Major glitch for special food needs - learn from me

[JillSR]

My husband and I are sailing on the Nautica on November 5 - we can't wait! It's our 25th anniversary celebration and have been planning it for a very long time. Now there is a glitch and I am nervous about how things will turn out. :confused: I'm explaining all of this so that others can learn from my problem and have a perfect sailing!

 

IF you have ANY special requests or needs with food, you MUST make sure it is on the manifest 90 days prior - not just on the reservation, as happened in my case. I don't know who is responsible for transfering the information, and the agent in special services wouldn't tell me (in fact she was a bit snippy with me, repeatedly saying that IF she had 90 days notice, they could accomodate all of my requests). My problem is that reservations had my restrictions - but no specific requests since I was incorrectly told they don't take requests - 90 days prior, but it didn't get to special services. UGH! It's incredibly frustrating because I called Oceania at least 5 times with other questions and each time confirmed that they have my food restriction list.

 

I am a vegetarian with serious sensitivities/allergies to dairy products, some spices, many chemicals found in toiletries and detergents, and xanthan gum (a thickening agent commonly found in salad dressing, marinades, and more). I asked the special agent yesterday if they could find me any vegetarian versions of beef commonly found in the US such as veggie burgers, fake beef for chili or meat sauce, or wheat gluten "steak". So far I've only been guaranteed beans - and that is only because there is a vegetarian and a vegan who are on the manifest. I lucked out that someone else has requested beans. I just hope that there will be enough variety and non-meat, non-dairy protein sources!

 

Oceania has a great reputation in every catagory and I really don't want the food to be a big disappointment for me. On the day we made the reservation I asked about getting a dairy free chocolate cake for our anniversary celebration and my TA was told that they can not promise to find dairy free chocolate in Europe. Now I found out from special services that with 90 days notice they can pretty much fill all requests! How frustrating!! (and to top it off, a celiac friend of mine who cruised last minute on Carnival [!] got a gluten-free dessert at every meal!)

 

I've got my fingers crossed...think positive for me...pass on other advice if you have...and for goodness sake, if you have any special food needs/requests, definitely make sure your information gets on the manifest.

[brian_uk]

My only real suggestion is to email and fax and write and call Frank del Rio.....maybe he can work his " Berries Magic "

 

Brian

[threeedogmedia]

Jill, this is a prime reason to have a good travel agent who knows the cruise line and how to make your requests known by the right people in the right amount of time. I'm not an agent but I do have a wonderful one who posts to this board on a regular basis. I haven't had to worry about one thing with the cruise we're booked on because of her and her team.

 

I hope that all works out well for you on your cruise. I do know that there are veggie burgers by the pool and did see numerous options for vegans - although I have no idea about the other items that they may have in the food that you are allergic to.

 

You have picked a wonderful line to cruise with and I'm sure that they will do their best to help you (regardless what the person in Miami has to say about it).

 

Karen

[phillipahain]

I was on the Nautica last month and have to be very careful over food and the way its cooked but they could not have been more accomodating

 

Speak to the Restuarant Manager as soon as you get on board if you have no luck with reservations

[Jancruz]

Jill, this is a prime reason to have a good travel agent who knows the cruise line and how to make your requests known by the right people in the right amount of time. I'm not an agent but I do have a wonderful one who posts to this board on a regular basis. I haven't had to worry about one thing with the cruise we're booked on because of her and her team.

 

I hope that all works out well for you on your cruise. I do know that there are veggie burgers by the pool and did see numerous options for vegans - although I have no idea about the other items that they may have in the food that you are allergic to.

 

You have picked a wonderful line to cruise with and I'm sure that they will do their best to help you (regardless what the person in Miami has to say about it).

 

Karen

 

My suggestion, Have your TA call and talk to someone higher than a reservation agent..this is really an easy problem to solve..I am not sure why you called but the truth is a high selling TA gets much better response than you would. I have said many times..always go through your TA they know the ropes..

Jan

*****

[JillSR]

How do I find contact info for Frank del Rio? I have heard that he is commited to making Oceania the best.

 

My TA is out of the country until after we leave. She's been gone for 2 weeks, or she would definitely be the one to make the call. I'm SO glad to hear there are veggie burgers - hopefully not dairy!

 

Thanks for your advice and encouragement

[glenneagle]

I have sever nut and fish allergies.The only cruise line that could not get my food orders correct was O.We cruise 3 times a year and have been on several lines with no problems,but for some reason on the nautica in june, every day was a problem.Good luck.

[fjdelrio]

Dear JillSR:

 

Saw your post.

Jan is right, this is why it's ALWAYS best to use a good TA.

 

E-mail or fax me (305 514 2297) an EXACT list of what you would like to have on board, and I will do all I can, including air freighting your special requests to Nautica, to make it possible.

Please understand that at this late date, we may not be able to accomodate some and maybe (let's hope not) all of your request. Clearing food stuffs in foreging ports is not easy and very time consuming, especially if the items are coming from the U.S. Are best shot is to source your special request items somewhere from a EU country for custom purposes.

 

Sorry about the mis-communiction on the manifest/reservation, sometimes these things happen. All we can do now is try to fix it.

 

Good luck

 

FDR

[meow!]

That is an extraordinary effort, albeit after a glitch. It also explains the complexity of the problem and why it needs sufficient prior notification. I wish other cruise lines will also have an authoritative representative so responsive on this cruise critic board!

[dwelsh]

The fact that Mr. DelRio monitors these boards is amazing. What other CEO uses this medium to keep his "ear to the ground" and takes immediate actions to mitigate problems?

 

The quality of "O" is enough to maintain its customers and the fact that it is almost impossible to make a 2008 booking is testimony to the quality that is offered. The active observations of the CEO add to the fact that this is the "best there is on the 7 seas."

[Jancruz]

Dear JillSR:

 

Saw your post.

Jan is right, this is why it's ALWAYS best to use a good TA.

 

E-mail or fax me (305 514 2297) an EXACT list of what you would like to have on board, and I will do all I can, including air freighting your special requests to Nautica, to make it possible.

Please understand that at this late date, we may not be able to accomodate some and maybe (let's hope not) all of your request. Clearing food stuffs in foreging ports is not easy and very time consuming, especially if the items are coming from the U.S. Are best shot is to source your special request items somewhere from a EU country for custom purposes.

 

Sorry about the mis-communiction on the manifest/reservation, sometimes these things happen. All we can do now is try to fix it.

 

Good luck

 

FDR

 

Hi Frank,

Thanks for agreeing with me, Stu always tells me Im right too..LOL..

Jan

*****

[JillSR]

I'm practically speechless!

I'll send a fax first thing in the morning.

 

thank you, thank you... :D

 

JillSR

[Golfette]

Boy am I impressed!!! First time Oceania cruisers next year. Don't have any special needs other than to have a good time, but the responsiveness shown by Oceania is awesome. Other lines could learn a good lesson right here. Thank you FDR whoever you are.

[Jancruz]

Boy am I impressed!!! First time Oceania cruisers next year. Don't have any special needs other than to have a good time, but the responsiveness shown by Oceania is awesome. Other lines could learn a good lesson right here. Thank you FDR whoever you are.

 

FDR is Chairman of the board of Oceania

Jan

*****

[serendipity1499]

Boy am I impressed!!! First time Oceania cruisers next year. Don't have any special needs other than to have a good time, but the responsiveness shown by Oceania is awesome. Other lines could learn a good lesson right here. Thank you FDR whoever you are.

 

LOL...I'm also impressed, but I was impressed last year when Mr. Del Rio posted on the HAL board & came to the rescue of a Psgr. who was almost bumped off her "O" cruise..She was terribly upset, but FDR worked it out & all the posters on the HAL board were really impressed..

 

That was one of the reasons, why we booked on Oceania, after having been dyed in the wool HAL cruisers...We're looking forward to our first Oceania cruise to the Amazon in 26 days..:)

 

JanCruz..It's a shame that you are waiting until next year & not going with us this year to the Amazon..We have a great group of CC's on this cruise..And have also heard many glowing reports about you! We're fortunate to also have a good TA who is keeping on top of everything for us..

 

JillSR...You are in good hands with Mr. Del Rio & hope you get your food requirements worked out..We wish you & your Hubby a Happy Anniversary & Bon Voyage...:) .

 

Cheers..Betty

[Jancruz]

[/u]

 

LOL...I'm also impressed, but I was impressed last year when Mr. Del Rio posted on the HAL board & came to the rescue of a Psgr. who was almost bumped off her "O" cruise..She was terribly upset, but FDR worked it out & all the posters on the HAL board were really impressed..

 

That was one of the reasons, why we booked on Oceania, after having been dyed in the wool HAL cruisers...We're looking forward to our first Oceania cruise to the Amazon in 26 days..:)

 

JanCruz..It's a shame that you are waiting until next year & not going with us this year to the Amazon..We have a great group of CC's on this cruise..And have also heard many glowing reports about you! We're fortunate to also have a good TA who is keeping on top of everything for us..

 

JillSR...You are in good hands with Mr. Del Rio & hope you get your food requirements worked out..We wish you & your Hubby a Happy Anniversary & Bon Voyage...:) .

 

Cheers..Betty

 

Thanks for the kind words..We would love to be going with you this year but Stu and I leave January 18 for a 5 week back to back Auckland to Sydney and Sydney to Bangkok..

Maybe you will like it so much you will go back again next yeaR?

Regards

Jan

*****

[cruzagain]

Yes, I think it's pretty impressive to know that a CEO would actually be involved directly with client's concerns! It will be our first cruise- Nautica-Rome to Singapore sailing Nov 18/08. and looking forward to celebrate our 34 yrs. W-anniversary & my husband's retirement. We don't eat pork, but I'm sure there's a lot of other choices we can eat!!! We love lamb.

[JillSR]

Cruzagain, happy anniversary to you! You should look on the Oceania main page and on the left side, click on "fine dining." There are sample menus and plenty of non-pork options. Our good friends who sailed on the Infinity in May said that after being on Oceania, they wouldn't want to cruise on any other line. I'm sure you'll love your trip!

 

Betty, thanks for the good wishes. We're leaving in a few days and getting more excited by the minute...

[brian_uk]

As I said in my very early post

 

"My only real suggestion is to email and fax and write and call Frank del Rio.....maybe he can work his " Berries Magic "

 

Brian"

 

Told you..........................

[arabrab]

Mr. del Rio's willingness to help is fabulous customer service, but his starting point of "always use a good travel agent" is a little ridiculous, particularly since the OP mentioned that she's brought up the food issue in five different calls to Oceana's customer service. Unless an agent books LOTS of cruises on Oceana for customers with unusual dietary needs (and the OP's goes far beyond the normal low-salt or vegetarian requests) how would they know or be likely to remember that the information needs to be on the manifest 90 days in advance rather than on the reservation? If Oceana's own customer service staff didn't recognize that there is a problem, why would the travel agent? If it is important to do it this way, why doesn't Oceana have a toggle switch on the reservation screen such that if you toggle YES to special dietary needs that it brings up a mandatory screen to input the information into the manifest?

 

This is a situation where I blame the system, not the people.

 

So, good for FdR, but even better if he gets the system fixed for the future.

[fjdelrio]

Dear JillSR

 

Got your fax.

Working on it.

 

FDR

[dbh62ark]

Yes, I think it's pretty impressive to know that a CEO would actually be involved directly with client's concerns!

Yes, and I've noticed this repeatedly over the last few years. Based on my experiences and the daily complaints on other cruise line boards stating issues that could easily be fixed, the other cruise lines could take a page from Mr. Del Rio's book. Kudos to Oceania.

 

Donna

[Golfette]

Mr. Del Rio is right on track. Bless him. Other cruiselines (who shall remain nameless) should take a page from his book. Pretending a problem does not exist (other cruiselines) does not work - especially on basic issues, such as A/C etc. Other cruiseline - please take note.

[forensic]

My husband and I are sailing on the Nautica on November 5 - we can't wait! It's our 25th anniversary celebration and have been planning it for a very long time. Now there is a glitch and I am nervous about how things will turn out. :confused: I'm explaining all of this so that others can learn from my problem and have a perfect sailing!

 

IF you have ANY special requests or needs with food, you MUST make sure it is on the manifest 90 days prior - not just on the reservation, as happened in my case. I don't know who is responsible for transferring the information, and the agent in special services wouldn't tell me (in fact she was a bit snippy with me, repeatedly saying that IF she had 90 days notice, they could accommodate all of my requests). My problem is that reservations had my restrictions - but no specific requests since I was incorrectly told they don't take requests - 90 days prior, but it didn't get to special services. UGH! It's incredibly frustrating because I called Oceania at least 5 times with other questions and each time confirmed that they have my food restriction list.

 

I am a vegetarian with serious sensitivities/allergies to dairy products, some spices, many chemicals found in toiletries and detergents, and xanthan gum (a thickening agent commonly found in salad dressing, marinades, and more). I asked the special agent yesterday if they could find me any vegetarian versions of beef commonly found in the US such as veggie burgers, fake beef for chili or meat sauce, or wheat gluten "steak". So far I've only been guaranteed beans - and that is only because there is a vegetarian and a vegan who are on the manifest. I lucked out that someone else has requested beans. I just hope that there will be enough variety and non-meat, non-dairy protein sources!

 

Oceania has a great reputation in every category and I really don't want the food to be a big disappointment for me. On the day we made the reservation I asked about getting a dairy free chocolate cake for our anniversary celebration and my TA was told that they can not promise to find dairy free chocolate in Europe. Now I found out from special services that with 90 days notice they can pretty much fill all requests! How frustrating!! (and to top it off, a Celiac friend of mine who cruised last minute on Carnival [!] got a gluten-free dessert at every meal!)

 

I've got my fingers crossed...think positive for me...pass on other advice if you have...and for goodness sake, if you have any special food needs/requests, definitely make sure your information gets on the manifest.

 

I am VERY confused here - I am a TA and I know that if I am handling a reservation the cruise line will only talk to me, NOT to my client. So DID you handle this reservation or your TA?

I had a Celiac client cruise the Med recently with Oceania, I called the dietary department more than 90 days before he cruised. Now, I do not know the differences between his needs and yours but he reported back to me that everything was 100% satisfactory. Including his desserts and snacks. He was required to eat all meals in the dining room because his sensitivity is so high he cannot risk ANY cross contamination. I also, called the dietary department again 30 days before he sailed to check in again and then 10 days before he sailed. Oceania was wonderful.

I am sorry for your problem.

[forensic]

Mr. del Rio's willingness to help is fabulous customer service, but his starting point of "always use a good travel agent" is a little ridiculous, particularly since the OP mentioned that she's brought up the food issue in five different calls to Oceania's customer service. Unless an agent books LOTS of cruises on Oceania for customers with unusual dietary needs (and the Po's goes far beyond the normal low-salt or vegetarian requests) how would they know or be likely to remember that the information needs to be on the manifest 90 days in advance rather than on the reservation? If Oceania's own customer service staff didn't recognize that there is a problem, why would the travel agent? If it is important to do it this way, why doesn't Oceania have a toggle switch on the reservation screen such that if you toggle YES to special dietary needs that it brings up a mandatory screen to input the information into the manifest?

 

This is a situation where I blame the system, not the people.

 

So, good for FdR, but even better if he gets the system fixed for the future.

 

You are WRONG my client was my first Celiac client every. It is the TA's JOB to be sure there is NOT a problem! A good TA cannot afford to sit around and wait to see if a problem turns up, they HAVE to be proactive. It is the clients vacation and hard earned money at stake. Is that all you expect from your TA? I am a TA that cares - that is ALL that is takes. I called Oceania and I asked them who should I talk to so that my client would not have any mix ups or problems. I wanted my client and his wife to have a GREAT CRUISE. That was what he was paying for, that is what he expected and that is what he deserved! I am a Joystar Agent and Joystar taught me that if I sell someone a cruise I am selling them a dream. I do not want to sell them a nightmare! Sometimes TA's don't take the time to make a few extra calls to be sure that they have all of their i's dotted and t's crossed. IF you REALLY care about your clients 50 phones calls are not too many. I am available to my clients 7/24 and I work 7 days a week from 9AM to 11PM. My clients deserve 100% accuracy from me EVERY time.