Oceania Vista Review: May 20, 2023

[many cruises]

We chose this cruise because we wanted to return to cruising after many land trips, but wanted a higher level of cruising than we experienced on larger ships.  The ship is gorgeous with a contemporary decor.   Soothing colors, fantastic lighting, and upscale finishes are everywhere.  We think this is probably the most beautiful ship we have sailed on after 30 plus cruises.

Cabin:  We booked an Aft Concierge Cabin on Deck 9, and it was very nice.  The bathroom was wonderful and roomy with many drawers, cabinets, and hooks for extra storage.  The shower was large with a rain shower and hand held attachment.  It was the best bathroom we ever had on cruise.  We were close to the aft elevators, but never heard any noise.  The balcony had cushioned chairs and a small table and we were very comfortable there.    

Service:  Keep in mind the Vista has only been in the water since May 13, 2023, and you'll understand why there were some service issues in the dining room.  We did not eat there every night, but 3 of the 4 nights we ate there, our meals were served to the wrong people at our table.  There really is no excuse for that, except the waiters record the orders on iPads and a few nights the iPads weren't working.  

The service in the Waves Grill was spotty with lines to order food.  Multiple times we were there, many empty tables were cluttered with dirty dishes that weren't cleared.  They appeared to have staffing shortages there because a few times we saw management helping clear the tables. 

There were some problems at the Destinations Desk that appeared to be from the top down.  When questions were asked, we received multiple answers from different staff members there.  This created confusion and we noted the Destinations Manager being visible trying to handle the chaos.  Please note: Some of the ports required long walks to exit the terminals and they were difficult for some passengers to exit.  It would have been helpful to have some sort of shuttle to help people with walking especially in the lengthy Istanbul Terminal.   Communication was lacking about the amount of walking to exit the terminals at the ports and incorrect information was being told to passengers by staff members.

The service on the rest of the ship was very good and our room steward  in our concierge Cabin was excellent.  When we asked for additional hangers, cooler air conditioning, and ice each request was taken care immediately.  The service in the Terrace Cafe was excellent and the food there was delicious.  Most items are served directly to passengers and many are cooked on the spot.  My husband and I both commented on the delicious meals in the Terrace Cafe and we felt that the food there was better than in the Grand Dining Room.  We usually do not eat at buffets on a cruise, but because most dishes were prepared for passengers we ate there multiple nights.

Alternative Dining:  We ate at Red Ginger twice and we highly recommend this restaurant.  The decor of this restaurant is beautiful and so interesting to look at too.  The food was wonderful with excellent service.  Another night we had dinner at the Polo Grill.  The steak seemed to be lower quality than what is usually served in a steakhouse, so improvement in the quality of the meat should be looked at.

Shows:  Since this was a port intensive itinerary, we only attended 3 shows and thoroughly enjoyed those we attended.  It was wonderful not having to rush to get to the theater early to get a seat.  We arrived a few minutes early each time and we were able to get great seats for each show.

Itinerary Highlights:  From the port of Bari we took an Oceania excursion to Alberbello to see the truli homes there.  It was touristy but very enjoyable.  On the half day in Istanbul we booked the Cruise on the Bosphorus and visited both the Asian side and the European side of Istanbul.  We highly recommend this excursion because you have narrated views of the famous buildings in Istanbul from the water.  As beautiful as Santorini is, we were disappointed there were 7 ships there.  It was mobbed with people making it difficult to wander around.  One of the store keepers expressed his disgust with the cruise lines to us.  It took us 1.5 hours waiting in line to get up the cable car and 1.5 hours to take the cable car back to the ship.  This was not our first time there, but I doubt we will get off the ship again with so many ships docked there.

Summary:  The Oceania Vista is a beautiful ship.  The food was very good, even with some service problems in the dining room.  The Terrace Café was a great alternative to casual dining with great food options.  Hopefully, management will correct some of the service problems on board.  We were pleasantly surprised that the shows were so enjoyable and especially liked the smaller theater.  We booked an open booking for a future cruise and will sail on Vista or Allure in the near future.

[Pizzasteve]

Removed 

Edited June 13, 2023 by Pizzasteve

[Hambagahle]

Thank you for this interesting and comprehensive review.  We are booked on Vista for April 2024 and after reading what you have to say we are even more excited about it!!

 

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review.

[edgee]

Thanks for this review. We have two cruises booked on Vista...LA to Miami Canal cruise in November and 11 night Caribbean cruise in late January. Hopefully service issues will be addressed by then.

[grifdoglover]

Such a pleasure to read this review!  Thank you!

[Lastdance]

Many thanks for your balanced review, as new ships are always prone to these types of mishaps.  We booked a TA, but not until May of 2025.  I enjoy new ships; my DH and I want to spend some extra time in Portugal, so thought the ship and itinerary looked very appealing for the price.  I sincerely appreciate your time.

[dock]

Thank you for taking the time to write a review.