Insignia 12/17/04 S. America problems?

[noel07]

I read mostly favorable comments on Oceania but can't help wondering if we're the only ones who noticed some management bungling on this cruise. I'll list a few things:

• On Valparaiso boarding, our passports were pulled (expectedly), but also our Chile 'Sworn Statements,' needed for every port of call in Chile. At Puerto Montt, tour starts were delayed an hour while we all had to scramble for our passport numbers and fill in new Chilean Sworn Statements.
  
• Arrival at Puerto Madryn was delayed several hours because of 'heavy seas' (surely not that heavy that they were unanticipated). All tours were cancelled, and as you may know there isn't much else to do in that town. We later learned that the same thing happened on the previous cruise leg in ports of call on the West Coast of S. America.
  
• After an on-time departure from Puerto Madryn, the ship returned to port and hour later, allegedly to pick up a passenger, but we saw the ship's tender go in and return without a passenger. Best rumor of the day -- we forgot to comply with a departure formality.
  
• As a result of this delay, arrival at Montevideo was hours late. All morning tours were cancelled and the all-day tour was shortened.
  
• On arrival in B.A. disembarkation took hours because of a customs formality 'beyond our control.'
  
• On eventual transfer to the B.A. Marriott, there were NO early check-in rooms available. We were told to check back at 3 PM. In the meantime, we could wait in the crowded small lobby or go for a walk in the record breaking 95 degree hot weather. There were many unhappy cruisers in that lobby and we all had some thoughts as to how the situation could have been handled better. Interestingly, passengers who had made independent bookings at the hotel were able to get rooms without delay.
  

The service on the ship was great; the food between excellent and so-so, depending on the day and the restaurant selected. This seems to be a generally happy place to post, but when you shell out the big bucks for a 17-day cruise, you expect a little better planning and organization. And this was on a cruise that had the Chairman of the Board of Oceania on board.

 

Happy cruising, but don't expect perfection.

[merryecho]

Thanks for posting- unless we let them know when we are dissatisfied, nothing will change. With the chairman on board maybe things will be shaken up a little, and those problems that can be fixed, will be.

[caclays]

We were on the prior leg of this cruise, from Puerto Caldera to Valparaiso, and didn't experience any delays in getting to ports, so I don't know where your information came from. Also, the seas were very very smooth until the last few days, when we got a little motion but not much. In fact, we were hoping to get more "rock and roll" than we did. For days on end, you couldn't even tell you were aboard a ship.

 

On our cruise, the ship was only about 2/3 full. Service was excellent throughout the cruise because of this. Dining room service was outstanding and fast. We heard rumors toward the end of our cruise that the next leg was fully booked, and that there were a number of children coming aboard. We have not read anything about the children actually being there, but I wonder if the lower level of service being reported for the 12/17 cruise could be associated with having such a full ship.

 

Of course, Oceania should be staffed sufficiently to ensure great service at full capacity.

 

The itinerary for our cruise was boring, boring and I would not recommend it to anyone who likes a more port intensive experience. There just isn't much to see in that stretch of Western SA, and when there is, you have to sit on a bus for 2 hours to get there!