Sirena Reviews to Date

Has anyone else noticed the decidedly mediocre reviews Sirena has received so far? I know one of the really bad reviews focused on missed ports and there is the usual back and forth on food. That said, there seems to be a fair amount of carping about condition of the ship as a whole, the smaller cabins specifically, and even about service. We've only been on O once and that was the Marina so I don't have any R class experience to balance comments about a refurbed R ship; or, a recently refurbed ship of any sort. Anyway just looking for thoughts of folks with more relevant experience than me.:o Based upon our past experience with O, DH and I talked friends and family into a 12 cruise aboard Sirena early next year. These reviews are making me a bit uneasy.

Thanks for allowing me to whine:o

Greg

The cabins on the R ships are smaller than the O class ships

they cannot change that

I think some people did not do their homework when researching the ship size & cabin sizes on Oceania

The bathrooms are cozy to say the least... unless you are in a PH & above

Take the size of the C class cabin mark it out at home add a bathroom, closets, Bed desk & sofa then see if you can live in that space for the length of your cruise

Food is subjective

We just LOVE those old R ships - the size, the ambiance, the people who cruise on them -- and have been on five so far, both of the Azamaras and three of Oceanias!

Yes, they are different from the more glitzy large ships. They are more like being in an old manor home for a couple of weeks than being in a glitzy Las Vegas type hotel. Yes, the staterooms are smaller as are the balconies, but have you ever stayed in an older European hotel? Room size is comparable to those of the R ships.

Bottom line: I am sure to be sailing one of them in the future!

Has anyone else noticed the decidedly mediocre reviews Sirena has received so far? I know one of the really bad reviews focused on missed ports and there is the usual back and forth on food. That said, there seems to be a fair amount of carping about condition of the ship as a whole, the smaller cabins specifically, and even about service. We've only been on O once and that was the Marina so I don't have any R class experience to balance comments about a refurbed R ship; or, a recently refurbed ship of any sort. Anyway just looking for thoughts of folks with more relevant experience than me.:o Based upon our past experience with O, DH and I talked friends and family into a 12 cruise aboard Sirena early next year. These reviews are making me a bit uneasy.

 

Thanks for allowing me to whine:o

Greg

I have been watching the reviews too and they have not been great and on average keep going down. My concern is about the bathroom smells from back ups and the like as I know the size of the rooms. I hope the more recent cruises have cleared up things like this. I have an upcoming 12 night cruise in August. Was on the Regatta before a few years back and loved it. Am hoping that for $50MM they didn't miss the obvious things and that the crew, food and other issues have had their games upped to the level we deserve for the money paid.

Not having read the reviews (am currently away from home) - are these reviews from seasoned O cruisers or first timers?

If they are from the former, I would take those more seriously as they have a better basis for comparison with other O ships and prior O cruises.

Not having read the reviews (am currently away from home) - are these reviews from seasoned O cruisers or first timers?

If they are from the former, I would take those more seriously as they have a better basis for comparison with other O ships and prior O cruises.

A little of both; but mostly new to O. However, most are from experienced cruisers. At least one of the O veterans has been on both R and O Class ships.

I've heard from more than one source that the condition of the ship deteriorated wildly during the time that she finished out her schedules for Princess, which put Oceania behind the eight ball for the initial refit.

That said, extra maintenance people remain on board and they are correcting issues as quickly as they are being reported.

One very demanding matron of my acquaintance raised merry hell on her mid cruise survey and returned from a Shorex the following afternoon to find virtually every surface in her cabin replaced (rugs, wall-coverings, cabinets, curtains, lighting fixtures, the lot!).

Human nature being what it is , she was pleased by the swift progress but disliked that she had not found the cabin as pristine as she was leaving it.

I suppose we would all feel that way.

Anyway, take heart, progress IS being made.

I hope everything is in "shipshape" by the time I'm on Sirena in December! It sounds like Princess didn't bother doing refurbishments once they knew the ship would be sold, which is a shame.

I am hoping significant progress will be made soon. We are taking our first Oceania cruise on Sirena this October and have some pretty high expectations. I have not heard or read anything objectionable, except what's been posted on this thread, so it's concerning.

Sailing on her next week, so will let you know my opinion when we come back

I have been watching the reviews too and they have not been great and on average keep going down. My concern is about the bathroom smells from back ups and the like as I know the size of the rooms. I hope the more recent cruises have cleared up things like this. I have an upcoming 12 night cruise in August. Was on the Regatta before a few years back and loved it. Am hoping that for $50MM they didn't miss the obvious things and that the crew, food and other issues have had their games upped to the level we deserve for the money paid.

Do you honestly think that one of the most attentive-to-detail cruise lines in the world, which had already converted three other R ships over approximately the last decade, is going to spend millions and "miss the obvious things?"

We like Oceania's R ships and, because, we are sloop sailors at home, cabin size is not a big deal for us. However, the quality of cabin amenities from mattress to soap are. As for the food, it's Oceania - you'd be hard pressed to find better food elsewhere at sea.

I trust that your upcoming cruise will find you loving Sirena as much as you did Regatta.

Sailing on her next week, so will let you know my opinion when we come back

That would be greatly appreciated. :) The more people writing reviews or commenting about specifics on these boards, the better.

Greg

Sailing on her next week, so will let you know my opinion when we come back

I would greatly appreciate reading your thoughts and impressions. We're cruising on Sirena in October and looking forward to a great Oceania experience.

Wishing you a wonderful time on your cruise!

I suspect that O will have all its bugs worked out in short order. It should be a wonderful transformation from the Princess scows and it its any consolation just think of the people on the ship when princess, paying as much as O fares and enduring the princess "ambiance"

I would not even remotely worry....in fact I'd forget even worrying and just show up happy at boarding with out the weight of worry and what if and I hope nots.... Think positive and you will have a positive time verses coming on board with preconceived opinions from others as an anchor to your fun.

Too I think a lot of folks who are reviewing are used to the Riviera and Marina and the R class ships, which I love, will be different and in many ways better...( smaller, less passengers, greater ambiance, ) From sailing on Regatta, I found that you get either the PH or an inside as the outsides are all the same as an side but with a small balcony. I like the showers in an inside far better than in the PH.. ( no glass) however Serena has solved that with large showers and took out the tubs... which were useless and cumbersome...

I briefly looked at Sirena reviews - did not read them all and in great detail due to limited internet access.

The 2 people that gave it 1 star were new to Oceania and had no prior posts on CC (as far as I could tell).

That tells me a lot - among others:

No prior O cruise to compare it to - comparing Sirena to ships with 2500+ passengers is apples to oranges (or watermelons :D)

No prior posts on CC - probably did not do due diligence as to what to expect on a ship like Sirena (demographics, entertainment and activities, cabin sizes, etc).

I am sure that there are things that need work and fixing on Sirena, like with most "new" ships and crew, but I am not too worried about our Dec cruise. Will report back afterwards - especially re: new dining venues.

YMMV

agree with Paulchilli on the new to O reviews

one comment the cabins were small DUH!!! the ship is small

what were you expecting unless you book the OS

plus on an inaugural cruise after a refurb or drydock not everything will go smoothly even for Oceania

11 reviews for 2 months of cruises Yup I am going to them all to heart :rolleyes:

Has anyone else noticed the decidedly mediocre reviews Sirena has received so far? I know one of the really bad reviews focused on missed ports and there is the usual back and forth on food. That said, there seems to be a fair amount of carping about condition of the ship as a whole, the smaller cabins specifically, and even about service. We've only been on O once and that was the Marina so I don't have any R class experience to balance comments about a refurbed R ship; or, a recently refurbed ship of any sort. Anyway just looking for thoughts of folks with more relevant experience than me.:o Based upon our past experience with O, DH and I talked friends and family into a 12 cruise aboard Sirena early next year. These reviews are making me a bit uneasy.

 

Thanks for allowing me to whine:o

Greg

Hi Greg - good to see you on CC. As you probably know, we have sailed on the Riviera and enjoyed the ship. You and Gretchen seemed to enjoy the Silver Whisper very much (as did we). Although we have not sailed on the small Oceania ships, we did get a tour of the Nautica. While the décor isn't our taste, it was a lovely ship. Having said that, based on the staterooms/suites, we would not sail on what Oceania people insist on calling their "R" ships (although Regent doesn't use initials, there is the "R" logo so it will always mean Regent to us).

On the other hand, if you have friends and family on board and there will only be 2 people per stateroom/suite, it should be fine. For us, having such a small bathroom would be uncomfortable. Hope you all have a lovely cruise!

we would not sail on what Oceania people insist on calling their "R" ships (although Regent doesn't use initials, there is the "R" logo so it will always mean Regent to us).

Only you seem to take issue with people using the term " R ships"

If you google "R class ships " nothing comes up for Regent :rolleyes:

JMPO

I was on the maiden sailing of the Sirena, and taking that into consideration, there would always be some tweeking of specific areas. Having sailed on O quite a bit, I do have to say that I did not write a review following that trip because of my disappointment of the areas that should have been corrected, even in the short period it was in dry dock to take care of all the problems that Princess did not correct.

Of course the rooms would not change size. They are what they are in that type of ship, but that is fine and what is expected.

My daughter, who had never sailed O, compared the overall service and general appearance to the Riviera which we sailed over to Barcelona to meet the Sirena for the maiden.

She said she would not sail O again had the Sirena been her first exposure to O. She was disappointed in the service, BUT that being said, she loved the dining venues as did I. The new venues are great!!!

When we disembarked on the final day, I went to the Horizon to get coffee, and they had the whole area torn up with no prior information on this, and since we had to be off at 4 am, this was not a good arrangement. The disembarkation was an absolute nightmare.

The room staff were not prepared, and the service not up to O par. All of these things should have been ready for the sailing. So, you can see why I chose not to do a detailed review.

I'm sure those who will be sailing in the future will experience the old O standards and will fall in love with the ships as did my late husband and I. We had 18 cruises with O, so obviously they did something that pleased us.

For you all who are skeptical about your upcoming trips, just be happy that you booked O, and enjoy every minute of your cruise.

So I have been watching the reviews closely, and some folks on our roll call have expressed similar concerns about the Sirena reviews. Our first O cruise was on Nautica (and also on Renaissance R3 some years before - hence the "R-class' ships) and I thought the balcony cabins were quite nice at the time. I do fear I've been spoiled by the 'O-class' bathrooms more recently...and my biggest concern from the reviews is the "clingy shower curtain" that appears frequently in many of the reviews to date...I don't recall that, sounds pretty distasteful.

Eleven reviews don't make for a very good sample size, particularly since there are several reviews from the inaugural cruise...Seems to me back in the "old days" they referred to those things as "shakedown cruises"? Not a very marketable term, but probably still accurate.

Most reviews were very positive about the food and beds, so I think I'm safe there, and they hopefully have worked out many of the service kinks. That covers the most of the time I will spend aboard.

My big concern, and the reason I cancelled my next Marina cruise and booked on Sirena, is whether we will be in close proximity to the ports on the itinerary. There seems to be a disturbing trend on the O-class ships to dock far from the 'listed' port. So when we plan to be in Bordeaux, I hope we are actually in Bordeaux - not an hour away. If so, I expect we'll have a good cruise.

Either way, I'll let you all know when we return. And maybe add some photos too, now that they're supported on CC...

my biggest concern from the reviews is the "clingy shower curtain" that appears frequently in many of the reviews to date...I don't recall that, sounds pretty distasteful.

 

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They are probably the same curtains on all the R ships

so if you were on the Nautica in an A or B cabin you probably had one

some are more friendly than others ;)

Attitude can make or break any cruise or trip. We have cruised with Regent Celebrity, as well as taken 3 river cruises. All were fabulous experiences, even when some glitches came about on all those cruises. Nothing is perfect. We make the best of everything. We fully expect to have a fantastic time on Sirena in October.

Maiden voyages never run entirely smoothly and this is to be expected when booking such a cruise. I have no doubt that Oceania had/has been diligently working on correcting all issues.

Could not be more excited about our upcoming Oceania cruise!!! I greatly look forward to recent reviews on this forum.

I was on the Inaugural sailing. My partner Tom and I have previously sailed on the Riviera twice and Marina once. I am on CC regularly and post sometimes when the spirit moves me. We travel quite a bit and consider ourselves to have discerning tastes. First, the ship. All the public spaces have been completely redone. The hallways, the restaurants , the dining rooms, bars, shops, theatre,Horizons etc. look like a beautiful new ship. Our stateroom Cat B1 was very comfortable with new beds,sofa, fabrics,wall treatments etc. What was not new the bathroom, and the built ins. Yes the bathroom was small but who said it would not be. Yes the built ins are worn and from what I heard some more than others. We had a faulty thermostat which was promptly replaced within an hour of embarkation. The service was in short wonderful! From our housekeeper Joy, to Suzane the Maitre'd in the GDR, the Maitre'd in Tuscan Steak, Randall the concierge and all the servers in all the dining venues as well as the crew. Everyone friendly and did their absolute best to ensure a memorable voyage. The shows in the theatre are totally new and quite good. West End or Broadway no, but a significant improvement from Jean Ann Ryan. I did organize the CC Meet and Greet and we had both a excellent attendance and the GM, Cruise Director, Executive Chef, Head of Housekeeping, Concierge, future booking and head of shore excursions on hand. Some reviews have complained of a sewage smell, I have a very sensitive nose and only got a whiff once or twice in the hallway to the cabin. I also overheard a comment from one of the passengers that she was misled as to the size of her stateroom. Well all I can say is you did ,not as a previous poster has said, do your due diligence. Disembarkation in Venice was the best ever. We were off the ship in minutes and into a taxi. Is there room for improvement, always is but I would book another cruise on Sirena in a heartbeat!

ChappChapp,

Thank you for your comments.

I feel better already. It sounds as if despite the extensive "make-over" and significant amount of money spent, there is still more work to be done on a ship that was badly neglected over the years.

I suspect it will be done eventually.

As always above par way above. The addition of Jaques in the GDR at lunch, brilliant ! Never needed a reservation and the perfect quiet time in the middle of the day. Food excellent! Tuscan Steak for me you can't go wrong here Italian and steaks I could live on! Red Ginger not at the top of my list and even heard from some fans that it was not so great. The GDR very good also. Was there an occasional dish that was't the greatest yes but it is difficult to get it right 100% of the time.The Terrace Cafe and Waves very good also. Was there a day when the milkshake maker was not working and you had to wait an extra 5 minutes while they hustled one out of somewhere, nothing to get all worked up about. All in all what one would expect from Oceania. Will post more later