We took a turn away from Cuba-Our first Oceania cruise experience-7/11/19

[Bxianesq]

We were among those who found out (4 weeks or so before our cruise) that we were not sailing to Cuba after all.  The Cuba cruise had been a birthday present for a big birthday that my husband was celebrating.  We were upset about the change, but with flights already booked and time away from work scheduled. we decided to stay with the revised itinerary.  This was our 7th cruise to date-with 1 prior cruise on RCL and 5 prior cruises on HAL.  Here is a brief trip report, with overall impressions:

1.  We have always had great experiences on HAL, and have 2 HAL cruises coming up in 2020.  However, we found 2-areas where Oceania outdid HAL:  the staff and the food.  Our cabin steward (Steel) was the best that we have ever had.  Dining room and bar staff were attentive, engaging and friendly.  We found that on our last HAL cruise that staff members seemed harried, and there were often long waits in the main dining room.  The food on Oceania was wonderful.  We liked the variety and the opportunity to try healthier options (well...sometimes).

2.  We really enjoyed meeting some of our fellow passengers on Oceania-we have also had good experiences on HAL-but our Oceania cruise had a really nice group of people.  Enjoyed meeting those people that we got to talk with at the Meet and Greet on departure day.  

3.    The Canyon Ranch spa experience was a disappointment-staff members there were not very friendly and massages were just OK.  Since we had a Concierge level cabin, we had access to the spa terrace-but there were few lounge chairs out there so we dunked in the spa pool and left after about 45 minutes. The Canyon Ranch food selections that we tried were very good.  

4.  We loved tea and the accompanying strings-staff were a little disorganized at times-one day, they kept missing an entire section of Horizons on 1 or 2 of the days.  Horizons as a place to hang out is lovely.  

5.  Loved the selection of martinis at Martinis!

6.  Wished that Trivia did not start 15 minutes after the start of tea-we had a lot of fun with our Trivia team on our last HAL cruise and would have enjoyed trying it on Oceania.  

7.  We tended to linger for a while at dinner, so we did not take advantage of any shows.  We wished that there was something like HAL's BB King Blues Club or Rolling Stone Rock Room on Oceania.  Not sure what people did in the evening.  We went back to the cabin and crashed with books.

8.  Polo Grill and Toscana were both great.  We also found Oceania to have a decent wine selection.

9.  Itinerary-Key West-it was a beastly hot and humid day.  We walked from the port to the Truman Little White House and had an interesting tour-then walked over to Petronia Street and had delicious crepes at La Creperie (thanks to my NY Times 36 Hours book for the tip).  After that, we stopped in at Irish Kevin's for a beer-the guitarist wasn't even playing really-just played an electronic device with music and fiddled around with his guitar.  Would have loved to find a better live music choice, but since we were only in port until late afternoon, Key West had not really come alive yet.  

10.  Itinerary-Belize-this was the NCL private island, so not really Belize per se.  Decided to make it a beach day-loungers were comfortable and views were very pretty.  Wish that Oceania had informed us that we could not charge beachside drinks back to the ship (and thank you to Kendon (Ken and Donna) for rescuing us with a cash loan so that we could buy drinks)!

11.  Itinerary-Roatan-a very full and moving day-went with Jessica (Cleve's wife) of Cleve's Tours and adventures.  She spent a full day with us driving around Roatan-husband ziplined, I got to hold a sloth and capuchin monkeys at an animal sanctuary, and we took a boat ride through mangroves ,which was really cool.  Jessica took us to see several amazing overlooks, and bought us great chicken empanadas and a very tasty fruit drink for lunch.  But the most moving part of our journey was getting to see the "real" Roatan-there is much poverty and hardship there.  We brought over boxes of crayons and also asked some of our fellow Meet and Greet friends if they would be interested in donating school supplies.  We had a really nice donation response.  We handed out supplies to numerous kids and Jessica drove us around the island-without exception, all said "thank you" or "gracias" and gave us beautiful smiles.  It is a day that we will never forget-we wish that we could have done more.

12.  Itinerary-Costa Maya-the captain came on the PA system as we were about 500 feet from the dock and announced a port cancellation due to "high swells."  I personally think that missing the port had more to do with a Celebrity ship that appeared to be hogging the dock as we approached..........The trip in overnight was a little rocky, but the seas appeared smooth as we approached the dock. We had a tour booked with Native Choice booked which we could not join.  

13.  Flies made an unfortunate appearance at the Terrace Cafe-it seemed to get worse as the cruise went along.  

14.  Redone itinerary for the 7/18 sailing had a stronger port selection overall-will be interested to see reviews of that cruise.  

All in all, despite a few hiccups, we really enjoyed our first time on an Oceania cruise.  Already looking at longer itineraries in Asia or South America for our next Oceania adventure in 2021-by then, I hope to be working a lot less.  

 

 

Edited July 21, 2019 by Bxianesq
add a word

[LHT28]

thanks for sharing

 

Did they not have the String Quartet  in the evenings?

Usually they  have music in Martinis with the piano player  also

some things in Horizons after the show  ..just depends on your interests

[Bxianesq]

Yes, we enjoyed listening to the string quartet for a few minutes after dinner each night.  Piano player was very good and was in Martinis before dinner-but after a pre-dinner drink and wine with dinner we did not feel like going to Martinis for a post-dinner libation.  

[LHT28]

57 minutes ago, Bxianesq said:

Yes, we enjoyed listening to the string quartet for a few minutes after dinner each night.  Piano player was very good and was in Martinis before dinner-but after a pre-dinner drink and wine with dinner we did not feel like going to Martinis for a post-dinner libation.  

they do not force you to drink you can just enjoy the music 😁

[Mura]

Itinerary-Costa Maya-the captain came on the PA system as we were about 500 feet from the dock and announced a port cancellation due to "high swells."  I personally think that missing the port had more to do with a Celebrity ship that appeared to be hogging the dock as we approached..........The trip in overnight was a little rocky, but the seas appeared smooth as we approached the dock. We had a tour booked with Native Choice booked which we could not join.

 

Maybe it's a Celebrity thing ... when we arrived in Istanbul at the end of our Black Sea cruise back in July 2012, we could not dock until a Celebrity ship decided to leave -- well after it was supposed to have been gone!  In that case the captain just waited and we finally got on shore.  We personally weren't that upset because we were going to stay in Istanbul for several days, but I'll bet others who were flying home the next day were not as comfortable with the delay!

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

 

Mura

 

[Go-Bucks!]

4 hours ago, Bxianesq said:

Our cabin steward (Steel) 

 

We really enjoyed meeting some of our fellow passengers on Oceania

 

The Canyon Ranch spa experience was a disappointment-staff members there were not very friendly and massages were just OK.  Since we had a Concierge level cabin, we had access to the spa terrace-but there were few lounge chairs out there so we dunked in the spa pool and left after about 45 minutes. 

 

Key West had not really come alive yet.  

 

Itinerary-Belize-this was the NCL private island, so not really Belize per se.  Decided to make it a beach day-loungers were comfortable and views were very pretty.  

 

Itinerary-Costa Maya-the captain came on the PA system as we were about 500 feet from the dock and announced a port cancellation due to "high swells."  I personally think that missing the port had more to do with a Celebrity ship that appeared to be hogging the dock as we approached..........The trip in overnight was a little rocky, but the seas appeared smooth as we approached the dock.  

 

Flies made an unfortunate appearance at the Terrace Cafe-it seemed to get worse as the cruise went along.  

 

Redone itinerary for the 7/18 sailing had a stronger port selection overall-will be interested to see reviews of that cruise.  

 

I was also on that cruise and will share a few comments...glad you had a good time as I did too!

 

My previous asst. steward (I was in a different cabin for the world cruise) spoke VERY highly of Steel who's a friend of his. Glad to hear that you got great service.  I think the crew on this ship is fantastic!!

 

The people on the 7/11 cruise were some of the friendliest I've ever met! The week went by so quickly because I had such a great time with the other passengers. 

 

The hot tub in the spa area (it's a hot tub, not a pool) is quite lame...barely warm and the bubblers rarely work...no wonder you thought it was a pool! I rarely used that area on the world cruise because it wasn't very appealing to me...my balcony was nicer.

 

But I don't agree with you about the spa...I had many massages and facials and they were excellent! The staff is super friendly and knew everyone's names. I felt truly pampered there.

 

Key West, and most port towns, don't "come alive" until about 10am so there's usually no reason to get out earlier if shopping or restaurants are where you want to go. We left the ship at 10:15am and most shops were just opening. 

 

Harvest Caye is the NCL private island so naturally you wouldn't be on the Belizean mainland...which is good because their mainland isn't too safe. I  visited Belize City once to see friends and they warned us of the high crime...boy, were they right! Armed security guards at every store and the house next door to my friends was a drug house that got shot at frequently.   I thought Harvest Caye was the best private island I've been to.

 

I was also disappointed about Costa Maya but I never second guess the Captain or play armchair-quarterback...I trust his judgment and believe he makes decisions that put safety first.  

 

I never saw any flies in Terrace, but since the Waves and back deck doors open frequently, I don't know how you could keep them out. 

 

I'm on the 7/18 cruise currently and so far so good! We had 2 beautiful sea days and a nice day today in St. Maarten. I got something checked off the bucket list too...stood on Maho Beach while 5 huge airliners landed over top of me and one took off! So fun!

 

 

Edited July 22, 2019 by Go-Bucks!

[kendon]

To the OP, lending you the cash on Harvest Caye was our pleasure.  Reading these boards clued me in that cruise cards would not be accepted.  This was the nicest private island I've been on.

 

Thank you for arranging the CC get together.  Good turnout and the "two for ones" wasn't a bad thing either.

 

We are regular Princess cruisers and were equally impressed by the Insignia's food and service.  Princess has changed, and not for the better.  We were looking for another go-to cruise line.  Looking forward to booking another.

 

Great meeting you and your husband and hope to see you on a future cruise.

 

Donna and Ken

[pinotlover]

One constantly reoccurring mistake is the above posts. Not sure why it constantly occurs.

 

The Oceania R ships, which includes the ship here in question, do NOT have hot tubs on the Spa Deck. They all have hydrotherapy pools. The water is not intended to be hot. It is not designed to be a swirling mass of bubbles. Nowhere in Oceania’s literature do they define those pools as hot tubs. One may or may not enjoy hydrotherapy pools, personal preference, but they are not hot tubs as apples aren’t oranges.  If you mistakenly thought they were hot tubs you now stand corrected.

 

The hot tubs, on Oceania R ships, are adjacent to the swimming pool available to all guests.

[Guindalf]

We were also on this cruise and, while having a relaxing and mostly enjoyable time, cannot be as positive about many things our ship-mates have been praising.

 

Let me start with the good stuff. I agree with the professionalism of the staff. Every one we had contact with, from the cabin steward to the officers, were friendly and efficient, even if, at times, service was slow.

 

The ship was classy, not glitzy, and the public areas were all places you want to be. Drinks service in the bars was usually pretty good but it was much harder to get a drink at mealtimes. I assume it's because the standard drinks package includes wine and beer with meals. More on mealtime drinks later.

 

It was nice to be able to drink the soda and water in the room. On the bigger lines, even with a drinks package, these are excluded. We even managed to get our fridge stocked with Caffeine Free Diet Coke!

 

Ports are, obviously not cruise line specific, but we enjoyed the ones we did stop at. Key west had two other ships in port t the same time as us, so it was hectic. We got a hop-on-hop-off trolley tour for just $40 each which gave us a good overview of the island and he 'hopped off' at a small eatery that was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives called DJ's Clam Shack. 

 

I would most definitely agree that Harvest Caye is the best of the private islands we have visited. The Landshark bar and grill was nice but why it's named after - and features - a brewery based in Jacksonville, Florida is beyond me! I agree that the lack of a charge-back to the ship was annoying but not enough to ruin the trip. I'm glad the lack of cash was easily resolved.

 

We did little more than browse around the shops and enjoy a local beer in Roatan. We'd been there before and were not really in need of a tour.

 

The one tour we had booked in advance was the same Native Choice one mentioned by the OP, so we were a little disappointed in not docking in Costa Maya. The port is big enough to accommodate an extra 600 or so visitors so I really don't think it was because the Equinox was there.

 

OK, now the negatives. I kept saying that I feel like there were 'cracks' in the whole trip. Perhaps one was not enough to disappoint, but overall, they were constant annoyances.

 

Number one, and IMH, the biggest disappointment was the food. There was something wrong with just about every meal we had, especially when it came to dinner. The first night in the GDR, two of us (party of six) ordered the suckling pig, which was a

disk of inedible skin with little or no meat on it and a mystery meat reminiscent of flavorless spam! Another night, there was lobster, described in the menu as steamed. What arrived was a small heap of lobster meat covered in some kind of gravy. The server hadn't even heard of drawn butter when we asked fore it!

 

Lobster was an issue in Tuscana too. What was described as a Maine lobster tail was  anything but tail meat! The first thing I saw was two claws!! The best meal we had all week was on the last night, and even then, my BiL ordered the Iceberg Lettuce starter, only to be served some kind of mixed greens. When questioned, the waiter just said 'oh, it was printed wrong in the menu!'

 

I said I'd mention drinks and I had two big complaints. First, on the first morning, I asked for a Bloody Mary at breakfast in the GDR. After quite a wait, I was informed that even though I have the Prestige drinks package, I would have to pay for it because 'the bars are not open yet'! I paid $60 a day to be able to have a drink, so I wasn't about to be charged more for it. Also, I like to drink San Peligrino and, on at least six or seven occasions, I was told it wasn't available and would I like Perrier instead - even in the Italian restaurant! Later on, I would get my SP without issue. Was someone just too lazy to get the right drink for me or what?

 

We found the lack of activities to be disappointing so we spent  lot of ship time relaxing on our balcony or watching movies. There was one we both wanted to watch butt could not get it to run. In fact, it appeared on several lists, so we tried them all without luck - until the very last night, when my DW tried it for a laugh (after taking her sleeping pill!) and it started playing!

 

I could go on about the 'little cracks' but I'll stop now as I feel I've written a book already. Save to say that this will most likely be our first and last Oceania cruise. I will add that everyone has a favorite cruise line and those they enjoy more than others. This one was just not for us, so please do not feel the need to defend.

 

We'll be on the Celebrity Eclipse next month in Alaska and, what I didn't expect before this cruise, I'm looking forward to it all the more!

[LHT28]

GUINDALF

Sounds like you had  new crew on the ships

most of the issues you had with meals/drinks should not have happened

Did you speak to the Maitre'd or the GM to try to resolve the problems at the time ?

 

 

 

 

[catsngoats]

7 hours ago, kendon said:

To the OP, lending you the cash on Harvest Caye was our pleasure.  Reading these boards clued me in that cruise cards would not be accepted.  This was the nicest private island I've been on.

 

Thank you for arranging the CC get together.  Good turnout and the "two for ones" wasn't a bad thing either.

 

We are regular Princess cruisers and were equally impressed by the Insignia's food and service.  Princess has changed, and not for the better.  We were looking for another go-to cruise line.  Looking forward to booking another.

 

Great meeting you and your husband and hope to see you on a future cruise.

 

Donna and Ken

So glad to learn about the Harvest Caye island bar and cash.  We will be there for the first time in January 2020 on Marina.  I’ve added to my trip notes.

[Guindalf]

55 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

GUINDALF

Sounds like you had  new crew on the ships

most of the issues you had with meals/drinks should not have happened

Did you speak to the Maitre'd or the GM to try to resolve the problems at the time ?

 

 

I don't know how you draw the conclusion that it was a new crew. They were perfectly fine except for the incidents in my original post.

 

You are right that the the meal/drink issues SHOULD not have happened, but they did. Excuse the pun, but it did leave a bad taste in my mouth. After all, Oceania prides itself on the 'finest cuisine at sea' and it fell far short of that mark!

 

Yes, I spoke to the Maitre 'D - in fact, at length with Bruno in Toscana. All he could do was apologize - nothing else was done or offered. I wasn't looking for anything else, but it's hard to see what could have been done.

[LHT28]

Another night, there was lobster, described in the menu as steamed. What arrived was a small heap of lobster meat covered in some kind of gravy. The server hadn't even heard of drawn butter when we asked fore it!

Lobster was an issue in Tuscana too. What was described as a Maine lobster tail was  anything but tail meat! The first thing I saw was two claws!! The best meal we had all week was on the last night, and even then, my BiL ordered the Iceberg Lettuce starter, only to be served some kind of mixed greens. When questioned, the waiter just said 'oh, it was printed wrong in the menu!' 

That tells me  they were not experiences with Oceania

I have seen the drawn butter brought to the table

to tell you Iceberg lettuce  was printed wrong on the menu ??? 😲

Either they were new  or just lazy

Normally they say sorry & go get what you ordered

JMO

 

Yes things are changing on Oceania  as well  not like the old days

 

[kendon]

3 hours ago, Guindalf said:

We were also on this cruise and, while having a relaxing and mostly enjoyable time, cannot be as positive about many things our ship-mates have been praising.

 

Let me start with the good stuff. I agree with the professionalism of the staff. Every one we had contact with, from the cabin steward to the officers, were friendly and efficient, even if, at times, service was slow.

 

The ship was classy, not glitzy, and the public areas were all places you want to be. Drinks service in the bars was usually pretty good but it was much harder to get a drink at mealtimes. I assume it's because the standard drinks package includes wine and beer with meals. More on mealtime drinks later.

 

It was nice to be able to drink the soda and water in the room. On the bigger lines, even with a drinks package, these are excluded. We even managed to get our fridge stocked with Caffeine Free Diet Coke!

 

Ports are, obviously not cruise line specific, but we enjoyed the ones we did stop at. Key west had two other ships in port t the same time as us, so it was hectic. We got a hop-on-hop-off trolley tour for just $40 each which gave us a good overview of the island and he 'hopped off' at a small eatery that was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives called DJ's Clam Shack. 

 

I would most definitely agree that Harvest Caye is the best of the private islands we have visited. The Landshark bar and grill was nice but why it's named after - and features - a brewery based in Jacksonville, Florida is beyond me! I agree that the lack of a charge-back to the ship was annoying but not enough to ruin the trip. I'm glad the lack of cash was easily resolved.

 

We did little more than browse around the shops and enjoy a local beer in Roatan. We'd been there before and were not really in need of a tour.

 

The one tour we had booked in advance was the same Native Choice one mentioned by the OP, so we were a little disappointed in not docking in Costa Maya. The port is big enough to accommodate an extra 600 or so visitors so I really don't think it was because the Equinox was there.

 

OK, now the negatives. I kept saying that I feel like there were 'cracks' in the whole trip. Perhaps one was not enough to disappoint, but overall, they were constant annoyances.

 

Number one, and IMH, the biggest disappointment was the food. There was something wrong with just about every meal we had, especially when it came to dinner. The first night in the GDR, two of us (party of six) ordered the suckling pig, which was a

disk of inedible skin with little or no meat on it and a mystery meat reminiscent of flavorless spam! Another night, there was lobster, described in the menu as steamed. What arrived was a small heap of lobster meat covered in some kind of gravy. The server hadn't even heard of drawn butter when we asked fore it!

 

Lobster was an issue in Tuscana too. What was described as a Maine lobster tail was  anything but tail meat! The first thing I saw was two claws!! The best meal we had all week was on the last night, and even then, my BiL ordered the Iceberg Lettuce starter, only to be served some kind of mixed greens. When questioned, the waiter just said 'oh, it was printed wrong in the menu!'

 

I said I'd mention drinks and I had two big complaints. First, on the first morning, I asked for a Bloody Mary at breakfast in the GDR. After quite a wait, I was informed that even though I have the Prestige drinks package, I would have to pay for it because 'the bars are not open yet'! I paid $60 a day to be able to have a drink, so I wasn't about to be charged more for it. Also, I like to drink San Peligrino and, on at least six or seven occasions, I was told it wasn't available and would I like Perrier instead - even in the Italian restaurant! Later on, I would get my SP without issue. Was someone just too lazy to get the right drink for me or what?

 

We found the lack of activities to be disappointing so we spent  lot of ship time relaxing on our balcony or watching movies. There was one we both wanted to watch butt could not get it to run. In fact, it appeared on several lists, so we tried them all without luck - until the very last night, when my DW tried it for a laugh (after taking her sleeping pill!) and it started playing!

 

I could go on about the 'little cracks' but I'll stop now as I feel I've written a book already. Save to say that this will most likely be our first and last Oceania cruise. I will add that everyone has a favorite cruise line and those they enjoy more than others. This one was just not for us, so please do not feel the need to defend.

 

We'll be on the Celebrity Eclipse next month in Alaska and, what I didn't expect before this cruise, I'm looking forward to it all the more!

I saw similar cracks, however on Princess (our previous line of choice) the cracks are getting wider.  I did not find the specialty dining rooms fabulous, but then again I thought the MDR foos and service wonderful.  Yes, very disappointing missing Costa Maya, but out of their control.  Also, the lack of activities was very apparent on the unexpected sea day, however Sandy Cares, the onboard lecturer, was fabulous.  Late boarding due to a last minute Coast Guard inspection was irritating, but again out of their countrol.  I would book with Oceania again.  Enjoy your cruising.

 

[Guindalf]

The others in my party enjoyed Sandy's talks and from what we saw on the TV, they were interesting and entertaining. I believe they learned a LOT about bananas on the extra sea day!

 

I agree that the cracks are on all lines, but usually, I know what to expect. I know, for example, that I'll get a Bloody Mary with breakfast and that there will be trivia at least twice a day, sea day or not, on X.

 

I hope no-one sees this as bashing Oceania, because that is not my intention. I think it's possible we had much higher expectations and maybe some of the blame is ours. I think we have found our level in X - with perks - and, as I said, that suits us fine while others will not like it so much. We're not necessarily mega-ship people, but I guess the 2,00-2,500 pax range suits us best.

[ORV]

I like them(X & O) both, but for different things

 

Are you saying that Oceania didn't have Trivia twice a day? On the cruises I've been on there is usually team trivia in the afternoon, then the Mensa test, and usually a trivia in the evening. Was it not like that on your cruise? My biggest issue with trivia on Celebrity is that most of the time it's just someone from the entertainment crew reading the questions, sometimes rather poorly. 

[Go-Bucks!]

9 hours ago, LHT28 said:

 

 

That tells me  they were not experiences with Oceania

I have seen the drawn butter brought to the table

to tell you Iceberg lettuce  was printed wrong on the menu ??? 😲

Either they were new  or just lazy

Normally they say sorry & go get what you ordered

JMO

 

Yes things are changing on Oceania  as well  not like the old days

 

 

There was a fair amount of crew turnover on 7/11 after the world cruise. I've definitely noticed that the "newbies" seem quite inexperienced...but they'll learn, just as we all did at new jobs.

 

Embarkation day was nuts because they had a Coast Guard inspection before rooms could be cleaned and the staff were falling all over each other (literally!) to get them ready. Ray Carr announced that Penthouses were ready and they really weren't! I was up on deck 8 to get some leftover stuff from my former cabin and virtually all the stewards were trying desperately to finish. 

 

I had a similar experience with the drawn butter and iceberg salad that same night,  but it wasn't a big issue for me. Since the waiter didn't bring the butter,  I just asked for it and it came quickly. After I ordered the salad, my waiter said that they didn't have any iceberg lettuce so it would be mixed greens...that was fine with me and I actually liked it better. That salad is on the menu frequently and I like it (has goat cheese, anchovies and anchovy-miso dressing). 

 

OP...sorry you had a bad first experience on O. Not everyone likes the same things so it's good that there are many cruiselines to choose from. I've sailed on X and had a nice time overall, but was disappointed in a number of things. Out of the 4 cruiselines I've sailed on, X ranks #3...good but will only go again for an outstanding itinerary. Hope you enjoy your future travels!

[3rd girl of 5]

I have the exact same itinerary as the original poster, and also VERY disappointed to not be going to Cuba.  This is our first Oceania cruise.  My question is about the specialty restaurant reservations.  Are there nights that you don’t want to miss the MDR on this itinerary?  Is there a special dinner one night and if so, which night was it?  Thanks in advance 

[StanandJim]

36 minutes ago, 3rd girl of 5 said:

 My question is about the specialty restaurant reservations.  Are there nights that you don’t want to miss the MDR on this itinerary?  Is there a special dinner one night and if so, which night was it? 

Oceania does not handle their dining room menus in the same way as the mass market lines do.

 

With itineraries all over the earth and cruises varying from 1 week to 6 months in length.  That type of "Special Night" thinking just isn't possible (or preferable IMHO) 

[Paulchili]

9 minutes ago, StanandJim said:

With itineraries all over the earth and cruises varying from 1 week to 6 months in length.  That type of "Special Night" thinking just isn't possible (or preferable IMHO) 

In addition, with lobster & lobster dishes available daily in Terrace and specialties, there is no need to have that “special” dinner in MDR with lobster like on many mass market lines.

[wripro]

22 hours ago, LHT28 said:

GUINDALF

Sounds like you had  new crew on the ships

most of the issues you had with meals/drinks should not have happened

Did you speak to the Maitre'd or the GM to try to resolve the problems at the time ?

 

 

 

 

New crew is no excuse for bad service. Unless, of course, Oceania gives you a discount for the inconvenience. 

[susiesan]

Regarding the Harvest Caye stop, I will bring cash to pay for alcoholic drinks. But what about soft drinks and food-are they available on the island at no charge? Does O have a beach barbecue here like Windstar does? My Jan. 25 Sirena cruise will be stopping here. I have been to Belize City 3 times before so I am glad this will be a different experience.

[LHT28]

3 hours ago, wripro said:

New crew is no excuse for bad service. Unless, of course, Oceania gives you a discount for the inconvenience. 

Henry

i agree

They should be trained for Oceania  service BEFORE  they join the ship

we have had some of the "NEW" crew at times 

[Bxianesq]

On 7/22/2019 at 5:43 PM, ORV said:

I like them(X & O) both, but for different things

 

Are you saying that Oceania didn't have Trivia twice a day? On the cruises I've been on there is usually team trivia in the afternoon, then the Mensa test, and usually a trivia in the evening. Was it not like that on your cruise? My biggest issue with trivia on Celebrity is that most of the time it's just someone from the entertainment crew reading the questions, sometimes rather poorly. 

I don't think that they had Trivia twice a day every night-of course, on the 2 nights that we wrapped up dinner early enough and wanted to do Trivia, there was none.  

[Bxianesq]

18 hours ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 

There was a fair amount of crew turnover on 7/11 after the world cruise. I've definitely noticed that the "newbies" seem quite inexperienced...but they'll learn, just as we all did at new jobs.

 

Embarkation day was nuts because they had a Coast Guard inspection before rooms could be cleaned and the staff were falling all over each other (literally!) to get them ready. Ray Carr announced that Penthouses were ready and they really weren't! I was up on deck 8 to get some leftover stuff from my former cabin and virtually all the stewards were trying desperately to finish. 

 

I had a similar experience with the drawn butter and iceberg salad that same night,  but it wasn't a big issue for me. Since the waiter didn't bring the butter,  I just asked for it and it came quickly. After I ordered the salad, my waiter said that they didn't have any iceberg lettuce so it would be mixed greens...that was fine with me and I actually liked it better. That salad is on the menu frequently and I like it (has goat cheese, anchovies and anchovy-miso dressing). 

 

OP...sorry you had a bad first experience on O. Not everyone likes the same things so it's good that there are many cruiselines to choose from. I've sailed on X and had a nice time overall, but was disappointed in a number of things. Out of the 4 cruiselines I've sailed on, X ranks #3...good but will only go again for an outstanding itinerary. Hope you enjoy your future travels!

 

Don't get me wrong-all in all, we had a really nice first experience on O and have purchased a future cruise voucher to use towards our next O trip-as is the case on any cruise, not everything was perfect-I also think it takes at least 1 experience "sampling" a line to figure out how to best spend time on future cruises.