Oceania Nautica Recent Experiences

[sunlover12]

I have no skin in the game but, IMO,  the "Alumni Clubber" gets a bad rap. In most cases, undeservedly.  They bring A LOT of revenue to Oceania and they're not going away.  Like I have said before on this board, the alumni groups I have met onboard are courteous, friendly, and mature.  I have never heard any of them nit-picking at little details nor saying they will not cruise Oceania again.  That last Rivieria cruise sounds like an exception, not the norm.  Some people like to complain and it has absolutely nothing to do with being part of a group

. 

If you don't want to take a chance on alumni groups being onboard your Oceania cruise, then pick another cruise line.  

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, sunlover12 said:

I have no skin in the game but, IMO,  the "Alumni Clubber" gets a bad rap. In most cases, undeservedly.  They bring A LOT of revenue to Oceania and they're not going away.  Like I have said before on this board, the alumni groups I have met onboard are courteous, friendly, and mature.  I have never heard any of them nit-picking at little details nor saying they will not cruise Oceania again.  That last Rivieria cruise sounds like an exception, not the norm.  Some people like to complain and it has absolutely nothing to do with being part of a group

.  

So are you saying because they are part of an Alumni group  they would never behave badly or nit pick ??

 

People are people  & may when in a group of their peers  may do/say things  they would not on a one to one with other pax

 JMO

 

FYI  we have seen some of these "Mature " alumni   so drunk they had to have a wheelchair  to get them from the bar to their cabin

 

[sunlover12]

6 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

So are you saying because they are part of an Alumni group  they would never behave badly or nit pick ??

 

People are people  & may when in a group of their peers  may do/say things  they would not on a one to one with other pax

 JMO

 

FYI  we have seen some of these "Mature " alumni   so drunk they had to have a wheelchair  to get them from the bar to their cabin

 

No, I did not say that. I’m saying that lumping any group all together to the point of not wanting them onboard your cruise (as some people on this board have implied) is a gross and unfair generalization. Bad behavior can come from anywhere. Being part of one particular group has nothing to do with it. 

[LHT28]

12 minutes ago, sunlover12 said:

No, I did not say that. I’m saying that lumping any group all together to the point of not wanting them onboard your cruise (as some people on this board have implied) is a gross and unfair generalization. Bad behavior can come from anywhere. Being part of one particular group has nothing to do with it. 

So you were not on this cruise  so you have no first hand experience  with  what was being reported

 

Some "groups "  will get  special dining in the Specialties   as part of the deal with Oceania  so regular PAX will not have access to that specialty  that evening

Sometimes  they will do a lunch for the Group in one of the Specialties  just depends

 

[mauibabes]

You are reading far too much into my post. I’m NOT intending to denigrate groups of guests from Alumni Associations nor any other group of guests. My point was IF someone says they would NEVER cruise on Oceania again due to what they reportedly experienced, then that is their choice. I always prefer to sail with people who are enjoying themselves rather than someone who is miserable and not enjoying their cruise.  
They WIN by not sailing on O and we WIN by not having to listen to their negative commentary. Actually O can also WIN by hearing their concerns and working to ensure they do not happen to other guests in the future. Call it a W,W,W.  No cruise line sets out to alienate their guests so if that is what happened to this guest, then IMHO no amount of mea culpa’s will satisfy them so it is time for them to move on to a line that can possibly satisfy them. At least in our house, Happy Wife, Happy Life 😇🙏 so if I have offended the Poster, I do apologize.
Enjoy your cruise,

Mauibabes

[Woodrowst]

On 2/14/2023 at 9:57 AM, Free and Easy said:

I was about to resume sailing with Oceania Nautica. Yet to my alarm, I read on both Cruise Critic and TripAdvisor pax reviews that Oceania (and Nautica) now is not what it used to be pre-COVID (in fact that seemed to be true for many Cruise lines which are in a catch-up mode). Particularly so for the food which has always been the main reason I sail with Oceania!!  Would appreciate any sharing on recent sailing experiences with Nautica. Just wonder if I have been only able to see the negative feedback,,,,,,,:(

We got off the Nautica last week Dubai to Barcelona.  We had a wonderful cruise. The food was as good or better than previous Oceania cruises.  If you have any specific questions please let me know.

[pinotlover]

I once’s cruised with Oceania with one of the F& WT Groups. We had one of their large groups on our recent Vista cruise.

 

It is standard for the Group to have one large Group dinner to showcase the winery wines with dinner. This event often happens in the PG. If the group is large enough it might take the entire restaurant for that evening. This rarely happens, so they take the amount of space as they need. The rest of the restaurant is left open for other bookings.

 

That event night is scheduled well ahead of the guest reservation system. For those Group guests attending,  it counts as their guarantee reservation for that venue. There have been known cases where Oceania messed up and forgot to front load that group event, thus allowing others to book the evening. That is NOT the Group's fault that Oceania must then go back and cancel those other reservations. Blame Oceania.

 

I personally find no issue with this system. The various Groups bring in a lot of revenue for Oceania and those evenings count as guaranteed reservations. Additionally Oceania rarely allows them to book the dinner on a Sea Day, unless the cruise has multiple sea days.

 

I believe the larger issue is some Cheerleaders like to complain more than those passengers.

 

Fwiw, our just completed Vista cruise was not at full capacity, but it did have two individual Groups aboard totaling nearly 200 guests. Oceania loved those paying guests, many of which were Oceania Newbies. Their opinions matter just as much as the Cheerleaders does.

[macbest]

2 hours ago, Woodrowst said:

We got off the Nautica last week Dubai to Barcelona.  We had a wonderful cruise. The food was as good or better than previous Oceania cruises.  If you have any specific questions please let me know.

Were you able to standby at one of the alternative restaurants and get in beyond your allotment? What is the spa terrace like (for conceirge suites and above)? Is it shaded, how many loungers?

 

We board end of next week in Istanbul. The ship was near empty two months ago. Through unadvertised specials they essentially booked her completely. 

[Woodrowst]

2 hours ago, macbest said:

Were you able to standby at one of the alternative restaurants and get in beyond your allotment? What is the spa terrace like (for conceirge suites and above)? Is it shaded, how many loungers?

 

We board end of next week in Istanbul. The ship was near empty two months ago. Through unadvertised specials they essentially booked her completely. 

We had difficulty even getting our initial single allotment at Polo Grill and Toscana.  I went online the day it opened for concierge passengers and was only able to get reservations on the first and last night of the cruise.  This was mostly because we wanted a table for 2 and did not want a sharing table.  There were times available if you were willing to sit with another couple.  I asked a few times during the cruise if any tables for 2 had opened up during any sea days and was always told no.

 

Even though we had access to the spa terrace because we were in a concierge cabin we did not use it.  It is mostly for sunbathing and since the temperatures in the Middle East were 100+ degrees (it got to 113 in Luxor) we had no desire to roast like a suckling pig.  The spa terrace does have a hot tub that is more private than the ones around the pool if that appeals to you.  So the small spa terrace is mostly to have a somewhat private sunbathing/hot tub area.  

 

 

[pinotlover]

Literally hundreds, if not thousands,  of threads written on the ease of getting shared tables versus two tops. Even though we enjoy sharing, preferences are preferences. However, at this point no one should be surprised or upset about the availability of or not being able to get extra two top restaurant reservations. 
 

I will say that in the new Embers I believe there are more two tops than 4-8 tops. Doesn’t really matter though. The place is so loud you can barely hear the person across from you talking. 

[Panama111]

On 2/14/2023 at 9:57 AM, Free and Easy said:

I was about to resume sailing with Oceania Nautica. Yet to my alarm, I read on both Cruise Critic and TripAdvisor pax reviews that Oceania (and Nautica) now is not what it used to be pre-COVID (in fact that seemed to be true for many Cruise lines which are in a catch-up mode). Particularly so for the food which has always been the main reason I sail with Oceania!!  Would appreciate any sharing on recent sailing experiences with Nautica. Just wonder if I have been only able to see the negative feedback,,,,,,,:(

We sailed on Nautica last Nov. 23. It was our first Oceania and we were disappointed. There were 2 smoking areas that permeated the entrance to afternoon tea and one side of the pool. There is no promenade to walk around and no shaded area with loungers away from the pool. The service was great, the food was good not great. I asked how OCEANIA got the label “best food at sea” and was told they gave the title to themselves.

it was not our best cruise, but we booked again for May 2024 because of the Western Africa itinerary.

[Sebbiesgrammy]

6 hours ago, Panama111 said:

We sailed on Nautica last Nov. 23. It was our first Oceania and we were disappointed. There were 2 smoking areas that permeated the entrance to afternoon tea and one side of the pool. There is no promenade to walk around and no shaded area with loungers away from the pool. The service was great, the food was good not great. I asked how OCEANIA got the label “best food at sea” and was told they gave the title to themselves.

it was not our best cruise, but we booked again for May 2024 because of the Western Africa itinerary.

I agree completely with your assessment. We spent 32 days on Nautica in February and were certainly not dazzled by it. Like you, it was our first O cruise after sailing other lines in the premium category. We chose it for the itinerary and the promises about the food and, like you, we are willing to take another chance at loving O next year.  I always try to be logical about my assessment and not rush to judgement, however, just got off an Alaska cruise tour on Holland and we would rate the food better than our Nautica cruise. Admittedly, O was still experiencing supply issues in February but they were unable to make reasonable food substitutions to make it more pleasurable for passengers. Using kale when you don't have romaine for a Caesar salad??  Even the waiter made a face when telling us about it. Our experience on O was one of inflexibility with food, shore excursions, staff support and information. We had a lot of Noro and Covid so maybe that made a difference. As stated, we're going to try O again but this time on Marina, bigger ship, more choices. For my money, Holland is still the best experience for the price.

[MEFIowa]

9 hours ago, Panama111 said:

We sailed on Nautica last Nov. 23. It was our first Oceania and we were disappointed. There were 2 smoking areas that permeated the entrance to afternoon tea and one side of the pool. There is no promenade to walk around and no shaded area with loungers away from the pool....

We sailed on the larger Riviera (12/2021) and the smaller Sirena (11/2022) and thoroughly enjoyed both ships.

 

The smaller R-class ships have the deck 5 area under the lifeboats. And both the O-class and R-class have fitness tracks up high, which seeminly met the needs of the vast majority of cruisers on both.

 

ONCE you know where the 2 smoking areas are, just avoid being around them. Stay on the opposite side of the ship on that deck as you go forward or aft. Not hard to do. There are 2 entrances/exits to Horizons.

 

There are plenty of individual reclining lounge chairs by the pool, all over the pool deck, many of which are entirely shaded. There just aren't that many of the big "loungers" that are closer to the pool and in the sun. For the serious sun bathers.

[LHT28]

10 hours ago, Panama111 said:

 There were 2 smoking areas that permeated the entrance to afternoon tea and one side of the pool.

 

Does the Nautica smoking area in Horizons not have a door like on the  Regatta ??

[Harters]

13 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Does the Nautica smoking area in Horizons not have a door like on the  Regatta ??

Yes it does. And I could barely detect a smell from smoke when passing. The "on deck" smoking area is also easily avoided and, again, as it's outside, simply wasn't an issue. I am not  a smoker but am, hopefully, tolerant of those who are.

[LHT28]

2 minutes ago, Harters said:

Yes it does. And I could barely detect a smell from smoke when passing. The "on deck" smoking area is also easily avoided and, again, as it's outside, simply wasn't an issue. I am not  a smoker but am, hopefully, tolerant of those who are.

I agree  I usually avoid  the one on the pool deck & sometimes have gone into Horizons on the port side  on Regatta  & not smelled anything   unlike the early days before they enclosed the space 

[babydrum]

On 6/26/2023 at 9:52 AM, Woodrowst said:

We got off the Nautica last week Dubai to Barcelona.  We had a wonderful cruise. The food was as good or better than previous Oceania cruises.  If you have any specific questions please let me know.

I'm doing a 27 day Dubai to Barcelona in May.  Were any of your ports canceled?

[aghurley]

On 6/26/2023 at 4:12 PM, macbest said:

Were you able to standby at one of the alternative restaurants and get in beyond your allotment? What is the spa terrace like (for conceirge suites and above)? Is it shaded, how many loungers?

 

We board end of next week in Istanbul. The ship was near empty two months ago. Through unadvertised specials they essentially booked her completely. 

How were the Covid protocols on Nautica?  We just returned from a Rhine cruise with Covid, so am in defense mode when cruising these days.  We will be on a November Barcelona to Dubai cruise--20 days.   Did fellow passengers wear masks, distance, etc.?