Disappointed in " O"

[travelinjudy]

We just got off a lengthy cruise on the Regatta and were disappointed with Oceania this time. This was our 5th cruise with Oceania. There are some subtle changes and more ridiculous charges, and although the presentation of the food was beautiful and the service excellent, the quality and taste was very mediocre. Taste was inconsistent--sometimes good, other times, tasteless, under or overdone, etc. And several times they tried to clear our plates before we were even done eating! Also, the "friendliness" of the staff seemed superficial. It feels like O is taking its passengers for granted--unless you're in an OS or VS.:(

[tropicalkerry2002]

I'm sorry, and sad, to read that you were disappointed with the service on Regatta. Did it seem to start off on the wrong foot, or did it get worse as the cruise progressed?

I'm sure you must have been on the Coral Seas/Australia/NZ/Fiji cruise, which is my dream cruise for 2014 (in 2013 it is only Oz and NZ, no Fiji, so I hope they bring the cruise you took back for 2014)

I had planned to start a thread asking people about how they liked the cruise...if you would post your thoughts on seas/ports, etc on that thread, I would appreciate it!

[ORV]

I sure hate to hear that.

 

Could you elaborate on ridiculous charges a bit?

[LHT28]

Could you elaborate on ridiculous charges a bit?

I am curious also :confused::confused:

[LHT28]

I wonder if new crew are just not as trained as we are used to on Oceania

 

I know the food depends on the chef/cooks ..we did have some disappointments on the Insignia in 2010 & they were duly noted in my comment form

 

I heard some crew is swapped with Regent but you would think they would be better trained there :confused::confused:

Sorry to hear things are not as good as previous cruises

 

 

Lyn

[ksps cruise fan]

I wonder if new crew are just not as trained as we are used to on Oceania

 

I know the food depends on the chef/cooks ..we did have some disappointments on the Insignia in 2010 & they were duly noted in my comment form

 

I imagine anyone sailing on Marina the first cruise out of drydock will experience some hiccups in the food and service at the beginning of the cruise. Remember, Marina is adding a new type of food station in the kitchen to include new items on the menu. Even if the staff in the kitchen remains the same, the layout and job functions will change.

 

I wouldn't anticipate the changes to the bathroom in the cabins will have any impact on the cabin stewards' performance.

[LHT28]

I imagine anyone sailing on Marina the first cruise out of drydock will experience some hiccups in the food and service at the beginning of the cruise. Remember, Marina is adding a new type of food station in the kitchen to include new items on the menu. Even if the staff in the kitchen remains the same, the layout and job functions will change.

 

 

Not sure how that explains the problem for us in 2010 or Judy recently :confused::confused::confused:

[ORV]

Well there was this positive review from Feb. I can't believe things change that much in a month. Perhaps it's perspective, from both parties.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=99331

[orchestrapal]

We just got off a lengthy cruise on the Regatta and were disappointed with Oceania this time. This was our 5th cruise with Oceania. There are some subtle changes and more ridiculous charges, and although the presentation of the food was beautiful and the service excellent, the quality and taste was very mediocre. Taste was inconsistent--sometimes good, other times, tasteless, under or overdone, etc. And several times they tried to clear our plates before we were even done eating! Also, the "friendliness" of the staff seemed superficial. It feels like O is taking its passengers for granted--unless you're in an OS or VS.:(

 

Were you in an OS or Vs and if not how would you know that?

I know we never discuss our " O S extras" with other cruisers.:confused:

[Hunding]

We encountered similar problems on Regatta's Panama Canal cruise last September - quite a lot of "attitude" from restaurant personnel, particularly servers in the buffet. One woman even went so far as to slam a large spoon of salad down on my plate, as she spat a big "FEH!" straight in my face. It was startling. Instead of calling the maitre' d right then, as perhaps I should have done, I laughed and walked away. Thereafter I made a point of making eye contact with her...and then going elsewhere. We noted this in our end-of-cruise notes.

 

We are back on Regatta at summer's end, and I'm hoping she and her 'tude are long gone.

[ksps cruise fan]

Not sure how that explains the problem for us in 2010 or Judy recently :confused::confused::confused:

 

It doesn't answer the problem directly, but it certainly speaks to the issue that a cruise is a complex set of interactions and any change can throw things off. Change of crew... Change of equipment (e.g. stabilizer, kitchen stations) ... Change of policy... Change of leadership on board... New itinerary/port call...

[cruzmaven]

Has anyone else noticed that as O has expanded with the Marina, review ratings on CC have slid a bit.

 

Looking at the most recent 50 passenger reviews on CC, 11 are 3 star or less and 12 are 4 stars. 46% of reviews 4 star or less.

 

Contrast that with Azamara, which has concentrated on its two R class ships (lets not make any snipey remarks about the Quest) and has received only five 4 star reviews out of the last 50, the rest being 5 star or higher. No reviews of 3 stars or less.

 

Most of the complaints in the O reviews seem to relate to service on board, as most of the raves in the A reviews seem to relate to service on board.

 

Maybe the included wine on A influences passengers' perception of the quality of service, or maybe O needs to step it up a bit in terms of training its staff how to interact with passengers.

 

In reading through the current thread on the Azamara board on the Quest fire I was very impressed with the frequent postings from an A representative keeping the A community informed on the situation and also with how they have dealt with the incident thus far.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1604951

 

I've loved my cruises on O and I'm looking forward to being on board Riviera in November but it appears O may be having some issues maintaining its high level of service while growing into the new builds.

[LHT28]

it appears O may be having some issues maintaining its high level of service while growing into the new builds.

 

I have to agree on some points

They seem to be discounting more to sell out some cruises unlike before where you could barely get a cabin after the new itineraries come out

 

I know the recession have a lot to do with it but the service is slipping IMO

 

I have heard some of the crew are very overworked on the new ship ..longer hours

some of the familiar faces do not seem to smile as much as before ...lot of new faces to train

 

I do hope after the Riviera launch they can get back to the good service we have enjoyed in the past

 

JMO

 

as for Azamara reviews I think a lot of the reviews come from a different demographic than Oceania cruisers ..some O cruisers have jumped cruise lines but it seems most come from RCL or X

 

 

Lyn

[hypercafe]

I have seen this before as a line brings out new ships, they transfer the best from the older ships to the new. Also as the new ships are not that large for O they are double the size so works well for 600 pas doesn't go so well for 1500. I bet things will settle down after time.

[bepsf]

I have seen this before as a line brings out new ships, they transfer the best from the older ships to the new. I bet things will settle down after time.

 

That is indeed the case - and it happens all the time with all the lines that are undergoing newbuild programs:

The best and brightest are sent out to work the new ships and those left behind are training new, inexperienced crew.

[Carnevale]

I'd take all of the online reviews with a grain of salt as what makes a good cruise for one won't for another. We've cruised alot but are trying out different lines to see what the best fit might be (we are on OCL this summer for the first time). Last month we did our first on Azamara (ms Journey) in South America. It was okay, but not as great as the online reviews led us to expect. But I'm sure others on the same cruise loved it and I know for sure that some had rather negative reviews.

 

Azamara does a very good job of being involved with CC and that is a plus. However, there is also a tendency on that board for anyone who posts a negative comment to be scolded by those who are loyal to the line. True, that happens to some degree on all of the discussion boards, but it seemed to be a little more pronounced on the Azamara board (IMHO). So I wasn't suprised that they rated so well since it seems to be mainly those with very high levels of loyatly that do the majority of the postings.

[azam71209]

I'd take all of the online reviews with a grain of salt as what makes a good cruise for one won't for another. We've cruised alot but are trying out different lines to see what the best fit might be (we are on OCL this summer for the first time). Last month we did our first on Azamara (ms Journey) in South America. It was okay, but not as great as the online reviews led us to expect. But I'm sure others on the same cruise loved it and I know for sure that some had rather negative reviews.

 

Azamara does a very good job of being involved with CC and that is a plus. However, there is also a tendency on that board for anyone who posts a negative comment to be scolded by those who are loyal to the line. True, that happens to some degree on all of the discussion boards, but it seemed to be a little more pronounced on the Azamara board (IMHO). So I wasn't suprised that they rated so well since it seems to be mainly those with very high levels of loyatly that do the majority of the postings.

 

The comment about cruisecritic seems right on. When we were on Azamara, they hosted a cruisecritic cocktail hour with free drinks and appetizers. We were introduced to several of the staff. One of their representatives made a brief speech and said that they want to hear from us at any time about any of our concerns. We were asked to speak up while on the ship so they could fix things and that they most definitely did not want us to wait and post it on cruisecritic. They also hosted a focus group of cruisecritic members toward the end of the cruise and seemed sincerely interested in our feedback.

 

Contrast that with O, which basically ignores cruisecritic and makes any kind of meetup difficult.

 

My guess is that Azamara probably gets some good feedback about what is important to cruisecritic members and that's why they get such good reviews. Also, it's a lot easier to overlook a misstep here and there if the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming.

 

When O won't even facilitate our meet and greet, it certainly doesn't get things off to a good start.

 

Mary

[lilybug]

We were on Insignia March 9-21 and I have to say that I don't think the food was as good as our last two O cruises. Also, I found the selections to be lacking. We did not, however, experience any lack of service.

[PaulMCO]

We were on Nautica from 22 December to 26 January. I would have to also agree about the food. The food was bland in some cases inedible. Being a long cruise the menu was repeated x3. We ended up eating the Lamb Chops and the Strip Steak many nights.

 

However -- the service was friendly - but a little uneven, We did find good waiters and stayed with them at at every meal. And yes for many it was their first contract with Oceania.

 

Our waiter was leaving the ship in Bangkok - then taking two months off and heading to Riviera afterward.

[travelinjudy]

I'm sorry, and sad, to read that you were disappointed with the service on Regatta. Did it seem to start off on the wrong foot, or did it get worse as the cruise progressed?

I'm sure you must have been on the Coral Seas/Australia/NZ/Fiji cruise, which is my dream cruise for 2014 (in 2013 it is only Oz and NZ, no Fiji, so I hope they bring the cruise you took back for 2014)

I had planned to start a thread asking people about how they liked the cruise...if you would post your thoughts on seas/ports, etc on that thread, I would appreciate it!

Hi,

The things I said about the cruise were related to the cruise and personnel, not the ports. Most of the ports were great. We especially loved Auckland, Brisbane and Sydney. Tonga and Suva were good, and Latouka was o.k.

The Bay of Islands and Whitsundays were beautiful, although it rained in the Whitsundays, so that kind of spoiled things for those who were in the scuba diving trip. The stop in Lifo, New Caledonia was a real waste. No one liked it. There was little or nothing to do there.

 

We spent 4 wonderful days pre-cruise in Auckland, and 2 days post cruise in Sydney. I wish we could have stayed in Sydney another 4 days, but our schedules would not permit.

 

If this is your dream cruise--(it was mine, too) -- take it! Just don't have real high expectations about the ship experience. It was o.k., not exceptional.

[travelinjudy]

Were you in an OS or Vs and if not how would you know that?

I know we never discuss our " O S extras" with other cruisers.:confused:

 

We were in a PH2 and our friends were in an OS.

[travelinjudy]

I sure hate to hear that.

 

Could you elaborate on ridiculous charges a bit?

 

Things like the #3.95 internet set-up charge, when you set it up yourself and they do NOTHING.

Or the 18% charge when you pick out a bottle of wine from a display they have when they are promoting a special wine sale. Again, they do nothing but charge your card. You could say, well, they put the wine on display, but that's a joke! It's just another money grab, especially since everyone pays gratuities, anyway. And their drink prices--along with another 18% service charge. Their happy hour 50% off isn't too bad.

And, of course, their excursion prices are ridiculous. Everyone has been complaining about those for years. Etc.:(

[sail57]

Hi,

I have been on 4 Oceania cruises with a 5th booked,I would like to know more about the subtle changes that you noticed and what were the more ridiculous charges.

[LHT28]

Things like the #3.95 internet set-up charge, when you set it up yourself and they do NOTHING.

Or the 18% charge when you pick out a bottle of wine from a display they have when they are promoting a special wine sale. Again, they do nothing but charge your card. You could say, well, they put the wine on display, but that's a joke! It's just another money grab, especially since everyone pays gratuities, anyway. And their drink prices--along with another 18% service charge. Their happy hour 50% off isn't too bad.

And, of course, their excursion prices are ridiculous. Everyone has been complaining about those for years. Etc.:(

The 18% service charge on drinks etc...comes as no surprise If you have sailed O before & if not it is in their fine print

The Internet fee is something new though

[pacheco18]

Things like the #3.95 internet set-up charge, when you set it up yourself and they do NOTHING.

Or the 18% charge when you pick out a bottle of wine from a display they have when they are promoting a special wine sale. Again, they do nothing but charge your card. You could say, well, they put the wine on display, but that's a joke! It's just another money grab, especially since everyone pays gratuities, anyway. And their drink prices--along with another 18% service charge. Their happy hour 50% off isn't too bad.

And, of course, their excursion prices are ridiculous. Everyone has been complaining about those for years. Etc.:(

 

You are correct. Those charges are ridiculous. I only knew about the 18% tip (which I mind the least of all the charges) but since we drink so little and bring our own wine on board it has little effect on our bottom line. We never take their shore excursions so that does not matter either. I have a T Mobile have Blackberry that gets me all my email on board for $20 a month pro rated so I never use their absurd internet. I am simply getting around all their ridiculous charges. It can be done.