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Review of Riviera TA April 2015


Hambagahle
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I have just sent my review off to Cruise Critic but knowing that it takes them quite a while to process reviews I thought I would post it here as well. All in all it was a fabulous cruise!! :)

 

Background:

For about 10 years we sailed exclusively with Regent. Then, after a not-so-great experience on a trans-Atlantic crossing in 2012 we decided to try Oceania. We were so delighted with our first cruise on Riviera (in an Oceania Suite) that we booked the April 2015 crossing in the Owners Suite to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. We are both in our 70’s and are from Switzerland.

 

Boarding:

Oceania boards in accordance with suite/stateroom category. We were told we could board in Miami at 1100 so we were there around 1045. The Executive Concierge came into the boarding area about that time and walked around, introducing himself and explaining how the boarding process would work. Promptly at 1100 boarding was announced for Owners, Vista and Oceania suite guests. The necessary paperwork was done quickly, photo taken, suite card issued and by 1115 we were in our suite. (Like boarding, suites and rooms are « released » for occupancy in order of category. We find this to be rational and it also makes the entire process smoother for everyone since one knows what to expect instead of having a mad rush to be first in line and then a long wait to get into one’s room).

 

Owners Suite:

To say the suite is spacious and beautifully decorated is an understatement. The sitting/dining room has a table for 6 and ample room for 8 to be seated on the couch, easy chairs etc. The bedroom is huge with king size bed. Bathroom also large with Jacuzzi bath, separate large shower, two sinks and ample drawers. There are two walk in closets. My husband counted 60 hangers in his (I didn’t bother but certainly had more than half to spare!) The terrace is relatively narrow though and in our case I felt there was too much large teak furniture on it. Terrace is split in two by the floor to ceiling windows of the foyer/bar (with player piano which we enjoyed when we had friends for drinks or dinner). The suite was incredibly comfortable. However when the ship is going at close to full speed there was a definite vibration felt mostly when lying in bed. We did not notice it at other times.

Our Butler, Sandeep – Head Butler – and his assistant Francis looked after us perfectly, Sandeep anticipating our every need. We had people in for drinks and dinner and he make great suggestions as to what we might have to eat as well as organising all our dinner reservations for the entire cruise. Our Stewardess, Yulia from the Ukraine was wonderful and charming besides (!) and her assistant, Kumar did a great job too. We felt as though we were in the proverbial lap of luxury – which we were!

 

Restaurants:

Grand Dining Room – we ate several breakfasts there and quite a few lunches. We had excellent prompt service and were impressed with the menus. There is an item each day at lunch « Dishes of the World » which is fascinating and we tried it several times – a lazy Susan with small dishes from one particular country or region’s cuisine. This was really fun and original.

Terrace Café – We like the way things are done in this buffet restaurant. Because of the design with the centre island offering duplicate dishes from each end there are no queues. And because everything is served by the staff instead of having people help themselves it is very sanitary AND food looks nice. No « heaping portions » which is what happens when people help themselves. One can always go back for more… The grill area is nice with its changes in offerings and while one did have to queue there the wait wasn’t long. Nine times out of ten someone was waiting to take my plate back to my table for me, which I also appreciated.

Waves Grill – We had lunch there twice. Once a really excellent hamburger and fries and the second time just a grilled piece of lobster and salad. Both were cooked the way we requested.

Red Ginger – This is our favourite of all the restaurants. We ate there three times, each time ordering multiple appetisers instead of a starter/main course/dessert. Our favourites were the Duck and Watermelon salad and the crispy calamari. The green tea and the red pepper and salt ice creams were fantastic!

Jacques – We live in the Suisse Romande and are no strangers to French provincial food yet we found the offerings at Jacques really excellent. The Sole Grenobloise was really excellent, so was the Rôtisserie chicken. It is easy to mess up a roast chicken and hard to do it well. This was superb!

Polo Grill – They have the most wonderful meats that could be cut with a fork! We do not get anything near this quality at home and we were impressed with the great attention given to cooking the meat exactly as we requested.

Toscana – Our least favourite of all the restaurants. We think the main dishes are just not imaginative and reflect « Italian American » cooking more than they do Italian. (We live only 45 minutes from the Italian border) Their portions – even the half portions – are way too large for us. On a future cruise I think we will give this one a miss.

La Réserve – We are very used to « menus dégustations » here and so were a little leery of trying la Réserve in case it was not up to par with some of our local restaurants. However It was really really good and we were delighted! There are 3 tables of 8 and when on arrives one is seated outside the dining room at a large coffee table for 8 and served a Kir Royale. This is great because one gets to know one’s tablemates before starting the meal. The menu – Odyssey Menu – had seven courses all of which were not only beautifully presented but also well balanced in terms of taste and perfectly sized. The wines were all very good. We were surprised by the quality of the meal and would definitely do this again on a future cruise.

 

Bars:

We are not great bar-goers and prefer to have a drink in the suite before dinner but we did, a couple of times, have a drink from the pool bar and twice at Martinis before dinner. We were impressed there to have our « Classic Martini » brought in individual shakers and have the shakers left for us to top up our drinks. The one drink I really love – Apérol Spritz – was not available on board and after I mentioned this in our mid-cruise comment form the Head Bartender found us and spoke with us about it. He said he has now requested that they stock Apérol ! (This drink was THE drink of the summer in Europe last year and is really great in warm weather!) We found the drink sizes to be very generous and attention paid to how we requested drinks – i.e. Margarita straight-up with salt etc.

 

We took the “Premium Beverage Package” AND had the in-Suite Bar set up so we were rather swimming in alcohol on this cruise! I think that Oceania definitely had the advantage when it came to the cost of the package and probably on a future cruise, provided we are in a Suite, I would not take it again. That said we prefer not to have to keep track of expenses and the package, being paid for up-front, takes that out of the equation…

 

Spa:

I only went to the spa once to get a manicure. It was OK but very over-priced. The spa really does look lovely though and had the weather been better I think I would have used the spa terrace occasionally.

 

Lectures/Entertainment etc.:

There were two on board lecturers. We only heard one of them who was supposed to speak on the History of Portugal and Madeira. Instead he read – from the screen – a rambling travelogue related to Madeira. We left after 30 minutes. To say this was « boring » is an understatement. I took two cooking classes and had planned to take four but cancelled the last two because I found the classes to be badly organised and not sufficiently « hands on ». The teacher – Noëlle Barille – tried to do too many dishes for the time allotted and so did a lot of pre-preparation leaving the class to do very very little with the dish in question. Given the excellent set-up of the Culinary Centre I think this was a shame. They should focus on two or three things and let students work all the way through them.

Because ours was a re-positioning cruise at the end of the Jean Ryan Singers and Dancers contract and the change-over to the NCL entertainment (which promises to be very good) we had no « shows ». Between Miami and Bermuda we had the « Love Boat » singer who is very good (have heard him on Regent before and loved his show on Riviera!) After that there was a comedian and some other musicians but since we had relatively late dinner times we did not make it to the other shows with the exception of the crew show which we loved.

We played Trivia every day and to our surprise found that holding it in the theatre worked very well and we thought that the Cruise Director, Leslie Jon, did a superb job of running it.

 

Fellow Passengers:

On our last trans-Atlantic (Regent Mariner) we had been extremely un-impressed with the general level of politeness and friendliness of our fellow guests. On this crossing it was a world of difference. People were nice and polite to each other and to the staff. No « gimme this » or “I want” but a nice « please » and « thank you ». People were considerate of others. Spoke to each other when entering a lift and in general the atmosphere was delightful. I can only assume this is typical of Oceania passengers since there were more than 700 repeat guests on board! Most people were retired (a two week cruise is a long time to take as a holiday for Americans), there were no children and the vast majority were from the USA with a smallish group of British people and the odd French, German or Spanish speaking guests. Plus of course two Swiss!

 

Itinerary:

Trans-Atlantic cruises are not port-intensive (!) which is why we like them. We had a night in Bermuda, so two full days there. We did not take a tour since we know the island very well. Went into Hamilton on the Saturday for lunch and should have played golf on the Sunday but it rained heavily all day so that was sadly cancelled. In Funchal (Madeira) – again a place we know well having been there 5 times – we did our own thing. Walked through the town, went to the lovely covered market, took the cable car to Monte and then to the Botanical Garden and returned to the ship for a late lunch. Gibraltar – we had not visited it before and I would be thrilled never to see the place again. It is very scruffy and if you do not like apes and do not trust cable cars run by the British (!) nor do you like tunnels there is not a huge amount to do there anyway. We walked into town from the ship and after a 30-minute walk which was noisy (traffic) and smelly (diesel engines) we turned and went back on board. Why this port is on any itinerary is beyond me. Malaga and Cadiz are so much nicer and so much cleaner. Personally I think the British should return it to Spain so the Spanish could spruce it up!!

 

Disembarkation:

Could not have been smoother. We docked in Barcelona around 0600 and had breakfast served in the suite. We were going to a local hotel for the night so needed no transfer and were told we could disembark whenever we wished from 0700 to 0900. We strolled off the ship at 0830, found our suitcases easily and a porter and were in a taxi by 0845 and at our hotel by 0900. Taxi cost was €20.

 

This was a fabulous cruise on a beautiful ship and we would do it again in a flash! Not perhaps in the Owners Suite (this was a special occasion!) but certainly in an Oceania Suite. We are so impressed with the level of service and cuisine on Oceania compared to the other companies we have sailed with! Oceania is very special…

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Thanks for the informative review. It sounds like you had a great time; and that the Riviera is still wonderful. It is our favorite ship and we are looking forward to boarding her again in Marck.

Edited by MVPinBoynton
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Having sailed Riviera last year Miami to Barcelona ( Penthouse category) and having just returned from 17 days on Marina Tahiti to Lima (again Penthouse), I was interested in your comments and concur, except that we were very impressed with our lecturers and enjoyed several wonderful song/dance productions enroute. Our itinerary was fantastic and we highly recommend. It's the flying to and from that is challenging!

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I'm sorry to ask this but how were the seas? I am fully aware that past performance does not predict the future but DW has motion issues and I don't want her miserable for two weeks. We are in an Oceania Suite on this cruise next April on deck 12. So this is high on the ship and subject to pitch and roll. We have done the Caribbean and Alaska twice each with no real problems. Not sure that stabilizers are the answer.

 

Thanks in advance.

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We were in some extremely rough seas when we went on the Regatta to Bermuda last April. We were in Toscana and the table we were seated at moved while dishes in the kitchen were falling and breaking. It was very bad. Fortunately we had taken our ginger pills and we didn't get sick from it. I can get very seasick; but ginger pills have solved our problem. We will be taking our first TA in October, so we will have a large bottle with us.

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We followed your wonderful reports throughout your cruise and thank you for those as well as this very well organized review.

 

We have also been very disappointed in the level of the Oceania speakers on all but one of our cruises which was Alaska on our first visit( Terry Breen). She is a gem who I think is always on Regent for Alaska. We were just lucky she was on O that one year.

 

We were also on Regatta in Bermuda last April for the terrible storm. It was bad enough that we cancelled several future cruises. It will take a while to want to cruise again.

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We followed your wonderful reports throughout your cruise and thank you for those as well as this very well organized review.

 

We have also been very disappointed in the level of the Oceania speakers on all but one of our cruises which was Alaska on our first visit( Terry Breen). She is a gem who I think is always on Regent for Alaska. We were just lucky she was on O that one year.

 

We were also on Regatta in Bermuda last April for the terrible storm. It was bad enough that we cancelled several future cruises. It will take a while to want to cruise again.

 

Oh my, that is a shame. We have taken 5 cruises since that one; and so glad we did. That one was the worst we have had in our 40 cruises; but I certainly wouldn't let it deter us from doing our favorite leisure activity. I hope that you will be cruising again. You might want to start again with a river cruise. No big waves with them. :D

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Oh my, that is a shame. We have taken 5 cruises since that one; and so glad we did. That one was the worst we have had in our 40 cruises; but I certainly wouldn't let it deter us from doing our favorite leisure activity. I hope that you will be cruising again. You might want to start again with a river cruise. No big waves with them. :D

 

Thanks, we are thinking about it for 2016. We did continue through the Pannama

Canal and then to Alaska on that same trip and never had seas such as the ones you and we experienced.

River cruises are out for us because of the very small cabins and the dinning which we would not enjoy.

Enjoy your cruises and maybe one day we'll be together on another one.

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I'm sorry to ask this but how were the seas? I am fully aware that past performance does not predict the future but DW has motion issues and I don't want her miserable for two weeks. We are in an Oceania Suite on this cruise next April on deck 12. So this is high on the ship and subject to pitch and roll. We have done the Caribbean and Alaska twice each with no real problems. Not sure that stabilizers are the answer.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

The seas were fine. From Miami to Bermuda the sea was so calm it was like a small pond. Leaving Bermuda we had quite high winds and the wavs picked up but nothing unmanageable, not at all. In fact I have never experienced rough seas on the southern route of the TA crossing. Not to say it couldn't happen, just I haven't seen it! The roughest seas I have ever been in were around Cape Horn, when things did go crashing down and off Honduras - when we were in the Oceania Suite on our last Riviera cruise We were fine up there although there was movement. I was surprised to see a stand with some sea-sickness bags on it near the lifts. I certainly didn't feel sick!

 

For me personally I do feel ill when the ship moves sideways AND up and down. That I have felt off the Lofotens and also in the Caribbean. It seems the seas don't have to be all that rough for me to feel not-too-good! But sea bands have always stopped it and I had those with me on the TA. Never took them out of their wrapper.:)

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Gerry,

Thank you for taking the time to write your complete review.

We enjoyed meeting you briefly; maybe next time we will get to know each other a little better.

I agree with just about everything you wrote - including the fact that Toscana is our least favorite restaurant on the ship (although I believe it is the favorite of most other passengers). This, of course, is a very subjective matter.

Fair winds and following seas for your future cruises.

Paul

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I could have written your review after being a Regent Loyalist, I find Oceania the perfect line for us. Food is perfect, service excellent. Riviera is a lovely ship. Our last O cruise was also a crossing in the Fall. We found our fellow passengers convivial and well educated, easy to talk with and enjoyed our cruise immensely.

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Oh my, that is a shame. We have taken 5 cruises since that one; and so glad we did. That one was the worst we have had in our 40 cruises; but I certainly wouldn't let it deter us from doing our favorite leisure activity. I hope that you will be cruising again. You might want to start again with a river cruise. No big waves with them. :D

 

Oddly enough it's wasn't the worst I've been on. That would be in the Med on Celebrity Equinox in Dec of 2012. We also have been on 5 since last April.

 

Hambagahle, Enjoyed the review, thanks for taking the time to write it. Having kept up with your live reports it's nice to have it all summarized.

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Oddly enough it's wasn't the worst I've been on. That would be in the Med on Celebrity Equinox in Dec of 2012. We also have been on 5 since last April.

 

Hambagahle, Enjoyed the review, thanks for taking the time to write it. Having kept up with your live reports it's nice to have it all summarized.

 

Hi Orv, sorry you have been on worse seas. We will be on the Equinox for a TA in Oct. hoping for smooth seas.

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We followed your wonderful reports throughout your cruise and thank you for those as well as this very well organized review.

 

We have also been very disappointed in the level of the Oceania speakers on all but one of our cruises which was Alaska on our first visit( Terry Breen). She is a gem who I think is always on Regent for Alaska. We were just lucky she was on O that one year.

 

We were also on Regatta in Bermuda last April for the terrible storm. It was bad enough that we cancelled several future cruises. It will take a while to want to cruise again.

I sympathize with you, I too get motion sickness even on a good day. I also experience a hangover-nausea feeling every morning which lasts till mid day, I don't even drink!! I've always managed to keep up, even keeping my male de mer malaise from my DH for fear if I complained our cruising days would be over:(

Each cruise I say- no way can I suffer another vacation feeling this way. I've tried all types of pills with no relief.

On our last cruise a RollCMember brought some patches (Dr's prescription) and they actually worked. If the seas are rough I feel the motion without all the other effects....

If you haven't already, give the patch a try- stick it behind the ear, replace every 4th day. No side effects, and I am particularly sensitive to medications.

Hope this helps.

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On our last cruise a RollCMember brought some patches (Dr's prescription) and they actually worked. If the seas are rough I feel the motion without all the other effects....

If you haven't already, give the patch a try- stick it behind the ear, replace every 4th day. No side effects, and I am particularly sensitive to medications.

Hope this helps.

 

I am glad you had no side effects from the patch.

It caused my pupils to dilate and I had trouble reading the menus at dinner - they are not for me.

Bonine works great for me (when I need something).

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Right spot on, and it was your original review that sold me on the Riviera.

 

Sandeep is great too...he is not as "up tight" as some of the others...quite funny, really. He was training Dean when we had him and now we have seen Dean on other cruises.

 

I disagree with you on Trivia located in the theater...OMG, those seats are horrible and when you have a big team...sorry to say I saw other teams "listening", i.e. sent someone to sit behind us. But that is a small matter.

 

We do not like Toscana either. We like exactly what you like.

 

We are about to leave on May 4 for New York to Montreal. We thought we would try it in the spring, as the last two we had STORMS, including Sandy. We couldn't even dock and ended in Charleston (coming south).

 

For those who get seasick...my DH gets motion sickness looking at bath water! LOL...use Stugeron. We can not buy it in America, but get it every other place we are. It has saved his life!

 

Again...your review was fabulous.

 

Carole

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I have just sent my review off to Cruise Critic but knowing that it takes them quite a while to process reviews I thought I would post it here as well. All in all it was a fabulous cruise!! :)

 

Background:

For about 10 years we sailed exclusively with Regent. Then, after a not-so-great experience on a trans-Atlantic crossing in 2012 we decided to try Oceania. We were so delighted with our first cruise on Riviera (in an Oceania Suite) that we booked the April 2015 crossing in the Owners Suite to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. We are both in our 70’s and are from Switzerland.

 

<<snip>>

 

This was a fabulous cruise on a beautiful ship and we would do it again in a flash! Not perhaps in the Owners Suite (this was a special occasion!) but certainly in an Oceania Suite. We are so impressed with the level of service and cuisine on Oceania compared to the other companies we have sailed with! Oceania is very special…

 

First off - Congratulations on your anniversary!! :D May you have many more years together in health and happiness!

 

Thank you for posting this review up as I am leaving in a few days for Rome, and all this fresh information has been a boon for me, much appreciate the lovely and detailed write ups in your live thread too :)

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Thanks, we are thinking about it for 2016. We did continue through the Pannama

Canal and then to Alaska on that same trip and never had seas such as the ones you and we experienced.

River cruises are out for us because of the very small cabins and the dinning which we would not enjoy.

Enjoy your cruises and maybe one day we'll be together on another one.

 

River cruising has changed and there are some very upscale lines wirh larger cabins and food that is equal to Oceania..dont cross off what can be a wonderful experience..at least try it..

Jancruz1

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Thank you so much for your thoughtful review..I also love the Taste of the World they now have in the dining room for lunch..what fun that is if you are in to tasting new foods..

Congrats on your anniversary and may you celebrate many many more..this year is #61 for us..amazing as we feel 21..LOL

Jancruz1

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I am glad you had no side effects from the patch.

It caused my pupils to dilate and I had trouble reading the menus at dinner - they are not for me.

Bonine works great for me (when I need something).

 

We find Bonine has few side effects (I did fall asleep in a lecture once or twice!) and is quickly very effective.

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I missed the "Taste of the World" on the day of the CC luncheon..was it on the menu that day? I know you arrived late so maybe you didn't see the entire menu?? I would have loved to have tried it...maybe next time...as we ended up eating in the Terrace or Waves for lunch except that one day. Thanks again for your excellent and comprehensive reviews and we are so glad we had the opportunity to share a sailing with you! Enjoy next year...and maybe we will see you in the fall of "17...our next time to cruise on O since we have the rest of 15, 16 and spring 17 booked...on AZ and X...I DO love to plan!!! :cool: LuAnn

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