emd138

53 minutes ago, SombraDeLuna said:

Chris -- I'd be interested in knowing more about how "O" is training and monitoring the performance of new staff and supervisors, especially given labor issues so many are now experiencing.  We were recently on Sirena and had some unexpected and surprising service and dining experiences well below the normal "O" service level.  Several supervisors we spoke with, in an effort to be helpful and in a kind manner, honestly didn't seem to care and made excuses.  Unfortunately we heard many first timers say they would never take another "O" cruise.  While we were disappointed in some of our experiences, we had other great ones and are hopeful that our experience on Insignia in the fall will be more similar to our previous "O" experiences.  We understand the current challenges and would just be interested in what "O" is doing to help support and coach the new staff and supervisors.  Thank you for the information and insights you are sharing!  

We saw the same thing on our cruise less than a month ago.  SOOO many new people that didn't know what they were doing.  I get it, I deal with the same thing in the manufacturing plant that I manage, but it definitely had an impact.  First world problems, but my favorite dessert is Creme Brulee, and I kept getting it with no sugar on top.  When I questioned it, they told me they weren't allowed to use kitchen torches anymore due to an incident. With that said, the entire industry was shut down so long, they lost a lot of good people, and we still had a great time and booked another trip.

We were on a 7 day Bermuda cruise on Insignia recently, and they repeated the dinner menu.  There may have been a few slight tweaks, but that was the first I had ever seen that, let alone 2 days in a row!  They said "back by popular demand."  Prior cruises, they changed it up every day with the same always available dishes, and maybe some basis appetizer repeats.

22 hours ago, Guppy99 said:

Really? You should not complain unless you are willing to say it directly to anyone involved in the issue. Stating it part way through on a comment card should never matter. You are giving them a chance to explain or improve.  Unless of course your negative comments are not valid or defensible.

That's an interesting perspective.  Personally, my work life involves a lot of telling people that they aren't meeting expectations directly, and I really would like a break from life on my vacation.  It is somebody else's problem to deal with at that point, not that they aren't valid comments.  (With that said, I have not had negative comments to leave on our trips.)

We also used a photo of the card, and it was approved.  FYI, I did not get an e-mail that it was approved, we are just getting close and went back in and saw it was.  You have to then initial a waiver and print out/download a PDF form.

I also got the e-mail forwarded from my TA.  We aren't thrilled about it, of course, but with all of the lines that I have cruised with, I have learned that you have to be flexible.  Our last cruise was on the Sirena in May of 2020 when we only made it to 2 out of 8 or so ports, I don't exactly remember the number, when they "cancelled" it, but there was no room to dock earlier in Miami, so we ended up with 8 sea days. Relatively speaking, this is a small change, haha!

On 4/6/2022 at 9:06 PM, Debbers said:

Assuming you are given a clean, new metal container, and do not share it, only your germs will be in the water.  If you rinse it out from time to time, that should suffice.  Also, in a pinch, shampoo (well rinsed out) makes a very good soap.

I work in manufacturing, and have made various types of food and drink containers, and I HIGHLY recommend that you thoroughly wash anything that touches your food when new before you use it.  Not so much for germs usually, but for things like mold release and machining oils that can be used in the process.  They are all technically safe for food contact, but definitely not very appetizing, trust me.  They can also be in disposable type bottles, but in general I have come across them much more often in heavier-duty products.

Thank you for posting this ael123, I will definitely pick up a small thing of dish soap before our trip in a couple of months. 

1 minute ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Oceania rules have always explicitly prohibited men’s hats of any type at dinner in any dining venue. 
Don’t like the rules? Don’t book the cruise!

Wanna know why it’s not acceptable? Google is your friend!

Google is my friend, but since we don't wear hats, I never had to Google it.  I only said I don't see the issue with it, but if it is against the rules, then I get it.  Thankfully, the people that I have met on board are not so condescending.  

3 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Some of us are hell bent on maintaining some reasonable level of decorum. Perhaps you haven’t noticed how much of basic human kindness, concern and decorous standards  have fallen by the wayside thanks to that corner of the “me generation” (as well as the still existing miscreant subset of baby boomers) who only care about themselves.

Oh, trust me, I have noticed it!  The basic human kindness and concern I 100% agree with.  I just don't understand some of the decorum standards.  In my area of the country, disgusting scraggly long beards are the thing, so maybe I do relate now that I think about some other examples.  A hat wouldn't bother me, but I see what you mean.

My husband and I are relatively younger Oceania cruisers in our mid-40s, and while we would never dream of doing this because we both have very proper parents, I can't see why it matters.  With that said, if it breaks the dress code, it should be handled like any other violation.  I don't wear hats, so I have no clue if that is the rule.

Our last trip was an inside, and we did an onboard booking for a similar cabin, and the cruise line employee said we could get an oceanview for the same price on the cruise we were looking at.  I said it isn't E class is it, and her reply was no, that she never would book somebody in those.  Way too small.  Have I stayed in one?  No, but being on a cruise during COVID times, it was nice to have at least room to sit somewhere besides the bed if you are stuck there.

On 2/20/2022 at 11:27 AM, calicakes said:

I'm sure we'll be noticed for other reasons, as we are a same sex couple.

It could have just been the cruises that we were on, but we met many same sex couples on our cruises on Oceania.  The only reason that it was notable to us is that when we got on our first cruise with O, the first people that we met at boarding were a same sex couple.  They gave us so many helpful tips for the cruise, we will never forget them!

We have been on Sirena, and had no issues getting additional reservations as long as we were flexible on time and/or willing to share a table.  It did seem like they cut us off after several extras, though, because it went from tons of options to nope, sorry!!  😀 (That could be because almost all of our ports were cancelled, though.  This was March of 2020.)

I had one of those rooms on one cruise, and agree with KS&JW that they are very quiet.  I have a cruise booked in July in the same general area.  I prefer that to the smaller rooms.  

We started sailing Oceania a couple of years ago when I turned 40.  We had been on Princess, Celebrity, and NCL in the past, and have only booked Oceania since.  It really does depend on what you are looking for, though.  We love it because the small ship is very relaxing, there is just enough going on to keep us busy, and I loved the food and the people.  While most were quite a bit older than us, we really enjoyed their company.  The service is amazing, and even though we have done shorter cruises, we came across several workers that remembered us from other cruises.  If you want a huge variety of options to entertain you at any given time, it probably would not be for you.  My husband and I both have extremely demanding jobs, and like to just relax when onboard, so it is perfect for us.

I have used the wi-fi calling with the standard internet that is provided.  I was on Sirena on the last cruise before COVID shut things down, and unfortunately spent WAY too much time on the phone with work as things got crazy back here at home.  I also did a lot of voice calls with Microsoft Teams, and didn't have any issues.  I also turn my cellular off and put it in airplane mode to be on the safe side.

In regards to LHT28's comment, I am fluffy and was okay for short cruises, albeit with a lot of elbow banging.  Things like shaving legs were very difficult, but manageable with the length.  If you are larger framed and claustrophobic, forget it.  The biggest issue that I had were the days where we had rough seas, and the sway always had me against one side of the shower or the door, haha!  I really would have liked a bit more room where I could balance in the middle, but alas, my budget doesn't allow a PH or up at this point in my career.

I just got back from a business trip to Brazil, and this was on the Brazilian US Embassy's website:

• Travel by sea exclusively along the Brazilian coast is authorized; however, sea entry from other countries remains prohibited, with limited exceptions described in the December 8 Brazilian government announcement. 

COVID-19 Information - U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Brazil (usembassy.gov)

I have not been on Marina, but the 2 cruises we have taken on Oceania had fantastic service.  Our first was a 7 day cruise on Insignia, and the second was a 10 day on Sirena (where ports stopped early due to COVID, and was one of the last cruises.)  It amazed me that there were several employees on Sirena that remembered us from our cruise on Insignia 8 months earlier.  Despite their worries about what was going on back at home and if they would even be able to get back into their home countries, they still provided great service with a smile.  I don't know how they did it.  Our prior cruises have been on mass market lines, and it was a huge difference in what we saw, in our experience.

10 hours ago, ORV said:

Anyone have an opinion on no insides or oceanviews? Looks like the bottom category is the French Veranda. 

. 

We are younger cruisers, and always book those categories, so we will not be sailing with the new ship anytime soon.  I would not have tried Oceania if a veranda was the bottom category, since there are so many other options in that area.

1 hour ago, ORV said:

This was on Oceania? I've seen them pushing other things like Bingo that is way too reminiscent of Mass Market lines, but haven't really noticed it with tastings. I do see them in the Currents, but never go to them. I don't like that the last time I was on Riviera they had Port Talks, which was like Mass Market ships, with a dedicated "shopper" that of course pushed the stores that give them a kickback.  This was on a Caribbean cruise. I never saw this on Oceania until their joining with NCL. 

Yes, it was on Oceania last March.  We had not experienced that before, so maybe they were really slow sales as LHT28 said, but it was really annoying.  Hopefully it was a one off thing and not the way they will be trending.

On our last cruise, one thing that reminded me of Celebrity was pushing alcohol events.  We upgrade to the Prestige package, and like to drink, but I felt like they hounded us for the various wine, scotch, rum, etc tastings.  I don't mind them mentioning it, but it was much more than that.  Prior cruises, they mentioned it and when we said we weren't interested, they dropped it.  I dread to see what it will look like after this.

11 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I am confused.  If you booked a cruise that you intended to take why would you cancel just because a FCC (to be given if the cruise was cancelled) was 100%.   You could also simply ask for a 100% refund and you would be made whole.  So if the cruise would go you would be fine.  If it was cancelled you would get your money back.  What is the problem?   Of course you would not be booking a cruise hoping to make a profit with a generous FCC if the cruise had to be  cancelled?  

 

Hank

Hi Hank, Sorry, I wasn't clear.  I booked for July of 2021 before the pandemic really hit, I wasn't booking it trying to make a profit on FCC because there was no such thing when I booked.  I was holding off to see if they cancelled so that I can rebook it later without having to pay the increased costs for 2022 out of pocket.  I ended up moving it out anyway and paying the extra, so I have no problem, I am just saying that people may not be aware of the change.

I agree with the previous comments.  I went to Bermuda on the Summit, and while the food was okay, to me it was just okay.  I was expecting much better, so was a bit disappointed.  Our next trip was the Insignia to Bermuda, and for us there was no question that Oceania was significantly better.  Of course, this does depend on preferences, food is very subjective.  To me, the service was also much better.  On our last cruise on the Sirena in March, we met 5 crew members that recognized us from the Insignia cruise a year earlier.  I am sad that we will most likely not experience that on our next cruise with the long time that there is no cruising.  

Tough crowd.  We booked early in 2020 for one this year, and cancelled when we saw that the FCC went to the 100%.  I could be wrong, but I think the point is for people to be aware that this has changed.

We were on the Insignia and the Sirena in the past year, and we would sit by the drink area in the Terrace and never had an issue getting plenty to drink.  A couple of times we sat much further away, and it was slower, so if you want a few drinks, I would try to be close to where they are.  We also get the premium drink package, but we did drop a few cash tips since we like to drink a lot on vacation, and we appreciate good service.  We probably drink too much, haha, because some of the bartenders were on Sirena this time that remembered us from Insignia, and that was only a 7 day cruise.