Though we used to be great fans, we were very disappointed in Oceania and details on this cruise. Japan is not as US friendly as most ports we have visitied and you must have your passport with you all the time. The language barrier made it difficult, and there is a LOT of walking. It does appear they have reevaluated the tours and the walk ratings have been changed since we booked them. Japan is interesting and I got some great photos. Riviera did not meet our expectations overall, and though similar ship, it does not compare to our prior experience on Marina, which we loved.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Provided tansfer almost made us miss the cruise.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Though the food was quite good overall, there were too many mistakes made in the main dining, and it appears the staff were not as knowledgeable as they should be. The buffet was very good, the specialty restaurants excellent. The main dining room was inconsistent, and the menu options were not as good as in the past. The barista was great. The Conciere lounge snacks were OK in a pinch. Hours of buffet service did not correspond to the tours, making lunch a bit difficult upon returning.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The art classes were outstanding and I also enjoyed doing the needlework, on the sea day.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Missed many due to timing of shows. What we saw was good.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Room steward was very good, waiters wanted to be helpful, but seemed not as well trained as in the past. Other personnel listen well, but did not seem to have the ability to resolve most issues.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Beautiful ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin was very nice. A/C worked veyr well, storage was excellent. Missed having a chair in the room - the stool at the dressing table was heavy and hard to use.
Ship tip
Don't miss the Art studio - it was the highlight of our trip.
The excursion was rated wrong when we booked and was much too difficult for my husband and anyone else with limited mobility. Oceania changed the rating, but did not tell us they changed it - so like many of the passengers were not able to fully do this tour.
The port was interesting, but our guide was completely incomprehensible and you could not hear anything she said, nor understand it. We all pretty much did our own thing since we had no idea what she was saying.
This port was very interesting and we finally had a wonderful guide! We all enjoyed her and the port immensely. This tour was also rated for walking incorrectly (2 changed to a 3) when we booked, but the tour guide helped everyone have a wonderful time.
The process for customs at arrival was horrible - imagine 1000 people all in line for 2-3 hours at once ON the ship before we could debark. The exhibits were depressing and not American friendly - but our guide
Since we had a Japanese guide who spoke good English and made sure everyone enjoyed themselves, this port was quite enjoyable. But again the tour walk rating changed from 1 to 2 and was more difficult than expected.
Great tour, but again it was rated a 2 for walking when we booked and was not a 3 - and included lots of walking! Great castle, and quite interesting, but my husband had to assist another passenger when could not make the long walk.
Sounds like the ship and crew members did a great job, but the ports and disembarkation process were very poor. I wish that more excursion operators would use ear plug devices to communicate in crowds … similar to Viking River Cruises. Accents in foreign countries, though, are always a problem for some of us.
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