Riviera Caribbean Cruise 3 Jan 2018 Expectations

We have been cruising off and on since 1979. This will be our first Oceania cruise. Booked PH1 accommodations. We have been to every one of the ports on this 10-night itinerary, some of them several times.

We are not "foodies" but we appreciate what we consider to be "good" food and service. We aren't even wine or beer drinkers; stick mostly to cocktails when we drink at all.

We live on the beach in Fort Lauderdale so this cruise will be a simple "get out of town" type of deal.

I've read a lot of the posts here and we have friends who have sailed on this ship in the past. We think we know about the appropriate clothing and we understand that the entertainment quality and offerings are "tasteful."

We booked through the cruise line and doing so prompted us to take the beverage package with the notion of upgrading once aboard since free shore excursions and OBC were of lesser interest. We may very well stay aboard at a couple of these stops or, at best, walk around on our own.

I keep reading about people getting on board and trying to get additional specialty restaurant reservations (I think we get four already but may be incorrect). Are additional reservations a major "thing?" We think for this cruise we will finally actually eat in our accommodations at least once, if not more, never having done so.

I'm honestly not sure what else I need to be asking. We are not the types to run around a ship feeling compelled to "do everything" but would be interested in what folks might feel are the "not-to-be-missed" activities.

Thank you very much for any suggestions/replies which are appreciated.

Try to book your specialty reservations as soon as you can (see the schedule on O website; also your documents will state when you can book them).

Book all 4 early on in the cruise - maybe consecutive nights. That way you will know which one you like best and try to get extra reservations for the one you like best. If you cannot get additional reservations - which is a possibility - you can always dine ensuite course by course from any specialty restaurant. Odds for getting extra reservations improve with your flexibility to time and table size.

Don't forget the lobster tails in the Terrace for dinner :)

After your butler serves you an evening meal in your suite you might decide to do it another night from a different specialty restaurant.

After your butler serves you an evening meal in your suite you might decide to do it another night from a different specialty restaurant.

Another dining tip: Waves Grill on Lido deck serves cooked to order eggs, and other things, as well as lunch. For lunch they serve a surf and turf sandwich (or surf and surf or turf and turf for that matter).

Find out from friends which travel agents they use and what perks they give. A good TA will give additional on-board credits, or prepaid gratuities. You can transfer your reservation from O to a TA within 60 days of booking - I think it's 60 - without losing any perks from Oceania. or e-mail me at classy1donna at yahoo.com.

Go and enjoy yourself, and do enjoy the PH. Butlers are a great asset!

Donna

Thanks to you for these recommendations. We are looking forward to the overall experience. BTW, is it customary to tip the butler for these sorts of services. I would assume it is.

The Butler's tip is included in your bill; so you do not need to tip for meal service. That being said, most people do give an additional tip to butler and steward at the end of the trip.

I second the recommendation to try the specialty restaurants early in your trip. Also, don't waste a specialty restaurant reservation on the first night; as most are not fully booked and you may well be offered a specialty table when you show up at the MDR.

Thanks for the clarification, SNY.

Just been reading about the "buffet" that we are not supposed to call a "buffet" and all the "issues" with having servers carrying/not carrying plates, picking your own salad, possibly being run over by motorized scooters, and best of all, a bunch of people who have, in the past, cruised with people who "put their fingers into the food."

Wow! This cruise is going to be even more fun that I thought.

I think it is 30 days to transfer your booking to a TA

Bootman

not sure what advice you are looking for you pretty much have an idea of what you want on the cruise

We are not big drinkers or foodies we do not do trivia or bingo

actually I guess pretty boring LOL

We are doing just as you are ..just get away & relax maybe go ashore or not

I suggest just go & enjoy the cruise

LHT28, thank you and I more or less agree. We really want to compare the food and service with what we have been used to on other cruise ships. The overall ambience sounds wonderful thus far and we miss, in some ways, the positive side of having a meal with others and to that end we would probably opt to sit at tables with others rather than by ourselves.

I fully realize there are going to be folks who prefer not to do so and I certainly wouldn't want to find myself being considered "unappreciative" of the food and wine quality and, as a result, "ruin" someone else's meal. It can be a difficult task to find one's way when there seem to be so many others who have this vast amount of travel experience.

LHT28, thank you and I more or less agree. We really want to compare the food and service with what we have been used to on other cruise ships. The overall ambience sounds wonderful thus far and we miss, in some ways, the positive side of having a meal with others and to that end we would probably opt to sit at tables with others rather than by ourselves.

The nice thing about O is you can choose to sit with others or by yourselves anytime you wish

You are not "stuck" at a table with people each night that you may not get on with or go eat in the buffet to avoid them ;)

Some nights we are too tired just to make small talk with others & get a 2 top

sometimes you meet people onboard & enjoy their company & want to share a table with them

There are options

We like the quality over quantity experience

there are somethings in life worth paying extra for :halo:

for us Oceania is one of them

Enjoy your cruise

Lyn

I do feel that getting specialty restaurant reservations is important. We sailed on the Riviera twice and found the food in the specialty restaurants dramatically better than in the Terrace Cafe or MDR. I guess it depends upon the person since food is subjective and what they are used to varies. We found a plethora of items on the Terrace Cafe buffet but also found the quality less than what we were used to.

While we may be unusual since most people love the food on Oceania, the main reason we have not sailed with them again is the food!

Thanks for all the additional comments. Yes, I agree, the whole food thing is subjective as your comment about the food and what you are used to perfectly illustrates.

Yes, you are so correct, Food is definitely subjective, what one person thinks is fantastic, the next person would dislike it completely. Good idea to try all the dining options, then make up your own Mind, same goes with most venues aboard. There is always a little "Hitch" along with most Cruises I have been on (32) and still going strong. Do not let these little things take away from your Cruise Experience. Overall you most DEFINATELY enjoy your Cruise on the Riviera. My wife and I are doing the Dec 12th Cruise. Good Luck and please do enjoy it.

To Bootman4U,

One thing rarely mentioned (probably because is does not matter to most Oceania clients) is the Outside deck games on the larger "O" ships.( shuffleboard, croquet, golf putting and a small one table ping/pong. The Oceania guest that do participate are usually great fun and, like trivia, you can get big "O" points (to exchange for Oceania advertising clothing at the end of the cruise.

Most days, your daily Current will list the times, usually mid-morning and mind afternoon for two of the above each. At other times you can DIY (do it yourself). on sea days usually two of the singer/dancers run things with one usually running things on port days. Most of these young people are very pleasant, considering that most singer/dancers on other cruise lines do not have to do this sort of thing.

Sorry to waste your time if you could not care less.

To Bootman4U,

 

One thing rarely mentioned (probably because is does not matter to most Oceania clients) is the Outside deck games on the larger "O" ships.( shuffleboard, croquet, golf putting and a small one table ping/pong. The Oceania guest that do participate are usually great fun and, like trivia, you can get big "O" points (to exchange for Oceania advertising clothing at the end of the cruise.

 

Most days, your daily Current will list the times, usually mid-morning and mind afternoon for two of the above each. At other times you can DIY (do it yourself). on sea days usually two of the singer/dancers run things with one usually running things on port days. Most of these young people are very pleasant, considering that most singer/dancers on other cruise lines do not have to do this sort of thing.

 

Sorry to waste your time if you could not care less.

Don't forget paddle tennis on the big ships.

I do feel that getting specialty restaurant reservations is important. We sailed on the Riviera twice and found the food in the specialty restaurants dramatically better than in the Terrace Cafe or MDR. I guess it depends upon the person since food is subjective and what they are used to varies. We found a plethora of items on the Terrace Cafe buffet but also found the quality less than what we were used to.

 

While we may be unusual since most people love the food on Oceania, the main reason we have not sailed with them again is the food!

I would agree with this as well, the Specialties all seemed to execute their food better, I guess it helps that they have the same menu nightly so the chefs don't have as much variation. The MDR on the other hand was hit or miss in my opinion, and I think a lot of that has to do with the constantly changing menu. We had some excellent items in the MDR and we had some that were very disappointing, on a few occasions we did just send back disappointing entrees and politely asked for something we knew we liked (the spaghetti bolognese was always to our liking).

The next time we cruise Oceania we will probably end up booking more La Reserve dinners to supplement our Specialties and roll the dice on the MDR less. The La Reserve meals are prepared by the Executive Chef for some courses and one of the Sous Chefs and assistants for the rest. Amazing meal and quite a good "value" all things considered!!!

We have been cruising off and on since 1979. This will be our first Oceania cruise. Booked PH1 accommodations. We have been to every one of the ports on this 10-night itinerary, some of them several times.

 

We are not "foodies" but we appreciate what we consider to be "good" food and service. We aren't even wine or beer drinkers; stick mostly to cocktails when we drink at all.

 

We live on the beach in Fort Lauderdale so this cruise will be a simple "get out of town" type of deal.

 

I've read a lot of the posts here and we have friends who have sailed on this ship in the past. We think we know about the appropriate clothing and we understand that the entertainment quality and offerings are "tasteful."

 

We booked through the cruise line and doing so prompted us to take the beverage package with the notion of upgrading once aboard since free shore excursions and OBC were of lesser interest. We may very well stay aboard at a couple of these stops or, at best, walk around on our own.

 

I keep reading about people getting on board and trying to get additional specialty restaurant reservations (I think we get four already but may be incorrect). Are additional reservations a major "thing?" We think for this cruise we will finally actually eat in our accommodations at least once, if not more, never having done so.

 

I'm honestly not sure what else I need to be asking. We are not the types to run around a ship feeling compelled to "do everything" but would be interested in what folks might feel are the "not-to-be-missed" activities.

 

Thank you very much for any suggestions/replies which are appreciated.

Hello fellow Floridian. We know your feeling and sentiment -- we did a similar Riviera cruise two years ago. Been to all the ports many times and just looking to get around and walk about at each of the ports.

Some of our suggestions..

• Pack light -- Oceania does not make you dress up.
  
• Use a car service to get to the port. Parking is $24/day.
  
• The Library is a great place to read and very close to Barista's for a cup of coffee(espresso/latte etc.)
  
• We did 10 days and never ate in the MDR. As already advised -- make your specialty booking the first day you can -- since you are in a PH, you should have no trouble getting your choice.
  
• Butler is good person to use to get extra reservations. Of course if that fails you can always dine in your stateroom from any menu.
  
• We do like to use the Terrace grill sometime in evening for a light meal. Freshly made Pasta and of course the infamous lamb chops are our favorites.
  
• Food is indeed subjective -- our favorites are Red Ginger and Jacques.
  
• You can likely board at 11am. Head up to Waves and try the surf and turf (as already pointed out). PH are generally available to use at 1pm or 2pm latest.
  

I would agree with this as well, the Specialties all seemed to execute their food better, I guess it helps that they have the same menu nightly so the chefs don't have as much variation. The MDR on the other hand was hit or miss in my opinion, and I think a lot of that has to do with the constantly changing menu. We had some excellent items in the MDR and we had some that were very disappointing, on a few occasions we did just send back disappointing entrees and politely asked for something we knew we liked (the spaghetti bolognese was always to our liking).

 

The next time we cruise Oceania we will probably end up booking more La Reserve dinners to supplement our Specialties and roll the dice on the MDR less. The La Reserve meals are prepared by the Executive Chef for some courses and one of the Sous Chefs and assistants for the rest. Amazing meal and quite a good "value" all things considered!!!

It seems you can't generalize. On the Marina two years ago, we had much better meals in the GDR than we did in the specialties. Food (including breakfast and lunch) was consistently very good to excellent in the GDR, while the food in the specialties never rose above "almost" good to poor (our waiter in Polo Grill warned us to stay away from the prime rib, as it was "not very good"). When I mentioned all this on our mid-cruise survey, we were contacted by every restaurant manager and even by the F&B manager while eating in the Terrace (they obviously studied our photos!) urging us to give the venues another chance. While better the second time around, the dinners in the specialties never seemed as good as in the GDR. I realize that even the best land restaurants and chefs have off nights and this certainly in no way diminished our enjoyment of that cruise, but I would caution about expecting the specialties to be automatically better than the GDR.

We have had good & bad meals in all venues

DH had raw chicken served in Red Ginger & I cannot get him to give them another try

Food is subjective as far as taste goes but I would not say one venue is better or worse than the others

JMO

We have been cruising off and on since 1979. This will be our first Oceania cruise. Booked PH1 accommodations. We have been to every one of the ports on this 10-night itinerary, some of them several times.

 

 

 

We are not "foodies" but we appreciate what we consider to be "good" food and service. We aren't even wine or beer drinkers; stick mostly to cocktails when we drink at all.

 

 

 

We live on the beach in Fort Lauderdale so this cruise will be a simple "get out of town" type of deal.

 

 

 

I've read a lot of the posts here and we have friends who have sailed on this ship in the past. We think we know about the appropriate clothing and we understand that the entertainment quality and offerings are "tasteful."

 

 

 

We booked through the cruise line and doing so prompted us to take the beverage package with the notion of upgrading once aboard since free shore excursions and OBC were of lesser interest. We may very well stay aboard at a couple of these stops or, at best, walk around on our own.

 

 

 

I keep reading about people getting on board and trying to get additional specialty restaurant reservations (I think we get four already but may be incorrect). Are additional reservations a major "thing?" We think for this cruise we will finally actually eat in our accommodations at least once, if not more, never having done so.

 

 

 

I'm honestly not sure what else I need to be asking. We are not the types to run around a ship feeling compelled to "do everything" but would be interested in what folks might feel are the "not-to-be-missed" activities.

 

 

 

Thank you very much for any suggestions/replies which are appreciated.

Hi

We too are on this cruise, and we too are from Fort Lauderdale, and we too are in a PH, and we too have been to these ports umpteen times and generally stay onboard.

We have cruised mainly on Crystal but last year we did the Marina on a similar cruise and were very impressed. The cuisine was excellent even in the MDR.

There is a lovely string quartet that plays before dinner. The shows after dinner are ok, and we liked seeing something different from other cruises.

The staff was excellent and people dressed nicely on our cruise. We enjoyed it so much that we booked the 1/03/18 cruise.

Hope we will meet you on the cruise.

There is a lounge for suites and we could meet there if you wish.

Gloria and Steve

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

It seems you can't generalize. On the Marina two years ago, we had much better meals in the GDR than we did in the specialties. Food (including breakfast and lunch) was consistently very good to excellent in the GDR, while the food in the specialties never rose above "almost" good to poor (our waiter in Polo Grill warned us to stay away from the prime rib, as it was "not very good"). When I mentioned all this on our mid-cruise survey, we were contacted by every restaurant manager and even by the F&B manager while eating in the Terrace (they obviously studied our photos!) urging us to give the venues another chance. While better the second time around, the dinners in the specialties never seemed as good as in the GDR. I realize that even the best land restaurants and chefs have off nights and this certainly in no way diminished our enjoyment of that cruise, but I would caution about expecting the specialties to be automatically better than the GDR.

It wasn't meant to be a generalization, it was my actual experience. Sure there can be variation, but speaking to the actual crew members, they did acknowledge that they worked towards promotions and the specialties (and eventually La Reserve) were considered more difficult positions to attain and hold onto.

Again, none of the food in the MDR was "bad", it was just more hit or miss in the MDR, veal cutlets one night were dry and bland, NY strip (signature Jacques) was overcooked, wienerschnitzel was bland and tasted more like country fried steak at cracker barrel as just a few examples.

Meanwhile, the only "bad" entrée I got in the specialties was a curry dish I probably shouldn't have ordered anyways in Red Ginger.

The good news is you have plenty of opportunities to decide if the MDR is for you, personally I will probably book suite level or more La Reserve dinners after my MDR experiences, but YMMV!!!!

It wasn't meant to be a generalization, it was my actual experience. Sure there can be variation, but speaking to the actual crew members, they did acknowledge that they worked towards promotions and the specialties (and eventually La Reserve) were considered more difficult positions to attain and hold onto.

 

Again, none of the food in the MDR was "bad", it was just more hit or miss in the MDR, veal cutlets one night were dry and bland, NY strip (signature Jacques) was overcooked, wienerschnitzel was bland and tasted more like country fried steak at cracker barrel as just a few examples.

 

Meanwhile, the only "bad" entrée I got in the specialties was a curry dish I probably shouldn't have ordered anyways in Red Ginger.

 

The good news is you have plenty of opportunities to decide if the MDR is for you, personally I will probably book suite level or more La Reserve dinners after my MDR experiences, but YMMV!!!!

That sounds like my experience in the specialties on that cruise.:D Interestingly, the worst meal in 15 days was in Privee. We had several groups from our roll call arrange dinners there (we were using OBC). While the service was over the top, it was quite possibly one of the worst meals I've ever had—and I've eaten in my share of greasy spoons. Everything was served cold (everyone's potatoes were a gluey mess) and my ribeye was the worst cut of meat I've ever been served; it was all gristle and fat and I still remember the look of dismay on faces around the table as they watched me trying to saw through it. Of course, the staff immediately offered to bring me another, but since everything else had not been up to snuff, I declined.

All the staff on the Marina were wonderful and we had enough excellent meals to not let that one experience (or the less than stellar meals in some of the specialties) bother us too much. The wait staff seemed to rotate around the different venues (we had waiters from the specialties serve us in the GDR) and the service and food presentation was always top notch. Food on the less premium cruise lines may not match the best of Oceania, but in my experience, at least it's usually more consistent; I'm wondering why it can be (judging from so many posts here) so hit or miss on O.

Bootman4U,

Since you thread title includes the word "expectations" I just want to chime in again.

Please go with open mind and realistic expectations. You are more likely to enjoy the cruise with that in mind. Many cruisers new to O read here about fantastic food and maybe expect food like at French Laundry (or such). Unrealistically high expectations can be hard to fulfill.

It is very good food overall but can be a miss on occasion.

Hope you will enjoy your Oceania experience as much as most of us here do.

PAULCHILI is Spot on with his comments. Yes you can have a Bad meal in any Restaraunt aboard ANY Ship, Yes you can be disappointed with this or that with any vacation. But just remember to come on board and enjoy your long sought after vacation. Overall Oceania will provide you with an excellent vacation. Most of these comments are from someone else's experience and it might not match yours at all. I always take the approach that MY Opiniopn is what I trust the Most. Please have a very nice Trip