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Oceana observations...

AndyMichelle

By AndyMichelle,
in P&O Cruises ( UK )

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AndyMichelle

AndyMichelle

Posted
Posted (edited)

Just to confirm a few points that have been discussed on here recently. 

Most have already been answered, but just in case anyone missed them...

 

Not criticisms as we had a fantastic time, just our honest findings... 

 

You do not have to take your life jacket to muster anymore. This does help when leaving, but it is still a pain as too many people are still squeezed into inadequate spaces, frightening to think what could happen in a real emergency!! 

 

Face cloths are no longer provided, but are available on request. 

 

No turn down service on the first night. Not an issue for us but others weren't happy. 

 

Oceana does have an egg station in the buffet, but the poached eggs were very poor throughout the ship... Very unusual for P&O. 

 

Porters are still available on arrival, but perhaps not as many... We were halfway across the concourse with our luggage before finding one. 

 

Marmite was not available... I don't eat it but asked in the buffet to be told no. 

The jam and butter now is either already decanted or in glass pots, no plastic pouches as previously. 

 

The tea is PG throughout the ship. 

 

Captains welcome was on the last sea day...? Rumours spread that they were not having one due to cutbacks and hastily arranged it after complaints from passengers. The captain denied this, but who knows. 

 

Main toilet doors are now wedged open, so no need to open them with paper towels anymore. The downside to this is the smell in the public areas. Often toilets were blocked with the maintenance guy walking around with his plunger out uncovered... Didn't seem right to me. 

 

MDR lunch menu is still too limited for us, although it was well attended on the first sea day which made service chaotic. 

 

That will do for now, I'm sure I will think of more points and will add them later. 

 

Andy 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by AndyMichelle
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Rupert2251

Rupert2251

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13 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Face cloths are no longer provided, but are available on request. 

 

No turn down service on the first night. Not an issue for us but others weren't happy. 

Is this just on Oceana or fleet wide? Does anyone know if this is the case on Britannia?

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amajaa

amajaa

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They had the glass jam pots in the MDR for breakfast.

 

Only went to the buffet on the last morning, there didn’t seem to be as much choice as the other smaller ships we had been on ( Oriana, Aurora) no mushrooms for example.

 

We were on the two weeks before, so 27 Oct to 10 Nov, and the breakfast on the MDR was excellent as always.

 

I realised before the Steward told us we would get no turn down service the first night as the chocolates were already on the bed when we arrived. Not a problem for us and the poor Cabin Stewards had been up working since well before 6 in the morning so I’m glad  they didn’t have to come back in the evening. How does that work with anyone that needs the pullmans pulled down though as health and safety says you can’t do yourself?

 

We asked for face cloths and no problem got changed every day. 
 

Quite a few of the ladies loos had out of order on, it seemed to change which ones every day. I joked someone was playing a joke on us and walking around sticking them on random doors. 

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daiB

daiB

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2 hours ago, Port out said:

At the Captain's welcome, did he introduce the senior officers as this was not the case on the Aurora yesterday, just a welcome speech by the Captain

On Aurora do they still have 4 Captains do’s 2 in the Crows Nest and 2 in Carmens. If so I do not think that the senior staff were all introduced as there would not have been the time and not sure they all moved between the two venues. I think it was brought in when the bigger ships came in with one venue. 

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miranda53

miranda53

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I also just came off Oceana was very disappointed to see they no longer offered mushrooms at the buffet breakfast! I was generally disappointed with The Plaza’s food, but I will post a longer review on the Reviews page.

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terrierjohn

terrierjohn

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Posted
24 minutes ago, miranda53 said:

I also just came off Oceana was very disappointed to see they no longer offered mushrooms at the buffet breakfast! I was generally disappointed with The Plaza’s food, but I will post a longer review on the Reviews page.

We have always found that mushrooms are only available on a part time basis, a bit like the grilled tomato halves and tinned tomatoes, which seem to alternate.

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daiB

daiB

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2 hours ago, miranda53 said:

I also just came off Oceana was very disappointed to see they no longer offered mushrooms at the buffet breakfast! I was generally disappointed with The Plaza’s food, but I will post a longer review on the Reviews page.

Mushrooms on Ventura. Very nice thank you. That was in the Buffet which we found by mistake and quite late in the morning. I do like this new service of the waiter in the orange apron with “Here to help” printed on it. Makes life so much easier in my scooter. 

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Mewat

Mewat

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In response to the pullmans mentioned above, when I shared a cabin with my mum and godmother our cabin steward told us she would prepare the sofa-bed when we were at muster.  Obviously, you then have to negotiate round it then for the rest of the evening,as you would have to with pullmans too, but we were fine with this.

 

Michele

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AndyMichelle

AndyMichelle

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9 hours ago, amajaa said:

They had the glass jam pots in the MDR for breakfast.

 

Only went to the buffet on the last morning, there didn’t seem to be as much choice as the other smaller ships we had been on ( Oriana, Aurora) no mushrooms for example.

 

We were on the two weeks before, so 27 Oct to 10 Nov, and the breakfast on the MDR was excellent as always.

 

I realised before the Steward told us we would get no turn down service the first night as the chocolates were already on the bed when we arrived. Not a problem for us and the poor Cabin Stewards had been up working since well before 6 in the morning so I’m glad  they didn’t have to come back in the evening. How does that work with anyone that needs the pullmans pulled down though as health and safety says you can’t do yourself?

 

We asked for face cloths and no problem got changed every day. 
 

Quite a few of the ladies loos had out of order on, it seemed to change which ones every day. I joked someone was playing a joke on us and walking around sticking them on random doors. 

We had mushrooms in the buffet. 

The poached eggs in the MDR were atrocious and the service chaotic at best. 

I think they had a large amount of new staff as nobody seemed to know what they were doing, unlike club dining where it ran like a well oiled machine. 

They are still playing that 'out of order' game, but on the lifts as well as the toilets. 

Andy 

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AndyMichelle

AndyMichelle

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7 hours ago, miranda53 said:

I also just came off Oceana was very disappointed to see they no longer offered mushrooms at the buffet breakfast! I was generally disappointed with The Plaza’s food, but I will post a longer review on the Reviews page.

Only used the buffet a couple of times, but definitely had mushrooms on the last day. 

Compared to other ships, we thought the buffet food was OK, just didn't like the layout. 

Andy 

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