Disappointed in Oceania

[libertyman]

Everyone have an awesome Labor Day weekend.

 

You too, Fam Cruise.

 

Libertyman

[hondorner]

...Negative reviews tend to get to those who feel the cruise line they love is being attacked. Well I got news for you this is Cruise CRITIC, not Cruise Compliment, so take it all with a grain of salt....

Film CRITICS, book critics, theater critics, music critics and more publish both positive and negative reviews about their area of expertise, depending on whether the book film or performance was good or bad. If it is a positive review, that doesn't mean they are no longer critics. Successful critics are learned and experienced in their subject matter, and quickly learn the difference between matters of fact and opinion, or they are pinioned by their readers and no longer respected as critics.

 

There are valid differences in opinions between various critics, but critics who state that a 2 hour movie is bad because it only lasted 1-1/2 hours does not have much of a future. Likewise, a critic who deliberately tries to incense the readers with the style of prose.

 

Here on Cruise Critic, we are not professional critics or writers, and therefore the standard are necessarily a bit lower -- but facts are still facts, exaggerations must be limited, and one should strive to not mix up cruise lines.

[Fam_Cruise]

hondorner,

 

Good point about critics, and not one I had overlooked, but instead I chose to stress that negative reviews are a big part of the CC experience and should not be summarily dismissed. The positive reviews generally don't inflame the passions of a forum's readers as much as the negative reviews. This is not limited to Cruise Critic, but other forums too like FlyerTalk for example. There are some very passionate CC posters, and that is a good thing. It is when the gang mentality creeps in, here and on FT, that it tends to get a bit out of hand. And just so no one misconstrues what I just posted, I am not saying that is what has happened in this thread, just that it can happen, and is unfortunate when it does.

 

And regarding mixing up cruise lines, boy am I in trouble. Celebrity this year, HAL in January, and Oceania in September. ;) (Yeah, I know what you meant)

[Fam_Cruise]

Well, to get back on topic a bit. This review and others posting similar experiences in this thread and others, have helped me plan for my Oceania cruise next year. Notes to self:

 

1) Check restaurant reservations once onboard

2) Send out laundry

3) For the few ports on our itinerary that are not right downtown, we will need to arrange tours/transportation.

4) Internet. Yeah it's expensive, that's nothing new, just part of the travel budget.

 

Life is fun.

[orchestrapal]

Well, to get back on topic a bit. This review and others posting similar experiences in this thread and others, have helped me plan for my Oceania cruise next year. Notes to self:

 

1) Check restaurant reservations once onboard

2) Send out laundry

3) For the few ports on our itinerary that are not right downtown, we will need to arrange tours/transportation.

4) Internet. Yeah it's expensive, that's nothing new, just part of the travel budget.

 

Life is fun.

 

Great attitude! I'm sure you'll love Oceania as much as we do.:)

[Fam_Cruise]

Thanks. I am really looking forward to it.

[Joy R]

I've been following this thread with interest. We are going on our first Oceania cruise this winter, having mainly cruised with Princess in the past. What I have found is that I have learned a lot about Oceania through reading most of the comments, and to that effect I think that voicing some criticism can be a good thing. I know what to look out for - I was pleased to learn that Oceania is not over child-friendly (good, we are travelling without children), that the ships are smaller (good, we like smaller ships) and the entertainment not overwhelming (doesn't bother us). We know that the internet is slow - we were prepared for that. We know the charge for self-service laundry and therefore will either pay that charge or not use it. We know to check our speciality dining reservations (haven't made those yet!). In other words, reading criticisms has left us prepared for the cruise, it is a learning experience, and as such, not a bad thing.

 

On the other hand, just reading messages written by people, slating other people, is not constructive and, in my opinion, can even be a bit boring...

[yorkiemomjn]

Or, maybe because the reviewer doesn't want to be called out for misconceptions, inaccuracies and false assumptions.

 

I respect negative reviews that are thoughtfully written and prepared by reviewers who have done their homework and understand how things are supposed to work. I firmly reject negative reviews that are shot from the hip.

 

I agree! Well, said!:)

[yorkiemomjn]

No, my friend, 15 posts in 4 years would be a "man of few words"...four years of silence and 13 posts on one self started thread is a man with an axe to grind...

 

You can defend that and veil a personal attack on me...but I will defend my participation over many years on this and the other Cruise Critic boards as being far more than just "posting a lot" or "repeating the same post more than once"...I have done my best to help people, to share my experience with ports, with cruises, with ships...I have activiely participated in roll call for every ship I've cruised...I have put together group for private tours and offered advice on guides and tours for others...I have asked advice of my Cruise Critic friends on tour and cruises and pre- and post-cruise visits...and, yes, I have participated in debates and discussions regarding cruise issues...

I do NOT merely get defensive about "the cruise line I love"...If you've read any of my posts, you would know that Oceania is not even my favorite line...I like them, but I myself have pointed out the things I think they do not do well...Though they are not my favorite, I do think they offer an excellent product...and I do cruise with them--along with several other lines...

 

But, if you "respect" those who come onto the board, for the most part, only ONCE and just to be critical, then good luck to you...I pity your sense of priorities...Yes it is called "Cruise CRITIC", but, if you haven't paid attention, it is set up as a site for a lot more than just "criticism"...

 

Good luck and good riddance...

 

...I AM OUT.

 

I am fairly new on CC, but I have experienced your help several times. You have always been very detailed and very helpful! I actually joined CC back in 2007, but we had to cancel that cruise (it was going to be our first O cruise), and when we were able to book another one, I became active again (Aug. 2009). I really appreciate all the helpful information I have received from all of you experienced cruisers. Now, I think I am addicted to cruising and CC.:p Thank goodness my husband just retired and we are so blessed to be able to cruise.:)

[wripro]

Yes, all critics, film, book, music, drama, etc. give negative reviews and positive ones. The difference is when a review is negative the readership does not go crazy and condemn the reviewer endlessly. What happens on these boards sometimes is the cyberspace equivalent of what happened to John Simon once, then the theater critic for New York Magazine. An actor whom he had panned saw him in a restaurant and poured a glass of water all over his head. I'd like to think we here at CC are better than that actor.

[Paulchili]

What makes this post different from the recent "rant" post is that this was OP's 3rd Oceania cruise and he/she is making comments as to how this cruise compared to their prior O cruises. Also, it can be reasonably assumed that OP knew what to expect as he/she cruised with O twice before; thus he/she did not have to research the CC to the same extent that an O newbie would have to.

Just another point of view.

[PaulMCO]

What makes this post different from the recent "rant" post is that this was OP's 3rd Oceania cruise and he/she is making comments as to how this cruise compared to their prior O cruises. Also, it can be reasonably assumed that OP knew what to expect as he/she cruised with O twice before; thus he/she did not have to research the CC to the same extent that an O newbie would have to.

Just another point of view.

 

Any he had some reasonable issues with the food, the service in the specialty restaurant, the poor/non existent internet for which he paid money for. These are all valid complaints.

 

The fact that there are no shuttles (and everyone has beaten this to death) is a valid complaint, that FDR stated that they have debated this internally. Since he posted this and others have posted this, Oceania should take it "perhaps" as a needed improvement. (then they will only have to listen to complaints that the shuttle service is too slow or too late :) )

[Mura]

One problem with reading critical reviews is that unless you know the person who made the comments, you really can't know how to weigh them. If someone is full of invective, I generally discount it. (Perhaps another reason to wait a bit before posting a review if you were really unhappy.)

 

If I see a lot of critical reviews, especially if they are unhappy about the same things, that's something else again.

 

Regarding the internet comments, when we boarded Insignia on July 23rd the internet lady said that the system was due to be upgraded in mid-August ... which didn't help US since we left the ship on August 10th!

 

Mura

[harrodsfan]

I don't think anyone is "judging you." For many of us, cruise time is so precious and the cost of having O do the laundry (I handwash my undergarments) relatively minimal, that we would not consider traipsing down to the laundry room, hoping the machines are free, running back before someone else takes out the load, hoping the dryer is available etc. On our Mediterranean cruise, I sent my laundry out and relaxed while it was done. The two couples we travelled with did their own - and oh the stories they told of people hogging, pushing ahead, removing their laundry from the dryer while it was still damp, waiting for machines- LOL -- they agree, never again.

 

Totally agree with your friends.. I tried to do laundry on the old Royal Viking Sun. Never again. I now buy undies at discount stores on sale and throw away while traveling..Or i send out.

[Mura]

We haven't found those problems with the laundry although I know that some have. On our recent cruise I was told about some micromanagers who seemed to feel the need to run the place, but we didn't run into them.

 

I, too, do basics by hand but at some point I need to do a real wash. I don't trust the ship to do it to my liking -- in fact, a friend on our recent cruise had a garment ruined by the ship. We've had good luck just by checking the availability of machines late in the afternoon -- once cocktail/dinner starts, machines are usually free.

 

Not always!

 

To each his own ... I am only unhappy when the ship does not provide laundry facilities for the do-it-yourselfers.

[2kiwis]

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 agree with Paulchili. Your opinions are valid and you have every right to express them.

 

We have our 10th Oceania cruise coming up and have always been ardent Oceania supporters. However, we have to admit that our last 2 cruises have not been quite up to the standard we have become use to.

The food was still good but the service in all the restuarants was not as good. There seemed to be less staff who were very stretched trying to get around everyone. The staff were still excellent, although many of them were not as well trained as those on our previous cruises.

 

It makes us wonder if Oceania are cutting costs here and there and hoping it won't make a difference. But whatever the reason for the reduction in quality, we truly hope it will have improved on our next cruise, or we also might be trying another cruiseline, and we never thought we'd say that.

 

Friends who have travelled on Oceania five time have just been on Azamara and said that it was wonderful - better than Oceania all round - which really surprised us.

 

Whatever cruiseline you choose next we hope you have a good time.

[ShopperfiendTO]

... when cruising the northern climates, i.e. the Baltic, the quality of the food is not as good as it is in the southern climates. The availability of fresh produce, AA quality beef etc. is not the same and one should not expect the same quality...

 

Can anyone provide an objective response to this observation (one has agreed and another has disagreed)? Is the cuisine in the Baltic really not as good as in the Mediterranean even if it's on the same ship serving the same menu items?:confused:

 

I suppose the best reply would be some from someone who cruised back-to-back on a repositioning cruise between the Baltic and Mediterranean (e.g., Barcelona to London, and then London to somewhere in the Baltic), but short of that, can someone who has sailed recently on both Baltic and Mediterranean cruise with Oceania offer their views?

 

This is a bit disconcerting revelation if true!:(

[pacheco18]

The same observation has been made on the Celebrity boards.

 

Must be some truth to it.

[orchestrapal]

Can anyone provide an objective response to this observation (one has agreed and another has disagreed)? Is the cuisine in the Baltic really not as good as in the Mediterranean even if it's on the same ship serving the same menu items?:confused:

 

I suppose the best reply would be some from someone who cruised back-to-back on a repositioning cruise between the Baltic and Mediterranean (e.g., Barcelona to London, and then London to somewhere in the Baltic), but short of that, can someone who has sailed recently on both Baltic and Mediterranean cruise with Oceania offer their views?

 

This is a bit disconcerting revelation if true!:(

 

We did this back to back and there was absolutely no difference in the food from day 1 to day 30. Did 3 b/b this spring and had the same experience. Some of the menus repeat, of course, but there are enough selections for almost everyone and many many favorites.:)

[markshale]

We just got back from our 12 night cruise on Insignia. Prior to going I was reading this thread. Here are some observations.

 

 

In regards to the laundry:

 

 

I saw one woman hand over a blouse at the reception desk and pronounce that she knew the cruise line would do the right thing by her for the stains on the blouse caused by the washer or dryer. I can't remember which.

 

When I went to the laundry one day in the middle of the cruise, all machines were in operation but no one was present at that moment. I didn't see a line, but that was just at one moment.

 

Spoke to a woman in the elevator about her experience in there and she said that the whole process took up about three to four hours of her time.

 

My neighbor and cruise critic friend used the laundry and had no complaints. I didn't ask about time taken or lines. It met his expectations.

 

 

Laundry service:

 

 

They did a better job than my cleaner at home. The pressing on my laundered shirts was superb.

 

My socks and underwear were softer than I get them and folded with more care than I ever give them. It was a pleasure to use this service.

 

The only down side was that I failed to take into account how much laundry I would go through. All the outdoor activity made me go through things almost twice as fast as back home. This made for more to be done. For the two of us the cost came to $85 for the whole trip. Subtract $16 I probably would have paid for the do it yourself route, and this still becomes a reasonable alternative.

 

If I go again, I will use this service again. On another cruise line I might make a different choice deepening on availability.

 

 

In regards to food and restaurants:

 

 

Between Tappas, Polo, Toscana, and the Main Dining Room we never felt like we were in a rut or repeating ourselves.

 

Toscana is the E-ticket on this ship. LOVED IT!

 

Polo is not memorable. The meat was good, but they can't use open flame to cook it. A real drawback in my opinion. We gave up a second trip to Polo in order to co-host a Cruise Critic party with another couple in our two adjoining suites.

 

The produce used on Oceania was decidedly better than my experiences on other cruise lines ( Princess, Celebrity, HAL) Especially the lettuce.

 

We always eat early at home so going to dinner early was what we did on board. This gave us the advantage of getting the table we wanted and being served quickly and efficiently. If you don't like crowds, want to get in and out quick and have a nice choice of tables, try to get to the dining room before 7:15pm Once you get passed that time your whole experience changes. Louder and longer. It just depends on what you like. If you plan on staying up for the show, eating late might be preferable regardless. The shows start late.

 

Desserts were sometimes a cut above many times times not. I am a cookie hound and their cookies were barely a notch above slice and bake.

 

 

Other Observations:

 

 

I urge all Cruise Critic members to do your research and get private tours together. You will be very glad you did. You simply get more for your money.

Especially if you get six to eight people together. Don't be shy about this, everyone on this board shares your enthusiasm for travel. No matter where they come from you automatically have a lot in common.

 

Cruises with no sea days have advantages and disadvantages. Obviously you get to see more, but if you maximize your time in each port you are exhausted. I am in great shape too. Trust me. You need to have some light days mixed in. Don't over schedule and expect to see everything in one day. Being in a bus or a van all day is not high quality time no matter how nice the scenery.

 

 

Hope this gives some help,

 

Mark

[LHT28]

 

Spoke to a woman in the elevator about her experience in there and she said that the whole process took up about three to four hours of her time.

 

YIKES :eek: ..she must have had a lot of laundry.

I spend maybe 90 minutes for a wash & dry

 

Glad you enjoyed the cruise

I agree about port intensive cruises sometimes you cannot just "See it all"

I need downtime ;)

 

Lyn

[markshale]

We used the ships wireless on our 4g iphone instead of our computer. It was fast during the whole trip on the phone but not on the computer. I have no idea why.

 

Mark

[lopdx]

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.

 

I have found the poor internet service an issue on every line I have sailed on.

[Paulchili]

I have found the poor internet service an issue on every line I have sailed on.

 

Not in my experience. Most lines have much faster speeds than Oceania.

Currently on Azamara with amazing speed on my iPad.

[JonconOH]

I was surprised to read some of Libertyman's comments on Oceania since they had sailed on Oceania twice before. The only comment that caught my attention, was about the cancellation of their reservations at both specialty restaurants. I was shocked that they wrote that the maitre d' did not accommodate them. Fortunately we never had this problem. In fact, we have often been invited for extra nights in these restaurants when cancellations occur and they want to fill up the restaurant.

 

We sailed on the inaugural cruise on the R-7 when Renaissance owned seven of these small ships and experienced some "new ship, new staff problems". We expected this. We have been on 7 cruises with "O" and are sailing on the new Marina in January. We also expect that there may be some shakedown problems on the Marina, but we are going ahead with eyes wide open.