Istanbul-Venice Review (Aug 2014)

[DaisyUK]

After all the help and advice I took advantage of on this board, I thought I’d like to post a review of our very recent trip on Riviera (Istanbul to Venice). Forgive me for being long-winded – I will most probably post a much briefer account in the Reviews section for those who don’t want the nitty gritty.

Firstly, a little background (we are not experienced cruisers).

This was only our second cruise, the first being last year with Regent (Mariner). Overall, that was a good experience and encouraged us to try cruising again, but we weren’t entirely happy with the ship or the food. It was ‘fine’, but not ‘great’. The food, accommodation and general ambience is hugely important to us; more so than the itinerary (which I know might sound a little weird). We had reserved a Penthouse Suite which, although reasonably sized, was tired in décor. Food was OK, but uninspiring. What surprised us was the enjoyment to be found in waking up to a new place each morning, deciding where to breakfast, lunch and dine in the evenings, which excursions we might embark on, which entertainment we might try etc, etc.

Fast forward… And so, we thought we’d try it again. This time we wanted to try a newer ship (I’m an interior design obsessive and that tired décor really got to me), a larger cabin and we hoped for better food.

This time, the choice lay between Crystal and Oceania.

We decided upon Oceania for 2 reasons: 1) the importance Oceania seemed to be giving to food quality and variety, and 2) the cost for one of the larger suites was (much) more competitive on Oceania than Crystal.

Once again, we left booking a little late and our suite of choice was waitlisted. We therefore booked the Penthouse, and were waitlisted for one of the other 3 suites. We did end up in the Penthouse.

So, here goes :

Food – we ate in each of the 4 specialty restaurants. Each was excellent. Some were better than excellent. All were way beyond our wildest expectations. We ate in La Reserve on 2 occasions, where we had the Discovery and Connoisseur menus. In our opinion both were somewhere between 1 and 2 star Michelin level. One evening we ate from Red Ginger in our suite (because it was the only way we could be seated alone for an additional reservation). Our butler set the scene beautifully. We went to Martini’s for pre-dinner cocktails and when we came back, the room was made up, soft music was playing, the lights were low and the table was laid for 2 complete with crystal and wine on ice. It couldn’t have been more perfect. Another evening we wanted to try Toscana for a second time and could only get a sharing table. We had the best time with a group of Americans, and I would like to think we have made permanent friends. We also ate in Waves, the Terrace and the Grand Dining Room. We were unable to fault anything. I had read about the surf and turf and the Kobe Burger in Waves and thought that perhaps there was a little exaggeration going on, but absolutely not. I tried each (twice) and on all occasions they were perfectly cooked and served fresh. My only disappointment was that I thought I had read about lamb chop ‘lollipops’ with figs at breakfast, but never did manage to find this on the menu.

Cookery School – We did 2 classes (originally I booked 4, but cancelled 2 after reading advice on these boards because they clashed with our La Reserve bookings – thank goodness for Cruise Critic!) The classes were great fun. We did Red Ginger, where we both learned a lot and I am looking forward to cooking from the recipes we were given now that we are back home. The other one was Parisian Bistro. I didn’t learn so much in this class, but enjoyed it enormously nevertheless.

Room – the penthouse suite was a little smaller than that on the Mariner, but was immeasurably more pleasant to be in. No harsh oranges, no chipped wood, no stained carpet. It was immaculately clean. The bathroom was on the small side, but very well planned and equipped with plenty of storage. The balcony was much better, with chairs with cushions that reclined. The walk-in closet was very adequate (and I do not travel light!!) One slight criticism is that there was no lighted, magnifying mirror in the bathroom. I had been told beforehand that this was the case (on these boards), and had intended to take my own, but stupidly forgot. Our butler did provide one for us however. I do think this is a small thing which would make a lot of difference in the bathroom, especially as many of us are middle-aged at least and our eyesight is not quite what it was.

Butler service – beyond criticism. It seemed whenever we needed something, there was Antony ready to provide it (be it a mirror for the bathroom, a spare adaptor plug, dinner in the room, a coffee and croissant from the Executive Lounge, a dining reservation… whatever). Now we are home, I have taken to calling my husband Antony, but I have to say that he isn’t really stepping up to the plate!

Entertainment – was OK. We are not really entertainment people, but we did go to a couple of the shows. One we thought was pretty good; the other less so. We played blackjack a couple of times, and enjoyed it. We very much enjoyed listening to the pianist and the string quartet. I wish we had sampled a bit more entertainment-wise, but at least we have left something new for next time.

Ship generally – loved the décor, ambience, and general feel.

Staff – were great. We don’t really ‘get’ the need for people to remember our names, or fall over themselves to talk to us. So long as service is efficient and friendly, we neither require nor want any more. We had no complaints whatsoever.

Spa – I thought the Spa was beautiful. This is one area, however, where I did think the staff could have been a little more welcoming. I felt that they seemed a little hurried and stressed which seemed to be at odds with the whole concept of being in a Spa. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the few treatments I had, but would have had more if I had felt more comfortable there. We did enjoy being out on the Spa deck.

Gym – excellent. Loved the equipment, size and views.

All in all, I have to say this cruise surpassed our expectations on just about every front. Although we are new to cruising, we are well travelled and have stayed in some wonderful hotels and resorts. We enjoyed this cruise so much, and are very much looking forward to the next one.

This is already much too long, so I’ll leave it at that, but I’m very happy to answer any questions if I can help in any way.

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review.

[Toranut97]

So glad you had a great time! It is always good to read a positive review.

[Queen of DaNile]

Lovely review Daisy - thanks for sharing your experience.

[Hawaiidan]

After many ships and cruises, I agree totally with your opinions...I spent 34 days on Marina earlier this year and like you could not fault anything.... Some things I did not like were due to my taste not a fault of production , construction or quality.

I will add another facet not reviewed is the Medical facilities and staff. Come on who likes getting sick or injured !!!

I had the misfortune to get a serious infection somewhere 1000 miles west of Lima and 1500 miles east of Tahiti. I was wowed by the Doc and Rn's as well as the state of the art clinic that would shame many US hospitals... It was a luxury hospital experience and during a 10 day stay, I actually enjoyed what could have been a life threating incident !!!!

[hypercafe]

Thanks for the review, happy you had fun.

 

To Dan, I am correct to read you spent 10 days in the ships hospital? What did thar coast ya? Glad it turned out ok!

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[jaxw17]

Thanks for taking the time out to do this

[Aloha 1]

Thanks for the great review. Makes us all the more excited for our upcoming Riviera cruise. It's interesting you thought the food on Oceania was better than Regent. They both are provisioned by the same suppliers but perhaps the chefs on Oceania are more on their game. We sailed Regent Voyager last year and thought the food was fantastic, hence our desire to try Oceania and it's myriad restaurants.

[CintiPam]

Thanks so much for taking the time to write such a thorough review of your experience. I know it will be very helpful to others.

 

(BTW, for future reference, it really helps in reading lengthy material if there is a line skipped between paragraphs.)

[mom2travel]

Loved the review! Thanks.

 

 

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[DaisyUK]

After many ships and cruises, I agree totally with your opinions...I spent 34 days on Marina earlier this year and like you could not fault anything.... Some things I did not like were due to my taste not a fault of production , construction or quality.

I will add another facet not reviewed is the Medical facilities and staff. Come on who likes getting sick or injured !!!

I had the misfortune to get a serious infection somewhere 1000 miles west of Lima and 1500 miles east of Tahiti. I was wowed by the Doc and Rn's as well as the state of the art clinic that would shame many US hospitals... It was a luxury hospital experience and during a 10 day stay, I actually enjoyed what could have been a life threating incident !!!!

 

Whilst we hate the thought of being sick on holiday, it's reassuring to read this. Glad to hear you made a full recovery and that it didn't completely wreck your cruise.

[DaisyUK]

Thanks for the great review. Makes us all the more excited for our upcoming Riviera cruise. It's interesting you thought the food on Oceania was better than Regent. They both are provisioned by the same suppliers but perhaps the chefs on Oceania are more on their game. We sailed Regent Voyager last year and thought the food was fantastic, hence our desire to try Oceania and it's myriad restaurants.

 

Honestly, unless our cruise was an abberration, Oceania's food does live up to the hype. Although Regent and Oceania may share suppliers, it is my understanding (from an Oceania presentation I attended a few months ago) that Oceania's spend per passenger is significantly higher than Regent's. At the time of the presentation, I took this with a pinch of salt but our cruise experience certainly supports their claim. I hope you have a wonderful time; I'm sure you will!

[DaisyUK]

:o

Thanks so much for taking the time to write such a thorough review of your experience. I know it will be very helpful to others.

 

(BTW, for future reference, it really helps in reading lengthy material if there is a line skipped between paragraphs.)

 

Sorry - I usually would do this, but I was embarrassed at the length of my post and was trying to make it look shorter! I will make sure to do so in future.

 

Actually, in my attempt to shorten it I realised on re-reading that I missed a couple of things out (excursions and drinks package) and somehow deleted a para about the room. I don't really think any of it was anything that hasn't been mentioned previously on this board so I won't repeat it here, but if anyone does have any questions fire away...

[terry&mike]

DaisyUK, If you decide you are up for it, I'd like to read your thoughts on the excursions, drink package and the room you left off. I thoroughly enjoyed your review, and appreciate you taking the time to write it.

[DaisyUK]

DaisyUK, If you decide you are up for it, I'd like to read your thoughts on the excursions, drink package and the room you left off. I thoroughly enjoyed your review, and appreciate you taking the time to write it.

 

No problem...

 

We did only 4 excursions, all booked through Oceania. I know they are expensive, but I was nervous about booking independently. The excursions we booked were 'OK' - probably no better, no worse than the ones we booked on Regent. I don't think I'm really an excursions person. I tend to lose interest in some of the detail when standing in the hot sun and after having trailed around several churches/mosques/monuments/ruins etc. For example, in order to see the Blue Mosque, we queued for well over an hour and had I known this before we set off we probably wouldn't have bothered. I realise this probably sounds appalling to many, but I can't help it! Also, I should mention that we had visited many of the ports/countries/islands on previous occasions.

 

The most enjoyable excursion we did was on Corfu, when we visited the Achillion Palace and Gardens, and then went on to a private villa at the water's edge where we enjoyed a typical Greek lunch in the garden and watched some greek dancers. It was charming, and the setting was beautiful.

 

What we did enjoy enormously was wandering around on our own, soaking up the atmosphere and feel of a place, particularly in Kotor and Dubrovnik.

 

So far as the drinks package is concerned, we thought long and hard about this. I voted for going for it, but my husband voted against and he won. As it turned out, he was right. We were away for 10 nights and for 2 of those nights we ate at La Reserve where an apperitif and wines were included. For the remaining 8 nights, we would have a cocktail prior to dinner, and then wine with the meal. Sometimes we would order wine by the glass from the list; others we would buy a bottle. At the end of the holiday we had spent less than the $1200 the premium drinks package would have cost (probably partly because of the 2 La Reserve evenings, plus a wine tasting evening when we drank less the rest of the evening) and had the advantage of greater flexibility in what we wanted to order. We had no problem whatsoever with 'small pours', other than one evening when we had our pre-dinner cocktail early and it coincided with Happy Hour. I think it is possible that Happy Hour is a bit of a waste of time, because in my limited experience, you pay half price for half a drink! The rest of the time, we would buy a full price cocktail for around $10, which came in the shaker and provided 2 drinks.

 

So far as the room is concerned, when I re-read my post, I thought it sounded a little negative because I had accidentally deleted part of it. I believe I said the bathroom was small which was a bit unfair because I was comparing it to a 'proper' bathroom on land. It was certainly compact, but significantly larger than the one on Regent. Also, it was beautifully appointed with marble floors, bath surround and walls. Unlike some posters, I loved and appreciated the bath tub, which was full size and also had the benefit of a hand-held shower above it. Water was hot, plentiful and quick to fill. Lotion, shampoo, soap etc were replaced regularly. Towels were excellent quality and plentiful.

 

When our butler suggested serving dinner in the room one evening, I thought he was mad because the table is quite small, but in the event it was plenty big enough for the 2 of us.

 

The other item I neglected to include was that of the room temperature. I couldn't believe how efficient the air conditioning was. It was almost silent, and seemed to glide up and down the temperatures whenever we adjusted it (rather than a sudden blast of hot or cold air).

 

I think that's about it.. hope it helped.

[terry&mike]

Many thanks.

[4Lakes Lady]

Thanks for such a thorough review! We are booked on Riviera next April and really looking forward to it! Your review of Oceania re-enforces my own positive experience with this cruise line.

[Hawaiidan]

Thanks for the review, happy you had fun.

 

To Dan, I am correct to read you spent 10 days in the ships hospital? What did thar coast ya? Glad it turned out ok!

 

With meds, tests, some surgery, tax and license out the door...$6100.00 My insurance, Kaiser Permente, ( which covers me world wide 100%) paid the bill.

 

I made out by charging it on my UAL CC earning 6100 miles, and my CPA tells me that I can also claim the regular per passenger as the cost of my room some $3400.00 for the 10 days as room necessary and part of the medical treatment ...... To every cloud there is a silver linng

[Sigaco]

Great review Daisy.I was on the same cruise and thoroughly enjoyed it.I could not find fault at all with anything.I was not even bothered that we missed Durres in Albania as I had an amazing time in Kotor over the two days that we were there.Oceania really do do their utmost to please without being over the top.The Riviera is a marvel as was the food,entertainment and staff.Cannot wait to travel with Oceania again.

[CintiPam]

Thanks for the supplemental posting on excursions, DaisyUK. You have been very thorough and helpful.

 

How nice to get two days in Kotor when Durres did not work out.

[silkman]

Great review Daisy.I was on the same cruise and thoroughly enjoyed it.I could not find fault at all with anything.I was not even bothered that we missed Durres in Albania as I had an amazing time in Kotor over the two days that we were there.Oceania really do do their utmost to please without being over the top.The Riviera is a marvel as was the food,entertainment and staff.Cannot wait to travel with Oceania again.

 

we were on a similar cruise on the Insignia with many of the same ports the end of June-beginning of July. I am just curious as to why you missed stopping in A lbania. Actually I would rather have spent 2 days in Kotor and skip Albania. We had a wonderful private tour in Kotor. We did Albania on our own, and it was our Least favorite port. Every other port was great. I 'm not quite sure why Oceania stops there, except that it is "on the way".

 

Richard

"

[Aloha 1]

Honestly, unless our cruise was an abberration, Oceania's food does live up to the hype. Although Regent and Oceania may share suppliers, it is my understanding (from an Oceania presentation I attended a few months ago) that Oceania's spend per passenger is significantly higher than Regent's. At the time of the presentation, I took this with a pinch of salt but our cruise experience certainly supports their claim. I hope you have a wonderful time; I'm sure you will!

 

Thanks for that insight! Very interesting. Certainly, the presence of lobster everyday would perhaps add something to that, but who cares? It's lobster! Regardless, we are really looking forward to our first Oceania cruise and thank you for your posts.

[DaisyUK]

we were on a similar cruise on the Insignia with many of the same ports the end of June-beginning of July. I am just curious as to why you missed stopping in A lbania. Actually I would rather have spent 2 days in Kotor and skip Albania. We had a wonderful private tour in Kotor. We did Albania on our own, and it was our Least favorite port. Every other port was great. I 'm not quite sure why Oceania stops there, except that it is "on the way".

 

Richard

"

 

Everyone we spoke to agreed with your view and we were certainly happy with the additional day in Kotor (Albania was going to be a 'sea day' for us). The explanation given was that weather conditions were not conducive for attempting to get into port. I questioned this further with some members of staff, who said that the route into the port is shallow and narrow and that conditions have to be perfect for a ship of Riviera's size.

[Sigaco]

we were on a similar cruise on the Insignia with many of the same ports the end of June-beginning of July. I am just curious as to why you missed stopping in A lbania. Actually I would rather have spent 2 days in Kotor and skip Albania. We had a wonderful private tour in Kotor. We did Albania on our own, and it was our Least favorite port. Every other port was great. I 'm not quite sure why Oceania stops there, except that it is "on the way".

 

Richard

"

 

The channel into the port of Durres was too shallow for a ship the size of Riviera and we ran the risk of grounding.The cruise after us missed Durres as well and went to Dubrovnik instead.