Oceania Losing Ground - Just Back From Marina

[srdancer]

We did a 10 night Med cruise on the Marina in May. Favorite cruise ever!

Of course the ship and itinerary plus the spectacular weather had a lot to do with this. But we found service to be excellent, food mostly excellent. Terrace was our preferred dinner venue, in addition to specialty restaurants. It is a lovely restaurant not like a cafeteria like the buffets on many ships. I did not notice how many times they had meatballs since I don't eat them. Also did not pay attention to the officers so don't know if they are friendly as we don't care. Our cabin attendents and restaurant servers were great

Guess it depends on your expectations and requirements.

[mjobtx]

Another couple with no problems on Oceania. Have had great conversations with the staff and I always have great service from the Cellar Master too.

[Goldieone1]

I have just returned from a cruise on board Insignia that finished on October 30 where I traveled with my daughter. The itinerary was from Montreal to New York. This was my first cruise with Oceania and my first cruise on a smaller ship. I have to say that I was delighted with the experience. The crew everywhere on the ship were amazing, happy people. Always courteous and joking around with my daughter and I which made an even better and fun experience for the both of us.

Most of the people that we talked to were returning Oceania cruisers and were very happy with their experience.

The food was amazing, except for one dish that I found very bland, but the rest was superb. It was great to see the menus for the Grand Dining Room listed in one of the TV channels which made it easier to decide if we wanted to eat there or at the Terrace Café. Our experience at Toscana and Polo Grill were really good as well. Also the 4 pm Tea Time was excellent.

I was also happy to see that every day in the early and late evening for an hour at the bars they would have a two for one drinks.

Overall I had an excellent experience and I will definitely book another cruise with Oceania.

[ricka47]

I have just returned from a cruise on board Insignia that finished on October 30 where I traveled with my daughter. The itinerary was from Montreal to New York. This was my first cruise with Oceania and my first cruise on a smaller ship. I have to say that I was delighted with the experience. The crew everywhere on the ship were amazing, happy people. Always courteous and joking around with my daughter and I which made an even better and fun experience for the both of us.

Most of the people that we talked to were returning Oceania cruisers and were very happy with their experience.

The food was amazing, except for one dish that I found very bland, but the rest was superb. It was great to see the menus for the Grand Dining Room listed in one of the TV channels which made it easier to decide if we wanted to eat there or at the Terrace Café. Our experience at Toscana and Polo Grill were really good as well. Also the 4 pm Tea Time was excellent.

I was also happy to see that every day in the early and late evening for an hour at the bars they would have a two for one drinks.

Overall I had an excellent experience and I will definitely book another cruise with Oceania.

 

That's good to hear after hearing the posts about declining overall quality. We sail mostly Celebrity and Royal Caribbean and have seen a decline in the MDR food on both. We recently sailed Aqua Class on Celebrity which has a separate dining room called Blu. That was very nice. But, it's not always possible to get a good price in Aqua Class.

 

We're also on the Rhapsody of the Seas a few weeks before our first Oceania cruise on the Regatta and will spend a good deal of time in the specialty restaurants instead of the MDR. So, it will be interesting to see if the cost difference between RCI/Celebrity and O is worth it.

 

Our first cruise was on RCI and since we're Diamond (Elite on Celebrity), we have been relatively loyal and always have a great time. But, we're excited to try something different even though we will have no loyalty status on Oceania - back to being a newbie again!

Edited November 6, 2017 by ricka47

[floridamarc]

Just returned from Marina 10/16 Barcelona to Athens. Oceania not worth the extra money. Breakfast is the same on all ships. Lunch also the same and rarely on the ship anyway and the salad selection rarely had tomatoes. Diner-the second night on board had a bad meal in the main dining room. I complained to the service desk and never heard from anyone. After that diner we ate in the Terrace or specialty restaurants. CIGAR SMOKE was blowing into the pool area. Several people moved,complained and nothing was done. Also their Miami office really don't care. I received a call 3 months before sailing from Keith in what I believe is called their Concierge Services. He told me to call with any questions or problems. I left 2 messages a few weeks later and never received a return call.

I'm finished with Oceania and especially the Marina.

Just to show how much they don't care they kept asking for people to submit their review of the cruise. I did and never heard from them. I have several friends who cruise and would tell them-DON'T CRUISE OCEaNIA

[ricka47]

I guess that we're not all that discerning. While we've had some cruises that were better than others over the last 26 years, we've never had one where we've said that we'll never go back on that cruise line again. Then again, we may have just been fortunate not to have that happen. I hope that continues as we have our first Oceania cruise coming up in April.

Edited November 6, 2017 by ricka47

[ORV]

Just returned from Marina 10/16 Barcelona to Athens. Oceania not worth the extra money. Breakfast is the same on all ships. Lunch also the same and rarely on the ship anyway and the salad selection rarely had tomatoes. Diner-the second night on board had a bad meal in the main dining room. I complained to the service desk and never heard from anyone. After that diner we ate in the Terrace or specialty restaurants. CIGAR SMOKE was blowing into the pool area. Several people moved,complained and nothing was done. Also their Miami office really don't care. I received a call 3 months before sailing from Keith in what I believe is called their Concierge Services. He told me to call with any questions or problems. I left 2 messages a few weeks later and never received a return call.

I'm finished with Oceania and especially the Marina.

Just to show how much they don't care they kept asking for people to submit their review of the cruise. I did and never heard from them. I have several friends who cruise and would tell them-DON'T CRUISE OCEaNIA

 

Thanks for your input. You do realize that is the only place that Oceania allows cigar smoking? The people there were doing exactly what the management asked them to. What did you expect the management to do? There are better places to locate the smoking areas, but it seems the sensible change has never been made.

 

I for one am looking forward to my upcoming Marina cruise. But then again I never have problems with the cigar smoke in that area, LOL.

[timbo89]

We just completed our 7th Oceania cruise, and I have to agree that there seems to be a significant amount of “slippage” in service.

We were onboard the Insignia (Montreal to New York).

The feeling we got (we had 3 suites,and the reactions were similar among all three) was that service, while still OK, was perfunctory. In particular, the Maitre’d’s in the specialty restaurants were very guilty of this “perfunctoriness”. Additionally, the officers seemed to be dour and unfriendly, with none of the usual hallway greeting we had become used to on Oceania.

The food was still decent, but much less consistent than in past cruises. For example, one of us had a filet in Polo, and it was grainy and over cooked - the replacement was similar. However, my filet was very good.

Several of the staff shared (in confidence) that this would be their last contract on Oceania.

The spa/fitness staff had an extremely haughty attitude, and the services were far from special.

I was quite the Oceania evangelist for some time, but I felt that this cruise summed up my increasing misgivings over the last 3 cruises. I believe I will probably get significant push back from folks who love Oceania. This is not meant to be confrontational, simply observational.

In short, I believe Oceania “ain’t what it used to be”

 

 

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[Paulchili]

We just completed our 7th Oceania cruise, and I have to agree that there seems to be a significant amount of “slippage” in service.

We were onboard the Insignia (Montreal to New York).

The feeling we got (we had 3 suites,and the reactions were similar among all three) was that service, while still OK, was perfunctory. In particular, the Maitre’d’s in the specialty restaurants were very guilty of this “perfunctoriness”. Additionally, the officers seemed to be dour and unfriendly, with none of the usual hallway greeting we had become used to on Oceania.

The food was still decent, but much less consistent than in past cruises. For example, one of us had a filet in Polo, and it was grainy and over cooked - the replacement was similar. However, my filet was very good.

Several of the staff shared (in confidence) that this would be their last contract on Oceania.

The spa/fitness staff had an extremely haughty attitude, and the services were far from special.

I was quite the Oceania evangelist for some time, but I felt that this cruise summed up my increasing misgivings over the last 3 cruises. I believe I will probably get significant push back from folks who love Oceania. This is not meant to be confrontational, simply observational.

In short, I believe Oceania “ain’t what it used to be”

 

 

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I am sorry to hear that. A note from someone like you that goes back on Oceania has more weight than from a newbie as you are in a position to compare with prior experiences.

I too feel that Oceania is not exactly the same as when we first started to cruise with them but still very good and for us a better fit overall than most others we tried. I suspect many other cruise lines have changed over time - Princess, Celebrity most notably and even cruise lines like Seabourn and Silversea (and others) are not what they used to be (from what I read here on CC).

We have one of two options - accept the changes as a sign of changing times (up to a point) or find a cruise line that suits us better.

Do you have any thoughts of which line you might try in the future?

[ricka47]

I am sorry to hear that. A note from someone like you that goes back on Oceania has more weight than from a newbie as you are in a position to compare with prior experiences.

I too feel that Oceania is not exactly the same as when we first started to cruise with them but still very good and for us a better fit overall than most others we tried. I suspect many other cruise lines have changed over time - Princess, Celebrity most notably and even cruise lines like Seabourn and Silversea (and others) are not what they used to be (from what I read here on CC).

We have one of two options - accept the changes as a sign of changing times (up to a point) or find a cruise line that suits us better.

Do you have any thoughts of which line you might try in the future?

 

Years ago, we had friends who sailed Celebrity exclusively while we were mostly on RCI. Lately, we've moved to more to Celebrity while they have moved to Oceania (we just can't keep up with them!). Each of these moves were due to the previous line lowering standards.

 

Unless one has no budget constraints, it would appear that the best that we can do is find the lines that are the closest to what we want in terms of food, service and affordability and stick with them?

[ORV]

I am sorry to hear that. A note from someone like you that goes back on Oceania has more weight than from a newbie as you are in a position to compare with prior experiences.

I too feel that Oceania is not exactly the same as when we first started to cruise with them but still very good and for us a better fit overall than most others we tried. I suspect many other cruise lines have changed over time - Princess, Celebrity most notably and even cruise lines like Seabourn and Silversea (and others) are not what they used to be (from what I read here on CC).

We have one of two options - accept the changes as a sign of changing times (up to a point) or find a cruise line that suits us better.

Do you have any thoughts of which line you might try in the future?

 

I agree with what you are saying but I sometimes wonder if some of what I have bolded comes from too much familiarity with the cruise line. I know I certainly don't have the wide eyed wonder that I did 10 years ago when going on a cruise. Sometimes it seems like the same old same old.

 

I've been on Cruise Critic close to 15 years, and I've seen this same concept posted time and time again from when I first came here. From what I can tell them cruise lines really used to be something. They sound so good I'm not sure I could have stood it.

 

Seems like I always missed out on the "good old days". Once I got to the point I could afford it all it just wasn't what it used to be. :rolleyes:

[Paulchili]

I agree with what you are saying but I sometimes wonder if some of what I have bolded comes from too much familiarity with the cruise line. I know I certainly don't have the wide eyed wonder that I did 10 years ago when going on a cruise. Sometimes it seems like the same old same old.

 

I think it's a little bit of both. Yes, most people, us included, can get "jaded" after some time but I also notice some actual changes. Changes are probably due to many reasons, not the least of which is rise in the cost of living over the years. Some of that the cruise line can recover in increased cruise fares but they can increase them only so much before it becomes counter-productive. To compensate for that, they can save money many other ways - I am sure you know what I mean.

In the end, it comes down to how much change one allows before they move on. I have said it here before - Oceania may not be as great as it once was but it still fits us better than any other line.

Further changes in the future may tip the scales....

We recently cruised on Seabourn's brand new Encore and while it was a great cruise, it didn't want us to change to Seabourn (unless they offered a unique itinerary). We have cruises booked on Crystal & Regent's Explorer in the future - just to see what else is out there. :)

[orchestrapal]

I think it's a little bit of both. Yes, most people, us included, can get "jaded" after some time but I also notice some actual changes. Changes are probably due to many reasons, not the least of which is rise in the cost of living over the years. Some of that the cruise line can recover in increased cruise fares but they can increase them only so much before it becomes counter-productive. To compensate for that, they can save money many other ways - I am sure you know what I mean.

In the end, it comes down to how much change one allows before they move on. I have said it here before - Oceania may not be as great as it once was but it still fits us better than any other line.

Further changes in the future may tip the scales....

We recently cruised on Seabourn's brand new Encore and while it was a great cruise, it didn't want us to change to Seabourn (unless they offered a unique itinerary). We have cruises booked on Crystal & Regent's Explorer in the future - just to see what else is out there. :)

 

I think you will love Crystal as the food is great and the service outstanding. Real class act as we see it.

Off to b/b Crystal soon. Enjoy your two new experiences.

[Ted&Molly]

I somehow very much DOUBT any "heavy drinkers" actually require a so-called subsidy, do you?

 

What's your point? I look for the highest quality cruise line I can find that does NOT include alcohol in the fare. When alcohol is included (I've sailed on Seabourn), I see the result: people in the bar glued to their stools, while I drink a glass of champagne occasionally at dinner. If you do not want to be "nickled and dimed", buy a package. Consider it part of the fare, but keep it as a daily option for the rest of us. Makes so much sense. Pay for what you consume.

[Paulchili]

I think you will love Crystal as the food is great and the service outstanding. Real class act as we see it.

Off to b/b Crystal soon. Enjoy your two new experiences.

 

Thank you - I am sure we will.

[jamesnmphs]

I just returned from the Oceania Marina and posted the following review under "Reviews". I'm also placing here for those who are interested:

 

 

 

I write this from the perspective of a cruiser who has sailed with Oceania 7 times and been on almost 90 cruises. My cabin experience has always been a PH2 or PH3 on deck 10 or 11 on Riviera/Marina and deck 8 on the R Class ships. For reference and point of view purposes I have sailed on most major mass market lines. In recent years my taste has changed and strongly desire smaller ships with less passengers and a more inclusive experience where you are not nickel and dimed. Therefore, lines such as Oceania, Crystal, Seabourn, Azamara, Regent and Silversea have been strongly preferenced.

 

 

 

The condition of the Marina is tip top shape - especially for a ship built in 2011. Food remains outstanding. Cruising on Oceania is more akin to staying in a really nice floating hotel as opposed to a true cruising experience. Highlights not only include the dining room and specialty restaurants, but also tea time and the strings. I also believe Oceania and Regent have the best pool areas at sea.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, I feel strongly that Oceania has lost ground compared to the competition - so much so that we just booked our first Viking Ocean cruise as reviews seem to compare the two lines as apples to apples with Viking Ocean being the better apple. Unfortunately, Oceania's apple has become a bit rotten. Here's why:

 

 

 

Despite a beautiful ship and producing excellent food something is missing on Oceania and has been progressively more noticeable. That "something" is service and absolute lack of personalization. I've noticed on my last few Oceania cruises that the crew does not engage with the passengers and it is clear they are there to do their job and that's it. There is frequent talk in front of guests about "when my contract is up". No similes, no being addressed by name, no remembering preferences. In fact, for the most part no warmth. For example, my wife and I kept bumping into a social hostess we met at a captain's function the second day of the cruise and we would always say hello and try to engage. She would not give us the time of day. A social hostess! Another example -

 

this one from the top - the captain's cabin was just in front of ours and I would frequently see him in the corridor. It was painful for him to return a simple hello. Staff were regimented and inflexible. All decisions - no matter how minor - had to come from the top. There was no willingness or ability to even make small decisions to cater to guests on their own. For example, at the juice bar I asked for bananas, oranges and ice. The employee said he was only allowed to make what was on the preset menu despite all the ingredients and a blender sitting right in front of him. Sounds picky? Not really when every aspect of any small request is treated this way. The overall lack of flexibility and unfriendliness of the staff is unfortunate. Part of what makes cruising enjoyable is the staff. When the staff is miserable and stupidly rigid it impacts the overall experience. In summary - regarding the staff - they walked around like creatures from the Walking Dead and did not seem happy.

 

 

 

Unless you bought a drink package getting an honest drink is impossible on Oceania. All drinks are measured pours and quite stingy. Even the "doubles" are weak. A double top shelf (i.e. Kettle One or Grey Goose) martini costs north of $22 before tip is included. Bartenders have zero flexibility to think on their own and actually some are worried about their pours because they are "scrutinized" according to one. Remarkably, Celebrity - a mass market line - makes much more honest and better drinks without the measured pour.

 

 

 

Oceania shore excursions are consistently awful. I would not waste your money and instead visit sites such as tours by locals or Viator to arrange your own tours. Not only will you have a more customized experienced and skip out on painful bus journeys, but you will save a ton of money.

 

 

 

As an aside, I think Oceania would benefit from increasing their prices slightly and making drinks all-inclusive. They should get rid of O Life promotions and just make every sailing with included WiFi, beverages, gratuities and lastly not insult guests by requiring tokens for the laundry. Those inclusions coupled with some serious Ritz Carlton style customer service training would potentially put Oceania back in the running.

 

 

 

On all my previous Oceania cruises I booked future cruises. Not on this one. I am done with Oceania for the foreseeable future as I've tried other options and liked them better; hence the danger of trying other things as you might just like them better and change your spending habits. Sorry Oceania - what was once a fabulous product is just fair now when compared to the competition in the market.

 

 

 

I just got off Riviera this morning. While I agree about the drinks, that is why I buy the premium beverage package. My drinks were not overly strong, but they were strong enough. Plus, I do drink wine with dinner. There is no way to water that down.

 

As for the service, I whole-heartedly disagree. The staff always smiled and said "Good Morning Sir", or "Good Morning Mr. James ". The Maitre D' knew not only my name but my suite number and the table and waiter I preferred, after only 3 days on the ship.

 

My only real issue is with the "Concierge" in the Concierge Lounge. This person was sitting at a desk with a computer. I came into the lounge and went to a computer. He yelled that the computer I had selected, did not print. So I went to his desk and politely asked if he could print my boarding passes for my flight the next morning. He stated that he was not allowed. That there had been too many complaints. How can you complain if someone is printing your boarding passes?

 

You might be correct about the excursions, I have never booked an excursion through Oceania. I have only booked or joined small private excursions.

 

The cruise itself, could not have been better.

 

 

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[pinotlover]

Just turned a month since I got off the Marina. The Nautica coming up in two months.

 

The Captain we had on the Marina was the most impersonal one we have ever had. Perhaps because his English seems somewhat limited. He didn’t show up for the repeat customer party. For me, it doesn’t matter, meeting and interacting with the senior officers is of little concern. I do realize this seems important to some for their own reasons. Same goes for the CD, my typical interaction with them is minimal.

 

I have learned to avoid Oceania shore tours . Had nine great private shore excursions, didn’t need O holding my hands. One complaint sounded by several posters and highly notable on my next cruise is the very high number of 4-4.5 hr tours O offers versus full day tours! If the ship will be in port until 18:00, the last thing I want is a tour bringing me back to the ship at 13:30. Again, many will disagree.

 

Food on the Marina was overall better than on the Nautica this summer. Quality seems to vary much more than in the past. Soups, gravy, and other sauces and spices have definitely been blanded down from the past. Why is runny applesauce replacing gravy with some of the courses? We had tremendous dishes and we had mediocre, at best, dishes.

 

Service levels remained high, but can vary a lot. Our cruise, from the first day in Athens, to other subsequent days had a lot of crew turnout. I think part of our service issues were related to all the turnover.

 

As an anecdotal story while in the Army a lot of troops revolved their talk around how much longer they had left in service. “How’s Your day Private?” Reply “28 days short, sir!”

 

How’s your day trooper?”

Reply “To short to get into a long conversation, sir, I may not be able to finish it!”

 

Well, those replies got tiring in the military and similar type responses, from the crew, are equally so; especially when we’ve paid considerable fares to be on those ships! I believe it’s time for some management intervention in this area.

 

Oceania is a great cruise line, but I believe it is lowering the quality of its product.

[bitob]

Opinions are as varied as cruisers. Just read the reviews. Two people on the same cruise had best cruise ever and worst cruise ever.

 

We personally have always has wonderful interaction with staff. The problems cited are not within our experience. We don’t drink so pours don’t matter. We never take oceania’s shorex.

 

Vote with your feet. Cruise another line. We love oceania but we find their itineraries too repetitive. We are booked on seabourn crystal and the new regent explorer. I’m sure we will enjoy ourselves on every line

 

Boarding marina tomorrow for a b2b in an oceania suite. Not complaining. Life is good

 

 

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[PaulMCO]

Opinions are as varied as cruisers. Just read the reviews. Two people on the same cruise had best cruise ever and worst cruise ever.

 

We personally have always has wonderful interaction with staff. The problems cited are not within our experience. We don’t drink so pours don’t matter. We never take oceania’s shorex.

 

Vote with your feet. Cruise another line. We love oceania but we find their itineraries too repetitive. We are booked on seabourn crystal and the new regent explorer. I’m sure we will enjoy ourselves on every line

 

Boarding marina tomorrow for a b2b in an oceania suite. Not complaining. Life is good

 

 

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Bob-- Enjoy your cruise....

[bitob]

Bob-- Enjoy your cruise....

 

 

 

Thx. Best to u and M

 

 

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[Paulchili]

Bob-- Enjoy your cruise....

 

 

 

Yes Bob - have a great trip and let us know how things are :)

Say Hi to Boris if he is on the ship.

 

 

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[bitob]

Will do. Hope to sail with you and M again

 

 

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[Mura]

I also just left Marina in Barcelona (nearly a week ago) and we are among those who haven't seen the sad changes that others mention. I agree that the Captain's English skills aren't the best -- not from conversations with him, just from his announcements over the loudspeaker. But we are among those who don't need connections with the officers ... we're happy to have them just drive the ship safely to port!

 

And we again had the same friendly connections with lower level staff. We couldn't walk down the hallway without having them greet us and ask how we were doing. Many of the staff knew us by name.

 

We'll be on Riviera in May and will try to pay more attention to the negative comments some have made ... just so we can be sure that we agree or disagree with them!

 

Our butler DID mention that his contract was over on the day we ourselves left the ship, but his contract had been extended a month and he was anxious to get home. He certainly gave us great service.

 

We all have different perceptions of the same cruise, that is very true.

 

Mura

[zz19]

Bitbob,

Have a great trip :)

 

S & S

[bitob]

Bitbob,

Have a great trip :)

 

S & S

 

 

 

This will be better than the last one lol

Hope to cruise with you both again before too long. Think pg

 

 

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