please see the following which I attempted to post on the "reviews" page however I was directed by cruise critic to post here:
The following email was sent to Oceania 5 TIMES before we received an answer. The letter follows and then Oceania, reply concludes, I might point out the utter condescending nature of their reply.
My letter: Re: Mediterranean cruise aboard Marina 5/14/2022-5/24/2022, Although this note is a bit late, I was urged to communicate with Oceania by close friends who had highly recommended Oceania based upon the cruise lines outstanding quality of service. Unfortunately, we found this “quality” lacking. When my wife and I (81 and 76 years old respectively) met up at the Venice airport, for the bus transfer to Trieste. The airport scene was a bit chaotic, however it did finally organize. We were then “herded” from the airport terminal about a half mile (walking in the heat) to the buses. Never were any of us offered water, which was truly needed due to the walking distance and the heat. Very very disappointed. Remember this was our first exposure to the Oceania “high standards”. As I’m sure you are aware when we finally reached Trieste, parched, sweaty and tired, we exited the bus entered a port building, expecting to board the ship, but no, we again were placed on a bus, again never offered water, and transported to a second port wherein we finally boarded the ship, tired and very thirsty. Luckily no one in our group suffered from the potential side effects of dehydration. The second issue we faced was also bus related. When we reached Marseille my wife and I took advantage of the buses that Oceania had provided and traveled to the town. We spent several hours being tourists and then decided to return to the ship. We and about another 80 Oceania passengers waited at the bus stop (the bus was there) for a driver to show up for transport. It took 2 hours of waiting, again, in the hot sun for the driver to arrive, he and the bus coordinator were in a café and forgot about the time. Although I understand that Oceania contracts with these services that is no excuse not to oversee their performance. Now for my last two issues. Although my wife and I had chosen to do the is vacation on a “first class” basis (a suite aboard the ship and first-class air travel through Oceania) we felt that two items aboard the ship were far less than first class. The fact that only one passenger was afforded free wi-fi was mind boggling, and the subsequent cabin mate were forced to pay extra for the service….First-class??? Also, I was prepared to partake in the casino aboard the ship and was advised that if I wanted to charge anything to my credit card (registered with the cruise line) I would pay and service charge, and when I went to use the Euros, I had purchased, I was advised that the casino only accepted dollars (American) Well although my wife and I enjoyed the food aboard, our accommodations, the ship board service, and were very pleased with the offboard excursions we booked; the items listed above hang heavy with us. First class should be first class and to our minds Oceania missed the target.
Following is their reply: Thank you for contacting Oceania Cruises Guest Relations Department. We greatly appreciate your time and effort in sharing the specifics of your recent cruise experience._________, while we were delighted to learn about the positive aspects of your Oceania Cruises experience that met your expectations, we truly regret to learn of your disappointments. Please be assured that all your thoughts and observations have been shared with the appropriate department heads for their review and future planning._________, although we strive to provide each of our guests with a relaxing and enjoyable cruise holiday, sometimes expectations may not be fully met. Based on your feedback, please accept our sincerest apologies that we did not do as good a job in meeting your expectations as we should have. As a gesture of goodwill, are pleased to extend to are pleased to extend to you Cruise Credits totaling $500.00 that may be applied toward the cruise fare on any future Oceania Cruises sailing/itinerary, in any category of accommodation, subject to availability.The Cruise Credits have been recorded in our Reservations system, and at the time of booking, the Reservations Agent should be advised that a credit has been reserved under your names. Please note that the reservation must be booked within one (1) year of, and sailing must commence no later than two (2) years from, the date of this email. For additional terms and conditions of the cruise credits, please refer to the attached Certificates.Once again, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We would delight in the opportunity to serve you again and sincerely hope that your travel plans will include Oceania Cruises in the not-too-distant future.
