bed pillows on Sirena are uncomfortable

[susiesan]

Just off a week on Sirena in the Caribbean. O beds are very comfortable, but the pillows on the bed are not. They are feather pillows, and they are very flat. One pillow was not enough, 2 on top of each other was too high. My husband told me that I snored every night whether I used 1 or 2 pillows. This does not happen at home with my foam pillow. I might have been having an allergic reaction to the feather pillows as I could not breathe through my nose due to congestion.

 

I will be on Marina in June, in the Baltic. Will O find me a foam pillow to use? Do I request it ahead of time or when I get onboard? I am not in a suite, am in an inside cabin, the cheapest on the ship. My husband is threatening to go sleep on the deck if I continue to snore like I did on this next cruise 😝😪

[LHT28]

Did you ask for a different pillow ?

I am sure they have foam pillows for those that are allergic to feathers

[Essiesmom]

Ask for a hypo-allergenic pillow.  I had to do that on HAL.  I also carry a My Pillow travel size which I usually curl around, but can use it instead of the bed pillow if I need to.  I use their larger pillows at home. It squashes flat in the middle of my roll aboard case, too.  EM

[1985rz1]

Ask your TA to make a request before you board for a different type of pillow from the range that they offer.  The TA can find out and tell you what types are available.

Edited February 2, 2020 by 1985rz1

[Toranut97]

Of course it is much more enjoyable to complain here after the cruise, when nothing can be done about it. 🙄

 

In any case,I hope you will let the forum know if you have any luck using any suggestions folks have given you.

 

Donna

[clo]

6 minutes ago, Toranut97 said:

Of course it is much more enjoyable to complain here after the cruise, when nothing can be done about it. 🙄

 

 I know that sounds kinda mean but it's true. Like having something wrong with your meal and not sending it back. When there's an issue I speak up. Nicely but I speak up.

[susiesan]

5 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Did you ask for a different pillow ?

I am sure they have foam pillows for those that are allergic to feathers

I had no idea I could ask for a different pillow. How would someone know that? I thought I read on here that only people in suites had a choice of pillows, but I could be mistaken. I didn't know I was allergic to feathers, this is the first time this has happened.

 

I will be sure to try to have another kind of pillow in the cabin on Marina if O will provide one for an inside cabin guest.

[Mura]

Susie, I am with you in that you didn't know that you could ask for something else. Having sailed with you (although a long time ago!) I know that you are not shy about speaking up.

 

Top suites on all O ships have a pillow option list.  Of course, not all cabin levels are able to make those choices.  But I know that WE (when in suites) have not taken much advantage of these choices. I would think that most suite passengers are like us -- we once tried out a second pillow, then decided it didn't work for us.  So we went back to the basic choice.  The pillows on the bed. 

 

Maybe, if we do ask for something else, we take one, maybe two pillows. So that makes me think that other pillow choices ARE available to others as well.  You just don't get a list of options so you need to ask.  Oceania DOES want you to be comfortable, or so I would think.  That way you come back again ...

 

So I'd suggest that you do ask on your next cruise.  Asking in advance of course would be helpful.  To everyone!

 

It's all more important if your problem is an allergy to feathers.  When I was tested as a child my parents were told that I was allergic to feather pillows and dust ... Since then neither one of those has ever bothered me.  But if they did, I'd be sure to ask for a non-allergenic pillow!

 

Good luck on the next cruise.

 

Mura

[welshfamily]

Gosh,

why should it matter what grade of cabin you are in? 

I agree you were not to know that different pillows could be requested from your steward.

I would have gone to guest services and asked nicely. I am sure no reasonable request would be turned down.

If guest services didn’t help I would have written a polite note to the hotel director asking for assistance. 

Cruise companies want happy passengers.

 

 

 

[Jay23]

On Nautica last year I asked for a foam pillow within moments of the Stewardess coming to see us.  The exchanged pillow was on the bed when we returned after dinner...    (I wrote about that on my review)

I have written on this site many times.............. If there is something not quite right about your cruise, ask for it to be made right.  I have never been disappointed .  No point tolerating something and moaning about it when you get home.  It can't be put right then.   I am sure I had read that different pillow types are available, but I am afraid I can't remember where I saw it!!!!!  J

[Mura]

4 hours ago, welshfamily said:

Gosh,

why should it matter what grade of cabin you are in? 

 

 

 

 

It's not that only suite passengers get nice pillows ... it's that they are offered a "menu" of different pillow choices.  But given that there are a number of choices and the likelihood that suite passengers would probably only try out one or two of them, that leaves plenty of others that aren't being used.

 

I also doubt that it's feasible to offer ALL passengers this option (that is, the choice of 8 or 10 pillows other than the ones on the bed).  There are certain benefits that suite passengers receive that other passengers do not, and this palette of possible pillows is one of them.  I think I made it clear that I believe that ANY passenger can ask for a different pillow if the one they have is creating a problem.

[GICNJC]

Spouse is alergic to feathers and we have always requested in advance.  Allways in cabin when we arrived.

[welshfamily]

I think you missed my point. The original poster wondered if the fact she was in an inside cabin mattered. 

If you are uncomfortable with something as simple as a pillow, particularly if you may be suffering from an allergy it should not matter what grade of cabin you are in. A polite request at guest services can work wonders. I believe only a small percentage of guests would make this type of request.

Most would ask their TA to put in a special request. 

Oceania are excellent at meeting special request e.g. my husband has extremely impaired vision. We requested enlarged menus for the restaurants enabling him to read the menus, granted with help, allowing him to choose in advance and not suffer, for him, the embarrassment of having to have the menus read out allowed. All were delivered daily by guest services. 

It is true only the  ‘ Named ‘ suites have a pillow menu certainly there wasn’t on in the PH suite neither is the menu listed on the amenities  however Oceania thankfully isn’t the type of cruise line which segregates its guest by the amount of money spent on their cabin.  If it was, we as a family would not use it. 

 

[Mura]

  No, I didn't miss your point but I think maybe you missed mine.  In both posts I said I was sure a request for a different pillow would be granted no matter what type of cabin you are in.  Yes, the pillow "menu" is only suites, and yes, I don't ever remember seeing that menu when we were in a PH.  We did get it the few times we were in Vista or Oceania suites.

 

 

[Jancruz]

17 hours ago, Toranut97 said:

Of course it is much more enjoyable to complain here after the cruise, when nothing can be done about it. 🙄

 

In any case,I hope you will let the forum know if you have any luck using any suggestions folks have given you.

 

Donna

Plus 1

Jancruz1

[vlthom]

18 hours ago, susiesan said:

 I might have been having an allergic reaction to the feather pillows as I could not breathe through my nose due to congestion.

 

 

I am allergic to down and have my TA request ahead of time that no down be present in our cabin.  When we arrive, the bedding is all hypoallergenic.  I only learned after a few cruises that I could do this and it has made a world of difference for me.  Early on,  I attempted to make this request of our cabin attendant after boarding.  That did not go well.  It's best to make this kind of request ahead of time if at all possible.  

[GICNJC]

It does not matter if in inside or butler suite,  just ask and it will be magically done.

[bobnsandi]

First of all, we had great service on our recent Riviera cruise. That said, we take our own pillows onboard ALL cruise ships these days. I started it, when I first used MyPillows, and my spouse was skeptical. However, given a few more cruise experiences and now we BOTH take the pillows aboard. Easy to pack, just stuff and stuff.

[riandei]

Thank you for posting.  Now I will know I can ask for a different pillow if needed.  I didn’t know this was an option either.

 

ignore the haters.

[ropomo]

23 minutes ago, riandei said:

Thank you for posting.  Now I will know I can ask for a different pillow if needed.  I didn’t know this was an option either.

 

ignore the haters.

 

Not a hater, but you can ask for anything, they might not be able to fulfill your wishes, but at least you tried.  I definitely have a pillow issue, both allergy and firmness.  I always ask at any hotel, etc. when the pillows are not going to result in a good night sleep (typically the first thing I check when entering a room).  Usually they are able to accommodate my wishes, even at bargain hotel chains.  You can also ask for different bedding (extra pillows, blankets, sheets, more or less), extra shampoo, soap, hangers, …...

[Mura]

7 hours ago, bobnsandi said:

First of all, we had great service on our recent Riviera cruise. That said, we take our own pillows onboard ALL cruise ships these days. I started it, when I first used MyPillows, and my spouse was skeptical. However, given a few more cruise experiences and now we BOTH take the pillows aboard. Easy to pack, just stuff and stuff.

I also bring my own pillow but that's because I like a small, "squishy" pillow to hug ... I'm unhappy if I don't have it with me.  It's small to pack and creates insulation for any breakables in my luggage.  Can I survive without it?  Sure.  But I'm much happier with it!

 

The standard pillows (and beds) on Oceania are fine with us. But people with allergies or other problems shouldn't worry about asking for a substitution from the standard issue.

 

I agree that if you can make a pre-cruise request for what you want -- that is better than waiting until you are on board.  Then again, you may not know that you want something else until you ARE on board!

 

Mura

[susiesan]

I had my TA put in a request for hypo allergenic bedding on my Marina cruise in June. She said it is noted in my record. if the pillow is not in the cabin I will ask at the front desk. As to asking the room steward, on Sirena, I never ever saw him the whole week. He never came by to introduce himself at the beginning, but he did keep the room clean. He was a ghost who came and went quietly in the night...👻

Edited February 5, 2020 by susiesan

[drkitkat123]

4 minutes ago, susiesan said:

As to asking the room steward, on Sirena, I never ever saw him the whole week. He never came by to introduce himself at the beginning, but he did keep the room clean. He was a ghost who came and went quietly in the night...👻

That's absolutely amazing. I have been on more than 12 cruises from Crystal downwards (or upwards!) and have never not met the cabin steward on any ship,  and usually bump into them pretty much every day when they are pottering from room to room cleaning. I always make an effort to say hello if they are in an adjacent room cleaning

[susiesan]

2 minutes ago, drkitkat123 said:

That's absolutely amazing. I have been on more than 12 cruises from Crystal downwards (or upwards!) and have never not met the cabin steward on any ship,  and usually bump into them pretty much every day when they are pottering from room to room cleaning. I always make an effort to say hello if they are in an adjacent room cleaning

I saw 3 different people cleaning cabins on our deck but I'm not sure which was the steward and which were the assistants.

I thought it a bit odd too, but it didn't bother me. He got the job done. drkitkat, do you remember me from the Riviera Med cruise? I organized a number of private excursions for our roll call. I remember you.

[drkitkat123]

1 minute ago, susiesan said:

I saw 3 different people cleaning cabins on our deck but I'm not sure which was the steward and which were the assistants.

I thought it a bit odd too, but it didn't bother me. He got the job done. drkitkat, do you remember me from the Riviera Med cruise? I organized a number of private excursions for our roll call. I remember you.

O of course Susie - how are you doing?. We are doing Baltic Nautica in July...