Rare Stockjock Posted July 15 #1 Share Posted July 15 I'll be on Sirena later this year (1st Oceania cruise), and these folks seemed pretty disappointed. Your thoughts? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay S Posted July 15 #2 Share Posted July 15 Since they call themselves "The POSH Travel Blog" (caps theirs), I'm taking this with that proverbial grain of salt. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ronrick1943 Posted July 15 #3 Share Posted July 15 Every cruise is different for each person. What you experience (even on the same cruise) isn't the same for everyone. Some people expect more than they should, while others may get more than they expect. You make the decision for yourself-don'y let other do that fore you. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osandomir Posted July 15 #4 Share Posted July 15 OMG. It is one couple’s opinion. I don’t say it’s not a valid one. What makes me wonder how people can believe every marketing material they see. Oceania food actually not even close to be “the best at”…let’s say anywhere. But in our opinion it’s a good food so that’s enough for us to get on the ship and explore the world. And I believe that there’re many Oceania cruisers who feel the same way. As for the drinks, if these people cruised on all the lines that they mentioned they should probably know that the drinks, especially the premium whiskey, are expensive on any cruise ship. Also, while watching the video I got a feeling it was something else about the cruise that triggered their disappointment what they chose not to disclose. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Vallesan Posted July 15 #5 Share Posted July 15 Well I watched it, in fact only half way through before it just became a bore! Firstly I think this couple are suffering from ‘unreal expectations’. This whole video is about the food and we all know how subjective that is! They compare the food on Sirena to RSSC, Seabourn and Explora. I’ve not sailed Explora but as for the others they are all different but for me Oceania comes out on top for variety if nothing else.They say P&O food is better but I can’t comment because I’ve never sailed with them. They ‘loved’ Red Ginger! We like Red Ginger but how many people complain about it on these boards? I think I have to agree with @Kay S… take it all with a pinch of salt …or maybe that’s just what they needed to improve their food! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkieMarkNYC Posted July 15 #6 Share Posted July 15 Certainly I agree that food is subjective, but their complaints were also (and perhaps more so) about the service. I found their criticisms to seem valid. Staff functioning in highly-rigid roles without the capacity to go outside the box makes for a customer-unfriendly environment. I'll be on Sirena later this year and am looking forward to it. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinsusin Posted July 15 #7 Share Posted July 15 (edited) We were on the same cruise as this couple and did not find any service issues whatsoever. Agree food is subjective but we found it much better than mainstream lines. We sampled all venues and most meals were very good/ excellent. We very much enjoyed the made to order grill items at dinner in Terrace. We have done many cruises on multiple lines but this was only our second Oceania cruise so not “cheerleaders”. Edited July 15 by cruisinsusin Adding info 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunlover12 Posted July 15 #8 Share Posted July 15 They lost all credibility with me when they said a $11 glass of wine is “very expensive”. 16 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarhoosier Posted July 15 #9 Share Posted July 15 Speaking of Posh, have they a Home Counties speaking style? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare FetaCheese Posted July 15 #10 Share Posted July 15 @Stockjock You are spending a lot of your hard earned money for you and your girlfriend. I suggest you go on your cruise, experience all that O offers, then judge for yourself. In my opinion, you may be setting yourself up for a disappointing vacation. Remember, practice what @Sthrngary advises: have realistic expectations. Will everything be perfect and to your liking? No, but what in this life is perfect? Enjoy your cruise! Please come back to report your actual findings and experiences. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEFIowa Posted July 15 #11 Share Posted July 15 We had a fantastic 10-night cruise on Sirena 11/2022 and have 22 more nights on her starting August 28th. Can't wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PelicanLvr Posted July 15 #12 Share Posted July 15 Like many things in life: Manage your expectations! Was on Nautica last November in the Canary Islands. We had a great time and got a very good price (Extraordinary Savings sale price). I happen to agree with alot of the observations of the posted video. But I didn't pay Regent or Seaborne prices. They went looking for faults and they found them. Know the product and pay a fair price for it. "Finest cuisine at Sea" is a slogan.....was Budweiser ever "the King of beers"? 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrammieK Posted July 15 #13 Share Posted July 15 Correct me if I’m wrong, didn’t he say that they upgraded the beverage pkg? If so, why did it cost $69 per person per day? over 16 minutes to complain about slow bar service is a bit much, but I would agree sometimes it is hard to get a drink in the dining room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEFIowa Posted July 15 #14 Share Posted July 15 They essentially focus exclusively on the food and a bit on the drinks & service, but I don't think they mention what they actually paid. They make a big point about having paid, which gives them the right to be honest, but then no price details (other than the drinks package). When I compare what I've PAID (including bringing my own alcohol on board) to what I see for the prices of other high-end lines (e.g., Regents) I don't see any comparison at the respective price points. And we've never eaten in the GDR in our 40 nights at sea since 12/2021. Just not us. We prefer the TC's buffet and eating under the stars. So, so much of what they complain about has nothing to do with our experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Stockjock Posted July 15 Author #15 Share Posted July 15 26 minutes ago, GrammieK said: Correct me if I’m wrong, didn’t he say that they upgraded the beverage pkg? If so, why did it cost $69 per person per day? over 16 minutes to complain about slow bar service is a bit much, but I would agree sometimes it is hard to get a drink in the dining room. They may have had the same arrangement that I currently have, where the drink package was stripped off of the former O-Life promotion. If that was the case, they would’ve had to buy the premium package from scratch, rather than paying an upgrade fee. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrammieK Posted July 15 #16 Share Posted July 15 19 minutes ago, Stockjock said: They may have had the same arrangement that I currently have, where the drink package was stripped off of the former O-Life promotion. If that was the case, they would’ve had to buy the premium package from scratch, rather than paying an upgrade fee. that would explain it. I would still take it with a grain of salt. I’m sure you’ll have a great time. As everyone says, adjust your expectations. Nothing is perfect!. k🚢 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Stockjock Posted July 15 Author #17 Share Posted July 15 3 hours ago, MarkieMarkNYC said: Certainly I agree that food is subjective, but their complaints were also (and perhaps more so) about the service. I found their criticisms to seem valid. Staff functioning in highly-rigid roles without the capacity to go outside the box makes for a customer-unfriendly environment. I'll be on Sirena later this year and am looking forward to it. This was my takeaway. Most of their remarks were subjective, but some of their service concerns would seem to be less subjective, assuming they are being truthful. I hope that the roles of personnel are not so narrowly defined that service suffers as an unintended result. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnocket Posted July 15 #18 Share Posted July 15 How does that equation go? Something like.... Experience - Expectations = Satisfaction With their "Finest Cuisine at Sea" boast, Oceania sets the expectations for many people extremely high. It's really not that surprising then that some are left disappointed. As with most any product/service, if you believe the marketing hype, you are bound to be disappointed - especially if you have a broad frame of reference. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Vallesan Posted July 15 #19 Share Posted July 15 32 minutes ago, Stockjock said: This was my takeaway. Most of their remarks were subjective, but some of their service concerns would seem to be less subjective, assuming they are being truthful. I hope that the roles of personnel are not so narrowly defined that service suffers as an unintended result. We have sailed many times on Oceania small and large ships and I really don’t remember bad service at any time. The staff multifunction serving in different restaurants day and evening. Service again can be a bit subjective. I like good but unobtrusive service others almost expect the staff to ‘bow and scrape’ and be there at hand for their every whim! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Harters Posted July 15 #20 Share Posted July 15 3 hours ago, sunlover12 said: They lost all credibility with me when they said a $11 glass of wine is “very expensive”. I shall lose all credibility with you as well, in agreeing that $11 is expensive. Depending on location, that'd be anything from 50% to 100% more expensive than a glass of wine in the UK. The couple sound as though they are from South East England, where alcohol prices tend to be dearer than in other parts so probably 50% more expensive than they are used to whereas I'd reckon it's getting on for double my local prices. I have previously commented on the forum how expensive we find O's drinks prices (including, say, their alcohol free beer)- fortunately, I don't drink alcohol and my partner only very sparingly, so it is not an issue for us. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no fuss travel Posted July 15 #21 Share Posted July 15 Simply put, as many others have said, "You can't please everyone" We have been on cruises where there were a few passengers who found fault with everything and tried to convert everyone to their opinion. Those passengers tend to be isolated by other guests as most passengers will roll with the odd hiccup. Go on your cruise with an open mind and forget about their complaints. Some people are simply high maintenance and nothing will please them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted July 15 #22 Share Posted July 15 1 hour ago, Stockjock said: This was my takeaway. Most of their remarks were subjective, but some of their service concerns would seem to be less subjective, assuming they are being truthful. I hope that the roles of personnel are not so narrowly defined that service suffers as an unintended result. Like all other reviews whether it be a live report or an Amazon review - I look at the negatives and then compare to the number of positive reviews. I'm really looking forward to reading your review.. Don't recall when your cruise is. My first Oceania Cruise is exactly 2 months away in September. I'm on Regatta and have been warned it may not be the same as other class ships. I'm still excited. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Stockjock Posted July 15 Author #23 Share Posted July 15 (edited) I think some of the remarks in the comments section may be worth a look. Again, everyone should take opinions with a grain of salt, but that said, there may be some reasonable room for improvement. I've noted that Oceania has started responding directly to some of the reviews here on Cruise Critic, which I appreciate, so I hope that they take some of these remarks constructively. I'm with a big Wall Street firm, doing asset management, and a few years back, a client, now deceased, hit me between the eyes with some criticism. Nothing terrible, but criticism nonetheless. My first reaction was to be annoyed. Then, I took a step back, and even though she did it in a slightly forward and rude way, which was her general personality, I found that it was a legitimate criticism and used it to try to improve my customer service going forward. Hopefully, they will consider doing likewise. Edited July 15 by Stockjock 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Stockjock Posted July 15 Author #24 Share Posted July 15 (edited) 21 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said: Like all other reviews whether it be a live report or an Amazon review - I look at the negatives and then compare to the number of positive reviews. I'm really looking forward to reading your review.. Don't recall when your cruise is. My first Oceania Cruise is exactly 2 months away in September. I'm on Regatta and have been warned it may not be the same as other class ships. I'm still excited. Our cruise is in 5 or 6 months. I'd say my GF and I are in the "easy to please" category. We do address notable issues, but we try not to let them spoil our vacations. Not sure if it matters, but I've been an Amazon product reviewer (aka "Free Stuff") for 16 years, so I try to be very fair in my reviews and I do look at these trips from a reviewer's perspective, while still trying to let what's left of my hair down and have a good time. We enjoy the food in the MDR on MSC, so that being the case, I'd be surprised if we didn't enjoy the food on Oceania, although I'm not so sure about their "Finest Cuisine at Sea" motto. I guess these folks took it literally, although it is a bold statement by Oceania, and at least some degree of backing it up would seem to be appropriate. We head to "Rome" in a few weeks for a cruise on Celebrity Ascent, so I'm looking forward to that one. It will be my first cruise in an Edge-Class ship, and we have the controversial "Infinite Veranda" booked. First trip of the year, and I've been itching to get away. Edited July 15 by Stockjock 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 1985rz1 Posted July 15 #25 Share Posted July 15 1 hour ago, Harters said: I shall lose all credibility with you as well, in agreeing that $11 is expensive. Here in Flagstaff, AZ, a relatively small city with small city prices, we feel lucky if we can get a glass of wine at an upscale restaurant for less than US$15 plus tip. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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