, but it appears that the Privée concept will be merging with the La Réserve.  Privée will continue to be a limited-seating dining venue but the guests will have paid separately for special, exclusive menus, just as they currently do with La Réserve.  There will not be wine pairings and they will no longer be renting it to private groups.  As I said, I'm sure I have some of the details wrong but, if I know Cruise Critic, they'll be someone in the wings ready to pounce.

Catherine & Linda - Sorry!  No Privée in September!

For our Vista cruise commencing on June 11, there are NO La Reserve or Privee dining options listed available for booking on the entire cruise.
 

Oceania’s deserved reputation is providing the absolute least amount of information possible. They continue their practices. If other options were going to be offered, for that evening, good customer relations would have suggested offering those to us first since we had a paid reservation. We were merely told our reservation was canceled. 

[Cliff-FLL]

1 minute ago, pinotlover said:

For our Vista cruise commencing on June 11, there are NO La Reserve or Privee dining options listed available for booking on the entire cruise.

We called them about it and it was explained that they were taking Privée in a new direction and they wouldn't be booking it as a private venue any longer. FWIW, they will, after all, be doing wine pairings and using some of the old La Resérve menus. We were also told that we could not book it until we were on board, as the menus will be rotating regularly during the cruise.

[pinotlover]

Actually I’m quickly losing interest in the affair. Typically, we book our tours, then La Reserve and Privee, around those. Then we book our Specialties based on our remaining schedule.

 

Now, on undisclosed nights, they will have some dinner options we won’t know  about until boarding. Also assuming those on the preceding cruise ( B2B) will have already had the option to sign up. Therefore, for such a low capacity venue,  the available desirable options will be slim. Yawn. Whatever. 

[Cliff-FLL]

1 hour ago, cruisingxpert said:

"Dear Value Guest,

Got the same thing.  Gosh, makes me feel just like a Walmart shopper! 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, cruisingxpert said:

I loved the Privee bookings - I'm beginning to miss Marina and Riviera already. 

Except - who knows if this Priveé thing extends to the O ships as well.

[Mura]

I'm beginning to be happier about having had to cancel our Vista cruise in late August ...

 

Well, maybe not "happier" ... but at least more content. These changes do not strike me as being "improvements".

[Jancruz]

I will check tomorrow and see whats happening..

Jancruz1

[Flatbush Flyer]

11 minutes ago, Jancruz said:

I will check tomorrow and see whats happening..

Jancruz1

It’s my understanding that the relatively new “wine bar” concept on the two O ships has been very successful. And it is a great use of the La Reserve space which used to sit empty on many non-dinner evenings.

Priveé (at least, on the two O ships) presents the same efficacy challenge and, while I’d hate to see an increase in paid dining venue, nightly use would make more sense from a business perspective. Of course, it could become a mixed use space: some fraction of the week available for “rent” while the rest of the week, it becomes a paid dining venue.

 

 

[jazznruby]

23 hours ago, Cliff-FLL said:

Let's see...

They've eliminated Jacques, Privée, & La Réserve.  Instead, we now have Ember, which seems to be curiously close to an upscale Denny's and a new, hybrid version of La Réserve and Privée that sounds iffy.  Tell me again how Vista is supposed to be an improvement on Marina & Riviera.

 

16 hours ago, Mura said:

I'm beginning to be happier about having had to cancel our Vista cruise in late August ...

 

Well, maybe not "happier" ... but at least more content. These changes do not strike me as being "improvements".

Rather than all this speculation, wouldn't it make more sense to just wait until the first (or second, or third) reviews are in, which will be soon, to form opinions about Vista? Sometimes change is actually a good thing. Having two Vista cruises booked for next year, I'm anxiously waiting... with an open mind.

[Cliff-FLL]

1 hour ago, jazznruby said:

Rather than all this speculation, wouldn't it make more sense to just wait until the first (or second, or third) reviews are in, which will be soon, to form opinions about Vista?

Nah, it's much more fun to speculate...

[Jancruz]

Rather than all this speculation, wouldn't it make more sense to just wait until the first (or second, or third) reviews are in, which will be soon, to form opinions about Vista?

Jancruz1

plus 1

[ToxM]

8 hours ago, Jancruz said:

Rather than all this speculation, wouldn't it make more sense to just wait until the first (or second, or third) reviews are in, which will be soon, to form opinions about Vista?

Jancruz1

plus 1

Stop being so sensible Jan, this is the O board 😉

[cruisingxpert]

11 hours ago, Jancruz said:

Rather than all this speculation, wouldn't it make more sense to just wait until the first (or second, or third) reviews are in, which will be soon, to form opinions about Vista?

Jancruz1

plus 1

 I don't have the luxury of waiting til the reviews are in. I am on the 2nd cruise and I wish I knew more about what O is doing so I could make plans accordingly.

My cruise is very port intensive but I am going to try to post on the cruise unless someone who is good at doing " Live from" will do it.

[pinotlover]

14 hours ago, Jancruz said:

Rather than all this speculation, wouldn't it make more sense to just wait until the first (or second, or third) reviews are in, which will be soon, to form opinions about Vista?

Jancruz1

plus 1

Which one of these is most appropriate? I’ll take the below thst

came first!  

On 4/21/2023 at 11:02 PM, Jancruz said:

I will check tomorrow and see whats happening..

Jancruz1

Edited April 23, 2023 by pinotlover