We had a great cruise for two weeks in the Caribbean visiting nine beautiful islands. This was our 27th cruise overall on five different lines and our third cruise on Oceania. They are still the best. The weather was very good 13 out of 14 days. Our next to last day was rough seas and a little difficult for everyone but the Captain & crew did everything they could to make us comfortable. It passed & our last day on board was great. We ate meals at seven restaurants & they were all delicious. Constantly changing menus provided a wide array of choices each day. Menus are available on your cabin TV so you always know what is available. Grilled Lobster, Lamb Chops, and Steaks were available every night in the Terrace restaurant Grill in addition to the ever changing evening selections. Service was very good throughout the ship and some of the staff are truly exceptional. Everyone was very friendly & always willing to help. Our cabin, a Deluxe Ocean View, was larger than many similar cabins on other cruise lines, very comfortable and well maintained. The bathroom was always clean. Our cabin Steward and his associate were exceptional! Entertainment on board was varied & available all day every day. Everyone can find something to do all day long. Evening shows were very good. The production shows showcased some very talented young singers and dancers. The comedian had the entire audience laughing from beginning to end, and all without a four letter word! We were very surprised by the magician who was talented at magic and a real entertainer. Great entertainment overall, not what you would see on a 4,000 passenger ship, but we did not want to be on a 4,000 passenger ship. It was a lot of fun for a ship this size. We have chosen Oceania for our last two cruises because of the individual service you receive and the quality of the staff. We highly recommend this cruise line. Read Less

I have read a few of the recent reviews from guests, but I have to disagree with most. The suite we had was a Penthouse Suite 2 and the environment in our room was perfect. We could control the temperature on our own thermostat and it work well. The tub and shower option was excellent. The staff on this cruise was not the same smiles that we were used to having but the service was still the great service we have come to expect from Oceania. The reviews that say that they can see the difference between Frank Delrio and Bob Binder are correct. The cruise line has become more oriented towards making more money since the prices go up a lot, but on the Riviera this ship was still quite full and the guests are taken care very well. The service in the buffet dinning room was exceptional. There were more than enough personal to take care of our every need. There was only one place where the service was slow for us and that was in the Polo Grill where there were fewer servers than they needed. Do not know why this was, but it existed? The butler we had was excellent. When we put the do not disturb sign up, and we were never disturbed. In fact I thought our butler who was from India was outstanding. One more word the cruise director also was outstanding and could not have been better. He booked very good entertainment acts and had them well spaced on the nights that would go well for the guests. A really nice job. Ok you may believe that I am connected to Oceania? No, I have no connection at all with the cruise line or any of the ships or any of the staff. This has just been my honest opinion. Read Less

As veteran cruisers, we had high expectations for our first cruises (2/4 and 2/14, back to back) on Oceania. Our expectations were exceeded. Outstanding staff, cuisine, and a beautiful ship. We found the food in all venues to be wonderful, from the pool grill to the four upscale speciality restaurants. Totally professional wait staff in all venues. The only negative issues we encountered during this cruise were a toilet that backed up several times (common problem on our deck, according to the engineer who serviced our unit), plus two issues on the pool deck. The pool deck smoking area is not enclosed, and the cigar smoke is noticeable on the entire starboard side of the deck. We also encountered on the first cruise many entitled chair hogs who “reserved” up to 8 chairs many hours in advance of actually getting to the pool deck. Many guests complained and the pool deck staff stepped up their efforts, per their stated policy. Not much of a problem on the second cruise. We didn’t book any ship’s tours. Instead we did a few taxi tours on our own. Some of the ports (St. Bart, St. Maarten) were wonderful, others (St. Vincent, St. Lucia) were sad and poor. We will strongly consider Oceania for our future cruising. We are veterans of Cunard, Azamara, and others. Oceania is definitely top tier. Read Less

The ship is beautiful. The cuisine is fabulous. We couldn't wait to get off. We were in stateroom 7033. The heating and air conditioning system only blew cold air. No matter how much we turned up the thermostat, the unit, located right over the right side of the bed, blew cold air. Even with the veranda door open, it blew cold air. Sleeping under the cold and perhaps dirty (dust? mold?) air made for a miserable nights sleep. Exhausted, and at wits end, we shoved flat pieces of paper into the grate to deflect the incessant cold. It helped, but didn't solve the blowing cold. After several days we left a note for our room stewardess, and she immediately called in her supervisor. We waited as long as we did because having an HVAC repair person in our cabin wasn't what we wanted. Apparently the volume of air was adjusted. However, we still had cold air. Never warm. The "Tranquility Bed" they promote is a joke! It is too small and my husband's feet hung over the end. The sheets (not fitted) and mattress cover were a wrinkled mess. We constantly tried smoothing and tucking the bottom sheet, to no avail. The bed was the pitts! By the sixth night, we decided to try sleeping sideways. That helped me get out from under the constant blowing cold air, and we both slept a little better. The bathroom is very nice, however the water temperature in the shower vacillated between freezing cold, and scalding hot. The fluctuation varied within each minute, so if I timed it right I could attempt to rise off a head full of shampoo and a face full of soap in the few seconds between extremes. I thought about requesting a plumber, and decided I didn't want our bathroom torn apart in an attempt to fix what may be just part of cruising. After all, I wasn't the only one on a ship with 1400 guests showering. I understand some fluctuation, but the water in stateroom 7033 was a roller coaster of extremes. We had some rough seas. So rough, that one of our stops, that would have required a tender, was cancelled. Dinner conversations centered around remedies for the banging closet doors. Oceania really messed up with their closet placement, and sliding doors. The doors bang, and hangers bang up against the doors. The remedy? Place a bath towel over all the hangers, and shove a washcloth between the doors. Doing so will allow quiet during the night. One last thing: You may wish to bring your own pillow case. The environment is humid. Bedding is damp. My pillows stunk. I requested a cleaner pillow, but still came home with a badly infected eye, I suspect was caused by my stinky pillow. Loved the food, the fellow passengers, and the beautiful ship, but will think twice about sailing again on Oceania. Read Less

Oceania Riviera Cruise – Caribbean Feb. 4 – Feb. 14, 2020 Why this cruise? Out of our 41 ocean cruises, we had done 8 on Oceania vessels, and greatly enjoyed their small size, excellent food and general high quality of service; as well as good itineraries. Riviera is the same size as Oceana Marina, with 1250 passengers, and about twice the size of the four other ships in their fleet. But we felt like spoiling ourselves with a Penthouse Suite on this ship for a relaxing 10 days in the Caribbean, sailing to some ports we had not visited, and others we had not seen in some time. It was a worthwhile and very pleasant trip. The Ship With a gross tonnage of over 66,000 and a passenger complement of 1250, the space ratio per passenger was a very generous 52.86 cubic feet; far more than the normal cruise ship range of 30 to 45. The crew numbered 800, giving the ship a ratio of 1.56 passengers per crew member, again one of the best afloat, far ahead of the normal cruise ship, and bested by only a few of the super luxury lines. Riviera was built in 2013 and redone in 2019. It’s décor is very pleasant, leaning to striking modern art and low key walls, floors and public areas. The furniture is varied and comfortable. Our cabin was 405 square feet. This is plenty of room. There are two small chairs and a table at the foot of the bed, opposite some drawers, the refrigerator, dressing table and TV. The “suite” area has a full sized couch, table and arm chair and a large desk with ample drawer space. The verandah has two wicker arm chairs and a table. The closet is a walk-in, with plenty of space, plenty of clothes hangers, several drawers and shelves and the usual safe. The bathroom has a large sink, a shower bath and a separate shower. There is more than enough space for all one’s toiletries. The lighting system is excellent, with both the bed and the couch having separate gooseneck reading lamps in addition to normal lamps. The thermostat worked and we were able to maintain a good temperature level. We had this same cabin on Marina for its first Transatlantic crossing In November 2011, and knew these quarters to be a fine place to spend a cruise. As noted above, the ship is of a decent size, and laid out pretty well. Deck 15 has the delightful Horizon Room forward. Deck 14 features Toscana and the Polo Grill, the library, computer station, Barista coffee bar aft and the spa and fitness center forward. Deck 12 has the Terrace Buffet and Waves grill aft, the pool midships and some luxury cabins forward. Decks 11 through 7 are all cabins. Deck 6 has the Grand Dining Room aft, the Great Bar, Casino and Martinis Lounge midships. Deck 5 contains Red Ginger and Jacques midships, and the shops, Reception and the theater forward. Deck 4 has the Medical Center and tender debarkation. There are two elevator locations, one with two and the other with four units. There was seldom any delay on them except outside the theater after the shows, which can’t be helped. Dining Oceania is surpassed only by Crystal in the quality of its food. Riviera has its Grand Dining Room and Terraces buffet, and four specialty restaurants that have no extra charge; Red Ginger for Oriental food, Jacques for French Dining, Toscana for Italian and the Polo Grill for steak and beef lovers. The food in all of these venues (we did not try the Polo Grill) is excellent and the service beyond reproach. We had two dinners in the buffet, which was well set up with table cloths and fine table ware, as well as having an excellent selection. While all the restaurants were busy, none were noisy, and all moved smoothly. The selections were quite varied, and the desserts marvelous. Entertainment There were five production shows, including one on the pool deck which we did not attend. This is far more than on any ten day cruise we have taken. The production team consisted of six males and six females, and they were quite talented in comparison with most cruise line offerings. Once again, Crystal sets the mark. The theater is on the small size, although it was never completely full. It does not allow for any spectacular routines, but we did appreciate the fact that the sound was kept to a reasonable level. We did not see any of the other entertainment offerings, with one exception. This was the Ocean String Quartet – four young ladies from Poland who played every day in the large Horizon Room for 4:00 P.M. tea, and three other daily sessions in the Great Bar area outside the main dining room. We greatly enjoyed their music. There were other shows in the Theater, but we do not enjoy comedians, and were not moved to attend any other acts. All the evening shows started at 9:30 P.M.; which seems a little late given that most people dined starting at 6:30. There was an Enrichment Lecturer, Dr. Greg Wheeler, an archeologist who spoke on all sea days and was reasonably entertaining. On board announcements were not made into the cabins, with the exception of the Muster Drill and the word from the Captain that we could not tender into Punta Cana, DR due to rough seas. Ports Nassau was our first stop, but with five other cruise ships in the harbor, we were docked at the farthest pier, and did not feel up to walking to the cruise terminal. The next day was a sea day (which we love) followed by Punta Cana, where, as noted, the sea was too rough to tender ashore. Our next port was Marigot on St. Maarten where we did a ship’s tour which was quite nice. Sunday saw St. John’s, Antigua, but it was raining, and while my wife strolled around town, not much was open. The next port was St. Lucia, where we had a private tour that was also very nice, and we enjoyed this island. The last stop was St. Barts. This is a French island, with mostly French inhabitants, unlike the other stops. It also caters to the wealthy, with several multi million dollar yachts in the harbor, extremely expensive hotels, homes selling for several million euros, and very expensive restaurants. We limited ourselves to strolling around the port area. After that, it was two sea days and then Miami. The Crew With 800 crew members we were well taken care of. Oceania manages to keep an experienced group. Our cabin stewardess had been with them 13 years, almost as long as the company has been in business. Our butler was very pleasant, and although we did not use him much, he was always readily available, and checked on us every day. The Executive Lounge concierge was very helpful when I ran into an airline reservation snag. The medical staff was very efficient, and the reception staff always pleasant and able to come up with an answer. As noted above, the dining staff was first rate. We noted that the Executive Chef often visited and observed the buffet and main dining room service during times when food was being served; often accompanied by the General Manager and/or the Executive Concierge. That is a sign of an excellent management attitude. Miscellaneous The cabin TV had some excellent features such as a number of movies, and a clear passenger account record, but the news was somewhat limited, with only European sports and a very poor navigation reporting system. This seems odd in view of the fact that all intercontinental airlines have excellent navigation systems at every seat. Other cruise lines also do a much better job In this area. The daily on board activities were typical, and the enrichment speaker was able to fill in with a lecture when we did not stop at Punta Cana. Conclusion This was a very nice, if not spectacular cruise. We had booked it for a fairly quiet trip, and that was what we got. We looked forward to a delightful cabin, excellent service and great food, and we received what we expected. What more can one ask for. Bon Voyage Read Less

We have had excellent trips on Oceania and were on the Riviera three years ago. We had particularly enjoyed the food and the very excellent service from a dedicated and well trained staff so we eagerly chose Oceania/Riviera again. Unfortunately, Oceania had been bought over by NCL recently and the change in management was very evident. The food was still very good to excellent, the cabin category we chose, penthouse 1 was still very well appointed, clean and comfortable. What was really different was the quality of the service. We had always been impressed by the helpfulness, kindness, speed and efficiency of the Oceania service. The NCL management seems to be saving on staff. Everywhere, the staff was rushed, harassed and seemingly uncomfortable. In the Terrace and Grand dining room, the service was seriously understaffed leading not only to longer wait times for food delivery but also to less personal attention. On earlier trips, Terrace staff immediately would see me, an older person, and rush to carry my plates. On this last trip, that happened only occasionally - perhaps not because of the service staff but because they were all rushed off their feet most of the time. Friendly chats with staff which we had enjoyed on earlier trips were really not possible. The housekeeping staff did their jobs very well but it took longer for cabins to be cleaned in mornings because there didn't seem to be enough of them to do the job. And, finally it seemed to us that many of the staff no longer had happy, smiling faces but seemed to be unhappy, going through the motions of service while counting the days to their next home leave. NCL has a different philosophy of cruise ship management catering to a different and younger clientele but applying the same criteria to Oceania has led to a downgraded service. We are not sure if we will choose Oceania again Read Less

We chose this cruise to do something different. We had never been on a “luxury” cruise line and wanted to compare it to Celebrity Cruise Lines. We have been on about 30 cruises, so we have tried most of the major lines. The average age on this Riviera sailing seemed to be about 75. We couldn’t help but notice the increase in scooters, canes and walkers. I have needed all 3 of those helpers at one time but have just never seen this volume. I think the rudeness of many of the passengers was the most annoying occurrence. I am 63 but I am still courteous and definitely not entitled. Their were fewer shows and at times there was no one to be found. The casino was about the size of our living room and there were few people - sometimes one one person at a Blackjack table. The food in the dining room was excellent, the Penthouse suite was beyond comfortable and spacious but the service was lacking. We slept in daily and had room service - the cabin steward seemed annoyed at our schedule despite us giving her the morning off. The butler was annoying coming back for our tray sometimes only 30 minutes after delivery. And the “do not disturb” was on the door! The butler was very insistent on us doing the online survey. I think he wanted to do it for us. He certainly told us what to say on the form. If we gave him less than a perfect score, he let us know he would not get his point. If both of us did not fill out the online survey he would not get his “point”. Seems like a survey doomed for dishonesty. He would KNOW if we rated him imperfectly before we were off the ship by his getting a point or not. He delivered us curdled milk 3 times. Someone in that dining room has to know the milk is curdling. The room service food was cold .... pancakes, French Toast and eggs. The coffee was warm not hot. Service was sparse in the Terrace Cafe. The staff seemed rushed, drink service slow, it is not self serve and there are times there were not enough servers. My husband was scolded for touching a spoon—-his response was “ have a server there!” Since the Coronavirus was announced, ketchup, mustard and mayo for a burger was hidden away so we could not self serve. They brought them to the table in the same squirt bottles and left them. I watched as they cleaned up - the bottles were not disinfected and neither were the placemats or salt and pepper shakers that stayed on the tables. One of our highlights was watching the Super Bowl in our suite and ordering in dinner and snacks. We also had included internet, soft drinks and onboard credit we used in the Spa Another annoying thing .... this ship seemed to be far away from everything when docked. 400 yards to get to the end of a pier without any form of transportation was difficult. Nothing luxury about that. We are looking forward to being back on Celebrity this spring..... a smiling cabin steward that understands our schedule, a hot breakfast delivered and time given by the butler to enjoy it, wonderful food, comfort and service that feels extremely luxurious and among passengers that aren’t entitled-acting and loud. Read Less

There was a lot of advertising and lots of promises about the fabulous standard and service on Riviera, so we had high expectations. Unfortunately they were not fully met. Here a short sum up: our suite was very nice, the ship in general elegant and modern, the staff was friendly but without some personal touch, the food was just average, entertainment was quite okay, the ports of call could have been better and even so the excursions. Our spacious Penthouse Suite nr 9145 was very nice and we can recommend it. It has a very quiet location at the end of the aisle. We liked the big walk in closet, the comfortable bed and the nice balcony with the adjustable sunchairs. The butler service feels a little bit ridiculous and we used it rarely. And why has a butler to beg us for good rating in the internal survey?! We were a little bit disappointed about the food. It was okay, but not more. We had the best dinner experience in the Terrasse Café and Polo Grill. In all restaurants they serve you with a very high speed and 4-5 people take care of you. One for the food, one for the water, one for the wine….. There is actually no chance to have a quiet and relaxing dinner. It is no problem on Riviera to eat a 3 course menu in 45 minutes. The quality of entertainment was both good and bad. The staff was in general very kind but without the little extra. They were just drilled to say “hello and have a nice day” and to get things right. We really disliked the mandatory charge of 404 $ in gratuity – either you liked the service or not. Some of the port of calls turned out as very strange, like the container harbour in Santo Tomas, Guatemala or the uninhabited island Harvest Caye, Belize. We were partly disappointed about our excursions organized by Riviera; they did not fully comply with the description we got. Read Less

We thought we should try another line as we had only done many cruises on Crystal. Positives- our cabin was very nice, our steward was great, and room service was good, tea was nice. Unfortunately the tiny table on our veranda was so small that we had to eat with our plates on our lap. Negatives- terrible service regarding drinks at dinner ( we had the premiere package), terrible food in main dining room , Toscana dinner was bad, other specialty restaurants were good, buffets were fine but crowded. Supervisors were excellent at avoiding eye contact. The servers were all very good, but clearly would rather have been somewhere else. Pool area had jerks leaving items to reserve leaving many with nowhere to sit. Chairs crammed in. Certainly Crystal is more expensive, but if you want a great experience book there. This line couldn’t care less if you come back. Read Less

I always cruise at the holidays at least the 10th time w/Oceania at this holiday sailing - they cook, clean and sing. What's not to like? Oh yeah, 1. scooters: I've never seen such a 'disabled' bunch of people. Research indicated U.S. ADA rules must be followed and ANYONE can use a scooter on board. The scooters blocked doorways to all venues such as restaurants, library, theater, etc. They were left haphazardly in the hallways and everywhere on ship. put the scooters in the cabins....if there is an emergency, I need to get out. They are a SAFETY hazard for everyone. A parking area for scooters is needed. (amazingly the scooter people are able to navigate a buffet on foot!) And......the scooter drivers yell at you to 'get out of their way'...wow 2. "Service/therapy" animals......they barked and bothered other cabins, they growled in the theater and were fed filet mignon.....no kibble for them. Something has got to give....I used to think the kids were the problem...haha The service and food were very good. The entertainment was mediocre at best (as usual), the decorations this year were very good. Oceania doesn't know who they are going to get for a group ....this year was the least friendly and most rude bunch of people ever. Read Less

This is our 2nd time on Oceania. We are Elite members of Celebrity but we like the smaller ship and amenities on Oceania. We parked at Garage J and walked right across the street to the terminal. Very convenient although, on the return, we did have to take a bus to the garage but it was very quick. Embarkation was quick at 1:30. We found out that our B2 veranda cabin on deck 8 was not going to be ready until 3pm. That was a bummer so we went straight to the Terrace Cafe which was as good as we remembered. An announcement came a little after 2 that the cabins were ready. Our stateroom was as we remembered. it was spotless and kept that way by our very friendly room attendant. Blackout curtains actually closed all the way. Comfy bed and good pillows. Towels were thick but not soft. Hate the shower. So small, tired of bumping my elbows. The closet had plenty of hangers but don't like the location next to the bed. Plenty of storage space. We ate at the main dining room, the buffet, and all 4 specialty restaurants for dinner. The only one we wouldn't go back to was Polo Grille. I love ribeye and mine came lukewarm which I didn't mind but it was tasteless, no seasoning. There was one constant flaw with the food. I love caesar side and make a really good one at home. The buffet and 3 of the restaurants served the same caesar salad and it was soggy and tasteless. I always got it for lunch at the buffet. One day there were bringing out a new container of lettuce and I notice in the old one that there was probably an inch of water sitting in the bottom. that explained why the lettuce was soggy. But in each restaurant? As far as entertainment, I'm hearing impaired (can hear but sometimes can't understand the conversation), so I didn't go to see the comedian. My husband did and said he was just OK. The magician was amateurish. The other 2 shows were good. I did well at the casino and I liked that it was smoke-free. Had a wonderful massage at the spa. Worked out in the afternoons and had no wait for equipment. The service all around was really good as expected. Everyone smiled and wanted to help. Happy hour at Horizons worked out really well as I found a drink that I liked a lot and it was 2 for 1. We did not do shore excursion as we had been to all of these places before but we really liked the fact that the ship was docked close to the towns so we could walk off the ship and be right in the middle of things. We are planning on doing another Oceania cruise when the price is right. Who doesn't love being pampered! Read Less

Sixth Oceania cruise, just wanted a short escape before Christmas. We didn't care about the ports, we just wanted to relax and enjoy the ship. We were not expecting the worst service ever received on an Oceania cruise, and actually some of the poorest service I've ever experienced on any of my past 25 or so previous cruises My guess is that between having management raided by Viking Ocean cruises and others, and higher than normal turnover in staff, and procedural changes caused by the merger/takeover by NCL that the hotel side of the ship's operation is in chaos. 1) Embarcation - We were supposed to have expedited embarkation (paid for last-minute upgrade). Total disaster, lobby jammed with passengers, computers said to be down, took more than 1 and 1/2 hours for so-called expedited service. I couldn't find anyone from the ship's management to discuss the problem. 2) Finally boarded the ship, crew at the gate was cordial and welcoming. We went to the lunch buffet and were surprised at the general attitude of the crew. Not one person said hello, welcome to our ship, or anything else. Got the feeling that we were an inconvenience to them, not the folks that paid their salary. Very different than the past. 3) Cabin was spotlessly clean, but also very warm. Adjusting thermostat was of no help, had to call for maintenance to reset the controls in our cabin. Serviceman was cordial and fixed the problem. 4) Service in the bars and areas surrounding them was poor. We almost always had to ask for help and for additional service. Given that they charge $12 for Canadian Club on the rocks I expected that they might pour a decent drink. I was wrong, could not have been more than a 1 oz. pour. Also, almost always seemed to be short-staffed and servers apparently had no idea what good customer service was. Cold at best, borderline rude at worst. Pianist on board the ship would have been better replaced by a player piano. NO personality, average ability and mostly annoying. 5) Specialty restaurants - Service was good, staff was attentive, food was excellent as in the past. I must say the overall quality of the food and it's preparation has not suffered with whatever else is going downhill. Food in the main dining room was good, service seemed fine, the nights we dined there the dining room seemed to be about 1/3 empty. 6) In conclusion, there is something terribly wrong with Oceania if our cruise is any indication. They have forgotten customer service, we've had better treatment on almost every other cruise line we've traveled in the past (25+). I doubt that we'll ever return to Oceania. It saddens me to say that, but it's become just a bit above average at luxury prices. Read Less

We previously sailed in the Caribbean on Silversea on the Silver Cloud, a smaller and older ship, and wanted to try a larger and newer ship. The experience was outstanding. With 1250 guests, the Riviera didn't feel too big or too crowded to us, is in beautiful condition and was decorated for the holidays. The finishes and furnishings were luxurious, yet not overdone. We loved the variety of quality art on the walls throughout the ship and we could always find a quiet place to read. We loved the expanded size of our penthouse suite, with plenty of space to relax and a large walk-in closet. The crew members attending to our suite were friendly and professional. The specialty restaurants with their varied menus and excellent service were outstanding and we appreciated being able to reserve a table for two in advance. We loved the Terrace Cafe with many delicious buffet options for breakfast and lunch....especially eating on the outside terrace at the stern of the ship. The evening entertainment shows, featuring singers and dancers, was consistently outstanding. We also loved listening to the string quartet in more quiet settings. John, the cruise director, gave concise announcements over the PA system and was a great host of the evening shows. The entire crew seemed to be happy to be working on the Riviera and to take pride in their work. We particularly enjoyed the Cozumel Highlights and Shopping excursion with Raul as our passionate and well-informed guide. The Gumbalimba Preservation Park excursion in Roatan was also enjoyable. We're already searching for our next cruise on Oceania! Read Less

We have cruised on this ship several times pre the NCL takeover and without doubt NCL have damaged Riviera's reputation perhaps forever. Staff numbers have been cut and service levels can be poor as staff struggle to cope. Reductions of recipe ingredient costs and along with it quality has had a damming effect on food standards...meat even the bread is simply on occasion not what you would expect for a ship that purports to have the"finest cuisine at sea". That strap line is misleading, we travelled on both Silverseas and Seabourn earlier this year and Seabourn in particular is way ahead on both service and cooking. The terrace cafe was excellent. Entertainment has always been a weak point with Oceania, and on Riviera it was dire, with the exception of Pilates teacher Penelope it was at a standard of a small village Christmas show. The Cruise Director sought to keep clear of guests by being invisible front of house. Our favourite announcement by said Cruise Director "we have had to miss out on our visit to St Barths due to bad weather, you will now spend 3 days at sea while we sail straight back to Miami, however we have arranged extra sessions of bean bag throwing, table tennis and Bingo"..... such joy from all the guests!. Ships Officers ...we have never sailed on any ship where we were never once spoken to by any of the officers....maybe they are instructed by NCL not to talk to guests. They certainly don't... ever. Read Less

The food and the food service having an outstanding reputation fell far short of our expectations. Several entrées were returned to the kitchen which were tasteless or overcooked. The veal marsala served at the Toscano special restaurant was lacking the Marcella sauce and tasteless. The egg plant lasagna served at the buffet was so undercooked that it tasted like a raw vegetable. The grouper at the main dining was extremely fishy and the prime rib was paper thin and too tough to cut. This seems to be the general theme throughout all our meal experiences on board. The service was good at times and unfortunately, very poor at times. Especially in the buffet, dishes were not cleared on a timely manner from the tables. Our juice request, being tomato juice at breakfast literally took 20 minutes before it was delivered to our table. A request for yellow mustard was finally delivered after asking three separate servers. This seems to be the norm. Coffee was served cold at the Tuscano restaurant and our dessert order never arrived. There seems to be a disconnect between the staff and the passengers, at least from our perspective. We are very conscious about Cleanliness and virus prevention and to our surprise, during the entire 10 day cruise, we saw no crew member wiping down the rails, elevator, and other common areas. I can go on and on with our disappointments including the entertainment which we walked out on on three separate occasions. This was our first cruise on Oceania Which was to experience the ship having been to the Caribbean many many times before. The experience was not positive and in comparison to the other lines that we often sale, the Oceana was sub par. Read Less

This was our first Oceania cruise and it sure was more than my husband and and I expected - it was fantastic. The ship, Riveria, was a nice size, small with lots of amenities. Our concierge suite was small, but offered lots of storage, drawers and shelves. The speciality restaurants were great, with Jacques being my hands down favorite. The shows were fun with talented singers and dancers. We did not see much of the comedian or ventriloquist, but heard they were good. We booked a cooking class on one of the sea days. Excellent, excellent, excellent chef instructor with delish recipes that these two non-cooks nailed! I found my artistic side with the very talented artist in residence W. Andre Allen. What fun painting a glass plate using his contemporary pouring technique way, this 3 day class was free. Also free was the Coffee and Needlepoint group projects. I took home a great zippered makeup bag. The service on the service was OUTSTANDING. I cant say enough about the wonderful staff and crew. Everyone was happy, helpful and delighted to make everyones trip great. We purchased the unlimited shore excursions but did not get more than one in per day. My favorite was sailing in St. Barths - fabulous beaches and we lucked out with the perfect sailing day. My husband liked the cave exploration in Dominican Republic, it was pretty cool. I did not see any children on the ship, maybe because it was the week before Thanksgiving and school was in. Most of the passengers were retired, well traveled and from all over the world. We met some fascinating people and had a fantastic time. We definitely look forward to cruising with Oceania again soon. Read Less

Weather in northeast was far too cold to enjoy the beautiful cities of Canada and New England. Embarkation looked like a greased pig rodeo with two individuals (later three) controlling the crowds. The "herder-in-charge" was too busy chatting with guests (at the head of the line) to keep the processing running smoothly, with agents waving at him frantically to get his attention to send over another person to check in. The subordinate, on the other hand, was constantly distracted by questions, problems, and other issues so that people were jumping the line to check in. When the chatty man in charge noticed the line jumpers, he verbally attacked the other who was facing the crowds. They finally added a third person to make their system work properly. Ship was beautiful. Cabin was clean and well kept. Water was NOT softened leaving the skin and scalp very dry. Dining was good, but not great as there were not too many "simple food" options for people with dietary restrictions. Food too rich. Service was exceptional. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the itinerary. All of the cities were places of interest to us and we had not visited them before. We took advantage of the pre cruise add on. Our hotel, Le Germaine, in Montreal had just re-opened after an update. The update is quite modern, think chairs hanging on chain from the ceiling. The hotel is in an ideal location for walking to downtown. The bed was comfortable, shower large and wonderful, and the staff could not have been any better. The pre cruise itinerary enabled us to tour not only Montreal but also Ottawa. Oceania had quick embarkation and fast delivery of our luggage. The Riviera cabin with a veranda was perfect for us. The furnishings were standard but the linens and towels were pristine and new. Our cabin attendants, Suresh and Wilmer, kept our room cleaned and the refrigerator stocked at times when we were out, so we never knew they were even around. Our short conversations with Wilmer were pleasant and his smile and friendliness made him a standout in our mind. This was a very casual cruise with no formal night. Most of the female cruisers dressed in slacks and nice tops for dinners. A very few wore a dress. Men don't need to pack even a sports jacket. Laundry use of washers and dryers was free and detergent was supplied. Had I known, I would have packed less. Dining at the specialty restaurants was excellent, as was the service. We especially loved the Red Ginger and were lucky to get 2 nights there. The watermelon and crispy duck salad and the Sea Bass entree were outstanding. Check with restaurant reservations to see if there is room to add extra to your 4. Thanks to Oceania for including the specialty restaurants without an uncharge. Loved lunching at the Waves Grill. A main Dining Room tip: orders at shared tables will not be taken until the table is full. Entertainment was mostly very good. There was one magician that we didn't like due to the shrill yelling kind of delivery he had. He might have been a great magician but his delivery made the magic go away. One comedian was great the first night but a following night had too many "fart" jokes to be funny. Yes, our crowd was old-er but come on. Boutique options were limited. I was interested in the perfumes etc. at one shop. I observed that the clerk was quite friendly with the 2 customers in front of me. However, when I stepped up and asked questions, I felt that I was treated almost rudely by said clerk and not a valued customer. Perhaps I didn't have the look of $$ ? We loved all the ports that we visited but think the ship excursions were over priced. EX: 2 hour walking tour at 119.00 per person! Book from a local or go on your own at most places and you will do so much better than the Oceania excursions. The only exception was the 2 day hop on in NYC. I thought that one was reasonable. On tender days the wait to get off was terribly long. One day we didn't get off until noon. There must be a more efficient way for this. Disembarking was swift, our luggage was gone from in front of our cabin the night before to claim before boarding our bus to the airport. We did so enjoy our trip but would caution that this was a ship of elderly persons. This is not a cruise for children. I would not recommend it for those who are looking for lots of shipboard fun. There were daily Mensa quizzes, trivia, bean bag toss, golf, an art scavenger hunt, and a few other activities. Perhaps this was in part to the ports and time of year. I don't know about Caribbean experiences on Oceania. Enjoy your trip! PS. Points were given for joining in on the quizzes, trivia, etc. At the end of the trip there was a point redemption for awesome items. I scored a fleece lined windbreaker, t shirt, and purse holder! Read Less

Oceania is my favorite cruise line, always has excellent food and service. From the stewards to the servers in the dining areas, always outstanding service. Dijon and Suprano took good care of us, always available to our needs. Sedeep in the grill in the Terrace Cafe always greeted you with a big smile and asked you what your needs were and often brought our hot dishes to our table if time permitted since my husband is disabled. Jason also assisted him with breakfast ordered an omelette and bacon and brought it to his table. Buddha in the Toscano was outstanding. He provided extra assistance by cutting his food in bite size pieces since he had noticed he had a walker. Mark in the Polo Grill was great too. He also assisted my husband with his steak. All were very caring and helpful, always with a smile. glad I was able to cancel some excursions in New York city because of weather and schedule a panoramic one. My only problem is not enough accessible rooms/cabins. If you look around what is the average age of most your guests and they’re in walkers, wheelchairs, and have walking canes. They put a chair in the shower, it was so big that there was no room for him to step in the shower and it did not fit in the tub either. If you could at least position some hand rails in the shower and tub to hold on to while taking a shower it would make a BIG difference for your physically challenged guests. It would also help every one during rough seas. I already made a reservation for an Alaskan cruise for next year so we could get a handicapped cabin. The Regatta has ONLY 3 Handicapped rooms available in the whole ship an they are inside cabins Read Less

Food was great, excellent maid service and friendly professional wait staff. Lousy wifi connectivity; we had to go to computer area to complete this review. On shore excursions were less than adequate. Cliff Walk and Breakers in Newport was good and allowed for time on your own in Breakers mansion. PEI tour of Coastal Charms was too long -- stopping for 45 minutes at souvenir shop not desirable. Travel lectures were extremely disappointing, Information presented in a rambling, disorganized fashion providing very little real guidance or background history. Ship is beautiful and has a variety of areas for eating and enjoying the time traveling. Dining was great and food exceeded expectations. Entertainment also exceeded expectations: the string quartet was fabulous, professional and very enjoyable. The Riviera Show team was fantastic, extremely talented and delightful. Comedienne was very good both evenings and also in the afternoon session. Comedian was good but use of bathroom humor was overdone and in poor taste. Major credit to Oceania captain and crew for change in itinerary because of bad weather in Bar Harbor. Change allowed us a beautiful fall day in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Embarkation and disembarkation went very smoothly even when port required use of tenders. Read Less

We were looking forward to seeing the fall colours down the coast of New England and indulge ourselves in some luxury. We could not fault the cabin or the service onboard - both were excellent. But much of the food was not really to our taste - a very burnt-tasting lobster bisque and some odd flavour combinations (not sure what they did to make the avocado toast taste nothing like a fresh avocado) though Toscana served some of the best pasta I have ever tasted. The entertainment was ho-hum - good dancers but poor voices and the Smile String Quartet did not raise a smile at any time (very serious young ladies). The saving grace was the Riviera Show Band who were great. However what really shocked us were the prices of the excursions. You can always expect that they will be pricey from the ship - but up to 3 times the price of the same excursion booked independently is price gouging. My suggestion is to book some excursions independently before you leave - Quebec, Portland and and Bar Harbour are too beautiful to miss because of budget and there are very good independent companies that offer great value. It was also disappointing to spend 2 days sheltering at sea during a storm and not be provided with anything other than the set daily activities to compensate for not seeing Boston and Rhode Island. Some of the activities were naturally over-crowded seeing nobody was on shore. A bit of imagination and the addition of some extra entertainment would have helped raise the mood and overcome the disappointment. But the worst part was the disembarkation - a queue that was so long it took us nearly an hour to leave the ship. We have never experienced that on any cruise before. What we always remember is the beginning and the end - and the ned was very bad indeed. Read Less

I chose this cruise because of the ports and food but I was very disappointed in the addition of an additional tender at Sydney and Sydney in general! It is a port that should be taken out! Instead add a day to Quebec City as the time spent there was way too short. It was also hard since the time spent there was cut short. I also think the beverage package is over priced. You should be able to get wine at the bars too especially since most days, we are not there for lunch! The spa is nice but you need more than one bathroom in the changing room. We did have wonderful staff that cleaned our room(Leadie). The food was very good especially in the specialty restaurants. The excursions were very expensive and the ones that I would have been interested in were moderate and were filled. Thank you Read Less

Told this USED TO BE a great cruise line. Times have changed tremendously!! Definitely a 3rd rate ship in need of professional leadership at the corporate level. The ship is run as though they going broke!! You pay for two fares for you and your partner, then are told the so called free internet can only be used by one of you at a time??? Or you can pay an additional $270 for the other person. They allow one bar of shower soap for two people to last 2 weeks. The same with the small bottles of lotion and shampoo ! Of course, you can purchase more.... Food quality has definitely declined significantly!!!! And the portions are meager as you almost beg for more. Waiters have been ordered not to ask would you like another drink, unless it is one you are buying. We would never cruise with Oceania again. Caveat emptor.. Read Less

Just returned from three week cruise on Riviera. Have cruised with them before but I think they have gone downhill. Many small problems. Late for several excursion because of management issues. Three tours was cut short because of problems but we were offered no compensation. Twice we had serious tender issues and once had to be towed back to ship. Crew was good but I think there are management issues. Most disappointing was the excursions.Descriptions did not match reality. They over-hype the excursions. leading to a disappointing experience. Management unresponsive to our issues.Disembarkation was an issue. We were told breakfast a 5:30 but when we got there they said it was a mistake and had to wait until 6:30, another in a series of management miscommunications. Leave the ship was 30 min.later than we were told. Special restaurants were all excellent. The manager of Red Ginger was very impressive and ran a top notch operation. Read Less

I've never been on such a disappointing cruise. And the shame is that since I was in a concierge floor veranda stateroom and didn't want to share a room, I paid almost $20,000 for two weeks of over-the-top mediocrity. The best things were the steward on my floor, the mostly prompt room service and the organization at meals which is a good thing because on Riviera you eat from the buffet for all meals unless you make a reservation at one of the restaurants or go to the Grand Dining Room which isn't anything to write home about. After a week the buffet food was very boring although I have to say that I don't have a very sophisticated palate and I don't like a lot of different foods so other people might have felt differently. However, I did eat an awful lot of beef on this trip. I recommend the hamburgers. Otherwise, three times a day you have to serve yourself. And on sea days if you're a little bit late to meals you might not find any place to sit. The tours were also rather disappointing. For one thing they were very crowded - usually a full busload of people. And in general there was quite a bit of disorganization. There was so much waiting around. Disembarking was sometimes a problem. One day the platform had to be transferred to the other side of the boat. On another day a few of the tenders weren't working and had to be repaired. On another day there was ice on the platform. We spent considerable amounts of time waiting in the lounge to disembark while these problems were resolved. And on top of all that I lost an expensive sweater which was not turned in to Reception. The reason I mention this is that in my opinion it reflects on the the caliber of the other passengers or on the character of the crew. Read Less