Vista Review - Roman Rivièra’s July 25th – August 4th.

[oskidunker]

27 minutes ago, Dwtlion said:

Today's edition of Cruise Industry News, in an article about NCL's efforts to increase margins, had the following comment:

"Mark Kempa, CEO, said cost reductions in the second quarter were driven by lower food costs and what he said were crew optimization efforts."

I will let readers form their own opinions on the relevance of the above review to Mr. Kempa's comment.

Less crew. Lesser quality food.

[china addict]

This is one of the best cruise reviews I've ever read, detailed, thoughtful, and objective.  I have 15 Oceania cruises under my belt, some dating back to the early years before the launch of Riviera and Marina.  I always used to be impressed with the food and level of service, but my three post-Covid cruises have revealed a notable decline in food selection and quality.  Although always smiling, the staff are now clearly overworked.  Oceania built a solid niche for itself over the past twenty years by offering "the finest cuisine at sea", but it appears Mark Kempa is a bean-counter and his sole priority is profitability.  I suspect many Oceania loyalists will be considering moving up a level.  We will be boarding Riviera on October 30th and will keep an open mind, but unless the dining experience improves it's doubtful we'll reach that coveted free 20th cruise.  That would help Mr. Kempa's bottom line!

[Sthrngary]

13 minutes ago, china addict said:

This is one of the best cruise reviews I've ever read, detailed, thoughtful, and objective.  I have 15 Oceania cruises under my belt, some dating back to the early years before the launch of Riviera and Marina.  I always used to be impressed with the food and level of service, but my three post-Covid cruises have revealed a notable decline in food selection and quality.  Although always smiling, the staff are now clearly overworked.  Oceania built a solid niche for itself over the past twenty years by offering "the finest cuisine at sea", but it appears Mark Kempa is a bean-counter and his sole priority is profitability.  I suspect many Oceania loyalists will be considering moving up a level.  We will be boarding Riviera on October 30th and will keep an open mind, but unless the dining experience improves it's doubtful we'll reach that coveted free 20th cruise.  That would help Mr. Kempa's bottom line!

@china addict I hope you will post from onboard the Riviera that week.  I will be going on when you come off on November 9, 2023.  I also get what you are saying.  I used to study companies and their culture.  Culture is everything in strong brands. One such example was Toyota and Lexus.  They have something called the "Toyota Way".  Part of this culture is to always look for ways to "reduce cost without negatively effecting quality".  That is the trick and with all the comments about food quality and service on reviews recently, it seams like Oceania has not yet mastered the balance.  For folk like myself who never sailed Oceania before, it is all NEW.  We are just looking for improvement mainly from Mainstream Brands.  What we will notice is over worked crew members especially on sea days and food quality.  As it related to steak being over cooked, that is a staffing issue.

 

My hope is that some of these issue will selfishly work themselves our for you and myself over the next 90 days.  That is my hope anyway.  Attitude is everything in life and mine is the "Glass is always half full with Vodka".  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[travelfan20]

Appreciate the effort in taking time to provide your detailed review . Very helpful for a future first timer in May 2024 . We have sailed mostly on Celebrity and have tried Silver Seas last year , looking forward to seeing the new Vista , it looks and sounds wonderful. 

 

We are also interested in doing a private transfer to Taormina as you did on your cruise . 

May i ask who you booked this with and did they do a return as well from the port in Catania 

 

thanks again 

 

Cheers

[rxlowry]

NCL was our go to line for years for cruises to supplement our luxury cruises.  They’ve gone way down from our start and even more since 2020.  Our last cruise with them, the  crew was so tired and miserable.  We chatted with our room steward who was so upset with changes.  We booked this Oceania cruise to test them out and I really hope the crew are not as sad as on NCL.  
I haven’t been on Regent in some time but I wonder if they’ve noticed changes there?

[maxamize]

4 hours ago, travelfan20 said:

Appreciate the effort in taking time to provide your detailed review . Very helpful for a future first timer in May 2024 . We have sailed mostly on Celebrity and have tried Silver Seas last year , looking forward to seeing the new Vista , it looks and sounds wonderful. 

 

We are also interested in doing a private transfer to Taormina as you did on your cruise . 

May i ask who you booked this with and did they do a return as well from the port in Catania 

 

thanks again 

 

Cheers

 Thank you for your reply. We used Maria from Taormina Transfer. livingsicily2018 at gmail.com. Very friendly. The driver picked us up drove us to Taormina and waited until we returned. You can explore the town on your own. Just a couple of streets. Very pretty. They also do other private tours. Highly recommended company 

[Verokaren]

Greetings from Vista on its current voyage, Barcelona to Southampton!  I read Maxamize's fantastic review last evening with trepidation, as this was our first day on board the Vista. I thought I would share my first impressions to allay some fears out there. 

 

I think we can all agree that the ship is absolutely beautiful, and it appears to be designed with the future in mind. I too have to wonder what they were thinking regarding the closet design, but wonder if they were trying to incorporate the full length mirror and/or door to the next Suite to make connecting rooms. Unfortunately, my TA nor I noticed that 10031 is a connecting room, so we do not have the full length mirror. Oh well… Probably better off that way, 🤨. This is definitely waste of space, though. Also, I think they could have made the bathroom shower, slightly smaller as it crowds the first sink coming in. Just a minor detail…

 

More importantly, we have our first day at sea today, and I was pleasantly surprised by the civility at the pool! There were many chairs and even big loungers still available at noon, and the vibe was peaceful and fun. 
I was approached several times by the crew, offering iced water, and everyone has smiles on their faces. We were even startled yesterday to be greeted by a crew member in Aquamar who recognized us from the Riviera a year or two ago! 
 

we also had dinner and Toscana last evening. I did feel like the portions were smaller, which is fine with me. We had some pastas, and then the Dover sole, which was yummy as usual. Wait, staff were slightly rushed, but I'm sure that was the same in the main dining room. Further evaluation needed for all dining areas. I will say the bakery and expanded Baristas is fantastic! Beautiful little quiches and baked goods available all day. Vincenzo is holding down the barista bar!

 

We did request a few little things from our Butler like ice in the room and sparkling water, and they were delivered within five minutes!

 

I am also keeping a close eye on the new Crystal reviews, but for now, Vista is maintaining, and perhaps exceeding Oceania's bar.
 

 I'll keep you posted with further updates, if anything changes!

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Verokaren said:

Greetings from Vista on its current voyage, Barcelona to Southampton!  I read Maxamize's fantastic review last evening with trepidation, as this was our first day on board the Vista. I thought I would share my first impressions to allay some fears out there. 

 

 

Maybe start your own thread  so people will know it is different

 

Different sailings will have  a different vibe  

we were on a B2B   one year 

 

1st cruise   was just fine   no problem getting  2 tops in GDR     or deck chairs

2nd sailing  no chance of a 2 top  unless it was  9pm  pool deck was busy

both were Caribbean cruises

 

JMO

[slewis7]

Thanks so much to the OP for a comprehensive, well written and helpful review.  One of the best I have ever read on Cruise Critic!
 

I find some of the criticisms to be very concerning as we are new to Oceania and have two future bookings - the first on Insignia and then Vista.  The main reason we wanted to try Oceania is to test their claim to having the best cuisine at sea.  We also will have our first experiences with butlers having booked Penthouse Suites.  If these two elements fall short, we will be very disappointed.   Of course, food quality can be very subjective and quality of service can vary greatly, so I remain hopeful we will have a better experience.

[LHT28]

17 minutes ago, slewis7 said:

Thanks so much to the OP for a comprehensive, well written and helpful review.  One of the best I have ever read on Cruise Critic!
 

I find some of the criticisms to be very concerning as we are new to Oceania and have two future bookings - the first on Insignia and then Vista.  The main reason we wanted to try Oceania is to test their claim to having the best cuisine at sea.  We also will have our first experiences with butlers having booked Penthouse Suites.  If these two elements fall short, we will be very disappointed.   Of course, food quality can be very subjective and quality of service can vary greatly, so I remain hopeful we will have a better experience.

Go with no expectations  & an open mind

 There  are a lot of new staff  so it may be  a learning curve for them

Most are not trained  before  hand   & maybe never worked in the cruise industry before 

they learn on the job 

Pack some patience & manners 

 

If you have a problem speak to management  when it happens  not  B***h about it on CC

Enjoy the cruises

 

Lyn

[slewis7]

8 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Go with no expectations  & an open mind

 There  are a lot of new staff  so it may be  a learning curve for them

Most are not trained  before  hand   & maybe never worked in the cruise industry before 

they learn on the job 

Pack some patience & manners 

 

If you have a problem speak to management  when it happens  not  B***h about it on CC

Enjoy the cruises

 

Lyn

I agree that it is always important to express your opinion directly to the cruise company.  Some lines have been very responsive to us when we have done so;  we no longer sail on a luxury line that did not respond to our very specific criticisms in their survey.  
 

I hope you are not implying anyone who posts a critical review on Cruise Critic is “bitching” about it.

Edited August 5, 2023 by slewis7

[Harters]

15 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

Part of this culture is to always look for ways to "reduce cost without negatively effecting quality".

My companion in life used to be a procurement manager for a major oil company. The unofficial motto of the buyers used to be "We aim to fail cheaply".

[LHT28]

31 minutes ago, slewis7 said:

I hope you are not implying anyone who posts a critical review on Cruise Critic is “bitching” about it.

Of course not

 

 I have seen this time & time again  where someone will complain about  their butler, the  wait staff  or other issues that could be dealt with onboard at the time

 When asked if they spoke to management onboard   they respond with NO

Of course it is their personal choice  not to speak up & have the issue dealt  with  then & there

 

I find it better to deal with issues when they happen 

Like when DH was served raw chicken in RG   or bad Dover sole in Jacques

 

JMO

 

 

 

 

 

 

[beechwood]

Many thanks to the OP for a such a comprehensive review. Myself and husband ( mid 60’s and from the UK)  were on the same cruise and reading and discussing the comments kept us nicely occupied at Barcelona airport yesterday.  Whilst not attempting such a thorough review, these are our main thoughts of our 9th cruise with Oceania and first on Vista.

 

We had a concierge level cabin and found the cabin’s lighter and more contemporary decor much preferable to the dark wood and clashing paintings of previous trips.  The cabin did seem less soundproof than previously experienced, we could hear people talking in one adjoining cabin which was irritating when trying to sleep in the late evening. We missed the bath but the bathroom was done very well, the closet light was very irritating as it would turn on and off at random times whilst trying to find clothes, and for some strange reason the height of the desk/ dressing table and wall mirror was far too high (and I am 5’7”).

 

We found the food to be generally good in the MDR although the choice seemed more limited, particularly with the vegetable sides which were “assorted vegetables” (always too soft and looked like they had been boiled from frozen) and an alternative of thin asparagus.  The stand out for us was Red Ginger, the food seemed to come in slightly smaller portions than we recalled but the whole operation there was like a well oiled machine and the service the most attentive we received.  The absolute worst dining experience was in Toscana where the service and food was far below par compared to previous cruises with Oceania.  The terrace was great for breakfast and, unlike the past, orange juice was automatically served as “fresh” rather than having to specify this.

 

Turning to the deck experience, we can make little comment as we only walked across it to reach somewhere else. We did hear a number of conversations on the deck at around 9am on sea day regarding why there were no loungers in the shade available and, yes, there were far too few seating options in the shade. Speaking as someone who has experienced the worst form of skin cancer, it is difficult to comprehend why Oceania would launch a new ship with a reduced amount of shade over predecessors.

 

We enjoyed all the ports, although Livorno (as always) was a struggle as we have had both hotel stays and day trips to Florence in the past. We actually ended up having an interesting and cheap day out, we travelled to Montenero Sanctuary by bus and funicular (buses are free on Sunday) and then travelled by train to Lucca. The whole trip cost us 26 euros! It was rather annoying that the cruise itinerary showed both St Tropez and Monte Carlo as docking ports, I even questioned this with my TA as I’d never known St Tropez to be anything other than a tender port, and both ports ended up being tenders.  
 

With regards ship excursions, we can make no comment on these as we never use them.  We always just do our own thing, we walked at least ten miles at each destination as we love the exercise and consider walking to be the best way to get to know somewhere.  Hopefully, we can carry on in this manner and appreciate that we are blessed to be able to do this.

 

Overall, we had a great cruise and a lovely time. The only downside is that it is likely to be our last time on Oceania because of the introduction of “Simply More” with its inclusive excursions and alcohol with lunch and dinner, neither of which we would use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[beechwood]

Oh, and I forgot to mention that my husband tested positive for Covid this morning!

[maxamize]

56 minutes ago, beechwood said:

Oh, and I forgot to mention that my husband tested positive for Covid this morning!

Wish him well! 

[Badin]

Oh no for the Covid.....hope you find relief with Dr prescribed meds.

The virus is around this summer as more cases are reported in the states.  Folks who are flying may well want to wear a KN95 mask.  We are!  Don't want our beautiful trip hampered by a virus🤮

[LuAnn]

Verokaren...would you mind checking to see if they have Chai Tea in Baristas? Thank you so much. I really enjoy a Chai Tea Latte!! 🙂

[Lastdance]

  Many thanks for your very detailed and thorough review, as it provided much needed insight on Vista. 😀 We have yet to cruise on Oceania, but did book a Ph1 suite last March.  Our first cruise will be a TA to Portugal/Lisbon; Unfortunately, it may also be our last, as we do not utilize “Simply More.”  It seems like so many cruise lines are declining in food and service, although we loved our Retreat experience on Celebrity Beyond for a b2b in April/May.  Beyond is now only sailing the Caribbean, so that led us to try Oceania due to all the great things we have heard, along with a smaller ship vibe and a great way to Lisbon.  Of course, trying something new comes with its own pros and cons, not to mention the comparison factor.  So many things have changed since Covid, and not for the better, IMHO, but we will cruise being newbies with glasses half-full.  Hopefully, no one will knock our glasses over!

[DENIE]

@maximize - Thanks for such a comprehensive review.  We are sailing on Vista in January 2024 in a Penthouse Suite. We sailed on Riviera (Rome-Barcelona) in June 2022, so will be interesting to compare, although that one was in a Concierge stateroom.

[Lenbro1944]

11 hours ago, Verokaren said:

Greetings from Vista on its current voyage, Barcelona to Southampton!  I read Maxamize's fantastic review last evening with trepidation, as this was our first day on board the Vista. I thought I would share my first impressions to allay some fears out there. 

 

I think we can all agree that the ship is absolutely beautiful, and it appears to be designed with the future in mind. I too have to wonder what they were thinking regarding the closet design, but wonder if they were trying to incorporate the full length mirror and/or door to the next Suite to make connecting rooms. Unfortunately, my TA nor I noticed that 10031 is a connecting room, so we do not have the full length mirror. Oh well… Probably better off that way, 🤨. This is definitely waste of space, though. Also, I think they could have made the bathroom shower, slightly smaller as it crowds the first sink coming in. Just a minor detail…

 

More importantly, we have our first day at sea today, and I was pleasantly surprised by the civility at the pool! There were many chairs and even big loungers still available at noon, and the vibe was peaceful and fun. 
I was approached several times by the crew, offering iced water, and everyone has smiles on their faces. We were even startled yesterday to be greeted by a crew member in Aquamar who recognized us from the Riviera a year or two ago! 
 

we also had dinner and Toscana last evening. I did feel like the portions were smaller, which is fine with me. We had some pastas, and then the Dover sole, which was yummy as usual. Wait, staff were slightly rushed, but I'm sure that was the same in the main dining room. Further evaluation needed for all dining areas. I will say the bakery and expanded Baristas is fantastic! Beautiful little quiches and baked goods available all day. Vincenzo is holding down the barista bar!

 

We did request a few little things from our Butler like ice in the room and sparkling water, and they were delivered within five minutes!

 

I am also keeping a close eye on the new Crystal reviews, but for now, Vista is maintaining, and perhaps exceeding Oceania's bar.
 

 I'll keep you posted with further updates, if anything changes!

We have booked cabin 10031 for a future cruise on Vista. I had seen a video of a Penthouse suite that had the connecting door where the full length mirror normally is. I would think Oceania would find another place to hang a full length mirror. Have you questioned any one whether Oceania plans to correct this problem?Looking forward to your reply.

[sweetsailing]

On 8/4/2023 at 5:52 AM, maxamize said:

Thank you for such a detailed, honest review.  I agree with almost everything you posted.  I was on the first 2 sailings of Vista and have also cruised on other Oceania ships.  I had high expectations. Some were met, but others weren’t. I also agree 100% with the person who noted that satisfaction is generally dependent on your past experiences.  It’s always hard with a new ship because there is an expectation that everything will be perfect, which is almost impossible to achieve. 
 

I second all of your comments re: the culinary experience.  I would also add that the dramatic Toscana and Red Ginger productions re: olive oil and chopsticks seem dated.  Once you’ve heard that speech, you don’t need to hear it every time you dine there.

I have recently learned that Oceania lost a lot of its culinary leadership, including the most senior person, to the new Explora cruise line.  This might explain why things have slipped.  
 

The food quality is still way above most cruise food, but when you advertise “the finest cuisine at sea”, people expect everything to be excellent. 

Regarding technology, it amazes me that Oceania is always talking about their environmental efforts yet they kill multiple trees every day with all of the paper flyers, daily programs, reservation cards, “newspapers”, etc, that they leave on your bed.  They should have an app that contains all of this info and there should be an option at embarkation to opt out of all of the paper. I have mentioned this in numerous post-cruise reviews and they continue to say that their target guest does not want an app. But this doesn’t make sense to me. Their target guest probably also didn’t want Vero water or many other changes they have made yet that did not stop them from introducing those items. 

[IDL]

18 hours ago, beechwood said:

Many thanks to the OP for a such a comprehensive review. Myself and husband ( mid 60’s and from the UK)  were on the same cruise and reading and discussing the comments kept us nicely occupied at Barcelona airport yesterday.  Whilst not attempting such a thorough review, these are our main thoughts of our 9th cruise with Oceania and first on Vista.

 

We had a concierge level cabin and found the cabin’s lighter and more contemporary decor much preferable to the dark wood and clashing paintings of previous trips.  The cabin did seem less soundproof than previously experienced, we could hear people talking in one adjoining cabin which was irritating when trying to sleep in the late evening. We missed the bath but the bathroom was done very well, the closet light was very irritating as it would turn on and off at random times whilst trying to find clothes, and for some strange reason the height of the desk/ dressing table and wall mirror was far too high (and I am 5’7”).

 

We found the food to be generally good in the MDR although the choice seemed more limited, particularly with the vegetable sides which were “assorted vegetables” (always too soft and looked like they had been boiled from frozen) and an alternative of thin asparagus.  The stand out for us was Red Ginger, the food seemed to come in slightly smaller portions than we recalled but the whole operation there was like a well oiled machine and the service the most attentive we received.  The absolute worst dining experience was in Toscana where the service and food was far below par compared to previous cruises with Oceania.  The terrace was great for breakfast and, unlike the past, orange juice was automatically served as “fresh” rather than having to specify this.

 

Turning to the deck experience, we can make little comment as we only walked across it to reach somewhere else. We did hear a number of conversations on the deck at around 9am on sea day regarding why there were no loungers in the shade available and, yes, there were far too few seating options in the shade. Speaking as someone who has experienced the worst form of skin cancer, it is difficult to comprehend why Oceania would launch a new ship with a reduced amount of shade over predecessors.

 

We enjoyed all the ports, although Livorno (as always) was a struggle as we have had both hotel stays and day trips to Florence in the past. We actually ended up having an interesting and cheap day out, we travelled to Montenero Sanctuary by bus and funicular (buses are free on Sunday) and then travelled by train to Lucca. The whole trip cost us 26 euros! It was rather annoying that the cruise itinerary showed both St Tropez and Monte Carlo as docking ports, I even questioned this with my TA as I’d never known St Tropez to be anything other than a tender port, and both ports ended up being tenders.  
 

With regards ship excursions, we can make no comment on these as we never use them.  We always just do our own thing, we walked at least ten miles at each destination as we love the exercise and consider walking to be the best way to get to know somewhere.  Hopefully, we can carry on in this manner and appreciate that we are blessed to be able to do this.

 

Overall, we had a great cruise and a lovely time. The only downside is that it is likely to be our last time on Oceania because of the introduction of “Simply More” with its inclusive excursions and alcohol with lunch and dinner, neither of which we would use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you use the Concierge lounge?  Did your husband have any Covid symptoms while on the cruise? 

[beechwood]

59 minutes ago, IDL said:

Did you use the Concierge lounge?  Did your husband have any Covid symptoms while on the cruise? 

Yes, we used the Concierge lounge (for coffee as actually preferred the machine coffee to, in our opinion, the relatively tasteless coffee in Vista’s “Barista’s”. We thoroughly enjoyed Barista’s coffee on previous Riviera cruises and we were disappointed that, even after a replacement coffee was made, there was no comparison with Riviera’s.

 

My husband had no symptoms on the ship but felt tired and headachy whilst walking around Barcelona on the morning of disembarkation.  He definitely caught it during the cruise and, as we didn’t take any tours and used the stairs every time, we think that the most likely source was the shuttle buses.  These tended to look older than the excursion buses, ventilation was not great and we would cite the Marseilles shuttle bus as the most likely culprit ( a long slow journey to and from the ship coupled with a 20 minute wait onboard in the city centre whilst the coach filled up to capacity, plus much coughing all around).

 

 

[IDL]

8 minutes ago, beechwood said:

Yes, we used the Concierge lounge (for coffee as actually preferred the machine coffee to, in our opinion, the relatively tasteless coffee in Vista’s “Barista’s”. We thoroughly enjoyed Barista’s coffee on previous Riviera cruises and we were disappointed that, even after a replacement coffee was made, there was no comparison with Riviera’s.

 

My husband had no symptoms on the ship but felt tired and headachy whilst walking around Barcelona on the morning of disembarkation.  He definitely caught it during the cruise and, as we didn’t take any tours and used the stairs every time, we think that the most likely source was the shuttle buses.  These tended to look older than the excursion buses, ventilation was not great and we would cite the Marseilles shuttle bus as the most likely culprit ( a long slow journey to and from the ship coupled with a 20 minute wait onboard in the city centre whilst the coach filled up to capacity, plus much coughing all around).

 

 

Thank you, I hope he feels better soon.