Sirena Concierge Verandah Cabins and some questions

[AtA]

I'm considering taking my son on the Serina for a cruise to the Caribbean (we wanted to do Cuba, sigh) in January as his graduation present and am willing to give Oceania another try.

 

I was on the Marina several years ago with my better half (one of the first cruises to Cuba!) in a Penthouse Suite which was quite a nice size. However, the service was less than desired which is one reason he and I haven't been back. The clothes drawers were full of sand when we came in and went to put our clothes away. The room was dirty with finger marks on the fixtures and the telephone needed a good cleaning. There were the previous tenant's pill bottles and cold medicines and her handbag in one of the dresser drawers. The balcony had salt spray 1/2" thick on the deck and the seats. The verandah window had obvious salt spray. We called and asked them to reclean the room which didn't make our stewardess happy. The butler was almost non existent.

 

When I mentioned to our stewardess that we were finished unpacking our bags, her response to us was, "Oh YOU can put them under the bed." I asked again because I didn't believe what I was hearing but again she repeated it. I smiled and nicely told her that no, she should please put them under the bed for us. She did reluctantly and the rest of the cruise she gave us an attitude.

 

One day at tea, I asked what was in a sandwich. The waiter told me egg salad. I took the sandwich and I bit into the sandwich and it was egg salad WITH shrimp. I have a food sensitivity to shellfish. Thankfully not a full blown allergy. When I complained to the maitre'd, he shrugged his shoulders. Not even a sorry. So we went to speak to the head concierge. Told him all about our room the first day plus the issue with the sandwich and how it could have killed someone with a true allergy. He said he'd look into it and get back to us. That was several years ago. No one ever got back to us either on or off the ship even after we filled out our cards. We normally sail on Crystal and before that on Regent, Celebrity and HAL. I can tell you if any of that had happened on any of those ships, we would have had a personal note from the hotel director and probably some sort of compensation (a special bottle of wine, or a small cruise credit or specialty chocolates) to show how sorry they were. On Oceania, crickets.

 

Despite that, because the fares are low and the food was really excellent on Oceania, I'm willing to give Oceania another try and would book my son in an ocean view cabin and book myself into a Concierge Verandah Cabin. I noticed that the stated size of the Verandah cabin is 216 square feet. Is that including the balcony or is that just the cabin itself?

 

For those who book a verandah, is there adequate storage etc? Do you feel cramped?

 

Is there a shower or only a shower/tub combo? (I prefer a shower!)

 

Are all single supplements 100%?

 

Also am I correct that internet is not included unless I do O Life? Doing the O Life would not pay for me since the cruise is out of MIA and I just need to drive from my home in FL and it seems that the big benefit of O Life is the airfare? It might pay for my son since he'd be flying in from JFK but even then it might not pay. Are there any other ways to get perks like O Life?

 

Any suggestions or thoughts?

 

And lastly will the stewardess put the suitcases under the bed? 🙂

Edited June 10, 2019 by AtA

[LHT28]

The  A & B Cabin cat size is including the balcony

 the cabin is very much the same as  the C &  D interior wise

there is just  a shower  no tub on the R ships

I find there is  sufficient storage  for us

we have spent 30+ days  in a C & B cabin

 1 account is free per cabin for the internet

you do not need O Life perks  to get it

 

I have never asked the steward(es)  to put  the cases under the bed

I can still manage it myself

[AtA]

10 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

 

 

I have never asked the steward(es)  to put  the cases under the bed

I can still manage it myself

Thank you.

As for the suitcases, in all my cruises I have never had to ask. They just magically disappeared under the bed, whether on Regent, HAL, Celebrity or of course Crystal. And I would think at least if we paid a premium for a PH, that was the least they could do since they obviously didn't even clean the room

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, LHT28 said:

The  A & B Cabin cat size is including the balcony

 the cabin is very much the same as  the C &  D interior wise

there is just  a shower  no tub on the R ships

I find there is  sufficient storage  for us

we have spent 30+ days  in a C & B cabin

 1 account is free per cabin for the internet

you do not need O Life perks  to get it

 

I have never asked the steward(es)  to put  the cases under the bed

I can still manage it myself

And you can opt for O Life w/o air fare, which lowers the cost by the value of the air credit (still giving you whatever O Life perk you may desire).

BTW: B Cabins on R ships are plenty big (w/shower). We've done quite a few 4-5 week cruises in them.

 

[AtA]

10 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

And you can opt for O Life w/o air fare, which lowers the cost by the value of the air credit (still giving you whatever O Life perk you may desire).

BTW: B Cabins on R ships are plenty big (w/shower). We've done quite a few 4-5 week cruises in them.

 

Thank you. Does anyone know if since the refurb they have made the shower a glass door enclosure or do they still have shower curtains? (Can't say I love the idea of a shower curtain.)

 

I know I sound negative but what else I like about this cruise is the low number of pax, the relatively low price since I'll be paying for 2 rooms with probably 2 100% single supplements. And of course the food. My son feels he would also prefer the smaller ship size especially when it comes to getting on/off the ship and tours.

Being that I'm not sailing with my better half, I figure I don't need the larger room.

[LHT28]

if you are flexible  they do have some sailings  with a lower single supplement

some are for certain cabin cat  so you need to check that  in the offering

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/special-offers/single-supplement/

[Rob the Cruiser]

Why would you consider Oceania after having such a horrible experience?

 

Stick with Regent, HAL, Celebrity or of course Crystal and hopefully your suitcases will magically disappear.

[Mura]

I'm very surprised at the condition of your cabin on Marina, not to mention the poor service you describe.  We've been on Marina more than a few times and never saw anything like you described.  And it has never occurred to me to ask the staff to put the suitcase under the bed.  I HAVE asked them to store a large suitcase (that did not fit under the bed) elsewhere and they were always happy to do so.

 

Mura

[AtA]

9 hours ago, LHT28 said:

if you are flexible  they do have some sailings  with a lower single supplement

some are for certain cabin cat  so you need to check that  in the offering

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/special-offers/single-supplement/

Unfortunately no we are only flexible within the month but thank you for the idea. 🙂

1 hour ago, Rob the Cruiser said:

Why would you consider Oceania after having such a horrible experience?

 

Stick with Regent, HAL, Celebrity or of course Crystal and hopefully your suitcases will magically disappear.

Because  the itinerary is good for my son and I for that time schedule. The food is much better than HAL or Celebrity. I prefer a smaller ship without all the announcements and gold by the mile. And I'm willing to give Oceania another chance since it generally gets high marks

 

As for sticking with Regent or Crystal, if I wasn't going to have to pay for two single supplements, that might have been an option. Of course neither has 7 day cruises in the Caribbean during January 2020 either. 

 

23 minutes ago, Mura said:

I'm very surprised at the condition of your cabin on Marina, not to mention the poor service you describe.  We've been on Marina more than a few times and never saw anything like you described.  And it has never occurred to me to ask the staff to put the suitcase under the bed.  I HAVE asked them to store a large suitcase (that did not fit under the bed) elsewhere and they were always happy to do so.

 

Mura

Trust me. So were we as we had heard wonderful things about Oceania. Our stewardess seemed from the beginning to have an attitude and we actually tried to avoid her after that first day.

I realize that things can happen (they can happen on any ship, either because they're rushed or something happens.) but what sets apart a top quality ship isn't that things happen, but how they're handled. And in our case, in all instances, the way it was handled was to ignore us.

 

As for the suitcase, it has never as I said occurred to me that I with my bad back (and my SO with his bad back) should have to try and put the bags under the bed. Like I said, it didn't even happen on HAL or Celebrity and Oceania is certainly a few levels above a HAL or Celebrity cruise line.

 

 

[Starlaker]

" I smiled and nicely told her that no, she should please put them under the bed for us."

 

There is a difference between telling her that she should put them under the bed for you and asking her if she would please put them under the bed because of your bad backs.

 

We have often asked that our luggage be stored outside the room and it was done promptly and cheerfully.

 

You will like the smaller R class ships.  They are our favorite.

Edited June 13, 2019 by Starlaker

[AtA]

20 hours ago, Starlaker said:

" I smiled and nicely told her that no, she should please put them under the bed for us."

 

There is a difference between telling her that she should put them under the bed for you and asking her if she would please put them under the bed because of your bad backs.

 

We have often asked that our luggage be stored outside the room and it was done promptly and cheerfully.

 

You will like the smaller R class ships.  They are our favorite.

I absolutely did ask by starting with please and said thank you when she finished. I was pleasant.

I don't think I need to give her a litany of our health issues.

And as I've said, this was the absolutely first time EVER that we were expected to put our bags under the bed.

Thank you. I do prefer a smaller ship and I'm hoping my son will enjoy his first ever cruise.

Edited June 14, 2019 by AtA