JimandStan Posted December 13, 2011 #1 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Oceania is in the preliminary stages of assembling the crew for the now building Riviera. Exciting stuff. When the Marina came out, she got the cream of the cream of the crop, from new-ish but upcoming Concierge Keith Hill, to Cruise Director extraordinaire Leslie Jon. They also put best ever Head Bartender Antonio Fernandes in charge of Martini's where mega-talented Jerry Blaine sparkled at the piano each evening. Antonio, in particular, elevates each venue that he operates. He has the style and polish that Oceania wants the Riviera to have. He is also the most loyal Oceania employee that I, personally, have ever met. Although the Nautica is lucky enough to have him right now, I know of many Oceania regulars who would love to see him on the new ship. Having Antonio behind the bar was THE highlight of our last Marina cruise. :D As Oceania grows, these small stamps of familiarity (such as an old-friend at the piano or behind the bar) help to keep the feeling of intimacy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted December 13, 2011 #2 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Several of the regular crew we know & love to see have mentioned they do not like the larger ship & will go back to the R-ships One went so far as to say if they did not get their next contract on the R-ships they will not return to Oceania I wonder how many others will leave Oceania for that reason :confused: I know they choose to work on a cruise ship but many of them looked tired & worn out on our Marina cruise in March Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orchestrapal Posted December 13, 2011 #3 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Several of the regular crew we know & love to see have mentioned they do not like the larger ship & will go back to the R-shipsOne went so far as to say if they did not get their next contract on the R-ships they will not return to Oceania I wonder how many others will leave Oceania for that reason :confused: I know they choose to work on a cruise ship but many of them looked tired & worn out on our Marina cruise in March Lyn Our wonderful butler on Regatta last spring said that if they forced him to work on one of the new ships he would leave at the end of his contract. He was so good he could get a job with any of the 6* lines easily. Oceania may want to consider this before moving the crew members that "love" the R ships as many of us do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted December 13, 2011 #4 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Several of the regular crew we know & love to see have mentioned they do not like the larger ship & will go back to the R-shipsOne went so far as to say if they did not get their next contract on the R-ships they will not return to Oceania I wonder how many others will leave Oceania for that reason :confused: I know they choose to work on a cruise ship but many of them looked tired & worn out on our Marina cruise in March Lyn Lyn, That was our impression as well. I suspect Leslie will do it as he has done so for just about every new ship for Oceania - I suspect he considers it an honor (which it is, for him). As for the others, it depends on how much choice they are given or how many other choices they have for employment elsewhere. This is not a good sign - even though many passengers prefer the new ships, it would appear that most of the crew prefer the R ships. Thus, they would work on the Riviera "against their wishes", if you will; not good for morale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted December 13, 2011 #5 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Oceania I am sure will have no problem getting crew for the newer ships but will they be the same caliber we have come to expect or will they come from some of the mass market lines with different ways of doing things we had a waiter on one cruise he was outgoing fun he was from one of the other cruises lines that were not into quality service I noticed by the end of our B2B he was more subdued in his behavior ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted December 13, 2011 Author #6 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Our wonderful butler on Regatta last spring said that if they forced him towork on one of the new ships he would leave at the end of his contract. He was so good he could get a job with any of the 6* lines easily. Oceania may want to consider this before moving the crew members that "love" the R ships as many of us do. While I don't doubt that the Butler in question made that statement, it can't have been an informed decision. For one thing. the amenities and accommodations offered to the crew on the Marina Class are much improved over the "designed 18 years ago" R Ships. Crew Members on the larger ships will also find that they have more time off (particularly at Sea), because they are part of a larger pool of workers. Simply put, they can cover for each other more efficiently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted December 13, 2011 #7 Share Posted December 13, 2011 While I don't doubt that the Butler in question made that statement, it can't have been an informed decision. For one thing. the amenities and accommodations offered to the crew on the Marina Class are much improved over the "designed 18 years ago" R Ships. Crew Members on the larger ships will also find that they have more time off (particularly at Sea), because they are part of a larger pool of workers. Simply put, they can cover for each other more efficiently. J&S, All that may be true, but all I can say is that I have heard (from the staff members I remembered and who remembered us from prior cruises) that they couldn't wait to get back to the R ships. They must have their own reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TERRIER1 Posted December 13, 2011 #8 Share Posted December 13, 2011 J&S,All that may be true, but all I can say is that I have heard (from the staff members I remembered and who remembered us from prior cruises) that they couldn't wait to get back to the R ships. They must have their own reasons. The crew we spoke to on the Marina also preferred the R ships. There must be something to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meow! Posted December 14, 2011 #9 Share Posted December 14, 2011 Several of the regular crew we know & love to see have mentioned they do not like the larger ship & will go back to the R-shipsOne went so far as to say if they did not get their next contract on the R-ships they will not return to Oceania I wonder how many others will leave Oceania for that reason Our wonderful butler on Regatta last spring said that if they forced him towork on one of the new ships he would leave at the end of his contract. He was so good he could get a job with any of the 6* lines easily. It is so surprising to hear such loyal passengers with such negative sentiments towards the large newbuilds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love.II.Cruise Posted December 14, 2011 #10 Share Posted December 14, 2011 It is so surprising to hear such loyal passengers with such negative sentiments towards the large newbuilds! Yes, I agree. What if Oceania gives the crew good incentives to go to Riviera? Grasshopper out. :o If not, too bad. I'll take what I get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted December 14, 2011 #11 Share Posted December 14, 2011 It is so surprising to hear such loyal passengers with such negative sentiments towards the large newbuilds! What are you talking about :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvgal Posted December 14, 2011 #12 Share Posted December 14, 2011 We were told by our butler that the butlers on Marina and I would imagine Riveria were going to be from India, as they will work for less money. Sure enough butlers on Marina were indeed Indian. Still wonderful service, but point made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted December 14, 2011 #13 Share Posted December 14, 2011 We were told by our butler that the butlers on Marina and I would imagine Riveria were going to be from India, as they will work for less money. Sure enough butlers on Marina were indeed Indian. Still wonderful service, but point made. FWIW In fact, the VERY BEST of all time on any line we have ever encountered was a wonderful fellow from India on Silversea in the dining room - nobody has come even close to his level of service - a perfect blend intelligence, humor and respect; always smiling and happy. He knew all of our food preferences by the second day and remembered them some 9 months later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meow! Posted December 14, 2011 #14 Share Posted December 14, 2011 We were told by our butler that the butlers on Marina and I would imagine Riveria were going to be from India, as they will work for less money. Sure enough butlers on Marina were indeed Indian. Still wonderful service, but point made. The butler we had on board the Silver Spirit last December was from India, and he was still being trained on the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floridiana Posted December 14, 2011 #15 Share Posted December 14, 2011 I find it strange to think that a 1 200 passenger ship is too large. I thought that the 1 200 passenger ship on which I was (HAL) had the right size. My own experience is between 12 and 2 400 passengers, but the enjoyment had more to do with the itinerary and the people at dinner than with the overall number of passengers. Comfort is more about the passenger-crew ratio and whether the size of the public areas is appropriate for the number of passengers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruba Posted December 23, 2011 #16 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Several of the regular crew we know & love to see have mentioned they do not like the larger ship & will go back to the R-shipsOne went so far as to say if they did not get their next contract on the R-ships they will not return to Oceania I wonder how many others will leave Oceania for that reason :confused: I know they choose to work on a cruise ship but many of them looked tired & worn out on our Marina cruise in March Lyn Happy Holidays Lyn -- maybe we'll see you in 2012?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted December 23, 2011 #17 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Happy Holidays Lyn -- maybe we'll see you in 2012?? Thanks Randy Happy Holidays to you both also Not unless you come north ;) Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted December 23, 2011 Author #18 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Just got the unfortunate news that Antonio is not going to be with the Riviera for her Inaugural Sailings..... This would have been our sixth consecutive sailing with him behind the bar, and his suave attention to detail will be missed. Martini's, both the cocktail and the venue, certainly won't be as polished. I hate to say it, but this makes me think that the Riviera just isn't being introduced with the same eclat as the Marina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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