oceania riviera changes now ncl is in charge?

[lis1407]

Hey cruisers,

We are going with riviera to the med. in august 2015

I am a bit anxious now oceania is taken over by NCL.

Anybody sailed recently with Riviera.

THANKS

 

:confused::confused:

[hondorner]

Hey cruisers,

We are going with riviera to the med. in august 2015

I am a bit anxious now oceania is taken over by NCL.

Anybody sailed recently with Riviera.

THANKS

 

:confused::confused:

You need not be concerned. Soon after NCL Holdings purchased Oceania and Regent, they also named Frank Del Rio, the founder of Oceania, to be the overall President and CEO of NCL Holdings. Oceania is his "baby"; he's not going to change it. The NCL President is Andy Stuart, a veteran of NCL, and has nothing to do with Oceania. The President of Oceania and Regent is Jason Montague, who has been with Oceania since the founding of the company.

 

Certainly there will be changes to the back office operations. Since the Oceania team is largely in charge of the entire company, most of those changes will be to use Oceania's methods. One exception will be the entertainment department, which NCL has developed to a high art, and which will operate throughout all three cruise lines.

[globevest]

We sailed on her in March and found that very little if anything had changed since our Riviera sailing in early 2014. Thoroughly enjoyable.

[lis1407]

Hello Don & Betsy

Because i am getting 70 this year i invited my daugther,granddaughter and my son in law on their first cruise,and i want it to be good.Being a bronze member i knew what to expect,but right now i am not.

Thanks for your quick reply.

Gilbert

Sorry but my English is not so good,my language is flemish,but i did my best.

[Travelcat2]

Agree strongly with Don (hondorner). If FDR was not CEO, there probably would have been a lot of changes. Thankfully Oceania and Regent are both doing very well and should continue to do so.

[Paulchili]

We sailed on her in March and April. No significant changes noted - she is as good as ever.

In fact, she should be all "spruced up" for you after her dry dock - enjoy!

[lis1407]

Hello Folks,

thank you all,i am relieved

when go's she into dry dock?

Gilbert

[oregon50]

NCL policy of zero tolerance for alcohol consumption by officers in effect. Strict limits for crew. Random testing for all.

[DOJO466]

Hello Folks,

thank you all,i am relieved

when go's she into dry dock?

Gilbert

 

She is out of dry dock and ready for you to board her to have a wonderful trip:)

[hondorner]

NCL policy of zero tolerance for alcohol consumption by officers in effect. Strict limits for crew. Random testing for all.

 

Certainly not a bad policy, or one affecting guests, which is what concerns most guests. But, you are correct, that's definitely a change since the merger, and I forgot it

Thanks for the reminder.

[PaulMCO]

I respectfully disagree with the majority here - and I am an O fan. At least not now no changes. But we certainly have seen issues with Rivera from our first cruise right after commissioning and our last at Christmas.

 

FDR's new team is certainly making a mess of NCL. Just check the NCL boards out with the latest complaints.

 

Just wait until O starts charging for room service is cabins below Concierge or the no carrying food back to the room.

[StanandJim]

I respectfully disagree with the majority here - and I am an O fan. At least not now no changes. But we certainly have seen issues with Rivera from our first cruise right after commissioning and our last at Christmas.

 

FDR's new team is certainly making a mess of NCL. Just check the NCL boards out with the latest complaints.

 

Just wait until O starts charging for room service is cabins below Concierge or the no carrying food back to the room.

 

Your thoughts might hold some water if the NCL guy had just been put in charge of Oceania, BUT IT WAS THE OTHER WAY AROUND!

Our guy is now in the NCL Executive Suite.

 

Doesn't it make some sense that he was chosen because they liked the way that he ran HIS Cruise Line? :confused:

 

And by the way, you don't make the kind of changes that NCL is experiencing on a dime, they require YEARS of planning (the Service Pantries have to be outfitted properly and the Restaurant seating capacities have to conform), so the outcry about changes today is the legacy of the last generation of management.

[Hambagahle]

We got off the Riviera on 15 April and were thrilled to bits with our cruise, the food, the service - everything in fact except the entertainment and guest lecturers. However one of the changes put into place following the move to NCL is that the entertainment is now "pooled" and according to GM Damien laCroix should be better than before on Oceania and Regent. Apparently NCL has a huge rehearsal facility for its entertainers in Tampa I think and this is now to be used for Oceania and Regent. With, said Damien, more singers/dancers on each ship than in the past.

 

We loved our cruise! And we love Riviera as well. Now she is out of dry dock she must be even more spectacular than when we disembarked.

[Solar Yellow]

Just disembarked today. New carpet looks nice. New entertainment is a huge improvement. Food was as great as ever. The only other change I noticed from last year is sticky buns available every day! There were some service fails but nothing brought on by NCL ownership.

[Travelcat2]

What they are doing on NCL that is causing such a ruckus would never happen on Oceania. Yes - they are charging for room service. However, from reading the many threads on this subject, it sounds as if children and their parents were making multiple requests every day. Think about it, if one child orders food and it arrives, the other child may think he/she wants it too and decides to call and order their own. On top of that, they put the plates in the hallway outside of the room rather than waiting for the stewardess/steward to pick them up in the cabin.

 

The second issue is taking food from the buffet and specialty restaurants back to the room. While it may not appear to be a huge issue to Oceania passengers, it is to NCL passengers. They feel that their rights are being taken away.

 

Anyway, I could go on and on (or you could read hundreds of posts on their board). Their issues are not related in any way to Oceania or Regent customers and I truly believe that, for the most part, Regent and Oceania will be left alone while FDR and his team do what is necessary to bring the reputation of NCL up a few notches and gain new customers. JMHO.

Edited May 11, 2015 by Travelcat2

[njhorseman]

I wish people would get off the mistaken idea that NCL bought Oceania and Regent. In reality this was the merger of two holding companies, NCLH and PCH, both of which were already controlled by the same investors, Apollo Management and TPG Capital. You have the same investors in control of the board both before and after the deal, along with management consolidations that are to be expected as responsibilities are merged with duplication of corporate office functions eliminated.

 

Was it a sale? Legally and technically yes, but it was Apollo and TPG selling one company it controlled, PCH, to another company it controlled, NCLH. NCLH was the surviving entity because it was the company that was already publicly traded.

 

The most significant changes that have occurred to date were made to NCL, not Oceania or Regent...which should further dispel the mistaken idea that NCL now controls Oceania and Regent.

Edited May 11, 2015 by njhorseman

[Gbear12]

Just disembarked today. New carpet looks nice. New entertainment is a huge improvement. Food was as great as ever. The only other change I noticed from last year is sticky buns available every day! There were some service fails but nothing brought on by NCL ownership.

 

Is the string quartet still there? One of my favorite features of the Ship.

[Mura]

Is the string quartet still there? One of my favorite features of the Ship.

 

 

Well, I left Marina last Thursday morning and there was a string quartet on board. I'm sure all the ships have them ...

 

Mura

[JPR]

I agree that things look good for Oceania for now. If anything, driving business there from the NCL ships.

[PaulMCO]

Your thoughts might hold some water if the NCL guy had just been put in charge of Oceania, BUT IT WAS THE OTHER WAY AROUND!

Our guy is now in the NCL Executive Suite.

 

 

Yes but YOUR guy did not stop the changes he executed them.

[Travelcat2]

He undoubtedly put in place what needed to be put in place. I have 100% confidence in leadership!

[StanandJim]

Yes but YOUR guy did not stop the changes he executed them.

 

He's dealing with the changes .....not the same thing-

 

As my sainted grandmother used to say

 

" Just because a mouse is born in a stable, you can't assume it's a horse". :D

[Paulchili]

He undoubtedly put in place what needed to be put in place. I have 100% confidence in leadership!

 

TC2 - I am beginning to worry.

I agree with both of your posts here :D

[Jancruz]

I respectfully disagree with the majority here - and I am an O fan. At least not now no changes. But we certainly have seen issues with Rivera from our first cruise right after commissioning and our last at Christmas.

 

FDR's new team is certainly making a mess of NCL. Just check the NCL boards out with the latest complaints.

 

Just wait until O starts charging for room service is cabins below Concierge or the no carrying food back to the room.

 

Paul, You have no idea why these changes on NCL were put in place believe me by the end of June NCL should be much improved..the changes were very necessary..even tho people on the NCL board are having hysterics..they are such a small percentage of the cruising public..

Jancruz1

[hondorner]

Yes but YOUR guy did not stop the changes he executed them.

Andy Stuart, respected long-time NCL veteran, is President of NCL and in charge of executing day-to-day changes. Recently promoted to President by FDR, he is in the best position to determine what changes needed to be made, and has publicly taken responsibility.

 

FDR is President and CEO of NCL HOLDINGS, the parent company of NCL, Oceania and Regent. He is in the position of determining overall policy, and has no doubt approved the recommended changes being made by Stuart, but is not in position to actually execute them. Similarly, Jason Montague is President of Oceania and Regent. These are not figurehead positions, and FDR, as capable as he is, is not capable of single-handedly executing every change on every cruise line.

 

As for NCL, most folks on this forum would consider them to be at the bottom of the food chain in cruising, and any changes are no doubt necessary and potentially beneficial.

 

While Oceania is obviously my favorite cruise line, I'm Platinum on NCL. I can unequivocally state I would not cruise with NCL in the Caribbean when schools are on vacation.