Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Riviera Review ~ 2/22 to 3/3/2016

HeatherInFlorida

By HeatherInFlorida,
in Oceania Cruises

 Share

Recommended Posts

HeatherInFlorida

HeatherInFlorida

Posted
Posted

I have submitted this review to CC for publication, but decided to post it here for anyone who may not read Member Reviews. And who knows ... maybe it's not fit to publish :). It's long; I tend to ramble ...

 

Titled: "But First ... A Joke"

 

Not really ..... If you've been on an Oceania ship and Dottie was your CD, you just smiled. Coming here to write this review I made the mistake of clicking on 2 of the most recent Riviera reviews and find myself wishing I could remember one of Dottie's jokes just to lighten the moment.

 

Oceania, Riviera in particular, has become our favorite way to cruise and boarding Riviera right after the cruise from 'you know where' that we'd been reading about was not the best way to begin. One thing I knew ... we would be boarding the cleanest ship on the seas that day, but little did I know then just how clean.

 

A word about Noro before I review the cruise itself. Any one of us who has cruised on many lines for many years is aware that there is no such thing as a "sick ship" ... only sick people who get on those ships. Oceania had several cruises since November that were Noro-free so the ship is not "sick". People, generally unknowingly, get on the ship having picked something up on the plane or elsewhere, become sick, and so it begins to spread. And we all know what happens. But anyone who has cruised umpteen times and has never encountered Noro in all that time has been extremely lucky and should play the lottery on a regular basis. Nor virus can happen on any ship, any line, any time. Those who experience that cruise can argue how the staff handled it, but I won't go there. I am not in agreement with those who believe that the passengers should have a moment to moment explanation about what's happening. We, the passengers, only need to know what we ourselves can control. Nothing more.

 

We learned later in the cruise that once the ship returned to Miami the extensive 'deep clean' began. Every single piece of furniture that wasn't bolted down was removed and taken into the terminal. The linens were all washed 3 times over. Curtains were taken down and cleansed. The entire interior of the ship was cleansed and treated with what I don't know, but it was super clean ... streaky, sticky, but obviously clean. I washed my hands more than I ever have in my entire life. And the sanitizer was a new solution, one that was not easy to absorb into the skin. We were constantly reminded to do use it. Staff was placed outside all dining venues and if a person didn't use the sanitizers they were motioned to do so, but this was rarely needed.

 

We are a couple in our 70's living in Florida. We have a wonderful retirement here and we cruise the Caribbean for just one reason, to be pampered, waited on, enjoy the sea, the fine cuisine, meet new people and experience a change of scene from our daily lives. The ports mean nothing to us because we've been to each many times often staying on the islands and exploring. So for us the ship and the people on it are the destination.

 

Captain Gianmario Sanguineti

GM: Edwin Burning

CD: Dottie Kulasa

Sr. Exec. Chef: Alexis Quaretti

Entertainers: Tom Drake "An Attitude With A Tie", Comedian & Jamie Michael Stewart, Singer

The Riviera Production Cast

 

We were told to expect a delay boarding, but we were fortunate. We left our home at noon and at 2:00 pm we were sitting in Waves having lunch. By 2:30 our deck was called and our suitcases awaited. That was a first for us. However, we learned later the delays piled up and many passengers didn't get their bags or even in their cabins until well after Muster. Obviously many people were extremely annoyed and several did not hold back from expressing themselves. I understand. People save their money, look forward to a cruise, and this isn't what they expect. But patience is an under-rated personality trait because it benefits everyone.

 

And this was an unusual circumstance. From my perspective we were so fortunate to be on the 2/22 cruise rather than the 2/12 that I was willing to accept the barren appearance of the ship. By that I mean there were none of the little extras we come to expect in the cabin. It felt empty without the bucket of ice, the stationery, the booklets and menus, etc. The tables in Waves and Terrace were washed down and wet with cards on them telling us when we could use the table. There was no familiar place setting, stem glasses, salt & pepper, sugar, etc. And the crew smiled and tried to be positive, but they were exhausted and knew they had at least 3 more days of extra hours, endless scrubbing, washing down of walls, tables, hand rails, etc. My heart went out to them and for me it was really a small price to pay.

 

I've reviewed Riviera before. I don't need to tell you about the beautiful public rooms, the friendly crew and staff, the feeling that everyone was there only to make our life onboard wonderful for the little time we had. The coffee in Barista's is such a treat and I loved going there to have a cappuccino and sit overlooking the pool, the sky and the sea. We saw the ugly drips the disinfectant solution left behind on the elevator doors, every surface of our cabins, the tables ... but I tend to look beyond that knowing that Oceania was doing this not only to preserve their own reputation which is crucial, but to preserve my impression of who they are and what they are; that they are that notch or two up from the guy behind even in their not so finest hour.

 

We did not miss one night of entertainment and it was the high point of the cruise for both of us. Usually it's the food and a word about that later, but this time it was the entertainment. First, the Riviera Orchestra is so fabulous ... best on the sea, I think, and I've heard many. We've cruised with Tom Drake before and he makes me laugh so hard I cry. Jamie was new to us and I would hope to cruise with him again. What a glorious voice; simply extraordinary. You may remember him from Love Board; he sang the title song and he didn't disappoint us his first night when he belted out the familiar words and melody. Great memories of a lighthearted, long ago time.

 

Above all we were so impressed with the Riviera Production Cast. Generally I will often skip the nights that it's simply the onboard entertainers because while they've always been "okay", this group of men and women knocked it out of the park. The dancing was so good that I began arriving early just to be in the front row and feel we were an actual part of it. I never yawned once and for this early-to-bedder that is high praise.

 

On past Oceania cruises I felt the food was equally good in the GDR as in the specialty restaurants. My order of choice for the specialties is #1) Jacques, #2) Polo, #3) Red Ginger and #4) Toscana. That's been true on all our cruises. On this occasion my meal in Toscana (Dover Sole) was delicious, but the treatment we received from the Maitre D' was inexcusable enough that I went the next day to complain to the Restaurant Manager. He literally shoved us around like cattle from table to table and it was all due to his poor planning with reservations. No need to go into the whole mess; it's over and done. But it did put a damper on our experience that night even though the food was so good. My greatest disappointment was the GDR where not only did I detest my entree all 3 nights we ate there, but the service was abominable through no fault of the servers. They were working as hard and as fast as they could, but we sat endlessly between courses and even longer for coffee and dessert. I hope this is not the way it's going to be and this was perhaps a one time blip. Keep in mind I love a long dinner 'hour' so if I say it was slow, it was sloooooow.

 

We went on only one tour: The Lobster and Catamaran Cruise in Antigua. We did this 2 years ago and loved it so much I booked it again. We weren't disappointed. I highly recommend this tour.

 

The Spa. I'm a low maintenance gal; always have been. But on our first Oceania cruise I discovered a massage called Sole Rejuvenation and there was no going back for me. I've had it several times on both Regatta and Riviera and I recommend it to everyone. This time I added the T-zone Massage and that was sheer heaven as well. I don't want to be pummeled all over, but these two massages do it for me.

 

However, I also chose something called Hair & Scalp Treatment which was a complete and total ripoff. It was one of the worst experiences I've ever paid for. It was supposed to last 80 minutes for $150 and include a head massage which, if you've ever had one in a salon, is heavenly. He was 15 minutes late taking me and the only good that came from it was my hair has been soft and nicely conditioned ever since. But truth is I can rub some oil in my head, wrap a damp towel around it, wash it out and blowout my hair for $0.00. And the blowout!!!! I wish I had a photo. I told him flat out I hated it. He said "perhaps a little teasing?" Hmmmm.....no. I don't think "a little teasing" is going to do it. I told him I'd fix it myself. I should have complained to the Spa manager, but in a surprisingly meek moment, I didn't. He charged me $120 for the approximate 45 minutes I was there and I got out as fast as I could. Ripoff! At least I used shipboard credit.

 

Imagine our excitement on the 3rd day at precisely the 72 hour mark we went off Code Red. The lightness in the air, the joy on the crew's faces, I swear you felt as though they'd sent up fireworks to celebrate the moment. Such a joy to walk to a table in Waves and see the familiar woven placements, cloth napkins, stemware. So wonderful to experience once again eating in Terrace with tablecloths, napkins, etc. The ship gradually began to literally shine again and the lustre we knew to be Riviera slowly returned.

 

And finally time to disembark. Why is everyone in such a hurry to get off the ship? They couldn't wait to get on; they can't wait to get off. Oceania is very efficient and all will be off within 30 to 45 minutes so why crowd the door? But crowd they did. Admittedly, because I have walking problems we had gone to Deck 6 at 8:00 to avoid doing a lot of walking at one time. But you would think they were giving $100 to the first 100 off the ship. Still, it went smoothly as always and we quickly found our bags and zipped through Customs. We headed home, picked up our dog at our friend's house and were back in our home at 11:00. This is one of the reasons we moved to Florida ... to be able to cruise so easily.

 

We have cruised since 1982. We began on Cunard and Royal Viking Line. We continued with Seawind, Regent, NCL, Holland America, Celebrity, Wind Star. So we've been on many different lines and of them all Oceania comes up as the cream of the crop. More expensive, absolutely. But we get what we pay for and I believe that Oceania is worth the extra cost. I'd rather cruise less on Oceania than more on some other cruise line. I've said it before and I'm happy to say again ... Oceania forever.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Paulchili

Paulchili

Posted
Posted

Heather,

Thank you for the review.

On our recent Nautica cruise we also noted significantly slower service, especially in the Terrace, in spite of the staff working very hard.

There is no doubt in my mind that this was due to understaffing (though I do not have proof in actual numbers, I have many prior cruises to compare with)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
iamkingofall

iamkingofall

Posted
Posted

Thank you for taking the time .This will be our 3rd on O in April . Sounds like the noro issue will be solved .Nice to hear about the entertainment .Many past reviews were not so good .Being a smaller ship I wouldn't think they would be able to spend an awful lot for spectacular talent . Our last O cruise we spent a good amount of evenings in the lounge with a group of Ukrainian guys called "The Most Populars Band " .They were good players and liked to play mostly American R&R . Even took the trouble to look up lyrics for " Walkin By Myself " which I had requested . The main room entertainment was also pretty good .Doesn't make much difference to me as I don't expect too much .I'm mostly on for the food and laying around . Cheers , and thanks again . :p:p

Link to comment
Share on other sites
HeatherInFlorida

HeatherInFlorida

Posted
  • Author
Posted
...........Nice to hear about the entertainment .Many past reviews were not so good .Being a smaller ship I wouldn't think they would be able to spend an awful lot for spectacular talent . ..........:p:p

 

Keep in mind opinions about entertainment are highly subjective and of course we can't expect to see a Las Vegas show on a ship this size as you say. Like you, we don't go expecting anything so it was a low bar. It's a small group ... 5 (or 6?) singers and several dancers ( I can't recall how many). The dancers stood out the most for us. I really felt they were spectacular. I hope you enjoy your April cruise and my fingers are crossed that Noro has gone deep into the sea :).

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MVPinBoynton Great Review Rare

MVPinBoynton

Posted
Posted (edited)

Thanks so much for the review Heather. Glad to hear that is still the Riviera we enjoyed so much. We will be back on her in 8 days for two full weeks can't wait.

 

Unlike some of the other posters, we aren't the least bit jealous, since we are closer to the ports from Boynton Beach than you are. :D

Edited by MVPinBoynton
Link to comment
Share on other sites
HeatherInFlorida

HeatherInFlorida

Posted
  • Author
Posted
............

 

Unlike some of the other posters, we aren't the least bit jealous, since we are closer to the ports from Boynton Beach than you are. :D

 

LOL😊 .... Yes you are! I look forward to hearing about your cruise. I'd especially love to know your impression of the GDR and entertainment. I'm hoping the GDR experience was a fluke and the entertainment wasn't😃

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MVPinBoynton Great Review Rare

MVPinBoynton

Posted
Posted
LOL😊 .... Yes you are! I look forward to hearing about your cruise. I'd especially love to know your impression of the GDR and entertainment. I'm hoping the GDR experience was a fluke and the entertainment wasn't😃

 

I couldn't agree more. I am sure we will thoroughly enjoy our cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
515kitty

515kitty

Posted
Posted

I want to say I am glad you had a nice trip Heather. I have to say I was not as pleased and have sent a letter direct to Oceania. When we arrived at the dock we were waiting in the hot sun, but finally got checked in and was told to wait in the lounge when told we would be in our room by 4 pm so started up to our floor. When the door opened others had this idea also. Included in this was a very elderly couple whose stateroom was directly across from the doorway. After standing for 30 minutes and seeing her weak husband she broke though the tape and was immediately told that she could not get a chair for her husband to set down.

It didn't get any better. I booked 3 Oceania tours and I usually don't do that but wanted them to help with my husband to get to the buses. It was working pretty good till St. Maarten and had checked before getting off and was told there would be transportation to the buses. None was provided and had over 100 yards to walk. Report this upon return and was told sorry.

Disembarking was good however I was told by Oceania not to book a flight before noon. So booked at 2:50pm. So that is what I did. Part of this problem was that we were told to be out of our cabin by 8 AM so left after talking to our cabin steward at 8:30 we were at the airport by 9:30 AM. Could have done something in Miami but was just time to end our holiday.

I didn't have free internet and the last day it took 53 minutes to get my boarding passes for our flights home.

Safe travel for all.

I won't go on as there were many other problems. Did miss the cooking class due to the virus.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
onebzyldy

onebzyldy

Posted
Posted

Heather, were the shows at a standard time every evening? Just wondering what time to book reservations in the specialty restaurants so we don't miss the evening entertainment.

Also thank you for a great review, interesting read and great info shared. Loved your positive attitude ;) We are first timers on Oceania and are really looking forward to this cruise!

DonnaF :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
HeatherInFlorida

HeatherInFlorida

Posted
  • Author
Posted
..........

I won't go on as there were many other problems. Did miss the cooking class due to the virus.

 

Thank you for not sharing all the details although it would certainly be helpful for you to detail your disappointment and experience in your own review. Although I waited awhile outside, too, I believe it was a gorgeous day and not hot at all. But I am sorry you had such a bad embarkation as so many others did. It was, however, an unusual circumstance and from what I heard passengers were not handling it well which is bad for all concerned. It was disappointing they didn't have proper transportation on the pier as promised in St. Maarten. I believe that fault lay with St. Maarten and not Oceania. I cannot walk long distances so I didn't even attempt to go ashore when I saw that the shuttle was not going back and forth as promised. Really hope your next cruise is better.

 

Heather, were the shows at a standard time every evening? Just wondering what time to book reservations in the specialty restaurants so we don't miss the evening entertainment.

Also thank you for a great review, interesting read and great info shared. Loved your positive attitude ;) We are first timers on Oceania and are really looking forward to this cruise!

DonnaF :)

 

Yes, the shows were always at 9:45 except one or two nights they were at 9:30. We made all our reservations at 6:30 for that very reason. Perhaps things will improve in the GDR, but we went at 6:30 three nights and didn't finish until 8:30 or 9:00. I hope you have a wonderful cruise!!:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mura

Mura

Posted
Posted

I'm not Heather but I'm a long time cruiser on Oceania. The shows are usually 9:45 (maybe 9:30, but ours have always been 9:45).

 

You shouldn't book a dinner later than 7:30 if you want to see the show. It's also probably best to get a table for two if you can. When you have more people it can take longer.

 

We aren't big "show" people so we tend not to go to them, which is not to say that we never do.

 

Mura

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mura

Mura

Posted
Posted

Sorry, Heather. I missed that. (I think I read it the first time but forgot when I came back tonight.)

 

I don't think we have EVER had a 9:30 show, but I'm probably wrong since we don't go to all the shows ... And even when you tell the server you want to make the show, they don't always get you out in time. (In fact, I think more often than not they have failed to do so ... I'm not talking only about Oceania.)

 

So 7:30 is the latest possible time if you want to do a show, and probably earlier is better.

 

Mura

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...