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This cruise picked up where the last trip for the Riviera dropped off passengers two days early because of the noro virus. The ship was at this stage undergoing deep sanitation when we arrived for embarkation. People with spray bottles and gloves were spraying the counter surfaces for new passengers in the embarkation area. Once on the ship we went to the buffet for lunch. Service people were walking around with buckets and gloves cleaning all tables and chairs as new guests finished eating. No one was permitted to sit down until table tops were completely dry. People were waiting around for 20 minutes or more for the process to be completed; a true inconvenience. We all stared at each other wondering what to do. This went on for several days. The bucket brigade was everywhere washing walls, washing tables in all areas, etc. Keeping the noro virus at bay delayed services to passengers and called a halt to the start of other services until there was an assurance that the noro was under control. That may be fine as a safeguard and we appreciate that, but having paid for a full cruise, passengers did not receive the full benefit of full services, or full staff, as people were tending to noro cleaning and sanitation. Cabins were neglected, food was of the poorest quality, service at poolside was virtually non-existent. It wasn't until days 4-5 that things started moving along. Nevertheless, food selections were limited at best, services mediocre at best. Linens unchanged entire trip. Total waste of money. Could not wait to get off the ship from day one. Oceania now owned by NCL, not independent. Decline everywhere in quality and not because of the noro virus. This cruise was costly at best with little pleasure or value received based on our expectations, especially with what we were told about this ship. Read Less

I was hoping to find reviews after our cruise from hell showing that Oceania's Riveria had resolved the virus issues. Unfortunately not. It appears that the 2 sailings after ours (which was cut short by 2 days, so they could "sanitize" the ship). We were not allowed to get off the ship until the port authority inspected the ship, everything was canceled, yet left the spa, gym and pool were open (perfect breeding grounds for the virus). We were made to feel like it was our fault for the virus even though it was on the previous cruise. One of friends caught the virus and was quarantined for half the cruise. We got an email one day before stating that boarding would be delayed so they could do a deep clean, unfortunately our friend who got sick indicated the restroom in their cabin was not thoroughly cleaned....By the way...boarding was not delayed. The service suffered, food was average(previously was known as the best of the seas)...everything smelled like the sanitizing solution that was dripping off of everything. We are experienced cruisers...this was the worst experience we've ever had. Read Less

Cabin #8061 Everything came together on this cruise. This was our second cruise on Oceana. We boarded the ship 3:00 in the afternoon after taking a tour of Miami. We were surprised to find our luggage at our room within 10 minutes of boarding. We had a great time. Greg Moreland, the Magician on board was a highlight of the cruise. What a great guy. He did two shows and on the sea days he held magic classes. I'm still showing tricks to my Grandkids ! We have been cruising 20 years and as we get older and have slowed down and the type cruise we take has changed. We walk slower and have little need for rock climbing walls! This cruise was perfect. Most, if not all, were retired. The staff were fantastic, helpful and really appeared to enjoy their jobs. At this point in our lives we don't drink (maybe one or two the entire cruise). No one has "hawking" drinks. And we had as much water and diet drinks as we desired. The food and service was great in every venue. I loved when we got to choose from a variety of "chop stocks" at Red Ginger. I had never used metal Korean chop sticks before. The library was great ... not to mention the lounge chairs ! The coffee .. wonderful. We really thought the rooms were larger. The bathroom with the shower and bath tub was larger than most. There was more than enough storage space. The 1025 passenger count was great. Unlike on larger ships, we would see people over and over during the trip. I almost forgot to mention the wonderful bedding. Like I said at the beginning, everything came together on this cruise. We hit it right. The weather was good and we just enjoyed the ride ! Read Less

Mayan Mystique 10-20 Dec 2012 Inside Stateroom Pluses; Spa, Public Rooms, Food Minuses - shower, disembarkation, Tuscan Grill We are a couple in our 40's and accompanied family who are older than us, but nevertheless we think the average age of our fellow passengers was 60's and younger than we expected. Even if the passengers were in fact older they were generally fit and active Americans, judging by the number who used the gym. The Spa was excellent (and expensive) and the hydrotherapy pool on the outside deck right at the front of the ship on level 14 was fantastic. We had an inside stateroom and apart from the miniscule shower (you literally could not turn round or bend over), the bathroom was fine and the bedroom area although small quite acceptable. As space was tight it did mean you had to shut the bathroom door so that the wardrobe door could be opened. Our family had an Oceania Suite which was fantastic and we could enjoy their space too, such as being on their balcony when sailing out of Miami the first night. The design of the public areas is elegant and quite understated. We enjoyed the evening shows in the theatre. The food was the best bit of the cruise; we had excellent experiences in all restaurants EXCEPT Toscana. We ate there twice. The first time there was obviously a problem in the kitchen as three courses (which were all good) took 2.5 hours. The second time not only was the service slow but the main courses (except one main of pasta) were over salted and poor, which indicated more significant problems in the kitchen. When our family complained the senior staff could not have been more apologetic. We enjoyed Polo Grill, Red Ginger and Jacques especially. Service in the Grand Dining Room also tended to be slow but we only went for the breakfast service. The main buffet was also excellent for all meals taken there; breakfast had an excellent choice of fresh fruits, lunch had different things every day and there was always sushi and grilled lobster available at dinner. Disembarkation when tenders were required was a bit chaotic. The day we were in Belize we were late gaining immigration clearance and the tender was 25 minutes to shore. The staff controlling the process from the main lounge stated that priority was not given to Oceania own excursion guests but this was patently not true and more than 10 groups were called before an independent groups of guests was called. Really this added insult to injury. Oceania excursions were extremely expensive but with the exception of Guatemala we found it easy to research and book independent, private tours on the internet before we sailed and all at considerable less expense. In particular we would recommend: In Belize - Cave Tubing. BZ run by Vitalino Reyes. Whilst they specialise in cave tubing we took a private tour to the mayan ruins at Alta Ha which was fantastic. In Costa Maya - Chacchoben Mayan Ruins with The Native Choice run by Ivan Cohuo. Again we had an excellent private tour of the ruins. In Roatan, Honduras - island tour with Rony's Tours which was extremely eye opening and our driver/guide was very flexible. Read Less

Spent a couple days prior to the cruise in Miami which really makes a huge difference. We could relax and not worry about getting to the ship on time. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Port of Miami which was very convenient to Bayside Marketplace and a CVS Pharmacy was only one block away. Embarkation took about an hour. I had a cane; standing hurts and I could have used a quicker check-in. Although the EPIC holds about 4,200 passengers, it never seemed crowded. Once onboard, people find their favorite bar, restaurant, deck, chill out place and are spread out. I enjoyed sitting on my balcony reading and enjoying the beautiful scenery. I did not attend any shows but did pay to attend the Mystery Luncheon; food was not good and did not settle well with me or my son. We had connecting balcony cabins which was wonderful. Joel, our cabin steward, was hardworking, personable and attentive. The new opaque shower and bathroom doors were a concern and that is why I got my own cabin. If you are not traveling as a couple, they may cause an issue. There is a curtain to separate this area from the rest of the cabin; however, if someone needs to come into the cabin or out, they would need to pass thru this area and the curtain does not help. We met several ship staff that provided excellent service, including Irra in the Wasabi Restaurant. She made me a flower after the meal. We ate at three upcharge restaurants. Moderno had great food and excellent service, as did Wasabi. We also ate three times at Cagneys, where the food was mouth-in-your-mouth delicious. I had breakfast in Taste twice and enjoyed it very much. We also ate at the Garden Cafe Buffet and the food was very good. There were double stations of nearly every choice and plenty of tables. Staff cleared the tables quickly. Ship pictures were easy to find located in folders with your cabin number. They have face recognition software so they do not need your cabin number in order to properly place your pics. (Although, there were two pics of a couple in my folder whom I did not know, so it may need some work or was a simple mistake.) I loved the fact that since the ship does not serve Diet Dr. Pepper, I was able to carry on several unopened bottles. Joel cleaned out my fridge at my request and opened the balcony door between our connecting cabins on the second day. We tipped Joel three times during the week. I spent my time relaxing and enjoyed the balcony so much. I am allergic to cigarette smoke and was concerned about the reviews that mentioned too much smoke from the casino. Not a problem, so perhaps they have improved the air circulation or filters. There is a nonsmoking area in the casino and I spent a little time there. We took a taxi ($9 each for 3)over to Maho Beach in St. Marten where the huge jets fly just a few feet over the beach. It was awesome. Had lunch at the Sunset Bar and Grill there. Hired a taxi for a private 2 1/2 hr tour of St. Thomas in a Cadillac Escalade. Our driver George was a great narrator with a great personality. We had a restroom and cold drink stop about half way through. At Nassau, we walked off the ship and down a few blocks to Senor Frogs where we had lunch. Debarkation was easy; we walked off with our own luggage around 8:30. Eastern Caribbean is very beautiful. All in all, it was a wonderful trip and I LOVED the EPIC; however, it was the excellent staff who spoiled me that helped make it a great trip. Read Less