Just Completed First Cruise on Oceania

[lj77346]

My wife and I, both in our mid-60's over a number of years have taken 50+ cruises mostly on Holland America, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean. We wanted to give Oceania a try and found an offer on the Riviera that even for frugal people like us seemed like a very good price. Here are some observations that might help others trying to decide on Oceania. Just keep in mind that opinions are subjective and others on the same cruise may not have the same experience.

 

We cruised on the Riviera on June 26, 2016 from Monte Carlo to Barcelona. We used Oceania's air and took the premium economy upgrade that was well worth the additional cost. We flew in the day of the cruise, which was not a problem because sail away time was 11 p.m. We arrived at the ship at around 3:45 p.m. and were able to check in immediately - easiest check in ever.

 

We were in a penthouse and the room was excellent, what we would expect from high quality hotel. We enjoyed having a butler and took advantage of having dinner from the Polo Grill served in our room on two nights. Our butler, Lokesh, was excellent. I mentioned that before bed I liked a cookie and milk and each night he had it waiting for me. In this category of room it was nice to be able to get hot breakfasts served in the room and this was especially convenient on disembarkation day.

 

During the cruise we never ate dinner in the main dining room - 4 dinners in the specialty restaurants, 2 in our room, and one at the grill/buffet. We ate dinner at the grill/buffet the night of the captain's welcome aboard party because we were having drinks and chatting and it seemed like an easy alternative. Needless to say, the grill/buffet was unlike the buffet on any other ship that we sailed. Each night you can have lobster, shrimp, steak, and/or a variety of fish. Each of the specialty restaurants was tasty and exceeded the quality of specialty restaurants that we ate in on other ships. A great feature of Oceania is that regardless of your room category you can reserve one time in each of the specialty restaurants prior to the cruise. (The only food that I found to be worse than other cruise lines were the cookies - tasted like Oceania used the same sugar cookie dough for all their cookies even chocolate chip cookies and tended to bake them soft rather than crispy.)

 

We were amazed at the amount of space in the lounges - never a problem to find a place to sit. On some of the days it looked a little crowded around the pool. We used the spa terrace that usually was pretty empty. The 1/2 price cocktail hours each day in the Horizon, Martini, and Grand bars were very good. Drink prices and prices for bottles of wine was similar to other cruise lines. We're not soda drinkers, but for those that are the included non-alcoholic beverages are a nice perk. It was nice to have specialty coffees included in the fare - the coffees were good as was the biscotti in Baristas. When working out it's great to be able to go in the cooler and grab a Gatorade or vitamin water without the cash register ringing and of course when you're heading ashore you just get handed a bottle of water to take with you.

 

We cruised the Mediterranean often, so we definitely took this cruise for the ship and not the ports and we were not disappointed. In each of the ports where the ship did not dock right in town, free shuttles were provided - we had no problem with them, but depending on the time, others found the shuttles not to be convenient.

 

The entertainment was low key - 2 of the 3 production shows were good and the cast performed well in all of them. The problem with the first show, I think it was called something like "That's Entertainment" was that it was very disjointed - the silent film opening went on for too long and did not fit with "Fever" that was the first song and it didn't get better. The other shows with featured performers reminded us of "retro" shows on cruise ships before big showrooms. So if having flashy shows is a big part of a cruise experience for you, you probably would find entertainment on the Riviera disappointing. Likewise, if you like rock climbing walls, flow riders, etc. - you won't find them on Oceania. Television programming was much better than most other cruise lines - a few news and sports channels and 4 movie channels plus DVD's that you can get from the guest services desk.

 

We enjoyed playing trivia - make sure you have a mix of nationalities on your team because not all questions are American culture centered. There also were mini-golf, croquet, etc. games during the cruise. "O points" are awarded for the various activities and at the end of the cruise you can trade them for prizes (hats, long sleeved t-shirts, duo-dry athletic shirts, etc.) that were better than those offered on other cruise lines.

 

It was nice being on a cruise without photographers and art auctions. My wife used some spa services and said it was nice not to get a hard sell to buy products while you were getting a facial or massage. We got free internet with our cruise - didn't use it much, but it was adequate and I had no problem sending and receiving email and reading news articles. I was able to check in for my return flight and print boarding passes without problems.

 

We don't you the ship's shore excursions or transfers and thought that they were extremely over priced on the Riviera. Looks like the best thing to do is hook up with others on your cruise's roll call to arrange independent shore excursions or research the ports and look at the potential to use public transit to see the sights.

 

The cruise ended in Barcelona at the Trade Center dock near the Columbus monument that made it easy to get to Placa de Catalunya to catch the airport bus. This was the easier disembarkation we even had - finished breakfast and walked off the ship with no lines.

 

Sorry that I rambled so much. If anyone has questions, I'll try to answer them from a newbies perspective. Would I cruise Oceania again? Certainly if I thought the price and itinerary were right. I probably will look seriously at Oceania for European, Asian, or South America cruises in the future where air from Oceania is a big plus. I think Oceania provides a great product and can see why many become Oceania regulars.

[deus]

Thanks for the great review. We will be taking our first Oceania cruise in August. One thing we would like to know about in the buffet do they have bread pudding? My husband is always asking me if they have bread pudding or not. He really doesn't care about anything else but if they have bread pudding. Also how stable is the ship meaning did you feel any movement?

 

Thanks

[Queen of DaNile]

Thanks for your review LJ. Sounds like you and your wife had a good first time experience on Oceania. The penthouses are lovely:)

[lj77346]

In response to the questions from "deus" - We had very nice weather during the cruise and the seas were pretty smooth and we never noticed much motion. The most vibration I felt was when the ship was using thrusters while docking. We never noticed bread pudding, but it wasn't something we were looking for. The wide variety of ice cream and sorbets got my attention and the creme brulee as well as key lime pie were tasty.

[LHT28]

Thanks for the great review. We will be taking our first Oceania cruise in August. One thing we would like to know about in the buffet do they have bread pudding? My husband is always asking me if they have bread pudding or not.

 

Thanks

Yes they have bread pudding look at the dessert station for it

[globevest]

In response to the questions from "deus" - We had very nice weather during the cruise and the seas were pretty smooth and we never noticed much motion. The most vibration I felt was when the ship was using thrusters while docking. We never noticed bread pudding, but it wasn't something we were looking for. The wide variety of ice cream and sorbets got my attention and the creme brulee as well as key lime pie were tasty.

 

Hello LJ, let me help you with the bread pudding question....my favorite 'desert'. I only found it once in the week. However I have been on 'O' cruises where it was available about every other day.

 

My wife and I enjoyed talking with you and your wife in line at the airport and onboard in premium economy.....we were next to you in 4D & F.

Thank you for the report. I pretty much agree with all of your review. Hope to see you both again on another 'O' cruise.

[LHT28]

thanks for your review

sounds like you enjoyed the cruise

Edited July 5, 2016 by LHT28

[Animalgirl27]

Thank you for the review! We were supposed to be on the same sailing as you, but we accepted an upsell since the sailing was sold out. Can you please let us know which ports that had complimentary shuttles?

[doublebzz]

Do recall what time the 1/2 price cocktail hours were? Is this standard across the fleet? We are taking our first Oceania cruise on Nautica in September.

[LHT28]

Do recall what time the 1/2 price cocktail hours were? Is this standard across the fleet? We are taking our first Oceania cruise on Nautica in September.

 

Happy Hour is standard on all O ships

5-6pm daily in specific bars listed in CURRENTS (daily program)

also 10:30-11:30 pm in Horizons

[Hawaiidan]

My wife and I, both in our mid-60's over a number of years have taken 50+ cruises mostly on Holland America, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean. We wanted to give Oceania a try and found an offer on the Riviera that even for frugal people like us seemed like a very good price. Here are some observations that might help others trying to decide on Oceania. Just keep in mind that opinions are subjective and others on the same cruise may not have the same experience.

 

We cruised on the Riviera on June 26, 2016 from Monte Carlo to Barcelona. We used Oceania's air and took the premium economy upgrade that was well worth the additional cost. We flew in the day of the cruise, which was not a problem because sail away time was 11 p.m. We arrived at the ship at around 3:45 p.m. and were able to check in immediately - easiest check in ever.

 

We were in a penthouse and the room was excellent, what we would expect from high quality hotel. We enjoyed having a butler and took advantage of having dinner from the Polo Grill served in our room on two nights. Our butler, Lokesh, was excellent. I mentioned that before bed I liked a cookie and milk and each night he had it waiting for me. In this category of room it was nice to be able to get hot breakfasts served in the room and this was especially convenient on disembarkation day.

 

During the cruise we never ate dinner in the main dining room - 4 dinners in the specialty restaurants, 2 in our room, and one at the grill/buffet. We ate dinner at the grill/buffet the night of the captain's welcome aboard party because we were having drinks and chatting and it seemed like an easy alternative. Needless to say, the grill/buffet was unlike the buffet on any other ship that we sailed. Each night you can have lobster, shrimp, steak, and/or a variety of fish. Each of the specialty restaurants was tasty and exceeded the quality of specialty restaurants that we ate in on other ships. A great feature of Oceania is that regardless of your room category you can reserve one time in each of the specialty restaurants prior to the cruise. (The only food that I found to be worse than other cruise lines were the cookies - tasted like Oceania used the same sugar cookie dough for all their cookies even chocolate chip cookies and tended to bake them soft rather than crispy.)

 

We were amazed at the amount of space in the lounges - never a problem to find a place to sit. On some of the days it looked a little crowded around the pool. We used the spa terrace that usually was pretty empty. The 1/2 price cocktail hours each day in the Horizon, Martini, and Grand bars were very good. Drink prices and prices for bottles of wine was similar to other cruise lines. We're not soda drinkers, but for those that are the included non-alcoholic beverages are a nice perk. It was nice to have specialty coffees included in the fare - the coffees were good as was the biscotti in Baristas. When working out it's great to be able to go in the cooler and grab a Gatorade or vitamin water without the cash register ringing and of course when you're heading ashore you just get handed a bottle of water to take with you.

 

We cruised the Mediterranean often, so we definitely took this cruise for the ship and not the ports and we were not disappointed. In each of the ports where the ship did not dock right in town, free shuttles were provided - we had no problem with them, but depending on the time, others found the shuttles not to be convenient.

 

The entertainment was low key - 2 of the 3 production shows were good and the cast performed well in all of them. The problem with the first show, I think it was called something like "That's Entertainment" was that it was very disjointed - the silent film opening went on for too long and did not fit with "Fever" that was the first song and it didn't get better. The other shows with featured performers reminded us of "retro" shows on cruise ships before big showrooms. So if having flashy shows is a big part of a cruise experience for you, you probably would find entertainment on the Riviera disappointing. Likewise, if you like rock climbing walls, flow riders, etc. - you won't find them on Oceania. Television programming was much better than most other cruise lines - a few news and sports channels and 4 movie channels plus DVD's that you can get from the guest services desk.

 

We enjoyed playing trivia - make sure you have a mix of nationalities on your team because not all questions are American culture centered. There also were mini-golf, croquet, etc. games during the cruise. "O points" are awarded for the various activities and at the end of the cruise you can trade them for prizes (hats, long sleeved t-shirts, duo-dry athletic shirts, etc.) that were better than those offered on other cruise lines.

 

It was nice being on a cruise without photographers and art auctions. My wife used some spa services and said it was nice not to get a hard sell to buy products while you were getting a facial or massage. We got free internet with our cruise - didn't use it much, but it was adequate and I had no problem sending and receiving email and reading news articles. I was able to check in for my return flight and print boarding passes without problems.

 

We don't you the ship's shore excursions or transfers and thought that they were extremely over priced on the Riviera. Looks like the best thing to do is hook up with others on your cruise's roll call to arrange independent shore excursions or research the ports and look at the potential to use public transit to see the sights.

 

The cruise ended in Barcelona at the Trade Center dock near the Columbus monument that made it easy to get to Placa de Catalunya to catch the airport bus. This was the easier disembarkation we even had - finished breakfast and walked off the ship with no lines.

 

Sorry that I rambled so much. If anyone has questions, I'll try to answer them from a newbies perspective. Would I cruise Oceania again? Certainly if I thought the price and itinerary were right. I probably will look seriously at Oceania for European, Asian, or South America cruises in the future where air from Oceania is a big plus. I think Oceania provides a great product and can see why many become Oceania regulars.

 

It was a pleasure to read your discovery......Having some experience over the years allows for a very honest comparative analysis not based on emotion... I laud you.

 

We made the same discoveries you have but 5 years ago.. and now , considering what we get for what we pay, dont even consider the folly of another line...all things factored in from Passengers to ambiance... I just can not find another mix of what I like without what I dont.

 

It is for us perfection... others may differ, but O fits like an old shoe...

 

Maybe see you on board.....

[Tansy Mews]

Thank you for the review! We were supposed to be on the same sailing as you, but we accepted an upsell since the sailing was sold out. Can you please let us know which ports that had complimentary shuttles?

About shuttles - you might want to post them in the sticky - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1466724

Up-to-date info is always welcome!

 

Frances

[ronrick1943]

Great review, glad you had a good trip. I agree with you about the cookies, but everything else is great. We had to stop cruising for abut a year and half, but now things after back to normal for us and we booked a couple of cruises. We like "O" but like every else you want to try something new. So staying in the same family we've booked 2 cruises on Regent, the first on the new Explorer (14days) and next on the Mariner (18days) both in the Grand Suite. After that we may stay with Regent for a while or do a few "O" cruises again.

We have a few other couple that will be joining us on the cruise(s). Wish you could combine the cruise loyal programs together-but you can't. But life is to short to worry about the small things.

 

Rick

[rgaudet]

Thanks for the review. In sailing on Marina in August for my first O cruise and I think, based on your comments, it will work well for me. Thanks again.

 

Rob

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ORV]

Thanks for the review, it's always nice to see someone that "gets it"

[Paulchili]

Thank you for the review.

Glad that your first O cruise was a good one - that's the good news.

Now the bad news - you are probably hooked like many of us here and going back won't be easy :D

Edited July 5, 2016 by Paulchili

[lj77346]

Hi 'globevest" - thanks for providing info about bread pudding. It was nice speaking with you at the airport. We were happy that we were sitting in the front of the plane when we landed in Toronto. We had 45 minutes to get through immigration and customs and get to the gate (which of course was at the far end of the airport) for our connecting flight. Thanks to having only carry-on luggage and being in the Global Entry program, we were able to zip through the airport and get to the gate as the flight was boarding. We were the only ones from the Barcelona flight to make it - 10 others missed the flight. We were extremely happy as missing the flight would have meant about 5 hours hanging around the airport until the next Air Canada flight to Houston.

 

In response to the question that someone asked about shuttles - In Cagliari, Sardinia the port ran a shuttle to get passengers out of the port area to near the city center. In Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, and Valencia Oceania ran a free shuttle.

[rallydave]

Hi 'globevest" - thanks for providing info about bread pudding. It was nice speaking with you at the airport. We were happy that we were sitting in the front of the plane when we landed in Toronto. We had 45 minutes to get through immigration and customs and get to the gate (which of course was at the far end of the airport) for our connecting flight. Thanks to having only carry-on luggage and being in the Global Entry program, we were able to zip through the airport and get to the gate as the flight was boarding. We were the only ones from the Barcelona flight to make it - 10 others missed the flight. We were extremely happy as missing the flight would have meant about 5 hours hanging around the airport until the next Air Canada flight to Houston.

 

In response to the question that someone asked about shuttles - In Cagliari, Sardinia the port ran a shuttle to get passengers out of the port area to near the city center. In Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, and Valencia Oceania ran a free shuttle.

 

How does Global Entry work in Toronto?? We're connecting from Houston thru Toronto to Europe in a few weeks and didn't think Global Entry worked in Canada?? Thought when we landed in Toronto we had to go thru Canadian Customs in the normal lines then go back thru security before heading to the gate?? Thanks,

Edited July 6, 2016 by rallydave

[LHT28]

How does Global Entry work in Toronto?? We're connecting from Houston thru Toronto to Europe in a few weeks and didn't think Global Entry worked in Canada?? Thought when we landed in Toronto we had to go thru Canadian Customs in the normal lines then go back thru security before heading to the gate?? Thanks,

They have a separate line for Global entry/Nexus at YYZ

 

not sure how it works when connecting just follow the signs

I do not think you leave the secured area but not sure as we usually begin or end our trip there

[Paulchili]

How does Global Entry work in Toronto?? We're connecting from Houston thru Toronto to Europe in a few weeks and didn't think Global Entry worked in Canada?? Thought when we landed in Toronto we had to go thru Canadian Customs in the normal lines then go back thru security before heading to the gate?? Thanks,

 

At YVR they have terminals for ALL US citizens - with or without GE - that work much like a GE terminal. Just scan your passport and answer some questions - really great.

I wonder if they have the same thing at YYZ?

[LHT28]

At YVR they have terminals for ALL US citizens - with or without GE - that work much like a GE terminal. Just scan your passport and answer some questions - really great.

I wonder if they have the same thing at YYZ?

They have them when you are leaving Canada to the USA not sure about connecting flights

They do Have the separate line as well when leaving Canada for USA flights maybe it is just NEXUS they have

 

Instructions on connecting

 

http://www.torontopearson.com/Connecting.aspx#

Edited July 6, 2016 by LHT28

[lj77346]

After you get off your flight from Europe, follow the signs for transfer to US flights. Since you are "in transit" you never go through Canadian immigration. Prior to getting to US immigration/customs, you go through security. There was a separate Global Entry/NEXUS line, but make sure you have your card because when we were going through they checked before they let us into that line. By using the Global Entry line we avoided a big backup in the regular security line.

 

Then you get to the US immigration area where there are kiosks to get your passport information. If you have Global Entry you do your fingerprints on the scanner in the kiosk and if there are no problems, a receipt prints. Next you go to a machine that scans your boarding pass and if you have just carry on luggage and are in Global Entry, you are directed to line 3 that goes through the US customs area, hand the receipt to the agent and you're good to go to head to the gate for your connecting flight. With Global Entry and just carry on luggage we were through security, immigration, and customs in about 10 minutes. After you go through US customs, as long as you do not leave the secure area you are considered to be in the US.

 

The bottleneck in US customs is if you have checked luggage. In that case, after you get your immigration form you are directed to a holding area until your name comes up and your luggage is there. Then a US customs agent clears you and your luggage is transferred to your connecting flight. I'm not sure, but in that area I think there were separate lines for those in Global Entry and those not in the program. The number of people coming through at any time determines how long your wait in this area will be.

 

When you get off your flight from Europe, make sure you have the boarding pass for your connecting flight and passport handy. There were Canadian immigration officials waiting at the end of the jetway and you had to show your passport before they let you into the terminal. Your boarding pass gets scanned before you get into the security line. Also expect to do a lot of walking because it is unlikely that your European flight will come into a gate anywhere near your connecting flight.

[rallydave]

Thanks for the detailed reply LJ. Unfortunately we are going the other way, US to Canada to Europe and have to change terminals in Toronto. Did not know that they had a transit route from Europe to a US flight and thought that you had to enter thru Canadian Immigration and used Global Entry there. Guess we will go thru the Immigration line with everyone else, get our luggage and give it back to the transfer area and take the train to Terminal 3 for our flight and go thru security again. Not a really big deal as we have 4 hours from arrival to departure if flight is on time. Always allow more than enough time especially in busy airports like Toronto. Thanks again and hope your description helps people going the same direction you are.

[Travelcat2]

After you get off your flight from Europe, follow the signs for transfer to US flights. Since you are "in transit" you never go through Canadian immigration. Prior to getting to US immigration/customs, you go through security. There was a separate Global Entry/NEXUS line, but make sure you have your card because when we were going through they checked before they let us into that line. By using the Global Entry line we avoided a big backup in the regular security line.

 

Then you get to the US immigration area where there are kiosks to get your passport information. If you have Global Entry you do your fingerprints on the scanner in the kiosk and if there are no problems, a receipt prints. Next you go to a machine that scans your boarding pass and if you have just carry on luggage and are in Global Entry, you are directed to line 3 that goes through the US customs area, hand the receipt to the agent and you're good to go to head to the gate for your connecting flight. With Global Entry and just carry on luggage we were through security, immigration, and customs in about 10 minutes. After you go through US customs, as long as you do not leave the secure area you are considered to be in the US.

 

 

.

 

Do you recall if they had iris scanners in addition to fingerprint machines? We have changed planes in Toronto but have not gone through customs. Vancouver does has iris scanners that seem to work dramatically better than fingerprint machines.

 

Thanks.

[babysteps]

Last week we flew from Europe to Toronto and then drove home - if your trip ends in Toronto and you are a US citizen, you go through the same line as Canadian citizens at least in terminal 3. They have auto-scan machines for everyone and it goes quickly but there *can* be quite a long line (looked like they just upgraded the machines and a bunch weren't on line yet).

 

If you have Global Entry but not Nexus certified by Canada, you cannot use the Nexus line if leaving the airport (eg if entering Canada to stay). According to one of the Canada Immigration staffers last week at the airport, if you are willing to interview in Canada, you can renew your Global Entry as Canada Nexus (and then you could use the Nexus lane entering Canada).

 

This always confuses me, we can use our Global Entry in the Nexus lane when driving into the US, but not when driving into Canada. Maybe at renewal we'll take a trip to Canada :)