2SeaAll Posted February 26, 2012 #1 Share Posted February 26, 2012 We would be grateful to anyone that can offer first-hand experience on the issues of non-suite showers and Internet access on Marina, as we are booked on Riviera for a holiday cruise with our children this winter. Our prior experience on Oceania was very positive. We enjoyed the country club atmosphere, a wonderful itinerary, and mostly outstanding food and dining room service on the smaller former Renaissance ship; we paid little attention to the Internet or TV programming during this family cruise and have almost no recollection on these issues. We are pre-disposed to sail Oceania whenever we can find the right combination of itinerary, timing and price; the Marina class ships should be a great step up. A more than random number of recent postings have been consistently critical of the shower design on Marina (non-suite), indicated that it is mini-phone booth in size and configuration and hardly functional as a result of the design decision to also squeeze a bath tub into the bathroom. We have a 6'2" son and my wife and I are 5'11" and 5'7" and therefore very concerned. The Internet is more an annoynce and inconvenience than anything else because our planned cruise is a family cruise and we will have our children with us. Nonetheless it's nice to generally stay connected and the Internet and TV serve as forms of entertainment during the cruise. General consensus seems to be that Internet service fleet wide is overly expensive, extraordinarily slow (like old dial-up) and very unreliable, and that it has not been upgraded on Marina. It's hard to believe that O is oblivious to this, especially since their sister company - Regent - has such good Internet service. Thanks in advance for your feedback and help. Howard -------------------- Upcoming: Oceania Riviera (Caribbean) - 01/13 Celebrity Reflection (Maiden Voyage - Northern Europe) - 10/12 Prior Cruises: Celebrity Silhouette (Caribbean) - 02/12 Celebrity Solstice (Caribbean) - 01/11 Celebrity Century (Caribbean) - 02/10 Celebrity Equinox (Caribbean) - 12/09 Regent Seven Seas Voyager (Western Mediterranean) - 09/09 Oceania Insignia (Western Med/Holy Land/Agean) - 08/08 Celebrity Summit (Alaska) - 08/06 Silver Seas, Silver Wind (Western Mediterranean) - 07/05 Celebrity Constellation (Caribbean) - 03/05 Crystal Serenity (Mediterranean) - 07/04 Celebrity Infinity (Caribbean) - 04/04 Regent Seven Seas Voyager (Northern Europe/Baltic/Russia) - 07/03 Celebrity Infinity (Alaska) - 07/02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted February 26, 2012 #2 Share Posted February 26, 2012 The Oceania Class ship Marina Showers ..my DH is 5'11" he had no problem with the showers ..I did not care for the rain shower head when washing my hair but they were fine I prefer the R-ship showers Internet ..FDR posted recently that the internet was being upgraded when we were last March on the best place for a good signal was near the computer centre Prices are still the same as before :( We do not cruise for the T.V. though we have watched a DVD or two on occasion If that is important to you maybe Oceania is not the right choice Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebobh Posted February 26, 2012 #3 Share Posted February 26, 2012 We were in a concierge cabin, and experienced the infamous showers firsthand. I'm 6-0, and the waterfall at the center of the stall required me to be careful and to shower in some interesting positions (enough said) to get in, get out and not get drowned... Seeing that Marina is going in for an early drydock, my guess would be they may be doing something to move the showerhead, add a wand, etc. Also not certain Riviera will have the same configuration given the literally unanimous panning of the shower stall by almost everyone who posts here and elsewhere (I'm sure it made sense to the designers when they did it, and Oceania is very customer sensitive, so if changes can be made, I'm confident they will make them). The Internet is a continued disappointment, not so much for the slow speed (expected, and probably good to keep me off the web on vacation) but for its cost, which feels like resort-inspired gouging. Now that they and Regent are fraternal partners, I'm hoping for O to match R's reduction in rates for its more frequent clientele. I'd pay more for better speed and reliability, or less for what they do now, but slow and pricey hits a little low IMHO. All in all, though, O remains at or near the top of our first-choice cruise lines. We enjoy the ambiance, the itineraries, the food options (esp on Marina, but also very good on the R ships), so contorted showering and slow web speeds are just amongst the small issues they can improve rather than reasons not to go with them. Regards, Bob H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bphman Posted February 27, 2012 #4 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Apparently, Oceania will be addressing the internet speed and signal strength during the Marina's dry dock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2SeaAll Posted February 27, 2012 Author #5 Share Posted February 27, 2012 We were in a concierge cabin, and experienced the infamous showers firsthand. I'm 6-0, and the waterfall at the center of the stall required me to be careful and to shower in some interesting positions (enough said) to get in, get out and not get drowned... Seeing that Marina is going in for an early drydock, my guess would be they may be doing something to move the showerhead, add a wand, etc. Also not certain Riviera will have the same configuration given the literally unanimous panning of the shower stall by almost everyone who posts here and elsewhere (I'm sure it made sense to the designers when they did it, and Oceania is very customer sensitive, so if changes can be made, I'm confident they will make them). The Internet is a continued disappointment, not so much for the slow speed (expected, and probably good to keep me off the web on vacation) but for its cost, which feels like resort-inspired gouging. Now that they and Regent are fraternal partners, I'm hoping for O to match R's reduction in rates for its more frequent clientele. I'd pay more for better speed and reliability, or less for what they do now, but slow and pricey hits a little low IMHO. All in all, though, O remains at or near the top of our first-choice cruise lines. We enjoy the ambiance, the itineraries, the food options (esp on Marina, but also very good on the R ships), so contorted showering and slow web speeds are just amongst the small issues they can improve rather than reasons not to go with them. Regards, Bob H Thanks Bob; also thanks to others for your response prior to Bob's. Your experience helps to put things into perspective. I did get a response on an unrelated thread that Marina's week in dry dock will have a primary purpose of rectifying the obvious design error in the bathroom. According to the poster the tub will be turned into a tub/shower with a partial glass enclosure (and hopefully a grab bar to assist entry/exit on the seas); it is unclear whether the stall shower will be left as is or the shower head replaced with a wall mounted shower head. Hopefully the outcry caused in-build design changes that will appear in the Riviera launch. What a strange turn of events if Marina cures the problem while the new ship is launched with the long-known problem. O has not been very forthright in acknowledging the problem or providing info, but I'll take another run at them armed with CC-sourced info. If you know the dry dock dates, that would be useful info. I'll just keep my ears open on Internet related issues. TV is not a biggy, but my boys and I are sports enthusiasts, and there is lots to keep track of during our sailing time, so even CNN or ESPN would be useful during the down time, including two seas days each way on our cruise. Thanks again. Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meow! Posted February 27, 2012 #6 Share Posted February 27, 2012 This happens to be a hot topic that recurs on this board again and again. It must be of great concern to many. So let us look at the other recent thread and our reply http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=32599415#post32599415 postings #7 and #9. "If Oceania is serious about having both features in the available space, they can try http://classicsafeway.com/cs2747.htm It may be more expensive, but something along this line should work. " Click on http://classicsafeway.com/cs2747.htm and you will see a very illustrative picture of what we mean. "We believe this advice to be both good and practical. The combo tub-showers at that link cost only some $3,500 (must be discounts on large scale purchases). With Oceania fares being typically $500 per diem these days, or $1,000 per cabin double occupancy, it will be only 3.5 days, or one-third of the now shortened typical voyage (from 14 days six years ago to 12 days three years ago to 10 days now while increasing the per voyage fare). So it is minimal, while it will solve many of the passenger complaints as seen on this board." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted February 27, 2012 #7 Share Posted February 27, 2012 The theory being that if Oceania got a better deal on their plumbing fixtures, then they could lower their fares?...:confused: Really?? :confused::confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capecodder2 Posted February 27, 2012 #8 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Personally, I think the shower and the internet costs are being talked to death - they are not that big a deal on the whole (IMHO). The shower is on a par with the R ships (with the exception of the rain head - which I personally liked). I also liked the glass door vs the shower curtain that sticks to you on the R ships. The Internet was being upgraded on the Marina when we were on the January 22 cruise - the costs are available easily, find a way around it if you don't want to pay the price and if you must use it, budget it into your cruise costs. I will probably get "yelled" at for being blunt, but these subjects have been run into the ground (ocean?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dincus Posted February 27, 2012 #9 Share Posted February 27, 2012 We disembarked the Marina yesterday. We were in a B4 with the extended balcony. I'm 6' tall, 185 pounds and had no issues with the shower at all. There is the option to use the overhead shower or the hand held wand or both. The wand is extremely powerful. The obvious fix for the shower is to put a sliding door on the tub. Then 2 people could shower at the same time using both the tub and the shower. We only used it for hanging bathing suits. As for the Internet I had some critical operations going on at work and needed to be kept informed as to how things were progressing. I informed my staff as well as my petsitter to email me at my cruise ship email address and I received daily updates. Incoming emails are free. I only had to send one email for $3.95. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebobh Posted February 27, 2012 #10 Share Posted February 27, 2012 this is from the Department of Redundancy Department...being one who has been on the board for awhile, the resurfacing of issues we have long beaten into unrecognizable form occurs inevitably when new folks join and have many of the same questions and stress we all probably had when we were new IMHO. As with food, itinerary, cruise line preferences, etc., etc. anything anyone says should be factored into what the questioner personally prefers (yes, master of the obvious is one of my titles). I appreciate the energy of newer folks who want to know things we have covered (a lot in some instances) and also the patience of others who respond to my queries in the same way. Oceania's board has perhaps been the most informative and pleasant one I'm on (also counting 3 others in CC) and I appreciate the humor, bluntness (at times...) and support folks have for one another. Thanks, Bob H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meow! Posted February 27, 2012 #11 Share Posted February 27, 2012 The theory being that if Oceania got a better deal on their plumbing fixtures, then they could lower their fares?...:confused:Really?? :confused::confused: No, then they can use the combo tub-shower as suggested in my posting and solve their bathroom congestion problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Dr. Cocktail Posted February 28, 2012 #12 Share Posted February 28, 2012 My partner and I just got off Marina two days ago. As we are both 6 feet tall, we were extremely worried about the shower. It really turned out to be a non-issue as we came "well-prepared" with an easy solution. We simply took some dollar store suction cup soap dishes/baskets and placed them at the ideal height for us. That way, we could easily direct the water sprays and actually create more usable space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heidik Posted February 28, 2012 #13 Share Posted February 28, 2012 How was the internet - did they finish upgrading it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Dr. Cocktail Posted February 28, 2012 #14 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I didn't use the internet (at those prices per minute, I expect a sensual massage ...) but almost every time I passed the internet area next to Baristas (at least twice daily), the area was deserted and/or had someone complaining to the manager about the internet service. Sorry about the almost non-answer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barnstormer Posted February 28, 2012 #15 Share Posted February 28, 2012 We just returned from Miami to Miami on Sunday. 5'-8" - 200# and still flexible in the knees so dropping soap was a non issue - however I did have to center myself in the stall to be able to get that low. Agree with the tray, needs two and not with a big slot like this where the soap slides out after using it for a day or two. My wife and her family in another cabin did all complain, but I am the athlete...lol And if they do the above to the tub, where will I put my suitcases for the next trip? I used the laptop for internet in our cabin. Slow like I expected from all cruises, but I have had much worse. It is satellite and I live in a rural area where at home I have satellite and knew what to expect; slower than cable, faster than dial-up. Rather than the 100 minute for $85 dollars I decided to use the pay as you go. Both of us checked email three days (we are on a cruise and wanted to relax). In the week that was well over 500 emails and in total the billing was $24, but I didn't send anything. Loved the ship, but hey it is Oceania. Food was good, not in our opinion five star restaurant, but certainly 5 star cruising. Continue to dislike the Caribbean and already told TA that we will be re-booking next year's Riviera reservation in the western Caribbean to another itinerary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropiCAL2008 Posted March 7, 2012 #16 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Hi, we sailed on the Marina in December 2011. Hubby is 5'11" and had no issues with the shower. I am a working professional who teaches online at various universities. The Internet was dismal to non-existent. I've cruised on other lines with few Internet access issues, but this was a horrible experience where it was frozen for periods of time and you could not even get on to log back off. To add to my stress level I took extra work based on advertising that Internet was avaible in rooms (NOT). One day I had to get off the ship in Panama and use an Internet cafe for several hours on shore to get work and grades accomplished. The best place to get a signal on ship was in the Internet cafe and I've never heard so many complaints on a cruise line from frustrated folks in the area there (daily issues). No signal available in the veranda room we had on Deck 7. I expressed concerns at the desk, mid-cruise survey and end of cruise about Internet concerns - no response. Very disappointing as I've had better Internet access at lower cost on older ships elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda93 Posted March 8, 2012 #17 Share Posted March 8, 2012 We sailed on Marina last October and found the shower usable but not great (at 6' and 5'11"). Dr. Cocktail's 'suction-cup basket' is a brilliant idea, as the sole soap/shampoo holder is inadequate. I ended up storing little bottles on top of the rainfall showerhead (between the top flat surface and the ceiling of the shower. It worked well as the bottles were oblong and didn't roll off. The shower enclosure is claustrophobic, but given how great the rest of Marina is, the shower is a quibble rather than a major issue - unless you are very tall or have mobility issues. Glad to hear they will be retrofitting a shower wand holder and glass partition in the tub in the upcoming drydock. The internet service was dismal - slow and expensive. We had no wireless signal at all in our concierge cabin (deck 9, forward). Signal was weak/intermittent in the concierge lounge. We took our netbook to the computer center when it was time for serious emailing. We also had to ask the computer attendant to help replenish our onboard internet account which hiccuped when we tried to buy extra minutes. He was pleasant and solved the issue quickly...but given how expensive the minutes are; service should be extraordinary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceans&Rivers Posted March 8, 2012 #18 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Are there any willing models who would wear a swimsuit and have photographs uploaded so we could see some of these poses? Pretty please. ;):):D :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted March 8, 2012 #19 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Wow, and we were in 10001 and the internet access was generally pretty good -- well, pretty good as far as Oceania internet service goes. I admit that I did have some drop-outs towards the end of the cruise which brought me to the internet cafe, but they were happy to credit me with the lost minutes. But in general it was NOT a problem. I believe Andromeda was in 9014 which would not be that far from where we were, just a deck below and somewhat more to the center, although both of us were far from the internet cafe. I do find it interesting that cheaper lines can have superior internet service and that elite Oceania doesn't seem to be able to do so! I have survived with internet on the ships, but it sure isn't a plus for the ship. (Our most recent comparison was NCL which doesn't begin to compare to Oceania, but the internet service was cheaper and MUCH faster -- even in the middle of the Atlantic.) Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda93 Posted March 8, 2012 #20 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Mura is correct - on Marina in 9014 we had no usable wifi signal; we could log on but the service would drop immediately. It never worked there. Apparently the closer you are to the 'centerline', the better the wireless signal (ex: the concierge lounge was very close to our cabin but on the midline of the ship - there was a passable signal there, but not in our room). I also saw at least two guests sitting on the floor of the main stairway between decks, using their laptops. Apparently there are repeaters near the central stairs. Notwithstanding Marina's stairs are lovely and accented with interesting sculpture and artwork, this was a little sad. I think I read elsewhere in the boards that someone saw a floating retrofit of Marina's wireless system while they were sailing; more wifi 'repeaters' were being installed while the ship was underway? Can't remember where I read this, but Oceania must be aware they'd sell more of those exorbitant minutes if lots of guests didn't have to go all the way to the internet cafe to use the service! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2SeaAll Posted March 9, 2012 Author #21 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Mura is correct - on Marina in 9014 we had no usable wifi signal; we could log on but the service would drop immediately. It never worked there. Apparently the closer you are to the 'centerline', the better the wireless signal (ex: the concierge lounge was very close to our cabin but on the midline of the ship - there was a passable signal there, but not in our room). I also saw at least two guests sitting on the floor of the main stairway between decks, using their laptops. Apparently there are repeaters near the central stairs. Notwithstanding Marina's stairs are lovely and accented with interesting sculpture and artwork, this was a little sad. I think I read elsewhere in the boards that someone saw a floating retrofit of Marina's wireless system while they were sailing; more wifi 'repeaters' were being installed while the ship was underway? Can't remember where I read this, but Oceania must be aware they'd sell more of those exorbitant minutes if lots of guests didn't have to go all the way to the internet cafe to use the service! Since initiating this thread I have spoken to O Customer Relations twice, and twice gotten "we'll get back to you" on two simple questions: 1. Will the drydock shower retro-fits on Marina be included at launch on Riviera, and 2. Are any steps being taken to provide a higher level of Internet service by design on Riviera to learn from the problems experienced on the other ships. I've held back on posting awaiting the promised response, but have not heard back either time. With are so many positives on Oceania it's just amazing that they seem to be stuck in the mud on these very solvable issues. BTW, if we had to live with the existing shower situation, after having reviewed pictures and digesting the responses it would seem doable for one cruise, but hardly the experience one should have on a cruise in this class; Internet access is a bigger issue for me, especially when the entire family is not travelliing together - Celebrity, Regent and Silver Sea have adequately addressed the Internet issue - why can't Oceania grab hold of the issue and just resolve it? Any further Riviera insights (my near-term concern) would be much appreciated. Howard ------------------- Upcoming: Oceania Riviera (Caribbean) - 01/13 Celebrity Reflection (Maiden Voyage - Northern Europe) - 10/12 Prior Cruises: Celebrity Silhouette (Caribbean) - 02/12 Celebrity Solstice (Caribbean) - 01/11 Celebrity Century (Caribbean) - 02/10 Celebrity Equinox (Caribbean) - 12/09 Regent Seven Seas Voyager (Western Mediterranean) - 09/09 Oceania Insignia (Western Med/Holy Land/Agean) - 08/08 Celebrity Summit (Alaska) - 08/06 Silver Seas, Silver Wind (Western Mediterranean) - 07/05 Celebrity Constellation (Caribbean) - 03/05 Crystal Serenity (Mediterranean) - 07/04 Celebrity Infinity (Caribbean) - 04/04 Regent Seven Seas Voyager (Northern Europe/Baltic/Russia) - 07/03 Celebrity Infinity (Alaska) - 07/02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted March 9, 2012 #22 Share Posted March 9, 2012 In general I'm a big defender of Oceania. It's not that I think they are perfect, and when I see a mistake I'll call them on it. And so I agree that it's hard to understand why the internet problem is so long standing. If everybody else can fix the problem, why can't they? In the past they weren't trying. But for the past year or so, they say they ARE trying. But even so, we see little or no improvement. Surely they can do better. (I won't argue about the showers, I haven't tried them!) Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceans&Rivers Posted March 9, 2012 #23 Share Posted March 9, 2012 In general I'm a big defender of Oceania. It's not that I think they are perfect, and when I see a mistake I'll call them on it. And so I agree that it's hard to understand why the internet problem is so long standing. If everybody else can fix the problem, why can't they? In the past they weren't trying. But for the past year or so, they say they ARE trying. But even so, we see little or no improvement. Surely they can do better. I am not a SKYPE user, but I was told by a crew member that he SKYPED his girlfriend daily from the ship. I doubt that he was the only crew member doing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibuddy Posted March 9, 2012 #24 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Just read on Cruise Critic News Page that showerheads will be installed in bathtubs on Riviera. http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=4769 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capecodder2 Posted March 10, 2012 #25 Share Posted March 10, 2012 There are already showers in the bathtubs on the MARINA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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