Riviera Review
Happiness was missing from this cruise- and not because of the norovirus problem
Rating by category
Additional details
This reviewer and his wife are seasoned cruisers. This was our first time with Oceania. We are in our early 60's.
The Staff was incredible, faced with potentially overwhelming demands on the staff's times as the entire ship was treated for norovirus.
We did not get to do the enrichment activities we had booked (culinary experiences) due to the norovirus issue. We were refunded our monies for those activities.
Cabin Review
Verandah Stateroom
Nice. Comfortable, and clean. The shower door did not close completely. We did not use the tub. We had more than enough space for our gear, and we brought a lot of gear.
Port Reviews
Miami
We did arrive a day early so we could go to the Rustick Inn in Fort Lauderdale for the most incredible crab supper, renting a car for a day at Miami Airport and crashing at the Holiday Inn Express Miami Springs (who, by the way, arranged for a cab to take us to the Port of Miami for a total of $20.00.)
St. Maarten
Our goal was to walk around the shopping centers. We did, and had a nice lunch at the Greenhouse Bar, very close to the water taxi station. Outstanding food- try the conch soup. The mixed drinks were pretty good there, too!
Samana and Cayo Levantado
We did pay for this tour. At the evening before, the Cruise Director told all attendees at the end of the comedian's performance (Noodles Levine- and he was AWFUL) that what would happen would be that everyone who had a shore excursion planned through the ship would be taken via tender to this little island that had no services, very few trees, and no access to the Resorts. He even said: "I asked the Captain why we were stopping, and the Captain told me that it was just for refueling." Had we known that BEFORE the night prior to arriving, we would have cancelled the shore excursion and gotten our money back.
We opted to stay on the boat and read. Interesting that we heard an announcement for the cruisers who were going to the beach in the afternoon: "There are very few trees- take your umbrellas from your staterooms."
Oceania should consider working with the Resorts, or just be up front about the valuelessness of this stop to guests on the boat.