Sirena Reviews to Date

[Michaelsbuddy]

Sailing on her next week, so will let you know my opinion when we come back

 

 

Let us know how your cruise was !!

[Michaelsbuddy]

I am on Sirena for the next 9 days if anyone has any questions

Let us know how she is. Cruising Barcelona to Rome August19

[potterhill]

Thanks for offering assistance.

 

Newbie to Oceania here. So, are the staterooms a great deal smaller than larger ships? Any other comments would be helpful and appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

 

We have sailed on the R ships and on Marina. All in a standard stateroom. Inside or balcony.

To me the biggest difference in room size is that on Marina you can pass at the foot of the bed. On the R ships it's like a one way bridge. You have to stop and wait for the traffic to clear.

 

I never had a problem with the size of the bath. It's big enough for us to do what needs to be done. [emoji6]. We do like the tubs on Marina though apparently we are in the minority....

 

Mo

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Buryfan]

Let us know how she is. Cruising Barcelona to Rome August19

 

So now the cruise is over and we had a great time overall.

 

My thoughts firstly about the food and drink :-

 

1. I can only compare with O class ships though I have cruised Azamara which is same size. Whilst I love the smaller ship I thought Riviera and Marina had the "edge"somehow overall.

 

 

2. The food and service in Red Ginger was top notch but the layout of the room made it lack the ambience we remembered

 

 

3. The same goes for the Tuscan Steak . Food was hit and miss with Dover Sole being the highlight.

 

 

4. Also Red ginger only ever seemed half full yet extra bookings were not available The chef told a passenger the galley was too small to cater for a full restaurant!

 

 

5. Main dining room was a disaster the first time we tried in with regard to both food and service. The choice ( particularly for non meat or shellfish eaters) was poor, portions in some cases tiny and service haphazard and even surly at times. The evening was rescued by an unexpected anniversary cake and song for our companions. This had not been flagged up to Oceania but they knew ! Kudos to them for that.

Second visit to Dining Room was at same table and service had improved so maybe new staff are still training.

 

 

6. Dining in the Terrace in the evening was consistently good though we like to dine later and we felt we were rushed as 9 pm approached. We would have liked it to stay open an hour longer.

 

7. Waves was as good as ever

 

8. We only managed it once but Afternoon Tea is wonderful and sets

Oceania apart

 

9.There are too few waiters by the pool during the day and in Horizons for the late happy hour .

 

As you can probably tell we were a tad disappointed with the food and drink especially as we had enticed our cruising companions with promises of great dining.Whether it is just this ship or Oceaniacross the board I don't know.

[Buryfan]

As far as concerns entertainment for me there just wasn't any. It was all music based and I am not a big fan of singing and dancing. I prefer comedy or a magician or at least a little variety but none was to be had.

Also whilst the show was on the rest of the ship was totally dead.Late night happy hour livened up Horizons but often the music was too loud to carry on a conversation.

 

The string quartet sounded very nice

 

The Same loop of songs was played by the pool every single afternoon.There is enough easy listening music about to have a larger selection

 

One more moan then I'll stop - Baristas doesn't seem right in the Grand Bar. It would be far better as a focal point near the shops as on Azamara.

[gdlamberth]

Appreciate the update, thanks so much!

Greg

[Buryfan]

Finally our suite and the ship itself.

 

First time in a PH and we loved the extra space. Oceania have the best beds and Sirena's are still new.

The bathroom was great especially the large shower with fixed and hand held heads. Numerous large towels and lovely robes.Nice toiletries too.

We had a couple of minor problems with the safe and once wth the air con. These were attended to promptly and efficiently

 

I don't however get the whole butler thing but there's a whole other thread on that.

 

Overall the ship is well refurbished clean and tidy . I didn't notice as much interesting artwork as on the larger ships.

Weather concerns caused an itinerary change which was dealt with efficiently.

I was puzzled though why a small ship had to have so many tender ports. I thought the whole point was that they could dock where larger ships can't !

 

The itinerary had some very interesting new places such as Gozo and Mahon as well as some old favourites and despite a few niggles with the dining we had a wonderful cruise

[globevest]

Buryfan, thank you for your review. We are checking out Sirena itineraries.

I am a Radcliffefan from many moons ago.

[Buryfan]

Buryfan, thank you for your review. We are checking out Sirena itineraries.

I am a Radcliffefan from many moons ago.

 

Just down the road !

[LEESRE]

Buryfan,

Thanks for your review, we were on the same cruise and I must say that I agree with most of your comments.

 

The only thing that I thought about was that they should have had an officer around the pool, the children, (3 boys) jumping off the jacuzzi and into the pool most days, for one thing they could have damaged themselves. The parents seemed to be nowhere to be seen. Also two days they had water cannons and were firing at passengers.

The waiters said that it need a passenger to complain at reception, but no, an officer would have been great to see. In fact we did not see many officers throughout the cruise.

[Arizona]

Some notes and comments as we are currently on Sirena...

Cabin

The cabin is clean with the usual robe and slippers included and pretty much exactly what we anticipated. Linens are nice and neat as expected from previous cruises. We requested an upgrade upon arrival but never received a call either way.

Bathroom

Obviously, has not been refurbished since coming to Oceania. Hard water stains on the divider between the shower and sink, mirror is chipped, (attached) shower curtain is old and has snags in the fabric, flooring is something from my college experience. Water pressure is minimal.

Entertainment

Fell asleep during the first production show. Six performers, four who sang with two of those singing “well.” My wife liked it. Other individual performers have been quite forgettable. :confused:

Music

String Quartet is very nice and upholds the O standards. There has been no music at the pool except for embarkation – disappointing. The five piece group does a fine job but is rarely seen. Late night music/dancing is canned and forgettable.

 

More...

Edited July 20, 2016 by Arizona

[Arizona]

Dining

Has definitely taken a step or two back from previous cruises. :(

Waves grill is still excellent – grilled tuna outstanding, filet and lobster sandwich really good but keep getting smaller.

Red Ginger was Asian food at its best. Service was impeccable and we really felt catered to. Duck and Watermelon salad was a must. Coconut soup was interesting and worth trying. The sushi sampler was very fresh and tasty. Sea bass portion appeared larger than in the past on Riviera and still one of the best dishes.

Jacques for lunch was just fine but certainly nothing compared to the original full restaurant on Riviera. Pasta appetizer and sole had both spent too much time in the warmer – neither made fresh. Avocado-shrimp salad was delicious.

Tuscan Steak was actually better than the previous steak house concept (forgot the name). Tomato-basil salad was fabulous with fresh-made mozz. Ribeye and Porterhouse were both cooked-to-order, hot, and outstanding.

Diner in the dining room (MDR) has been mediocre with hurried service, overdone food, missing orders, and the like. We’ll try to avoid this from now on.

Cocktail waiter/waitresses seem to now be on commission. I won’t go into the details but I would certainly complain at a regular establishment for the attitude, service and lack thereof.

Common Areas

Furnishings and decorations are all very nice and this is obviously where most of the refurbishment budget was spent. Nothing new from Insignia – nearly identical visual experience.

Ports

The captain managed to miss our first port in Sete as they appeared to arrive in plenty of time to port but fog rolled-in and it was determined we could not. Very disappointing as our private tour guide let us know that the port was clear from land and we should have made it in. Other ports have been as expected – we did our first O excursions as they were part of our package – wouldn’t do them again as it is the herding of folks onto a bus and minimal experience once at a location.

High-hopes for the next 6 days! :)

[LHT28]

 

The waiters said that it need a passenger to complain at reception, but no, an officer would have been great to see. In fact we did not see many officers throughout the cruise.

 

Dial 00 from the nearest phone & complain

the waitstaff have no authority to step in

 

Edited July 20, 2016 by LHT28

[Paulchili]

The only thing that I thought about was that they should have had an officer around the pool, the children, (3 boys) jumping off the jacuzzi and into the pool most days, for one thing they could have damaged themselves. The parents seemed to be nowhere to be seen. Also two days they had water cannons and were firing at passengers.

The waiters said that it need a passenger to complain at reception, but no, an officer would have been great to see. In fact we did not see many officers throughout the cruise.

 

I know I would have objected vigorously to having water cannons firing at me - and I would have made certain that it wouldn't happen to me (or anyone else) again.

I am surprised that nobody objected and complained about this unacceptable behavior. It is not just the fault of the boys (how old were they?) but equally the fault of their parents who were either absent or not objecting.

This is not the type of pool experience most Oceania cruisers are accustomed to or looking forward to; it's something one usually sees on a mass market cruise line with many children. I can live with young adults or children in the pool as long as they behave respectfully to others in and around the pool. Otherwise they need to be in the pool with other children on another line.

Just another sign of changing times on Oceania :(

Edited July 20, 2016 by Paulchili

[gdlamberth]

Thanks everyone for updates. I guess my general feeling is that the mediocre reviews just keep coming in. For my own reasons I generally ignore "missed ports, "food," and entertainment comments. HOWEVER, Arizona's comments about bathroom not apparently being refurbished in the non-Penthouse cabins (I know they're small; but, that's not my point) and MDR comments related to service slowness and missed orders and attitudes are still a bit disturbing.

 

LHT Great comment on dialing 00! and the wait staff somewhat limited "action space."

 

Greg (also in AZ)

[tiller]

I'm most concerned about the comments on the food. For what Oceania costs, I want to be wowed and it sounds like there are a lot of cutbacks on Sirena. I feel like my first Oceania cruise should have been on a real Oceania ship, not a refurbishment. We'll see if there's any improvement by December but I'm starting to get very worried. :(

 

Also, I've been on plenty of mass-market cruises and have never had water cannons shot at me. If that happens, I'm marching straight down to reception and giving them a piece of my mind. This cruise costs too much to put up with that crap.

Edited July 21, 2016 by tiller

[LHT28]

Some notes and comments as we are currently on Sirena...

Cabin

The cabin is clean with the usual robe and slippers included and pretty much exactly what we anticipated. Linens are nice and neat as expected from previous cruises. We requested an upgrade upon arrival but never received a call either way.

..

 

That is shocking ...no upgrade for a VIP :eek:

 

 

Edited July 21, 2016 by LHT28

[Buryfan]

Buryfan

 

The only thing that I thought about was that they should have had an officer around the pool, the children, (3 boys) jumping off the jacuzzi and into the pool most days, for one thing they could have damaged themselves. The parents seemed to be nowhere to be seen. Also two days they had water cannons and were firing at passengers.

The waiters said that it need a passenger to complain at reception, but no, an officer would have been great to see. In fact we did not see many officers throughout the cruise.

 

 

They were annoying but I know several people who did complain and they were less disruptive in the latter half of the cruise.They were Portuguese and maybe did not understand English.

I don't blame the kids but the parents who brought them on a totally unsuitable ship. It was refreshing however to see quite a lot of younger people on board

[fred 15]

I posted this on another thread, but thought it appropriate here as well.

A few years ago we were in Nice, France. I noticed a large fenced area on the beach. In the "cage were children. Running free on the beach were dogs....................................perfect. Maybe O could try this!

[LEESRE]

They were annoying but I know several people who did complain and they were less disruptive in the latter half of the cruise.They were Portuguese and maybe did not understand English.

I don't blame the kids but the parents who brought them on a totally unsuitable ship. It was refreshing however to see quite a lot of younger people on board

 

I am afraid that they did understand English, on the water cannon incident one of the boys after being challenged did say "sorry"to the passenger.

 

Yes it is all well and good to say dial 00 but even after telling the reception still nothing was done. In fact one of the wait staff told us that they had to take away the ping pong bats and balls as they were destroying them. The boys I would think were around 9 or 10. Yes the parents just let them do it no thought for other passengers.

With all my Oceania cruises we have never seen such bad beaviour, yes nice to see younger people on board but I prefer ones that are well behaved

Edited July 21, 2016 by LEESRE

[newbie60]

Currently on board and IMO, Sirena is lovely. Staff is well organized, extremely friendly and seem very happy to be here. Head Chef is visible in every dining venue, every day -- thinking he has clones! We've seen lots of staff we remember, and they us, from other cruises.

 

A criticism on previous cruises was that the Somms mostly didn't have a clue but that is not the case here - they are very well trained and knowable.

 

Some children on board - perhaps 10 to 15, generally 8 to 16 years old and seem mostly well behaved. There is an infant on board - really - no more than 5 months old! Who on earth thinks this is the right place to bring an infant!

[Paulchili]

Thank you for the update.

What cabin are you in? If in a cabin below PH level, what is the state of the carpet and furniture in your cabin?

PS - I read your post in the other thread - it answers my questions.

Edited July 25, 2016 by Paulchili

[LHT28]

Some children on board - perhaps 10 to 15, generally 8 to 16 years old and seem mostly well behaved. There is an infant on board - really - no more than 5 months old! Who on earth thinks this is the right place to bring an infant!

 

Too bad they do not limit the age of children to anyone over 8

babies are not really going to enjoy a cruise ..are they ??? :eek:

[RCNslr]

Currently on board and IMO, Sirena is lovely. Staff is well organized, extremely friendly and seem very happy to be here. Head Chef is visible in every dining venue, every day -- thinking he has clones! We've seen lots of staff we remember, and they us, from other cruises.

 

A criticism on previous cruises was that the Somms mostly didn't have a clue but that is not the case here - they are very well trained and knowable.

 

Some children on board - perhaps 10 to 15, generally 8 to 16 years old and seem mostly well behaved. There is an infant on board - really - no more than 5 months old! Who on earth thinks this is the right place to bring an infant!

Having done the inaugural cruise in a concierge level cabin I confirm all you have said and further report that all was tidy and tickyboo in our cabin. After all, it is not a new ship, simply a refurbishment - one cannot expect all items to be new, but I suppose some persons can! We were very impressed with how well things went on the inaugural.

[ellbon]

 

Some children on board - perhaps 10 to 15, generally 8 to 16 years old and seem mostly well behaved. There is an infant on board - really - no more than 5 months old! Who on earth thinks this is the right place to bring an infant!

 

I would as cheaper than a Nanny.. Plus easier to handle than a 3 year old..