Improvements to Riviera

[pinotlover]

Enjoy your cruise. Don’t overly hype your expectations and you’ll find Oceania offers a ver good Premium product. It is not Luxury nor does it claim to be, so don’t expect a luxury cruise line experience.

 

Merry Christmas!! 🥂

[Sthrngary]

14 hours ago, mauibabes said:

@Sthrngary

We were on Riviera in November 2021 for a similar cruise and you should have a fabulous time on O.  The cooking classes are great fun and you will enjoy yourself. Should there be a Chef Tour excursion available, book that too.  
O will not be Crystal, but you will feel a warmth from the guests as well as the staff. They want you there and when you reach out to them and interact with them, they warm up even more. They will know you and your favorites and let the good times roll. We are on Marina in a couple of weeks and have friends on her now so we have experienced expectations.

Enjoy, Mauibabes

@mauibabes You message to me holds more truth than you will ever know.  Building up something to be more than it is in reality is a HUGE mistake that I have personally made in the past.  In my life, when I make a emotional mistake like that is is a lesson not soon to be forgotten.  It creates unrealistic expectations.  

 

My comments were why I selected Oceania.  My goals now are never a perfect cruise because it does not exist simply because of the unknowns no one can control when cruising.  To many to list.  Instead it was much more about finding an enhanced experience with just a bit more consistency throughout the trip.

 

I think your comment came from both the heart and your experiences.  It also was very well written so thank you.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[LHT28]

I think a lot of O cheerleaders  rave on about  the food the staff  etc  so when pax  new to Oceania  board  they are disappointed

 

People say  "you will love O"   but different people have different expectations  & may not LOVE  them

 Go with an open mind  do not compare to other lines & you will probably come away with a good experience on O  & may be even be  a convert

 

 Oceania works for us & our needs/wants  but they are not the be all to everyone

 Oceania  is not perfect  they do have their  flaws

JMO

[MEFIowa]

40 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

... It creates unrealistic expectations. ... My goals now are never a perfect cruise because it does not exist simply because of the unknowns no one can control when cruising.  To many to list.  Instead it was much more about finding an enhanced experience with just a bit more consistency throughout the trip....

Happiness = Reality - Expectations. We can control our expectations. Cruising on any line and ship is about knowing in advance what you might reasonably expect and whether that is what you want.

 

Wife & I want a ship that isn't too crowded, intelligent adult company, no children, and few drunkards in the 20s-30s range. We want itineraries and ports and excursions. A nice place to eat and sleep and maybe see the comic but we're getting off that ship right as it docks to see and do interesting things in interesting places. I don't come back until the gangplank is being hauled back on board her. Looking forward to a magnificent meal. Wife likes a sea day or two, too. So O works for us.

[rbtan]

On 12/7/2022 at 6:21 PM, LHT28 said:

A seat would be safer   when trying to shave your legs  😉

 

At risk of being flamed here.. What happens if a person of large stature sits on the seat & it gives way under their weight? I've seen some really large pax & sorry, I could just see a lawsuit in the making.

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, rbtan said:

At risk of being flamed here.. What happens if a person of large stature sits on the seat & it gives way under their weight? I've seen some really large pax & sorry, I could just see a lawsuit in the making.

I guess it depends on the seat   some are  a bench secured  to the wall

some may be part of the shower stall

Moot point  as  O is not putting them in now

[ak1004]

14 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Enjoy your cruise. Don’t overly hype your expectations and you’ll find Oceania offers a ver good Premium product. It is not Luxury nor does it claim to be, so don’t expect a luxury cruise line experience.

 

Merry Christmas!! 🥂

 

We just returned from our first Silversea cruise after doing 3 Oceania cruises.

 

To be honest, the only thing that makes SS more luxury is that it's all inclusive. This might be advantage for some and disadvantage to others (for example, if you don't drink and like to take to your own excursions, you would be paying on SS for something that you don't use). Otherwise, we found the food slightly better on O, service level similar, entertainment and enrichment mediocre on both. Yes, you get a butler in every cabin on SS, but it depends how much you are using it.

 

Based on this single experience on SS, I'm not convinced that it's worth for us to pay the significant premium for SS, but obviously everyone is different. If the all inclusiveness is important, then SS, Seaborn or Regent are a better choice. For people who like to pay as you go, I didn't see many things on SS that makes it more luxurious than Oceania, but of course more samples are needed. 

[MEFIowa]

45 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

We just returned from our first Silversea cruise after doing 3 Oceania cruises.... it's all inclusive. This might be advantage for some and disadvantage to others (for example, if you don't drink and like to take to your own excursions, you would be paying on SS for something that you don't use)....

No advantage when O allows me to bring on board beer, hard liquor and wine. Can't imagine paying their prices for alcohol, either by O's way or SS's. What I save I can spend on...our own excursions. And what I save on excursions helped pay for air fare!