Stay Away from Oceania

[Oscark]

If you've booked it, cancel it. If you are thinking about taking it, don't. We just got back from a 2 week Panama Canal cruise on the Regatta. We're so glad to be off the ship! The reasons:

 

1. Ship handles poorly in open waters. Half the ship was seasick and it wasn't that rough out.

 

2. Tour Excursions are the worst. A passenger died on a rafting trip. Description of the tour was inappropriate. The prior day, several passengers were injured. Instead of warning passengers or cancelling the excursion the next day, it proceeded with passengers who were to old for the trip. As a result, a passenger drowned.

 

3. The food was inconsistent. Very little variety. Desserts were a disappointment. Bread and rolls were never warm. Meals were improperly cooked and cold.

 

4. They nickel and dime you to death on the ship with charges.

 

5. Entertainment was terrible. Absolutely nothing to do most of the time. Sea days seemed like they would never end.

 

6. Casino was a joke.

 

7. Cabins were small. No mini bars or refrigerators. Television channels were limited. With nothing else to do on the ship, at least their could be something on tv to make the days go faster.

 

Bottom line, don't waste your money.

[Andee]

I'm sorry you had such a miserable time. We were on the Insignia for two weeks in October, and liked it so much, we can't wait to book again. We've only been on a few cruises (Princess, Celebrity, Orient), but this was by far our favorite.

 

1. We were in the Med, felt significant movement a couple of times, but even my seasick prone husband didn't get ill.

 

2. We never go on shore excursions, as we don't like travelling in a crowd, but enjoyed the ports very much. I thought it was wonderful that someone from the Tourist Information office of the port got on every morning with maps and information.

 

3. We found the food to be very good, and always presented like a work of art. One time the soup wasn't hot enough, but every thing else was served at the right temperature.

 

4. We spent very little, so didn't feel nickel and dimed: bought two pictures, went to a wine tasting, had a few drinks. I liked that they let you bring your own wine on board. We bought several bottles in different ports, and enjoyed having a glass in our cabin after a tiring day in port.

 

5. We thought the entertainers were quite good--all four singers had very good voices, and lots of personality. Maybe we're just easily amused, but we liked the Team Trivia, Name That Tune, the Art Auction, political lecturer, wine tasting, wandering the ship, sitting by the pool, getting to know other passengers, dancing, reading a book by the window, cooking demo, etc.

 

6. We didn't do any gambling, but liked watching others in the Casino; they seemed to be having fun.

 

7. We thought our cabin was a decent size--liked having a love seat and table. Didn't expect a mini-bar or frig, so didn't miss it. We rarely watched TV, but enjoyed CSI.

[john2003]

Thanks for posting this view.

 

We are booked on the Insignia in March and have been contemplating the Transatlantic as a back to back. Your version of expectations is a pretty good fit with ours. I will have a think about transatlantic on a small cruise ship, although we are both reasonably good sailors. It is a good point to consider.

 

It is unfortunate that the original poster had such a bad time. It may well have not been the right "fit" and other things went wrong as well. This will happen.

[Zimmy]

We were on the Regatta in the Baltics this past August. There were four of us, and none of us was seasick for a moment. We commented that we did not even feel like we were on a ship. I had been on this ship previously in Greece, when it was Renaissance, and thought it was smooth sailing then, also. All of us loved our Regatta cruise; we booked another while on board. The food was fantastic, well presented, and well served. I agree with the original poster about the entertainment, but I've never been thrilled with the entertainment on any ship I've been on. The one shore excursion from the ship which we took was not up to our standards, but we generally book our own excursions with a private guide. We've found that to be better and cheaper, with the advantage of not being in a herd, or on a bus.

My uncle was on the same cruise as the original poster. The story about the rafting death is horrifying. My uncle said that the excursion was described as having Class 2 rapids, when in fact it was more like Class 4. But the victim was not "too old" for the trip, at least in my view. I was told that he was in his fifties.

[goeurope]

If you've booked it, cancel it. If you are thinking about taking it, don't. [etc.]

 

Was it necessary to post the same message twice, at different times and with different message headers? It's hard not to get the impression that you're someone with a grudge and an axe to grind--especially when some of your statements (the comment about the ship handling poorly in open waters, for example) are at odds with the experiences of other cruisers.

 

It would be interesting to hear comments from other passengers who were on the same cruise.

[ClaudiaF]

Was it necessary to post the same message twice, at different times and with different message headers? It's hard not to get the impression that you're someone with a grudge and an axe to grind--especially when some of your statements (the comment about the ship handling poorly in open waters, for example) are at odds with the experiences of other cruisers. It would be interesting to hear comments from other passengers who were on the same cruise.

 

Would certainly be interesting to hear from others who were on that cruise. That is awful about the rafting disaster.

Interesting that , that was his/her first post............

[Choocom]

Thanks for posting this view.

 

We are booked on the Insignia in March and have been contemplating the Transatlantic as a back to back. Your version of expectations is a pretty good fit with ours. I will have a think about transatlantic on a small cruise ship, although we are both reasonably good sailors. It is a good point to consider.

 

It is unfortunate that the original poster had such a bad time. It may well have not been the right "fit" and other things went wrong as well. This will happen.

We have just returned from the Transatlantic crossing on Insignia and couldn't recomend it highly enough. It was our first cruise and I had worried about being in a restricted enviornment with so many others. I needn't have worried at all. There was plenty to do and people were wonderfully friendly but not at all pushy. The food was divine. The only thing I complained about was the tea (but I'm British so that's traditional !!) The staff and crew were cheerful, helpfull and superbly well trained.

The sea was like a mill pond most of the time so I can't comment on that aspect but I would have no fears. I'm sure you will have a marvelous time.

[NewCruiseFan]

On my very first cruise (Jan 2004) we had 2 people airlifted off the ship due to serious illness/injury and two passengers died - one in the elevator the other on the dance floor. Both gentlemen who passed were well under 40. Sadly, accidents, injury and illness happen.

 

There were some on board who posited that the overwhelming delight of being away from the office led to too much care free giddiness.

 

When you head out on a nature driven excursion you need to always remember who the boss is and pay very close attention.

[wayfarer]

Could not agree more with Oscark. We were on Regatta Miami-Barcelona (26 days) last March. Perhaps things have improved, but we could not wait to get off. We found the ship beautiful, but officers were indifferent and had learned to say "no" even to the most minor and logical request; shore excursion desk were most rude, even though prices were highest we had ever experienced; service was generally spotty & crew inexperienced - ie tables were not reset properly most times cutlery, side plates, napkins, etc were missing; line ups for dinner (45 min) at popular 6:30-8pm hours; very few activities and lectures were beyond poor, consequently we were bored stiff; constantly nickled and dimed. We cruise 3 to 4 times a year and are partial to long cruises with many sea days. We have never been in a position before where we posted the itinerary on our cabin wall stroking off the days, so anxious we were to get off. There is much more we could share of our negative experiences, but this will give the reader an brief overview, other than to say each day brought another disquieting experience of one sort or another. We continue to cruise constantly, have never complained, go with the flow, and understand that this might have been a unique situation, but there were a lot of people on this particular cruise who shared our sentiments fully.

[FlyFishermanADK]

Could not agree more with Oscark. We were on Regatta Miami-Barcelona (26 days) last March. Perhaps things have improved, but we could not wait to get off. Very few activities and lectures were beyond poor, consequently we were bored stiff; constantly nickled and dimed. We cruise 3 to 4 times a year and are partial to long cruises with many sea days. We have never been in a position before where we posted the itinerary on our cabin wall stroking off the days, so anxious we were to get off.

 

I'm hoping it really isn't this bad...going to be booking on 12 day cruise out of Miami...I know it's not going to be Mardi Gras...but please don't tell me I will be attending a funeral!

[Zimmy]

Flyfisherman, I have seen reviews of this March, 2004 transatlantic cruise on this board, and I have no doubt that what the posters describe was true. However, we were on the Regatta this past August, and it was wonderful. Oceania is a relatively new cruise line, perhaps they had growing pains, I really don't know. But I can tell you that by August they had their act together. We loved our cruise. You will have a great time.

[Rickey 88]

I'm hoping it really isn't this bad...going to be booking on 12 day cruise out of Miami...I know it's not going to be Mardi Gras...but please don't tell me I will be attending a funeral!

 

You should not be disappointed - 99% of posters in this and other boards have previously expressed their postive experiences on both Regatta and Insignia.

 

However, I believe that "Wayfarer" has previously placed a number of negative reports in this and some other sources under verious member names. To many of us, she appears to have a definite grudge against Oceania for whatever reason - and will never be satisfied.

 

Some believe that she will continue on this mission of hers until such times as Oceania gives her a full refund and "Free" cruise. Hope that NEVER happens...

[joan24]

We were on the Regatta in June for Stockholm to Dover. We absolutely loved our cruise and booked another one for May. We found the crew to be friendly and helpful and never encountered any rudeness at all. I hope no one is turned away from Oceania because of a couple of postings. The people who sail on Oceania and love the cruise line far outnumber the ones who don't. Have a wonderful cruise.

Joan

[chazaroo]

I just looked up Wayfarer's posts. Strange, since joining, Wayfarer has posted only four times...all of them attacking Oceania. I wonder if Wayfarer is related to Merriem. Actually, I wonder if Wayfarer is Merriem. Anyway, no matter, we're taking Regatta for a 12 day spin starting next Thursday and really looking forward to it. We'll post a report when we return.

[kuzo1]

Everything that Oscark has posted regarding the Regatta trip Nov. 15-27 is true. I have been on this ship when it was REN, and the ship was still fine, but the food, service, and concern for the safety of the passengers were all seriously lacking.

I am an experienced cruiser. This year I have been on six different cruise lines for a period of 115 days; so I feel I can recognize good and bad when it comes to most aspects of cruising.

 

The gentleman who lost his life on the white water rafting trip was in his middle sixties, had trouble walking, and was very large. There were some other people in their sixties, and one in the 70's on that particular 8 man raft. At least one half of the 21 paying passengers that day had never seen a raft before, let alone a white water raft, where all passengers must paddle, with one guide on the back of the raft. I am an experienced rafter and kayaker, and I was on one of the three rafts that Sunday, Nov. 20th. I feel that the age and physical condition of some of the passengers should have been an issue, to preclude their participation, or at least advise them of the difficulty, and inherent danger of this particular white water rafting trip.

 

The trip was totally misrepresented by the Destinations Services personnel aboard the Regatta, both verbally and in print. It was listed as moderate difficulty, with rapids from class1-3. The trip was to start with the least difficult water, and work up to the most difficult. There was no mention of the mile walk from the road to the put in site on the river.

I feel strongly that the trip should have been cancelled on Sunday. This is because the same trip the day before, on Saturday, had serious problems. All the people in one boat were thrown into the rapids at one time or another. Some others from a second boat were also thrown into the rapids. This resulted in injuries from cuts and bruises, to a broken finger, and a shoulder injury.

 

The saddest commentary was at 5:00pm on Saturday when I spoke with the director of Destinations Services, and her assistant. I asked if Sunday's trip was going to be cancelled. Shy asked, why I would think so? My reply was that because the danger of the Saturday trip, and the resulting injuries should merit cancellation. Her answer was there is no reason to consider cancellation because only two people fell of one raft, and there were no injuries. She was aware of the dangers and injuries, because her assistant was on the trip. His comment was that his boat was the only one that had not had a passenger thrown from the boat.

 

When we started our trip on Sunday, we put on life jackets and a helmet, and grabbed a paddle. We then had a rafting and safety instruction talk by each guide, as we sat in the boats. This covered safety and how to paddle. It was impossible to practice the paddle procedures because we were pulled up partly on shore, and the water was less than a foot deep for most people in the boats. When we took off from the riverbank, we were in a class 3 rapid within 2 minutes. There was no time for inexperienced passengers to even learn to paddle forward in sync. Time also did not allow practice for left forward-right back, right forward-left back, stop, and all down.

 

Our boat with 8 passengers made it down this first class 3 rapid on the left side.

We than went downstream along the shore to see and wait for the other two boats, and rescue if necessary.

The second boat also took the left, but had two people thrown off the back part of the raft. They were luckey to grab the safety line that surrounds the boat, and were pulled back into the boat.

 

Passengers in the 3rd boat flipped within the first two minutes in this first rapid which is called "Oh My God" They were apparently told by their guide that he was going to the right side, which he said was a class 4 rapid. No raft with 8 inexperienced white water rafters and one guide, should ever knowingly enter such a rapid, with only 2 minutes of experience on the river.

I watched as the raft flipped, and watched the rescue efforts for about 45 minutes.

There were people that were cut, bruised, and in shock. On man had his bathing suit ripped off in the current. Shoes were torn off, and a ring was lost. Two or three people were trapped under the boat, and at least one other person almost drown. We pulled one woman passenger into our boat with the help of the rescue kayaker. She had beed trapped under the boat, and then against a rock in the current for at least 30 minutes.

I will be back in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica next week, not on the Regatta, and I will not raft.

There are no grudges or sour grapes on my part. Just total sadness. This incident could have, and should have been prevented by Oceania cruises. However, their personnel failed to guarantee the most important aspect of cruising, customer safety.

[peggyann]

wow!!! What a sad story. I am anxiously waiting for some posting from Oceania about this episode. I have not checked into it to see if this was the first time Regatta was in this port using this excursion. But certainly anytime a passenger is thrown from a raft, having had no immediate practice time should give Destination services serious pause about repeating that tour the next day. Especially if one of the assistants had witnessed passengers in distress. Sounds as if this was misrepresented as moderate and should be challenged.

 

I'm also sad (on a much less serious vein) to hear that the food and attitudes as reported by the above cruiser were not up to the usual Oceania standard. I hope that the winter cruises in the Caribbean are not becoming the stepchild to the more exotic destinations of South America and Europe.

[WesW]

Kuzo1; thanks for taking the time to post--this a tragic incident, very sorry to hear

about it but glad you posted.

 

We will be in Puerto Limon next week (on RSSC) and have scheduled the white

water rafting excursion..Is PL where this incident took place. My wife is a weak

swimmer and I do not want to place her in harm's way. thanks

 

r/wes

[shoshona2]

sorry to hear that the Destinations Services hasn't improved since we were on the Baltic's cruise in 2003. We organized all our tours ourselves before hand so we didn't have to use them. We are taking the Black Sea Cruise in July of 2004 on the Insignia and I have been researching again. Hopefully, we won't have to use them. I would have thought that someone from Corporate Headquarters would read these posts from time to time to do something to change the problems. When the Insignia was launched last Spring, they moved everyone who was good from the Regatta to the Insignia. There were many posts about how bad the service was. That was probably the time of the Transatlantic crossing. The next cruises seemed to be okay.

[new_cruiser]

We will be in Puerto Limon next week (on RSSC) and have scheduled the white

water rafting excursion..Is PL where this incident took place. My wife is a weak

swimmer and I do not want to place her in harm's way. thanks

 

r/wes

It is hard to know what you mean by "a weak swimmer". This could cover a lot of ground. There will be a life vest and one will not have to swim long distances but one should be able to orient oneself in the water. Is she comfortable in the water? Would she be likely to panic?The description of the trip does say " -For those who enjoy the vigorous outdoor activities, like to feel adrenaline causing through their veins, relish adventure . . . and don't mind water, this tour is for you!!" Does this describe your wife?

 

It says the rapids are Class III - there can be times when it feels like a lot is happening at once and it can be scary - that's what makes the adrenaline flow.

 

I've been on Class III trips on the Kings River and South Fork of the American River a number of times. These were half day or all day trips and I can't remember any trip where everyone stayed in the boat through all of the rapids. It sounds like the excursion is shorter, but going over class III one must be prepared for the possiblilty of ending up in the water. You have a life vest on so it isn't exactly swimming. You will normally stay afloat because of the vest. Because there can be foam - that's what makes it white water - if you end up in the water in a rapid there can be times when it is difficult to breath even though the vest is keeping your head above the water. You have to keep your head and follow the instructions you were given for this circumstance during the briefing.

 

This can be a lot of fun, but it isn't a totally controlable situation.

 

Definition of a Class III rapid: Large, continuous series or sets of waves, some in excess of 6 feet. "Holes" or "hydraulics" may be present, and can be run or avoided. Small drops, ledges or waterfalls may be present. Scouting the rapids is suggested for all but the most experienced of river persons.

[umcerjudy]

Wow! reading some of these posts makes me wonder if we booked the best cruiseline for our destinations. We are changing from Radisson:( to Oceania because of scheduling. We LOVE Radisson but thought we would give Oceania a try. Since we live in Las Vegas; we don't go for the entertainment. Altho, we did enjoy Radisson wonderful lecturers. We re going because we realy want to see Istanbul. Been on 3 Med cruises and 1 Baltics (fantastic) in the last few years. 2 Radisson, l RCCI and 1 Orient. All very very nice. I hope that Oceanioa gets it act together for 2005 because they seem to gathering a following. Time will tell if we will be one of them.:confused:

[Jancruz]

Oceania has its act together and is an excellent cruise line..many cruise lines have had accidents happen on their tours..it is so sad..

and I feel so bad for the family..that said.... I am sure no one from the line will be posting here due to liability..

I am sorry the first poster had such a terrible trip..the reason there are so many ships is for so many different tastes..I personally would never go on any cruise lines but Oceania and Radisson..but that is just me..

Jan

*****

[Jane110]

I'm a fan of Oceania Cruise lines and will be sailing with them again this winter.

 

Aboard ship, I've found the food to be fabulous and the service excellent. I agree that the cabins are a tad small (we take a standard w/ balcony), however, we knew that before going aboard. On the other hand, they compensate for it by having plenty of drawer space and lots of bathroom shelf space and IMHO, they're prettier than most cabins on other lines. If size is a concern people should look at deck plans before booking - same thing about having a refrigerator in the room. It disappoints me that Oceania doesn't have them, but I knew it before booking. I've read that Oceania is now adding refrigerators to the standard balcony cabins on the 7th deck, but not the 6th deck. Honestly, I'm a bit annoyed that Oceania feels those of us in balcony cabins on 6 aren't deserving of them as well, but again, I'm booking with open eyes and weigh all factors.

 

Entertainment on the ship can vary widely from cruise to cruise. However, since Oceania is a destination oriented ship, after a long day in port and a lovely dinner, we really don't care too much about the entertainer. We have found the singers, comedians, etc to be just fine. We find that there are usually such interesting fellow passengers on Oceania and the open seating allows for wonderful interaction that we often wind up spending the evening talking to others and forgetting to go to the show. I don't know why the the initial poster said the casino was "a joke". They have the usual blackjack tables and slot machines, though unfortunately, not a craps table, which my husband enjoys.

 

I agree that Oceania is lacking in their tours. They're too expensive and not all that well thought out, IMHO. This recent rafting experience is extremely a horrible one. They should have cancelled the next day's tour. Clearly, they weren't clued in on how potentially dangerous it was and didn't accurately convey the level of difficulty of the excursion and that's not good.

[wayfarer]

Zimmy what you say about Oceania being a new cruise line at the time we took our cruise is probably the reason we had a bad experience. Apolo were in the process of staffing two ships (Regatta & Insignia) in a very short period, and that was a big order even for them. I have not been on this post for some time and am glad to hear so many people are pleased with the line now. The ships are really beautiful so it makes me feel good that they appear have their act together, maybe we should give them another try . We have posted positive comments on Crystal, Radisson & HAM pages but our experience on Regatta, although it would appear uncommon, was so upsetting for my wife and I that we had to pass it on.

[Jancruz]

Wayfarer..it is so refreshing to see someone actually admit they may have had an unusual experience ( bad) on Oceania..I am sure if you give it another try..with an open mind you will love it..I have had a few really bad cruises myself on other cruise lines over the years..(we have cruised over 50 times) but have always gone back and had a great time..Interestingly enough Oceania has been spectacular each time we have been on!!!

 

Jan Fishbein

*****

[peterwen]

We were also on the Panama Canal cruise. Everything written about the rafting incident and the shore excursions is true. It was a very unfortunate accident that should not have happened, especially because of the incidents occurring on the prior day, which should have given Oceania notice about the dangers and misdescription of the tour in their excursion materials. At least a warning would have been nice.

 

As far as the other comments, in general, we were also disappointed with the food. We found the food in the specialty Italian restaurant to be quite good, and the service to be exceptional. However, the food in the other restaurants was fair to good at best. Surely not as good as advertised. The bakery items (desserts, bread etc. was a real disappointment). The outside grill (hamburger, hotdogs) was bad. The hamburgers were pre-made and dry.

 

The cabins on the ship are small. We had an outside balcony on the top deck. No refrigerator. Our bathroom door handle broke off and it took 2 days for them to fix it. Our a/c did not work properly for 5 days. Finally, they came and fixed it.

 

I also agree about lack of things to do on ship. We had several sea days there was not much to do during the day. Very few activities, unless you love art auctions and shuffleboard.

 

We also had a problem with Oceania not honoring a room credit we were supposed to receive. The travel agent, who contacted us after we completed some info on Oceania's web site asking for info on future cruises, told us that we would receive a $200 shipboard credit. All of our paperwork and tickets showed the credit. However, we never received it. When we asked, we were told that it was a mistake for the promo credit to have been offered to us based on the fare that we paid. All I know is that we were quoted a fare and told we would get a room credit. We were not aware of any promo before this. Although the mistake was make by an Oceania reservation agent (assuming it was a mistake), the ship refused to honor it.

 

The best we can say for the cruise is that the room stewards and dining room staff was superior. They really go out of there way to please and work hard.

 

Bottom line, this is our 12th or so cruise we have been on and our 6th cruise line. This is the first cruise we've taken where we were counting the days for it to end. We would not cruise with Oceania again.