Oceania Riviera Review, July 2023

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, Vineyard View said:

Ports are skipped for legitimate reasons, and that just happens. What I am reading are very questionable skipped ports on the itinerary reviewed, along with a number of others that have chimed in. When I read that this is an Oceania pattern, that concerns me. So I guess the question is how legit is the concern?  How prevalent is this vs similar lines, or luxury? Again, notwithstanding ports that are legit skips. 

We have not sailed since covid shutdown    but  yes our ports times on upcoming cruise have been adjusted

 In the past ports  were missed but as far as I could tell it was for good reason

 

I guess you will not know for sure until it happens   to you

Lots of conspiracy theories 🙂

 

I am just hoping  for no hurricanes  😲

[Vineyard View]

Thanks for your reasoning. As you said, time will tell and we are hoping for the best. 
 

I hope for you no hurricanes as well. We hit a subtropical on our way from NYC to the Caribbean just preC on Viking and it was not something I would want to repeat. Made the North Sea wild ride seem a bit calm in comparison. 
 

Enjoy your first postC cruise! 

[Hanoj]

3 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

We are also scheduled on our first Oceania cruise next Spring. These posts make me wonder if I should second guess my decision. We chose the itinerary as the primary, backed by our TA highly encouraging the food aspect, plus the Marina renovation. If ports are skipped for no apparent reason, and port times are reduced once on board, it will be a one and done for us as well. 

 

Ditto for us on Vista British Isles Splendors embarking Aug. 18, 2023. Holyhead, Wales is included in the itinerary and is often missed due to rough seas, so I have adjusted my expectations. Ports integrity (including making and time in) is the most important criteria, cetaris paribus, for us regarding whether we book again with Oceania.

 

We booked our cruise June 2. 2023 and considered booking future "cruise only" sailings before SM went into affect July 1 but didn't, primarily over concerns arising form comments in this forum about skipped ports for dubious reasons. 

 

Oceania has one opportunity to gain repeat business from us.

Edited August 1, 2023 by Hanoj

[anamari]

On 7/29/2023 at 7:12 PM, PinonNoir said:

I recently wrote a review about our stateroom experience on our Riviera cruise, and I wanted to write a review about our cruise experience overall.  This was our third Oceania cruise, so we had some experience and expectations going in.  I will try to remain balanced in my review.  We just disembarked 9 days ago, so I'm writing this while my memory is fresh.

 

First the positives:

 

1. The multitude of restaurant options is great.  There is something for everybody, and for a 12 day cruise it was nice to be able to eat in a variety of spaces.

2. The ship has a lot of common spaces to enjoy, and none of them felt overly crowded.

3. The Barista's spot makes excellent coffee....the best on the ship in our opinion.  We were regulars there.  Really fantastic...even staffed by an Italian!

4. The Oceania staff is excellent.  They always seem to go above and beyond with limited exceptions (sticking to positives here).

5. The ship was clean everywhere we went, including common area bathrooms.

6. Embarkation went smoothly, and we were in our stateroom quickly.  Our luggage showed up fairly quickly.

7. It seemed that the Bridge crew went out of their way to sail in such a manner as to keep the ship's movements minimized as much as possible.

8. We had dinner in Privee 3 times, and two of those times were outstanding (remember, this is the positives)!

9. Our Butler and support staff were top notch, cordial, professional and just outstanding in every way!

10. Fellow passengers all seemed to be well seasoned travelers, with mostly positive attitudes.  This is important to us.  We hate being around people who are "fun vampires".

 

Ok, now the negatives...which I'm going to be as honest as possible about.  I am not piling on here, just telling it like it is:

 

1. The food has slipped.  We noticed this in pretty much every restaurant, with the possible exception of Toscana.  However, on our last night , we ate in Toscana, and I ordered a Maine Lobster dish.  It was bad...very fishy...as if the lobster was way past it's prime.  I returned it immediately and ordered another pasta I had ordered previously, and it was of course excellent.  Why did they serve lobster that was unworthy of an Oceania customer?  It was really bad!  This is my last night on the ship, and it remains a solid memory.  Bad form.

 

2.  The wifi.  Holy mother of God what in the world is Oceania doing with this wifi?  I could hear my old 4400 baud modem clanging away as I tried to log in, but the wifi on the ship was no match for my 4400 bauds!  I write a travel blog for fun....and I couldn't even upload a photo without waiting an hour!  Fortunately we were near land on occasion and I could use my international plan to do some work, but I'm still a week behind thanks to their "Pony Express" wifi!  We had two "at sea" days due to canceled ports of call (coming up on #3), and I can't tell you how many hours I wasted trying to write one blog post!  Also, when you are logged in, you get logged out repeatedly.....over and over....never for more than a few hours at a time.  It was a constant struggle, almost like they would log you out on purpose!

 

3. Ok, here is a rant with a conspiracy theory.  Our ship pulled into the Faroe Islands, turned around in the harbor about a dozen times, very slowly, and then abruptly left.  The Captain said it was due to weather, but it was sunny and calm.  We were supposed to be there for two full days, and I had a private excursion planned (for 10 people) that I ended up losing over $2000 on.  A week prior to this the Faroe Island populace had a pilot whale hunt where they killed a bunch of them in front of another cruse ship.  It's my firm belief that Oceania Corporate told the Captain to pull into harbor, make a big show of the fact we were there, and then depart, sending a political message.  The company I was working with on the excursion advised me they had no idea why the Captain didn't dock, as the weather was calmer than usual.  If Oceania wants to take a political stance with the Faroe Islands, fine, but don't impact my cruise experience!  I was really looking forward to this port!

 

4. We had a habit of getting iced tea every day at the Waves Bar by the pool.  Our last day on the ship, we stopped by the bar and there was nobody there, during their opening hours.  We went up to Horizons to see if they could help us.  They told us they didn't have iced tea, go back to Waves Bar.  When we told them nobody was there, they said "oh well".  This was a group of 3 guys at the bar.  W T F?  This is not the service we have come to expect from Oceania!  One of these guys should have said "what is your stateroom number, I'll get some and bring it to you!"  I think the fact it was the last day on board lended itself to staff taking a lazy attitude towards the customers...."oh well, they are about gone, I'm done hustling for these guys".  I hope that's not the case, but it sure seemed like it.

 

5.  The Grand Dining Room.  We ate here for breakfast one time.  Once!  The food was cold, the coffee was cold, the service was terrible...and it wasn't even crowded!  Again, W T F?  Why is the service in the main dining establishment on the ship so crappy?  How can it be that hard to bring warm eggs from the kitchen to the table?  We ended up eating 10 of 12 breakfasts in our suite.

 

6. The "internet guy".  This guy had the worst attitude on the ship.  We couldn't get logged into the wifi (not that it was worth logging into) on our first day so we went to see him on our second day.  He really doesn't want to be there.  After taking care of us he walked away, and there was somebody waiting behind us.  We realized his "working hours" had ended at the same time he took care of us, so screw that guy behind you, he can wait until tomorrow.  Again, W T F?

 

7. The Best of Oceania!  One of the 3 nights we ate in Privee we picked the "Best of Oceania" dining menu.  It was terrible.  Every dish was lackluster.  It's been too long to remember details at this point, but the entire group of 10 was disappointed.  If you do Privee, stick with the Polo and Toscana menus.

 

8. The "Sommeliers".  The wine people on the ship, while they are nice, don't know how to pour wine in equal servings.  Now I know pouring one bottle for 10 people is difficult, but this is likely a common occurrence and it should be practiced. We always ended up with one person who had almost twice as much wine as another, and with high end wines and high end enthusiasts, this is not a fun vibe!

 

9. Dress code.  I know the dress code says no jeans to dinner, or around the ship after dinner, but this code is broken so often without consequence that I wonder why it's the dress code?  I would prefer to wear jeans every day....just my thing, but I didn't.  Kinda weird to see what was accepted in the restaurants in the end.  Maybe just allow jeans?  I know, you purists out there want us all in tuxedos.

 

10. Stemware.  Ok, this is just going to be me most likely, but stemware matters.  Double the amount of decent Pinot Noir glasses you currently carry.  Schott Zwiesel makes some excellent Pinot glasses that are actually made with Titanium, and they are super hard to break.  I know, these are my daily drinkers at home, and I've barely broken any over the last 15 years!  Buy a bunch of these so your high end red wine drinkers are happy.

 

Ok, I think I've mentioned everything here.  I'll have my wife review tomorrow....she has the good memory in the family...and will add anything she brings up.  Again, thanks for reading!

 

Well, as you know we were on the same cruise and I just read your review to my husband and we could not agree more with your review. 

I always say that the one thing that makes O special is the people, they are amazing with very few exceptions. Our butler and room attendant and assistant were the best!  On this cruise there was an individual at the Front Desk who was not friendly or helpful at all. I was super excited to see the remodeled Riviera and was soo looking forward to the new walk in shower but lo' and behold we ended up with a tub in our bathroom. I called the Front Desk to discuss this as we were never told and they gave me a song and dance (the same man I mention above) said he would refer it to the GM to call me and never heard a word from them.

 

The food has suffered as this was our 3rd cruise with Oceania and 2nd on Riviera and we noticed! 

As you said, we went to breakfast at the Main Dining Room and I swear my scrambled eggs were from powdered eggs, not edible. The waiter didn't even comment on why I did not touch my eggs. We never went back for breakfast! Toscana was our hands down favorite with truly delicious food and service. I ordered the surf and turf at the Polo Grill and my filet must have been 1 1/2" circumference at best. By the way, the concierge lounge in previous cruises had the best little sandwiches and cookies for times when you may have missed a meal because of an excursion or whatever, scarce to non-existent on this cruise.

 

The Barista lounge has the best coffee ever and we resorted to going there as much as possible and hanging out.

 

The missed ports were a huge disappointment and the extra day at sea was boring!!!

You didn't mention the entertainment but on this cruise we thought it was sub par.  The piano player at the Grand Bar was very nice.

 

The laundry service is wonderful.

 

 

 

 

[Jayne E]

46 minutes ago, anamari said:I was super excited to see the remodeled Riviera and was soo looking forward to the new walk in shower but lo' and behold we ended up with a tub in our bathroom. I called the Front Desk to discuss this as we were never told and they gave me a song and dance (the same man I mention above) said he would refer it to the GM to call me and never heard a word from them.

I believe that all A4 Riviera cabins have a tub. Our friends insisted on an A4 for cruise next week and insisted that their TA knows “everything “. We backed off and didn’t tell them that not only did they have a tub and small shower, but they missed the Extraordinary Savings sale.  They insisted that if I deed there was a sale, their extraordinary TA would let the know. $5,600 mistake. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ORV]

Here are the exact rooms For Future Reference. 

 

Penthouse Suites and Staterooms with the bathtub and shower:

PH3: 9138, 9145, 10002, 10003, 10004, 10005, 10008, 10009, 10010, 10011

A4: 9002, 9003, 9004, 9005, 9006, 9007, 9008, 9009, 9010, 9011, 9012, 9019, 9126, 9128, 9130, 9132, 9133, 9134, 9135, 9136, 9137, 9139, 9141, 9143

B4: 7010, 7011, 7012, 7014, 7015, 7016, 7017, 7018, 7019, 7020, 7021, 7022, 7023, 7024, 7025, 7026, 7027, 7028, 7029, 7031, 7102, 7104, 7105, 7106, 7107, 7109

[Harters]

16 hours ago, Hanoj said:

Holyhead, Wales is included in the itinerary and is often missed due to rough seas

That's interesting. I know North Wales well. Holyhead is only a couple of hours drive from me. It's a major port for the ferries between Great Britain and Ireland. Hadnt appreciated that rough seas would be bad enough to cancel a large cruise ship. Must be even more common for the ferries

[Hanoj]

7 hours ago, Harters said:

That's interesting. I know North Wales well. Holyhead is only a couple of hours drive from me. It's a major port for the ferries between Great Britain and Ireland. Hadnt appreciated that rough seas would be bad enough to cancel a large cruise ship. Must be even more common for the ferries

I have no experience with this, though I have read enough comments on various CC threads for several different lines and from private tour operators out of Holyhead, suggesting it happens with some frequency. Some of the tour operators offer excursions into North Wales from Liverpool.

[Harters]

17 minutes ago, Hanoj said:

happens with some frequency.

The Irish Sea can get choppy. We went to the Isle of Man a few years back, using the fast ferry from Liverpool. It's known to Manx folk as the "vomit comet". And with good reason. 

[LHT28]

8 hours ago, Harters said:

That's interesting. I know North Wales well. Holyhead is only a couple of hours drive from me. It's a major port for the ferries between Great Britain and Ireland. Hadnt appreciated that rough seas would be bad enough to cancel a large cruise ship. Must be even more common for the ferries

I have tried over the years to get to Holyhead via cruise ship  3 times

If I want to see Wales I guess it will be  a land trip 😉

 

[babydrum]

On 7/30/2023 at 4:01 AM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Perhaps you are unaware that missed/changed ports cost O $ expenses not passed on to passengers.

In addition to man-hours for renavigation and possible added fuel costs, there are the expenses associated with logistical changes (some $ commitments for a missed port must still be honored) and then there are the added cost of the new port (tugs, longshoremen, etc). Remember too the unanticipated costs of extra  F&B service when the ship misses a port. 
None of those costs are passed on to you.

No ship’s Master or Chief Engineer wants any itinerary change.

Yet they seem to do it all the time.  Those explanations don't make sense to me when I see the number of complaints of missed ports and shortened port stays.  It's concerning and trying to plan around it is very difficult.  I only take excursions that allow me to cancel within 24 hours or that don't charge me if the ship doesn't dock.  Even then, last minute changes like the one described by OP would not be covered in the cases where they require 24 hour notice. 

[jonthomas]

Makes it very difficult to do private tours. I have given up because of so many reasons and so many unknowns.

[redraider1966]

4 hours ago, LHT28 said:

I have tried over the years to get to Holyhead via cruise ship  3 times

If I want to see Wales I guess it will be  a land trip 😉

 

While we've been on a Marina cruise that managed a call at Holyhead in 2018, we've also visited northern parts of Wales via private excursions out of Liverpool -- a safer bet.  Check out the Busy Bus if they're still operating..  They gave us a great small group tour and are lots of fun.

Edited August 2, 2023 by redraider1966
adding date for cruise

[QuestionEverything]

47 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Makes it very difficult to do private tours. I have given up because of so many reasons and so many unknowns.

Hence why O has mandated it into your cruise price, of course "free", like right, to ensure no one using private tours. So of course, when they "miss" the ports, there is no $ consequence to them, they already have your $.

The more I learn, the more it smells bad.

[FetaCheese]

For those who have been cruising for many decades and/or tens of voyages:  consider yourself very fortunate not to have ever had a port CXL'd.

 

Have been on some 45 cruises, and while the number of ports missed has be small, it does happen.

[china addict]

On 7/30/2023 at 1:49 AM, PinonNoir said:

Wait, English Muffins are an American invention?  I'm happy to say I had them most mornings for breakfast, so they remain available.  I can't comment on corned beef hash...not my thing. Hell, just the name is off-putting!

I grew up in England and had never heard of English Muffins until I moved to California.  I love them, but the UK can't claim to have invented them.  I grew up on crumpets, those toasted things with bubble holes all over the top to soak up the butter.  Google crumpets.  You can buy them at Trader Joe's.

[china addict]

On 7/30/2023 at 2:20 PM, PinonNoir said:

Gotcha. If your wife is Thai I fear for your reaction to Red Ginger. I really hope you find it enjoyable, or at least acceptable!  Getting Thai right is an art form.

 

[china addict]

The food in Red Ginger is prepared to appeal to a wide swath of diners, many of whom prefer their food bland.  After a few initial disappointments we have learned to specify that we are not afraid of spicy.  I actually believe that when the chefs are advised upfront, they enjoy making their dishes as  authentic as possible.  Don't leave it to chance, specify your heat preference when ordering. 

[YourWorldWithBill]

9 minutes ago, china addict said:

The food in Red Ginger is prepared to appeal to a wide swath of diners, many of whom prefer their food bland.  After a few initial disappointments we have learned to specify that we are not afraid of spicy.  I actually believe that when the chefs are advised upfront, they enjoy making their dishes as  authentic as possible.  Don't leave it to chance, specify your heat preference when ordering. 

What's interesting is that although my wife is from the south of Thailand, where the food has the reputation of being hotter, she doesn't like spicy food, but I do. We always make it clear when ordering!

[china addict]

On 7/31/2023 at 7:52 AM, sunlover12 said:

I'm not an expert on wine but I do love it.  The glass that it is poured in does make a difference. I don't drink beer or hard liquor. Wine is it for me. I take notice of the glass and for those who don't, that's fine but don't be critical of those who do.

 

I think it's a valid point that fine wine is best served in fine stemware.  A cup of tea tastes better in fine china than a styrofoam cup.  I enjoy prime steak more on a china plate than a paper plate with plastic utensils and a paper napkin.  Of course, some people eat their tuna straight from the can standing at the kitchen sink.  To each his own.  We all have different priorities, and that's fine.  The world is big enough to accommodate us all.

[Vineyard View]

3 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

For those who have been cruising for many decades and/or tens of voyages:  consider yourself very fortunate not to have ever had a port CXL'd.

 

Have been on some 45 cruises, and while the number of ports missed has be small, it does happen.

Absolutely ports are cancelled. It happens. What catches my attention are the many posts about cancelled ports for no apparent reason nor attempt to substitute. Also the number of last minute shortened port stays, and yes, I realize that  this does happen from time to time. After reading these reports I looked around a little, not extensively, and noticed another post on another board referring to Oceania being known for doing this more than other lines. IDK.

[1985rz1]

43 minutes ago, china addict said:

I think it's a valid point that fine wine is best served in fine stemware.  A cup of tea tastes better in fine china than a styrofoam cup.  I enjoy prime steak more on a china plate than a paper plate with plastic utensils and a paper napkin.  Of course, some people eat their tuna straight from the can standing at the kitchen sink.  To each his own.  We all have different priorities, and that's fine.  The world is big enough to accommodate us all.

I understand your point, but there is a wide range between fine china and a Styrofoam cups and a fine china plate and a paper plate.  Oceania doesn't serve its wine in Styrofoam cups or its steaks on paper plates.  I think the poster say that he thinks crystal stemware is essential over a somewhat lesser quality glass stemware.

[Vineyard View]

43 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

I understand your point, but there is a wide range between fine china and a Styrofoam cups and a fine china plate and a paper plate.  Oceania doesn't serve its wine in Styrofoam cups or its steaks on paper plates.  I think the poster say that he thinks crystal stemware is essential over a somewhat lesser quality glass stemware.

All true. But the suggested Zwiesel isn’t over the top expensive at all. It is a great everyday wine glass with a good selection for different varietals. A wine will truly open up better in a shape designed for that type of wine. Riedel may be asking  too much from a cruise line, and I get that, but this in my opinion, isn’t asking too much. 

[LHT28]

I thought Oceania used Reidel  maybe changed  ??

 

I draw the line  at paper cups for coffee or tea 

 

[Harters]

7 hours ago, china addict said:

The food in Red Ginger is prepared to appeal to a wide swath of diners, many of whom prefer their food bland. 

I have only had one experience with Red Ginger. And, as a first timer, you just don't know that what sound like traditional dishes are actually going to be very bland. Not just an underuse of chilli, but an underuse of all spice. Of course, I know now for the future.