the oceania experience

[Marmaduke]

Regarding the OP's comments about the shuttles buses in Marseille, we experienced much the same problem with Oceania a few years ago. We were told the buses would run on the hour and half hour.  We got off the ship at 9:20 and found ourselves first in the queue.  We were then told by the co-ordinator that we were waiting for the 10am bus as the 9:30 had already left because it was full. Rather than take a taxi at a cost of around 24euros we waited for the next bus which in fact left at 9:50 when it was full. On the return journey, like the OP we had a long wait in town. What Oceania omit to tell you is that the French like long lunches so don't expect buses to keep to any schedule !  We arrived back at the ship around 3pm and were unable to get any lunch as the buffet had closed and the grill and burger bar was full. We would have been happy to order and take the food back to the cabin to eat on the balcony but they refused to take  orders unless you had a table number.  We were less than impressed.

 

We will be visiting Marseille again later this year with Oceania so this time we will take one of our included O life excursions at that port.

[oskidunker]

• Room service?

[sunlover12]

1 hour ago, Marmaduke said:

 

 

We arrived back at the ship around 3pm and were unable to get any lunch as the buffet had closed and the grill and burger bar was full. We would have been happy to order and take the food back to the cabin to eat on the balcony but they refused to take  orders unless you had a table number.  We were less than impressed.

If Waves is full, you can still place an order from them. You can sit in Terrace buffet and eat there. Get your table number and they will bring it to you there. We have done that. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Marmaduke said:

....We would have been happy to order and take the food back to the cabin to eat on the balcony but they refused to take  orders unless you had a table number.  We were less than impressed.

Next time, tell them you’ll be sitting just inside of the Terrace Café. If someone says NO (very unusual), firmly tell them YES and all will be fine.

[bbqoug]

25 minutes ago, sunlover12 said:

If Waves is full, you can still place an order from them. You can sit in Terrace buffet and eat there. Get your table number and they will bring it to you there. We have done that. 

Good to know for our cruise in September.

[LHT28]

The last  few time  we  ate in the Terrace  but ordered from WAVES 

we told them we were in the Terrace they gave us  a stand with a number on it   like some  restaurants  do

Then the staff from WAVES will bring the order into the TERRACE  & look for your stand/number 

 

 No need to demand  they bring it  or mention your are a VIP🙄

[pinotlover]

For Oceania Newbies this is an important lesson. Oceania schedules many of their shore tours to return to ship at 2:00-2:30. Most all of those returning fellow passengers are looking to eat, with many missing the Terrace open hours.This will leave the masses all descending upon Waves thereafter.

 

If one has chosen the self city tour and taken advantage of an O ( or port) shuttle, I recommend a completely different strategy. We will often choose a charming cafe in town so to eat local specialties and imbibe in local adult beverages of choice. This totally avoids the mayhem and situations described in earlier post above, while pleasantly watching people and the world go interestingly bye. Then, just take a later bus back to the ship.

 

Lots of options await you on your cruise. Rushing back to the ship is typically the least preferred by us.

[hamrag]

On 7/24/2022 at 4:00 PM, robertschure said:

......Although my wife and I had chosen to do the is vacation on a “first class” basis (a suite aboard the ship and first-class air travel through Oceania) we felt that two items aboard the ship were far less than first class......

As others have pointed out, the Oceania on ship experience is not marketed as first class. With regard to first-class air travel, the 'first-class' element ceases the moment you leave the aeroplane. At that point you are one of the mass of people exiting the airport. It seems to me you have wrongly thought that 'first-class' status would apply for the airport transfer and cruise also.

 

I see nothing condescending in the Oceania response, rather they have clearly stated that the relevant departments have been informed in order to improve the product offering. Indeed, to be granted a $500 OBC is astonishingly generous IMHO.

Edited July 26, 2022 by hamrag

[SombraDeLuna]

If you arrive back on board and believe the Terrace Cafe is already closed, go check just to be sure.  They will sometimes stay open a bit longer, especially if they see buses just returning from excursions.    

[Gracie115]

Is room service available all day long?

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, Gracie115 said:

Is room service available all day long?

24/7  maybe not  before dinner time on embarkation day 😉

 

[no fuss travel]

It does not seem to matter which ship line or tour company you travel on you usually will encounter some blips. You have to go with the flow. We took a Tauck tour and cruise to Antartica. Yes they used Ponant. The food, veggies in particular were tasteless. Oceania is definitely stronger when it comes to food.   We mentioned to the tour director while on board that we were disappointed in the food. They had a meeting with the chef and management and it did improve. Now there appeared to be a class difference on the ship. If you were from France you got all the choice times for the excursions and if you were from North America, not so. I actually presented to the ship officer a tally of who went at what time for excursions and for the very last day of excursions improvements were made. If you are polite with your complaints they will try to solve them. To travel in post Covid times, you have to roll with the blips and count your blessings that you can still travel

Edited August 6, 2022 by no fuss travel

[judi666]

We had similar issues on Regent.  Several excursions (easy to moderate) required long hot slogs to the bus. One was over 3/4 mile, according to my Apple Watch.  This was never indicated in the pre excursion info. One(easy) we ended up being walked around a small town in Morocco 3 times, for a total of 3.5 miles.  It became obvious we were going in circles and the guide didn’t care.  He also made us wait over an hour in the street for a museum to open (it never did). All would be fine, if the description and amount of exercise would have been noted.   A second excursion (easy)required getting into a huge Jeep thing that was over 3 feet off the ground to enter, with no step. I’m less than 5 ft and in my 70S.  So every stop I had to jump out and then have my husband and others help me back in. It was truly embarrassing and horrible.  Regent is in the “first class category”  while ship service was fine, many hassles and misinfo on excursions.  These are included in the price and so totally not worth it. Complaining, in the interest of improving the experiences for others, fell on deaf ears.

I learned a a long time ago, one has to be flexible and roll with travel. Still you expect to get what is promised and paid for.

At least you got a response and compensation.  
It becomes more difficult to do things as we get older and ironically, have the finances to do them.  
While not perfect we have had mostly good experiences with Oceania.

 

[Sny]

40 minutes ago, judi666 said:

We had similar issues on Regent.  Several excursions (easy to moderate) required long hot slogs to the bus. One was over 3/4 mile, according to my Apple Watch.  This was never indicated in the pre excursion info. One(easy) we ended up being walked around a small town in Morocco 3 times, for a total of 3.5 miles.  It became obvious we were going in circles and the guide didn’t care.  He also made us wait over an hour in the street for a museum to open (it never did). All would be fine, if the description and amount of exercise would have been noted.   A second excursion (easy)required getting into a huge Jeep thing that was over 3 feet off the ground to enter, with no step. I’m less than 5 ft and in my 70S.  So every stop I had to jump out and then have my husband and others help me back in. It was truly embarrassing and horrible.  Regent is in the “first class category”  while ship service was fine, many hassles and misinfo on excursions.  These are included in the price and so totally not worth it. Complaining, in the interest of improving the experiences for others, fell on deaf ears.

I learned a a long time ago, one has to be flexible and roll with travel. Still you expect to get what is promised and paid for.

At least you got a response and compensation.  
It becomes more difficult to do things as we get older and ironically, have the finances to do them.  
While not perfect we have had mostly good experiences with Oceania.

 

Perhaps, we should start a new topic - why don't they offer shore excursions that are actually suited for those who are older and/or have mobility issues ?      I agree that O's descriptions are often not in synch with the actual shore excursion.  Often, it seems that the guide hasn't even read the full description as it relates to level of activity.  Aside from the "panoramic" bus tours, I tend to book private excursions with guides who are willing to customize.

Edited August 7, 2022 by Sny

[kibutzer]

On 7/26/2022 at 5:53 AM, Marmaduke said:

Regarding the OP's comments about the shuttles buses in Marseille, we experienced much the same problem with Oceania a few years ago. We were told the buses would run on the hour and half hour.  We got off the ship at 9:20 and found ourselves first in the queue.  We were then told by the co-ordinator that we were waiting for the 10am bus as the 9:30 had already left because it was full. Rather than take a taxi at a cost of around 24euros we waited for the next bus which in fact left at 9:50 when it was full. On the return journey, like the OP we had a long wait in town. What Oceania omit to tell you is that the French like long lunches so don't expect buses to keep to any schedule !  We arrived back at the ship around 3pm and were unable to get any lunch as the buffet had closed and the grill and burger bar was full. We would have been happy to order and take the food back to the cabin to eat on the balcony but they refused to take  orders unless you had a table number.  We were less than impressed.

 

We will be visiting Marseille again later this year with Oceania so this time we will take one of our included O life excursions at that port.

We found you just let them know you are seating in Terrace Cafe and they will give you a number. 

[pinotlover]

24 minutes ago, Sny said:

Perhaps, we should start a new topic - why don't they offer shore excursions that are actually suited for those who are older and/or have mobility issues ?      I agree that O's descriptions are often not in synch with the actual shore excursion.  Often, it seems that the guide hasn't even read the full description as it relates to level of activity.  Aside from the "panoramic" bus tours, I tend to book private excursions with guides who are willing to customize.

Oceania rates their tours by 1-3 walkers. One of the reasons I evade Oceania shore tours is the number of passengers taking 3 walker tours that can’t walk 100 yards without a break. The tour description regularly says they will walk up to 2 miles on uneven surfaces. They know up front they are physically incapable of the tour but expect to be accommodated. Why is reading a tour description difficult? Why do people show up at a bus for a tour with a wheelchair when the tour clearly says no wheelchairs? Dementia, laziness, or expectation of accommodations?

 

Oceania arrives at some docks and the buses are parked at the gangplank. At other ports, especially those with a terminal, one must clear the terminal area to catch the buses. Sometimes that means walking the half length past your vessel but also the entire length of the vessel docking behind you. Oceania can neither project nor plan for that. 

 

Here’s another clue, with my stride, my wife and I can walk the exact same ground distance , but her phone will show she walked 30% farther than I. The phones are not set up for her stride nor people doing 6 inch shuffle steps. 

[SombraDeLuna]

We recently learned this tidbit during a tour with a private guide who also does tours for the companies that cruise lines use for their shore excursions -- the guides may not even know what tour they are actually leading until arriving at the port shortly before the start of a tour.  That provided perspective on the other side of the story.    

[JeffElizabeth]

Our Oceania Mediterranean cruise on Rivera was mostly great, we did have a few troubles with contractors and tours but many of our guides told us we were their first customers in years, so we understood.  Some of our guides were fantastic,  especially in Dubrovnik.