Oceania Riviera Review, July 2023

[PinonNoir]

Just now, 1985rz1 said:

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

Well, they did deny me initially, but their reason just said "Oceania is not a common carrier".  We shall see during my appeal filing.  The answer is always no if you don't ask....a motto I live by!

[1985rz1]

Just now, PinonNoir said:

Well, they did deny me initially, but their reason just said "Oceania is not a common carrier".  We shall see during my appeal filing.  The answer is always no if you don't ask....a motto I live by!

Let us know the outcome.

[YourWorldWithBill]

For my AmEx card I was specifically told that any travel booked with the card is covered; but when I tried to get a clear answer about whether that applies if gift cards are used, no one could guarantee, so I haven't used them to pay for a cruise.

[mexicobob]

6 hours ago, Jancruz said:

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

Jancruz1

Good words........and advice that will fall on deaf ears.

[PinonNoir]

9 hours ago, mexicobob said:

Good words........and advice that will fall on deaf ears.

If it's not important to you that's fine, but I don't understand the desire to mock somebody regarding what's  important to them?  I'm sure you have something important to you that I wouldn't even notice, but I'm not here to denigrate you because of it.  I'm here to offer information to others that they may find useful.  Isn't that the purpose of doing a review?

Edited July 31, 2023 by PinonNoir

[MEFIowa]

50 minutes ago, PinonNoir said:

If it's not important to you that's fine... I'm here to offer information to others that they may find useful.  Isn't that the purpose of doing a review?

Yes, though objective issues are far more valuable than entirely subjective ones. Missing ports is huge. And quite objective. That is always something to focus on. Subjective comments on food or service or stemware not nearly so much. As MMV. (And I'm more of a beer and hard liquor person than wine, though I do drink all three while on cruises. I tend to focus far more on the content of the glass than the glass itself, but that's just me.)

 

We loved our time on Riviera in 12/2021 (in an A4) so that led us to a cruise on Sirena (11/2022) but also 20 more nights on Riviera later this year (Oct-Nov, in B3 & A3 cabins). Then have 20 more nights on Sirena in late 2024.

[PinonNoir]

2 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

Yes, though objective issues are far more valuable than entirely subjective ones. Missing ports is huge. And quite objective. That is always something to focus on. Subjective comments on food or service or stemware not nearly so much. As MMV. (And I'm more of a beer and hard liquor person than wine, though I do drink all three while on cruises. I tend to focus far more on the content of the glass than the glass itself, but that's just me.)

Subjective comments regarding food and wine are important to me. I'm a wine collector and enthusiast, so if I can combine my hobby with my cruise, all the better. I read a lot of reviews regarding the wine rules before boarding as I intended to bring a lot of my own wine, if possible, ao subjective reviews were and remain of interest to me. I'm not a big spirits drinker, but for serious wine drinkers a glass can make all the difference. Once you've learned this, you can't unlearn it, so stemware becomes important.

 

If somebody is not interested in my subjective comments, fine, but making it out to be unimportant in a forum filled with all types of people isn't adding anything to the conversation.

[hankandteri]

Very good and fair review. I was on that prior cruise on Riviera that missed three ports, and my rant about it on this forum kind of took on a life of its own. One miss was a legit weather issue at a tender port, but the other two were pure shenanigans. No conspiracy theory needed. I don’t pretend to understand the economics of port skipping, but I know when games are being played, and that was definitely happening on my cruise. I’m an experienced cruiser with seven different lines (including prior Oceania), and I had never missed a port before, much less three.

 

My multiple communications with the cruise line about this were never acknowledged, perhaps because I never demanded anything beyond a real explanation. 

 

My next booked cruise is in October, and I will be giving Celebrity a try for the first time in a couple of decades. Done with O as the value received per dollar spent equation was way off on my latest cruise. In short, I felt ripped off by my experience, and that has never happened to me on any cruise before. 
 

Service overall was really hit or miss. Way too much miss. I suspect the very full ship was running somewhat short staffed and/or had a lot of inexperienced crew members. 
 

The only issue I would take with your review is that I found the service and recommendations we received from the sommeliers to be truly outstanding. 

[Jayne E]

17 minutes ago, hankandteri said:

Very good and fair review. I was on that prior cruise on Riviera that missed three ports, and my rant about it on this forum kind of took on a life of its own. One miss was a legit weather issue at a tender port, but the other two were pure shenanigans. No conspiracy theory needed. I don’t pretend to understand the economics of port skipping, but I know when games are being played, and that was definitely happening on my cruise. I’m an experienced cruiser with seven different lines (including prior Oceania), and I had never missed a port before, much less three.

 

We were on same cruise and no reason whatsoever to miss those two ports.  Furthermore, the remaining ports were underwhelming….one was a total dump! We were preparing to walk off ship when we encountered numerous people returning and saying a long walk over uneven ground to trinket shops. No shuttle or cabs at port.  We took their advice and stayed on board. 

[sunlover12]

I'm not an expert on wine but I do love it.  The glass that it is poured in does make a difference. I don't drink beer or hard liquor. Wine is it for me. I take notice of the glass and for those who don't, that's fine but don't be critical of those who do.

 

[Harters]

On 7/30/2023 at 9:49 AM, PinonNoir said:

Wait, English Muffins are an American invention? 

Seemingly so - at least in the current form. I had never come across them until my first trip to the States in 1980. And it was quite a few years after that, until I noticed them on sale in my local supermarket. Of course, here, they are just called "muffins".  "Muffin" is also a regional word in parts of the UK for a bread roll (the sort that in my part of the world, I would call a barmcake). There are historical references to muffins but these seem to be more like a pikelet or crumpet than the bready "English muffin". 

 

This link to an American  website seems to confirm that they are a Yank invention, albeit by a British emigre.

https://www.goldmedalbakery.com/blog/the-history-of-english-muffins/#:~:text=Who Invented English Muffins%3F,he worked in a bakery.

 

I suppose there are reasons why a nationality is added to the name of a food product. I've seen mention of "English" cucumbers and peas.  And, on the other side of that coin, Americans might call it a "pancake" whilst we would usually call it an "American pancake" (or occasionally a "buttermilk pancake". We call it that to distinguish them from our own pancakes - for which Americans take the French word and call them crepes. It can get confusing. Not least when O has "Swedish pancakes" on the breakfast menu - which just seem to be like any other European pancake (or crepe if you prefer).

 

 

[Harters]

23 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

Corn beef hash is absolutely delicious and normally served with a poached egg on top.  And ketchup. 

It's always on dinner menu of one of our favourite restaurants in the nearby city. In the "Classics" section of the menu

 

https://www.samschophouse.com/_files/ugd/295c92_539882569ff6426d8eb2a8511d90e98d.pdf

 

Hashing (based on the French word for "chop") is a traditional British dish but I suspect the modern corned beef version is American in origin.

 

 

[redraider1966]

On 7/29/2023 at 6:12 PM, PinonNoir said:

I recently wrote a review about our stateroom experience on our Riviera cruise, and I wanted to write a review about our cruise experience overall.  This was our third Oceania cruise, so we had some experience and expectations going in.  I will try to remain balanced in my review.  We just disembarked 9 days ago, so I'm writing this while my memory is fresh.

 

First the positives:

 

1. The multitude of restaurant options is great.  There is something for everybody, and for a 12 day cruise it was nice to be able to eat in a variety of spaces.

2. The ship has a lot of common spaces to enjoy, and none of them felt overly crowded.

3. The Barista's spot makes excellent coffee....the best on the ship in our opinion.  We were regulars there.  Really fantastic...even staffed by an Italian!

4. The Oceania staff is excellent.  They always seem to go above and beyond with limited exceptions (sticking to positives here).

5. The ship was clean everywhere we went, including common area bathrooms.

6. Embarkation went smoothly, and we were in our stateroom quickly.  Our luggage showed up fairly quickly.

7. It seemed that the Bridge crew went out of their way to sail in such a manner as to keep the ship's movements minimized as much as possible.

8. We had dinner in Privee 3 times, and two of those times were outstanding (remember, this is the positives)!

9. Our Butler and support staff were top notch, cordial, professional and just outstanding in every way!

10. Fellow passengers all seemed to be well seasoned travelers, with mostly positive attitudes.  This is important to us.  We hate being around people who are "fun vampires".

 

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.  I returned it immediately and ordered another pasta I had ordered previously, and it was of course excellent.  Why did they serve lobster that was unworthy of an Oceania customer?  It was really bad!  This is my last night on the ship, and it remains a solid memory.  Bad form.

 

2.  The wifi.  Holy mother of God what in the world is Oceania doing with this wifi?  I could hear my old 4400 baud modem clanging away as I tried to log in, but the wifi on the ship was no match for my 4400 bauds!  I write a travel blog for fun....and I couldn't even upload a photo without waiting an hour!  Fortunately we were near land on occasion and I could use my international plan to do some work, but I'm still a week behind thanks to their "Pony Express" wifi!  We had two "at sea" days due to canceled ports of call (coming up on #3), and I can't tell you how many hours I wasted trying to write one blog post!  Also, when you are logged in, you get logged out repeatedly.....over and over....never for more than a few hours at a time.  It was a constant struggle, almost like they would log you out on purpose!

 

3. Ok, here is a rant with a conspiracy theory.  Our ship pulled into the Faroe Islands, turned around in the harbor about a dozen times, very slowly, and then abruptly left.  The Captain said it was due to weather, but it was sunny and calm.  We were supposed to be there for two full days, and I had a private excursion planned (for 10 people) that I ended up losing over $2000 on.  A week prior to this the Faroe Island populace had a pilot whale hunt where they killed a bunch of them in front of another cruse ship.  It's my firm belief that Oceania Corporate told the Captain to pull into harbor, make a big show of the fact we were there, and then depart, sending a political message.  The company I was working with on the excursion advised me they had no idea why the Captain didn't dock, as the weather was calmer than usual.  If Oceania wants to take a political stance with the Faroe Islands, fine, but don't impact my cruise experience!  I was really looking forward to this port!

 

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.  When we told them nobody was there, they said "oh well".  This was a group of 3 guys at the bar.  W T F?  This is not the service we have come to expect from Oceania!  One of these guys should have said "what is your stateroom number, I'll get some and bring it to you!"  I think the fact it was the last day on board lended itself to staff taking a lazy attitude towards the customers...."oh well, they are about gone, I'm done hustling for these guys".  I hope that's not the case, but it sure seemed like it.

 

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!  Again, W T F?  Why is the service in the main dining establishment on the ship so crappy?  How can it be that hard to bring warm eggs from the kitchen to the table?  We ended up eating 10 of 12 breakfasts in our suite.

 

6. The "internet guy".  This guy had the worst attitude on the ship.  We couldn't get logged into the wifi (not that it was worth logging into) on our first day so we went to see him on our second day.  He really doesn't want to be there.  After taking care of us he walked away, and there was somebody waiting behind us.  We realized his "working hours" had ended at the same time he took care of us, so screw that guy behind you, he can wait until tomorrow.  Again, W T F?

 

7. The Best of Oceania!  One of the 3 nights we ate in Privee we picked the "Best of Oceania" dining menu.  It was terrible.  Every dish was lackluster.  It's been too long to remember details at this point, but the entire group of 10 was disappointed.  If you do Privee, stick with the Polo and Toscana menus.

 

8. The "Sommeliers".  The wine people on the ship, while they are nice, don't know how to pour wine in equal servings.  Now I know pouring one bottle for 10 people is difficult, but this is likely a common occurrence and it should be practiced. We always ended up with one person who had almost twice as much wine as another, and with high end wines and high end enthusiasts, this is not a fun vibe!

 

9. Dress code.  I know the dress code says no jeans to dinner, or around the ship after dinner, but this code is broken so often without consequence that I wonder why it's the dress code?  I would prefer to wear jeans every day....just my thing, but I didn't.  Kinda weird to see what was accepted in the restaurants in the end.  Maybe just allow jeans?  I know, you purists out there want us all in tuxedos.

 

10. Stemware.  Ok, this is just going to be me most likely, but stemware matters.  Double the amount of decent Pinot Noir glasses you currently carry.  Schott Zwiesel makes some excellent Pinot glasses that are actually made with Titanium, and they are super hard to break.  I know, these are my daily drinkers at home, and I've barely broken any over the last 15 years!  Buy a bunch of these so your high end red wine drinkers are happy.

 

Ok, I think I've mentioned everything here.  I'll have my wife review tomorrow....she has the good memory in the family...and will add anything she brings up.  Again, thanks for reading!

 

FWIW.  As OP did not indicate they have or were going to, may I suggest sending detailed letters regarding your experiences on board and on shore, warts and all, directly to NCLH CEO Harry J. Sommer and Oceania CEO FDR Jr.  In our experience with other corporations, letters addressed to the CEO require a substantive response and not just a "thank you for expressing your concerns."  We have occasionally done this with Oceania, eschewing filling out the ridiculous on board cruise reviews (either in written form or their impossible online option) when we have had a less than satisfactory experience or we wish to point out shortcomings or failings, along with positive comments.  We've even waited to send the cruise review form (when it was a hard copy) until we were back home and attached it to the letters we've sent to the CEO(s).  If nothing else, it's a tad therapeutic and cathartic.  We long ago stopped drinking the Koolaid that the reviews filtered and forwarded by the ship resulted in any meaningful course corrections, absent some better assurance that our concerns get to No.1.

[YourWorldWithBill]

1 hour ago, redraider1966 said:

FWIW.  As OP did not indicate they have or were going to, may I suggest sending detailed letters regarding your experiences on board and on shore, warts and all, directly to NCLH CEO Harry J. Sommer and Oceania CEO FDR Jr.  In our experience with other corporations, letters addressed to the CEO require a substantive response and not just a "thank you for expressing your concerns."  

Good advice, and go Longhorns.

[PinonNoir]

6 hours ago, hankandteri said:

Very good and fair review. I was on that prior cruise on Riviera that missed three ports, and my rant about it on this forum kind of took on a life of its own. One miss was a legit weather issue at a tender port, but the other two were pure shenanigans. No conspiracy theory needed. I don’t pretend to understand the economics of port skipping, but I know when games are being played, and that was definitely happening on my cruise. I’m an experienced cruiser with seven different lines (including prior Oceania), and I had never missed a port before, much less three.

 

Hank, thank you for adding your post.  This is very alarming!  Why is Oceania going down this path?  For me, the ports are THE most important thing in cruise selection, so if this is becoming the norm I will need to find another cruise provider.  Our upcoming cruise, Montreal to Boston, in October, will be quite telling.  If they skip anything for a questionable reason, this will be our last with them.  I graduated from California Maritime Academy and worked in the maritime arena for my entire career, so my knowledge of what is questionable might be a little more attuned than others...as I've actually been on quite a few bridges and in quite a few navigational discussions.  I'm really hoping my next Oceania review won't be my last.

Edited July 31, 2023 by PinonNoir

[mexicobob]

A great feature of Cruise Critic is the "IGNORE" button that you can click on and block people and not see their posts. Sometimes doing so makes these boards more enjoyable and informative. 

[PinonNoir]

6 hours ago, mexicobob said:

A great feature of Cruise Critic is the "IGNORE" button that you can click on and block people and not see their posts. Sometimes doing so makes these boards more enjoyable and informative. 

I did look for a "block" feature for the Icelandic Trolls, but for the life of me I can't find it.

 

Edit: Never mind, found it, I just had to log in with my laptop.  The feature doesn't exist using my android phone.

Edited August 1, 2023 by PinonNoir

[LWFM]

Thanks for the review. While we all have different things that are important to us we got your point, customer service is what makes or breaks a good cruise. A lot can be overlooked when you feel welcomed and that your concerns matter. We are taking our first Oceania cruise on the Riviera in 2024. While the food, service and cabin is important to us my main concern is the possibility of missed ports. We chose the itinerary specifically for the ports and I will be very unhappy if any are canceled. To me glasses do matter, even when it comes to cocktails, and I find it odd that Oceania had that issue.  While it may seem petty to some, we hope it is not a sign of things to come.  We are really looking forward to our cruise and appreciate the reviews.  We have learned that Post Pandemic cruises are different and we have adapted. 🤞Fingers double crossed Oceania gets its act together.... 

Also, as to the lobster. Those of us who grew up in New England know, never ever ever order "Maine"  "New England" lobster on a cruise ship. Unless you are sailing along the coast of New England and you see the live lobsters being brought on the ship the lobster you are eating most likely comes from a fish processing plant. Think about it unless they have a live lobster tank on the ship by the time that lobster tail gets to your plate, it has probably been frozen for at least a week or more. 😳

 

[Harters]

8 minutes ago, LWFM said:

Those of us who grew up in New England know, never ever ever order "Maine"  "New England" lobster on a cruise ship.

On a past holiday, we stayed a few days in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. One day, we took a tour boat trip round the estuary of the river which separates NH from Maine. Lobster are fished in the estuary where, we were told by the boat's skipper, that if they are landed in Maine, they are described as "Maine lobster", and if they are landed in NH, they are described as "lobster". It didnt make sense to us until we realised "Maine lobster" are believed to be a superior product

[QuestionEverything]

22 hours ago, hankandteri said:

Very good and fair review. I was on that prior cruise on Riviera that missed three ports, and my rant about it on this forum kind of took on a life of its own. One miss was a legit weather issue at a tender port, but the other two were pure shenanigans. No conspiracy theory needed. I don’t pretend to understand the economics of port skipping, but I know when games are being played, and that was definitely happening on my cruise. I’m an experienced cruiser with seven different lines (including prior Oceania), and I had never missed a port before, much less three.

 

My multiple communications with the cruise line about this were never acknowledged, perhaps because I never demanded anything beyond a real explanation. 

 

My next booked cruise is in October, and I will be giving Celebrity a try for the first time in a couple of decades. Done with O as the value received per dollar spent equation was way off on my latest cruise. In short, I felt ripped off by my experience, and that has never happened to me on any cruise before. 
 

Service overall was really hit or miss. Way too much miss. I suspect the very full ship was running somewhat short staffed and/or had a lot of inexperienced crew members. 
 

The only issue I would take with your review is that I found the service and recommendations we received from the sommeliers to be truly outstanding. 

Thanks for the post. Add in another recent post about O doing maneuvers in a harbor than leaving, skipping 2 days at that port. 

I am on my 1st O cruise - Iceland to New York, there are 3 ports in Iceland, 4 in Greenland, 2 in Newfoundland, 1 in Nova Scotia and 1 in Maine. I booked the cruise for the PORTS. If there is any dubious dropping a port, I will be livid. I understand there are circumstances like weather, strikes that impact port access, been cruising since 1989.

As I have stated on this thread early, O appears to have a reputation of dropping ports, Google is your friend. My TA who worked on O in the past, admits same. He has stated that more customers than you might think have dropped O due to missing ports - his customers have moved to Az and the luxury lines.  

So, I am on heightened alert for the port issue, food decline (my TA will be the judge and has asked me to take notes and photographs) etc.

I will be posting post cruise with my analysis.

 

[pinotlover]

Besides totally missing ports, don’t forget about shortening port stays. We got on the Vista and was greeted by a new cruise schedule. Times cut in three of ten ports. How many believe the Captain made those decisions on Embarkment Day? 

[QuestionEverything]

Just now, pinotlover said:

Besides totally missing ports, don’t forget about shortening port stays. We got on the Vista and was greeted by a new cruise schedule. Times cut in three of ten ports. How many believe the Captain made those decisions on Embarkment Day? 

Excellent point indeed. This port skipping file smells to high heaven and O is heavily implicated. I suspect you have read the many posts over the years regarding this item.

This is all planned to reduce the costs to O and they think the passengers will suck it up. I most certainly will not.

This is O's one chance with my husband and I, they screw up the ports, no further business. 

I am in no way a loyal consumer, I will cancel any service provider.

Thanks so much for remining us all about this important point.

 

[Vineyard View]

We are also scheduled on our first Oceania cruise next Spring. These posts make me wonder if I should second guess my decision. We chose the itinerary as the primary, backed by our TA highly encouraging the food aspect, plus the Marina renovation. If ports are skipped for no apparent reason, and port times are reduced once on board, it will be a one and done for us as well. 

[LHT28]

Rule # 1  NEVER book a cruise  if you want to see  a specific  & if you do not it will ruin your life

 

We have tried 3 times to visit Wales on a cruise  each attempt was foiled by King Neptune & Mother Nature

[Vineyard View]

6 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Rule # 1  NEVER book a cruise  if you want to see  a specific  & if you do not it will ruin your life

 

We have tried 3 times to visit Wales on a cruise  each attempt was foiled by King Neptune & Mother Nature

Ports are skipped for legitimate reasons, and that just happens. What I am reading are very questionable skipped ports on the itinerary reviewed, along with a number of others that have chimed in. When I read that this is an Oceania pattern, that concerns me. So I guess the question is how legit is the concern?  How prevalent is this vs similar lines, or luxury? Again, notwithstanding ports that are legit skips.