wripro Posted May 19, 2013 #26 Share Posted May 19, 2013 An even better way to get the sommelier's attention is to pour yourself wine from someone else's bottle. "Oh, excuse me, sir, but if you had been doing your job I wouldn't have made that terrible mistake!!!!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted May 19, 2013 #27 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Then again, they've been known to pour water in my wine glass ... Not when I'm having red wine, of course! Which these days is just about always. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilybug Posted May 20, 2013 #28 Share Posted May 20, 2013 We cruised S. America March 2012 and my husband felt the food was not as good as previous cruises. I am happy if I don't have to cook! He wasn't complaining, but he did mention it to me a few times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecleave Posted May 20, 2013 #29 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Just disembarked from the Dubai to Rome cruise this morning. It was a wonderful cruise & I'm already missing my evening martini with Gusti! The only night I had an issue with the sommelier service in the GDR was the second night, & I could tell they were really understaffed. Turns out someone missed the boat. What I thought would be helpful is having the maitre d' hand out the wine list along with the menu, instead of waiting for the sommelier to drop it off, & then wait for him to return after making your choice. No issues with the food in the GDR, but I tended to eat after 8 pm & usually by myself. I also ate breakfast & lunch there most of the time because the Terrace was way overcrowded. I still think Oceania has the best food at sea, & their soups are divine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worldspan Posted May 20, 2013 #30 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Just returned in April from my first Oceania cruise so nothing in past with them to compare to. That said, it was my 132nd cruise which have included Seabourn several times, Regent, Crystal and Silversea. Bottom line, is a quality product no doubt but a little overhyped by its most ardent followers in my book. Worldspan 132 cruises strong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jpalbny Posted May 20, 2013 #31 Share Posted May 20, 2013 This is always a tough question - and our tendency is to remember past cruises as the "good old days" which makes for a tough comparison with the present! The other axiom that we always keep in mind is that every meal, every onboard experience, every cruise - can't be the best you've ever had! Simple logic would dictate that if you've been on 100 cruise days on the same cruise line, 50 of the dinners were below average...:rolleyes: We cruised O 5x between 2006-2008 and always asked ourselves this same question when tiny things weren't perfect - one morning in the GDR, they forgot my toast with breakfast. Decided not to worry about it, and to enjoy the moment. To paraphrase a previous poster, why be unhappy when someone else is doing the cooking? Since our time on O, we have cruised 6x with Silversea and guess what - the same debate crops up in our minds, and on the SS forums too! And yes, there have been times on SS where my wine glass went empty :eek: - but as long as it's an infrequent occurrence, I won't complain too much... And, occasionally a meal isn't amazing - or we don't really like the menu that night... It's OK. We still have a great time! Bottom line for us: as long as the average is nice enough that we feel we're getting value for our money, we can overlook the occasional snafu that is inevitable with such a large service-oriented operation. We are signed up for 3 additional SS voyages despite the fact that our 6th didn't "wow" us as much as our first two. If, on the other hand, the level of service and quality should slip to the point where the average is too low to be enjoyable, we'll look elsewhere. And we look at O every year for an itinerary that we would like to do, but so far, haven't found one. We will return when the right itinerary appears, and we'll have a great time, I'm sure. Some other poster (can't remember who) says that any day at sea, on a cruise vacation, is better than a day at work. Agreed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PaulMCO Posted May 20, 2013 #32 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Just returned in April from my first Oceania cruise so nothing in past with them to compare to. That said, it was my 132nd cruise which have included Seabourn several times, Regent, Crystal and Silversea. Bottom line, is a quality product no doubt but a little overhyped by its most ardent followers in my book. Worldspan 132 cruises strong Over-hyped on this forum - really....:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCNslr Posted May 20, 2013 #33 Share Posted May 20, 2013 A year or 2 ago, O made some changes with the wine service and cut back on the number of sommeliers, it has been slow since. On one cruise the wine was served by the dining room staff, luckily that has changed again as they just don't have time to do that. I think they have cut back on a lot of staff over the last couple of years making things slower and temperatures of food cooler. If enough people note that on their surveys, perhaps things will change for the better. 7 days and we will be on the Marina - hurray! Having had a splendid time on Regatta Apr 19- May 9, the occasional time there was a lack of sommelier was the only slip in service standards. Your comments seem to me to be right on the money - enjoy Marina, we are off on QM2 June 1 then Riviera in Sept. Really like oceania's service even if it is less than perfect once in awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted May 21, 2013 #34 Share Posted May 21, 2013 A year or 2 ago, O made some changes with the wine service and cut back on the number of sommeliers, it has been slow since. On one cruise the wine was served by the dining room staff, luckily that has changed again as they just don't have time to do that. I think they have cut back on a lot of staff over the last couple of years making things slower and temperatures of food cooler. If enough people note that on their surveys, perhaps things will change for the better. 7 days and we will be on the Marina - hurray! Seven days, you mean may 26th from N.Y. We will be with you. Can't wait. flying in that morning and right to the ship. Should be a good time. See you then. Richie :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caviargal Posted May 21, 2013 #35 Share Posted May 21, 2013 I am looking forward to my first O cruise in October on Riviera and do hope that having my wine glass empty during dinners (we opted for the Premium drink package) is more of a random occurrence than the norm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jertom Posted May 21, 2013 #36 Share Posted May 21, 2013 One thing that impressed me was that you could order at Waves and retreat to the warmth or cool of the Terrace ( we had both- either too cold or too hot. ;-) ) and they always found you and delivered your order. Mo How do they manage to find you? Do you take a numbered sign with you? Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted May 21, 2013 #37 Share Posted May 21, 2013 How do they manage to find you? Do you take a numbered sign with you? Tom I think the crew have a photographic memory ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted May 21, 2013 #38 Share Posted May 21, 2013 I am looking forward to my first O cruise in October on Riviera and do hope that having my wine glass empty during dinners (we opted for the Premium drink package) is more of a random occurrence than the norm. Two suggestions for ways to make sure you don't have to sit there with an empty glass: One is to order two at the same time! The other (probably the one I would try) is to mention that you most likely will want a second glass, so can you please check back with me? Especially in the GDR they must have a large number of tables to cover which must make it more difficult to be attentive to all the passengers than it is in the smaller restaurants. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondorner Posted May 21, 2013 #39 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Two suggestions for ways to make sure you don't have to sit there with an empty glass... Mura And a couple more... Smile a lot. Find something about the servers (whether sommeier or waiter) to compliment. Notice their name and where they are from, on their name tags, and mention something about it -- "What a pretty name" or "How do you pronounce that?" Make them feel a little special, and you will be greeted with smiles, remembered and nearly smothered by service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypercafe Posted May 21, 2013 #40 Share Posted May 21, 2013 And a couple more... Smile a lot. Find something about the servers (whether sommeier or waiter) to compliment. Notice their name and where they are from, on their name tags, and mention something about it -- "What a pretty name" or "How do you pronounce that?" Make them feel a little special, and you will be greeted with smiles, remembered and nearly smothered by service. This is 100% true. We made friends with few as we love to engage the crew in talk to find out about the place they are from. When they saw us they were very quick to serve us. After all most are young people away from home and want to see a happy face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no fuss travel Posted May 21, 2013 #41 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Not only on the ship, but elsewhere, have you noticed how a smile, thank you and a pleasant way of speaking earns you great service. If people look grim, unhappy and are miserable, people tend to shy away from them. Human nature. I have one child who is very happy sociable child and the other is not. The happy sociable child has lots of friends whereas the the other does not. People's personalities makes a difference on how they are treated.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted May 21, 2013 #42 Share Posted May 21, 2013 And a couple more... Smile a lot. Find something about the servers (whether sommeier or waiter) to compliment. Notice their name and where they are from, on their name tags, and mention something about it -- "What a pretty name" or "How do you pronounce that?" Make them feel a little special, and you will be greeted with smiles, remembered and nearly smothered by service. Much better suggestions than mine! Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worldspan Posted May 21, 2013 #43 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Over-hyped on this forum - really....:) Yes, I would say so indeed. Sadly, some take their cruise line "allegiance" as seriously as they might their religion or political party. Worldspan 132 cruises strong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted May 21, 2013 #44 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Leaving Sunday, NY to London and will try to post our thoughts when we return. Not so sure we will like the bigger ship but we will try it. Have been on the R ships 6 or 7 times and love them. Will try to keep an open mind. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted May 21, 2013 #45 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Quote: Originally Posted by PaulMCO Over-hyped on this forum - really....:) Yes, I would say so indeed. Sadly, some take their cruise line "allegiance" as seriously as they might their religion or political party. Worldspan 132 cruises strong I think it was meant to be sarcastic? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted May 21, 2013 #46 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Could also be that with the new drink packages more people are drinking more with meals than before & they still have the same number of Sommeliers as before Maybe they need a couple of crew members that can just go around & top up the wine glasses for those that do not require the services of a Sommelier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaitape Posted May 22, 2013 #47 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Could also be that with the new drink packages more people are drinking more with meals than before & they still have the same number of Sommeliers as beforeMaybe they need a couple of crew members that can just go around & top up the wine glasses for those that do not require the services of a Sommelier Great idea Lyn. We too noticed a lag in having our glasses refilled. This was noticeable in all 4 dining venues on Regatta in Jan/Feb but it wasn't because the sommeliers were standing around. I think there was just not enough staff to do the pouring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuka Posted May 28, 2013 #48 Share Posted May 28, 2013 I am on Riviera right now. Staying in a Penthouse. We appreciate the larger sized room with the oversized balcony. We don't use the butler very much: no in room dining, canapes etc;, but its nice to have that option if we should desire it. After reading these posts and a few reviews, I was afraid that I would get cold food and no wine with meals. Happily, this has not been the case. The food and beverage service on this cruise is probably the best of the four I have done previously. My wine glass has always been topped up. We have only been to Polo so far and am looking forward to the other venues. The Grand Dining Room is fabulous and nothing can beat sitting outside at Waves on a warm sunny spring day. In other areas, there are some opportunities for improvement in the areas of specificity in details and timeliness in task completion. I am a pretty low key guy and don't ask for many requests, but when I ask for something simple and routine to be done, I don't think it should take three days. Unfortunately, this isn't confined to one thing, but several. Not sure of the reasons for this. I had to remind someone of my request which they happily agreed to originally and then they suggested I call someone else to assist. My jaw dropped and I was getting a little annoyed with overall service levels, but my partner reminded me I was on holidays and perhaps I should adjust my expectations. I think he is right. At the end of the day, I am grateful that I have the opportunity to travel and see new and exciting places and I don't want to spend my time complaining. Otherwise, the cruise has been great. We are going from Istanbul to Rome and we haven't seen this part of the world, so are looking forward to it. Happy Cruising to All! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch Explorers Posted May 28, 2013 #49 Share Posted May 28, 2013 My husband and I did the Nautica Beijing to Bangkok leg in March this year. It was our second cruise with Oceania (first was on Regatta 5 years ago). We had a concierge cabin on deck 7.The cruise itinery was excellent, however we both felt that the food and service in the main dining room was of a lower standard than we had previously experienced. There was an extremely poor selection of side dishes with the main courses and the sommelier service was slow despite being reminded several times. This was the opposite of our normal experience in restaurants where sommeliers offer wine lists and service once customers are seated. Perhaps their tardiness had something to do with the fact that we had purchased a premium wine package. However this did cost us about 1500 pounds stirling. We complained when we received a customer satisfaction survey early in the cruise and the lead sommelier assured us that things would improve , however nothing changed. I find it amusing when people talk about Oceania as offering such a wonderful product and can only say that they need to look at their service or customers such as myself will definitely shop around. We just returned from a very nice cruise on Nautica and must say that the service and cuisine was excellent again (3rd cruise on Oceania). We also experienced some slow service from the sommelier but we addressed this with Jon the restaurant manager. The next day we were approached by the cellar master and we explained that we prefer to have our wine before the first course arrived. She acknowledged our critism and from there on we had no more issues with the wine service. We were really impressed with this. The res of the cruise was excellent and the service was outstanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtdesilets Posted May 29, 2013 #50 Share Posted May 29, 2013 You must consider where the cruise starts. All of the fresh food is loaded at embarkation. I read a review recently on the Celebrity Solstice repositioning to Alaska from Ensenada. They said the food was particulaly bad on the first night. Presumambly, they got some better food on board in San Diego the following night. Didn't the OP's cruise start in Bejing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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