Oceania- NEVER AGAIN !!!

[Palmetto Lady]

I guess it is the luck of the draw. We were on Nautica Hong Kong to Athens this April/May. We only took the Oceania tours, but I can't remember any of them where people "were so infirm they had to be helped on and off the bus".

[RetiredFL]

We also had to leave Shanghai early, necessitating canceling tours for the second day.

We were told it was the decision of the Chinese authorities due to river traffic. The ship needs to turn around in the middle of the river.

I would suspect Oceania lost more in tour revenue than cost of port fees.

We also had problems boarding in Beijing due to port authority decisions. No one was allowed to board until 4pm and then they closed the port from 6pm to 8pm, leaving late arrivals to sit on the dock for up to two hours until they could board.

The crew said it happened frequently and there was never any explanation from the authorities but that it is just the China way.

[Paulchili]

I am sorry some of you had to leave Shanghai early - it would be disappointing.

I guess we were lucky as we had no trouble boarding in Beijing nor an early departure in Shanghai.

I would not have minded an early departure there as I got sick from my dinner at Shangri La (of all places!)the night before and had to spend the morning on the ship anyway - but that's another story.:)

[RetiredFL]

I am sorry some of you had to leave Shanghai early - it would be disappointing.

I guess we were lucky as we had no trouble boarding in Beijing nor an early departure in Shanghai.

I would not have minded an early departure there as I got sick from my dinner at Shangri La (of all places!)the night before and had to spend the morning on the ship anyway - but that's another story.:)

Thanks for your sympathy but we looked at it as we were there, places we never thought we would get to, and we got to see our important objectives.

Over the years we have missed several ports, left early, had bad weather, etc. That's part of traveling/cruising.

I guess we would rather see the glass as half full rather than half empty. Perhaps more people need that outlook. It takes more muscles to frown than to smile.

[Paulchili]

Thanks for your sympathy but we looked at it as we were there, places we never thought we would get to, and we got to see our important objectives.

Over the years we have missed several ports, left early, had bad weather, etc. That's part of traveling/cruising.

I guess we would rather see the glass as half full rather than half empty. Perhaps more people need that outlook. It takes more muscles to frown than to smile.

 

That certainly is the right attitude and it makes life in general so much easier and more enjoyable too.

Besides, it might give a reason to go back if you ever wanted to see more :)

[trishs]

Wow just found this thread last night and read for a long time.

I am a newbie for the "O" and have booked our first cruise 2 months ago for April 23rd on the Insignia 2011. So of course this thread caught my eye.

 

Before I booked I had heard that this ship is not much on shows. I booked this ship because of the Itinerary, to have 3 days in Israel 2 in Egypt etc....not to mention the other ports, and I have heard good things about the food.

 

We did the Oasis in Jan 2010 and will do the Allure in Jan 2011 we do these ships because of the shows and the ship and not the itinerary.

 

If I need to use the internet I do it off the ship so that was fine.

 

Laundry hasn't even been an option on some ships and some the line is just too long so If I need to do laundry it's good to know to bring some money for the machines.

 

As far as shuttle that might be nice for a fee, but wouldn't like higher price cruise because of it, But I usually book private guides ahead of time unless we can walk.

I have booked a driver to take us to the apartment in Rome. 3 days prior. Private tour guides in Amalfi Coast,Taormina Sicily, Egypt, Israel, Ephesus,and Athens. Haven't figured out the other ports, like Zakynthos, Greece or Limassol, Cyprus, Alanya, Turkey (might rent a bike) Tartous, Syria (will check out cruise tour when it comes up) Good to know that they sometimes cancel tours.

 

We will have 4 for dinner any suggestions? I"ll make reservations ahead for the specialty restaurants. We are A3 so not sure if we have 2.

 

Any suggestions for a newbie on the "O" would be great.

 

Also booked through Oceania because we don't have a travel agent we work with in Santa Cruz.

Really looking forward to a great cruise.

 

I also want to thank all of you for such great suggestions on this board. Our trips are amazing because all your information. Before I found CC they weren't nearly as good.

So a BIG THANKS!

[Mparis184]

I agree with you Trishs. All my cruises have been more exciting because of the information and help from everyone on these boards. We always book private tours for the ports. It's easy to find other thread members on our Roll Call Boards to fill the seasts on the tour vans, etc. Most of the time the same group ends up touring together in all the ports and we have a great time.

 

Happy Sailing!

 

Marion

[shedridt]

Our cruise on Nautica was one of the best we've ever taken. Food was mixed, but consistently very good in the Italian restaurant. Nice room with spacious veranda - no complaints & we will probably sail Regatta to Alaska next summer.

 

This is a great itinerary by the way - we loved the lands down under.

[BlewWater]

Over the years we have missed several ports, left early, had bad weather, etc. That's part of traveling/cruising.

I guess we would rather see the glass as half full rather than half empty. Perhaps more people need that outlook. It takes more muscles to frown than to smile.

 

Such a simple concept that is sadly lacking with so many people!

[Toranut97]

Thanks for your sympathy but we looked at it as we were there, places we never thought we would get to, and we got to see our important objectives.

Over the years we have missed several ports, left early, had bad weather, etc. That's part of traveling/cruising.

I guess we would rather see the glass as half full rather than half empty. Perhaps more people need that outlook. It takes more muscles to frown than to smile.

 

Well, you know what they say -- The optimist says "The glass is half full," the pessimist says "The glass is half empty," and the engineer says "Why are you using the wrong sized glass?"

 

;-)

 

Thanks for bringing good perspective, RetiredFL!

[CruisingSerenity]

I'm sorry that the OP had a bad experience with Oceania Cruises because I found my experience to be the opposite.

 

I found the staff on board, including officers, to be very considerate, caring and treated people like royalty. They did everything they could to accommodate people but it must be understood that they do indeed have policies and guidelines they follow.

 

As for laundry room charges, I seem to recall paying for laundry on Holland America, as well. I used enough laundry rooms in my college years not to have an issue with it.

 

The Shore Exursions desk had valuable information and if you ask them, they can help you find transportation so that you are not just "dumped" on the side of the pier. Regardless, I've never visited a port that did not have a ton of locals waiting to take you somewhere. I certainly haven't been to every port in the world but it seems odd to me that no one was available. ??? Really?

 

For specialty restaurants, we split up and had one person stand in line to sign up for a night in one of the restaurants. We weren't picky about time or date so we got a reservation without any hassle at all.

 

I actually enjoyed the Main Dining Room and found the food to be very delcious. Sure there's more people in the Main Dining room but I enjoyed people watching. It was fun to see what people were wearing, watch them share stories and laugh, share photos, peek at what they were eating...

 

Internet charges seemed fair to me. They can get expensive if you don't watch your time or you can purchase the package deal. But it was nice to be able to shoot off a quick email to a friend to let her know of the goings on. I sent her an email every night and spent about $50 total. But I knew this going in because Oceania was upfront about those charges.

 

I guess it all depends on your attitude going in, researching and reserving things that you can and just enjoying the fact that you get to go on a cruise. I would certainly not base my entire cruise experience on a lack of Black Jack tables and a sub par show after dinner. There's so much more to do to have a great time; I didn't have enough time to experience it all.

 

I love Oceania cruises. I hope I get to go again one day.

[ShopperfiendTO]

 

Maybe I am holding Oceania to a higher ground but for the small fortunes spent on Oceania organized tours, my husband and I, and others had a continuum of substantial enough disappointments. Cancelled tours, cancelled sections important elements of tours, poor quality of tours, misaligned information about tours, lack of interest in assisting us with personal arrangements ... the list goes on and on. On one occasion I was actually told by a destinations employee that "if we don't meet our quota on a tour, we reserve the right to cancel". Sorry, but I didn't sign up to travel half way around the world to board a ship taking me to Belgium and Latvia and Russia only to find out that a tour (or part thereof) was misrepresented or cancelled. Not like I can hop on an hour long plane ride and make up for it next weekend.

 

 

We usually do our own excursion, but can vouch that having excursions cancelled midway through the cruise and a day before the excursion really blows, especially if it's a relatively isolated port where an excursion is the most suited way to see anything, and the "B" choices have since sold out. This happened on our first O cruise, and we are nearly certain that it was due to too few participants.

 

In ports like this, it's too much of a gamble to plan one's own excursions because of the distances involved (and traffic) and risk of missing the ship, so we really were at the mercy of the ship.

 

On our second cruise, we were fortunate to land in the same port and, whether being gamblers, having faith, or just bad learners (fool me once...), we signed up for the same excursion. To our delight, the quota was made (about 18 or so passengers) and it turned out to be a fantastic excursion. It was a bit expensive but well worth it.

 

This contrasted to another excursion we took on that second cruise that was disappointing. Too bad it cost more than the excellent excursion.

 

So I feel the pain but in some cases there really isn't anything that can be done about it.:(

[cruisingallthe time]

I read your lengthy diseration #204 on this board and really need to comment. Be sure of this- There was never any yelling, or shouting, or demanding, or anything of the kind on board. We have been on a great many cruises and know full well how to get along very well and conduct ourselves with people. We've been cruising for about 30 years or so. I find your comments out of line. If you take the time and read all of my posts very carefully, you will see that I have stressed each time that these are simply our opinions and the findings WE had on our O cruise. I also acknowledge in numerous replies that there are "different horses for different courses" and that O is just not for us. You see-- we have particular likes and dislikes in food which many people have. For instance, on Celebrity or Crystal or several other lines, we can often request a special meal order for the following evening without problem. We made this request in the MDR on O at least twice and were told that no special orders are permitted. This was a disappointment for us considering the cost of an O cruise and the fact that we paid for a PH suite, which will usually get a few odd extra perks for the customer. We found this not to be the case. As for te entertainment- I'm sorry, but we don't consider passing out paper and pencil to play trivia entertainment. And when they p[resent shows in the lounge it was often witha cruise staff member getting dressed up and being the "singer" for the evening. We are, perhaps, spoiled by other cruise lines that actually bring on real professional entertainers - many of whom the passengers will have heard of.

 

The dry sauna comment that you make such a big deal about- Normally cruise ships have a dry sauna in their spas and occassionally a wet steam as well. On the Regatta there is only a wet steam room. Just a comment.

 

As for the misc. expense items I mentioned such as the laundry and internet charges, let's be clear for the third time. I could care less about $2 or $4 to do laundry and I'm sure you already would know that. The point I made was that I found it petty not to have a complimentary laundry room for their passengers to use. Do they really find the $2 a big revenue source for the cruise line ? Obviously not. Then why not just make it complimentary. Their internet charges are obscene. Sorry- but a decent package of multiple minutes os $500. I just find that outrageous. Perhaps you don't.

 

Shuttles- enough said. It seems like many people who wrote on this board seem to agree with us on this point.

 

Specialty restaurants- As I have written a few times - I wish they would charge for it like the other cruise lines do. That way a customer that is willing to pay can go whenever they like and not feel that they are being refused. We have never experienced this refusal on any other cruise line we have been on.

 

I hope I have clarified my comments again for you and anyone else who has tried to twist them for their own particular motivation.

 

In closing, though, I do appreciate your suggestion that perhaps I should go on Carnival; however, in over 60 cruises we have never actually been on a Carnival cruise but I do see that you have about 4 or so times so you must obvioulsy be a fan of Carnival cruises. If we do go on Carnival one day, which I highly doubt will be the case, I'll be glad to let you know.

 

Happy cruising everyone. :)

[cruisingallthe time]

I read your lengthy disertation #204 on this board and really need to comment. Be sure of this- There was never any yelling, or shouting, or demanding, or anything of the kind on board. We have been on a great many cruises and know full well how to get along very well and conduct ourselves with people. We've been cruising for about 30 years or so. I find your comments out of line. If you take the time and read all of my posts very carefully, you will see that I have stressed each time that these are simply our opinions and the findings WE had on our O cruise. I also acknowledge in numerous replies that there are "different horses for different courses" and that O is just not for us. You see-- we have particular likes and dislikes in food which many people have. For instance, on Celebrity or Crystal or several other lines, we can often request a special meal order for the following evening without problem. We made this request in the MDR on O at least twice and were told that no special orders are permitted. This was a disappointment for us considering the cost of an O cruise and the fact that we paid for a PH suite, which will usually get a few odd extra perks for the customer. We found this not to be the case. As for the entertainment- I'm sorry, but we don't consider passing out paper and pencil to play trivia entertainment. And when they p[resent shows in the lounge it was often witha cruise staff member getting dressed up and being the "singer" for the evening. We are, perhaps, spoiled by other cruise lines that actually bring on real professional entertainers - many of whom the passengers will have heard of and be excited to see.

 

The dry sauna comment that you make such a big deal about- Normally cruise ships have a dry sauna in their spas and occassionally a wet steam as well. On the Regatta there is only a wet steam room. Just a comment.

 

As for the misc. expense items I mentioned such as the laundry and internet charges, let's be clear for the third time. I could care less about $2 or $4 to do laundry and I'm sure you already would know that. The point I made was that I found it petty not to have a complimentary laundry room for their passengers to use. Do they really find the $2 a big revenue source for the cruise line ? Obviously not. Then why not just make it complimentary.

 

Internet minutes- Their internet charges are obscene. Sorry- but a decent package of multiple minutes os $500. I just find that outrageous. Perhaps you don't. A decent package of minutes was $500. Do you know that the crew pays 20 cents a minute ? Do you think O loses money on that ? Obviously not. Then why should their customers that keep them in business be socked with 5 times that at 95 cents a minute ? Yes- I know that many on't use the internet while on vacation; however, what about the people that do need to stay in touch with an ill family member, or with their offices, or for any number of other reasons need regular access to the internet ? Frankly, I am just appaled that O would allow their concessionaire to charge their passengers this much, and yes- it iS close to double what the other cruise lines charge.

Shuttles- enough said. It seems like many people who wrote on this board seem to agree with us on this point.

 

Specialty restaurants- As I have written a few times - I wish they would charge for it like the other cruise lines do. That way a customer that is willing to pay can go whenever they like and not feel that they are being refused. We have never experienced this refusal on any other cruise line we have been on. Their brochure promsies a MINIMUM of 4 times in specialty restaurants for PH guests. I just never expected that the word Minimum would actually mean Maximum. When we go on vacation, I just don't want to be refused to go to any restaurant on a cruise ship. I've never had that on any other line.

 

I hope I have clarified my comments again for you and anyone else who has tried to twist them for their own particular motivation.

 

In closing, though, I did read your suggestion that perhaps I should go on Carnival; however, in over 60 cruises we have never actually been on a Carnival cruise but I do see that you have about 4 or so times so you must obvioulsy be a big fan of Carnival cruises to go back 4 times. If we do go on Carnival one day, which I highly doubt will be the case, I'll be glad to let you know.

 

Happy cruising everyone. :)

[Bruin Steve]

Wow!

Thank you for showing up on this board after three weeks just to write that condescending piece of drivel in reply to my post...and then to repeatit TWICE...

 

Tell me where I was wrong in ANYTHING I said...

 

I will stand by all of my comments...

 

No dry sauna? I made a big deal of it? It was major point of your initial post...Why do you think I reacted to it the way I did?

 

$2 for our laundry? They might as well throw it in free?

 

Do you understand business? NOTHING is free...It isn't free on whatever cruise line it is you normally cruise on either...One way or another, you pay for it...

 

Sure, they could add it to the price and throw it in for free...but then I'd be paying for YOUR laundry...I choose not to waste my time doing laundry...I couldn't care less what YOU pay...

 

Obviously this is still a major deal for YOU...You can't seem to drop it...Apparently it's the only reason you come to these boards...And you can't seem to drop it either...

 

GET A LIFE...MOVE ON already!!!

[mcpa66]

Wow!

 

$2 for our laundry? They might as well throw it in free?

 

Do you understand business? NOTHING is free...It isn't free on whatever cruise line it is you normally cruise on either...One way or another, you pay for it...

 

As my DH would say...the MacDonalds theory.....multiply $2x1000s....bottom line...if you want all inclusive please sail with Regent.... we love Oceania with all its little areas that needs some improvement..it does not bother us. Can someone please close this post already? I'm tired to see the angry title move up everyday......:(

[burm]

If the few washers and dryers they have were free, probably people would be throwing in a couple of items at a time and it would be even more difficult to grab a machine.

[Andy]

Hi Everyone !

 

Being that this thread was started in July, and that recent posts are revisiting old comments, I agree this thread has run it's course, and is now closed.

 

As a reminder, if you see post(s) that need my attention, please use the red triangle to report it. I will be happy to look into it immediately. Thank you !