Sorry that I read CC reviews about Sirena

[tripperva]

Cruise Critic reviews for December and January on Sirena were really negative, commenting on engine failures, poor service, food, attitude, etc.

Our previous experience with Oceania was terrific and we have just come off the waitlist for Sirena in an Owners Suite. Can anyone balance the

bad reviews with some good comments please ? I hope so.

Thanks,

Tripperva

[susiesan]

I was on Sirena for a week Jan. 25-Feb. 1. I had a delightful cruise. This was my 4th O cruise and it met my expectations in every way. No problems with service in restaurants, bars, or cabin. We made all the ports on time. Very slight decline in menu offerings from my last O cruise in 2017 but I was well fed with plenty of choices. I have another O cruise booked for June, Baltic on Marina, and I will absolutely be making the final payment and taking this cruise. 

 

My recent Sirena cruise was a great value for what I paid. I took some friends along for their first O cruise and they are ready to book another one since they had such a positive experience.

 

if you want to know about something specific to Sirena Caribbean cruises, just ask.

[1985rz1]

 

41 minutes ago, tripperva said:

Cruise Critic reviews for December and January on Sirena were really negative, commenting on engine failures, poor service, food, attitude, etc.

Our previous experience with Oceania was terrific and we have just come off the waitlist for Sirena in an Owners Suite. Can anyone balance the

bad reviews with some good comments please ? I hope so.

Thanks,

Tripperva

 

We were on the December 7-14, 2019, cruise of the Sirena and we experienced none of the issues you mentioned.  The cruise was excellent, the staff friendly and service oriented, and the food was very good to excellent.  The stateroom was very comfortable, and the public areas were quite enjoyable.

[Mura]

Sounds like it's in the eye of the beholder ... we were on Sirena three years ago and it was just fine back then.  Obviously the complaints expressed were recent ones, not about a long-past cruise.

[Toranut97]

I was on the January 13 - 24 Caribbean Flair cruise on Sirena. 

 

I also regretted reading all the negativity about Sirena, because it was a lovely cruise. Found the food to be lovely, the staff friendly and caring - and very personable - and the refurbishment refreshing. 

 

On our cruise, the seas were a bit rocky - headwinds messed with the scheduling - but stuff happens.  

 

Our other "calamity" was that there was apparently some illness around the crew which resulted in our being under some disease precautions. We had the paper menus, etc., but still had tablecloths and salt and pepper shakers, etc. 

 

Our CD was John Ekins, and I cannot say enough positive things about him. A consummate professional, a true gentleman. 

 

This was my 9th O cruise and my only regret was that I no longer cruise with my dear husband, who died last year.

 

If there is anything I can offer informationally, please let me know.

 

Donna

 

 

 

[Toranut97]

2 minutes ago, Mura said:

Sounds like it's in the eye of the beholder ... we were on Sirena three years ago and it was just fine back then.  Obviously the complaints expressed were recent ones, not about a long-past cruise.

So far, three of us who cruised Sirena within the past 60 days responded to the OP. That ought to be helpful to him/her as we have relevant and timely experiences to report. 

 

Donna

[doowopbob]

    We just got off Sirena 3 days ago.  We have cruised on the R ships 5 times and the O ships 3.  This is the last time we will go on the R class.  The food was basically good accept as others have mentioned the dinner menu in the mdr is limited.  You have 6 choices other than the always available salmon, chicken and steak.  One night 3 of the choices were vegetarian including a black bean burger (burger for dinner !!).  One night in the Tuscan Grill my wife said her veal tasted like shoe leather. Other than that though our meals in the specialties were very good.

    Our biggest problem with the Sirena were the pool chairs hogs and the lack of action against them.  The first sea day we went down at 10am and couldn't get a chair which was understandable.  The second sea day we went down at 9am and managed to snag 2 chairs.  The last sea day we were determined to get better chairs so we went down at 8am to find that there were no chairs available.  Every chair had hats and books on them and no one occupying any of them.  Even though Sirena has a written policy to remove items from any chair that is unoccupied for 30 minutes this was not done unless someone complained which often led to a confrontation when those chair hogs returned an hour later claiming they were only gone 15 minutes.  We than went out on deck 5 to see if we could get any chairs there.  They were all occupied also but there was plenty of room for additional chairs (you could easily put 50 more chairs out there).  There were actually people sitting on the deck itself.  We went to the concierge to request they put additional chairs out only to find out there were no more on the ship.  He went out and saw for himself that people were sitting on the deck and said he would notify the head office as this was unacceptable.  
    As long as you don't expect to sit around the pool during your cruise you should have a good time. We are going back to Seabourn.

[don731]

1 hour ago, doowopbob said:

    We just got off Sirena 3 days ago.  We have cruised on the R ships 5 times and the O ships 3.  This is the last time we will go on the R class.  The food was basically good accept as others have mentioned the dinner menu in the mdr is limited.  You have 6 choices other than the always available salmon, chicken and steak.  One night 3 of the choices were vegetarian including a black bean burger (burger for dinner !!).  One night in the Tuscan Grill my wife said her veal tasted like shoe leather. Other than that though our meals in the specialties were very good.

    Our biggest problem with the Sirena were the pool chairs hogs and the lack of action against them.  The first sea day we went down at 10am and couldn't get a chair which was understandable.  The second sea day we went down at 9am and managed to snag 2 chairs.  The last sea day we were determined to get better chairs so we went down at 8am to find that there were no chairs available.  Every chair had hats and books on them and no one occupying any of them.  Even though Sirena has a written policy to remove items from any chair that is unoccupied for 30 minutes this was not done unless someone complained which often led to a confrontation when those chair hogs returned an hour later claiming they were only gone 15 minutes.  We than went out on deck 5 to see if we could get any chairs there.  They were all occupied also but there was plenty of room for additional chairs (you could easily put 50 more chairs out there).  There were actually people sitting on the deck itself.  We went to the concierge to request they put additional chairs out only to find out there were no more on the ship.  He went out and saw for himself that people were sitting on the deck and said he would notify the head office as this was unacceptable.  
    As long as you don't expect to sit around the pool during your cruise you should have a good time. We are going back to Seabourn.

We are currently on Riviera and have had the same pool deck issue.  However the staff responded very well to the complaints (they told us many guests wrote about this issue in their mid cruise critiques).  While all chairs are gone by 0830, the staff moved chairs around for us when people left, and the left items table was overflowing.  We stay on for the next cruise and are hoping for a better situation.  Otherwise Riviera has been excellent in all respects. 

[lj77346]

I was on the Sirena for 17 days, Jan. 25 - Feb. 11, and had a very enjoyable time.  This was my 12th Oceania cruise. Except for meals in the specialty restaurants, I ate the rest of my dinners in the Terrace Cafe because of the sushi and sashimi as well as the selections from the grill and the ability to move the meal along at the pace I prefer.  I ate a number of lunches in the main dining room because I enjoy the "flavors of the world" selections and it's much less crowded than the Terrace at lunch.

 

The crew was friendly and provided service that was very good.  A minor bump in the road (wave in the sea?) was that Guinness stout was not on the bar menu, but somehow I was able to survive.  On the last day of the cruise we missed our stop at the private island because the sea conditions were not good for tender service, but safety always comes first.  Although it appeared that there seemed to be concern about noro on some days as we had paper menus and there was an attendant manning the coffee machine in Horizons, we always had salt and pepper on table and no steps were taken to disinfect tables in the Terrace between users.

 

As others have mentioned, the dinner menu in the main dining room has changed over the past few years, but I never felt in danger of going hungry.  If you have reasonable expectations, you won't be disappointed cruising on the Sirena.  Cheers!

[ORV]

WOw, I guess I've just never traveled on Oceania on these high demand deck days. It's hard to fathom every chair having something on it by 8AM. I'd love to see a picture of that. 

[Cruseforme]

57 minutes ago, ORV said:

WOw, I guess I've just never traveled on Oceania on these high demand deck days. It's hard to fathom every chair having something on it by 8AM. I'd love to see a picture of that. 

The last time we were on Riviera (Christmas 2018), all loungers around pool were “Saved” via purse, blanket, books, hats, etc by 9 AM.   Table overflowing with stuff by 11 AM, people having pissing contests and one yelling fight with a bit of puffing up their chests.  We got up and left.   Good thing for larger balconies in our case.  We never went back to deck during sea days.    

 

 

 

[DeanoNorthPerth]

4 hours ago, lj77346 said:

I was on the Sirena for 17 days, Jan. 25 - Feb. 11, and had a very enjoyable time.  This was my 12th Oceania cruise. Except for meals in the specialty restaurants, I ate the rest of my dinners in the Terrace Cafe because of the sushi and sashimi as well as the selections from the grill and the ability to move the meal along at the pace I prefer.  I ate a number of lunches in the main dining room because I enjoy the "flavors of the world" selections and it's much less crowded than the Terrace at lunch.

 

The crew was friendly and provided service that was very good.  A minor bump in the road (wave in the sea?) was that Guinness stout was not on the bar menu, but somehow I was able to survive.  On the last day of the cruise we missed our stop at the private island because the sea conditions were not good for tender service, but safety always comes first.  Although it appeared that there seemed to be concern about noro on some days as we had paper menus and there was an attendant manning the coffee machine in Horizons, we always had salt and pepper on table and no steps were taken to disinfect tables in the Terrace between users.

 

As others have mentioned, the dinner menu in the main dining room has changed over the past few years, but I never felt in danger of going hungry.  If you have reasonable expectations, you won't be disappointed cruising on the Sirena.  Cheers!

“But I never felt in danger of going hungry”

 

Great quote. Thank you. Made my day.

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, ORV said:

WOw, I guess I've just never traveled on Oceania on these high demand deck days. It's hard to fathom every chair having something on it by 8AM. I'd love to see a picture of that. 

Ditto

This is not a topic that has been discussed here in the past but seems to be quite the problem currently.

The "New Oceania"?

Edited February 14, 2020 by Paulchili

[pinotlover]

13 hours ago, Paulchili said:

Ditto

This is not a topic that has been discussed here in the past but seems to be quite the problem currently.

The "New Oceania"?

Paul;

 

I think it’s very cruise specific. These complaints are on Carribe cruises where many don’t get off the ship. Trust me, on our August cruise around Iceland, Greenland, and the Orkneys getting a lounger was never a problem! 😂😂

 

However, last February in the French Polynesia, those choosing not to get off the ship complained incessantly about this issue. On our two sea days, on that cruise, we had use of the Spa Deck and accessible loungers was never an issue.

 

 

[ABoatNerd]

Moving beyond Sirena - look holistically at the body of the Oceania CC reviews across the fleet.

 

Another poster noted in an earlier different thread that the average rating for Oceania is 3 stars. I have not done a math workup, but would tend to agree. Further, the negative reviews are from newbies and many from long time Oceania guests.

 

Compare the body of Oceania reviews to that of other companies - do a visual. Oceania's reviews are more consistently 3 stars or less versus the competition.

 

It appears to me that when combining the CC reviews and comments on this board and other boards where Oceania is discussed, Oceania's lackluster reviews are due to "over promising and under delivering"..Mentions of downgrading of product, services and experience references abound. 

 

If I was a consumer checking out a new cruise line, reading the CC reviews for Oceania would not persuade me to purchase Oceania product. My friends who were once loyal to Oceania have cancelled their April Hawaii/Tahiti and next January's Australia/New Z cruises based on a very lackluster voyage in November.

 

They are moving on to Crystal. 

 

 

 

 

[LHT28]

Some of the reviews seem to be  from the same person  or their partner/friends  etc..

too similar in wording

Like  a certain poster above who does not miss any negative comment to promote his  do not sail Oceania campagin

 

If you are so afraid  then cancel or go with an open mind & judge for yourself

JMO

[LHT28]

9 minutes ago, ABoatNerd said:

They are moving on to Crystal. 

 

Good luck with that !!

 

[LHT28]

21 hours ago, doowopbob said:

       Our biggest problem with the Sirena were the pool chairs hogs and the lack of action against them.  The first sea day we went down at 10am and couldn't get a chair which was understandable. 

chair hogs  are everywhere

pretty much the same daily scene on our 16 day Crystal cruise

[floridatravelersforlife]

Back on topic, we were on the 13-25 Jan Sirena cruise.   No negatives.  We don't do the pool so chair issues are moot to us.  Food was the same quality as our Insignia cruise two years ago.    Sailing weather was unusual for January, and  I posted a thread on that. 

 

The fact we were 6 hours late into Miami and a lot of people missed their flights, has to be taken into consideration when reading some of the harsh criticisms.   I feel for those people, but it is hard to be objective when you are mad as hell.

Edited February 14, 2020 by floridatravelersforlife
explanation for delay.

[Paulchili]

3 hours ago, pinotlover said:

I think it’s very cruise specific. These complaints are on Carribe cruises where many don’t get off the ship. Trust me, on our August cruise around Iceland, Greenland, and the Orkneys getting a lounger was never a problem! 😂😂

 

Obviously some cruise itineraries are more suitable for using the pool than others.

That was not my point. Oceania didn't just start cruising into the Carib or FP last year yet I don't remember this being such a problem 5-10 years ago.

Maybe people were more considerate then or my memory is failing again? 😊

Edited February 14, 2020 by Paulchili

[GeorgesGal]

14 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

 

Maybe people were more considerate then or my memory is failing again? 😊

 

Paul, you have hit the nail on the head!  There are far more intolerant folks out there today with an entitlement attitude/only my opinion counts, don't you think.  This cr!! has been going on for at least the past 20 years, and it is getting worse all the time.

 

Oh for kinder, gentler days once more!  

Donna

[Redtravel]

Each cruise is different. Some have chair hogs.  If you want to sit outside, there is always a chair. It may not be in the exact location that you desire.  If you are not using the pool, sit somewhere else. The other outdoor areas are quieter. I prefer my own veranda. 

Chair hogs are usually found on seadays in hot climates.  It is just a bunch of rude people. I try to avoid them.

[CintiPam]

7 hours ago, Paulchili said:

Obviously some cruise itineraries are more suitable for using the pool than others.

That was not my point. Oceania didn't just start cruising into the Carib or FP last year yet I don't remember this being such a problem 5-10 years ago.

Maybe people were more considerate then or my memory is failing again? 😊

Your memory is falling you!  😁. We have encountered this problem on every single Caribbean cruise we have taken.  (All have been on Oceania.).   Pale (originally) strawberry-blonde me has to sit in the shade and usually I am forced to resort to sitting on my veranda to avoid unpleasant encounters.  And yes, many take up two chaises each: one in the sun and one in the shade.  

[clo]

11 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Some of the reviews seem to be  from the same person  or their partner/friends  etc..

too similar in wording

Like  a certain poster above who does not miss any negative comment to promote his  do not sail Oceania campagin

 

If you are so afraid  then cancel or go with an open mind & judge for yourself

JMO

We chose Oceania for the itinerary - Rio to Buenos Aires - and then I started reading.  I was actually encouraged here to not have too high expectations. And we liked/loved almost everything. (Had a couple of issues with the GDR.) To the point that if we do further cruises I'd probably have to force myself to look at other lines. So if this is a decline, then wow.

[Paulchili]

2 hours ago, CintiPam said:

Your memory is falling you!  😁.

I am shocked 😀😀

I am not a sun/pool person so I don’t have that much personal experience. I was referring more to the fact that this did not seem to be as hot a topic of complaints here on CC in the past as it is now.

That made me think that things have changed?