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Class Distinctions??

malony33

By malony33,
in Oceania Cruises

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LHT28 Holiday Sharing Rare

LHT28

Posted
Posted
Back to the cold breakfast. I would like some specifics. Can I get a choice of cold cereal, a croissant, fruit and hot coffee in a Veranda cabin? This would work for me.

Yes

Box cereals, Juices, yogurt, bagels, sweet rolls, tea, coffee, milk

Not sure on the fresh fruit as we did not order any

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Marseydotes

Marseydotes

Posted
Posted
I've been getting a great deal of info by reading the questions and answers on this board, and now I am questioning some of Oceania's policies and wondering if we are spending our $$$ unwisely.

 

For instance:

 

1. No hot breakfast b/c we're ONLY in a veranda? We have to pay thousands more p/p to get an omelette?

 

2. We cannot board the ship until 2 hours before it sails, but if we cough up a few more K's, we get lunch and a bit of time to explore?

 

3. Since we're paying "such a low fare", we only get into our favorite restaurant once?

 

Etc., etc., yada, yada...

 

Don't get me wrong and take me out to the woodshed, all you O lovers - I'm neither a princess nor a brat nor a chronic complainer. We cannot wait to board Riviera. Some of the details are a bit of a surprise, and not in a good way. Maybe it's all this election rhetoric about "class warfare" that is burned into my brain.

 

BTW, do I get a robe in my veranda cabin??? LOL

 

 

Never fear, there's no "class warfare" here! We just returned from a wonderful Med cruse, and felt no discrimination whatsoever. We didn't wait an extra moment to board, and were advised to enjoy a nice lunch immediately at the Terrace or at Waves. I'd advise making your reservations for the dining facilities for later in the cruise, and try to get in to Red Ginger the first or second night, when fewer people have signed up! But, as others have said, the Grand Dining Room is beautiful, calm, and very, very good! Most nights, we ate at the same table for two near the windows and enjoyed a delightful group of servers. And, BTW, we were in an INSIDE cabin!

.

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dundeene

dundeene

Posted
Posted

Waves was open when we boarded Marina in April.

It was a great intro to Oceania's high quality cuisine! Filet mignon and lobster burger, it was delicious!

 

Boarding by "class"

On a ship with 1250 passengers does it make sense to have all of us arrive at the same time? The lines and wait would be ridiculous. It only makes sense to spread out the arrival times.

What order makes sense?

The suites are cleaned and ready first, they should board first. It is not steerage to board the ship an hour or two later than someone else. Just grab a late lunch, and nab one of the late tables in a Specialty restaurant at 8 or 8:30pm.

I would much rather not stand in line with 1000+ people, all trying to board at once!

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Paulchili

Paulchili

Posted
Posted

 

Boarding by "class"

On a ship with 1250 passengers does it make sense to have all of us arrive at the same time? The lines and wait would be ridiculous. It only makes sense to spread out the arrival times.

What order makes sense?

The suites are cleaned and ready first, they should board first. It is not steerage to board the ship an hour or two later than someone else. Just grab a late lunch, and nab one of the late tables in a Specialty restaurant at 8 or 8:30pm.

I would much rather not stand in line with 1000+ people, all trying to board at once!

 

A voice of sanity :)

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  • 2 weeks later...
TravelingAngel

TravelingAngel

Posted
Posted

Hi - I just saw this and feel the need to respond to your concerns. We took a cruise last year on the Marina and were booked in a Veranda cabin on the concierge level. Our friends had a deluxe ocean view cabin. We were treated equally in all respects. We could book a reservation in each of the specialty restaurants once before embarking, and then again if there was space available. We had several meals in the MDR and each one was a delight - we could eat there every night and never complain. Unless you ask, you will never know who is in what cabin - the staff of Oceania treats everyone with extreme courtesy and respect. Having read your concerns, I'm just not sure why you are so worried - and what you really are worried about. Oceania is a wonderful cruise line and the Marina is a beautiful ship - so I assume is her sister ship, the Riviera. You will have a wonderful time if you decide not to worry and go with an open mind and the intention of enjoying yourself and having many wonderful experiences. We are booked on another cruise on the Marina next month and can't wait - it will be fabulous!

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cruisetolearn

cruisetolearn

Posted
Posted

I think it is important to note that Oceania is an excellent cruise line, and all of the staff I have encountered usually go out of their way to please the passengers. With that said, I think--especially if there is a specific need like a food allergy or early tour, etc.,--that room service would certainly bring some eggs for breakfast. A telephone call to room service explaining the need would probably result in success.

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azam71209

azam71209

Posted
Posted

I was just reading a book about the Titanic. They locked the doors between classes to keep the people in steerage from causing diseases. Nice that the new O ships will have locked lounges to keep the unwashed out.

 

Not a big deal but it's the underlying attitude that bothers me, that passengers will be segregated based on cabin choice. I'm sure that there will be some people who do like the idea of not having to converse with lower category passengers but that's not been my impression of the people I have met.

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Paulchili

Paulchili

Posted
Posted
I was just reading a book about the Titanic. They locked the doors between classes to keep the people in steerage from causing diseases. Nice that the new O ships will have locked lounges to keep the unwashed out.

 

Not a big deal but it's the underlying attitude that bothers me, that passengers will be segregated based on cabin choice. I'm sure that there will be some people who do like the idea of not having to converse with lower category passengers but that's not been my impression of the people I have met.

 

I cannot quite agree with you on this.

The lounges are for the use of those passengers that chose to pay extra to use them (in the price of their cabin). Everyone is free to do that.

On the other hand, if the lounges were open for everyone's use, why would anybody pay extra to be able to use them (among other benefits)? Not to mention that they are not large enough to accommodate everyone on the ship. I don't expect to stay in the Oceania suite when I paid for a veranda cabin; likewise, I do not expect to have the use of a lounge I could have, but chose not to pay for. It's a very simple concept.

They are not unlike airline lounges at the airports - you can use them if you pay for it (by money or status) - they are not (and should not be) open to everyone at the airport - I hope you agree with this.

I would object if not all dining venues were open to everyone on the ship (as was the case on the Titanic and as still is the case on Cunard ships).

Thankfully, that is not the case on Oceania.

Besides, there is tons of public space on the M ships where the "washed" and "unwashed" are free to mingle as they choose :)

As far as your statement " I'm sure that there will be some people who do like the idea of not having to converse with lower category passengers" - well, you probably don't want to speak to those people anyway :D

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aZ4me

aZ4me

Posted
Posted

Well stated, Paul. I've only been on one O cruise (so far), but I sure didn't feel any class distinction at all. The amenities that are provided to the OVO suites come at a price. I have no problem with those folks enjoying what they have paid dearly for. And, if folks want to stay in penthouse suites or concierge level staterooms, that's an option they're willing to pay extra for, as well. I certainly didn't know what type of room people booked unless they told me. The O staff treated all of us exceptionally well.

 

Oceania provided a fabulous experience on our cruise, and we loved every single luxurious moment of it. (I didn't even know that the World Cards were different colors until the final day when someone pointed it out to me.)

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juli2020

juli2020

Posted
Posted
I cannot quite agree with you on this.

The lounges are for the use of those passengers that chose to pay extra to use them (in the price of their cabin). Everyone is free to do that.

On the other hand, if the lounges were open for everyone's use, why would anybody pay extra to be able to use them (among other benefits)? Not to mention that they are not large enough to accommodate everyone on the ship. I don't expect to stay in the Oceania suite when I paid for a veranda cabin; likewise, I do not expect to have the use of a lounge I could have, but chose not to pay for. It's a very simple concept.

They are not unlike airline lounges at the airports - you can use them if you pay for it (by money or status) - they are not (and should not be) open to everyone at the airport - I hope you agree with this.

I would object if not all dining venues were open to everyone on the ship (as was the case on the Titanic and as still is the case on Cunard ships).

Thankfully, that is not the case on Oceania.

Besides, there is tons of public space on the M ships where the "washed" and "unwashed" are free to mingle as they choose :)

As far as your statement " I'm sure that there will be some people who do like the idea of not having to converse with lower category passengers" - well, you probably don't want to speak to those people anyway :D

I agree with Paulchili:

It has nothing to do with having to converse with lower category passengers. We were paying for a suite and it is just one of the perks that goes along with booking a suite. No different than using an airline lounge if you are flying First or Business Class. My husband and I used the lounge quite frequently. On the ship's excursions....We conversed with other passengers and we had no idea what type of cabin or suite they were in.

We were very impressed with the Marina. We thought that we might have an issue with the size of the ship. The ship never felt crowded and there were plenty of places to sit.

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