Open Letter to President of Oceania Cruises and all potential new customers

[deadzone1003]

Are you sure the Regatta was sailing to the Panama Canal on April 13? Better check, we were on the Regatta on April 13th, 2015 (happens to be my birthday) and we were NOT on our way to Panama.

 

Could just be a typo - Panama cruise started on the 23rd.

[Mura]

I finally got around to actually reading OP's letter as opposed to responding to other poster's comments.

 

I agree that the complaint about caulking the tub without warning (and then saying they coouldn't use it for 24 hours) is absolutely justified.

 

But I don't see the validity of the other complaints. (I don't consider myself a cheerleader since I'm willing to admit when Oceania is at fault, I just tend not to think that it is much of the time! So others may call me a cheerleader. My feelings won't be hurt if so.)

 

The "R" ships have had open seating for dining since their inception so most people must be pleased with it. We have never heard of someone arriving too late to be seated at 6:30 and then have to wait until 8:00. We normally arrive around 7:30-7:45 for dinner and are willing to share. We've never had a very long wait. Sometimes it wasn't possible to share, so we had a table for two. (The staff wants to form up tables with people arriving around the same time so if no table has been started, you can be out of luck.)

 

Yes, on the "R" ships a table in Terrace Buffet can be difficult to obtain if the ship is full. It's always been that way but we've always managed ... there are often two or three people sitting at a table for five or six, and I've never seen someone refused a seat if they asked to join a table in that circumstance -- unless the people sitting in the empty seats are getting their food.

 

So for most of OP's complaints, well I'm not sympathetic. I AM sympathetic that he was unhappy with his cruise, and yes, his complaint letter should at least have been acknowledged. That's just good business.

 

I've always thought that you should want to make an unhappy customer -- happy. Obviously O failed in this regard here.

 

Mura

 

+17 to Don Horner's post ...

[Cruseforme]

I believe the OP made a typo. It was April 23rd on the Regatta. Although, after reading his opinions again, it just struck me as strange...why cancel a cruise on the Riviera, when your opinion posted was for the Regatta? Sounds like a knee jerk reaction to a simple answer. Just don't cruise on an R class ship again if you don't like the smaller ships.

Another +1 to Hondorner's post

Edited July 12, 2015 by Cruseforme

[hondorner]

684 is the capacity, at double occupancy, simply because the Oceania version of the "R" ships have 342 cabins. If someone thinks 684 is too many, they must want some of the cabins removed and the surrounding ones rebuilt. I can't think of a single reason why the cruise line should do that.

 

Other "R" ships have slightly different capacities. The Adonia, operated by P&O (a Carnival company) has a capacity of 712 because there are no larger suites like the Oceania Penthouses;except for the very large suites that correspond to Owners and Vista all the cabins on Deck 8 are the same size as those on Deck 7. Azamara Journey and Quest have a capacity of 710 because they were originally laid out like Adonia, but Azamara had a little less than half of Deck 8 converted to larger Club Continental suites. Pacific Princess and Ocean Princess (which will become Sirena) are listed as 670, at least partially because they are using some of the category "E" (on Oceania) cabins for some other purpose, perhaps crew quarters.

 

Oceania has been sailing their "R" ships very successfully since their first voyage in July, 2003; I doubt they will change them now because one person thinks 684 is "too many".

 

There simply are times when one must adapt to reality, rather have fantasy as an opinion. If 684 are "too many", just sail on a smaller ship.

Edited July 12, 2015 by hondorner

[Mura]

Don, maybe you can clarify something for me.

 

When Renaissance built R6/7/8 they eliminated the PH category (then called "B"). I assumed it was to make a larger capacity but at the time the difference in claimed passenger capacity was extremely slight. I forget what it was, but it in my memory it was something like 10-20 passengers. Which just didn't seem possible.

 

Do you have any insight?

 

I'm just curious! It doesn't matter much, I guess!

 

Mura

[Cruseforme]

Fairness to the OP, I have just found another review on cruise critic Regatta Reviews from this same cruise, that reported similar experiences on this particular cruise from a different OP. (ie., long lines at dinner at 6:30, not enough seats, etc)...I wonder if on this particular cruise, most people ate at exactly 6:30 (which is not what we encountered on our previous cruises), however, it almost seems like this particular cruise was a bit busy at exactly certain times, contrary to our past experiences. Maybe our past experiences do not necessarily mean that it could not happen. So if you have a good portion of the ship all deciding to eat at 6:30 PM, it could get very congested at ALL the venues. Mix of the cruise plays into this.

[hypercafe]

The OP stated what happened to them on the trip they took and their impression of it and of the ship. I often wonder why some challenge this by the argument that these are not valid because it never happened to them, that's the way the ship was built, everyone else loves it. One persons pleasure can be another's poison.

 

Sent from my SM-T320 using Forums mobile app

[Toranut97]

For once I can be helpful! We were on this cruise.

 

The ship was loaded with alumni groups! I had a very upsetting moment in Martini's when an older alum scolded me and made an obscene gesture at me because I was holding seats for my DH and another couple for Happy Hour (immediately after Afternoon Trivia). Never had a problem with that in the past! The ships was a bit crowded - lots of sharp elbows flying!

 

And the lines for 6:30 pm MDR settings were long (all the way to the hallway at times!)- it was laughable really. But everybody seemed to be in good humor, and they started opening up 10 - 15 minutes early to accommodate the early birds.

 

My thought on reading the OP was that he ought not to have cancelled the November cruise (and that I hoped that maybe we could get his vacated cabin!) - that his bad experience on Regatta should have steered him away from R class ships, but had learned, perhaps, that O ships suit him better. But to each his own!

 

We enjoyed ourselves in spite of the crowds, but everyone clearly sees this world through a different lens, so to speak.

 

Donna

[Joanandjoe]

Does anybody see what I see?

 

That's a song from the musical "1776", but it applies here. The OP had a complaint, wrote to management about it, and has been ignored. That's a more serious complaint than the specific complaints regarding the cruise. The OP feels rightly aggrieved that he had a disappointing experience, and management of Oceania doesn't care enough about the OP to respond to his letters.

 

We recently had a disappointing cruise on the Marina, and both of us wrote long comments about it. The cruise ended 6 weeks ago, but the cruise line hasn't contacted us. (In contrast, a very specific comment while we were on the ship was answered by top management within a few hours.) We're surprised that management hasn't contacted us yet.

 

Maybe we and the OP are different from other posters, in that good or bad experiences near the beginning of a cruise tend to snowball, If things start off great, minor glitches later in the cruise bother us very little, if at all. If, on the other hand, the cruise starts with a bunch of large and small annoyances, we start to notice every little thing that goes wrong, and it can ruin our enjoyment of the cruise. We're aware of our tendency to let bad things snowball: that's why we haven't written the 2 star review that we feel our cruise deserved.

 

People should respect the fact that the OP felt sufficiently aggrieved that he didn't enjoy the cruise, and cancelled a future cruise. If management wants to regain the OP as a customer, it should contact him ASAP and deal with his grievances.

[hondorner]

Don, maybe you can clarify something for me.

 

When Renaissance built R6/7/8 they eliminated the PH category (then called "B"). I assumed it was to make a larger capacity but at the time the difference in claimed passenger capacity was extremely slight. I forget what it was, but it in my memory it was something like 10-20 passengers. Which just didn't seem possible.

 

Do you have any insight?

 

I'm just curious! It doesn't matter much, I guess!

 

Mura

MUra, I thought I could figure it out by comparing cabin counts between Insignia and Adonia, but to tell the truth, I count 349 cabins on Insignia, which would indicate 698 passengers, not 684. But, Oceania insists the number is 684, so I don't know what cabins they're not counting. After confusing myself, I didn't even try to count Adonia.

[Mura]

Gotcha, Don. So we'll never know ...

 

Anyway, the number is CLOSE to being accurate, I suppose.

 

Mura

 

 

P.S. Jumping back to OP's first comments, from what Donna said the problem may have been a lot of alumni groups being on board and wanting to do the same thing at the same time. I can see where that would be a problem.

 

I have seen other comments over the years where cruises taken over by large groups (whether alumni or not) can cause real problems.

 

So then the REAL problem becomes: how do you discern when large groups are on your cruise, and that may not always be possible.

 

Fortunately for us, we haven't encountered this situation. But I was in contact with a past member (probably on the Oceania yahoo group, not CC) who was on an early Oceania cruise where there were a large number of passengers with alumni groups and from her perspective the cruise was a disaster. I can see that when you have a large percentage of passengers who are with groups like that, problems are inevitable.

[Paulchili]

P.S. Jumping back to OP's first comments, from what Donna said the problem may have been a lot of alumni groups being on board and wanting to do the same thing at the same time. I can see where that would be a problem.

I have seen other comments over the years where cruises taken over by large groups (whether alumni or not) can cause real problems.

 

.

 

I agree that when there are large groups on board (like alumni), the cruises have a very different feel ("vibe") for obvious reasons and a different clientele.

That may have been part of OP's poor on board experience.

However, that does not explain or excuse the lack of acknowledgement of OP's multiple letters by O's management - even if the problems cited cannot be easily rectified.

Over the years I have seen most consistent complaints about O in 3 categories:

1 Expensive shore excursions

2 Unsatisfactory entertainment/late night experience

3 While most people have excellent on board experience with O, many have had very poor experiences with the home office (in one way or another).

Of course, there have been other problems/complaints but these are the most common IMO.

If any of these are deal breakers for some then it is best to avoid Oceania.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Paulchili

[RDC1]

A couple of suggestions if you want a response to a complaint letter:

 

1. Keep it short. Focus on the most critical, specific issues

2. Include what kind of response you are looking for

3. Do not say that you are done with their product.

4. Send it to the person or department where the specific problem is.

 

The letter is pretty long. Written as one paragraph it is not very readable.

 

It contains multiple issues, spanning several departments. Many of which are critical of normal line business practices.

 

It indicates that they have canceled their next cruise and as it says "the final blow to turn us away from Oceania in general". If I received such a letter I would say they have moved on and are gone as a customer, why spend any time on this.

 

If they had written a letter only about the caulking issue and how it impacted their cruise, I suspect that they would have gotten a response and some action.

 

If they had written a letter as a list of what they considered could be improved and structured it as intended to be customer feedback and dropped the portion about canceling the cruise and moving away from Oceania, I also suspect that they would have gotten a response.

 

Indicating to any business that they have lost you as a customer is pretty much a flag not to waste time.

[hondorner]

...Indicating to any business that they have lost you as a customer is pretty much a flag not to waste time.

Something like, "Anything we say will fall on deaf ears". As has, apparently, this thread.

[vaitape]

We've been elbowed in the buffet line in Terrace, we've been pushed aside in lines to disembark, etc. We'll never book another cruise if we know there are alumni groups onboard. Love their spirit but too much of a fun thing is too much of a fun thing...as in a Carnival thing.

ps/yes, there are O cheerleaders

[SellaVee]

A couple of suggestions if you want a response to a complaint letter:

 

1. Keep it short. Focus on the most critical, specific issues

2. Include what kind of response you are looking for

3. Do not say that you are done with their product.

4. Send it to the person or department where the specific problem is.

 

The letter is pretty long. Written as one paragraph it is not very readable.

 

It contains multiple issues, spanning several departments. Many of which are critical of normal line business practices.

 

It indicates that they have canceled their next cruise and as it says "the final blow to turn us away from Oceania in general". If I received such a letter I would say they have moved on and are gone as a customer, why spend any time on this.

 

If they had written a letter only about the caulking issue and how it impacted their cruise, I suspect that they would have gotten a response and some action.

 

If they had written a letter as a list of what they considered could be improved and structured it as intended to be customer feedback and dropped the portion about canceling the cruise and moving away from Oceania, I also suspect that they would have gotten a response.

 

Indicating to any business that they have lost you as a customer is pretty much a flag not to waste time.

 

That's exactly what I thought on reading this thread.

[PaulMCO]

The best way of handling complaints is to do it while on board. That is where the control resides -- whether it is the Hotel Director, General Manager, or the Exec Chef these are the persons that can make things happen.

[Tansy Mews]

The best way of handling complaints is to do it while on board. That is where the control resides -- whether it is the Hotel Director, General Manager, or the Exec Chef these are the persons that can make things happen.

 

Could they have got something onboard, like a spa pass for that day or onboard credits to make up for the disruption?

 

Twice I complained about some small issues (not as disruptive as no showers for 24 hours!) in the mid-cruise comments and had staff from the proper section call me or approach me to solve the problem. I was impressed!

[LHT28]

Sometimes it is hard to know if & how many groups are any specific sailing

 

We have been on with groups & do not recall everyone deciding to go to dinner at 6:30pm ...not saying it does not happen just I have not experienced it

We usually go 6:30-7pm with not much wait time

 

I would think complaining or just making someone aware of a problem onboard would get a better result

 

Have had the GM call us when we have reported an issue

 

That is why I say if you have a problem or an issue onboard talk to someone at the time it occurs

 

I could not stay in a cabin with the caulk smell so that I can sympathize with the OP

[Toranut97]

Sometimes it is hard to know if & how many groups are any specific sailing

 

 

 

We have been on with groups & do not recall everyone deciding to go to dinner at 6:30pm ...not saying it does not happen just I have not experienced it

 

We usually go 6:30-7pm with not much wait time

 

 

 

I would think complaining or just making someone aware of a problem onboard would get a better result

 

 

 

Have had the GM call us when we have reported an issue

 

 

 

That is why I say if you have a problem or an issue onboard talk to someone at the time it occurs

 

 

 

I could not stay in a cabin with the caulk smell so that I can sympathize with the OP

 

 

The alumni group issue was discussed in the Roll Call, and it was obvious that this particular cruise was marketed to some 20 different alumni groups. In the discussion some folks remarked that they had been on alumni-heavy cruises with no problems. Others were saying "never again!"

 

We had a great time on the cruise overall. I might think twice about the same alumni-loaded cruise again, but if the itinerary appealed, it would be hard to be dissuaded!

 

The roll call is so helpful!

 

Donna

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited July 13, 2015 by Toranut97

[LHT28]

The alumni group issue was discussed in the Roll Call, and it was obvious that this particular cruise was marketed to some 20 different alumni groups. In the discussion some folks remarked that they had been on alumni-heavy cruises with no problems. Others were saying "never again!"

 

We had a great time on the cruise overall. I might think twice about the same alumni-loaded cruise again, but if the itinerary appealed, it would be hard to be dissuaded!

 

The roll call is so helpful!

 

Donna

 

 

 

We had a group of assorted alumni on our recent cruise

I cannot comment on any disruption in service

they did have a couple of meetings in Horizons the 1st few days but the cruise was port intensive the 1st week

many were probably still ashore as we had later sailaways in some ports

 

We unfortunately had to leave on day 6 so have no idea if they had any negative impact on the rest of the cruise

 

On our past cruises it was not a problem even on the R-ships but every sailing can be different ;)

 

Lyn

[hypercafe]

Maybe the R ships are a little crowded. I was on the Europa2, it was 12k tons bigger with 180 or so less passangers. Most people that go on a line that cost more than most do not except lines or playing musical chairs to get a seat.

 

Sent from my SM-T320 using Forums mobile app

[IFlyHarder]

A couple of suggestions if you want a response to a complaint letter:

 

 

 

1. Keep it short. Focus on the most critical, specific issues

 

2. Include what kind of response you are looking for

 

3. Do not say that you are done with their product.

 

4. Send it to the person or department where the specific problem is.

 

 

 

The letter is pretty long. Written as one paragraph it is not very readable.

 

 

 

It contains multiple issues, spanning several departments. Many of which are critical of normal line business practices.

 

 

 

It indicates that they have canceled their next cruise and as it says "the final blow to turn us away from Oceania in general". If I received such a letter I would say they have moved on and are gone as a customer, why spend any time on this.

 

 

 

If they had written a letter only about the caulking issue and how it impacted their cruise, I suspect that they would have gotten a response and some action.

 

 

 

If they had written a letter as a list of what they considered could be improved and structured it as intended to be customer feedback and dropped the portion about canceling the cruise and moving away from Oceania, I also suspect that they would have gotten a response.

 

 

 

Indicating to any business that they have lost you as a customer is pretty much a flag not to waste time.

 

 

Completely agree. It's always amazing that many educated people seem unable to write an effective letter.

This one seems totally unfocused,includes far too much verbiage and "drama", and defines no actionable requests.

To your excellent list of recommendations I would add to list the grievances in order of most important and "solvable" to least (the guy in the tub would be first in my opinion).

[findacruise]

We had a group of assorted alumni on our recent cruise

I cannot comment on any disruption in service

they did have a couple of meetings in Horizons the 1st few days but the cruise was port intensive the 1st week

many were probably still ashore as we had later sailaways in some ports

 

We unfortunately had to leave on day 6 so have no idea if they had any negative impact on the rest of the cruise

 

On our past cruises it was not a problem even on the R-ships but every sailing can be different ;)

 

Lyn

 

Lyn - those groups caused us. IMO, no problems. Granted, Marina is larger. On occasion there was a section roped off in Horizons for them, but there was still ample space available...fewer of them than at our CC meet and mingle!

[LHT28]

Lyn - those groups caused us. IMO, no problems. Granted, Marina is larger. On occasion there was a section roped off in Horizons for them, but there was still ample space available...fewer of them than at our CC meet and mingle!

 

Yes the M & M was overwhelming for me LOL