Rare Caroldoll Posted June 15, 2014 #1 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Just a quick insight as to how things are on Riviera in my opinion. We embarked in Venice on June 11. Very, very hot. Nevertheless we did make the trek to Venice from the cruise terminal (very long and time consuming). Great to be back. Returned to ship and checked out the crew. We estimate about 80% of the crew has left since January. Only 20% are members we recognize. Have our greatest butler, Pritham. Ship in good shape and crew members seem to be functioning well. The absolute best thing about new crew is the addition of Dottie as CD. She is fabulous! Her demeanor is genuine and her announcements are clear and concise. She is right there at the gangway when we leave and when we return. We have not done Trivia as there are no sea days, but they are having it in Martinis at this time. We hope to be able to join in either in the next couple of days or on the next segment. For all of you who say a CD doesn't matter, it DOES! She is far and away someone who makes each day enjoyable and does not talk down or exaggerate their talk like the last CD we had, (RP for anyone who knows). I hope management reads this and knows how much returning guests appreciate seeing old faces...please stop changing crews so often...and how wonderful it is to have an outstanding CD. At any rate, we still love Oceania. Entertainment is a little earlier now, which is good. Seems like a lot of problems have been addressed. Food is still wonderful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoHoHo Posted June 15, 2014 #2 Share Posted June 15, 2014 (edited) Thanks for taking the time to post Caroldoll. Not good to read of the large turnover. I realize the crew is hired differently than the CDs. That did concern me that they had such a sudden large turnover with them. Good to hear though the new crew are working well and the ship is in O's usual good (great) condition. Look forward to reading any updates you have as your cruise progresses. Enjoy your trip! Edited June 15, 2014 by YoHoHo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted June 15, 2014 #3 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Most crew have 8-10 mths contracts is that really too often... since they really cannot just go home on their day off The shows are earlier ...how much earlier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SellaVee Posted June 15, 2014 #4 Share Posted June 15, 2014 The absolute best thing about new crew is the addition of Dottie as CD. She is fabulous! Her demeanor is genuine and her announcements are clear and concise. She is right there at the gangway when we leave and when we return. How long will Dottie be on board? We are due to be on Riviera in August and I'd be delighted if she was still CD then. Thanks for taking the time to post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypercafe Posted June 15, 2014 #5 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Hi, happy to see you are back in your favorite spot! Have a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirkNC Posted June 15, 2014 #6 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Thanks for the update. Sounds like you are off to a good start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEESRE Posted June 15, 2014 #7 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Caroldoll, In Venice did you walk from the ship to the people mover, if so is this what you meant by a long walk. Did not Oceania provide a shuttle to Plaza Roma? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiawahdon Posted June 15, 2014 #8 Share Posted June 15, 2014 I hope management reads this and knows how much returning guests appreciate seeing old faces...please stop changing crews so often... You might be surprised to learn that most of the crew you see on board are hired/employed by Apollo Ship Chandlers- not Oceania. Apollo controls turnover with their crew contracts. From the Apollo Group web site: "The core of our business is the cruise ship Hotel Services that Apollo Ship Chandlers provides to Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, and Island Cruises," When we disembarked Marina in Sydney in February there was a huge crew turnover those 2 days. Why, because Sydney has great air connections and proximity to crew residences= less air costs. The crew contracts are timed with a lot of itinerary thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelcat2 Posted June 15, 2014 #9 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Carole, so happy that you decided to post on CC. This is an easy way for me to get your reports (but still want emails:-) It is wonderful to hear that Oceania has such a great C.D. onboard the Riviera. We also hope she is onboard when we sail later this year. I completely agree with you that the C.D. is very important. They really set the tone for the sailing -- even if you don't go to Trivia. When passengers are happy, it is contagious.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted June 15, 2014 #10 Share Posted June 15, 2014 (edited) Because we just disembarked Riviera only two weeks ago, I look forward to reading your perspectives. We also found mostly new crew since our January Riviera cruise. We also were the last cruise with Nolan Dean onboard because he has retired to live with his family in Tennessee. We played all our trivia games in Martinis and enjoyed it very much; people were much less intense about it than usual IMO so much more enjoyable as a vacation game. Edited June 15, 2014 by CintiPam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailfar Posted June 16, 2014 #11 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Wow, Dottie is on Riviera. We are on a back to back in Nov. and would be so happy to have her again as CD. She is the best. She is at the door, and makes you feel so much at home. Her husband Tom does the same. They are wonderful staff members and really make the experience special. We will keep our fingers crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Caroldoll Posted June 16, 2014 Author #12 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Sadly for a lot of you..I talked to Dottie this morning, and she will only be on the Riviera for 7 more weeks which equates to the end of August. Then she will be back on the Regatta. The shows are only 15 minutes earlier. I wish they were much earlier, but this helps...especially since the CD we had in January told us they were going to be later. So the piano in Martinis is slightly earlier. That is good for us. I understand people need vacations, OMG I can not believe the talking down that goes on here. The fact is that key people switch ships between the Marina and the Riviera each contract. Then there is no feeling of "coming home". On this segment they also switch waiters in Martinis about every 6 days to another bar. Lots of personnel are moved around constantly. Some people might like it, but I for one do not. This is my opinion only. Ahhh..Venice. It was about 92 degrees or more and you had to walk in the blazing sun to where you get a ticket for a boat that takes you to St. Marks square. A very long walk which seems much longer in the blazing sun. I found myself thanking all the powers above that I am fit. Riviera does not provide shuttles unless they are paid for by the City where the boat docks. I have always found this to be sad...especially in the Caribbean when the Norwegian ship behind us had a shuttle, but we walked. It is what it is. Cruise continues to be great. No worries, we are not eating all the food! Any other questions, I will be glad to answer. We can skip the nasty comments though, hopefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SellaVee Posted June 16, 2014 #13 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I got all excited to hear that Dottie was on until the end of August but then I thought that's more than 7 weeks away :( . Is she leaving at the end of July or perhaps the beginning of August? In Venice on Regatta 2 years ago we saw no sign of a shuttle. We walked to the people mover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Caroldoll Posted June 17, 2014 Author #14 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Seems like she said July 26 or something like that. Perhaps she has a couple of days to travel. She is leaving and going to The Regatta though. About the People Mover..I saw a sign, but there is no shuttle anywhere and there are no taxis. We were docked at the Maratima or whatever they call it. There is a boat system there and everyone was taking it. It is over in one corner, so it is a long walk. There was no way to get to the People Mover. Very inefficient port actually, in my opinion. We are in Olbia today. In my opinion, skip it and make spa appointments if anyone has that port on their schedule. Tomorrow is the end of the cruise but I will still be on if there are any questions. The new General Manager is really, really nice. Dominique Nicolle. Everything is going smoothly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durante Posted June 17, 2014 #15 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Most people use Olbia to visit the spectacular Sardinian scenery and beaches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Caroldoll Posted June 21, 2014 Author #16 Share Posted June 21, 2014 This is about our fifth cruise to a lot of these ports. In Livorno I needed to find a drug store. There is a shuttle provided from the ship to the gates. Livorno is a commercial port. The town is really run down. Plan on taking a tour. Monte Carlo has changed a lot in the last five years. OMG lots of high rises. The ship anchored, and I think most do. Where the tender drops you off, there is plain nothing. It is a long, long walk uphill to get anywhere. There are no taxis to be seen. Plan on taking a tour. The last time we climbed all the way to the top and we were able to get a taxi back to the ship. Do a tour if you want to get up where the casino is. Also, this is funny to me! In Europe it is next to impossible to find a ladies or mens room. The ONLY way we have found is to go to a cafe and make sure they have a restroom and plan on spending lots of money. In Portofino where there was a public restroom, it was one Euro each to use it. Make sure you get lots of Euro coins. I believe that either the Europeans know something that we don't know, or they have hugeeeee bladders! The weather has been perfect. The few days we had rain it was late in the day after we were back on ship. All is well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlouise Posted June 21, 2014 #17 Share Posted June 21, 2014 (edited) The next time you are in Liverno, take a car and driver to Forte de Marme about a 20 minute drive, known as the Italian East Hampton . Great shopping, beautiful beaches all with beach clubs where you can have lunch. We have been there for the day the past two summers, and will be there again this August when the Riviera again stops for the day. Edited June 21, 2014 by dlouise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terry&mike Posted June 21, 2014 #18 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Lucca is a beautiful town, not far from Livorno (40 minutes by taxi, about an hour by rail), and offers a beautiful walk around the park on top of the towns surrounding walls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPR Posted June 21, 2014 #19 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Cheap rental bikes allow you to bicycle around on the ramparts around the entire town in just a few minutes. We had a blast. Don't miss the Puccini house/museum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PathfinderEss Posted June 27, 2014 #20 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Thanks for the live report, sounds like everything is going well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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