An Oceania Novice Falls in Love with the Riviera

[LHT28]

I find Miso too salty for me & we do not use salt at home

Some sauces also get to me later in the night

 

Food is so subjective, what appeals to one person it may not appeal to others

Then there are the Chefs/cooks ..they all do the same dish differently ;)

 

We always have a pesto Gnocchi ..one time it was so spicey hot :eek: it was burning in our mouths ..even the bread did not cool the fire

Not sure what happened in the kitchen that night

 

Enjoyed your review...I think you are hooked now ;)

 

Lyn

[keelykat]

Great review Heather.............I told you that after last January's cruise we felt the same and Oceania is the only cruise line for us. After sailing on the Marina last year I thought that service could not get better but the crew on the Riviera this year proved me wrong. I had no doubt that you would be hooked on Oceania after the first day.

 

Thank You once again for getting us all together for the Meet & Greet. Sorry I never got to meet Jeff & Cyndi but maybe we will meet on our Mayan Mystique cruise next January.

[mamaofami]

Heather, thank you for that beautiful review. Your enthusiasm jumps off the page. I'm so glad you and Ray had such a great cruise.:):)

[spotlottydog]

A terrific review, Heather, many thanks

 

We are on our first Oceania cruise in March, Mayan Mystics.

 

Many of our previous cruises have been with Silversea, where we love the small ships, great food, all incusive drinks and large cabins. We have booked Oceania with some trepidation but after reading your review, I am comforted that we have not made a mistake. I am sure we will love the food, drink less, enjoy our larger PH suite and make good use of our butler. And my husband will certainly enjoy the more relaxed dress code!

 

Roll on 18th March

[LHT28]

A terrific review, Heather, many thanks

 

We are on our first Oceania cruise in March, Mayan Mystics.

 

Roll on 18th March

Come join the ROLL CALL

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1684286

 

See you onboard

 

Lyn

[PirateShark]

Thank you Heather for a wonderful review. We cannot wait to take our first Oceania cruise in just a little over a year now (where does the time go - not quick enough obviously!).

[traveler916]

Heather: What a wonderful review.

 

The experience you had matches up with our experience. We did 3 cruises on NCL in a suite, and each time we cruised, it seemed like something else that made the cruise experience "special" was taken away.

 

So we swore off cruising too...until a friend of my wife recommended Oceania.

 

The rest, as they say, is history :)

 

The food...what more can you say? The specialty restaurants included...the NO NICKLE AND DIMEING. And yes - paying extra for a cup of coffee???

 

I remember being soooo surprised at how bad the pizza was on the Norwegian Sun. Here's the part I don't understand: OK, the cruise lines are under pressure, as you notice, to fill ever larger ships. OK, food costs are going up. OK, I understand on one level the need to cut back on those Behemoths of the Sea. BUT...why serve bad pizza? Pizza is a whole lot cheaper than beef or pork or shrimp...put out good pizza and hope your "guests" (those other lines don't call us customers...or worse) eat lots and lots of pizza...and then you don't have to spend as much on other things...I just never got that.

 

Oceania, on the other hand, seems to get it. As a result, we have booked several more cruises with O.

 

You are a great writer...I loved your review...you phrased your experiences perfectly....thanks

[Mura]

I wish I could remember exactly what this particular cook said to us 8-9 years ago on Regatta. But he'd owned a pizza shop at home and was trying to make pizza on Oceania. He said they just couldn't use the proper ovens. I imagine it's considered a fire hazard to get a pizza oven up to the properly high temperature.

 

I'm not one to defend NCL which is definitely not a favorite of mine, but this could be at least part of the problem.

 

Mura

[rhoffert]

Heather,

 

Your review really captured the essence of Oceania and you described everything the ship has to offer so eloquently.

 

Both Myles and I also throughly enjoyed the ship. We met lovely people and found the ship's atmosphere to be unlike any other cruise we have been on. It really was perfection. The staterooms, the food, the sevice...all just impeccable.

 

We have already booked Mayan Mystique for next January so I will see you on board. Best wishes to you and Ray.

 

Ronna and Myles

[traveler916]

I wish I could remember exactly what this particular cook said to us 8-9 years ago on Regatta. But he'd owned a pizza shop at home and was trying to make pizza on Oceania. He said they just couldn't use the proper ovens. I imagine it's considered a fire hazard to get a pizza oven up to the properly high temperature.

 

I'm not one to defend NCL which is definitely not a favorite of mine, but this could be at least part of the problem.

 

Mura

 

But the pizza on Marina is soooooo good :). The pizza on NCL is sooooo bad.

 

I got a lot of grief from Jody when I ate carbs (pizza) instead of shrimp or swordfish :)

 

hehe

[Mura]

I'm not comparing the two!

 

First of all, I didn't have pizza on NCL and I don't think I did on Marina either, although I did on the "R" ships.

 

The pizza was good, but not REALLY good ... we like a crispy crust and it just isn't on the ships.

 

But one cannot compare NCL to Oceania anyway ... You can contrast the two! But never compare ...

 

But the problem with proper oven heat probably still exists ...

 

Mura

[HeatherInFlorida]

I always loved the pizza on Celebrity, but with so many wonderful choices of delicious foods on Riviera (that I don't get at home), I didn't try the pizza until the last day. And it was absolutely delicious.

 

I need to take a hint from a new friend and learn to try a little bit of everything in very small doses:). There are just too many yummy choices!

[sitraveler]

We are so missing being on an O cruise we had to book Marina's Lima to NYC in May. Initial deposit day is also final payment day. Sorry Gary, we're on for THIS YEAR.

[missminnie]

Hi All

 

I'm so glad to read this. We've only cruised 3 times (RCCL & Celebrity) and the best part for us is luxury and fine dining etc. We're booked on our 4th, 5th & 6th cruise this year with Celebrity first then 2 RCCL and the customer service, constant "sorry we can't apply that price or promotion etc etc" and lack of returning calls or emails has prompted us to look elsewhere.

 

So we did a search last night and found some lovely 10-12 day cruises on Riviera this coming May & June as an idea for next year. And not that much more expensive than Celebrity.

 

If we could cancel our current cruises and book Oceania then we would without hesitation as our back to back cruise in Sept is for our honeymoon.

 

Yes Celebrity & RCCL have been great prices but finding the service is going downhill since our first cruise so really excited to find out Oceania 2014 cruises for May/June around the Med.

 

May see some of you onboard in 2014!

[HeatherInFlorida]

Missminnie, we'll be onboard Riviera again on January 3rd next year for the Mayan Mystique cruise:)! I understand your feelings of disappointment in Celebrity which was our favorite for years. I've found several itineraries on Oceania we will love down the road.

 

Danny, lucky you!!! I'm jealous. We were saying we're going to have a really rough time waiting a year for our next cruise this time which has never been difficult in the past. But unfortunately we've already got several trips set in stone this year and we just can't change them now. But you never know!!!

[missminnie]

Thanks Heather - love your username. That's my Mum's name and this September I'm getting married in Florida so my Mum will be in Florida too!

 

Does anyone know whether Oceania also do the price guarantee i.e if the price you booked at drops before you sail, can you get a refund/difference as this is one of the things we like about Celebrity?

[LHT28]

Thanks Heather - love your username. That's my Mum's name and this September I'm getting married in Florida so my Mum will be in Florida too!

 

Does anyone know whether Oceania also do the price guarantee i.e if the price you booked at drops before you sail, can you get a refund/difference as this is one of the things we like about Celebrity?

I have not seen Oceania do many price drops but if they do & before final payment they do honour it

 

Most people book well in advance so book early ;)

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding

 

Lyn

[LHT28]

If we could cancel our current cruises and book Oceania then we would without hesitation as our back to back cruise in Sept is for our honeymoon.

 

I am not sure how cancellation penalties work in the U.K. but here you can cancel prior to final payment without penalty (well 120 days now with Oceania)

I am sure you have checked with your TA

 

Hope you get to try Oceania soon ..I do not think you will be disappointed

[missminnie]

I am not sure how cancellation penalties work in the U.K. but here you can cancel prior to final payment without penalty (well 120 days now with Oceania)

I am sure you have checked with your TA

 

Hope you get to try Oceania soon ..I do not think you will be disappointed

 

Unfortunately in the UK we lose our deposit if you cancel at any time up to final payment. Plus as we already have flights and hotels booked etc it would just be a mess. Plus I've looked and there isn't any Oceania cruises doing the Caribbean in Sept when we're going.

 

Nevermind, something to look forward to in 2014! When do the Med itineraries come out for May/June 2014?

[LHT28]

Unfortunately in the UK we lose our deposit if you cancel at any time up to final payment. Plus as we already have flights and hotels booked etc it would just be a mess. Plus I've looked and there isn't any Oceania cruises doing the Caribbean in Sept when we're going.

 

Nevermind, something to look forward to in 2014! When do the Med itineraries come out for May/June 2014?

Yes I thought that might be the case

 

The BOSS said mid Feb ;)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1769922

[HeatherInFlorida]

Whenever you do end up booking an Oceania cruise, Missminnie, you're going to think it was worth the wait:)

[traveler916]

We are so missing being on an O cruise we had to book Marina's Lima to NYC in May. Initial deposit day is also final payment day. Sorry Gary, we're on for THIS YEAR.

 

Yes, I noticed :)

 

Maybe you will go through cruise withdrawal on your cruise this year and book one of the 2 cruises we are on next year :)

 

gary

[traveler916]

Hi All

 

I'm so glad to read this. We've only cruised 3 times (RCCL & Celebrity) and the best part for us is luxury and fine dining etc. We're booked on our 4th, 5th & 6th cruise this year with Celebrity first then 2 RCCL and the customer service, constant "sorry we can't apply that price or promotion etc etc" and lack of returning calls or emails has prompted us to look elsewhere.

 

So we did a search last night and found some lovely 10-12 day cruises on Riviera this coming May & June as an idea for next year. And not that much more expensive than Celebrity.

 

If we could cancel our current cruises and book Oceania then we would without hesitation as our back to back cruise in Sept is for our honeymoon.

 

Yes Celebrity & RCCL have been great prices but finding the service is going downhill since our first cruise so really excited to find out Oceania 2014 cruises for May/June around the Med.

 

May see some of you onboard in 2014!

 

Missminnie: I think you will enjoy Oceania.

 

Somehow, the idea of having specialty restaurants THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY EXTRA FOR....sends the wrong message to me.

 

I like that Oceania doesn't charge extra for everything...especially good food.

 

I think you will be impressed,

[Croooser]

Heather,

 

I also think that this was a well written piece. As someone who is about to embark on Oceania for the first time and who is coming from quite a few mainstream sailings, I found it very insightful. While we still think Celebrity does a nice job in their niche, especially when prices are considered, we have no doubt that we will share your enthusiam for the Riviera and that we will have some "best ever" experiences.

 

One question - on a Caribbean itinerary, did you see quite a few tropical style shirts and tops on both ladies and men in the evenings? Or was it mostly the more traditional everyday type casual fashions?

 

Thanks for an excellent review.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Heather,

 

I also think that this was a well written piece. As someone who is about to embark on Oceania for the first time and who is coming from quite a few mainstream sailings, I found it very insightful. While we still think Celebrity does a nice job in their niche, especially when prices are considered, we have no doubt that we will share your enthusiam for the Riviera and that we will have some "best ever" experiences.

 

One question - on a Caribbean itinerary, did you see quite a few tropical style shirts and tops on both ladies and men in the evenings? Or was it mostly the more traditional everyday type casual fashions?

 

Thanks for an excellent review.

 

I agree with you about Celebrity when you consider the prices. I always remind myself that cruising has not significantly increased over the years for mainstream cruising and I can't expect to get what I want for the same price which is why we 'kicked it up a notch' (which turned out to be more than just one notch):)

 

Funny you bring up tropical style shirts because when we boarded my husband was wearing a tropical shirt out over his pants. As you know, Oceania describes the dress code as "country club casual" which really means a step or two above casual. Our Butler was explaining the dress code and my husband asked if what he had on would be okay in the dining rooms. I was a little surprised when Binod said he should "tuck it in". This was a Tommy Bahama style shirt which can, of course, be tucked in but is designed to be worn out. I was sure Binod was mistaken and he was. I saw men in this style shirt as well as golf shirts, etc. My husband often wore a casual sports jacket, but most men didn't. We saw both.

 

As to women, I did not see tropical style shirts in the dining rooms on women. We wore what I would wear to one of the nicer restaurants we frequent, but certainly not dressy. I always wore pants (just not a dress person anymore) with a nice top and often a jacket. I'm a big jacket person and feel it rounds out an outfit. Women tended to dress a bit more than men, but for the most part I felt everyone looked very nice in the dining rooms. The Terrace was more casual.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!!! I'd love to hear your reaction as it compares to Celebrity particularly.