Just back from Riviera - Lisbon-Rome

Had a great time. I have read Kekilia's live review, and don't really have much which is unique to add to it, so I will keep this brief. I am more than happy to answer questions, just didn't want to duplicate what has already been reported.

This was our third Oceania cruise, all on Riviera (the first being almost a year ago) and we could detect no discernible difference in the level of quality, service or amenities since the NCL takeover. It continues to amaze and delight us that Oceania can get so much right so consistently. We ate in all the specialties, a couple of times, and our order of preference remains unchanged (Red Ginger our absolute favourite, followed closely by Toscana and then Jacques and Polo Grill). Polo Grill was an improvement for us on our last visit - with perfectly prepared steaks this time. La Reserve was also excellent, although we cancelled our second reservation there because we wanted to squeeze in an additional Red Ginger experience!

This time we were in an Oceania suite, so we have experienced the Penthouse, Owners and Oceania suites to date. I mention this in case anyone has questions or would like comparisons, but won't go through them all here as regular readers will probably have heard it all before!

After the cruise we went on to Verona, where we met up with friends and went to 2 operas at the Verona arena - absolutely magical, and well worth the trip from either Venice or Rome.

Back down to earth now, and piles of washing...

Glad to hear you had a great trip! Thanks for checking in.

Enjoy that laundry.... ;-)

Donna

I am interested in the cabin level. I am sure more will support your comments and the offer to answer questions.

Please continue.

Carry on Daisy UK, your offer of insight where you have experiences is very much appreciated!! Sometimes peoples shoes are just too tight:D

carry on daisy uk, your offer of insight where you have experiences is very much appreciated!! Sometimes peoples shoes are just too tight:d

+1 :d

Thank you all (except for he or she who apparently has fun cruising!) :)

DaisyUK,

Looking forward to your full review - thank you.

And when you come up for air, or out from under your laundry, I would love to read your comparison of the three suites. I am just starting to explore Oceania, and am trying to soak up as much info from different perspectives as possible.:rolleyes:

Thank you!

Well, I wasn’t really going to do a full review – mainly because Kekilia did the live blog which I thought was pretty comprehensive.

However, since you asked so nicely (and the laundry is so boring) here goes!

Embarkation was swift and easy. At 11am on the dot, we were boarding the Riviera, and at 11.15am we were in our Oceania suite.

The suite was great. The bedroom was pretty small (just room for the bed, 2 bedside cabinets and room to walk around the bed) and a small, but well-lit dressing table with mirror over. Sliding doors gave access to the balcony with Jacuzzi. Although smaller than I had expected, the room was well-planned and worked well.

The bathroom was large and well appointed with a bath, separate shower, twin basins and vanity and excellent storage behind the mirrors over the sinks. Actually, I only discovered these concealed cupboards the day before disembarking. I was lounging in the bath, enjoying my Bvlgari teabag and idly looking around, when I noticed two ‘marks’ on the mirror. When I finally got out, I investigated and discovered the marks were in fact handles. I wish I’d known this at the outset as I hate to have ‘stuff’ cluttering up the vanity.

The living/dining room and bar worked very well indeed, and I liked having the wet bar (which we didn’t have in the OS).

I know some don’t like the media room, but we found it cosy and really quite enjoyed it.

My husband started out using the guest bath, but the shower in there wasn’t great, and eventually he moved over to the shower in the main bathroom which was bigger and better.

What I loved most about the Oceania suite (over the OS) was its location. Close to the pool, terrace café, elevators etc. and just a floor down from the fitness centre and spa. Generally it was very quiet and peaceful and we would be very happy to repeat the experience.

A very pleasant surprise was that Sandeep (our butler from our last trip) came to say hello and brought with him some items we had left in our suite. Most unexpected and very welcome. Another pleasant surprise was how many members of staff (is that the right terminology?) remembered us from our last cruise and took the time to greet us (admittedly our last cruise was not that long ago, but nevertheless I was pretty impressed).

A quick comparison on suites. I have been very happy with all 3 suites we have experienced (Penthouse, Oceania and Owners) and would be happy to book any of them on future cruises, depending on circumstances. I think all are very well designed and appointed and I think the pricing is consistent with the benefits of each.

The first time we cruised with Oceania, we got a great last-minute deal in a PH and in terms of value for money I don’t think it could be beaten.

The second time we were celebrating a happy conclusion to a major health scare and so splashed out on an OS. It was absolutely fantastic, and if money were no object I would go for it every time. As well as the extra space, wonderful appointments and fabulous, fabulous views, there are the additional dining reservations in the specialty restaurants - which is a biggie for us. I know this is not important for many, but for us it’s one of the main reasons we have become so loyal to Oceania and therefore has a value. Also, I have to say that the butler service was superb, and added to the overall experience.

The Oceania suite has the same dining advantages at a lower price but of course the suite is half the size of the Owners (but not half the cost).

We made a future booking while onboard, and had to decide between fewer days cruising next year in a top suite, or more days in less expensive accommodation. It wasn’t a no-brainer, but in the end we did decide on fewer days in greater luxury.

Food, as I have already mentioned, was – yet again – outstanding. We had one unfortunate experience in Jacques (my favourite dish there, the lobster thermidor was dreadful – made worse by the fact that I had persuaded my husband to have it also) but other than that I can honestly say that each and every dining experience was an absolute pleasure. Both the food and the service were impeccable in all restaurants.

Jacques Pepin was on board and did a cookery demonstration with his daughter (and grand-daughter, who was so cute) which was very entertaining. All the chefs came out and presented him with a birthday cake and we sang 'Happy Birthday' to him. I think he was quite moved. He also did a couple of question and answer sessions and book signings. Before cruising Oceania, we had never heard of him – despite the huge number of cookery programmes on British TV, I don’t think his have ever been broadcast. I can certainly see his appeal. He is charming, funny, self-deprecating, and knowledgeable and we very much enjoyed his demonstration.

I will write more tomorrow as it is after 11pm here in England, so time for bed.

Another pleasant surprise was how many members of staff (is that the right terminology?) remembered us from our last cruise and took the time to greet us (admittedly our last cruise was not that long ago, but nevertheless I was pretty impressed).

This was truly amazing to us also. We can go 18 months without cruising Oceania and then we get on board, staff members remember who we are. It was a nice experience that made us feel even more welcome to be cruising again with Oceania.

DaisyUK,

Thank you for the review.

I also like the lobster thermidore @ Jacques and was thus disappointed to hear that is was "dreadful". What exactly went wrong? Did you ask the staff (or even JP himself) about it? Did you have it again a different time on this cruise?

DaisyUK,

Thank you for the review.

I also like the lobster thermidore @ Jacques and was thus disappointed to hear that is was "dreadful". What exactly went wrong? Did you ask the staff (or even JP himself) about it? Did you have it again a different time on this cruise?

I should have mentioned that it was the second time this cruise for me (first for DH). The first time it was its usual perfection - large, tender morsels of lobster wrapped in a light, velvety sauce. This time, the sauce had a thick, gloopy and 'floury' taste and texture. The lobster pieces were tiny and few and far between (and barely distinguishable from the mushrooms). Although we didn't make a point of complaining, we were asked what was wrong and whether we would prefer something else as it was pretty obvious neither of us had eaten much. We explained the problem and received profuse apologies. At this point in the cruise we had eaten so well and so often(!) that we were happy to have a 'light' night so chose not to have an alternative. Had we been able to get only one reservation in Jacques, we would have been bitterly disappointed and made more of a fuss.

. Another pleasant surprise was how many members of staff (is that the right terminology?) remembered us from our last cruise and took the time to greet us (admittedly our last cruise was not that long ago, but nevertheless I was pretty impressed).

I was advised by someone in the know that they review the passengers and their awful ID card photos taken on previous cruises ;-) in the last days of the prior cruise. That's how the magic happens!

Mo

Well, good for them. I had mentioned to our butler that we would be back this month, but didn't expect him to remember. I have never been one for wanting attention - we are just onboard for a limited amount of time to spend time together. I have to admit, though, that it gave us a nice, warm feeling!

I was advised by someone in the know that they review the passengers and their awful ID card photos taken on previous cruises ;-) in the last days of the prior cruise. That's how the magic happens!

 

Mo

If that is truly the case then I am impressed as well :rolleyes:

How a staff member could remember us on a cruise 4 yrs later is amazing

Daisy, great info. Thank you for taking the time. I can't imagine ever being able to afford an owner's suite, but the other two are within our reach, especially for a special celebration cruise.

My fave memories of Jacques P. Are the shows he did with Julia Child. Both of their personalities translated clearly through the TV media! Thank you again for sharing your perspective with us!

Thank you and you're welcome. I'll do the next bit as soon as I can. I love that film about Julia Child (Julia & Julia I think?) I didn't know she and JP had appeared together. I wish I had; I would have asked him about it in one of the Q&A sessions.

Daisy, Jacques was a frequent visitor to Julia's PBS (public tv) cooking show. They were a hoot together. If I ever had the opportunity, I'd love to ask him what his favorite Julia memory/story is.

If that is truly the case then I am impressed as well :rolleyes:

 

How a staff member could remember us on a cruise 4 yrs later is amazing

When we were on the Black Sea cruise in August 2012 on Regatta we were going down to the Deck 4 gangway for a tour and ran into a cabin stewardess who had served us several years earlier when we were in a PH. I don't recall if it was on the same ship or not but it had been an "R" ship.

But she remembered us just as we remembered her. Although I will admit it was easier for us to remember HER! I doubt that she had reviewed cruise photos since she was not working on the deck where we were staying. It was lovely running into her. (I doubt she remembered our names but then we didn't remember hers.) But we'd be delighted to have her cleaning our room for us again.

Mura

Daisy, Jacques was a frequent visitor to Julia's PBS (public tv) cooking show. They were a hoot together. If I ever had the opportunity, I'd love to ask him what his favorite Julia memory/story is.

One of them may be her dropping the chicken on the floor, picking it up and "dusting it off" and keep on going as if nothing had happened (accompanied by her inimitable laugh) :D

Those were the days of live TV shows.

That is certainly MY favorite.

I did exactly the same thing when our parents came to dinner one night at the apartment where my sister and I lived. They didn't see it, so it was okay in my book.

Mura

That is certainly MY favorite.

 

I did exactly the same thing when our parents came to dinner one night at the apartment where my sister and I lived. They didn't see it, so it was okay in my book.

 

Mura

In my early 20's I decided to make a turkey and invite my family. I placed it on the counter to start carving (small kitchen) and it fell into the dishwater in the sink. I promptly rinsed it and continued on...my Mother never said a thing. When I was older we all remembered it with much laughter.

I do suspect that these adventures are not all that rare ...

Mura

One of them may be her dropping the chicken on the floor, picking it up and "dusting it off" and keep on going as if nothing had happened (accompanied by her inimitable laugh) :D

Those were the days of live TV shows.

Lol, I know that is my favorite!