Regatta - Post Dry Dock - Compromised Panama Review

[ABoatNerd]

Recent review is not flattering, from a long time Oceania patron.

 

Compensation indeed.

[Shawnino]

I didn't quite "get" the review.

A lot of moaning, and brutal grammar/punctuation that made it hard to follow, but in the summary ratings he gave 8 of the 11 categories (value for money, enrichment, cabin etc....) 5/5.

So I was left thinking, "Which is it?"

[RJ2002]

We try to avoid voyages just before and just after a dry dock. 

 

Many years ago we were on a HAL sailing just before a dry dock, and there was a noticeable amount of preparation and staging taking place while we were still onboard.  Some areas of the pool deck were closed several days before disembarkation.  

[PaulMCO]

Certainly a valid complaint.   If I had no access to my balcony on the cruise because of painting and varnishing, I would be pissed.

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=667646

[LHT28]

I cannot believe they had no access to the balcony for  the entire cruise

Even on sailings  when not after drydock  they do painting on the railings but it is usually just a day &  they give you notice

IME

[bbqoug]

12 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

Certainly a valid complaint.   If I had no access to my balcony on the cruise because of painting and varnishing, I would be pissed.

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=667646

I agree. If we pay extra for a balcony we should be able to use it, especially without getting a headache from paint & varnish fumes.

And before someone posts that you don't necessarily get to use your balcony on bad weather days, etc., that's a different situation.

[Hambagahle]

As pointed out, maintenance goes on regularly all the time on ships (as well it should)  We have had times when the metal work on our balcony was painted...we were asked not to use the balcony for a few hours while the paint dried.  I find that totally reasonable and having read the rather poorly written review I do not believe that the person could not use the balcony for the entire cruise!  Makes zero sense.   

 

Someone who has sailed any cruise line 21 times before should remember other instances of maintenance/upgrading!  But then some have selective recall.

[ropomo]

On Regatta now and no issues.  Cabins are clean and in good shape, everything brand new.  Only thing we have noticed from the refurb is that they need to do more vacuuming in Horizons to address the new carpet fuzz that is normal for any new carpet.

[msn123]

We were on the same cruise. Varnishing was done twice, with reminders the night before...on days we were in a port.  Sure, it could be a minor inconvenience, but there are certainly enough other places outside to sit and read or to watch a sunset. Kudos to the staff for accomplishing as much as they did with the rainy conditions for most of the drydock and greeting passengers with big smiles even though they must have been exhausted.

 

The new staterooms are beautiful with plenty of storage; the updated bathrooms work very well (no fighting with a shower curtain); and the updated public areas look good. Also think the updated artwork adds to the ambience.

 

It was kind of fun to watch the last details being addressed.

[LHT28]

19 minutes ago, msn123 said:

We were on the same cruise. Varnishing was done twice, with reminders the night before...on days we were in a port.  Sure, it could be a minor inconvenience, but there are certainly enough other places outside to sit and read or to watch a sunset. Kudos to the staff for accomplishing as much as they did with the rainy conditions for most of the drydock and greeting passengers with big smiles even though they must have been exhausted.

 

 

So was there work still being done like hammering etc that was noted in the review ?

 

[msn123]

There was construction going on some of the time and yes, it was loud, smelly and annoying. I guess I expected odds and ends to be done while we were on board. That said, there was more than expected because of the challenging dry dock weather so outside areas needed to be finished.

 

[LHT28]

Just now, msn123 said:

There was construction going on some of the time and yes, it was loud, smelly and annoying. I guess I expected odds and ends to be done while we were on board. That said, there was more than expected because of the challenging dry dock weather so outside areas needed to be finished.

 

too bad  they did not  just delay the cruise  a couple of days  but then more people would have  been more upset 😉

I was going to book that cruise but after seeing it was coming out of drydock  I did not

plus the off gassing of new materials would have not been good for DH

 

Would have been nice to see you  again

Lyn

 

 

[Tansy Mews]

I see the message in the section on Panama Canal etc cruises and it says that the writer has only written this one review. Can that be right? I wish the writer had a signature line!  https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/regions/panama-canal-cruises/

 

Frances

[LHT28]

25 minutes ago, Tansy Mews said:

I see the message in the section on Panama Canal etc cruises and it says that the writer has only written this one review. Can that be right? I wish the writer had a signature line!  https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/regions/panama-canal-cruises/

 

Frances

Many people only do 1 review

Scroll through the other reviews many have just 1 review

 

The other issue I have noticed  is some people even though they are CC members  post reviews under a different I.D.

 

 

[ABoatNerd]

LHT28, good point about the off gassing impact, that is a no go for me.

 

Seems the amount of work going on exceeded the normal amount of final clean up that happens after a typical dry dock.

 

Not appropriate at all - Oceania would have been positioned to know the % completion rate a week or more before and been able to offer guests more suitable restitution. 

[ORV]

1 hour ago, ABoatNerd said:

LHT28, good point about the off gassing impact, that is a no go for me.

 

Seems the amount of work going on exceeded the normal amount of final clean up that happens after a typical dry dock.

 

Not appropriate at all - Oceania would have been positioned to know the % completion rate a week or more before and been able to offer guests more suitable restitution. 

Do you plan on cruising Oceania again? I thought they banned you. 

[ABoatNerd]

Hi ORV.

 

Heavens no, many of us received an apology for the poor behavior of the on board management.

 

But not cruising lately, got myself a Porsche, so seeing North America - eating, drinking, sight seeing and golfing our way around the continent! Doing Porsche team racing too.

 

Got tires instead of a propeller!

 

Happy sailing.

 

 

[ropomo]

On Regatta now, not defending the issues of the first cruise, but several possible factors may be (presentation yesterday about the refurbishment in the theater) that: at the last minute, the drydock had to be moved from Seattle to North Vancouver due to over half of the contractors were unable to secure US visas; and the weather during the overhaul was horrendous with only a couple days without torrential downpours.

[Mura]

It would seem to me that this situation would have severely impacted the plans, and they already had a cruise in place to leave on Date 1.  Between a rock and a hard place?

 

I suppose this could be an argument for not booking the first cruise after a drydock ... assuming that you know that fact!

Edited October 19, 2019 by Mura
afterthoughts

[LHT28]

Sounds like the circumstances were different for the other 2 ships that have been done

They had the same time frame allotted  but I believe they were done in different places  & not in Vancouver

 

Either way  it probably was not planned to have workers still onboard 

but cancelling the cruise or pushing it back would have created more issues

JMO

[Silver Spectre]

Docked in Colon today