First Oceania Cruise on the Riviera

[chrismch]

For the last three years my DH has been trying to get me to try Oceania and when this one came up in a price point I was comfortable with doing, I agreed. We originally booked a 10 day cruise that would take place this month but O asked if we'd be willing to do the 14 day Southern Caribbean cruise (Nov 29 - Dec 13) instead.Both cruises began and ended in Miami.To do the change, we would be upgraded to a balcony from an oceanview - with both being around midship. Since we could change our airfare with no problem we agreed.

 

Let me say in advance, overall I loved the experience and with a good price point and itinerary would definitely cruise O again. We've been on over 30 cruises and tried all the other mainline cruises including Crystal. We like the ships with under 1500 passengers. Next year we plan to try river cruising.

 

The day of our cruise, there was a coast guard inspection so we were told not to arrive until around 3 pm. That's when we did our embarkation and found that at least 75% of the guests were already on board. This meant we got through the process quickly. What I didn't like is that our room was not yet available so we had to keep our carryon with us. Finally had approval to go to our cabin around 4 pm. Never had to wait that long with other cruise lines.

 

Though it didn't seem like it at first, I found our room had a lot of storage space - especially when you add the rack space under the sink and over the commode. My only issue with the room was the TV. If we tried to watch a movie on TV the reception kept going out or the sound got garbled. Didn't seem to run into that issue with news channels.

 

First impression of the ship was one of spaciousness and minimal crowds - even in the Terrace Grill. We had our late lunch out on the deck overlooking the city which was lovely. However, my first experience with the Grill - was less than stellar. Felt they were lacking for "lunch" options of salads and sandwiches. I don't want overcooked vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy with meat for lunch. My other issue was with in the salad dressing options. I've had better dressing options at cheap buffets. I was especially appalled by what they considered Caesar dressing - basically whipped mayonnaise with some Italian seasonings. Had a chat with one of the chefs about it and he said they would be tweaking it some to make it more traditional.

 

Worked around the lunch options other days by ordering turf & surf solo or grilled ahi from Waves (which should not be missed) and having them bring it to the Terrace where I had a small salad with the balsamic vinaigrette and added some cheese and dried fruit. Loved the food options at Waves, but they had several problems with getting my order correct. Their fries are the hottest and crispest I've found on any cruise line.

 

Tried all the specialty restaurants for dinner two or three times. This is where O excels. They had outstanding appetizers, pastas and desserts. Enjoyed the olive oil and vinegar menu at Toscana. Our favorite appetizer was the eggplant wrapped veal. Want to make that at home! We keep talking about it.

 

Since I'm a big fan of teas, I loved the tea options at Red Ginger. My new favorite is the Ginger Pear White tea. Was not a fan of the standard teas found in all the other venues. Only option for herbal teas was chamomile and a lemon. I like herbals with a little more flavor. However, made up for that by having vitamin waters which I could pick up at the gym.

 

Afternoon tea - tried it once and enjoyed a couple of their samplings which were pretty standard fare for cruise line teas. The disappointing part is they don't offer any different teas than those found in the grill or dining room.(Get the idea I like my teas.)

 

Barista - My DH enjoyed the coffee options here and we both liked the mini- versions of the pastries they served here.

 

Entertainment - went to a few shows which were what you'd typically find on any other ship of this size. I enjoy them though I know others say they are not Broadway caliber; but then I'm not paying Broadway ticket prices. We really liked listening to the live bands. My DH is a musician and he thought they were very talented.

 

Ports - This is the reason we switched our cruise - the option to do ports not normally seen. Favorites were Grenada, St. Kitts, Columbia & Venezuela. The latter for the learning experience of what life is like under a despot. Tours in Grenada and St Kitts were independent and would highly recommend the tour operators.

 

Debarkation - Had a leisurely breakfast in the dining room with few other in attendance which was surprising. Service was good as it was other mornings we dined there. Good choices for breakfast. I had one of my favorites of a hamburger with a fried egg. And it was served at the right temperature. We rarely have to catch an early plane as we often stay in the port an extra night.

 

In many of the specialty restaurants we shared tables and enjoyed chatting with other avid cruisers. Also enjoyed the exercise of doing the mini-sports games with the fun-spirited singers and dancers. As usual did trivia daily and enjoyed the camaraderie of my team (many times a winner) and the other teams.

 

Had lots of wonderful memories from this cruise and the ports. Would highly recommend it to others.

[LHT28]

Thanks for your review

[no fuss travel]

Enjoyed your review. Liked the balance you made between what you really enjoyed and what could have made the cruise experience just that little bit better.

[azam71209]

Interesting review. What I have never been able to understand is why people keep a large carryon with them at boarding. I would definitely keep medications, jewels (if I had any), but why not leave the carryon with the porters like you do with your other luggage. While I have certainly had the experience of missing luggage at an airport, I have never heard of O losing luggage once it was turned over at boarding. We drop off all our luggage and are free to walk around the ship, eat, perhaps have a drink and sit on the deck and enjoy the view while waiting for our cabin. Has anybody had a problem with lost luggage at boarding?

[chrismch]

Our one carryon had our computer, meds, jewelry and other electronics. Will never leave that with a porter! Don't want a damaged computer.

[globevest]

Enjoyed your review. Will be on the Riviera in a few weeks.

[buggins0402]

Our one carryon had our computer, meds, jewelry and other electronics. Will never leave that with a porter! Don't want a damaged computer.

 

Agree with you, there are some items that should never leave your sight, or at least kept safe and dry at the front of Terrace.

 

I have heard stories of luggage carts going into the water during the loading process....not on Oceania specifically, but other lines. However, that means it can happen.

 

Very nice balanced review, thank you for sharing it. Did you have any other memorable meals at the specialties?

[DOJO466]

Nice review. You were a bit dismayed at not being able to get into your cabin until 4 pm, you do realize that when Coast Guard boards everyone including crew has to be off the ship, thus the delay in getting your cabin ready in a timely matter. The crew does what they can do and IMHO they do a hell of a job. Sorry you did not like the selection at terrace. When I can't find something I like as far as a sandwich goes, I just walk around the middle section, choose a nice piece of bread and wow what a selection, head for the cold cuts (ooh Serrano ham), the delicious cheeses and make my own. Servers are more than willing to provide whatever condiment I need. I have also found on many days there were numerous sandwich selections, albeit I might not like them all, but they were there. To me, there is only so many times I can eat at Waves, not knocking it, just don't want to eat there everyday.

I am glad that overall you enjoyed your first cruise and hope you get to do many more:)

[Mura]

I agree DOJO. We've NEVER had to wait until 4pm to access our cabin so I have to guess that this was a special circumstance, and maybe the Coast Guard inspection was the problem. I will add that usually we're in a PH, sometimes, above, so usually we can get into our room by 1-2pm.

 

I didn't understand the unhappiness with the salad offerings, but as usual -- different strokes for different folks. I often find that when when we have lunch in Terrace that I'll start out with salads with the intention of having a main course, but by the time I've had my salad I'm full.

 

We usually have breakfast in the GDR on sea days (we order in on port days depending on arrival time); lunch in the GDR or Terrace, depending on menus. And we'll save Waves for those times when we get back to late for the GDR or Terrace. Dinner ... well, we like the specialties but we don't insist on them. And we like the GDR and Terrace, so we'll split between them depending on menus. AND if we had a tiring day in port, we'll order into our room.

 

As to dealing with hand luggage before you can access your room, I keep my laptop with me but the other things I don't mind turning over to the crew.

 

Mura

[Paulchili]

Thank you for taking the time to write this balanced review.

[Caroldoll]

About the carry on, I carry my cash and an extra ring in it and my papers. I don't want to leave that with porters.

 

On an O cruise the absolute best thing "for me" on embarkation is their roasted turkey. It is the absolutely best roasted turkey in the world! Love it.

 

I too love Waves...I get surf and surf every day (forget the turf). The deliver it to wherever you are in The terrace.

 

In Toscana, we don't need "tricks" for vinegar and Oil...we are Sicilian...we get green extra virgin first press, and the very best vinegar. Never went wrong.

 

I was very, very ill on the last cruise so I didn't have food for 14 days or so. I lost weight, yeah! 12 pounds.

 

Back home thinking maybe next January might just be Miami. O is cutting the size of the cruises too low

[ORV]

Interesting review. What I have never been able to understand is why people keep a large carryon with them at boarding. I would definitely keep medications, jewels (if I had any), but why not leave the carryon with the porters like you do with your other luggage. While I have certainly had the experience of missing luggage at an airport, I have never heard of O losing luggage once it was turned over at boarding. We drop off all our luggage and are free to walk around the ship, eat, perhaps have a drink and sit on the deck and enjoy the view while waiting for our cabin. Has anybody had a problem with lost luggage at boarding?

 

For me personally it's a matter of being able to unload my large carry on as soon as we can access the room. When the checked luggage shows up we are already ahead of the game. We always like to get our stuff unloaded, put away, and organized as quickly as possible the first day, then we can get down to the business of having fun. Of course our electronics, passports, meds, and other important stuff are with us, but most of that is in the smaller personal item. The carry on also serves to hold the heavy personal item bag instead of wearing out my shoulder.

 

I understand your question, hopefully my explanation will help you understand why you see some of us rolling around the larger carry ons.

[cruisingxpert]

My carry on is usually filled with bottles of wine.

[azam71209]

My carry on is usually filled with bottles of wine.

 

Now that I can understand! We don't typically bring bottles of wine onboard but I am seriously considering it on our Buenos Aires-Rio trip. Very interested in Argentine Malbecs.

[chrismch]

One of the comfort foods I didn't try until late in the cruise was Frank's mashed potatoes - the best ever!

 

Other favorite foods on board:

Red Ginger: Crispy Ginger Calamari - lightest & crispest with a great flavor,

Miso Glazed Seabass - so tender, Bounty Cake- coconut, chocolate chips, vanilla -wow! Pork Ibérico Chop at Jacques, Green lipped Mussels at the Terrace, any of the hot appetizers or pasta at Toscana, Molten Cheese Souffle and the sea salt caramel ice cream.

[kazu]

My carry on is usually filled with bottles of wine.

 

a person after my own heart!

[Softball20]

Now that I can understand! We don't typically bring bottles of wine onboard but I am seriously considering it on our Buenos Aires-Rio trip. Very interested in Argentine Malbecs.

 

We're on that cruise! Really looking forward to all the wines in Argentina and Uraguay.

[Silver Sweethearts]

We've been on over 30 cruises and tried all the other mainline cruises including Crystal...

 

...Loved the food options at Waves... Their fries are the hottest and crispest I've found on any cruise line.

 

Just curious how would you rate them against the fries in The Colonnade on Seabourn or at Le Grill on the Paul Gauguin??

[Mura]

One of the comfort foods I didn't try until late in the cruise was Frank's mashed potatoes - the best ever!

 

 

Unless you dislike butter, you're bound to love those mashed potatoes! But try not to think of the calorie or cholesterol count ...

 

Mura