On Oceania Riviera now, Barcelona to Trieste

[Aknayt3393]

It’s our first time on Oceania. We scheduled this cruise a couple years ago with three other couples. We are finally cruising only without the other couples due to schedule conflicts. I’ve not posted on this forum before but have been following off and on for a few years so I decided to post a few observations that may help others. I don’t want to post daily reports as we will be too busy - however I can try to answer questions if I’m able. We are late 50’s couple with only a couple cruises under our belt, always with other couples where other more experienced would take the lead in planning. 
 

Embarkation

I was surprised at how efficient this all went. We showed our negative test results from 72 hours prior along with our vaccine cards and were able to go through easily, no additional test needed. There wasn’t an awful line, and people seemed prepared and efficient, both passengers and staff. We only waited maybe an hour once on the ship to go to our PH room on 11. Super smooth. 
 

We asked how many passengers are on and it’s just 600, so it does feel a bit quiet but I don’t really mind.
 

Crew

So far we’ve been really impressed, most have been terrific given current conditions. 
We were a bit uncomfortable with the idea of a “butler” but figured it would be fine. He actually has been a non-event which is fine with us, but kind of funny since I thought a butler would be intrusive but we have seen way more of our room steward who has been a delight. She’s been working hard and has a great attitude. When we met the butler we asked about extra reservations at the specialty restaurants because I read on here to do that, and it was awkward - he basically said no, that he wanted to be sure other guests had an opportunity to get reservations before making second ones for us. He was nice enough about it but we did felt bad for asking and said it was no problem, we were okay without. When we eventually went to the dining room, the hostess asked if we wanted to go to Red Ginger instead and we were quite surprised. And Red Ginger ended up being maybe 1/3 full. 
 

Masks

We are all wearing masks unless eating or working out if it’s not crowded (and I’m not thinking it will be!). Not a big deal at all and I don’t have a sense of it being a problem for most. When boarding we asked about the policy and got vague and confusing answers from the reception staff, but then the cruise director made an announcement about it and I think finally everyone was on the same page. We can’t take drinks into the shows so everyone can keep their masks on, which makes sense to me. There was still decent attendance to the show given it was the first day and the ship is only half full. But everyone was still able to socially distance in the auditorium and it felt fine. 
 

Entertainment 

I was really wondering what to expect from reports on here but we went to the 930 show this evening and I think Oceania is getting back on track. The Riviera band was awesome, better than I expected with an incredible pianist. There was also a very talented 4 piece string quartet. A new team of 12 dancers and singers were introduced, along with a new assistant cruise director and social director who seems very involved in getting the singles together every day. There’s a guest singer scheduled tomorrow - I think he is supposed to be the voice of Mufasa on lion king on broadway if I’m not mistaken. 
 

I had planned to check out the casino but ended up shopping in the boutique instead. (They carry a decent selection of Lauren Ralph Lauren and Joseph Ribkoff in case anyone else is interested :}
 

Food and drink

It seems pretty good so far, better than Viking or Royal Caribbean which are my only other points of reference. I wish there was hard seltzer but that’s a pretty minor complaint. They have everything else so it’s all good. 
 

Excursions

I've been bracing myself for potential cancellations, determined to be flexible and understanding. So when there was an announcement while checking in that the excursion company had cancelled the Monaco excursions due to some conflict with a formula one electric car race, I was really disappointed since I had been looking forward to that one the most. I’d even read a book to study up on it in advance. But then we were able to schedule another tour that involves a hop on hop off bus (which my husband is NOT excited about) but I think will be even better, and we even get to spend time in the casino. 
 

That’s all I can think of at the moment. It’s just the first day but I hope this might be helpful for others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rheasue38]

Hi!

 Thank you for your response.

We will be doing a very similar cruise on Marina next week.

  Rhea

[PhD-iva]

Thanks for your post!

[DENIE]

Thanks for your post. We are on Riviera 6/15/22 through 6/25/22 (Rome to Barcelona).  Good information!

[Oroya]

5 hours ago, Aknayt3393 said:

It’s our first time on Oceania. We scheduled this cruise a couple years ago with three other couples. We are finally cruising only without the other couples due to schedule conflicts. I’ve not posted on this forum before but have been following off and on for a few years so I decided to post a few observations that may help others. I don’t want to post daily reports as we will be too busy - however I can try to answer questions if I’m able. We are late 50’s couple with only a couple cruises under our belt, always with other couples where other more experienced would take the lead in planning. 
 

Embarkation

I was surprised at how efficient this all went. We showed our negative test results from 72 hours prior along with our vaccine cards and were able to go through easily, no additional test needed. There wasn’t an awful line, and people seemed prepared and efficient, both passengers and staff. We only waited maybe an hour once on the ship to go to our PH room on 11. Super smooth. 
 

We asked how many passengers are on and it’s just 600, so it does feel a bit quiet but I don’t really mind.
 

Crew

So far we’ve been really impressed, most have been terrific given current conditions. 
We were a bit uncomfortable with the idea of a “butler” but figured it would be fine. He actually has been a non-event which is fine with us, but kind of funny since I thought a butler would be intrusive but we have seen way more of our room steward who has been a delight. She’s been working hard and has a great attitude. When we met the butler we asked about extra reservations at the specialty restaurants because I read on here to do that, and it was awkward - he basically said no, that he wanted to be sure other guests had an opportunity to get reservations before making second ones for us. He was nice enough about it but we did felt bad for asking and said it was no problem, we were okay without. When we eventually went to the dining room, the hostess asked if we wanted to go to Red Ginger instead and we were quite surprised. And Red Ginger ended up being maybe 1/3 full. 
 

Masks

We are all wearing masks unless eating or working out if it’s not crowded (and I’m not thinking it will be!). Not a big deal at all and I don’t have a sense of it being a problem for most. When boarding we asked about the policy and got vague and confusing answers from the reception staff, but then the cruise director made an announcement about it and I think finally everyone was on the same page. We can’t take drinks into the shows so everyone can keep their masks on, which makes sense to me. There was still decent attendance to the show given it was the first day and the ship is only half full. But everyone was still able to socially distance in the auditorium and it felt fine. 
 

Entertainment 

I was really wondering what to expect from reports on here but we went to the 930 show this evening and I think Oceania is getting back on track. The Riviera band was awesome, better than I expected with an incredible pianist. There was also a very talented 4 piece string quartet. A new team of 12 dancers and singers were introduced, along with a new assistant cruise director and social director who seems very involved in getting the singles together every day. There’s a guest singer scheduled tomorrow - I think he is supposed to be the voice of Mufasa on lion king on broadway if I’m not mistaken. 
 

I had planned to check out the casino but ended up shopping in the boutique instead. (They carry a decent selection of Lauren Ralph Lauren and Joseph Ribkoff in case anyone else is interested :}
 

Food and drink

It seems pretty good so far, better than Viking or Royal Caribbean which are my only other points of reference. I wish there was hard seltzer but that’s a pretty minor complaint. They have everything else so it’s all good. 
 

Excursions

I've been bracing myself for potential cancellations, determined to be flexible and understanding. So when there was an announcement while checking in that the excursion company had cancelled the Monaco excursions due to some conflict with a formula one electric car race, I was really disappointed since I had been looking forward to that one the most. I’d even read a book to study up on it in advance. But then we were able to schedule another tour that involves a hop on hop off bus (which my husband is NOT excited about) but I think will be even better, and we even get to spend time in the casino. 
 

That’s all I can think of at the moment. It’s just the first day but I hope this might be helpful for others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Oroya]

Very helpful and well written. We are due to board the Marina in 3 weeks time out of Rome.  Thanks for the information.

 

[travelbug2225]

Thank you for your post. I am looking forward to hear about your transfer from Trieste to Venice airport. Our cruise in November from Monaco to Venice which later changed to Trieste. Email from Oceania said they will offer complimentary transfer to Venice airport. We booked our own flight but I think the complimentary apply to all passengers.  We will stay in Venice 2 days after the cruise.
 

Just wondering what time they start transfer people to Venice airport.  I am thinking about take Oceania shuttle to airport and then just go to our hotel from the airport. Is it a good idea? 

[janecambridge]

Thank you for your post. It all sounds like really good, as always, except the fact there are no masks in the gym. I went to the gym recently on a seabourn cruise and walked out. A wonderful air of possible virus and no cleaning of equipment covered in sweaty droplets!!! 
I’m pleased to hear you are enjoying your time on one of our favourite ships. 

[Aknayt3393]

Good morning from Marseille! It’s incredible to wake up as we pull into port and I have my room service oatmeal with blueberries. And coffee. I’m not sure it gets better than this. 
 

After I posted last evening I saw the post about the Regatta, which sounds terrible. I feel for that traveler and hope that we don’t end up like that! That has been a fear for all of us I would think. This hasn’t been the timing we would have preferred for our trip but like everyone else we are trying to use this cruise credit before the end of the year. 
 

travelbug2225 we’ve also been concerned about the Trieste/Venice transfers, and I will let you know how that all goes. We are still doing an excursion to Venice because I have never been there and I was excited about the gondola ride. It sounds from reading on here that this will be a 2 hr ride back and forth, and then back to the airport again the next day.  
 

I will proceed with our day with mask firmly in place. 

 

 

[JoePDX]

Hello Fellow Portlander!    Thank you for the postings.  We are anxiously following as we will be on Riviera in September.   It will be our third Oceania cruise, but first on the bigger ships.   

 

Have a great time!

 

Joe

[Aknayt3393]

Hi JoePDX, we have some friends from Portland who will be on the Riviera in September also, not sure on their dates but they’ve also rescheduled several times also. 

I think most passengers are being super careful on this cruise with precautions and I have felt fairly safe, although I admit to a certain amount of paranoia much of the time. I’m not that experienced of a cruiser compared to most others on here, but I would guess that many here are taking social distancing and masking very seriously. Of course the ship is just at 50% capacity so that helps.

When we returned from our excursion today our butler had graciously made us a reservation at Pollo Grill. I’m fairly certain I have read here that others haven’t enjoyed this restaurant as much as some of the others, but we thought it was great. I particularly enjoyed the dessert sampler while we watched an incredibly beautiful sunset. Truly indescribable. 

The general manager, restaurant manager, and quite a few others made a point of checking with us and other guests on our experience and making sure we were happy. Very attentive service. 

I did ask the butler if he had heard of any cases of Covid on board and he said no - he said there was a major change in staff after the last cruise so maybe that helped. Of course we are just starting out so …. fingers crossed. 

We were informed that our excursion in Florence was cancelled because of low participants, but we are okay with the replacement. We will just continue to be flexible with realistic expectations and remain as vigilant as possible with safety measures. 

I’m happy to answer any questions as they relate to concerns or confusion over the constant changing protocols. 

 

[cruisingxpert]

@Aknayt3393

 

Thank you so much for posting here.  We are boarding Riviera on May 17th and for the first time ever, I have booked several Oceania excursions so very curious to see how many actually get done.

 

Do you know who the Cruise Director, General Manager and Food and Beverage Manager are? 

 

Hope you have a great and safe cruise.

 

 

[TravelLoverbySea]

Thank you so much for your posting.  We will be getting on Riviera on May 7 in Ravenna.  So glad to hear that passengers are taking precautions seriously.  If you have the time,  please keep updating us on developments.  Enjoy your cruise, and stay healthy.

[SisterHavana]

I’ll be boarding the Riviera on May 29 in Barcelona, so I’m glad to hear embarkation went smoothly. Which excursion did you go on in Marseille? We’re deciding between a couple for that port.

[DeanoNorthPerth]

10 hours ago, Aknayt3393 said:

 

When we returned from our excursion today our butler had graciously made us a reservation at Pollo Grill. I’m fairly certain I have read here that others haven’t enjoyed this restaurant as much as some of the others, but we thought it was great. I particularly enjoyed the dessert sampler while we watched an incredibly beautiful sunset. Truly indescribable. 

 

 

I'm with you. I love Polo Grill. But we are probably in the minority on this Board.

[Aknayt3393]

@cruisingxpert

The cruise director is Corey Powell, the General Manager is Thierry Tholon, and the Food and beverage manager is Freddy Verwaal.

[Aknayt3393]

@SisterHava we did the Marseille City Highlights. Our guide was great and really knowledgeable. I would say if you have a lot of interest in the buildings and architecture, it would be great. I was more entertained by the crazy traffic, our bus driver was navigating through motorcycles zipping in and out, narrow streets, and awful traffic conditions and he was really awesome. I would probably choose different to do it again if I were honest but it was fun. 
 

 

[janecambridge]

Personally we though Marseilles was one of the worst ports we visited.Get away from the port on a tour bus or a ship tour.

 

[bbtondo]

4 hours ago, janecambridge said:

Personally we though Marseilles was one of the worst ports we visited.Get away from the port on a tour bus or a ship tour.

 

I'm thinking at taking the Aix en provence tour for the Marseille port.  Any opinions?

[tropicalkerry2002]

Go ANYWHERE in Provence, rather than stay in Marseille. Luberon is my favourite area.

[mauibabes]

Major DITTO  on getting out of Marseille, there is so much more to see and experience besides another port city. Six is great as is Avignon and others 

Ciao, Mauibabes 

[cruisingxpert]

Check out Carrieres des Lumieres in Les Baux region.  https://www.carrieres-lumieres.com/en

[bbtondo]

2 hours ago, tropicalkerry2002 said:

Go ANYWHERE in Provence, rather than stay in Marseille. Luberon is my favourite area.

 

1 hour ago, mauibabes said:

Major DITTO  on getting out of Marseille, there is so much more to see and experience besides another port city. Six is great as is Avignon and others 

Ciao, Mauibabes 

Thanks!  Since I went to Avignon in the fall, I'll stick with Aix.  

[tropicalkerry2002]

If it's a private tour, ask to combine it with Cassis, and take a boat ride through les calanques.

[1985rz1]

3 hours ago, bbtondo said:

I'm thinking at taking the Aix en provence tour for the Marseille port.  Any opinions?

Aix is nice, but we found the Luberon really wonderful.  Marseilles is actually worthwhile if you get a good guide that takes to regions other than just the Old Port, but I would do the Luberon or Aix first.