Ramblings From Riviera

[orchestrapal]

Perhaps the ramblings have slowed down due to the fact we are a floating .

 

Crew on Riveria is AWESOME.

Passengers on Riveria are ANCIENT. (which increases the chances of virus outbreaks and missed ports of call!)

 

Standing by with sanitizer....

 

Nasty, nasty! Just hope you never reach ANCIENT.

[travelor80]

Thanks. ORV good news.

[Leejnd4]

Nasty, nasty! Just hope you never reach ANCIENT.

 

Seriously. That was an ugly post. Nice way to talk about his fellow passengers. Meh...notice he's only got one post. Hopefully that'll be the end of it.

 

It was just reported that things are almost back to normal, with no new cases reported.

 

Also, from the information I received from a crew person that would know it never reached anything near 6 %.

 

Glad to hear this! I'm sorry the last portion of your cruise turned out to be a disappointment. I hope you are able to have fun in the Bahamas, and your cruise ends on a high note.

[ORV]

Thanks for the info or lack of by Oceania. What do you notice now that is being done to sanitize the ship? Do they need to wait until Miami to thoroughly clean it? So sorry you are missing out on so much. We are flying in on red eye Tuesday to supposedly board Dec. 2. How many are ill now? What about those sick continuing on? Hope you stay well. Would appreciate any updates.

 

All tables, counters, railings, walls and surfaces that people have a chance to touch are being constantly soaked down with cleaning agents(high powered stuff, makes my eyes water and will turn your skin red)

 

Other precautions have pretty much been discussed on this and Kazu's live thread. Lots of reminders to wash hands and use sanitizers. Many of us have felt there is more they could or could have been doing, but apparently what they've done is working, which is good. I"m not really sure there is anyone left in quarantine, but I"m not sure on that.

[LHT28]

Many of us have felt there is more they could or could have been doing, but apparently what they've done is working, which is good. I"m not really sure there is anyone left in quarantine, but I"m not sure on that.

 

comments on what you think they could have done ?

 

 

[gigianne]

Sanitizers and hand washing should have been pushed from day one of the cruise. (Why people need reminding about this boggles my mind) Salt and pepper shakers, creamers and condiments should not still be on the tables. Library should not be open. Hopefully the worst is over!

[Toranut97]

Deleted

Edited November 30, 2015 by Toranut97

[cbr663]

All tables, counters, railings, walls and surfaces that people have a chance to touch are being constantly soaked down with cleaning agents(high powered stuff, makes my eyes water and will turn your skin red)

 

Other precautions have pretty much been discussed on this and Kazu's live thread. Lots of reminders to wash hands and use sanitizers. Many of us have felt there is more they could or could have been doing, but apparently what they've done is working, which is good. I"m not really sure there is anyone left in quarantine, but I"m not sure on that.

 

It may help to know that Oceania has one of the best track records with regards to Noro Virus. Oceania is often signalled out as being a leader in avoiding the noro virus. In the 21 years listed on the CDC website of outbreaks, Oceania has only encountered two that warranted a CDC investigation.

[LHT28]

Sanitizers and hand washing should have been pushed from day one of the cruise. (Why people need reminding about this boggles my mind) Salt and pepper shakers, creamers and condiments should not still be on the tables. Library should not be open. Hopefully the worst is over!

 

Boggles my mind also especially the age of most cruise passengers

Little kids that are in a hurry to get back to their friends need reminding to WASH YOUR HANDS after the w/c ..adults should know better

 

Not sure on the O class ships how they close the library though

[ORV]

Boggles my mind also especially the age of most cruise passengers

Little kids that are in a hurry to get back to their friends need reminding to WASH YOUR HANDS after the w/c ..adults should know better

 

Not sure on the O class ships how they close the library though

 

The books are behind glass, each door has a lock on it, none have been locked. I checked this at the height of the problem.

[kazu]

The books are behind glass, each door has a lock on it, none have been locked. I checked this at the height of the problem.

 

 

Agree ;) I was in the library several times and everything was always available.

[sammiedawg]

It may help to know that Oceania has one of the best track records with regards to Noro Virus. Oceania is often signalled out as being a leader in avoiding the noro virus. In the 21 years listed on the CDC website of outbreaks, Oceania has only encountered two that warranted a CDC investigation.

 

This is true, we had a couple dinners with the compliance consultant working for O and Regent. Noro outbreaks are quite uncommon on O per this consultant. I don't remember reading much of anything about Noro on O in the years I've been reading the O forum.

 

I am a health care professional and it is well documented in the literature that the hand sanitizers are not effective against many viruses, including Noro and the bugs that cause common colds.

I've seen hand sanitizer at every dining venue and gangway on O and every cruise line I have sailed. It is irritating to have someone harass or squirt the sanitizer into my hands. I've never been harassed to use sanitizer on O and only occasionally harassed on other lines, we are all adults. I use hand sanitizer for general hygiene but I am under no pretense that this will prevent much of anything.

Hand washing with hot soap and water for thirty seconds is the gold standard.

 

I agree salt and pepper shakers should come off the tables.

[kazu]

It may help to know that Oceania has one of the best track records with regards to Noro Virus. Oceania is often signalled out as being a leader in avoiding the noro virus. In the 21 years listed on the CDC website of outbreaks, Oceania has only encountered two that warranted a CDC investigation.

 

Interesting.

 

I went to the CDC webstie - http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/gilist.htm

 

for the Noro outbreaks for this year. So far there are 9. Oceania had one of them. Considering all the cruise lines out there and the number of ship and how few O has I wouldn't say they are doing any better in 2015 than anyone else.

 

I don't know how many more noro outbreaks will be added, but I know this one will be so that will give Oceania 2 outbreaks out of 10 for 2015 so far.

Edited November 30, 2015 by kazu

[robbie21]

I am a health care professional and it is well documented in the literature that the hand sanitizers are not effective against many viruses, including Noro and the bugs that cause common colds.

I've seen hand sanitizer at every dining venue and gangway on O and every cruise line I have sailed. It is irritating to have someone harass or squirt the sanitizer into my hands. I've never been harassed to use sanitizer on O and only occasionally harassed on other lines, we are all adults. I use hand sanitizer for general hygiene but I am under no pretense that this will prevent much of anything.

Hand washing with hot soap and water for thirty seconds is the gold standard.

 

I agree salt and pepper shakers should come off the tables.

 

The posters point is that hand sanitizers (like TSA;)) are strictly for show. They have no measurable impact on spread of Noro.

 

The real cleaning is those smelly, bleachy cleaning of railings, door handles, etc. And, of course, the preventive measures in food handling and all that do help prevent the spread. Actually isolation of the ill is one of the best preventatives.

 

Robbie

[LHT28]

Interesting.

 

I went to the CDC webstie - http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/gilist.htm

 

for the Noro outbreaks for this year. So far there are 9. Oceania had one of them. Considering all the cruise lines out there and the number of ship and how few O has I wouldn't say they are doing any better in 2015 than anyone else.

 

I don't know how many more noro outbreaks will be added, but I know this one will be so that will give Oceania 2 outbreaks out of 10 for 2015 so far.

Probably 3 this year 2 on Marina & 1 on the current cruise

Marina also had it but it started when the ship was leave Canada for the UK so not reported to the US CDC

 

Prior to this year I do not think any were reported in 10 yrs the Marina had E. coli in 2011

[LHT28]

Actually isolation of the ill is one of the best preventatives.

 

Robbie

But some people will refused to be quarantined so never report to the medical centre :rolleyes:

[kazu]

ORV, a kind poster just shared this link on my thread.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/outbreak/2015/dec2_oceania_riviera.htm

 

Looks like over 6% of the ship was sticken from the initial investigation (still on going)

 

Health officers will be on board on the 2nd (three) and the sick will have staged disembarkation to avoid infecting others according to the website.

[cbr663]

Actually, from the link that you provided, it looks like 59 out of 1160 passengers reported illness, and 10 out of 776 crew for a total of 69 out of 1936, or 3.56%.

[kazu]

Actually, from the link that you provided, it looks like 59 out of 1160 passengers reported illness, and 10 out of 776 crew for a total of 69 out of 1936, or 3.56%.

 

 

yes, for total numbers you are right.

 

However, over 5% of total passengers as CDC has reported is a significant number, at least to me.

[CruisinAddict]

ORV, a kind poster just shared this link on my thread.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/outbreak/2015/dec2_oceania_riviera.htm

 

Looks like over 6% of the ship was sticken from the initial investigation (still on going)

 

Health officers will be on board on the 2nd (three) and the sick will have staged disembarkation to avoid infecting others according to the website.

 

There may be a staged disembarkation to avoid infecting others, but what about those doing a b2b who aren't showing symptoms yet or haven't reported to medical?

[CruisinAddict]

yes, for total numbers you are right.

 

However, over 5% of total passengers as CDC has reported is a significant number, at least to me.

 

I agree. And, according to the CDC, only 10% of those infected actually report to medical!

[janecambridge]

Some cruise liners have now got rid or replaced their trays due to being unable to clean the trays at a high enough temperature to kills the viruses.This is in buffet areas and room service...

Decent hand sanitisers now in the Uk contain at least one chlorine type that kills viruses.They should be antiviral sanitisers as opposed to antibacterial for norovirus but nothing is as good as proper hand washing, 20 seconds or more..alcohol based handgels do not kill norovirus..

Norovirus can also be found in uncooked shellfish...

There seems to be a lot of confusion on the subject and I was wondering if the information on this virus has been given to each passenger and member of staff?

[kazu]

There may be a staged disembarkation to avoid infecting others, but what about those doing a b2b who aren't showing symptoms yet or haven't reported to medical?

 

that's a very good point. I know when we were on another ship that had Noro even after deep cleaning we still had a bout - it was licked but we still got it.

 

Perhaps it was a B2B passenger? who knows?

[beardedshark]

Seems to me that Nolan Dean was a CD on either Regent or Oceania ??

 

I think Nolan is self employed now as he has stopped working the cruise lines full time to see more of his child. Just helps out. Can't blame him but a pity as he is a top professional.

[ORV]

I thought I'd post a few final thoughts on this trip. Obviously things got sidetracked and our enjoyment colored by the noro outbreak. But I'll touch on a few other things I didn't talk about before.

 

Our Cabin:

 

We were in a Concierge level room, not our normal choice but the price was right. We were on deck nine, about 1/2 way between the laundry and the CC Lounge. This location has its plus & minuses. It is very conveniently located about half way from decks 5 & 6 or decks 12 & 14, it was a good walk up or down the stairs to get to either of the locations where the action is. It is fairly center, just forward a bit. Although we've had access to the lounge before, we used this one more often for an afternoon snack(until they suspended it) or some ice or maybe a drink that wasn't in our frig such as a club soda or a water. Perhaps we used it more because it was so close. We certainly didn't hang around in there watching TV or reading like many people seemed to always be doing. Not that there's anything wrong with that, just not our thing. It did get pretty heavy usage.

 

The downside to this location is that it is noisy. There is a crew door directly across the hall and it is an area where crew tends to gather and talk, starting early in the day. Fortunately we're early risers and the noise really didn't bother us, but if you like to sleep in there is no way I'd pick this room. We also seem to draw the short straw on noisy neighbors, above and to either side of us. Other than the party above us that went on till about 3am (I didn't think anyone stayed up that late on Oceania) the noise was all pretty much at regular hours, chairs scraping on the balcony, doors slamming, people talking in the hall, the sliding closet doors, etc.

 

The air conditioner in this room worked better than any cruise cabin I've ever been in, even when it was warm out side. The storage was more than adequate, better than many cruise cabins we've been in.

 

I used the shower stall once, then decided it was too small and used the shower in the tub. I really think it's a bad design as neither one really suits my needs. I would prefer no tub, but a larger shower. I realize other people feel differently, and it's worlds better than the baths on the R ships. My wife is a tub person so she loved it. I think the design makes a mess, but I'm not the one that has to clean it up.

 

All in all the room is great, hope the above doesn't come off as complaining, just an observation. I did see the Jacquart sparkling wine(the complimentary bottle for the room) in the store the other day and was surprised that it runs around $35 a bottle in the store. Much better than the plonk Celebrity gives with their CC rooms.

 

Dining:

 

On the O ships we tend to dine in the Terrace except for the specialty nights, but on this trip once the Noro started we tried to eat in the MDR more, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It just wasn't comfortable dining in the Terrace while they are sanitizing the table and chairs next to you with strong chemicals as you are eating. While the food in the GDR was good the service at times was spotty. I think this is due to a combination of new crew and being overworked with the noro outbreak. As always there were some of the wait staff that did an outstanding job, even under the conditions.

 

As I noted earlier Red Ginger only had the one issue the first time we dined there on this trip. I think we ate 3 other times there and each time the food was great. I did try some new dishes I hadn't had before. There is also a sharing appetizer that is new on the menu. It still remains our favorite.

 

The other 3 restaurants were all good, I had a very good NY Strip in Polo, which surprised me as generally steak on a ship is only fair at best. I also had the steak one night in Toscana that was really good, I forget the name but it has gorgonzola cheese and spinach on top. Jacques tends to be my least favorite, but the Iberico Bellota pork chop was excellent.

 

We ate one night at La Reserve with a group of 16 from our Roll Call. We had the Odyssey menu and had a very enjoyable time. I liked how each course was fairly small, so you didn't get stuffed. The wines they paired with the food for the most part were also quite good. We've thought about trying La Reserve each time we've been on Riviera and always justified not spending the money by saying the food in the other restaurants is great, and we don't drink much wine anyway. I'm glad that on this trip that a combination of plenty of OBC and a persistent organizer(thanks Linda) pushed us over the edge to try it. It is an experience anyone that enjoys good food and wine should do. The service was excellent in La Reserve.

 

Activities;

 

I really felt like even before the noro outbreak that there seemed to be less activities on this TA and the cruise before it than ones we've been on in the past. I really feel like on a TA that there should be extra activities other than the same old, same old. Yes, I realize they had their hands full, but they went ahead with the regularly scheduled normal activities, no problem.

 

Our trivia team came in third overall for the crossing. While a couple on our team were disappointed we didn't do better the way I look at it is that 3rd is better than the majority of the teams there. It was fun, but I've enjoyed other Trivia Masters better in the past.

 

As I might have mentioned earlier, the CD really wasn't my cup of tea, but I'm sure others liked him. Their job isn't easy, even under the best of conditions, which this cruise wasn't. I'm trying lately to not say anything bad about people, so we'll leave it that.

 

The entertainment for the most part seemed to consist of members of the song & dance team being a featured performer for that night. Okay, but I would have enjoyed a ventriloquist, or a magician, and maybe another comedian, but the one comedian they had, Noodles Levenstein wasn't bad. For the record I didn't go see any of their solo acts, I did see one show all together as a group, that was enough for me.

 

I know many are fans of string quartets, I'm not. Once again trying to be nice, and I'm not a musician, but I think one or more of those nice young ladies needs to check the tuning or the intonation on their instrument.

 

The other band was okay the few times I saw them.

 

Did I mention that other than one day the weather was fabulous? We took quite a bit of colder weather clothes that we never used. But you never know at this time of year.

 

The bars tended to pour really weak drinks, more so than any other time I've ever been on an Oceania ship. It appeared that most of the time the bartenders had a supervisor standing over them, especially in Horizons.

 

On the TA I heard that there were about 900 repeaters. We actually got invited to 2 repeater's parties,(on each leg) which is good as I'm always up for free drinks. So with the 2 Captain's Welcomes we had 6 nights out of 25 with an Open Bar, well, at least for an hour or so. I almost threw the invitation to the second party away, as I thought it was a duplicate, my wife looked at it and realized it was a different date than the first one.

 

At one of the Captain's parties I saw something in Martinis that almost made me cry. There was no seating and the piano player hadn't started yet. 2 couples leaned on the the beautiful Steinway piano and set their drinks on it with no napkins or coasters. The saddest part is that no one said anything until the piano player showed up 10 minutes or so later.

 

We don't use Barristas, play Bingo, go to the Artist loft, use Canyon Ranch, or attend the Culinary classes, so I've got nothing on those. We went to the private spa terrace once, on sail away from Venice, but it was really too dark to enjoy. We never seemed to make it out there again. We used the treadmill a few times but after the TA started tried to walk out on the track more. The gym is pretty nice for a ship this size.

 

The casino as it has been in the past is still dismal and abysmal, quite sad considering how it's a nice space and could be so much better, just with some modern machines.

 

The Oceania club Ambassadors seemed to be busy almost every time you walked by their office, I would recommend going early if you plan to book on board. We had one trip we have booked repriced with the on board savings, which saved a tidy sum. If you have a trip booked, look into this. It does require that you paid more than the price with the on board reduction, and that there is still availability in your category.

 

We met quite a few really nice people on this trip, (well at least ones that would put up with me), and enjoyed sharing tours, meals, trivia, happy hour, and just general conversation together with them.

 

I won't get into the disembarkation, they are what they are, we made it to the airport in plenty of time, so no big deal.

 

I didn't really mean this as a review, so please don't view it as one, just a few random thoughts. If anyone has any questions I'll try to answer them, if I know the answer.

 

All in all we enjoyed ourselves, other than the obvious problems. Unlike others we'll be cruising Oceania again.

 

When we got home around 8pm our garage door was broken(lightning strike I think), and all our other doors were secured with security bars. Fortunately our neighbor was home and he helped me break into our house. It could have been a disaster without his help. Not really what you want after a long day of travel.