Oceana observations...

[AndyMichelle]

3 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

Ah unfortunate. We must have been lucky!

Perhaps we are not as early risers as you Sue... 

I was probably eating somewhere when the seats were taken... 

Andy 

 

[CarlaMarie]

My parents are just off Ventura and they noted the same as you (except they had the Captain's reception on the 3rd night). However there were no mushrooms on that cruise in the buffet for breakfast - but apparently you could ask for them. 

[Gazroberts80]

The Captain explained that on the night of the first sea day when they would normally host the welcome party we picked up the Hamburg pilot at 11pm that evening. The Captain/Deputy Captain/Safety officer then had to remain on the bridge until we docked at about 7am the following morning. 
 

Hosting the Welcome drinks would have meant the Captain and his Deputy would have been on duty from 5:45pm until around 8:45pm, leaving them little over 2 hours rest before the 8 hour trip down the River Elbe into Hamburg (accompanied by the Pilot). 

 

On the Second Sea Day evening all of the Senior officers were introduced at 6:15pm and 8:15pm (with the exception of the Senior Doctor who only made an appearance at 8:15pm) The Captain was in excellent spirits throughout the evening. You constantly bumped into him around the ship in both the daytime and the evening and he even made it down to the shoreside when issues arose unloading baggage at Southampton.
 

Unlike some Captain’s, who walk with purpose to avoid what at times must be endless questions and convoluted tales from guests, Captain Derek Gray actively engaged people in the corridors and wanted to hear their experiences of the cruise. It was his first week back after leave but significantly his first time as Captain of Oceana, so I’m guessing he was keen to demonstrate to his staff that he’s going to be out and about constantly checking that the guests are happy with their onboard experience.
 

By visibly showing he has time for his guests and is willing to get stuck in when things go wrong. sets the standards for the rest of the ships company to follow. Whether this demonstration extended to him getting his hands dirty to fix the vacuum toilet system when it failed one night, I can’t be sure but what I do know is that normal service was restored a few hours later 😂😂

 

In terms of the buffet, it’s definitely a much more restricted space than that on the Ventura, Azura or Britannia and I did find the selection limited. However Cafe Jardin is an offering that none of the other ships have. Complimentary food cooked to order with table service, Breakfast (until 10:30am) and Lunch (11am-5pm). The food offering from here is in my view generally far better than any of the buffets on the other ships. On top of this there is a fairly extensive buffet selection to accompany the items you order from the menu. The Horizon Grill is also open everyday, with a grab and go selection, although it’s again limited compared to that on Britannia.
 

I was disappointed however by the lunchtime offerings in the buffet in terms of Asian/Middle Eastern cuisine. P&O have always been better than most cruise lines for Indian food in particular and of course have the excellent Sindhu on many ships. In the evening they did have two Indian/Tandoori buffets but in the day time the offering was extremely limited. The “spicy offering’ on two days back to back was Chilli Con Carne (when you’ve got such a talented kitchen team you’d expect more variation in International cuisine).
 

The Main dining room did knock out some great dishes but there were a few days when the menu didn’t inspire me (although that is no different to other cruise lines such as Cunard). On my last cruise with P&O (last autumn) on Britannia I didn’t have a single night when I wasn’t happy with the menu choice (so maybe my expectations were a little high). I spent two weeks on Cunard in the summer and I found the Oceana menus to be very similar to those (which at times felt a bit predictable and traditional).

 

I do think there has been more standardisation between the Carnival UK brands of Cunard and P&O in terms of the MDR menu structure. I guess from a food ordering perspective and the consistency of standards of the dishes produced there are advantages to this approach. 
 

I only had one dish that I didn’t finish (a starter) that was presented beautifully but tasted truly awful. Considering the volume of food I consumed over the 7 days it really demonstrates the high standards on display from the kitchen team 😊😊😊 

[AndyMichelle]

5 hours ago, Gazroberts80 said:

The Captain explained that on the night of the first sea day when they would normally host the welcome party we picked up the Hamburg pilot at 11pm that evening. The Captain/Deputy Captain/Safety officer then had to remain on the bridge until we docked at about 7am the following morning. 
 

Hosting the Welcome drinks would have meant the Captain and his Deputy would have been on duty from 5:45pm until around 8:45pm, leaving them little over 2 hours rest before the 8 hour trip down the River Elbe into Hamburg (accompanied by the Pilot). 

 

On the Second Sea Day evening all of the Senior officers were introduced at 6:15pm and 8:15pm (with the exception of the Senior Doctor who only made an appearance at 8:15pm) The Captain was in excellent spirits throughout the evening. You constantly bumped into him around the ship in both the daytime and the evening and he even made it down to the shoreside when issues arose unloading baggage at Southampton.
 

Unlike some Captain’s, who walk with purpose to avoid what at times must be endless questions and convoluted tales from guests, Captain Derek Gray actively engaged people in the corridors and wanted to hear their experiences of the cruise. It was his first week back after leave but significantly his first time as Captain of Oceana, so I’m guessing he was keen to demonstrate to his staff that he’s going to be out and about constantly checking that the guests are happy with their onboard experience.
 

By visibly showing he has time for his guests and is willing to get stuck in when things go wrong. sets the standards for the rest of the ships company to follow. Whether this demonstration extended to him getting his hands dirty to fix the vacuum toilet system when it failed one night, I can’t be sure but what I do know is that normal service was restored a few hours later 😂😂

 

In terms of the buffet, it’s definitely a much more restricted space than that on the Ventura, Azura or Britannia and I did find the selection limited. However Cafe Jardin is an offering that none of the other ships have. Complimentary food cooked to order with table service, Breakfast (until 10:30am) and Lunch (11am-5pm). The food offering from here is in my view generally far better than any of the buffets on the other ships. On top of this there is a fairly extensive buffet selection to accompany the items you order from the menu. The Horizon Grill is also open everyday, with a grab and go selection, although it’s again limited compared to that on Britannia.
 

I was disappointed however by the lunchtime offerings in the buffet in terms of Asian/Middle Eastern cuisine. P&O have always been better than most cruise lines for Indian food in particular and of course have the excellent Sindhu on many ships. In the evening they did have two Indian/Tandoori buffets but in the day time the offering was extremely limited. The “spicy offering’ on two days back to back was Chilli Con Carne (when you’ve got such a talented kitchen team you’d expect more variation in International cuisine).
 

The Main dining room did knock out some great dishes but there were a few days when the menu didn’t inspire me (although that is no different to other cruise lines such as Cunard). On my last cruise with P&O (last autumn) on Britannia I didn’t have a single night when I wasn’t happy with the menu choice (so maybe my expectations were a little high). I spent two weeks on Cunard in the summer and I found the Oceana menus to be very similar to those (which at times felt a bit predictable and traditional).

 

I do think there has been more standardisation between the Carnival UK brands of Cunard and P&O in terms of the MDR menu structure. I guess from a food ordering perspective and the consistency of standards of the dishes produced there are advantages to this approach. 
 

I only had one dish that I didn’t finish (a starter) that was presented beautifully but tasted truly awful. Considering the volume of food I consumed over the 7 days it really demonstrates the high standards on display from the kitchen team 😊😊😊 

Thank you for putting things into better words than I can. 

We were at the 8.15 captains reception and was sure the senior officers were not introduced, but am now doubting myself?? We could not see him and passengers around us were chatting all the way through, so my attention was more fixated in getting annoyed with them.. 

I do remember his awful jokes though, Dutch cheese is made backwards and something predictable about a Belgian waffle... He made Neil Turnbull seem like Peter Kay😊

The Captain's Remembrance day service was fantastic, truly respectful and emotional. 

We sometimes forget that many if not most of the senior officers have a naval background. 

Andy 

[brian1]

12 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Oh we had a shower cap, unless it was a weird shaped condom😊

Perhaps it was a mushroom cap.

[cruiselover04]

Thank you for your review. Learned some valuable information. We are sailing Oceana next year for the first time on a P&O cruise ship, usually sail Royal Caribbean but this cruise fitted our time frame & location of embarkation port. 
 

[AndyMichelle]

5 hours ago, cruiselover04 said:

Thank you for your review. Learned some valuable information. We are sailing Oceana next year for the first time on a P&O cruise ship, usually sail Royal Caribbean but this cruise fitted our time frame & location of embarkation port. 
 

I'm sure you will have a great time. 

It is a lovely ship with a lot going on, we just would have preferred more quiet spaces, but that's boring old me... 

P&O have their niggles, it just depends how much you let them bother you. 

We still find them great value for money and always manage to have fantastic holidays. 

Andy 

[Cathygh]

Regarding the MDR menu, we have sailed on 4 P&O ships in the last 2 years and the MDR menu has been the same  on all of them. Time to shake it up!  

We went on Oceana in March and October this year and did notice that although the menu had not changed the standard had improved. 

Finding somewhere to sit inside on wet/cold days is challenge on  all ships but we did find we could not always get a seat in the cafe ( sorry can't remember its name now!) some would become available  later. 

 

[cruiselover04]

On 11/20/2019 at 1:49 AM, AndyMichelle said:

I'm sure you will have a great time. 

It is a lovely ship with a lot going on, we just would have preferred more quiet spaces, but that's boring old me... 

P&O have their niggles, it just depends how much you let them bother you. 

We still find them great value for money and always manage to have fantastic holidays. 

Andy 

Thank you Andy,

We’re excited to be sailing on a different cruise line. We’re the “glass half full” kind of cruisers so take the good with the bad. A day on a cruise ship is better than a day at home is our motto. 
Jenni 

[AndyMichelle]

On 11/21/2019 at 9:23 AM, Cathygh said:

Regarding the MDR menu, we have sailed on 4 P&O ships in the last 2 years and the MDR menu has been the same  on all of them. Time to shake it up!  

We went on Oceana in March and October this year and did notice that although the menu had not changed the standard had improved. 

Finding somewhere to sit inside on wet/cold days is challenge on  all ships but we did find we could not always get a seat in the cafe ( sorry can't remember its name now!) some would become available  later. 

 

Yes, we now know before we go what we will be having most evenings, so agree that it could do with a spruce up, but nothing really wrong with it in our opinion. 

The standard from cruise to cruise can change drastically, we had 2 Aurora trips fairly close together where the food differed so much, even different types of chips and quality of steak etc. 

When they do change the menu, I hope Marc's Beef Wellington doesn't get dropped, or Michelle's favourite, swordfish. 

Andy 

[Tablelamp]

On 11/19/2019 at 7:02 AM, AndyMichelle said:

Thank you for putting things into better words than I can. 

We were at the 8.15 captains reception and was sure the senior officers were not introduced, but am now doubting myself?? We could not see him and passengers around us were chatting all the way through, so my attention was more fixated in getting annoyed with them.. 

I do remember his awful jokes though, Dutch cheese is made backwards and something predictable about a Belgian waffle... He made Neil Turnbull seem like Peter Kay😊

The Captain's Remembrance day service was fantastic, truly respectful and emotional. 

We sometimes forget that many if not most of the senior officers have a naval background. 

Andy 

 

[Tablelamp]

Andy,

i think we have communicated before.  I share you annoyance when people continue to talk when the Captain is talking.  Do they not realise how extremely RUDE this is.  Before now, I have even put my finger to my lips to stop a waiter talking, putting  my other hand behind my ear..   I can glare with the best of them.

Christine

[Cathygh]

1 hour ago, AndyMichelle said:

Yes, we now know before we go what we will be having most evenings, so agree that it could do with a spruce up, but nothing really wrong with it in our opinion. 

The standard from cruise to cruise can change drastically, we had 2 Aurora trips fairly close together where the food differed so much, even different types of chips and quality of steak etc. 

When they do change the menu, I hope Marc's Beef Wellington doesn't get dropped, or Michelle's favourite, swordfish. 

Andy 

I think the change in quality could depend on where the ship restocks and the supplier. And I guess chefs change as well. 

Edited November 23, 2019 by Cathygh
correct spelling

[purplesea]

  On 11/17/2019 at 7:57 PM, 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?

 

 

Just returned from Britannia and face cloths weren't supplied, but where if requested.  Also Britannia was not longer using trays in the Horizon buffet, which in my opinion led to more people milling around, myself included!

 

[AndyMichelle]

7 minutes ago, purplesea said:

  On 11/17/2019 at 7:57 PM, 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?

 

 

Just returned from Britannia and face cloths weren't supplied, but where if requested.  Also Britannia was not longer using trays in the Horizon buffet, which in my opinion led to more people milling around, myself included!

 

No trays? 

Can't really see the point of that? 

Somebody please enlighten me? 

Andy 

[Cruising Nomads]

Re No trays.  Just silly ideas office.  Tried it on Aurora in October it lasted one breakfast. Hope they have not gone for good now. Will have to bring my own. Hard to balance a plate of food, toast and drink in one hand while holding knife and fork and napkin in other.

 

[Harry Peterson]

Perhaps the thinking is that it will reduce the quantity of food that people can carry to the table?

[terrierjohn]

53 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Perhaps the thinking is that it will reduce the quantity of food that people can carry to the table?

That's maybe not a bad idea Harry. 

I don't think RCI had trays on Independence either and I managed quite well, even though I also had to carry my wife's.  It does require more than 1 journey if you have more than one course, but that's no real problem either. 

[happy v]

Has no one thought about the fact that the plates are usually too hot to handle?🙄

[terrierjohn]

1 minute ago, happy v said:

Has no one thought about the fact that the plates are usually too hot to handle?🙄

In that case you hold it with a napkin.

[Clipper Chick]

No trays on QM2 or Celebrity either.

[happy v]

4 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

In that case you hold it with a napkin.

But, if the cutlery is wrapped in the napkin you would also have to hold your knife and fork while trying to put items on your plate.

[July morning]

Home recently from a Princess cruise and there were no trays but it wasn't a problem as the cutlery was wrapped in napkins on the table and waiters served you with tea, coffee, water or juice and came back again to check if you required more.  There were plenty waiters both serving and clearing.

[happy v]

20 minutes ago, July morning said:

Home recently from a Princess cruise and there were no trays but it wasn't a problem as the cutlery was wrapped in napkins on the table and waiters served you with tea, coffee, water or juice and came back again to check if you required more.  There were plenty waiters both serving and clearing.

That's good. I thought they wouldn't want everyone raking about for cutlery.

Actually it will be easier because I never know where to put the tray.

[lujaha]

I was surprised on my first trip on P&O earlier this year to use a tray at the buffet.  The other 4 lines I have been on don't.  Thinking about it I don't recall using a tray on any other land based buffet either.  Cutlery is generally on the table.