Oceania ..NEVER AGAIN...floating nursing home

[neepawa]

-1 On our South America cruise around the Horn, we spent 4 days in Buenos Aires pre cruise and 2 days in Santiago, Chile post cruise. We had a great time in both cities and felt quite safe.

 

Cheers,

 

Don

[palakika]

-1 Our favorite cruise was last holiday season (2016) Buenos Aires around SA through Panama Canal to Miami. We enjoyed all of the ports although some on west coast are quite poor. In fact, we liked it so much have scheduled to do it again 2018 holiday cruise! Chilean fjords really wonderful. Penguins on Falklands are a real treat.

 

Francie

[zoncom]

OP is from VEGAS. I feel same way about HAL. Cannot please everyone all the time.

[debsjc]

We were on the insignia around South America 8 years ago, and thought the ports were almost all fantastic. Have never done the Amazon routing though.

[Mura]

Some how I thought a poster here had complained about using Lima as a port since boarding/departing is so difficult. (I saw those long lines waiting to board Marina in 2013 as we drove up to the ship.) Perhaps that was on another thread ...

 

But I have to agree that we have loved our South America trips, some cruises, some land trips.

 

Mura

[jamesnmphs]

:loudcry::loudcry: I am posting this in hopes of dissuading those contemplating an Oceania Sirena Cruise.

 

 

 

Currently on the 35 day Oceania Sirena San Diego to Rio..sounds great, doesn't it??? Cruising the Amazon..great, huh???

 

 

 

Not so fast, dear readers....never again..

 

 

 

the most boring, worst entertainment..if any..

 

food above average, staff incredible and wonderful..

 

 

 

We are in a PH1...most expensive penthouse suite..have met with general manager..4x..i have profuse notes about the myriad of disappointments..if you are seeking anything close to the deceptive brochures, you may be in for a shock..more coming on this board when I can finally depart in Rio...dumped us in ghetto ports and more..so sorry I ever booked Oceania..they are riding on a reputation no longer deserved..5 star..in their dreams.:loudcry::loudcry: we booked back to back and jumping ship..cannot bear 21 more daysfrom Rio to Miami..flying home.

 

Let's see how 5 star Oceania handles my concerns when I call them next week. Many unhappy passengers here who will never return...:eek:will keep you posted with the details...

 

 

 

I have read, re-read this posting and all the responses, all I can do is wonder why the OP didn't do any research or ask questions prior to booking this long of a cruise. Did "Drhugs" not go on the Oceania website and look at the pictures? Oceania is not a booze cruise line for 20 somethings looking for an at sea hookup. "Drhugs" don't blame Oceania for your failures. I don't understand what you were expecting. Country Club Casual should have told you that this was not a spandex and tube top cruise.

 

 

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[Mura]

Mura

 

This thread has gone way too long(IMO) ,SO I am going to digress, do you know where Lyn is, she has been conspicuously absent, I hope everything is OK with her ....

 

Doc, not to worry. I wrote Lyn today and she said she's fine, just taking a break from CC.

 

After that she wrote back, amused, because she heard from a few others who were concerned as well!

 

I guess that's a message to frequent posters ...

 

Mura

[sandbag7]

I have read, re-read this posting and all the responses, all I can do is wonder why the OP didn't do any research or ask questions prior to booking this long of a cruise. Did "Drhugs" not go on the Oceania website and look at the pictures? Oceania is not a booze cruise line for 20 somethings looking for an at sea hookup. "Drhugs" don't blame Oceania for your failures. I don't understand what you were expecting. Country Club Casual should have told you that this was not a spandex and tube top cruise.

 

 

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The poster is a woman in her 60’s, a retired educator who has taken several previous cruises on Oceania as well as other lines. Not a complainer, her posts are generally short and detail specific. I suspect she did some research but may have run into a perfect storm on this one. Every cruise line, ship and cruise present a different milieu.

I noticed she is from both Las Vegas and Northbrook, a suburb of Chicago which I also reside in so I was curious about her but there is nothing ominous here; I’ve noticed many times that dissatisfied cruisers will often find others on their cruise to share their misery, hence her comment about other unhappy people. And I suspect that after the comments started piling up and went more negative she decided discretion was the better part of valor and went silent.

Nothing to see here folks; move along.

[Paulchili]

sandbag7,

How do you know that she has taken "several previuos cruises on Oceania"? The signature shows one O cruise many years ago.

That was certainly a very poorly composed post by a retired educator.

If she is willing to post such a grievous complaint once, she should have made it more precise and specific - or follow up with specifics. She wasn't forced to post a complaint in the first place but if you do, than explain yourself better or else you will get exactly what she is getting now.

If people understood what exactly went wrong, they just might agree with her more or at least understand why she feels the way she does.

What she has done is smear a cruise line's reputation without explanation. In real life this might be consider a defamation, libel and slander (without further evidence and proof). Where are the mentioned "profuse notes about the myriad of disappointments."

My last word on this thread (until I hear from OP).

[helvic]

Please no more as we say in the U.K. we have flogged this to death.

[bitob]

sandbag7,

How do you know that she has taken "several previuos cruises on Oceania"? The signature shows one O cruise many years ago.

That was certainly a very poorly composed post by a retired educator.

If she is willing to post such a grievous complaint once, she should have made it more precise and specific - or follow up with specifics. She wasn't forced to post a complaint in the first place but if you do, than explain yourself better or else you will get exactly what she is getting now.

If people understood what exactly went wrong, they just might agree with her more or at least understand why she feels the way she does.

What she has done is smear a cruise line's reputation without explanation. In real life this might be consider a defamation, libel and slander (without further evidence and proof). Where are the mentioned "profuse notes about the myriad of disappointments."

My last word on this thread (until I hear from OP).

 

 

 

Spot on. And we are left with a disparaging thread title that is wholly unsupported by facts.

 

 

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[Ginny51]

F

 

 

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[MarkieMarkNYC]

What she has done is smear a cruise line's reputation without explanation. In real life this might be consider a defamation, libel and slander (without further evidence and proof)

That seems just a tad dramatic, no?

[docmark]

Doc, not to worry. I wrote Lyn today and she said she's fine, just taking a break from CC.

 

After that she wrote back, amused, because she heard from a few others who were concerned as well!

 

I guess that's a message to frequent posters ...

 

Mura

 

Thanks Mura

 

Glad to hear she is OK,

[Hawaiidan]

-1 On our South America cruise around the Horn, we spent 4 days in Buenos Aires pre cruise and 2 days in Santiago, Chile post cruise. We had a great time in both cities and felt quite safe.

 

Cheers,

 

Don

I did the same on out cruise to Buenos Aires people on the ship had watches and shoes ripped from them as they sat in down town..... slums everywhere, the cemetery full of homeless and garbage Stepping over bums sleeping on the sidewalk...everywhere...... Watched up scale residents casually throwing their garbage on the street as they walked........ Lots of con men and petty crime...... got better when you went 100 miles out.

Santiago fair lots so much smog you could not see mountains 10 miles away...Valpariso a sea side slum ...Ushuea.. nice....Montevideo more crime and passengers robbed, Lima scary port and anywhere out of the main down town/

Rio armed guards on tour buss would not let passengers get off because of danger.... I am glad you love it and can ignore the more than obvious down side...

Me I guess I am too objective...never ever go there when there are so many other beautiful options.

..

[MarkieMarkNYC]

My goodness this board brings out the drama!

[bitob]

We spent 12 glorious days in Buenos Aires and felt it was a city we could live in. We spent a wonderful week in Lima too. We never experienced what you describe

 

I could not disagree with you more

 

 

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[AMTDGT]

I did the same on out cruise to Buenos Aires people on the ship had watches and shoes ripped from them as they sat in down town..... slums everywhere, the cemetery full of homeless and garbage Stepping over bums sleeping on the sidewalk...everywhere...... Watched up scale residents casually throwing their garbage on the street as they walked........ Lots of con men and petty crime...... got better when you went 100 miles out.

Santiago fair lots so much smog you could not see mountains 10 miles away...Valpariso a sea side slum ...Ushuea.. nice....Montevideo more crime and passengers robbed, Lima scary port and anywhere out of the main down town/

Rio armed guards on tour buss would not let passengers get off because of danger.... I am glad you love it and can ignore the more than obvious down side...

Me I guess I am too objective...never ever go there when there are so many other beautiful options.

..

 

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

Valpariso (2011) we very much enjoyed, especially the old town. Lima (2011) although maybe not on our favourite ports list, no problems in the port or the city. I agree Ushuea (2016) in nice, especially touring the water ways by boat. Montevideo (2016) we very much enjoyed, especially the food near the port. I guess we will find out about BA in about 53 weeks. We are looking forward to that one.

[MarkieMarkNYC]

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

Valpariso (2011) we very much enjoyed, especially the old town. Lima (2011) although maybe not on our favourite ports list, no problems in the port or the city. I agree Ushuea (2016) in nice, especially touring the water ways by boat. Montevideo (2016) we very much enjoyed, especially the food near the port. I guess we will find out about BA in about 53 weeks. We are looking forward to that one.

Buenos Aires is a wonderful city. You will see gorgeous architecture and different neighborhoods with their own character. Save time for eating! There are many wonderful choices. Just be sure to double-tie your shoelaces. You wouldn't want someone to rip them off your feet while you're sitting downtown! ;p

[janecambridge]

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

Valpariso (2011) we very much enjoyed, especially the old town. Lima (2011) although maybe not on our favourite ports list, no problems in the port or the city. I agree Ushuea (2016) in nice, especially touring the water ways by boat. Montevideo (2016) we very much enjoyed, especially the food near the port. I guess we will find out about BA in about 53 weeks. We are looking forward to that one.

 

I agree too.Great cities and Buenos Aires was one of our favourites.Yes there are problems but there are in all Cities all over the world.I think you would be naive to go out thinking everything is hunky dory anywhere.

[jc3443]

Why does it so often seem to happen that someone jumps on CC and complains but provides no specifics, then does not reappear for a week or more, if at all?

[jamesnmphs]

Yeah, it doesn't bolster their credibility.

 

 

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[debsjc]

When people are talking about the crime and dangers in the South American cities, a lot of it is depends on how we as tourists behave. We had several days pre -cruise in Rio, and we explored Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Santos, Ushuaia and Puerto Montt all without ships excursions. We dressed down, wore no jewellery, in Rio we didn't even carry cameras. I brushed up on my Spanish before we went (I can't speak any Portugese unfortunately), did a lot of research, and had an amazing time.

Pre- cruise in Rio we went to the dress rehearsal of the Carnival, and the locals were so lovely to us. I don't actually think we were at any more risk then when we go to London or New York. You have to be alert everywhere.

[jamesnmphs]

When people are talking about the crime and dangers in the South American cities, a lot of it is depends on how we as tourists behave. We had several days pre -cruise in Rio, and we explored Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Santos, Ushuaia and Puerto Montt all without ships excursions. We dressed down, wore no jewellery, in Rio we didn't even carry cameras. I brushed up on my Spanish before we went (I can't speak any Portugese unfortunately), did a lot of research, and had an amazing time.

Pre- cruise in Rio we went to the dress rehearsal of the Carnival, and the locals were so lovely to us. I don't actually think we were at any more risk then when we go to London or New York. You have to be alert everywhere.

 

 

 

I could not agree with you more. As Americans, we tend to compare everything to the U.S., and forget that EVERY large metropolitan area, U.S. cities included, can be dangerous. When I did a Transatlantic cruise a few years ago landing in Manhattan, several of the crew came up to me asking questions about safety. I told them as long as they don't do anything stupid, they would be ok.

 

 

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[kitty9]

Some how I thought a poster here had complained about using Lima as a port since boarding/departing is so difficult. (I saw those long lines waiting to board Marina in 2013 as we drove up to the ship.) Perhaps that was on another thread ...

 

But I have to agree that we have loved our South America trips, some cruises, some land trips.

 

Mura

 

That was me, on another thread. And I did not complain, per se, but as someone who's completely disabled, a difficult port for embarkation/disembarkation is something I absolutely MUST take into consideration. For those of you who are not physically disabled, you don't have any idea what it's like for people like me.

 

I've done three SA cruises and they were all wonderful. But, they either embarked or disembarked in port cities that have easy port areas such as Buenos Aires or Rio. Those three cruises were fantastic, and the cities were magical.