Alluring Caribbean Dec 23 2022 to January 4 2023 - summation

[Robjame]

These are thoughts from some of the CC roll callers:

— everyone had a wonderful Christmas cruise and are looking forward to Dubai next year

- mentioned most was the fantastic new friends - it was a tight group starting with our roll call and moving to the informal Meet and Greet

- Decorations were very tasteful and understated

- opinions varied on the service -

— the Riviera refurb was a solid win - no misses that we noticed

- Concierge lounge (A?) was never serviced - no concierge and disappointing or non-existent snacks. When asked, guests were told to go to open concierge desk on  deck 5

- the breakfast times at MDR and Terrace were too short a window and too similar (the times) and did not match those published in Currents

- Happy hours were not always published in Currents

- new Baristas is fantastic

- La Reserve Odyssey (cc group of 10) was a wonderful night. La Reserve Dom Perignon was not, neither the champagnes or the food

- Embarkation was smooth and quick. Not the disembarkation.

- Oceania excursions were hit and miss in price and experience.

- Beverage package increase and gratuity increases  mid-cruise were Ill- conceived though some of us found solutions 

- Terrace selections were reduced by a large table display pushing $10 Bloody Mary’s

 

On a personal note - our toilet flooded 6 different times (the poop deck we called it) twice in the wee hours. Plumbers finally addressed it seriously (yesterday) and replaced key parts. We found $400 OBC added to our account as a courtesy.

 

For the most part we all had a lovely time.

 

[PhD-iva]

Appreciate the balanced review, and VERY SORRY about the poop!

[MEFIowa]

Did you make it to all the ports as per the cruise itinerary? No missed ports. Were the arrival times and departure times as per the itinerary?

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Robjame said:

On a personal note - our toilet flooded 6 different times (the poop deck we called it) twice in the wee hours. Plumbers finally addressed it seriously (yesterday) and replaced key parts. We found $400 OBC added to our account as a courtesy.

 

For the most part we all had a lovely time.

 

Is it over already I though it started on the 4th??

Well now you can afford a few more double Scotches 😉

 

[Robjame]

2 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Did you make it to all the ports as per the cruise itinerary? No missed ports. Were the arrival times and departure times as per the itinerary?

We missed St Barts as it was too rough to anchor and tender. Instead we zigged and zagged on a sea day.

[Robjame]

2 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Is it over already I though it started on the 4th??

This was meant to be a summary of our first leg, from DEC 23 to Jan 4 from the collective conversations.

[ToxM]

I concur with most of the above - our toilet on deck 7 also was blocked on the last night. 

 

No clock in our room - I was waiting for it to arrive maybe as part of the refill at Miami but it never turned up. 

 

breakfast times were a law unto themselves in the GDR and as stated above bore no reflection on the times stated in Currents. 

 

CD gave a very welcome BRIEF précis in the morning and the evening. 

 

Casino was very very kind to me - a royal flush for 2000 dollars on video poker on the last night and 2 chops for first, a second and a third in the poker tournaments which were well attended and good fun. 

 

Pizzas at Waves are very good, and slowly got busier as the cruise went on. 

 

We both caught a nasty respiratory bug (not covid, we tested 3x each with home bought tests) and my first aid kit came in very handy and twice daily visits to the sauna and steam room fixed me up quicker than hubby who decided to take bed rest., 

 

Crew on the whole excellent, a couple of surly staff (Eastern Europeans who generally aren’t the happiest crew anyway). There does seem to be a bit of going through the motions and inflexibility creeping in - we arrived one night for dinner in The Terrace at 8:30 and a lot of the tables had been stripped and in fact there wasn’t a laid one for us, I had to ask for them to find us a table and I was made to feel very uncomfortable for asking - a new feeling on O for me. 

 

The refit to the cabin is great - our B3 felt airy and much larger and the bathroom is a mini tardis. Rainwater shower needs a pressure increase. 

 

I appreciated the talk and slides on the refit being on the TV and enjoyed watching it. 

 

Jacques Pepin being on the cruise was a wonderful surprise - his book signings clashed with my poker so we didn’t attend, but I caught him having a sing in Martinis one night. 

 

Had a few lovely chats with staff in the smoking areas (they initiated the chats before anyone is upset at me!).

 

Baristas in the evening is pretty much always empty and we enjoyed an after dinner coffee in there and occasionally a pre dinner coffee there with nibbles. 

 

We had maybe two or three drinks all week so I didn’t pay any attention to the menus and price changes. 

 

Toscana needs a re jog into something better or a whole new type of restaurant - definitely the weakest speciality now. Jacques and Red Ginger still excellent. 

 

We stayed precruise at the Intercontinental and it was lovely - definitely amazing to look ours the window and see the ship. Post cruise we stayed at The Betsy which was decadent wonderfulness. 

 

I bought a future cruise cert again and am waiting for the rest of 2025 to come out. 

 

A good cruise!

[Acrusa]

Do you know how full the ship was or do you have your own estimate?

Just curious. 

[LHT28]

42 minutes ago, Robjame said:

This was meant to be a summary of our first leg, from DEC 23 to Jan 4 from the collective conversations.

Thanks 

Do people actually look at the Names of the cruises?? 😃

I go by the dates  but call me weird 😉

 

[ToxM]

9 minutes ago, Acrusa said:

Do you know how full the ship was or do you have your own estimate?

Just curious. 

I think it was a full sailing, which may also account for some of the staff struggling. 

 

There may have been a few who missed embarkation due to weather, and I believe a few had to embark in Tortola. 

 

 

[ToxM]

I know at least 8 people had no bags til at least Puerto Rico. 

[Robjame]

1 hour ago, Acrusa said:

Do you know how full the ship was or do you have your own estimate?

My guess would be the Christmas cruise - Dec 23 - Jan 4 was quite full. 

[jjeffjb]

4 hours ago, Robjame said:

La Reserve Dom Perignon was not, neither the champagnes or the food

Can you please expand upon your disappointment with the D.P. dinner?  We board Riviera on Jan.14 and are considering trying it.  Thanks!

[Robjame]

1 hour ago, jjeffjb said:

Can you please expand upon your disappointment with the D.P. dinner?  We board Riviera on Jan.14 and are considering trying it.  Thanks!

This is from talking to those who had this New Year’s Eve. The champagnes were 3 different champagnes which were cycled through twice. The belief was there would be more champagnes and differences allowing a wider variation. This was a major disappointment as there was the belief there would be an attempt to pair the offerings with the food as there are with the Odyssey and Bourgeoise selections. 
‘The meals for the other two are designed by Jacques Pepin while The Dom Perignon is not and we’re not as successful in choice. I want a wine pairing to reflect that and not just be champagne with some food.

‘The major price increase would bother me when this has not proven as successful.

I would ask around because this just may have been a bad night.

[Jancruz]

25 minutes ago, Robjame said:

This is from talking to those who had this New Year’s Eve. The champagnes were 3 different champagnes which were cycled through twice. The belief was there would be more champagnes and differences allowing a wider variation. This was a major disappointment as there was the belief there would be an attempt to pair the offerings with the food as there are with the Odyssey and Bourgeoise selections. 
‘The meals for the other two are designed by Jacques Pepin while The Dom Perignon is not and we’re not as successful in choice. I want a wine pairing to reflect that and not just be champagne with some food.

‘The major price increase would bother me when this has not proven as successful.

I would ask around because this just may have been a bad night.

Here is the reality..if they would have read the DP menu they would have seen there were three different champagne offerings and what they BELIEVED was not fact as they could have asked..

Jancruz1

[ORV]

1 hour ago, Robjame said:

‘The meals for the other two are designed by Jacques Pepin

Are you sure about this?

[pinotlover]

Just now, ORV said:

Are you sure about this?

It’s not correct. Those pairings were done by a joint effort of Oceania Miami corporate chefs and Wine Spectator. Jacque had nothing to do with it.

[ORV]

Just now, pinotlover said:

It’s not correct. Those pairings were done by a joint effort of Oceania Miami corporate chefs and Wine Spectator. Jacque had nothing to do with it.

Kinda what I was thinking, but I wasn't sure. 

[Robjame]

11 minutes ago, ORV said:

Are you sure about this?

No - do you know differently

 

[ORV]

7 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

It’s not correct. Those pairings were done by a joint effort of Oceania Miami corporate chefs and Wine Spectator. Jacque had nothing to do with it.

Well, we'll have to back up the bus for a minute. The La Cuisine Bourgeoise is by Jacques Pepin. See this menu here. La-Cuisine-Bourgeoise-Menu.pdf (oceaniacruises.com)

 

The Oddysey doesn't say, and the one they used to have I don't know about. 

[pinotlover]

Fwiw, If the current advertised DP dinner is what is actually being served, it is the same as our 2019 DP dinner in Feb 2019 on the Marina.

 

We found the food, wines, and pairings at that dinner to be excellent. Now, as routinely demonstrated on Oceania ships, two different cooks can take the exact same recipe and create different tasting dishes. Therefore, it is impossible for me to comment on Robjames’s observations on his meal.

 

A couple of items about the Dom Perignon program. First, the meals/dishes and pairings are totally designed by the Executive Chef at Dom Perignon . Oceania is supposed to prepare the courses as instructed. They have no leeway in the meal’s design.

 

Second, to participate in the program, Oceania had to agree upon bringing a certified Sommelier aboard ship for the program. This was a wonderful blessing for many of us to have a fellow trained Somm aboard in lieu of the typically poorly trained wine stewards. Improvements with the onboard service were striking.

 

I anxiously await our 2nd DP Dinner in March. Hopefully, it stands up to its predecessor.

[ORV]

So while we're on this subject. I think the reason we're not seeing a venue named "La Reserve" on Vista is due to the licensing cost with Wine Spectator. No foundation for this, only a thought. There will be wine pairing dinners on Vista, just not La Reserve with Wine Spectator. 

[pinotlover]

40 minutes ago, ORV said:

So while we're on this subject. I think the reason we're not seeing a venue named "La Reserve" on Vista is due to the licensing cost with Wine Spectator. No foundation for this, only a thought. There will be wine pairing dinners on Vista, just not La Reserve with Wine Spectator. 

The same with “ Jacques “. 

[LHT28]

52 minutes ago, ORV said:

So while we're on this subject. I think the reason we're not seeing a venue named "La Reserve" on Vista is due to the licensing cost with Wine Spectator. No foundation for this, only a thought. There will be wine pairing dinners on Vista, just not La Reserve with Wine Spectator. 

I thought I read that Privee  will have wine pairing dinners

so maybe they feel confident they can do it themselves 🤔

[Robjame]

3 hours ago, ORV said:

Well, we'll have to back up the bus for a minute. The La Cuisine Bourgeoise is by Jacques Pepin

So will I be expecting at least a half an apology from those so eager to state their position - lol

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Therefore, it is impossible for me to comment on Robjames’s observations on his meal

I obviously did not make it clear enough that these are NOT MY observations but rather a compilation from a group of cc members who attended together and shared their thoughts.

The same goes for all the cruise observations in the original post.