Just back from Riviera.

[Flatbush Flyer]

On 8/30/2022 at 7:00 AM, welshfamily said:

Oceania flatly refused to let us prepay our Gratuities. Our TA copied us into the emails as we have paid them in advance before.

My daughter even rang Oceania personally and asked why Oceania would not let us pay in advance. The member of staff said the rules had changed several years ago. Indeed your thoughtfully supplied link is dated 2018. Oceania’s rep. suggested we add onboard credit to cover them and my daughter did this. 
 

Do a few more O cruises and it will no longer be a problem with the O Club covering them. Even better, if you get your TA to cover them, the right O Club status will get you an extra $250 SBC “in lieu” of O Club gratuities.

[Vineyard View]

If you have a beverage package, is there a 20% gratuity added to what you have ordered at the end of the cruise?

[basor]

8 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

If you have a beverage package, is there a 20% gratuity added to what you have ordered at the end of the cruise?

No - the beverage package includes the 20% gratuity on all drinks covered by your package

[Vineyard View]

Thank you. I thought so

[chloemonkey]

On 8/29/2022 at 2:30 AM, welshfamily said:

We have just returned from our first Oceania cruise since COVID.

First.

Thanks to all the great people we meet, Old and new friends, who made our cruise exceptional. Sometimes the best thing about travelling is meeting people from different countries and enjoying their company.

The Riviera,

 

Stateroom 

She is a bit worn in the staterooms but is due for a refit very soon so other than a comment about the shower I will not comment unless asked a question.

I love to bathe however the shower, though powerful enough, is simply too small and I think Oceania are making a good decision to put in larger showers by removing the tub.

We had an extended balcony …….great.

HOWEVER……..we were over the “ things that allow the ship to manoeuvre “ every time the ship docked we were shaken so badly I could swear it loosened a couple of fillings in my teeth and at 4.30 -6.30 am every morning it was a bit of a shock. Since we are early risers and had lots of tours booked we never needed the alarm and enjoyed far more leisurely breakfasts then on any previous cruise so not all bad. Just be aware  the extended balcony on the Riviera and the two PH cabins next to them come with an added extra!!

 

Public Rooms,

Excellent condition.

 

The staff.

Lots of new staff.

Not perfect but polite, smiling , eager to help and on the whole simply great.

Shout out to Oceania ……. Include the gratuities in the price ……don’t allow guests to opt out. We don’t want to make a big thing on these boards about this but ………..

 

Fellow Guests,

Meet many wonderful people.

To all those  who don’t know how to say please and thank you to any member of staff helping you …..try hardened please.

 

The Food.

Gosh where to start.

The terrace.

Good choices, lots of variety, mostly excellent quality. 
In the Evening The terrace excelled  e.g. French night.

The Grand Dinning room,

Choice far more repetitive than before Covid.

Specialities.

All great except Toscana ………What has happened here? 2 of our meals had high lights 2 of our meals completely bombed. On the evening we went Chef was out apologising for the lasagne…..like a brick!!!, The mushroom Risotto….almost a soup however the lobster Risotto was superb. At least 4 tables were offered another night …..to let Toscana shine and a few people walked out. We felt sorry for the servers. This was the only place 

where we had a sommelier who was simply in the wrong job. We had the full package, had onboard credit to spare, but to be told the wines by the glass were ( curled lip…..masks went for staff towards end of cruise ) limited to basis wines and many choices were not available didn’t get the meal off on the right note. Now we are not wine buffs so are happy with most of the included wines, we were not asking for a recommendation and knew what we were getting but to have the wine bottle menu brought so we could selected better was ……rude. Fortunately we had been to the Martini bar before hand and were sufficiently ‘ relaxed ‘ to insist on our request being served with a smile. As my husband said …..She isn’t going to last on Oceania 

long. 
 

Excursions.

One was disgraceful, two excellent but all were free so we were happy enough. Now I know someone will tell me Olife costs but we like to believe these are free, this makes us happy so please don’t burst our bubble unless you just can’t help yourself.

Our advice ….check onboard exactly what your tour consists of, ask questions and if not sure ask more …don’t assume a leisurely drive isn’t a 1.45hr trek which will mean you hardly get off the bus and that approximately means …..depends on traffic and  may well be a optimistic view or an unrealistic expectation.

 

Nothing in life is perfect but after two years of COVID our cruise certainly did its best to give us a great holiday.

 

last note 

 

Oceania ‘s flights ….SUCK …..but that’s another story.

 

Questions

We will answer them if we can

 

 

 

 

 

It is always so interesting to see how others viewed their experiences.....we were on the Riviera from 8/28 thru 9/15....and had nothing but GREAT food from Toscana.  We were in a Vista Suite so had lots of specialty restaurants booked over the course of the two weeks +.  The one restaurant that we CANCELLED three times for was Red Ginger - as after the first time we visited there this trip.....it was clear that they were NOT on their game plan as yet.

We found the main dining room to be excellent - but agree that there were not a ton of options.  The Terrace Cafe probably had more business from us than anywhere....but that was due to the fact that the two cruises that we took had NO sea days and we were booked on shore excursions that departed early each day.  This made it the easier choice to dine at the Terrace Cafe due to time constraints.  We did NOT eat dinner here however.  

[Marmaduke]

Can you use OBC to pay the gratuities ?

[pinotlover]

3 hours ago, Marmaduke said:

Can you use OBC to pay the gratuities ?

OBC can be use to pay Anything and Everything aboard ship. 

[ruthnlarry]

11 hours ago, chloemonkey said:

It is always so interesting to see how others viewed their experiences.....we were on the Riviera from 8/28 thru 9/15....and had nothing but GREAT food from Toscana.  We were in a Vista Suite so had lots of specialty restaurants booked over the course of the two weeks +.  The one restaurant that we CANCELLED three times for was Red Ginger - as after the first time we visited there this trip.....it was clear that they were NOT on their game plan as yet.

We found the main dining room to be excellent - but agree that there were not a ton of options.  The Terrace Cafe probably had more business from us than anywhere....but that was due to the fact that the two cruises that we took had NO sea days and we were booked on shore excursions that departed early each day.  This made it the easier choice to dine at the Terrace Cafe due to time constraints.  We did NOT eat dinner here however.  

We were on the same Riviera cruise from Rome to Istanbul.  Taste in food is very subjective. Red Ginger was our favorite speciality restaurant!  We love the watermelon duck salad and the lobster pad thai.  We went to the Terrace Cafe for dinner on the evenings when we did not go to a speciality restaurant.  The experience was very good.  Where else can you get grilled lamb chops, shrimp, and lobster every night?  We also like the quality and selection on the cheese board.  

This was our 4th Oceania cruise since our Marina cruise in December 2021, and in our opinion, the food quality has improved immensely.  However, we did not like the type of breakfast sausage in Terrace's.  

We love the staff.  They are the best, and treat us better than family.  We are looking forward to our 6 future cruises booked on Oceania!

[Flatbush Flyer]

6 hours ago, Marmaduke said:

Can you use OBC to pay the gratuities ?

A few specifics about Oceania’s ShipBoardCredit (SBC):

 

It comes in four varieties, three of which you’ll see on your Oceania invoice and one that you may find on your TA’s invoice. 

On the O invoice (Amenities and Gifts section), you may see SBC noted as OCAPP (you can search here on CC for my, and others’, explanation of OCAPP), and, depending on O Club status, you may/should see O Club SBC and complimentary gratuities (plus other perks). You may also find SBC assigned by O as compensation (negotiated or otherwise) for a prior cruise issue and/or purchased outright as a gift (by you, a TA, et al.). 

The fourth source (which should not appear in the O invoice)  is your TA’s own $ contribution (perhaps as a share of its commission) to your cruise enjoyment. It should be specified on your TA’s invoice as well as on a “gift card” you’ll find in your cabin on embarkation  day. Note that this does not include any TA rebate $$$.

Most importantly, there is a difference in SBC. Any complimentary SBC that appears on your Oceania invoice is non-refundable. Any SBC you find on your TA’s invoice (that is not OCAPP with the TA’s (or it’s consortium’s) name next to it, should be refundable. 
 

One truly good thing about O’s accounting is that, when shipboard purchases are made, non-refundable $$$ will always be tapped first. However, it is important to note that, should you make purchases pre-cruise (e.g., excursions, cooking classes, LaReserve) your bank of Oceania provided SBC will automatically be charged unless you indicate that you want to pay for the item with your credit card.

 

As for what SBC can purchase once onboard, non-complimentary (O Club) gratuities are included as are bar and various service charges. The main exception excluding use of SBC is deposits on future cruises (or purchase of a Future Cruise Certificate. Since we are not casino users, I cannot comment of that (though I doubt you could change non-refundable SBC into cash).

 

A final note: Always double check your ShipBoard account prior to disembarkation (there can be errors-particularly as regards bar charges). You can choose to have any unused refundable SBC given to you as cash on the final morning or, by default, returned to your credit card on file.

Edited September 19, 2022 by Flatbush Flyer

[ORV]

On 9/19/2022 at 8:23 AM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Any complimentary SBC that appears on your Oceania invoice is non-refundable. 

Here’s one of those things that in theory you’re correct. On board it can vary. Mistakes are sometimes made and what should be non refundable sometimes becomes refundable. Real experience. Also you don’t have to wait until final day, you can get refundable in cash on the day before disembarking. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

38 minutes ago, ORV said:

Here’s one of those things that in theory you’re correct. On board it can vary. Mistakes are sometimes made and what should be non refundable sometimes becomes refundable. Real experience. Also you don’t have to wait until final day, you can get refundable in cash on the day before disembarking. 

Your post bolsters my caution above to always review your ShipBoard account prior to disembarkation. 

[LHT28]

43 minutes ago, ORV said:

Here’s one of those things that in theory you’re correct. On board it can vary. Mistakes are sometimes made and what should be non refundable sometimes becomes refundable. Real experience. Also you don’t have to wait until final day, you can get refundable in cash on the day before disembarking. 

If we have a balance refundable or not  we usually get a letter or call the  last full day onboard

so we can collect any cash owing us  or spend the nonrefundable  that day 😉

 I usually go a few days before the end of the cruise to get a print out  to see how much I need to spend LOL

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Your post bolsters my caution above to always review your ShipBoard account prior to disembarkation. 

One other item:

if you’ve used any ship tours (O Life and/or otherwise), get your ShipBoard account print out at Destination Services since their version has the most detail about cancelled/replaced tour items. They can also provide a specific doc with all the math regarding your tours.

[ORV]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

If we have a balance refundable or not  we usually get a letter or call the  last full day onboard

so we can collect any cash owing us  or spend the nonrefundable  that day 😉

 I usually go a few days before the end of the cruise to get a print out  to see how much I need to spend LOL

 

Historically that’s the way it’s been. Now you can see all of that on the TV. No letter or call for us on first leg, maybe because it was rolling to the next cruise. We’ll see before the end of the next one. 

[RetiredLifer]

Disembarked on Insignia September 10th.  A few days prior I received a letter from the purser indicating I had a reimbursable shipboard credit balance. The letter detailed the options available for reimbursement.  The day before We disembarked I presented the letter to reception, was given cash which I signed for.  Quite easy.  I agree that reviewing  your account prior to the last day is wise.

Edited September 20, 2022 by RetiredLifer

[Psoque]

On 9/19/2022 at 11:23 AM, Flatbush Flyer said:

A few specifics about Oceania’s ShipBoardCredit (SBC):

 

It comes in four varieties, three of which you’ll see on your Oceania invoice and one that you may find on your TA’s invoice. 

On the O invoice (Amenities and Gifts section), you may see SBC noted as OCAPP (you can search here on CC for my, and others’, explanation of OCAPP), and, depending on O Club status, you may/should see O Club SBC and complimentary gratuities (plus other perks). You may also find SBC assigned by O as compensation (negotiated or otherwise) for a prior cruise issue and/or purchased outright as a gift (by you, a TA, et al.). 

The fourth source (which should not appear in the O invoice)  is your TA’s own $ contribution (perhaps as a share of its commission) to your cruise enjoyment. It should be specified on your TA’s invoice as well as on a “gift card” you’ll find in your cabin on embarkation  day. Note that this does not include any TA rebate $$$.

Most importantly, there is a difference in SBC. Any complimentary SBC that appears on your Oceania invoice is non-refundable. Any SBC you find on your TA’s invoice (that is not OCAPP with the TA’s (or it’s consortium’s) name next to it, should be refundable. 
 

One truly good thing about O’s accounting is that, when shipboard purchases are made, non-refundable $$$ will always be tapped first. However, it is important to note that, should you make purchases pre-cruise (e.g., excursions, cooking classes, LaReserve) your bank of Oceania provided SBC will automatically be charged unless you indicate that you want to pay for the item with your credit card.

 

As for what SBC can purchase once onboard, non-complimentary (O Club) gratuities are included as are bar and various service charges. The main exception excluding use of SBC is deposits on future cruises (or purchase of a Future Cruise Certificate. Since we are not casino users, I cannot comment of that (though I doubt you could change non-refundable SBC into cash).

 

A final note: Always double check your ShipBoard account prior to disembarkation (there can be errors-particularly as regards bar charges). You can choose to have any unused refundable SBC given to you as cash on the final morning or, by default, returned to your credit card on file.

Does this mean that we don’t have to pay for the shore excursions (that we book before the cruise) until the end of cruise??  That was the case with the old Crystal Cruises, but it was not the case with other lines that we have encountered so far.

[LHT28]

18 minutes ago, Psoque said:

Does this mean that we don’t have to pay for the shore excursions (that we book before the cruise) until the end of cruise??  That was the case with the old Crystal Cruises, but it was not the case with other lines that we have encountered so far.

When you prebook excursions  you pay at the time of booking either with allowable SBC or your CC

[pjsportsmom]

On 8/29/2022 at 8:37 AM, Flatbush Flyer said:

If you fly Bizclass, even their Air Department will tell you to DIY.

If you book your own airfare, does Oceania give you a credit towards air?

and also do they still give you all the transfers ? Airport- hotel, hotel to ship etc….

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, pjsportsmom said:

If you book your own airfare, does Oceania give you a credit towards air?

and also do they still give you all the transfers ? Airport- hotel, hotel to ship etc….

Yes- do a mock booking. Check the O Life price on top page.

On next page, check “w/o air.” On the following page you’ll see a new price. The difference between them is the “air credit.” 
No transfers w/o air (unless you do their way overpriced “per person” [rather than per room] hotel too).  Not that big a deal to. DIY.

Edited September 29, 2022 by Flatbush Flyer

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, pjsportsmom said:

If you book your own airfare, does Oceania give you a credit towards air?

and also do they still give you all the transfers ? Airport- hotel, hotel to ship etc….

If you are using their Hotel package  I would check with Oceania 

some have posted  that they do even if not using their air

 

[pjsportsmom]

20 hours ago, LHT28 said:

If you are using their Hotel package  I would check with Oceania 

some have posted  that they do even if not using their air

 

thank you

20 hours ago, LHT28 said:

 

 

[pjsportsmom]

20 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Yes- do a mock booking. Check the O Life price on top page.

On next page, check “w/o air.” On the following page you’ll see a new price. The difference between them is the “air credit.” 
No transfers w/o air (unless you do their way overpriced “per person” [rather than per room] hotel too).  Not that big a deal to. DIY.

thank you

[Psoque]

On 9/1/2022 at 11:12 PM, Mura said:

Back to air ...

 

We learned on our first Renaissance cruise (when we luckily had booked our own air because we were going into Lisbon early) that there were horrific stories from people on the "free" air.  Lots of diversions, etc.

 

Later on we figured out that since we live in NYC, flying to typical Ren/Oceania departure points is not difficult.  But for people who cannot fly straight through, it can be very difficult. But for people living in the Midwest or the west coast -- and the same can be said for people living in European locations that are NOT Paris or London -- it can be just as difficult.

 

We always book our own ... especially now that we are old enough that we prefer biz air.

 

Mura

Actually, not living near a major airport should not be a disincentive to book your own airfair.  I think it is exactly the opposite.  If you don’t live near a major airport, the cost of airfare through the cruise line is invariable higher.  Oceania, for example charges $175 per person (or more?) if you want them to book a flight from “non-gateway” airports.  Also, it is very possible that if you rely on the airlines (or the consolidators that they subcontract) for a flight from a smaller airport, it might make your itinerary even more convoluted.

 

I just can imagine any scenario when buying airfare or hotel through the cruise line is “better” either financially or otherwise, unless, for some reason the customer is unable/unwilling to book them on their own, or for some reason the cost of booking (especially the airfare) on your own is really expensive, and the cruise air is profoundly cheaper.

Edited September 30, 2022 by Psoque

[Mura]

On 9/30/2022 at 1:42 PM, Psoque said:

Actually, not living near a major airport should not be a disincentive to book your own airfair.  I think it is exactly the opposite.  If you don’t live near a major airport, the cost of airfare through the cruise line is invariable higher.  Oceania, for example charges $175 per person (or more?) if you want them to book a flight from “non-gateway” airports.  Also, it is very possible that if you rely on the airlines (or the consolidators that they subcontract) for a flight from a smaller airport, it might make your itinerary even more convoluted.

 

I just can imagine any scenario when buying airfare or hotel through the cruise line is “better” either financially or otherwise, unless, for some reason the customer is unable/unwilling to book them on their own, or for some reason the cost of booking (especially the airfare) on your own is really expensive, and the cruise air is profoundly cheaper.

Yes, excellent points.  Since we DO live in a gateway this wasn't a problem for US. Also:  I was referring to flight options with Renaissance in 1999 ...  I would not be surprised if things have changed since then ...

 

 

[emd138]

Besides the onboard credit, another reason to check your account regularly is that sometimes mistakes happen.  We have had drinks show up on our account once even though they were covered under the beverage package that we had.  It was quick to resolve mid-cruise, but a lot of people are settling their accounts at the end.