Convince me to sail on Oceania Marina--Nov 9 2018 sailing "Timeless Beauties"

We are booked, as noted above. I have asked cc to delete this thread bit it hasn't

I am mid-50s. Recently retired after a fabulous 33 year career in engineering. My husband, 40year career.

Just completed our 13th cruise with Oceania, after we starting with Celebrity and Costa (some 15 cruises total).

I am stunned by the reference of being “run over”. I am stunned and offended by the implication that our older passengers are less than wonderful. I have been honored to meet them and to know them. We have

NEVER experienced this “getting run over” garbage with Oceania passengers, who skew toward exceptionally well traveled- and educated- not to mention, their workouts in the gym kick my ass. Every cruise I am humbled by the 80 and 90 year olds onboard. They inspire me. Do NOT allow yourself to be age-biased. BIG mistake. I am sad for you having that perspective.

My husband and I are just completing our first cruise with Oceania’s Riviera. Although disappointed about missing one of the scheduled stops, we are very pleased with our time on the beautiful Riviera! We have cruised on many cruise lines over the span of 30+ years including Princess, NCL, and HAL. The past four years have been spent on the Nieuw Amsterdam (Venice to Barcelona); the Noordam (land and sea cruise to Alaska); Royal Princess (to the Caribbean); and then last April, HAL’s beautiful, new Konningsdam that we took to Greece from Rome. I actually booked this current cruise to compare Oceania’s Riviera to HAL’s Konningsdam. Here’s my ‘take’ for what it’s worth.....

The Konningsdam is newer and larger (2200+ to Riviera’s 1250). The decor of the Konningsdam is a bit more modern but still...very nice! The Riviera’s decor is just lovely with subtle grandeur and beautiful choices of color. There is a little wear and tear on the older Riviera but not much! The ship is spotless! The food on the Riviera is superior to any other line and I’d even venture to say, close to perfection! The Konningsdam food is also very, very good. Unlike the Riviera, one must pay extra for the specialty restaurants which are the Canneleto (Italian restaurant); the Tamarind (our favorite Asian restaurant) and the Pinnacle Grill (the fine steak restaurant). But the Riviera actually has FOUR specialty restaurants; The Polo Grill (steaks); the Toscana (Italian); Jacques (French) and Red Ginger (Asian). Other than my steak at the Polo Grill being a bit tough, all our experiences in these specialty restaurants were delightful!!

I agree with former posts....the passengers on this cruise were very interesting to chat with at dinner (my husband and I always ask to be seated at tables of at least six) and lovely, lovely people. Yes, there were some with wheelchairs but does that make a person less engaging and interesting....NO!!! We enjoyed meeting and sharing our traveling experiences; talking about our families; our careers; where we went to college, etc....

We WILL be traveling again on Oceania in the future!!

Thanks. We are booked!

Great decision. I travel often. Most have been on Celebrity/ Azamara. They were enjoyable. I took 4 Celebrity cruises in one year. That was too much of the same thing. After awhile experiencing the same food and entertainment, I decided to seek out new experiences. I booked on Viking, Windstar and Oceania. They are all excellent. Each line is different. I still sail ln Celebrity or Azamara once a year. With all the different cruise lines and ships sailing, it is easy to find a ship or destination that provides a new interesting experience. Oceania excels in many areas. Best food, best variety of specialty restaurants, big cabins, beautiful marble bathrooms, Bvlgari toiletries, most comfortable bed, and outstanding service. You will love the Marina. It is a beautiful ship. I sailed on Marina last August. I am booked on Marina next October. My cruise ends on November 9th in Monaco.

You have no right to tell what someone can write here. We are all entitled to our opinions. I just returned from the latest Riviera cruise in the Caribbean. We actually did not go to 2 ports originally scheduled. Punta Cana was supposed to be the port instead of San Juan due to the damage from the hurricane. However right before going there from Nassau we were informed that we would indeed go to San Juan and not Punta Cana. That was the first disappointment.

Then of course the captain decided not to stay in St, Kitts due to weather. Well it was because we had to tender. When we booked this cruise there was no tendering noted for St. Kitts!!! Why were two larger cruise ships with double or triple the number of passengers in the dock? And far less expensive than our cruise? Don't blame it on hurricanes. This itinerary had been set for months.

I have 2 more Oceanias for June. This was always my favorite line. We had done Seabourn, Regent, even Celebrity and a Princess because friends were going, and I always bragged about Oceania. However the last two cruises had similar issues with tendering while ships like Celebrity and even lowly MSC were in the dock. Also getting on the tender in St. Barths took us until midday since we had not booked the shore excursion through Oceania. We had to be back at the ship for a 4:30 sailing. So the changes were numerous.

Please go elsewhere. Your attitude is not in keeping with those who sail on Oceania. I have not seen a more offensive comment ever on cc

 

 

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I'm inclined to agree with you, sounds as if she has already made up her mind.

On the contrary, the two of you are bullying this poster who was only trying to make a decision on whether to try Oceania. I hope she encounters friendlier travelers.

On the contrary, the two of you are bullying this poster who was only trying to make a decision on whether to try Oceania. I hope she encounters friendlier travelers.

In your previous post you said we are ALL entitled to an opinion.

I was agreeing that her post was offensive in implying that the majority of O cruisers were old and infirm.

There are a multitude of posts regarding the facilities on O and maybe her first option should have been to search this forum.

I resent your tone in your message to me (by employing bold) I am certainly not a bully and am exceedingly friendly as anyone who has met me will attest. You on the other hand are displaying a bullying attitude that you claim to abhor.

I spent about an hour reading posts on this board--and this is what many posted about their cruise and their fellow passengers. If this is the most offensive comment ever--you have had a sheltered life here on various lines boards.

 

 

 

We are ready to book--but our two usual travel agents don't book Oceania and getting even Oceania to contact us has been difficult. I want a quote in writing--not just over the phone. Wish people could recommend their agents on here--but not allowed.

???? Don't most travel agents book most cruise lines? Why wouldn't they book Oceania? Different commission structure? Just curious?

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???? Don't most travel agents book most cruise lines? Why wouldn't they book Oceania? Different commission structure? Just curious?

 

 

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In today's market, many Agents prefer to stick with a particular Line or family of brands.

This makes their bookkeeping easier and by funneling all of their clients in one direction

loyalty benefits accrue for both Agent and Customer.

My husband and I usually sail Princess but have done others, NCL, Celebrity, HAL, Viking Ocean.

 

Over on the Princess board lots of people are encouraging us Princess people that book one of the more expensive cabin classes to move over to Oceania.

 

After reading these threads--most feedback is negative and many blame the buy out from NCL.

 

We picked this cruise due to the ports as there are several we haven't been to and it ends in Barcelona, where we plan to spend a few days before flying home.

 

Also--requested a quote through the Oceania website--never contacted back!

 

The current issue with Marina and the Not Noro GI illness is worrisome as it appears slow response, lack of openness about the problem, etc.

 

Pat

Pat,

I can understand how some recent threads could cause concern about sailing on Oceania. And, not receiving a response for a quote on the Oceania website could easily make someone give up on Oceania.

We are Regent passengers that reluctantly booked an Oceania cruise and found it dramatically better than expected. Having said that, we would only book the newer ships (Riviera and Marina). We have toured a smaller ship and it wasn't for us. On our two cruises on the Riviera, the food in the specialty restaurants were outstanding. While we did not care for the MDR, it is likely superior to Princess (as is the Terrace Cafe that offers an amazing array of food).

The issues that the Marina had recently with Code Red is not unusual for the part of the world they were traveling in. Regent also had a ship go into Code Red after leaving Lima, Peru. I'm not sure what causes so many illnesses in that part of the world but it is brought on by the passengers and has nothing to do with the ship itself (which is kept immaculate).

One reason to maybe not use the same TA that you use for Princess is that some TA's that book luxury and luxury lite cruise lines offer a percentage back on your cruise fare in addition to on board credits on quite a few sailings. We have never booked directly with a cruise line.

Although we returned to Regent, we are happy that we had the experience of sailing on Oceania and must say that we do miss some of their larger suites.

Pat,

 

I can understand how some recent threads could cause concern about sailing on Oceania. And, not receiving a response for a quote on the Oceania website could easily make someone give up on Oceania.

 

We are Regent passengers that reluctantly booked an Oceania cruise and found it dramatically better than expected. Having said that, we would only book the newer ships (Riviera and Marina). We have toured a smaller ship and it wasn't for us. On our two cruises on the Riviera, the food in the specialty restaurants were outstanding. While we did not care for the MDR, it is likely superior to Princess (as is the Terrace Cafe that offers an amazing array of food).

 

The issues that the Marina had recently with Code Red is not unusual for the part of the world they were traveling in. Regent also had a ship go into Code Red after leaving Lima, Peru. I'm not sure what causes so many illnesses in that part of the world but it is brought on by the passengers and has nothing to do with the ship itself (which is kept immaculate).

 

One reason to maybe not use the same TA that you use for Princess is that some TA's that book luxury and luxury lite cruise lines offer a percentage back on your cruise fare in addition to on board credits on quite a few sailings. We have never booked directly with a cruise line.

 

Although we returned to Regent, we are happy that we had the experience of sailing on Oceania and must say that we do miss some of their larger suites.

Thanks for the info. I just couldn't imagine my TA turning away business.

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In today's market, many Agents prefer to stick with a particular Line or family of brands.

 

This makes their bookkeeping easier and by funneling all of their clients in one direction

loyalty benefits accrue for both Agent and Customer.

Thanks for the info and please ignore my reply to the wrong post.

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Then of course the captain decided not to stay in St, Kitts due to weather. Well it was because we had to tender. When we booked this cruise there was no tendering noted for St. Kitts!!! Why were two larger cruise ships with double or triple the number of passengers in the dock? And far less expensive than our cruise?

I've seen you post this twice.....I seriously doubt if docking assignments are made according to how expensive a cruise is! :')

Thanks. We are booked!

Great! We are itinerary-driven and only have cruised on Oceania and Azamara, but our last two Oceania cruises, last May Barcelona to Southampton on Marina, and earlier this month on Riviera to the Southern Caribbean, have been our best two yet because of the food and service. As Oceania added ships to its fleet, I felt there was a great deal of staff training going on while we sailed. These past two cruises exemplified seamless professional service combined with the excellent visual amenities and food.

???? Don't most travel agents book most cruise lines? Why wouldn't they book Oceania? Different commission structure? Just curious?

 

 

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The travel arm of the Big Box company where you have to be a member does not sell Oceania but they sell Regent - weird.

The travel arm of the Big Box company where you have to be a member does not sell Oceania but they sell Regent - weird.

I also found that odd. Last year I requested that they offer Oceania cruises. So far they have not taken my advice [emoji5]

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I also found that odd. Last year I requested that they offer Oceania cruises. So far they have not taken my advice [emoji5]

 

 

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I originally thought it was just a Canadian thing because they didn’t allow bookings in Canadian dollars but was shocked to find it’s also the US.

Just booked for the full day Valencia Tour with Spain Day Tours for November 15. If you want to join please email them directly. We have 4 in our group. It is a tour for up to 18. Their website is. www. SpainDayTours.com

It is 69 euros per person.

Thanks Joyce

joyce.simmons@gmail.com

Just booked for the full day Valencia Tour with Spain Day Tours for November 15. If you want to join please email them directly. We have 4 in our group. It is a tour for up to 18. Their website is. www. SpainDayTours.com

It is 69 euros per person.

Thanks Joyce

joyce.simmons@gmail.com

Wrong forum - best to post this on your Roll Call for that cruise.

We are booked, as noted above. I have asked cc to delete this thread bit it hasn't

Oh, I hope this thread doesn’t get deleted. It is too amusing. Sarcasm is underrated. And sometimes doesn’t translate well in its written form—that’s why emojis were invented. Use ‘em people. And don’t get your knickers in a twist.

We are trying Cunard and Oceania after 15 cruises each on Princess and Carnival, each of which have their charms.

We also like to cruise for itineraries but ARE price conscious (educated, trivia champs, cultured and students of history, YES—but we opted to be a writer and an arts administrator, so wealthy, NO).

Any cruise, any trip, any interaction with others is what you make of it. (Having said that, I won’t miss the cringe-worthy, predatory art auctions one bit)

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