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Does anyone have a picture of the drink menus, including wines by the glass, since these changes started? What I'm curious about is if some drink prices were nudged up. Namely, are drinks that used to cost $8 or $9 now $10 or $11? Cynical me wonders if Celebrity thinks that rather than spend an extra $5 or $6 on drinks each day, Classic package users may figure it's just easier to upgrade to Premium and not have to sign all those slips.

My mom and I are taking the British Isles cruise on the Silhouette in August. We were going to make our dining reservations online for Select Dining. However, there doesn't appear to be a way to specify that we don't want to be at a table for 2. If we make reservations now for the MDR, how can we let them know we want to be seated at a 6- or 8-top? Will the reservations lock us into a table for two, or will we be able to request a larger table when we're at the dining room?

We were on Riveria during the Super Bowl this year and watched it up in the Horizon Lounge. They had it on a huge screen and served tons of snack foods - hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, etc. It was great watching it with a large group of people - had a real sports bar feel to it.

 

 

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I was on the Celebrity Solstice during the Super Bowl--I called it Super Bowl Monday because we were in New Zealand, so the game aired live Monday afternoon. They had a similar set up with the food, and it was a lot of fun.

As for the guy/gal thinking I should be better suited for a 5000 passenger megaship....We got some talking to do. :mad:

I think it is absolutely possible to enjoy both a more sedate cruising experience and watching sports. People have a multitude of interests.

Thank you for your review!

I definitely would have liked having ESPN in the cabin. Sky Sports is completely useless for American sports. Even ESPN International would have been better. I was on a Celebrity cruise this year during the Super Bowl, and they carried the game in the theater. Have also been on other ships that carried football games on outdoor movie screens or in bars. So yes, for a sports fan, Oceania is very lacking.

On the other hand, since I'm a Chargers fan, not being able to watch 2 of their games this month wasn't a bad thing : ).

By minibar I did mean the mini fridge--just non-alcoholic beverages. Sorry for any confusion!

I did know ahead of time how small the bathrooms were, but wasn't expecting the cabin as a whole to be so small.

I know there's another review up here, but I hope no one minds a second one! I also submitted this to Cruise Critic.

Oceania Sirena Review

My mom and I were on the December 11, 10-day "Coast to Canyons" cruise on the Sirena. We traveled as part of a larger group. Other than a transatlantic cruise on the Queen Mary 2, Oceania is the highest-end cruise line either of us had been on. I was a bit nervous coming into the cruise, having read some negative reviews of the ship. However, overall it was one of the best cruises I've been on, especially for the food.

Embarkation and Debarkation: The Sirena was by far the smallest cruise ship I've ever been on—Holland America's Maasdam was the smallest until now. With only 599 passengers to board, and no other ship at the Port of Los Angeles on our first or last day, getting on and off the ship was incredibly easy. It took barely 20 minutes from the time our group was called on the last morning to having our luggage and waiting for the bus home.

The Ship: Sirena was incredibly easy to get around. You could walk from one end of the ship to the other in just a few minutes. One night we had dinner at Tuscan Steak on the 10th deck and didn't finish until 9:20, and we were down the elevator and across to the Sirena Lounge on the 5th deck just after 9:30 and in time for the show. Our cabin, Stateroom 6017, was right above the Sirena Lounge but we never heard any noise from there, even during one of the production shows. I also didn't notice any signs of wear and tear with the furnishings. All the chairs were very comfortable, though I would suggest having chairs that are slightly less heavy in the Sirena Lounge to make it easier to arrange them for trivia. The boutiques were small but we made good use of all our shipboard credit. I was surprised that they don't sell bottles of liquor in the boutiques to take home.

The Cabin: Ok, this is the one big issue I had. The cabins were just too small. I knew going in the bathroom would be tiny, and it was. And I know that Oceania couldn't do anything about the cabin size. However, it was still a huge shock to open the door and see how little room there was to move about. I lost count of how many times I walked into the beds or makeup table. We did have enough space for all our belongings, by using every drawer and hanger available to us. We also used the laundry facilities once, and they would be a must on a longer cruise. But the beds were incredibly comfortable, and our cabin attendant Zin and her assistant were fantastic. We also appreciated having a minibar.

The Passengers: Befitting the higher cost compared to most ships that sail out of Southern California, the passengers on the Sirena were largely older. I'm 43 and was probably in the bottom 10 percent in terms of age. There was one little girl traveling with her grandparents, but no other children. We had a good mix of different cruising experiences, from Carnival through Seabourn. People were by and large very friendly and dressed nicely for dinner. I still can't figure out what country club casual is, though.

The Food and Drink: The food on the Sirena was easily the best part of the cruise. There were a few items we didn't like as much—my mom was disappointed by her monkfish in the GDR one night, as was I with the roast chicken, and our entrees at Tuscan Steak were overdone—but those were rare missteps. It's too hard to list all the highlights, but some of the best meals and dishes we had were the miso seabass at Red Ginger, all the breakfast pastries in the GDR and Terrace Café, the ice cream at lunch and dinner, the veal Bolognese in the GDR, and the omelettes. And I must give a specific shout out to the holiday cookies they started putting out midway through the cruise. The cocktails and wine by the glass selection were also very good, though we weren't able to get Moscow Mules in the Horizons Lounge one night because they had already run out of ginger beer. My favorite drink wound up being a sparkling wine cocktail, the Hugo.

The Activities and Entertainment: I do wish there had been more activities on port days, especially because these are ports that the heavily West Coast crowd had likely visited numerous times. Morning trivia would be nice, or perhaps other choices beyond putting, shuffleboard, bean bag toss, and spa seminars. I did enjoy the lectures we attended on sea days. The bright side was I got a lot of reading done on the port days where we didn't take excursions. The nighttime entertainment was very good and high quality. My mom enjoyed being able to understand the production show singers, and Dale Kristien was excellent. After a two-hour dinner and show, we were too tired to go up to the Horizon Lounge, so I can't speak to that.

The Excursions: We took three excursions, one each in La Paz, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. I liked the La Paz tour, which mostly took us around the city, and the Puerto Vallarta excursion, which included a tour and tasting of a tequila factory. However, the Mazatlan excursion was disappointing. It was an hour shorter than scheduled, and the guide did not make it clear when we were in the Gold Zone. Also, both the Mazatlan and PV tours included long stops in jewelry stores. I would expect a little better from Oceania.

The Service: Next to the food, this was the best part of the cruise. It helped to have 400 crew members to 599 passengers. The staff was always very helpful without ever being obtrusive. I loved not being asked over and over again if I'd like something to drink. The staff at the Terrace Café was always on top of things. I thought being served at the buffet might be inefficient but it worked great. A special nod to Valentina, who was always really kind and helpful, and very generous with desserts.

The Value: I have never been on a cruise before, excluding a riverboat, where so much was included. No charge for coffee drinks, or for lobster, or for ice cream. It's hard to judge how much we saved compared to sailing on Princess or Carnival or Celebrity, because I wouldn't have indulged like this on those ships. However, given the level of service and all that's included, I think Oceania is a much better value than I anticipated. I don't know when the opportunity to sail with them again might arise but I would certainly consider it.

Overall, I would give the Oceania Sirena very high marks but perhaps wouldn't mind trying an Oceania ship with larger cabins next time.

I think there is a glass window in the hall so you can watch from outside the room

Too bad I don't know how to lip read!

Can you watch a class without participating/paying? Or is the space only big enough for the people cooking?

So the representative at Oceania called my mom back this morning and offered an extra reservation. We made a second booking for Tuscan Steakhouse, though I don't know if we'll keep it once we're on the ship, might depend on how much we enjoy the MDR. My mom did ask for a free bottle of wine but got nothing out of that.

 

Thank you to everyone for your advice and commiseration. Oceania ought to investigate these "glitches"!

Correction: The second booking made was for the Red Ginger, so two for that and one for TS. I should read the e-mails my mom forwards more carefully. We may get a bottle of wine too after all, but I don't think we have that in writing.

So the representative at Oceania called my mom back this morning and offered an extra reservation. We made a second booking for Tuscan Steakhouse, though I don't know if we'll keep it once we're on the ship, might depend on how much we enjoy the MDR. My mom did ask for a free bottle of wine but got nothing out of that.

Thank you to everyone for your advice and commiseration. Oceania ought to investigate these "glitches"!

I don't know what the group is, but Googling is a good idea. Thank you!

Last week, as soon as it was an option for our cabin level, I made a reservation for my mom and me at the Tuscan Steakhouse for our December 11 cruise on Sirena.

Today my mom calls to tell me that without asking, Sirena changed the time of our reservation to accommodate a private party. They made the change without asking--we may now try for a different date.

I find that unacceptable. I followed the rules, and now some group gets to take over the restaurant? At a minimum, they should offer us a free bottle of wine.

Has this happened to anyone before?

For what it's worth, I just made reservations for my mom and me--we're in a veranda for the December 11 Sirena cruise out of LA. I chose sharing for both restaurants, and had no trouble getting 7:30 p.m. reservations. Granted, booking for our cabin level opened about an hour ago, which helped.

Can you order appetizer-sized portions of the pastas at Tuscan Steak?

My mom and I will be on Sirena in about 2 months, and we have a few questions. Any info is really appreciated.

1. Is the only choice in the MDR at lunch the Jacques Pepin menu?

2. What kind of sandwiches do they have at Baristas in the afternoon? Do they have anything else you can make a late lunch out of if you have an excursion that gets back mid-afternoon?

3. Can you order at Waves and have your order brought to the Terrace? From the deck plan, there doesn't appear to be much seating in Waves.

4. Is there a list of the non-alcoholic drinks you can have put in your minibar? Can we do it before the cruise, if we're in a veranda cabin?

5. What boutiques do they have on Sirena?

Thanks!

Hanging cosmetic bags are a must. I can't imagine going on a cruise without one.

This was a really helpful review, thank you!

I've been waiting to see a list too. This is really helpful, as my mom and I are trying to decide whether it makes more sense to pay corkage or buy onboard.

We haven't received our Blue Books yet--I'm guessing that will come in the next month or two.

We have a lot of onboard credit, so the plan is to book excursions on the ship. Hopefully the ones we like won't sell out before then.

Thank you! I feel Oceania could make things clearer.

I'm a little confused about the shore excursions offered by Oceania. When an excursion says the available times are "11:30 a.m. - 1.30 p.m.," do they mean that's the length of the excursion, or that they have one departure at 11:30 a.m. and a second departure at 1:30 p.m.?

What's throwing me off is that I'm looking at the excursions offered for the Coasts to Canyons cruise in December, and the two times are almost always a match for the duration of the tour. For example, a tour that starts at 10:30 and is 2/12 hours will have for its times "10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m."

I'm used to larger ships, where most excursions under 4 hours will have multiple departure times. Is that not the case here?

Thank you!

Good to hear about overall condition of ship, the food, and the service. However, it is a crying shame (IMHO) passengers in the less expensive cabins are getting a "half a**" refurbishment, at least for the first few months. Comments on CC lead me to believe Oceania has left a bad taste in the mouths of some loyal Oceania cruisers. I don't have a feel for the extent first timers who won't be back. Execs missed the opportunity to make a Good First Impression.

To borrow another subject line, it sounds like Oceania does have a class system.

Glad to hear about the storage space. Some ships really scrimp on that.