Just off the Marina Transatlantic -- my take

[pacheco18]

This review is really geared toward those of you who have cruised O before. These are my impressions of Marina -- the great, good and the not so good -- and even the bad. I am sure the die-hard “Oceania can do no wrong” group will be upset with some of what I am going to say, but I am just calling it as I see it.

 

I did not do any ship-sponsored excursions, went to few on board events (other than Trivia, one cooking demonstration, a photo class and one game of bingo) so I will leave comments about those activities to others. The cooking demonstrations and the on board lecturers got high marks from others with whom I spoke. We formed our own knitting group and that was a lot of fun.

 

Cabin

I was in a PH3 and to say it was fabulous would be an understatement. We do not generally book suites but we splurged because of all the sea days. It was spacious with tons of storage, a walk-in closet and terrific bathroom (great L’Occitane amenities) a separate desk area where my husband Bob could set up his computer and a clever hidden makeup mirror vanity area for me. I am forever spoiled. My butler, Mervyn, was a hunk (sorry, Bob) and I did try to keep him busy.

 

The Ship

Very beautiful. Elegant. She is not dissimilar in layout to the R ships with a few additions and bigger spaces. The Artist’s Loft is a great addition and although I do not do crafts (other than knitting) I saw many enjoying themselves. Unfortunately the classes were oversubscribed and some of the teachers ran out of materials.

 

The teaching kitchen is over the top wonderful. I have taken many cooking classes, including a week of cooking school in Italy, and I cannot say enough good things about this facility and the amazing Chef Kelly. I took 2 classes and learned a great deal. She is a treasure.

 

The laundry rooms on each floor are great - never a wait and really comfortable seating, including a TV. The Executive Lounge is a great convenience but as you will learn, ANYONE can use it. They do not check your stateroom key for access. Same is true for the private sun deck outside the Spa. In essence, you can book an inside cabin and enjoy at least two of the amenities reserved for suite passengers. I think if I had booked a suite for those perks I might have been upset.

 

As has been noted, the placement and design of the Library makes no sense at all.

 

Entertainment

Worse than ever. We walked out of the “fabulous Broadway singer” during the second song. The band played decent dance music, but the singer (who was just a musician who sang) was terrible. He sang in a thick accent, reading the lyrics in a monotone manner with no phrasing. It was painful. Good thing Simon Cowell was not on board. O can do better.

 

The seating configuration in the Marina Lounge is not great for trivia but better for speakers and shows. What I do not understand from a design standpoint is why the seating way in the rear is not elevated (you cannot see a thing if you are way in the back section) and why they had to use pillars for construction (other ships have huge theaters with no pillars to block views).

 

The string quartet was delightful.

 

The incidental music throughout the ship was fabulous. Many of you may not notice it but I did.

 

Spa

I will not pay $200 for a massage. They are kidding! Most people I spoke with felt the same way. I don’t mind a small price adjustment for being a captive audience in the middle of the Atlantic but it was highway robbery.

 

Service

In general service was good -- but not flawless. My butler was outstanding. The service in the buffet and GDR (I only ate there once for breakfast and once for lunch) was wonderful.

 

We came across one surly concierge.

 

Service in Jacques was spotty. In Toscana it was a disaster. The waiter and bus boy acted as if they had just met -- they could not coordinate. When we asked the waiter for bread -- we saw others around us had it -- he told us they do not give bread until the order is taken. LOL We just rolled our eyes. More about the food later.

 

The CD and staff

On O the CD is an important part of my enjoyment of the ship. I am a trivia devotee and I have loved sailing with Leslie and David. Trivia was very popular on this sailing, especially with all the sea days.

 

Our CD was Nolan Dean and the kindest thing I can say about him was that he was irritating. I was not alone in feeling this way. Many of us gave him scathing reviews. He was a one joke act, making snide remarks and acting like the class clown. He made so many announcements that someone intervened. He made a few un PC remarks and that too was stopped. He totally lacked the kind of sophistication and dry sophisticated humor that I expect from an O CD. He would be perfect for wet tee shirt contests on Carnival. I will be very disappointed if he is CD one of my future cruises.

 

He also was not a good manager of events. The photo workshops were so oversubscribed that there was standing room in the Artist's Loft. It took a fellow CCer to tell him to change the venue to the Lounge -- and he balked. He was not aware of the overcrowding until someone told him. The same was true for the oversubscribed Spanish classes. I never saw him on board except at Trivia The CD should be ubiquitous.

 

He also did not manage Trivia well. His source for questions was an old Trivial Pursuit game. In the evening Trivia was sometimes assigned to one of the dancers or singers who did not know how to really do it well. And on several days we had the same questions out of the box afternoon and evening. Trivia was trivial to him.

 

He was not good at crowd control. He did not even try. When we docked at Bermuda after nearly 6 days at sea he allowed a mob scene at the gangway. He started yelling from the top of the grand stairway. He should have anticipated that everyone would be anxious to get off the ship and arranged for a smooth organized debarkation. He said, “I cannot control these people.” Ugh. He also failed to inform everyone that they needed identification beyond the World Card to get back to the area where the ship was docked.

 

Disembarkation was a complete disaster. He failed to keep everyone informed about the substantial delays.

 

A word about the photo workshops: Great idea -- they were way oversubscribed. The teacher was very knowledgeable but an awful instructor. He was disorganized and a poor speaker. The classes were not segmented well. He was more interested in bragging about his travels and selling his CDs than putting work into organizing the program suitable for all levels and all kinds of cameras. O can do better.

 

And then there is assistant CD Roy - from Cuba. Make him a CD. He was fabulous. My husband took his Spanish lessons every sea day. I used to be a Spanish teacher, Assistant Principal in charge of foreign languages and a high school principal in an earlier life and I can attest to the fact that he was a teaching star. He has lots of personality and people loved him. I vote for Roy for CD.

 

Natalie, the Social Hostess, was also terrific.

 

Because of the size of the ship I barely got to know the rest of the staff. That is a sacrifice to size.

 

Shops

 

I mention this only because there was one wonderful shopping opportunity on board and I hope O does more of this in the future. Like most of you, I do not buy anything on board. It is overpriced and we all know it. Of course, logo items and the like are fun to buy but the watches, diamonds and other stuff are just a rip-off (as they are on all ships).

 

O brought on a fabulous jewelry designer who took vintage findings and pieces from vintage jewelry and turned them into modern masterpieces. She was an expert on jewelry history. I cannot say enough good things. She brought on a trunk show and I not only bought several one of a kind pieces on board, I expect to buy from her direct in the future. A great addition to the usual stuff you see on board. Do more of this, O.

 

However, there was one big misstep on this cruise and it infuriated many. At the end of the cruise, everyone who had spent $800 or more in the on board shops was identified to Customs Officials for a special inspection. People went wild! Several passengers returned items they had bought. Many of the items were exempt from duty (e.g. the jewelry designer’s items were all US made), but O never told the Customs Agents. We had to fight to get a certificate of authenticity to get the exemption. It was not pretty.

 

Food - just my opinion

 

I lived most of my life in NY where I have eaten in some of the world’s great restaurants -- Per Se, Alain Ducasse, Peter Luger for steaks, places owned by Mario Battali and Lydia Bastianich and I have been to many other world class restaurants such as French Laundry. I have been to cooking school in Italy. I travel to NY every month on business and still eat in some of the greatest restaurants in the world on a regular basis. I tell you this for no other reason than you give you an idea of my frame of reference for evaluating food and restaurants.

 

As many have reported, the buffet is AMAZING. Likely the best at sea. We ate dinner there every night except for the nights in the Specialties. We never dined in the GDR. I prefer to sample small amounts of different things and not commit. The buffet was consistently over the top wonderful. I wish they could replicate on the R ships.

 

Waves too was terrific - oh those Kobe burgers. The milk shakes were a little thin but a fellow passenger told met to ask for another scoop of ice cream to be added and that did the trick.

 

Tea was excellent in every respect. With all those sea days, I got to really enjoy it. The Special Tea event was so superb as to defy description.

 

I have not changed my mind about he Specialty Restaurants on O. For the most part, they are not that all that special IMO. Jacques was a disappointment. The duck was dry and not crispy. Most people with whom I spoke on the ship shared my view about Jacques. Reviews, however, were mixed and some passengers had both a good experience and a bad one on two different nights. Consistency is important. Although the food in Toscana was good (not great), the service, as reported earlier, was lacking. The cappuccino was ice cold. Toscana also got mixed reviews from fellow passengers.

We had our first properly prepared steaks ever in Polo. Food and service were excellent. However, with all the great steaks and chops and lobster tails in the buffet, Polo is somewhat of a redundancy.

 

The one extraordinary restaurant was Red Ginger. The food was wonderful and innovative, the service was flawless and the decor was both beautiful and inviting. Everyone was raving about it.

 

The brunch buffet was so awful that we walked out -- as did many others. The selections were very limited. There were 2 carving stations -- one with dried out salmon en croute and another with ham. Lots of smoked eel and unrecognizable salads. Not very appetizing. We went directly to Waves.

 

Coincidentally, Enzo, from corporate was on board surveying the food scene and I was able to have a many chats with him throughout the cruise about my take on all aspects of the food and service. I also shared with him comments I had heard from the fellow cruisers. He took plenty of notes and was grateful for the input. He told me that they had brought 2 top chefs from Italy for this sailing and that they were working on new dishes for Toscana. They also are working on changing the menu in Jacques. There were two chefs from Regent on board as well. I for one was pleased to see that he recognized that there are some problems in those 2 restaurants and that O is addressing them.

 

Ever have a salade nicoise with green, red and yellow pepper, plated as a big mixed salad? Ugh. I went to the GDR for lunch just to have it and left it uneaten. The head chef told me he shared my pain but it’s a Jacques Pepin Signature Dish and he cannot touch the recipe.

 

 

We had 200 CCers for a Meet & Greet and we had a one-time dispensation from the “no hosted M & G rule” on O. They made us a fabulous hosted party with open bar and wonderful hors d’oeuvres. It was great to have so many friends on board. Thank you O.

 

I feared that once I sailed Marina I would not be happy on the R ships. The opposite is true. I have two future O cruises book on O -- on Nautica -- and I look forward to being back on the smaller more intimate vessels. I would certainly sail on Marina or Riviera if the itinerary were perfect, but I vote for the R ships. The one thing I will miss are the cooking classes. But according to Chef Kelly, O has hired 8 new chefs to expand the program and the R ships the classes will be handled as excursions.

 

For me, the reason to pay more to sail on O as opposed e.g. to Celebrity (which I do enjoy) is the small size. That intimacy is well worth the extra money. With 1200 passengers you lose it. You might as well have 2000.

 

Marina is still a work in progress. I do not think the experience is as good as the R ships and I do not think the staff is very good at handling so many passengers.

 

Just my take. You can email me privately if you wish at pacheco18@comcast.net

[LHT28]

 

 

Same is true for the private sun deck outside the Spa. In essence, you can book an inside cabin and enjoy at least two of the amenities reserved for suite passengers. I think if I had booked a suite for those perks I might have been upset.

 

 

Thanks for the review

Nolan was/is a comedian & maybe should stick with that occupation ..we had him on our cruise also ...not impressed

 

Can you elaborate on what amenities the peons can get in the spa that were suppose to be for suite passengers?

 

I do not use the spa very much but might if we can get the perks :D

[pacheco18]

Thanks for the review

Nolan was/is a comedian & maybe should stick with that occupation ..we had him on our cruise also ...not impressed

 

Can you elaborate on what amenities the peons can get in the spa that were suppose to be for suite passengers?

 

I do not use the spa very much but might if we can get the perks :D

 

The only 2 amenities that I know of are

1. the Executive Lounge on the 11th Floor. Open to al 24/7. Unfortunately some chose to go there in bathrobes and one morning I found a fellow sleeping on the sofa.

 

2. the private sun deck outside the spa (really nice and quiet, chaises with covers for the head area and great when all the pool chairs are taken) -- two private hot tubs -- again, supposed to be just for those in CC class and above, but there is no key check. Open to all.

[Mura]

We were on Marina in October which was NOT a transatlantic, so not all of our experiences are comparable to yours. We were on a very port intensive cruise so had little or no opportunity to attend a cooking class, just for one example. But since we were on Marina recently, I'll just say a few things -- from our perspective.

 

I'm not really sympathetic to the objections about purchases over $800 being reported to Customs. This may well be a government request (or even requirement) of Oceania. After all, we are supposed to report such purchases, even if many people take a chance. I agree, of course, that U.S.-made products should have been exempted. Maybe it is just too burdensome for O to go through each passenger's purchases to see which ones are foreign-made and which ones are U.S.-made. (Since we left the ship in Istanbul we didn't have this problem, and we didn't buy much on board anyway.)

 

Also disagree on the food, but who knows, there may have been staff changes. (We certainly had a different CD.) Our favorite restaurant was Jacques and we found Red Ginger disappointing! But personal tastes are personal tastes. We were happy with the service in all the restaurants, but we did not actually dine in Toscana itself. We did have dinner from Toscana one night in our suite, so service wasn't a question but the food was fine (and Toscana has never been our favorite specialty restaurant anyway). One advantage Marina has over the "R" ships (we think) is Terrace Cafe just because it can offer so many more options due to its larger size. And we were happy with our two dinners, two breakfasts and two lunches in the GDR.

 

Yes, the sight lines in the lounge, especially at the back, are poor. But I had the same experience sitting in the second row at an enrichment lecture! Of course, I'm only of average height. We didn't attend any of the shows on our last cruise so our time there was pretty limited.

 

We enjoyed our time on Marina, especially our fabulous suite, but we still rate the "R" ships somewhat higher. It's not that we wouldn't go on Marina or Riviera, not at all. As with many others, it will depend on the itinerary as to which ship we sail on. But it's an awfully long hike from one end of the ship to the other! So we decided we do prefer the intimacy of the smaller ships, but we'll never say "no" to any of the ships.

 

Mura

[pacheco18]

Mura - on our voyage there was a huge turnover of staff in Civitavecchia (or so we were told) and another huge turnover took place in Miami. The entire entertainment group left in Miami and was being replaced (lucky for the current cruisers). I heard from a good source that for Riviera O is working with some group from the West End. Perhaps there will be improvement on that score.

 

There were 800 repeat O cruisers on our voyage (2 Captain's parties were needed to accommodate them). Many noted that things did not seem to flow smoothly. We are all accustomed to that seamless service that makes the small ships so special. I think part of it was the changes in staff, but part of it was the size of the ship.

 

I do not think your views are so far from mine. The food issue is always subject to what happens on a particular night. As I said, many of my fellow cruisers had a great meal and a not so great meal in the same restaurant on different nights.

 

I was told that the split between GDR and buffet was as follows: 35% went to GDR and 65% to buffet. I think they expect the opposite. It was often tough to get a seat in the buffet. There was no shortage of seating in the GDR.

 

La Reserve got rave reviews from other passengers.

 

My friend is on the current sailing. We decided I would not say a word about my views and compare notes afterward. She called me after the muster drill to tell me she felt the intimacy was lost. Does not take long to figure that out IMO.

[Mura]

Laraine,

 

Huge staff turnovers can be the difference between night and day. I remember on our first cruise with O on Regatta we did a B2B where a large number of staff left the ship when we ended the first cruise in Costa Rica. What had been impeccable service was a disaster for a few days.

 

I agree with you that many of the problems may well have been due to both factors: new crew members, a much larger ship.

 

I'm amazed that the split is 35%-65% between GDR and the buffet! But I will say that in retrospect I would say that Terrace felt a lot more crowded than the GDR! I don't know if that split you were told about applied to your cruise specifically or to cruises in general. Either way, I wouldn't be surprised if O didn't expect it to be the other way around. But that buffet is SO good! And dinner takes a lot less time to get through!

 

We, too, loved La Reserve.

 

My friend is on the current sailing. We decided I would not say a word about my views and compare notes afterward. She called me after the muster drill to tell me she felt the intimacy was lost. Does not take long to figure that out IMO.

 

Nope, that is pretty evident right off the bat!

 

Mura

[PaulMCO]

 

However, there was one big misstep on this cruise and it infuriated many. At the end of the cruise, everyone who had spent $800 or more in the on board shops was identified to Customs Officials for a special inspection. People went wild! Several passengers returned items they had bought. Many of the items were exempt from duty (e.g. the jewelry designer’s items were all US made), but O never told the Customs Agents. We had to fight to get a certificate of authenticity to get the exemption. It was not pretty.

 

 

 

This is not Oceania specific. It is a US Government requirement for them to report large purchases. There are numerous threads on CC with HAL, RCI and Princess. Happened to us on HAL -- purchased a TAG which was just above my $800 exemption.

[wripro]

i have said this before and repeat it now. imo the GDR on Marina is to be avoided at all costs. It's large, impersonal, with average food and service to match.

[globevest]

Laraine,

Thank you for your objective and detailed review. My wife and I have sailed on Regatta, Insignia and Marina this year so have recent experience of the 'big' and the 'small'.

 

Agree with you fully on the PH3 but have mixed views on the butler...2 great, 1 not so good. Generally on all three cruises the service was somewhat spotty and not up to the overall standard of the the three previous cruises on 'R' ships in 2009/10. The reason I have given that background is to share with the board a conversation I have on the Insignia November sailing with a senior company executive. After sharing my comments above, I ventured that the service 'drop off' appeared to be coincedental with the introduction of Marina to service and the need for Oceania to add so many new staff.

 

I was told that I had pretty much hit the nail on the head. They have done lots and lots of training and have spread experienced staff over 4 ships rather than the original 3. They expect that with the introduction of another ship in April, even with the lease of Insignia to another company, they will continue to struggle with quality staffing for a few more months. I was told that the company fully understands this issue and were fully committed to restore their very high standard which clients expect.

 

A minor point but relevant to a comment you made. We had dinner with the General Manager one evening and my wife said she was disappointed that they had dropped the Wedge Salad from their menue. The General Manager said he was as well, as it was his favorite. Their reason given for dropping was " it is not one of the Peppin approved salads" and they cannot change. Interesting.

 

On all three sailings this year our CD has been David who we agree is great. One evening he asked me to give my views on Marina on which we did a Baltic cruise in June. He was very familiar with passenger comments about the Marina lounge and the poor design particularly for seating at the back. I won't go into all of the issues we talked about save to say he, and the company are certainly listening to the passengers.

 

Overall current service is certainly not bad and I am convinced we will see improvements in 2012. We have two sailings booked for next years so I am banking on it. LOL

[pacheco18]

This is not Oceania specific. It is a US Government requirement for them to report large purchases. There are numerous threads on CC with HAL, RCI and Princess. Happened to us on HAL -- purchased a TAG which was just above my $800 exemption.

 

It was the manner in which it was handled that was awful.

 

First -a letter to the stateroom (with no explanation and an incorrect date) that we were reported to Customs! Thank you, O.

 

Second - another letter, with different information (a corrected date) and a bit of an explanation -- almost apologetic

 

Third - a followup phone call to make sure we "understood."

 

They just did not have their act together and passengers were not happy.

 

The fact that we all had to scramble to get authentication for items that were clearly US goods was unacceptable.

[sitraveler]

o boy!!

 

Just back from Insignia's TA, & I am booked on Marina's March & November's TA.

 

Now I'm scared, very scared.

 

Loved the intimacy of the R ship. David as CD and Jason as hotel manager.

 

I've been told to expect Dorothy as CD and Damian as hotel manager whom we love. But overcrowded venues????

[pacheco18]

Maybe with a competent CD you will not experience some of these problems. Hopefully they will have learned something from this TA and the next ones will improve.

[RetiredFL]

We were on the same cruise as Mura (although in a lower cabin).

We enjoyed the cruise but found the ship far from perfect. We especially hated the organization of the Library and the inability to get to the books.

We enjoyed the GDR and found food and service excellent. However without the elevated central area found on R ships it did seem large and impersonal The raised central ares on the R ships breaks up the room.

We enjoyed all the specialty restaurants and Jacques was our favorite. Service in Toscana was very poor but we have been on all 3 R ships and have remarked the same about Toscana on each of them. Perhaps it is an Italian thing!

We did notice senior staff from the R ships walking around Marina and it appears they were trying to help with service/food problems. They were not acknowledged in the paperwork or at the captain's party but we knew them from R ships cruises.

Mura and I "organized' the CC get-togethers and the ship was very helpful in sending our invitations, roping off and area of Horizons for us and assigning a cocktail waiter. Perhaps corporate outlook has changed. We were told by several senior staff that Oceania values its CC members.

I won't go into the problems other have mentioned on these boards with regards to Bathrooms, etc. but we felt they were minor compared to being on a great ship.

Bottom line is we would rate the Marina a 9.5 and the R ships a 9.6. Not a large difference but we did feel we preferred the R ships slightly.

[LHT28]

2. the private sun deck outside the spa (really nice and quiet, chaises with covers for the head area and great when all the pool chairs are taken) -- two private hot tubs -- again, supposed to be just for those in CC class and above, but there is no key check. Open to all.

 

Interesting

I thought the spa staff would be checking those that went into the front area

Maybe some purchased the day pass ?

Entrance is more open than on the R-ships where you have to pass through the spa area to get to the front

 

Lyn

[pacheco18]

Interesting

I thought the spa staff would be checking those that went into the front area

Maybe some purchased the day pass ?

Entrance is more open than on the R-ships where you have to pass through the spa area to get to the front

 

Lyn

 

You can just walk right in -- no one checks

In fact, the spa staff does not even know where you are heading. You could be going to the gym (access open to all) which is right on the way to the private area.

 

The Executive Lounge was even a bigger problem as it is quite small. My husband went there one morning and it was standing room only.

[doubledobles]

My husband and I were on the TA this past week and we enjoyed Nolan Dean and I did not enjoy Roy, the assistant cruise director. I found Roy difficult to understand, as english is his second language and did not care for his sense of humor.

 

I am not going to delve into the differences of opinion we have with regards to Larraine's critique and all I can tell you is that before you make any judgements based on one person's opinion, enjoy your cruise and then decide how you feel.

[pacheco18]

My husband and I were on the TA this past week and we enjoyed Nolan Dean and I did not enjoy Roy, the assistant cruise director. I found Roy difficult to understand, as english is his second language and did not care for his sense of humor.

 

I am not going to delve into the differences of opinion we have with regards to Larraine's critique and all I can tell you is that before you make any judgements based on one person's opinion, enjoy your cruise and then decide how you feel.

 

Roy's English was fabulous. He spoke perfect idiomatic English. His accent was charming. Everyone on board had an accent! It's an international crew!

 

I can only tell you that there is a large contingent on the ship that blasted Nolan Dean in our reviews. He just does not measure up to O's standards in any respect.

[PaulMCO]

It was the manner in which it was handled that was awful.

 

First -a letter to the stateroom (with no explanation and an incorrect date) that we were reported to Customs! Thank you, O.

 

Second - another letter, with different information (a corrected date) and a bit of an explanation -- almost apologetic

 

Third - a followup phone call to make sure we "understood."

 

They just did not have their act together and passengers were not happy.

 

The fact that we all had to scramble to get authentication for items that were clearly US goods was unacceptable.

 

At least they told you.... When we were on HAL all they did was have a hole punched in the corner of my Customs form. That indicated to staff that you were to go for an in depth review at the special customs table. Many got caught with undeclared merchandise.

 

My countdown clock says 9 days --WOW!!!!

[pacheco18]

At least they told you.... When we were on HAL all they did was have a hole punched in the corner of my Customs form. That indicated to staff that you were to go for an in depth review at the special customs table. Many got caught with undeclared merchandise.

 

My countdown clock says 9 days --WOW!!!!

 

Agree - much worse!

 

Have a fabulous anniversary cruise on the wonderful Nautica.

[KIWP]

Don't be afraid. Damien Lacroix is an amazing GM (not Hotel Mgr). Dottie Kulasa, the CD, is fun and lively and you will enjoy. Her trivia games are different from David Shermet's, but you will enjoy.

 

Don't allow yourself to be influenced by one person who feels she has to express herself and possibly "roil the waters" as she did in her continuous negative presentation of herself on board during this cruise and with some comments in her review. We were also on board and had a chance to hear and observe her. However I will not respond to her commentary as I will not participate in a debate with her either in public or private. It is perfectly acceptable to "agree to disagree." We are always in a PH and do not share her views. Go and make up your own mind based on your own experience.

 

Oceania is service driven and ALWAYS pays attention to client comments. We've seen this since the inception of the cruise line that if you take your issue to the right staff member (GM, CD, Chief Purser, Restaurant Mgr.) rather than discussions with fellow passengers - action is taken.

[hondorner]

... I am sure the die-hard “Oceania can do no wrong” group will be upset with some of what I am going to say, but I am just calling it as I see it.

There's nothing in your review to be upset about. In every event, there are facts and there are opinions. You have carefully separated those. Your facts are indisputable, and your opinions are -- well, they're your opinions! :D

 

I don't count myself as among the "Oceania can do no wrong" group, although many here may do so. I just get upset when folks present their opinions as facts, or misinterpret facts in order to buttress their opinions. You have done neither. Good review.

[doubledobles]

Thanks, KIWP. We are always in a PH3 too and this is our tenth crossing....3 on Regent, 1 on NCL, 1 on RCL and 5 on Oceania. We enjoyed this crossing as much as the others. We take the crossings to relax and kick back.

 

We loved the get togethers in the Executive Lounge in the evenings and hope that Oceania continues them for all sailings. What a great way to meet others.

 

I am not going to get into a "shouting match" regarding this crossing, but we did not find it as negative as stated in another review.

[pacheco18]

There's nothing in your review to be upset about. In every event, there are facts and there are opinions. You have carefully separated those. Your facts are indisputable, and your opinions are -- well, they're your opinions! :D

 

I don't count myself as among the "Oceania can do no wrong" group, although many here may do so. I just get upset when folks present their opinions as facts, or misinterpret facts in order to buttress their opinions. You have done neither. Good review.

 

Thanks. I tried to be objective and give specifics to back up my opinions. I am amazed at the number of private emails I am getting thanking me for my honesty. I don't know any other way to do it. I guess some did not see any positives in what I wrote. ?????? I thought I noted many positives Resorting to ad hominem attacks really does not move the ball or help others make decisions. My opinion is mine alone based on my preferences and my expectations. Nothing more. It is just part of the mix.

[JimandStan]

Perhaps I'm just a "glass half full" kind of a guy, but am I the only one who didn't find the original post to be negative in the least?

 

I found it remarkably concise, well thought out, and fair in the extreme.

[LHT28]

I also found it a good review & agree on several points