We used to be huge fans of Oceania Cruises and recommended them to everyone. However, our recent experience has led to a significant shift in our perception. The quality of food and service has noticeably declined since our last cruise a year ago, and we were also disappointed by the overall cleanliness. Unfortunately, this last trip has made us reconsider our loyalty; it was one of the most disappointing vacations we've ever had, especially given the considerable amount of money we spent. We won’t be booking another Oceania cruise in the future.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
It went very smooth and everyone was very nice.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
The food quality has declined significantly. I have been on 6 Oceania cruises now, and the meat and produce quality has gone down. The new restaurant was horrible every single time we tried it. They don't even make good smoothies or juices anymore. Seems they have cut a lot of corners perhaps due to inflation. Unfortunately their prices haven't gone down, so we are paying more for far worse food.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The spa's sauna and steam rooms are never in use because they are unbelievably hot. The pool seemed fine when we are there although they did not refurbish the pool or hot tubs during their recent dry dock. The casino was about 85 degrees every time we went in there, and they've made no updates to Martinis, which seems odd. Parts of the ship are updated while others are very tired.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
One of the primary reasons we started sailing with Oceania over other cruise lines was due to their service. Unfortunately that too has changed significantly. The staff overall didn't seem happy to be there, often times being very rude. Our butler almost ruined our entire trip with his behavior. He knew my husband suffered from migraines, yet still chose to stand inches from our door for hours every afternoon and evening being as loud as possible. He even shouted into our room one morning because we had not left the room yet. He came into our room on multiple occasions without buzzing our door bell, and acted frustrated when we asked if he could return in a few minutes as we were getting ready. I could go on, but honestly the worst butler service ever. Our room attendant was nice, but the assistant attendant/cleaner got more unfriendly as each day went on, and we honestly wondered if we did something wrong (we always left our room spotless). The food/service staff was hit or miss. Sometimes they were nice and helpful, but most of the time we got one refill on water and never again. They weren't busy, but they would disappear after the initial greeting. It seems the only people around and attentive were those that were selling alcohol, and they always acted frustrated when we declined buying any.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Another selling feature of choosing Oceania was always how clean it was. However, it seems they no longer have people going around cleaning the common areas anymore. I know this as I observed many areas that never got cleaned the entire time we were there. I think a lot of illnesses were being spread while we were on our short trip as MANY people were sick and coughing. I think they need to make more of an effort to keep the place clean like they used to.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
The overall look of the updated Penthouse suites are really nice. The beds are also comfortable. However, if you hit rough seas, the entire room will sound like it's twisting and breaking apart the entire night, which is what happened to us. I'm not sure how anyone sleeps on the ship during any rough seas. I would think they would make more of an effort to make it quiet. Our closet light was motion activated so every night it would turn on and off every time the ship moved. The temperature regulation was also all over the place. The plumbing stopped working for a good few hours one day, but they never told anyone, so I couldn't flush the toilet. We never felt like our room was a retreat as almost every time we came back to our room our butler was questioning us why we came back so soon or where we were going. Every other hallway was clear most of the time while ours was grand central station. We even got yelled at one night when we forgot to put our "please clean the room" sign on our door for turn down. We didn't mind at all that we didn't get a turn down, but they seemed angry about it.
Ship tip
Wash your hands frequently as they do not clean areas well anymore and sickness is spreading a lot on board.
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