Disappointed in Oceania

[libertyman]

We just returned from a two-week cruise in Northern Europe on the Insignia, and were disappointed. We're now considering canceling an Oceania cruise we had reserved for next year and going instead with Silversea or Crystal.

Before you all start tearing out my throat for daring to criticize a cruise line, we are experienced cruisers, and this was our third cruise on just the Oceania line. We are usually happy travelers, and have had an excellent experience on Oceania in the past.

To be fair, some of my criticism is aimed at our fellow passengers, but the ship had a duty to deal with some of the worst abuses and they didn't.

1) Food: Compared to prior Oceania cruises, the food was just ok. The cuts of beef, for example, were tough and overly fatty in every restaurant but Polo. Considering this was a Jacques Pepin cruise (he was a wonderful lecturer), the offerings were uninspired and mediocre. The "Jacques Pepin Signature Dishes" were the same three choices every night for 14 nights. (steak frites, salmon, or roasted chicken)

2) Specialty Restaurants: Prior to the cruise, we had booked one night each at Polo and Toscana. We got the little card confirming our reservations when we boarded and three days later we showed up at our first reservation, on-time and in good spirits. We were informed that we had canceled both our reservations the first day of the cruise and nothing was now available in either restaurant. We hadn't canceled anything, and it turned out another passenger had canceled our dates so that they could book additional nights for their stateroom. Instead of apologies, we were treated to attitude and promises that they would call our room the next day with new reservation times. Of course, they didn't call that day or the next day or the next or the next, and we ended up having to hound them just to get a reservation in Polo at the end of the cruise.

3) Port transportation: They need to work out a better bus or tram system to get people into towns. If you have 650 passengers on board and only supply one bus every 30 minutes with a seating capacity of 51 people, it's going to get ugly. To make matters worse, the bus drivers in at least two ports took a lunch break between 1:00 and 2:00 and the backlog of passengers trying to get back to the ship was a nightmare, resulting in some passengers behaving very badly, pushing to the front of the lines, seeing "old friends" near the front and joining them in front of 60 or 70 others who had been waiting patiently, pushing the front of the taxi lines for people who simply gave up waiting for a bus after more than an hour. For example, my spouse and I waited in line almost 30 minutes for a 3:00 bus back to the ship. We’d already paid 25 euros to get into town because we’d been aced out of seats by pushy passengers cutting to the front. We felt safe this time because we were number 40 and 41 in line. Too many other passengers "took cuts" and we ended up not being able to board the bus, and rather than stand in the heat for another 30 minutes, we joined the taxi line instead. Once again, other passengers pushed their way to the taxis rather than wait in line. I know that the bus limitation is often a local union issue, and not the ship’s fault, but a little warning to the passengers, and an attempt to keep lines in order, goes a long way. In other example, the local taxi union in Bruges prohibited the cruise line from hiring any buses. So we all had to pay $50 euro each way for taxi cabs to take us to the center of town. There were plenty of cabs going from the ship to downtown Bruges, but virtually no taxis available to get back to the boat. Only passengers who had made appointments with individual drivers to get them back to the ship at a certain time had taxi service. If we’d known this, our return to the ship would have taken 30 minutes instead of almost 90.

4) Service: Other than the sniveling maitre d’ at Toscana who told us we were lying about canceling our dinner reservations, and the restaurant manager who wouldn’t return our calls, service was the usual comfortable level for Oceania. Our cabin steward was particularly efficient and helpful.

5) Entertainment: Other than attending Jacques Pepin’s cooking demonstrations (which were excellent), we didn’t go to any of the shows on board. We did find ourselves running away from the string quartet whenever they started to set up because they were just plain awful.

6) Internet: We purchased a 500 minute package for $300 and it was impossible to get a workable connection. Over the 14 day cruise, I was only able to download email on my computer twice, wasn’t able to access webmail at all, and could only rarely access more than one or two websites in a row. We complained at the end of the trip, they said that they knew the internet service was awful, and that they were changing systems on the very next cruise, and refunded us $200. I came home to 1,400 messages.

7) Laundry Facilities: 4 washers and 4 dryers for 650 passengers on a 14-day cruise is not enough. Some passengers tried to set up a sign up sheet, but common courtesy got lost along the way. Laundry was $4 per load (how tacky to nickel and dime when we paid $10,000 for a cruise), and if you follow their “last load in by 9 pm” rule posted on the wall, you were SOL when it came time to collect your dry clothes. I put my laundry in at just shy of 9 pm (after trying to snag two washers for four days), waited in the laundry room until 9:36 and put in the dryer. They locked the room at 10 pm and I had to choose between taking two loads of still wet clothes to my room, or coming back at 7:30 in the morning to get my things. A load put in at 9 pm can’t be done until 10:23 at the earliest.

8) Rooms: The rooms were nice, the beds were comfortable, and the lack of a bathtub is unfortunate but at least we knew about it in advance, having taken Oceania before. They no longer charge for soft drinks and fresh ice was brought to the room two or three times as day.

9) Lounges: Once again, this was the passengers at fault and not the cruise line, but I was surprised at how obnoxiously loud some of the people were on this cruise when they’d had a few under their belts. This has not been our experience on prior Oceania cruises.

10) Temperature: The temperature on board was uncomfortably cold. They kept the public areas at 65 to 68 degrees and were always trying to find the warmest places on the ship (the forward elevators, by the way, won the contest…) We couldn’t even get it above 70 in the cabin. During the summer, they apparently don’t turn on the heat in the ship, even though we were in Oslo, Norway where it was raining and 60 degrees.

11) Foreign Currency: This is just a general warning to cruisers to use their ATM cards to get cash, rather than rely on a cruise ship’s bank. Oceania charges a 5% fee plus their exchange rate is horrible. They exchanged 1 euro for $1.38 + 5% when the exchange rate was actually $1.28.

 

I wrote an Oceania review this time last year which was glowing in praise. I hope they figure out how to address some of these issues soon, or we'll take our business elsewhere.

[wripro]

Thanks for the review. Did you speak to the Hotel Manager or anyone else about your problems while you were on board? Especially about the cancelled reservations?

[libertyman]

We, too, just got off the Insignia. Evidently, we were on a cruise just before this one. We went to Norway, the Polar Ice Cap, and Murmansk. A few of the points in this review are well known facts--yes, there is a lack of washing machines, and yes you don't get a good exchange rate on the ship. Much of the rest of this criticism is absolutely balderdash. We had a great cruise. John Dvorak.

 

How nice to know my opinions and experiences are nothing but balderdash.

[libertyman]

Thanks for the review. Did you speak to the Hotel Manager or anyone else about your problems while you were on board? Especially about the cancelled reservations?

 

We spoke with the restaurant manager, and he said he'd get back to us right away, but didn't until the end of the cruise. He said that on future cruises, they're going to ask someone cancelling a reservation to verify their last name.

[Bruin Steve]

I can certainly understand that everyone has different criteria and standards and that Oceania just may not be a good fit for you. Silversea or Crystal may suit you better, they may do a bit more...but they also tend to be a bit more expensive, don't they? So, we all have to decide what is most important to us...From my experience, every cruise line has its pluses and minuses...nobody presents a "perfect" cruise...of course, depending on what you want out of a cruise and what you are willing to pay, some wwill be more perfect than others...for YOU...

 

It's hard to try to place the cruise line as responsible for "rude" passengers...I have never encountered many I would consider rude on Oceania...but, I would likely just try to avoid them or ignore the behavior...

 

Interesting to read your take on the food...I have always found the food on Oceania to be outstanding...Of course, one cruise, I heard other passengers complaining about the steaks...IN POLO of all places...Of course, I didn't eat the steaks (I was really trying to manage my Cholesterol at that point), so I wouldn't know...Sometimes with cruise lines, it may be a temporary thing...meats are often brought on board locally (you don't want a steak that's been cruising frozen for six weeks) and you are dependent on the local availability...I certainly hope it's a random occurrence...

 

I am looking forward to cruising with Jacques Pepin as he is on my Marina cruise next August...

 

I really do not understand how another passenger could have cancelled YOU restaurant reservations...If you made them over the internet prior to the cruise, what you probably should have done (I know, hindsight) is to print the confirmation and bring it with you...I would think there is some way they could have accommodated you...

 

I often read, on these boards, similar complaints about the lack of port shuttles on Oceania...Of course, it has never been a problem for us as we have almost always booked either shore excursions or private tours in port...I guess this may be one of their ways of encouraging you to book theuir shore excursions...I do not think Oceania desiogns their cruise logistics around passengers who merely want to get to town and walk around on their own...

 

One thing I've learned from my many European cruises is that the pier facility is often far from the towns of interest...I don't think anyone with any foresight should leave it until they getto the port to figure out how they get into town...or expect the cruise line to get them there...The cruise lines figure they DO have a way to get you there: BUY A SHOREX...

 

That said, planning for Bruges this last cruise, we KNEW of the logistical issues and pre-reserved a taxi van--sharing with three other couples--25 euros per couple round trip...Our taxi driver also scheduled a time with us to pick us back up where he dropped us...EASY...

 

I agree, the Entertainment on Oceania is somewhat lacking...part of the problem being it's a small ship with limited facilities (Another hindrance is having only three ships, often far apart--whereas big ship lines often shuttle entertainers between ships, joining each cruise only long enough to do a show and transfer to the next ship, thereby getting more variety to each cruise, Oceania cannot easily do this), but mostly it's just that Oceania doesn't pay a lot of attention to entertainment...They should...Hopefully, they will listen to the comments of their customers and try to upgrade...There are things they can do...I'm imagining some of these Eastern European musicians work cheap--of course, some are very good--find the good ones...But, it really elps to have the Piano Bar guy be English speaking--they have to entertain a little more than just play piano...

 

Internet is both awful...and expensive...on most every cruise lines...Hopefully, someday, this will all change and cruise lines will start providing it as a courtesy...The bottom line I've learned is to ignore the net and email for awhile...You are on vacation...We all lived without this stuff for so long...remember? I purchase a package from my cell phone provider...and tell those close to me, if something is important to use the cell phone, voice mail, text messing, etc. Or you can always find a cheap, fast internet cafe in most any port nowadays...Besides, 90% of email is spam...

 

As to the laundry room...Again, seriously? $4 may be nickling and diming...but what's $4 to any of us either? Maybe it helps keep people from really hogging the machines and doing 14 separate loads?

 

And, of course, who wants to do laundry on vacation anyway? I don't even do my own laundry at home...Celebrity, for example, doesn't even have a self service laundry...I send my stuff out and let them do it...Costs more? Of course...But I can afford it...and I imagine you can too...

 

I LIKE cooler temperatures...You can always pack a sweater if it's too cool...but too warm and we're all out of luck...

 

Exchange rates are horrible most places...especially on ships...Buy your currency at a bank back home--where, of course, they charge a fee that is blended into a less favorable exchange rate...or use an ATM (and pay the use fees on both ends)...or, best, try to rely mostly on credit cards (of course, most of them now tack on a 2 or 3% "foreign transaction fee")...Wherever you exchange money you will pay fees--either blended into a less favorable rate or just tacked on as a percentage or as a flat $ amount...Depending on how much you need to exchange, what works best varies...But it's inevitable...I just learn to live with it--It is what it is...

 

Well, whether you cruise again with Oceania or go somewhere else, let's hope your next cruise is more to your liking...

[LHT28]

Thanks for the review

We got off the day you got on .... glad we did if things went downhill that fast.

I cannot believe Carlos would not track you down to respond to your problem with the specialty restaurant

I wonder how someone could cancel your reservation without your full name & cabin #?

 

We were at the Polar Ice cap temps in the low 30's but managed to get heat in the cabin to keep us warm & around the ship it was warm enough.

 

Too bad about the string quartet as we enjoyed the one we had on our 30 day cruise but they got off Aug 10th also to return home.

 

I agree that some of the food was just OK not up to the food on our previous cruises on Oceania

 

I think the port transportation is put on by the port authority/town/city not by Oceania

 

We were fortunate to book a taxi for Bruges well before the cruise, sometimes it works out better having a plan in place before you arrive

 

Laundry well that has been beaten to death...I have never had a problem so will not comment. It cost me about $16. for our laundry room excursions..not a big problem

 

 

Hope you enjoy whatever cruise you take next

 

Lyn

[Decebal]

2) Specialty Restaurants: We were informed that we had canceled both our reservations the first day of the cruise and nothing was now available in either restaurant. We hadn't canceled anything, and it turned out another passenger had canceled our dates so that they could book additional nights for their stateroom.

 

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. Wow, that is something I have never heard before, having your reservations stolen. How did the perpetrators know how to cancel your reservation? Did they just pick a random cabin number? Weird, and yes, Oceania should not have blown you off like that, when you show up at dinner with a smile on your face.

[Paulchili]

I am sorry to read about your poor experiences on your last Oceania cruise. Just like yourself, we had nothing but raves about our Oceania cruises in the past.

Your opinions are certainly valid and your evaluation/critique is in stark contrast to a rant posted on these boards earlier. I can only hope that this is an exception and not the rule as we have 4 Oceania cruises coming up.

By all means, give Silversea a try - who could blame you after your last experience?

[happy cruzer]

Thanks you, Libertyman for posting. So many who post anything the least bit negative about O get blasted, it can be daunting. I'm booked on Regatta and have noticed that several of the last reviews on the review page are not very flattering. I'm not sure if O is changing or not, but they do not seem to be getting the rave reviews as much as before. I noticed that the marketing in the bochures has changed (I got blasted for that myself). That would explain someone new to O having some false expectations but your experience is indeed troubling.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[libertyman]

Exchange rates are horrible most places...especially on ships...Buy your currency at a bank back home--where, of course, they charge a fee that is blended into a less favorable exchange rate...or use an ATM (and pay the use fees on both ends)...or, best, try to rely mostly on credit cards (of course, most of them now tack on a 2 or 3% "foreign transaction fee")...

 

I bank at a small, private bank that doesn't charge fees for any ATM usage, either domestic or abroad.

 

I also keep a Capital One visa for international travel expenses (no fees for international purchases and a decent exchange rate).

 

We spend two to three months per year traveling abroad and have an unlimited international data plan for our blackberries.

 

I understand that internet is slow on cruise ships. It simply didn't work on this ship and they decided to replace it with a new service starting on the cruise after ours. I am self-employed and basic albeit slow internet (which I've gotten on all other cruises until this one) is a necessary evil.

[libertyman]

I am sorry to read about your poor experiences on your last Oceania cruise. Just like yourself, we had nothing but raves about our Oceania cruises in the past.

Your opinions are certainly valid and your evaluation/critique is in stark contrast to a rant posted on these boards earlier. I can only hope that this is an exception and not the rule as we have 4 Oceania cruises coming up.

By all means, give Silversea a try - who could blame you after your last experience?

 

We've sailed Silversea in the past and loved it. The only drawbacks were the higher price and dress code. Our last Silversea cruise was 15 days (Panama Canal) with four black tie nights, five "informal" nights, and six casual nights. We tend to travel for a couple of weeks surrounding a cruise, and triple packing of clothes (and shoes, and purses, and whatnot) seems kind of silly and un-vacationlike.

[markshale]

thanks for providing me with the valuable information of the times and cost for the laundry. It will weigh in on my decision to use it or not.

[MightyQuinn]

Thanks for your comments Libertyman. Many of your observations (internet charges, shuttles, laundry) have been noted & discussed at length here, so fair to say they are “known” issues. But what troubled me most was the response you received from the Specialty Restaurants when it became apparent that your reservations had disappeared. Dismissing your complaint and giving you attitude just doesn’t seem to be the Oceania way. I also hope it was an aberration.

[KCRC]

Thanks Libertyman for your candid post. I guess you are very "brave" to post a some what negative observation of O. As I have my first O cruise next spring, I am looking for exactly the kind of info. you posted. O supporters defend this company to a "fault". I can't believe the number of times I have read that "you should go else where if you don't like O". It is starting to sound like a rehearsed drumbeat from some loyalists. I now discount all of the superlative praises I read on these threads and only seriously consider constructive (and sometimes destructive) criticism. People spend a substantial amount of $ to go on an O or other cruise and should expect an excellent product for their hard earned dollars. Making excuses or trying to justify short comings only sheds more exposure on the deficiency.

[rokalada]

I am in a quandary about a cruise next summer --- either Silverseas to Spain/Portugal or Oceania's Istanbul/Venice. Quite truthfully, they work out to be about the same price per person/per day when you take into account the 60% savings on Silversea. So, I decided to come into Cruise Critic and see what folks had to say about the two lines, since we have never sailed either, usually sailing Celebrity.

 

I appreciate your comments, Libertyman. I am offended that someone would call your well-worded comments about your Oceania experience "balderdash." You are certainly entitled to your opinion....and that's what this Board is for - sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly about one's experiences cruising.

 

So, thanks for your posting, and shame on someone for castigating you. What one person experiences on a cruise is not always the same as the next person's experience, and I think we all need to consider that --- or else this Board is nothing more than an ineffective mode of name-calling.

 

Kathy

Galveston, Tx

[PaulMCO]

Thank you for your well thought out review without any ranting. This is cruise critic.

 

I used FOREX to get foreign currency in advance. I avoid ATM's if possible in any Tourist area as there are scam artists sniffing for your account and PIN. If you have a Bank of America account they are a very good source of Euro's at a reasonable rate. The 1.38 is not off the wall -- it is typical from any currency dealer in Europe.

 

As someone pointed out the Internet is a Known Oceania issue. I wonder since FDR has mentioned that they are upgrading the service -- had the ships systems been upgraded? I too use my Blackberry with an unlimited plan.

[A Knitter]

Libertyman. We had a similiar restaurant foul up last November. Someone in our roll call canceled their online reservation at our table which resulted in our remaining members reservation to be lost at sea, (little humor there). :) Anyway, the problem was resolved once onboard even though that particular night was already booked. With a little flexibility on both ends, we were satisfied with the outcome.

[LHT28]

I am in a quandary about a cruise next summer --- either Silverseas to Spain/Portugal or Oceania's Istanbul/Venice. Quite truthfully, they work out to be about the same price per person/per day when you take into account the 60% savings on Silversea. So, I decided to come into Cruise Critic and see what folks had to say about the two lines, since we have never sailed either, usually sailing Celebrity.

 

 

I would start a new thread for your query or use the search feature at the top ..your question may be lost in this thread

This comparison has been done before between the 2 lines

 

Lyn

[juli2020]

We just returned from a two-week cruise in Northern Europe on the Insignia, and were disappointed. We're now considering canceling an Oceania cruise we had reserved for next year and going instead with Silversea or Crystal.

Before you all start tearing out my throat for daring to criticize a cruise line, we are experienced cruisers, and this was our third cruise on just the Oceania line. We are usually happy travelers, and have had an excellent experience on Oceania in the past.

To be fair, some of my criticism is aimed at our fellow passengers, but the ship had a duty to deal with some of the worst abuses and they didn't.

1) Food: Compared to prior Oceania cruises, the food was just ok. The cuts of beef, for example, were tough and overly fatty in every restaurant but Polo. Considering this was a Jacques Pepin cruise (he was a wonderful lecturer), the offerings were uninspired and mediocre. The "Jacques Pepin Signature Dishes" were the same three choices every night for 14 nights. (steak frites, salmon, or roasted chicken)

2) Specialty Restaurants: Prior to the cruise, we had booked one night each at Polo and Toscana. We got the little card confirming our reservations when we boarded and three days later we showed up at our first reservation, on-time and in good spirits. We were informed that we had canceled both our reservations the first day of the cruise and nothing was now available in either restaurant. We hadn't canceled anything, and it turned out another passenger had canceled our dates so that they could book additional nights for their stateroom. Instead of apologies, we were treated to attitude and promises that they would call our room the next day with new reservation times. Of course, they didn't call that day or the next day or the next or the next, and we ended up having to hound them just to get a reservation in Polo at the end of the cruise.

3) Port transportation: They need to work out a better bus or tram system to get people into towns. If you have 650 passengers on board and only supply one bus every 30 minutes with a seating capacity of 51 people, it's going to get ugly. To make matters worse, the bus drivers in at least two ports took a lunch break between 1:00 and 2:00 and the backlog of passengers trying to get back to the ship was a nightmare, resulting in some passengers behaving very badly, pushing to the front of the lines, seeing "old friends" near the front and joining them in front of 60 or 70 others who had been waiting patiently, pushing the front of the taxi lines for people who simply gave up waiting for a bus after more than an hour. For example, my spouse and I waited in line almost 30 minutes for a 3:00 bus back to the ship. We’d already paid 25 euros to get into town because we’d been aced out of seats by pushy passengers cutting to the front. We felt safe this time because we were number 40 and 41 in line. Too many other passengers "took cuts" and we ended up not being able to board the bus, and rather than stand in the heat for another 30 minutes, we joined the taxi line instead. Once again, other passengers pushed their way to the taxis rather than wait in line. I know that the bus limitation is often a local union issue, and not the ship’s fault, but a little warning to the passengers, and an attempt to keep lines in order, goes a long way. In other example, the local taxi union in Bruges prohibited the cruise line from hiring any buses. So we all had to pay $50 euro each way for taxi cabs to take us to the center of town. There were plenty of cabs going from the ship to downtown Bruges, but virtually no taxis available to get back to the boat. Only passengers who had made appointments with individual drivers to get them back to the ship at a certain time had taxi service. If we’d known this, our return to the ship would have taken 30 minutes instead of almost 90.

4) Service: Other than the sniveling maitre d’ at Toscana who told us we were lying about canceling our dinner reservations, and the restaurant manager who wouldn’t return our calls, service was the usual comfortable level for Oceania. Our cabin steward was particularly efficient and helpful.

5) Entertainment: Other than attending Jacques Pepin’s cooking demonstrations (which were excellent), we didn’t go to any of the shows on board. We did find ourselves running away from the string quartet whenever they started to set up because they were just plain awful.

6) Internet: We purchased a 500 minute package for $300 and it was impossible to get a workable connection. Over the 14 day cruise, I was only able to download email on my computer twice, wasn’t able to access webmail at all, and could only rarely access more than one or two websites in a row. We complained at the end of the trip, they said that they knew the internet service was awful, and that they were changing systems on the very next cruise, and refunded us $200. I came home to 1,400 messages.

7) Laundry Facilities: 4 washers and 4 dryers for 650 passengers on a 14-day cruise is not enough. Some passengers tried to set up a sign up sheet, but common courtesy got lost along the way. Laundry was $4 per load (how tacky to nickel and dime when we paid $10,000 for a cruise), and if you follow their “last load in by 9 pm” rule posted on the wall, you were SOL when it came time to collect your dry clothes. I put my laundry in at just shy of 9 pm (after trying to snag two washers for four days), waited in the laundry room until 9:36 and put in the dryer. They locked the room at 10 pm and I had to choose between taking two loads of still wet clothes to my room, or coming back at 7:30 in the morning to get my things. A load put in at 9 pm can’t be done until 10:23 at the earliest.

8) Rooms: The rooms were nice, the beds were comfortable, and the lack of a bathtub is unfortunate but at least we knew about it in advance, having taken Oceania before. They no longer charge for soft drinks and fresh ice was brought to the room two or three times as day.

9) Lounges: Once again, this was the passengers at fault and not the cruise line, but I was surprised at how obnoxiously loud some of the people were on this cruise when they’d had a few under their belts. This has not been our experience on prior Oceania cruises.

10) Temperature: The temperature on board was uncomfortably cold. They kept the public areas at 65 to 68 degrees and were always trying to find the warmest places on the ship (the forward elevators, by the way, won the contest…) We couldn’t even get it above 70 in the cabin. During the summer, they apparently don’t turn on the heat in the ship, even though we were in Oslo, Norway where it was raining and 60 degrees.

11) Foreign Currency: This is just a general warning to cruisers to use their ATM cards to get cash, rather than rely on a cruise ship’s bank. Oceania charges a 5% fee plus their exchange rate is horrible. They exchanged 1 euro for $1.38 + 5% when the exchange rate was actually $1.28.

 

I wrote an Oceania review this time last year which was glowing in praise. I hope they figure out how to address some of these issues soon, or we'll take our business elsewhere.

 

We had the opposite problem with our cabin being too hot on our entire cruise last Christmas. The air was not working well and they could not adjust the temperature to make it cooler. One day..the air did not work at all.

Regarding shuttles....Oceania should offer shuttles in my opinon.

Try Silversea...They do offer shuttles if you are not docked right in the middle of town. The shuttles run every 30 minutes to and from town and there is no charge.

[hondorner]

Of course, your comments are not "balderdash". Note that the commenter has few posts on Cruise Critic and perhaps has not yet absorbed the normal, friendly character of the Oceania forum.

 

Some of your comments are your opinion, to which you are entitled. I can't and won't comment on such things as the "awful" string quartet, fatty and tough beef, obnoxious fellow passengers and temperature. These are all subjective opinions and reactions vary from passenger to passenger.

 

I'm also not going to comment on things that are pretty obviously not Oceania's fault, such as transportation arrangements. I do understand how these things can contribute to your overall cruise experience.

 

But, some of your comments were reports of fact. I'd like to address some of those directly.

 

It is a fact that the "Jacques Pepin Signature" dishes on the Grand Dining Room Menu do not change, and would have been the same all 14 nights. However, these items have nothing to do with the coincidence that Jacques Pepin was aboard -- they are the "fallback" dishes that are always available in the event that nothing else on the menu suits. They rarely ever change, and were similar in all of my cruises dating back to 2006. I'm a bit perplexed that you chose to mention this as part of your disappointment; surely they were the same on your previous two Oceania cruises, as well, and that might have rung a bell. Or, you could have asked.

 

It is also a fact that the laundry has a small charge associated with it. However, considering that you paid $10,000 for your cruise, it should be apparent that $4 for laundry is not really a profit center for Oceania. It seems to me that there must be another reason, perhaps perfectly valid. for the charge -- and another poster has excellently suggested that the fee is intended to minimize overcrowding. However, if it is considered "nickle-diming", perhaps the fee should be increased to a more meaningful (and certainly more effective if crowding is the issue) $100 or even $500 per load? ;)

 

It's also a fact that there are only 4 washers and dryers on board, and they take a certain amount of time to operate, and they close at a certain hour in order to minimize potential disruption to passengers in the nearby cabins.. This was your third Oceania cruise; if those facts and the fee involved are such a disappointment that you will not sail Oceania again, I'm somewhat mystified why it was not apparent to you before this.

 

It's a fact that Oceania has not had the fastest internet service available (I found it faster on Oceania's sister line, the luxury all-inclusive Regent). It's also fact that they charge some of the highest fees afloat, probably in an attempt to limit usage, because it is so slow. But, once again, I am mystified why, if your self-employment depends so much on this usage, you didn't notice it in your two previous Oceania cruises, about which, according to your own post, you gave a glowing review. According to all reports and my personal experience, the internet on Oceania has always left something to be desired.

 

It's also true that Oceania is attempting to rectify this situation, and has been installing new hardware on a rolling basis throughout the fleet. The case is still out for decision as to whether it has worked, or not.

 

But, overwhelmingly, your major disappointment had to be the cancellation of your specialty restaurant reservations. Apart from whether the maitre 'd was actually "sniveling" or not, this should have been quickly rectified. If it had happened to me, and the restaurant manager had not gotten back to me within hours, I would have gone directly to the General Manager and informed him of the situation.

 

This is exactly the type of situation with which Frank Del Rio, founder of Oceania and now CEO of Oceania's parent company, tends to involve himself. There is no excuse for their lack of due diligence in confirming that your reservations were indeed canceled in an outrageous manner. But, perhaps they were reacting to a previous passenger's complaint about being asked for a cabin number...:rolleyes:

 

Perhaps I might not be so perplexed if I came across your earlier review in which the laundry was free and available, the internet was fast and inexpensive, to food was perfect, the Signature dishes varied each night, the string quartet played music you like, and the cruise was therefore entirely to your liking.

[billie5]

Someone who claims to believe only criticism on CC -- wow, does that redefine the ultimate pessimist !

 

OP, I think you have stated well your comments about Oceania. Even if some of the complaints were already well-known by CC readers (and I assume by you if this was your third Oceania cruise), I can hardly see any harm in restating them. What does surprise me is your comment about the exchange rate. I doubt if the rate would be any better at an on-shore cambio.

 

Bill

[potterhill]

With regard to the food, I found that on our last cruise on Regatta, the food was not nearly as good as it had been previously on Insignia (X2).

I have had tough lobster, veal and steak. However, mostly the food is very good and I am a tough critic. It just seemed to overall be a notch below what it had been on the Insignia.

 

Also, we have encountered those pushy passengers when it comes to getting cabs.....I couldn't believe the behaviour I saw, and probably wouldn't have, had I not witnessed it myself.

 

I did use the laundry in the past but on future cruises I plan to send out the laundry. After all, I am on vacation! Also because of the weight restrictions we will be taking less and washing more so I'm just adding a couple hundred to the budget. If we don't spend it all, so much the better.

 

I am surprised that you had trouble with the dining reservations as they have always been very attentive to our requests. In fact, much more than I expected, as we are usually in steerage....LOL!

 

Mo

[libertyman]

It is a fact that the "Jacques Pepin Signature" dishes on the Grand Dining Room Menu do not change, and would have been the same all 14 nights. However, these items have nothing to do with the coincidence that Jacques Pepin was aboard -- they are the "fallback" dishes that are always available in the event that nothing else on the menu suits. They rarely ever change, and were similar in all of my cruises dating back to 2006. I'm a bit perplexed that you chose to mention this as part of your disappointment; surely they were the same on your previous two Oceania cruises, as well, and that might have rung a bell. Or, you could have asked.

 

It's quite possible the signature dishes were the same on our prior two trips and I don't remember them at all. On the contrary, the food on our earlier Oceania vacations was quite memorable in terms of flavor and variety and this was one of the primary reasons we chose Oceania for this year's trip. This time, we were disappointed with the usual fare and tired of the never-changing signature dishes quickly.

 

It is also a fact that the laundry has a small charge associated with it. However, considering that you paid $10,000 for your cruise, it should be apparent that $4 for laundry is not really a profit center for Oceania. It seems to me that there must be another reason, perhaps perfectly valid. for the charge -- and another poster has excellently suggested that the fee is intended to minimize overcrowding. However, if it is considered "nickle-diming", perhaps the fee should be increased to a more meaningful (and certainly more effective if crowding is the issue) $100 or even $500 per load? ;)

 

Our prior two trips on Oceania were on the Nautica which had more than one laundry facility, didn't charge a penny, didn't lock the doors at 10 pm, and was a far more efficient system. In comparison, on the Insignia, people got testy and snippy waiting for the machines and the irons.

 

I could also afford to pay $1.75 per bottle of water and cola back when Oceania nickel and dimed on those items, and I found it tacky then. They finally gave up charging for soft drinks after a lot of people complained, and they can do the same with the laundry machines.

 

It's also a fact that there are only 4 washers and dryers on board, and they take a certain amount of time to operate, and they close at a certain hour in order to minimize potential disruption to passengers in the nearby cabins..

 

Quite true. And if they posted "last load in" at 8:30 instead of 9:00, I'd have been able to get my clothes out by the time the doors locked at 10:00 pm.

 

This was your third Oceania cruise; if those facts and the fee involved are such a disappointment that you will not sail Oceania again, I'm somewhat mystified why it was not apparent to you before this.

 

They didn't charge for laundry on my last two Oceania cruises on the Nautica, their food was way better on my last two Oceania cruises, they had sufficient shuttles on my last two Oceania cruises, they didn't cancel my dinner reservations on my last two Oceania cruises, the boat was a comfortable temperature on my last two Oceania cruises, and I was able to download email to my computer on my last two Oceania cruises.

 

It's a fact that Oceania has not had the fastest internet service available (I found it faster on Oceania's sister line, the luxury all-inclusive Regent). It's also fact that they charge some of the highest fees afloat, probably in an attempt to limit usage, because it is so slow.

 

My issue with the Internet was unrelated to speed and only partially related to expenses. It simply didn't work 95% of the time. I had four bars of wireless connectivity to the ship's system, but the ship didn't have connectivity to the satellite.

 

But, once again, I am mystified why, if your self-employment depends so much on this usage, you didn't notice it in your two previous Oceania cruises, about which, according to your own post, you gave a glowing review.

 

Sigh. Let me try this again. The Internet was slow and expensive on our first two Oceania cruises, but on this third cruise, IT DIDN'T WORK starting roughly 3 days into a 14-day cruise. At the end of the cruise, management apologized and said they knew it hadn't worked, and refunded 2/3 of the fee. That's nice of them, but was bad news for the work I wasn't able to do on board.

[pacheco18]

Every cruise experience is subjective and there is always the unexpected.

 

Anyone cruising O should expect slow internet, lousy (or inferior) entertainment, the same signature dishes in the MDR nightly, laundry for a fee (why anyone paying 10k for a cruise is doing their own laundry baffles me) and no shuttles in port. You should know this going in.

 

What experienced traveler would exchange money on a ship or in a hotel?? - it's always been a ripoff. No surprise there.

 

The rudeness - unacceptable. I would have been livid and gone right to the top.

 

Loud passengers? There were 700+ passengers on board. No way you would like all of them. Just move to a different venue with passengers whose company you enjoy. Live and let live.

 

By the way - if you want a PERFECT cruise - I just came off the Paul Gauguin in French Polynesia. Puts O to shame - but it's a different ballgame.

[LHT28]

Our prior two trips on Oceania were on the Nautica which had more than one laundry facility, didn't charge a penny, didn't lock the doors at 10 pm, and was a far more efficient system..

 

Just curious where was the 2nd laundry room?

 

I always thought the 3 ships were identical :confused:

If it was free then it was a well kept secret