Oceania Riviera Review, July 2023

[ssawjo]

1 hour ago, PinonNoir said:

I filed a claim with my credit card, and their initial response was "no".  I plan on filing an appeal, just haven't had time to do so yet. Thanks though!

If you have travel insurance, try making a claim for "trip interruption".  No harm in asking.

[LSuzQ]

2 hours ago, jonthomas said:

Yes I am definitely unaware of any of this. With over 50 cruises all over the world with celebrity, have never missed a port. Did private tours,  never had to cancel. Only one with RCL, missed Nasau, got a goodies basked delivered to stateroom.

Agree with jonthomas on this one. Itinerary is very important to us. Many, many cruises with Celebrity, and never a missed port. One significant delay departing Kotor due to a medical emergency (staff), and still made our next port on time. I will be sailing on Oceania for the first time late September, and these boards have indeed been enlightening. O has a lot to offer, but missing or shortening port stays, if unnecessary but for saving O money, will be tremendously disappointing to us, forewarned or not. Two changes already on ours, but they are tolerable. We shall see what happens once on board (Marina).

[PinonNoir]

1 hour ago, ssawjo said:

If you have travel insurance, try making a claim for "trip interruption".  No harm in asking.

My credit card includes Trip Insurance, and that's the claim I made. I received a rejection claiming that Oceania is not a "common carrier", which is incorrect. Don't worry, I'm a persistent ahole about these things. If a refund is possible I'll find a way!

[Sthrngary]

14 minutes ago, PinonNoir said:

My credit card includes Trip Insurance, and that's the claim I made. I received a rejection claiming that Oceania is not a "common carrier", which is incorrect. Don't worry, I'm a persistent ahole about these things. If a refund is possible I'll find a way!

A person for my own heart.  Your options are Credit Card, Vacation Insurance if purchased and Oceania brand.  Good luck and please report back. A word of advice.  Many will discourage you saying they did what you are doing and it did not work. Other that have never tried like to come across as experts saying it won't work.  Stay focused, never lose your temper, stick to the facts and how it made you feel.  Always suggest with Oceania what you feel is a realistic solution to your issue.  You can do it. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[MEFIowa]

18 hours ago, PinonNoir said:

... Ok, now the negatives...which I'm going to be as honest as possible about.  I am not piling on here, just telling it like it is:

 

1. The food has slipped.  We noticed this in pretty much every restaurant, with the possible exception of Toscana.  However, on our last night, we ate in Toscana, and I ordered a Maine Lobster dish.  It was bad...very fishy...as if the lobster was way past it's prime. 

 

2.  The wifi....

 

3. ...Our ship pulled into the Faroe Islands, turned around in the harbor about a dozen times, very slowly, and then abruptly left.

 

4. We had a habit of getting iced tea every day at the Waves Bar by the pool.  Our last day on the ship, we stopped by the bar and there was nobody there, during their opening hours.  We went up to Horizons to see if they could help us.  They told us they didn't have iced tea, go back to Waves Bar....

 

5.  The Grand Dining Room.  We ate here for breakfast one time.  Once!  The food was cold, the coffee was cold, the service was terrible...and it wasn't even crowded! ... We ended up eating 10 of 12 breakfasts in our suite.

 

6. The "internet guy". ...

 

7. ...One of the 3 nights we ate in Privee we picked the "Best of Oceania" dining menu....

 

8. The "Sommeliers". ...

 

9. Dress code. ...

 

10. Stemware.  Ok, this is just going to be me most likely, but stemware matters. ...

Having spent 10 nights each on Riviera (12/2021) and Sirena (11/2022), it is fascinating how cruise experiences and expectations and issues can vary so greatly.

 

I do sympathize with your #3. An objective issue. We lost one port each on our 2 cruises, though for us one was medical emergency and the other was obviously rough seas preventing tendering.

 

BUT, for #2 & #6, I'm on vacation and I don't care a whit about WiFi or the Internet. If we're paying $400-500 per night per couple, the last thing I'm paying any attention to is this. Other than I guess #10, since we bring our own alcohol on board, and stemware doesn't matter at all to us. As for #4, found enough places to get all sorts of things to drink all day long on Riviera, so not worrying about iced tea one day. Plus, for both #1 & #4, we've learned by experience that doing things on the last day or evening isn't quite the same often as earlier in the vacation/cruise. I don't have the same expectations then, but that's just me. As for #5, we've never had breakfast in the GDR. Did one morning in our veranda cabin (it was OK) but then all the rest in WAVES for breakfast. Love it. And since we're already paying a small fortune, NOT interested in paying more for Privee ("Available on board Marina & Riviera only. Reservations required. A room reservation surcharge applies."). For #9, I let O worry about the dress code. We just comply with it. But then we mainly eat under the stars in the Terrace Cafe each evening other than our specialty reservations.

 

And YES, embarkation is a cluster-foxtrot of passengers just doing what they want when they want. We did the last one enjoying a leisurely breakfast and time just sitting in the Horizons chatting with others also avoiding the crush/rush/mush. Terminal J in Miami does NOT lend itself to quick exits of those in walkers, wheelchairs, and motorized scooters. IIRC, one elevator down to customs. The line backs up.

Edited July 30, 2023 by MEFIowa
Typo

[Jayne E]

3 hours ago, PinonNoir said:

I filed a claim with my credit card, and their initial response was "no".  I plan on filing an appeal, just haven't had time to do so yet. Thanks though!

Oceania cancelled 3 ports last May. Both private excursion operators issued immediate refunds. Need to book with operators where contract state a refund if ship does not dock for any reason. 

[ORV]

18 hours ago, PinonNoir said:

Dress code.  I know the dress code says no jeans to dinner, or around the ship after dinner,

Just one point of order here. I guess sometimes what we think we know and what is actually so is different. A, Only casual jeans are not allowed, the exact description of non casual jeans doesn't seem to exist though.   B. There is no prohibition to wearing jeans anywhere on the ship after dinner or after a certain time. There are some lines that do this, Oceania is not one of them. See below, bolding is mine. 

 

"Recommended on board clothing is resort or country club casual. For evening dining, elegant casual resort wear is suggested. We request that casual jeans, shorts, t-shirts, baseball caps, sandals, or tennis shoes not be worn in the restaurants after 6 PM."

 

Thanks for your review. 

 

 

[PinonNoir]

1 hour ago, ORV said:

Just one point of order here. I guess sometimes what we think we know and what is actually so is different. A, Only casual jeans are not allowed, the exact description of non casual jeans doesn't seem to exist though.   B. There is no prohibition to wearing jeans anywhere on the ship after dinner or after a certain time. There are some lines that do this, Oceania is not one of them. See below, bolding is mine. 

 

"Recommended on board clothing is resort or country club casual. For evening dining, elegant casual resort wear is suggested. We request that casual jeans, shorts, t-shirts, baseball caps, sandals, or tennis shoes not be worn in the restaurants after 6 PM."

 

Thanks for your review. 

 

 

I've gotta be honest, I have yet to see a pair of jeans that weren't "casual".  That's what jeans are, and why we love them so much!  Again, just state "clean and untorn jeans" to make it clearer.  I for one would appreciate it.

 

Chris

[jonthomas]

5 hours ago, jonthomas said:

Yes I am definitely unaware of any of this. With over 50 cruises all over the world with celebrity, have never missed a port. Did private tours,  never had to cancel. Only one with RCL, missed Nasau, got a goodies basked delivered to stateroom.

I have to quote myself in order to correct a typo...basket not basked.

[Jancruz]

15 hours ago, julia said:

Stemware matters!! 🥂🍷🍸🍺

Oh please..on a scale of 1 to 10 on my enjoyment of a cruise minus about one million 

Jancruz1

[PinonNoir]

2 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

BUT, for #2 & #6, I'm on vacation and I don't care a whit about WiFi or the Internet. If we're paying $400-500 per night per couple, the last thing I'm paying any attention to is this. Other than I guess #10, since we bring our own alcohol on board, and stemware doesn't matter at all to us. As for #4, found enough places to get all sorts of things to drink all day long on Riviera, so not worrying about iced tea one day. Plus, for both #1 & #4, we've learned by experience that doing things on the last day or evening isn't quite the same often as earlier in the vacation/cruise. I don't have the same expectations then, but that's just me. As for #5, we've never had breakfast in the GDR. Did one morning in our veranda cabin (it was OK) but then all the rest in WAVES for breakfast. Love it. And since we're already paying a small fortune, NOT interested in paying more for Privee ("Available on board Marina & Riviera only. Reservations required. A room reservation surcharge applies."). For #9, I let O worry about the dress code. We just comply with it. But then we mainly eat under the stars in the Terrace Cafe each evening other than our specialty reservations.

 

And YES, embarkation is a cluster-foxtrot of passengers just doing what they want when they want. We did the last one enjoying a leisurely breakfast and time just sitting in the Horizons chatting with others also avoiding the crush/rush/mush. Terminal J in Miami does NOT lend itself to quick exits of those in walkers, wheelchairs, and motorized scooters. IIRC, one elevator down to customs. The line backs up.

I write a blog for my friends and family, and have been doing so since I retired 5 years ago.  If it wasn't for that I agree...who gives a crap about the internet. However, I had two unexpected sea days that I could spend to get caught up...but with the wifi from hell I was just wasting my time.  Just because you don't care about the internet doesn't mean it shouldn't be important to others.

 

You bring decent wine onboard and don't care about stemware?  Wow!  You need to get more educated on how important stemware is. We bring our own to several restaurants where we live.  It matters!

 

You completely missed the point on the iced tea story.

 

So it's ok that service is good on Day 1 to 10, but sucks on Day 11?  Really?  Wow again!

 

I appreciate your input, but I disagree with most of it. I expect more for my money. A lot more.

[PinonNoir]

2 hours ago, Jayne E said:

Oceania cancelled 3 ports last May. Both private excursion operators issued immediate refunds. Need to book with operators where contract state a refund if ship does not dock for any reason. 

That private operator doesn't exist in the Faroe Islands, at least I couldn't find one. This is a unique stop with few private tour companies.

[Jayne E]

1 minute ago, PinonNoir said:

That private operator doesn't exist in the Faroe Islands, at least I couldn't find one. This is a unique stop with few private tour companies.

We had a similar situation and asked operator to add a cancellation clause or we wouldn't book.  They did.  Worth a try.   

On another note, it will be interesting to see how O handles a cancelled port with SM cruisers.  If near end of cruise, should be some compensation...prob no $$ refund, but at least SBC or FCC.

[LSuzQ]

35 minutes ago, PinonNoir said:

I've gotta be honest, I have yet to see a pair of jeans that weren't "casual".  That's what jeans are, and why we love them so much!  Again, just state "clean and untorn jeans" to make it clearer.  I for one would appreciate it.

 

Chris

There are some nice, dressy “sandals” out there…hoping in O’s context the word translates to pool shoes and flip flops!

[YourWorldWithBill]

Just a note to @PinonNoirto thank you for the detailed review. Our first O cruise is in November, and the main motivation was everything we heard about the food (and service) on O. Although it's disheartening to hear about the food issues, at least we're prepared.

 

The other huge issue is avoiding the port. The same thing was discussed on another O thread about a cruise that did not dock in Lisbon. That is really important, as we chose the particular cruise we'll be on based on the ports, specifically on a couple of them. 

[PinonNoir]

19 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Just a note to @PinonNoirto thank you for the detailed review. Our first O cruise is in November, and the main motivation was everything we heard about the food (and service) on O. Although it's disheartening to hear about the food issues, at least we're prepared.

 

The other huge issue is avoiding the port. The same thing was discussed on another O thread about a cruise that did not dock in Lisbon. That is really important, as we chose the particular cruise we'll be on based on the ports, specifically on a couple of them. 

I've gotta believe the food issues are going to be hit and miss depending on the ship and the crew. We still had some decent meals, particularly in Toscana and one pretty decent meal in Polo, as well as two excellent meals in Privee.  Red Ginger was just ok. I wanted to like it more, but we do a lot of Thai food and it just didn't live up to what we were hoping for.

 

Missing ports will be my biggest concern with Oceania going forward. We are on a fall cruise from Montreal to Boston on Insignia, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

 

You should be ok in Lisbon, as it's a very protected port. No matter the weather conditions,  you should be good!  I just can't imagine not docking there!

Edited July 30, 2023 by PinonNoir

[YourWorldWithBill]

17 minutes ago, PinonNoir said:

I've gotta believe the food issues are going to be hit and miss depending on the ship and the crew.  Red Ginger was just ok. I wanted to like it more, but we do a lot of Thai food and it just didn't live up to what we were hoping for.

 

Missing ports will be my biggest concern with Oceania going forward. We are on a fall cruise from Montreal to Boston on Insignia, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Sorry, I should have mentioned that we're on Riviera! That's why I paid so much attention. The cruise is Barcelona - Istanbul (not Lisbon, obviously). We also eat Thai food a lot, and my wife - since she's Thai - has a pretty good idea of what it should taste like! We'll look forward to Red Ginger and hope for the best. 

 

Maybe there will be a crew change before November; that could be good or bad.

[PinonNoir]

10 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Sorry, I should have mentioned that we're on Riviera! That's why I paid so much attention. The cruise is Barcelona - Istanbul (not Lisbon, obviously). We also eat Thai food a lot, and my wife - since she's Thai - has a pretty good idea of what it should taste like! We'll look forward to Red Ginger and hope for the best. 

 

Maybe there will be a crew change before November; that could be good or bad.

Gotcha. If your wife is Thai I fear for your reaction to Red Ginger. I really hope you find it enjoyable, or at least acceptable!  Getting Thai right is an art form.

[YourWorldWithBill]

17 minutes ago, PinonNoir said:

Gotcha. If your wife is Thai I fear for your reaction to Red Ginger. I really hope you find it enjoyable, or at least acceptable!  Getting Thai right is an art form.

I suspect that she will like some of the dishes; let's hope the lobster is better than for you. No problem for me, as I'm vegetarian. That was another factor when we decided on O: good veg options.

[1985rz1]

4 hours ago, PinonNoir said:

My credit card includes Trip Insurance, and that's the claim I made. I received a rejection claiming that Oceania is not a "common carrier", which is incorrect. Don't worry, I'm a persistent ahole about these things. If a refund is possible I'll find a way!

Interesting.  What credit card?  The fine print in out cc guide to benefits specifically includes cruises as eligible for Trip Cancellation/Interruption coverage.

[ORV]

Is Red Ginger a Thai restaurant? I just thought it was Asian Fusion, whatever that means. 

[PinonNoir]

39 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

Interesting.  What credit card?  The fine print in out cc guide to benefits specifically includes cruises as eligible for Trip Cancellation/Interruption coverage.

We have United Explorer Mileage Plus.  I don't think it mentions cruises specifically, but it does mention coverage for common carriers missing a connection (more for flights, but Oceania is a "common carrier" in legal terms).

[1985rz1]

5 hours ago, PinonNoir said:

My credit card includes Trip Insurance, and that's the claim I made. I received a rejection claiming that Oceania is not a "common carrier", which is incorrect. Don't worry, I'm a persistent ahole about these things. If a refund is possible I'll find a way!

 

39 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

Interesting.  What credit card?  The fine print in out cc guide to benefits specifically includes cruises as eligible for Trip Cancellation/Interruption coverage.

I should have added that the cc company states "Common Carrier does not include Cruise Lines, however Cruise Lines are an eligible expense for reimbursement."

[PinonNoir]

41 minutes ago, ORV said:

Is Red Ginger a Thai restaurant? I just thought it was Asian Fusion, whatever that means. 

It is Asian Fusion, but I think it tries to lean Thai more than anything else.  Just my perspective.

Edited July 30, 2023 by PinonNoir

[1985rz1]

6 minutes ago, PinonNoir said:

We have United Explorer Mileage Plus.  I don't think it mentions cruises specifically, but it does mention coverage for common carriers missing a connection (more for flights, but Oceania is a "common carrier" in legal terms).

I think that is only true for cruise ships departing from US ports.  At least that's what most of the google results state....if you can trust Google.

Edited July 30, 2023 by 1985rz1