OCEANA becomes Butlins at sea

[darthonian]

Just returned from 35 night cruise on MV OCEANA and it was the worst I have experienced in 8 years of cruising. The ship ( which I have cruised on twice before and loved it ) was terrible and when I raised my issues I was told the ship had been downgraded and was only suitable for 7-14 day cruises.

 

Sorry P&O but it was not even suitable for that, service terrible, hygiene questionable, entertainment repetitive and I have never had to queue so much on a ship before.

 

This is one GOLD MEMBER who is deeply saddened by the direction P&O are taking.:mad::(

[westie1490]

Oh no, we are due to do a 24 night cruise on 26th of this month and your comments fill me with dread.

Can I ask who told you that the ship had been down graded and was only suitable for shorter cruises?

We also are Gold members, having cruised P @ O for many years, and like 'longer' trips. However the last few have been on Princess and we can honestly say we loved them, and I was reluctant to book this one as I really like the benefits we have with Princess.

I hope our decision is not going to be regretted.

[annieuk]

Westie, never take one person's view of a cruise and I would never cancel a cruise just because one person posted a review which said the ship was dreadful. Go to the P&O site and read some of the reports which were posted during this cruise - yes there were a few problems but I have yet to be on a cruise where everything, every moment was dreadful.

 

The OP gives very little detail about his experiences. The Oceana he is talking about is not the one I was on last year.

 

:)

[jenny wren]

Don't worry Westie we too have just completed the 35 nighter and, apart from a few niggles, had a wonderful time !!

 

We had a very comfortable ride.... even though our cabin was very forward on Deck 10...(all that was left when we booked) ...just a bit of a roller coaster between USA and Azores. There was always plenty of space, and sunbeds, on sea days with the ship sailing full.

We did feel that the dining/waiting staff in the restaurants and buffet needed a bit more training...i.e. not wiping tables between diners and reaching across in front of diner to take dishes in buffet, not cleaning crumbs off table cloth, clearing dishes away before everyone had finished, in restaurant...little things that should be taught as basic. However the bar staff gave excellent service as did our cabin steward.

 

I think the fact that there was no mass norovirus outbreak would suggest that the hygiene control was fine...the entertainment was lacking in some areas and perhaps not enough activities for sea days (as there were alot on this cruise) but we did manage to fill our sea days. As for the queues ...it is the passengers who create the queues... especially going to the theatre, show lounge, 45 minutes before the show is due to start!!!

 

Go with an open mind Westie and I'm sure you will enjoy your cruise as much as we enjoyed ours !!

 

p.s. the cruise director was leaving the ship with us so things might change on the entertainment front !

[PRINCESSTHE BEST]

Just returned from 35 night cruise on MV OCEANA and it was the worst I have experienced in 8 years of cruising. The ship ( which I have cruised on twice before and loved it ) was terrible and when I raised my issues I was told the ship had been downgraded and was only suitable for 7-14 day cruises.

 

Sorry P&O but it was not even suitable for that, service terrible, hygiene questionable, entertainment repetitive and I have never had to queue so much on a ship before.

 

This is one GOLD MEMBER who is deeply saddened by the direction P&O are taking.:mad::(

 

Nice to see i'm not the only one who can see P&O's declining standards. But be aware, some of the posters on these boards are obviously not too particular about standards. They just want the casinos and the Butlins experience.

[dreamweaver767]

Just returned from 35 night cruise on MV OCEANA and it was the worst I have experienced in 8 years of cruising. The ship ( which I have cruised on twice before and loved it ) was terrible and when I raised my issues I was told the ship had been downgraded and was only suitable for 7-14 day cruises.

 

Sorry P&O but it was not even suitable for that, service terrible, hygiene questionable, entertainment repetitive and I have never had to queue so much on a ship before.

 

This is one GOLD MEMBER who is deeply saddened by the direction P&O are taking.:mad::(

 

Can I just question, one thing that irritates me on posts is the fact that people have to put their status in, and in upper case to stand out. Realy does it matter where you are on the rungs of the ladder, if you didn’t like it just put that, why do you have to shout about it.

This team of Butlins at sea again the cruise market is now marketed as the new package holidays of the 70’s and 80’s the various different company’s have introduced new larger ships in which if they are filled keep the cost of holidays down so you will get a mixed bag of people. I go with the mind set of enjoying myself, yes there are areas where P&O are what some say slipping, but like everything else this day and age costs of food ,fuel are at record highs so to me they aren’t doing a bad job

[daiB]

Nice to see i'm not the only one who can see P&O's declining standards. But be aware, some of the posters on these boards are obviously not too particular about standards. They just want the casinos and the Butlins experience.

 

Once again the troll utters *********.

 

 

Dai

[PRINCESSTHE BEST]

Once again the troll utters *********.

 

 

Dai

Oh dear, is the cap fitting someone?

 

Gan Canny

[westie1490]

Thanks for the comments,we were never going to cancel anyway.

 

However, can I ask why people find it necessary to be so rude and nasty when responding to posts. I post very rarely but there always seems to be a nasty or snide remark made within the thread.

Come on people,lifes too short to spend it making enemies! !!!

[daiB]

Oh dear, is the cap fitting someone?

 

Gan Canny

 

Well every one of your posts is that of a troll nothing constructive.

 

You are a troll.

 

 

Dai

[LibraLass41]

Lets hope the original thread poster can come back and be more specific, general comments like that don't help much.

 

Princess, if people like Casinos then P&O is the wrong ship for them a American ship like Celebriity or RCI would be a better choice, .

 

As for Butlins at sea, wouldnt know. The last 14 cruises i've been on in 6 years haven't been like that atall except perhaps a weekender on Ventura last March... no more weekenders for me.:rolleyes:

[jeanlyon]

Westie - there is a troll on here - fairly obvious PRINCESS IS BEST!! LOL Just ignore and listen to the others. I'm sure you will have a great cruise.

[Host Sharon]

Strange - I did a 24 night cruise on Oceana just before Christmas and it was one of my best! The food was excellent, crew as good as ever and aside from a few very small issues, I had a great time. I can't believe it has changed that much so quickly.

[tartanexile81]

Just returned from 35 night cruise on MV OCEANA and it was the worst I have experienced in 8 years of cruising. The ship ( which I have cruised on twice before and loved it ) was terrible and when I raised my issues I was told the ship had been downgraded and was only suitable for 7-14 day cruises.

 

Sorry P&O but it was not even suitable for that, service terrible, hygiene questionable, entertainment repetitive and I have never had to queue so much on a ship before.

 

This is one GOLD MEMBER who is deeply saddened by the direction P&O are taking.:mad::(

 

I was on this cruise as well and although Oceana is not my favourite in the P&O fleet, I have a lot of positive to say about the cruise and ship, and although I could nit pick as well, it definitely was not terrible.

 

The cabins, as we all know, are too small and in need of an update. I also thought the entertainment was well below par especially in the middle of the cruise, but that was down to the poor performers allocated by P&O Southampton as well as maybe some bad decisions by the CD. We did at one point wonder if the entertainment staff were on holiday as we met so many of them ashore in bars in the Caribbean. :). It was also unfortunate that the refit in the Plazagalley meant a shut down for 2 days with the ensuing teething problems but hopefully that will soon be resolved.

 

I certainly don't think the food was any worse or better than on my last few cruises. Although I'm not keen on the revamped menus I ate at least 3 courses every night.

 

However, the new captain was very pleasant and high profile around the ship and we NEVER had to queue!! The norovirus, if there ever was an epidemic, was very quickly eradicated (36 hours) and we had two of the best waiters we've ever had.....but then we treat them as equals and not as servants. We were actually told (in the anglo saxon version) to Go away by a very well-spoken elderly 'gentleman' in the Plaza who also threatened my husband to a fight. Why? This man abused a waiter in the Plaza, also using offensive language and we politely suggested that they deserved better. We reported this man to the officer but this bad treatment of the staff especially in the Plaza seemed fairly common and upset us at times.

 

As a previous poster said the cruise director has now left the ship and 'Deputy Dom' has taken over temporarily. He's a bright young guy with a great sense of fun, focused on cruisers enjoying themselves, and with presence, so hopefully things will improve and his appointment will be made permanent.

 

According to one officer the average age was 67.2 and there was a very high percentage of gold members. We met quite a few of them including a couple at our table and every night we dreaded listening to their complaints: too cold/too hot; not enough to eat/ too much; not enough to do / too much on........... They hardly went ashore as they had been there, done it, got the tee-shirt (literally) so were probably bored. They, like many we met, only seemed to be 'happy' when they were moaning. We'd have done nothing if we'd listened to them.

 

Go enjoy your cruise Westie 1490. We had a fantastic time and if you decide you want to enjoy yourself I'm sure you will. And by the way, although I'm not a Gold member, I have reached the giddy heights of sapphire :D.

[geecee1]

Can I just question, one thing that irritates me on posts is the fact that people have to put their status in, and in upper case to stand out. Realy does it matter where you are on the rungs of the ladder, if you didn’t like it just put that, why do you have to shout about it.

This team of Butlins at sea again the cruise market is now marketed as the new package holidays of the 70’s and 80’s the various different company’s have introduced new larger ships in which if they are filled keep the cost of holidays down so you will get a mixed bag of people. I go with the mind set of enjoying myself, yes there are areas where P&O are what some say slipping, but like everything else this day and age costs of food ,fuel are at record highs so to me they aren’t doing a bad job

 

 

 

 

Hear! Hear! Dreamweaver.

How are you and your good lady?

Spent a few days with Mick and Janet recently.

They were on Ventura again in Dec 2011.

We may go again in 2013

geecee1 aka Gordon

[westie1490]

Thanks very much for your honest and positive feedback. I'm a firm believer in treating others as you wish to be treated yourself.............whatever their status!

We are looking forward to the cruise and will enjoy it im sure.

[snow flake]

We were also on this cruise and had a wonderful time, okay there were a few niggles and the usual moaners but all in all everyone was very friendly. We never queued for anything some nights towards the end of the cruise managed to see two shows a night. It was a shame that the entertainment was poor at the beginning of the cruise. Enjoyed Lulu/Dusty Springfield and thought The Beatles were great but why have a juggler when crossing the Atlantic. Regarding the queues we had bets each night on what time the queue for Freedom Dining would start, the earliest was 4.50pm when it did not start till 6pm - why! All ports of call were wonderful and so was the weather except for the bumpy days between the Charleston and the Azores but it was winter in the Atlantic. Oceana looking a little tired but if she was going where we wanted to go we would sail on her again. Just to mention the Captain Angelo Vago he had a good sense of humour and was seen daily walking around the ship and his announcements were a delight when you got to undertand his accent, one of the best captains we have had in a long time.

[loobedylou]

Hi too read this post, infact I have read the same post over and over on various forums, (hmm a bit odd/suspicious to me). As a first time cruiser this July, I was a bit worried but having read other comments I can not see any real substance in his.hers complaint, except perhaps that nothing would make them happy! I chose this cruise because we are sailing with our extended family and this is my fathers favourite ship, he too is of gold status if that really matters, he loves that the ship is smaller, yes he agrees there may be few updates needed, but he says the friendly atmosphere of the staff is second to none. A holiday is what you make of it, I really feel this guy set off on a bad footing with this cruise and that it was doomed from the start, we all have differing opinions and all entitled to them, but dont make strong fleeting remarks unless you can back them up!

[ccrystal]

I think some people just go on holiday to moan :rolleyes:

 

The op did not make any specific statements, it was very generalised. I wonder that they put they are a gold member they should be treated differently??

 

We love Oceana and have enjoyed all our cuises on her :) On once cruise the carpets were looking a little worn and we were told they were being renewed at the end of our cruise but it did not spoil our holiday at all.

 

A holiday is what you make it :cool:

[Bobbyjean]

Maybe they mentioned they were a GOLD MEMBER not because they think they are better than everyone else, but because they are (were) loyal P&O customers who came back year after year, knew the cruise line well - and now think the service has declined?

[LibraLass41]

The thread starter has posted this and not returned, on here and other sites. Unless they come back with a more detailed review I would take it with a 'pinch of salt'

[dorsetlad]

Just out of interest, just how many cruises would you have to do in order to become gold members in 8 years, which is how long the OP said he'd been cruising?

 

Brian

[daiB]

Just out of interest, just how many cruises would you have to do in order to become gold members in 8 years, which is how long the OP said he'd been cruising?

 

Brian

 

2 if they are worlds.

 

10 x 2 week cruises with some being 17 nights and a 7 night to Lisbon and back.

 

It took us 10 year to get there.

 

Whatever it is a good 2 cruises a year. For 7 or 8 years.

 

 

Gan Canny

 

 

Dai

[tartanexile81]

Just out of interest, just how many cruises would you have to do in order to become gold members in 8 years, which is how long the OP said he'd been cruising?

 

Brian

 

You get 10 points per night aboard and need 1501 points to reach gold, so there are lots of different ways of getting there, as long as you do 151 nights.....but of course it's all going to change in April.

[jenny wren]

Regarding collecting Portunus points...it struck me on our recent Oceana cruise that the four Gold members on our dining table were all in low grade inside cabins and this was the norm for them.....we always have at least an outside sometimes a balcony so actually give P and O more money for our cruise !!!!

 

Perhaps if the points were awarded for amount spent with P and O, rather than the number of nights you spend on board, it would be more fair??

Loyalty points in other areas i.e Tesco, Nectar, Boots, etc are all given for the amount of mo ney spent not how many times you shop there..,just a thought!!:)