Marina 25/4-02/05

[ToxM]

My mum and I’s long awaited and often cancelled trip - her first on Oceania has started!

 

Mum is mostly wheelchair bound and can only walk very short distances, steps are almost impossible for her, and in fact dangerous. This was a trip to enjoy the ship and Oceania in general. 

 

Good flight from UK - assistance at both ways thanks to BA. 

 

We had included transfers from O. When booking this with our travel agent we stressed that we needed an accessible transfer. Fast forward to Nice airport where the transfer offered from the O rep (who had our name)  offered was on a coach with steep steps. This wasn’t possible. I pointed out the various reasons why this wasn’t going to work and a phone call later a taxi was arranged that we were to pay and then gets an invoice and we could get this repaid on the ship. trip was comfy and mum was happily fine. 

 

We are in an accessible cabin 7084 - showing it’s age a little and we appear to be right next to the quarantine area - lots of verandah tables outside cabin doors with half eaten food at various times of the day. not hugely worried about this - we need the accessible cabin. 

 

After being on Sirena, I can see the masterpiece the OceaniaNEXT was. I love Marina, she is a beauty of a ship, but she needs the loving touch that Sirena had. Our cabin has a voile that doesn’t open on one side, with marker pen marks on it, a lampshade has been mangled and left on a wall, and whilst the cabin and bathroom are great sizes, it looks tired. 

 

Embarkation was a bit like a treasure hunt - we went to about 4 different floors, but all was done in the end. 

 

Got into our cabin, requested bed rails for my mum were on the floor and the bed was a double. Housekeeping got it sorted although it took 4 people to put the bed rails together, top marks for trying!

 

No notification letter regarding OBC, which I felt was a bit odd, will wait and see if that turns up. 

 

I went to reception to put the invoice in and they told me they would get back to me. We returned back from a lovely dinner at Terrace after the sail away to see a voicemail from the executive concierge asking me to get in touch. I rang, and eventually found out that Head office said we didn’t have any transfers booked with them. I pointed out that we were on the O rep’s list and also that the transfers were listed on our booking on the O website (I just checked and they are!). they are chasing this up with head office. I am a bit annoyed at this I have to say. 

 

There are 320 guests on board. This is an empty ship. 

 

I really hope this gets ironed out as travelling with a 77 year old disabled lady, you want to feel safe and secure that transfers are what you have asked for and told you are going to get. 

 

I am a cheerleader for O and Marina, but things feel a little off. I will report what happens tomorrow. We are in Livorno tomorrow, but I plan to enjoy the ship and get mum to relax, as she is a little anxious about the transfer issue.

 

Marina IS super, she’s a grand beautiful lady. Everywhere is very empty, whilst it’s a unique experience, it is a little sad.  

[clairol]

I am so sorry that your first experiences did not set the right tone for you much anticipated trip together. Having travelled with my elderly mother, I understand how important it is to have what you, so painstakingly, arranged materialize both for sheer functionality and safety but also to keep the anxiety at bay. Hopefully, all will be resolved, and a little bit more, so that you can thoroughly enjoy a trip which will sure to create lasting memories of treasured time together. I hold tight to memories of travel adventures with my mum now that she is gone. xo

[ToxM]

A significant problem also emerged last night, and after a difficult night, a room change and a night on a sofa bed (never again) Oceania to their credit stepped up and gave an impressive solution. We have had an easy day relaxing after last night (I don’t want to go into it because Oceania fixed it) and mum very much enjoyed afternoon tea. This is a port intensive cruise and 320 passengers becomes a few dozen during the day. We had a very late start this morning so breakfast was a burger from waves - again mum enjoyed this very much. 

 

Oceania are not budging on the transfer problem so we are out of pocket for 110 euros and have to arrange a taxi from Barcelona (not a huge problem as it’s very easy at that port), so I have contacted my TA to see where the problem occurred. This trip is too short to worry about that so onwards and upwards, but if the TA is at fault i will be transferring my future bookings back to O and she will also lose out on a regent cruise I have booked as I will transfer that as well. I have asked the concierge to contact Miami again to take into context the issue we had last night. 

 

We are in Livorno today and the weather for this time of year is lovely, if I hadn’t been so tired from last night (eventually got onto my breeze blocks/sofa bed at 6am) I would have been in the pool, that’s something for Rome tomorrow 🙂

[ToxM]

So we are off the ship, and at the lounge in Barcelona. We had a lovely trip, but Marina definitely needs her refit.

 

The other issue was a very serious health and safety issue, and the resultant treatment immediately after the incident. 

 

The bed rails that I asked to be fitted to my mums bed were not fitted properly - not attached to the bottom of the base of the bed. When my mum leaned on the rail in the middle of the night, the rail moved, she fell out of bed face first on top the floor, the bed rail collapsed, the mattress turned over and fell on her as with all the bedding and she was left trapped under the rail, the bedding and the mattress. She managed to wake me up and I got her out from all of that but she had cuts to her arms and I had removed the top layer of skin from two of my fingers trying to get her out. 

 

I got her dressed and into her wheelchair and took pictures of the bed rail which had also sheared  in at least one place. We went to reception and asked for help. 

 

We were taken to the medical centre and asked to sign forms, I refused to sign the form saying we would pay for any treatment, and my mum was also asked to take a breathalyser test.

 

After 4 attempts to get us into a non wheelchair accessible room, and then into a room with a double bed (“Where do I sleep?” “We will separate the beds” “ You didn’t manage to make it safe last night, how are you going to manage at 4am?”) we were put into an accessible room with a double and I slept on the sofa bed (it was awful) at 6am.

 

When we went back to reception the next day the head concierge said they would give us an extra cabin so mum had a double bed. Making sure we realised that they don’t give out rooms for free (there were 320 guests on board).

 

We were also given $100obc as we had a “bumpy start”.

 

It was nice to have two cabins, but I have to say it was disgusting to ask a 77 year old woman who has just had a major fall through no fault of her own to take a breathalyser test at 4am when she is clearly in shock and having her really quite badly cut arm seen to. I just accepted it at the time, but you know … I am actually more than a little angry about it now. 

 

I am an Oceania fan, but they dropped the ball here.

[JudiK]

I’m so sorry that happened to you and your mom . I just got off and had a fine time but the dearth of guests really affected the vibe for me . It felt safer Covid wise, of course but not as much energy 

 But there is simply no excuse for the lack and actual caring aspect of the customer service. They weren’t busy . I was upgraded to a balcony and hardly any people were in cabins in my general vicinity yet the cabin attendant failed n many ways. Just little things of course but there was no reason for the subpar service We are not complainers but why were drinks glasses not removed at every cleaning , frig not stocked properly and a dusty shelf we looked at for several days and ended up dusting ourselves ??

Wanted to fill out the post cruise survey but it was such an unwieldy and non intuitive form I gave up. I’m very savvy in terms of this kind of thing and computers but they must have realized it was an issue when they had a special meeting in the lounge to explain to people how to fill it out 

 

 

 

[PhD-iva]

ToxM, that’s AWFUL! I’m so sorry your mom (and you) went through that.

[LHT28]

OMG

Why did you just not call the front desk for help ??

 

or 911  or whatever number they use onboard for medical help

 

Hope your Mom will be OK

 

[ToxM]

2 hours ago, LHT28 said:

OMG

Why did you just not call the front desk for help ??

 

or 911  or whatever number they use onboard for medical help

 

Hope your Mom will be OK

 

Shock I think. 
 

she is on the mend thank you.