Is Oceania quality slipping?

Your insightful comments about the restaurant changes need to get to those in charge at Oceania. Maybe we can avoid disaster on the other three ships

 

 

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Or maybe we just avoid the small ships altogether. Not a great thought but the food on O is one of the main things that have sold me on the cruise line. Marina and Riviera are great and I guess we will have to stick to them if they convert all the R Ships. :(:(:(

Hi, we just got off a Insignia in Miami. Wonderful as always. In fact we signed up for Around the World in January. Food was wonderful.

I am on Sirena at present, on a back to back ending in New York.

 

Complaints about such trivia as the number of olives (!) don't merit a response, but there are some issues that give us concern about the direction that Oceania is taking.

 

We are not foodies, but one of the pleasures on Oceania has in the past been walking into Toscana or Polo and enjoying the ambiance and atmosphere. Now that Toscana has been eliminated - or, to be precise merged with Polo - this experience has disappeared.

 

The new Tuscan Steak is to us, and almost everyone I have spoken to, a dramatic downgrading of the Oceania dining experience. The decor, with its faux wood floor, unattractive walling minus any decoration is decidedly unwelcoming. The menu is a mess - almost none of the appetising offers of either of the previous restaurants are there - the olive oil choice and the big cheese are gone and the ambiance is now non-existent.

 

I can sympathise with those who missed Red Ginger on the R ships, but to shoehorn it into a much smaller ship thereby wrecking the two much appreciated dining venues is a disaster. I know that Red Ginger seems to be popular - it's actually our least favourite outlet, and I know we are not alone - but this is not the right road to take.

 

As far as the rest of the ship is concerned the staff are well up to the standard of attention, efficiency and friendliness that we take for granted. The maintenance is excellent - small problems have been attended to almost immediately, and the ship looks immaculate.

 

The is an issue which seems ongoing with vibration: unlike the other R ships there has been a 2 - 3 Hz "tramping" vibration very much in evidence at the front at certain speeds. There is always some vibration on all ships, but this has been sufficient to make sleep or reading not easy. Whether it's due to a prop, stabiliser flutter or something else I don't know - the officers prefer not to discuss it - but I hope it's attended to before our next booked Sirena cruise.

 

As always 90% of the enjoyment of being on a ship is the attitude of the officers and staff and in this respect you will not be disappointed!

My husband and I are on the October 18, New York to New York, Coastal Harbors cruise. This is our first Oceania cruise and hopefully, our assessment of both Tuscan Steak and Red Ginger are favorable ones. We have nothing to compare the experiences to, as you do.

Thanks for your commentary. We are going with a very open mind!

Denise

Our last O cruise was on the Marina in December 2015. It truly was wonderful. The food was excellent in all restaurants (quality/portions/presentation) and so was the service and maintenance of the ship. We loved O in each and every way. The quality has not changed the past years in our opinion.

My wife and I are 38 and 37 years old. We have been on 23 cruises so far.

I am on Sirena at present, on a back to back ending in New York.

 

Complaints about such trivia as the number of olives (!) don't merit a response, but there are some issues that give us concern about the direction that Oceania is taking.

 

We are not foodies, but one of the pleasures on Oceania has in the past been walking into Toscana or Polo and enjoying the ambiance and atmosphere. Now that Toscana has been eliminated - or, to be precise merged with Polo - this experience has disappeared.

 

The new Tuscan Steak is to us, and almost everyone I have spoken to, a dramatic downgrading of the Oceania dining experience. The decor, with its faux wood floor, unattractive walling minus any decoration is decidedly unwelcoming. The menu is a mess - almost none of the appetising offers of either of the previous restaurants are there - the olive oil choice and the big cheese are gone and the ambiance is now non-existent.

 

I can sympathise with those who missed Red Ginger on the R ships, but to shoehorn it into a much smaller ship thereby wrecking the two much appreciated dining venues is a disaster. I know that Red Ginger seems to be popular - it's actually our least favourite outlet, and I know we are not alone - but this is not the right road to take.

 

As far as the rest of the ship is concerned the staff are well up to the standard of attention, efficiency and friendliness that we take for granted. The maintenance is excellent - small problems have been attended to almost immediately, and the ship looks immaculate.

 

The is an issue which seems ongoing with vibration: unlike the other R ships there has been a 2 - 3 Hz "tramping" vibration very much in evidence at the front at certain speeds. There is always some vibration on all ships, but this has been sufficient to make sleep or reading not easy. Whether it's due to a prop, stabiliser flutter or something else I don't know - the officers prefer not to discuss it - but I hope it's attended to before our next booked Sirena cruise.

 

As always 90% of the enjoyment of being on a ship is the attitude of the officers and staff and in this respect you will not be disappointed!

Also on board right now, and agree with you 100%, Tuscan Steak in particular.......the staff in TS are great and I feel for them having to try and make such a misguided concept work....

Lol. Read the rave review of Tuscan steak on our roll call from Sedona Joel with 25 plus o cruises. March 2017 circumnavigation of Australia.

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Lol. Read the rave review of Tuscan steak on our roll call from Sedona Joel with 25 plus o cruises. March 2017 circumnavigation of Australia.

 

 

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Sedona Joel -

Joel, I just read your assessment of Tuscan Steak on your March roll call. Thanks for your very positive input on Tuscan Steak.

We are on Sirena Oct. 18 and while I appreciate everyone's input, regardless of whether or not the input is positive or negative, the best judge is always me once I experience it all for myself! My husband and I are O novices and foodies and we look forward to giving everything a try, using fresh, new O cuisine palettes!

Did you like Jacques lunch experience? Also interested in your opinion of Red Ginger.

Enjoy your time on Sirena and leave enough food in Tuscan Steak for those embarking Oct. 18

Thanks!

Denise

Just got home yesterday from Regatta. This was our 11th cruise and I found the service, food, itinerary and staff to be the best we've had overall in 11 cruises. The only disappointments I had were related to Destinations. It was late in the season for cruising in Maritime Canada and New England, and more than a few of the excursions listed on the website a few weeks pre-cruise ended up not being available. I guess you get either gorgeous fall foliage (we did) or a wide variety of excursions, but not both. It didn't matter that much to me, as we normally do our own thing in most ports, but to some people, it may have been a real disappointment. The Destination folks, however, were excellent, and the one excursion I did take was well run and worthwhile, especially since there were no private tours or rental cars available in that port in October.

Our room steward was awesome, the food was excellent, and the Captain and Cruise Director (Hansen and Carr, respectively) were the best we've ever had. We loved going through the Cape Cod Canal, stopping on the Saguenay river to view the Madonna statue, and other things that the large cruise ships can't or don't do. Hurricane Matthew threatened to throw monkey wrenches, but Captain Hansen kept ahead of it and the sailing and weather were great. Fall foliage was at its peak, which helped.

I didn't notice any quality slippage at all - wonderful experience.

Thanks for that most positive review. We plan to be on Regatta Vancouver to Miami next fall and look forward to being on her again.

We were on identical Regatta Alaska cruises last summer and 3 years exactly before. The Regatta cruise in 2016 was far superior in all facets as compared to the 2013 one. Also, for comparison purposes, we were in the same category cabin on both. - Curt.

Thanks for that most positive review. We plan to be on Regatta Vancouver to Miami next fall and look forward to being on her again.

Sounds like the norm on all Oceania cruises. Nothing slipping at all. :):)

Sounds like the norm on all Oceania cruises. Nothing slipping at all. :):)

Well, of course Regatta doesn't have Tuscan Steak yet, so my comparisons are to my former cruises (with none on Sirena) and I can't comment on Sirena's food. However, I really don't worry about food all that much anyway, as I know I will definitely not starve on an Oceania cruise! And yes, each day there was a "Taste of" entrée from Jacques or Red Ginger in the grand dining room and sometimes on the Terrace. Sometimes there was a special treat, too. The whole Maine lobsters served on the Terrace after visiting Bar Harbor were great; so was the salmon brought on board after visiting one of the Canadian ports!

Well, of course Regatta doesn't have Tuscan Steak yet, so my comparisons are to my former cruises (with none on Sirena) and I can't comment on Sirena's food. However, I really don't worry about food all that much anyway, as I know I will definitely not starve on an Oceania cruise! And yes, each day there was a "Taste of" entrée from Jacques or Red Ginger in the grand dining room and sometimes on the Terrace. Sometimes there was a special treat, too. The whole Maine lobsters served on the Terrace after visiting Bar Harbor were great; so was the salmon brought on board after visiting one of the Canadian ports!

Good to read some positive reviews for a change. We will be on Serena next March. Oceania have never let us down with their small ships.

When you think about it, just maybe it's us (the cruiser). when you cruise alot on one line you get to close to the cruise - maybe bored. It's still good, but you know what's next, every place, every service on the ship. That's one of the reasons we're cruising Regent for the next cruise and had a SilverSeas (2cruises) cruise in between. It mixes things up a bit. Not that we don't enjoy "O" and we may come back-but it's nice to not to know whats around the next corner or what the dining is.

When you think about it, just maybe it's us (the cruiser). when you cruise alot on one line you get to close to the cruise - maybe bored. It's still good, but you know what's next, every place, every service on the ship. That's one of the reasons we're cruising Regent for the next cruise and had a SilverSeas (2cruises) cruise in between. It mixes things up a bit. Not that we don't enjoy "O" and we may come back-but it's nice to not to know whats around the next corner or what the dining is.

Only if the change is for at least the same or better (or in our case for a unique itinerary) - not just for the sake of a change alone :D

I am currently on Insignia and just wanted everyone to know that it is perfect.

Food, Service, Passengers, all just as expected.

I suspect new ships are populated by many experienced cruisers who have natural curiosity about the new product from their cruiseline. High expectations and early kinks muddle the experience. We have been on several new ships and there were always disappointments.

Since we discovered newly built ships have inordinate high levels of allergic pollutants, we don't do new ships.

I suspect new ships are populated by many experienced cruisers who have natural curiosity about the new product from their cruiseline. High expectations and early kinks muddle the experience. We have been on several new ships and there were always disappointments.

 

Since we discovered newly built ships have inordinate high levels of allergic pollutants, we don't do new ships.

Is that from all the new materials, fabrics, paint, wood, varnish etc?

We were on the 3rd sailing of Marina & the off gassing from the carpet in the cabin was very bad for DH

His eyes swelled up & watery we always carry antihistamines so that helped plus we would leave the balcony door open (as per room steward) & lifted the bed skirt on the bed to air out the cabin ..

The rest of the ship seemed to be fine