GeorginaSpica

48 minutes ago, Hambagahle said:

If that is what we get it will stay on board when we disembark...

I thought the same thing but hubby was quite pleased and has been using it quite a bit.  Though where we live, we mostly walk to the stores and it's fairly sturdy for carrying back heavier items for those times when it's a hassle to bring the buggy.

9 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

Tuesday, November 14, 2023:

Dinner at Polo Grill:  Let me start by saying, I have another reservation for the Polo Grill for the last night of the cruise.  I will cancel it today.  That is going to give you an indication of my thoughts on our experience last night.  

 

I had high hopes for the Polo Grill yet read every ones review of the experience they had here on Cruise Critic.  So I went in with balanced and realistic expectations.  Let's start with the good.  My Prime rib, queen cut was excellent.  I was thrilled with that.  Yet, I asked for horseradish three times and never got it.  Still, great meat.  The whole main lobster was inedible, tough and hard to cut. The 20 oz porterhouse was not cooked correctly and just warm.  The deserts was average to below average.  Now I can live with all that except the service was simple awful.  From the ability to gain assistance, to the drink service to cleaning dishes off the table to asking us how our food was.  

 

This was the first and only major fail of this cruise.  The table around me were having the same discussion so it was not just my table.  As it relates to other cruise ship Steak Houses, other then my prime rib, it comes in on the bottom of my personal list.  On our last night, we all agreed we will cancel Polo and go to the Waves Pizzeria. 

 

 

Cooking Class:  EXCELENT.  I did thing I never thought I could do then ate them.  Learned what i was doing wrong at home which will change my approach especially when cooking pasta and making a salad. I HIGHLY recommend any class.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your Polo Grill experience was similar to all our experiences at the dining rooms on the second (Oct 23) O cruise.  I was starting to wonder if Nautica was a 'starter' ship where you learned the ropes before being promoted to one of the larger ships.  Plus it was just a stark contrast to the amazing service and food on that first Riviera cruise.  

On the first cruise, the service was up there with the best I have ever experienced but on the Nautica, each venue was lacking - beverages not showing up, wine not topped up, wait staff not noticing issues (at afternoon tea I almost went to get my own pot of hot water)

@SthrngaryI was so hopeful that you wouldn't have any bad service!  And the cooking classes looked great but I didn't sign up in time.  Will add that to another reason to go back on O. 🙂

@Sthrngaryam so glad to hear that you are having a similar first O cruise experience to mine on the riviera. 😊

5 minutes ago, EJL2023 said:

Hopefully that is all on the Norwegian Line! 😬

From my recent experiences, the cutbacks were more noticeable on Oceania than Norwegian. 

7 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

Sorry the food was generally poor on your last trip.

Georgina I guess you know the answer!!

If Oceania is no longer your cup of tea, or coffee, you need to try another line!

It could have been a one off experience so I am following this thread to read the review!  

I have only been on two Oceania cruises and was surprised at the difference.  Not just between the two Oceania cruises but between the NCL cruise at xmas and this trip. 

When the food wasn't the best tasting on the NCL cruise, I didn't complain because it was a mass market cruise, others were lining up for items I deemed not worth it (so it was obviously me being picky) and it saved me calories.  On the second O trip, I wasn't the only one disappointed. One is paying a lot more for an O cruise over NCL so it's expected to be better.

So does one write off a cruise line based on one experience? Or read more reviews and reassess when it comes time to book one's next trip?

1 minute ago, Vallesan said:

Georgina was it just the eggs benny??  I agree if they can’t cook a dish to a decent standard they shouldn’t serve it!

 

I’ve never been on a ‘mass market’ ship so have nothing other than Oceania, Seabourn and Silversea as comparisons. Before anyone jumps to the conclusion that I’m rich, entitled or anything else, I’m not, but I do have mobility problems so need a small ship. Physically the Riviera size ships are about as big as I can manage.

 

I always think it’s dangerous to take others on your favourite cruise lines. Firstly, everyone has different tastes. Secondly, we always ‘rave’ about our holidays to others and maybe when they decide to join us we become more critical, just in case they don’t see what we saw. Finally, I have found that food varies according to the area you’re sailing in mainly because the passengers differ so much and have different expectations. 

 

And maybe that’s the crux of the whole matter …. expectations vary!

I can never understand why Mac & cheese is served in a decent steak restaurant on a ship…. but then I’m from the UK and would never eat such a dish at anytime! Some people eat pizza for dinner! We all have different tastes and expectations. 

 

We all need to keep our expectations ‘real’ and then we won’t be disappointed, and of course food is only one aspect of a ‘cruise’!

No, not just the eggs benny was mediocre but it stood out because it was the worst I have ever eaten. The english muffin was stale, the meat was tasteless, thin and unidentifiable, the sauce was okay.  After meeting with the head chef, I tried again a couple of days later and it wasn't much better.  The muffin was at least fresh the second time.

Both cruises were in the same general area ('21 Venice to Provence, '23 Haifa to Rome), both in October.  Main differences - Riviera vs Nautica and 2021 with half capacity/covid restrictions vs full ship/no restrictions. Well, I suppose another main difference was being evacuated from Israel! But that was, imo, handled well and not an excuse for poor food/service days later.

Yes we all have different tastes and expectations but having sailed on two NCL cruises within a year, one mass market, the other premium, I truly didn't expect to pay more for worse food on a cruise line that bills itself as best cuisine at sea.  We all started saying 'what happened Oceania?'. Same 4 travel companions on all those cruises.

2 hours ago, Vallesan said:

Having cruised on Oceania, quite a number of times, and Seabourn, both pre and post 2020, I just have to say that comparing what ‘was’ with what ‘is’, is a complete waste of time.

 

I totally understand your comment but for me, I was comparing 4 post 2020 cruises (2 Oceania '21 & '23, 1 Royal Caribbean '22, 1 Norwegian '22 @ xmas).

That first Oceania was totally worth the premium cost. The food and service was amazing.  I returned telling others that it was worth the extra cost. The second more recent trip, was not any better than the other two mass market cruises.  In some ways worse.  I expect to have lackluster food on mass market cruises, and I am partially okay with that because then I don't eat all the food. lol

And while food can certainly be subjective, I never expected to have the worst eggs benny ever on an Oceania cruise. That was part of my feedback to which the head chef basically said it wasn't his fault, that he can't be everywhere.  If you can't serve a decent eggs benny, please take it off the menu.  

And so I started asking others to see if it was just me being picky. A few of those people were on their first Oceania cruise and very disappointed.  Some had brought others on their first Oceania cruise and said they kept apologizing that this trip was not their past experience on Oceania.

But I hope it was just that cruise!  And that @Sthrngary has a much better experience and comes back with a review that reassures me that last month's trip was a one off.

27 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

@GeorginaSpica Sorry this happen to you, anyone would be disappointed.  You rated your second Oceania Cruise on your first.  I did the same thing with NCL and Celebrity.  I as a bit disappointed as well.  Hence my change in brand for this cruise.  

 

The difference is I and others have NO expectations with Oceania, just the experience I had else where.  For me and others, the bar is very low.  If I had stellar dining on my first trip followed by below par on my second, that would be enough to have me looking elsewhere. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

 

Well I based my second not just on my first Oceania but my experiences on other cruise lines. Just this past xmas I was on Norwegian to Mexico.  I have also, over the years, been on Carnival, Princess & Royal Caribbean.  

The food was bad enough that I started asking other cruisers about their experience.  Not one said the food was good.  Many said the food on the excursions was better.  Some of those were first timers on Oceania.

The food on the Norwegian cruise in December was better than last month's cruise.  With the premium price for the Oceania cruise, this should not have been the case at all!

I have my fingers crossed for you that your Riviera cruise will be as good as mine was on that ship two years ago.  

1 hour ago, Yesimapirate said:

That's certainly correct about the new guests.   Hence my amusement at the "Do you know how much revenue Oceania is missing because I'll never sail them again?  Those posters probably wouldn't be happy when they realize the answer is zero dollars.  

 

That's the thing, people have a bad experience and are afraid to get burnt again.  Oceania bills itself as the best cuisine at sea and that was certainly true on my first Oceania trip on Riviera.  It was fantastic despite being under covid rules in 2021. I was really excited to be traveling on Nautica last month. 

What a disappointment - poor customer service, some of the worst meals I have ever eaten anywhere. I complained, the head chef did chat with me at the next dinner and he had only feeble excuses ("I can't be everywhere supervising every dish". No but you can ensure quality ingredients and train your staff!)

I am in contact with Oceania Guest Relations and am in the midst of composing my email reply to them.  But to what end?  What can they do to reassure me that a next cruise will be closer to my first experience than my second? 

11 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Do you have a travel agent  or using an O rep?

 

Either way I would  go to the next level manager or supervisor

If both parties  booked the same  day/excursions  then something is off

JMO

Yes, chat with the manager to help figure it out.

Our cruise is in a couple of weeks so starting soon after the start of SM.  When I first contacted my O rep, he said 'cruise is totally booked at your cabin level so you can't switch'. After reading a bunch here, I called him.  He went to his manager and switched plans with no additional cost (SM made more sense for our group).  

39 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Be careful what you ask for 

In the industry  there is  a difference between Direct  & Non stop flights

 

"Non-stop flights behave exactly as they sound; you'll fly straight from one airport to another, with no stops along the way. Direct flights, on the other hand, aren't quite as convenient. While the flight number doesn't change, the term “direct” means the plane may make one or more stops along its route."

Yes I understand, the flights I checked were non-stop.  But I am okay with direct flights too.  More than once I have had flights stop in Montreal to pick up additional passengers. 
I just would prefer not to deplane and hang out in an airport for hours in front of next gate or have to rush to get to the gate and hope one's luggage makes it to the new plane. 
And sometimes stuff happens to cause a direct non-stop to have to land.  Earlier this year, our flight home had to land in Phoenix to fill up because the departure airport, San Diego, had issues with fuel delivery. Never had that happen before.  

20 hours ago, jonthomas said:

We have a cruise in Nov, a TA , bcn to Mia..

 

Have O air with prem econ...out of Toronto...

Going 2 days earlier to allow for the craziness...

Got prem econ with O at time of booking for 149pp...

Waiting to hear from O, what kind of flights they are going to give us...doing this through a TA...

Will post how it all shakes out for anyone interested. 

We are flying out of Toronto in Oct.  Having had a good experience the last time with O, during covid in 2021, I thought it would be okay this time.

Air Canada has it's issues for sure but while AC has direct flights to both start and end locations, O booked us with AC going but alternative airlines returning & not direct. And changing is going to cost more than booking AC directly.  In hindsight, should have just booked on my own from the start. 

On 7/5/2023 at 10:41 PM, LHT28 said:

Tell  the TA to speak to a supervisor at O

See the posts in another thread  people are getting their booked cruises repriced to SM  no problem

It took a couple of emails and a call but the booking has been changed to SM at no extra cost. 

We are travelling with my US relatives and they got it changed with just one call.  When I called, I mentioned cousin's switch done day before and he asked for a screenshot of my communications with cousin.  TA said he had to chat with supervisor. About an hour later, new documents were emailed. 

10 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Will they not reprice your cruise to the SM price ?

 Some others seem to get the deal even with the  cabin category w/l

My TA wouldn't reprice it today.  He said 'let's see in 48 hrs'.  The final payment is due a day after that.  I assume it's because prices have changed and the mass email went out earlier today?

Though the website has same pricing showing so am not sure why it couldn't just be swapped over.  Perhaps the price is an error when in Cdn? I will call him tomorrow as a chat might work better than an email exchange.

On my last few cruises, in last couple of years, one just shows up to a meeting spot to check in with staff.  Could be the muster station or it could be another location.   In 2021, our check in was just outside of Red Ginger.

On 8/11/2022 at 2:26 PM, MarkNH said:

It makes me wonder how many people are catching Covid on the ships and not realizing until they get home?

Many people.  Many catch it but it's mild or just not bad enough for a confirmation test that could put a stop to their vacation.  Hopefully those people are masking up to limit the spread further! 

I was on a 12 night cruise last month.  One of our group was sick enough that they went to medical, tested positive and was put on the quarantine deck.  Their cabin mate tested positive 2 days later on the last full day.  Based on their observations, the quarantine deck was quite full.  From the coughing around the ship, I would say there were many sick and many more would have tested positive in the days after returning home.