Why Oceania Cruises Disappointed Us

Welcome to our YouTube channel! In this video, we discuss our recent experience with Oceania Cruises aboard the Oceania Sirena and share why we were disappointed. We delve into the shortcomings we encountered during our cruise, including service issues, dining experiences, and onboard amenities. While Oceania Cruises is known for its luxury offerings, our journey raised some concerns that we felt were important to share. If you're considering an Oceania cruise or want to learn more about our honest feedback, this video provides valuable insights. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more travel reviews and tips!

#oceaniacruises #sirena #cruiseblog #cruiseblogger

[davidadair]

We have traveled six times with Oceania five times on Riviera and once on Marina, ships are beautiful however the last two cruises the quality of food has slipped substantially! Cut backs are apparent and we were told by one of the chefs that food suppliers have changed. You folks being "foodies" would certainly enjoy an evening at La Reserve (By Wine Spectator) which is located on Riviera and Marina but you pay over $200.00 for this experience, for wine food pairing. A point of clarification, Oceania is not targeted or in the same league as Regent, Crystal, Seaborne, Silversea or Explora Journeys. They are one step down in the Premium not Luxury market if you will. Despite this you are paying big money for the "Finest Cuisine at Sea" not the value it once was for sure. You have the right to feel angry about your experience, wake up Oceania! I thought you were going to lose your "s#%***&@! LOL!

[peterhession]

Thank you for your comments, I would be very disappointed with this experience. Appreciate the heads up.

[richparsons]

Haven't sailed the Oceania Serena, but just finished an absolutely awesome trip on Oceania Vista. Stunning in beauty and service! The food was extraordinarily outstanding. Really looking forward to sailing with Oceania again.

[rlemerick]

We are about to go on our 40th cruise with Oceania. Yes the food has gradually gone done in quality. However there are very nice changes coming with all new menus at this time. We look forward to the changes.

[DaveM-FFB]

Keep in mind that the Sirena is a 25 year old ship. We sailed on Oceania's mostly refurbished Riviera ship twice in early 2023. After a wonderful 23 day cruise on Riviera, we flew home for a month, and then rejoined the ship in Barcelona. To our surprise many of the excellent crew members weren't there when we returned. Many of them were recruited to work on the new Vista ship. I suspect that some of the best crew from ALL of the Oceania ships went to Vista (chefs and all). The same may happen again in July 2025 when Allura begins sailing. Prior to 2023, Oceania didn't have a new ship for 11 years. They may have some growing pains.

[donnacharles]

OMG! Thank you for this video I honestly just got my Oceania Cruises brochure in the mail yesterday. This was very helpful.

[soniacollicoat]

Thanks for the honest heads up. Will re think any future Oceania cruises. Have cruised with Azamara and Viking, very happy with both.

[warrenwolf]

We are loyal Regent cruisers. I have considered Oceania you have answered many of my questions. Thanks for saving us the trouble 🥺

[charlesredick]

We’re about to do our 18th Oceania cruise and have never ever had that MDR experience w drinks. First of all it is always quicker in the specialty restaurants- they are smaller and reserved seating spaces out its guests seatings. Per our O-Club level we get free drinks with meals. and upgrade to the full package. But never have had that experience, including a B2B on the Sirena. Sorry for that experience. As to the food have had a few problems but overall only complaint is the diet after we get home.

[walterknight]

Agree completely. I have been on Riviera pre covid and the brand new Vista in Jan 2023. The food is not as advertised. Yes it was ok -good food, but not excellent.

I will not be using Oceania in the near future.

[jerryabbanat]

We have had mostly very good results on Oceania over many years but Regent does surpass them. Then again the price difference is substantial. Also, if you do not consume much alcohol or want a lot of shore excursions we can understand that may be a problem with Regent. We had a very good experience on Oceanias new Vista ship earlier this year but heard others complain about noises from the adjoning cabins. It appears that Oceania tried to squeeze in more cabins per floor at the cost of thinner walls. We did not have that problem in our suite. We did not have the problems you had with the food, however, this was their newest ship and upon reflecting they could not afford to have any bad impressions on this new ship. We think we will stick with Regent for now and have one booked this fall in Spain. Unfortunately many simply cannot afford the cost of Regent. We have had very good results with Holland America in the past and would advise budgeting for some of the speciality restaurants. Rudys Sel de Mer was just wonderful when we were there. We would go on Holland again particularly if certain destinations are interesting to you. Staffing seems to be a real problem now with all cruise lines

[christinesmith]

110% agree with your comments and I would add some negativity of my own. What was very evident on my last two O cruises on Sirena and Marina over 24 & 14 days respectively was the lack of staff causing endless problems in all public areas along with the fact those present were poorly trained and hadn't a clue what they are doing eg ask what is in the dishes at the buffet and they can't tell you or stir it around a bit and guess a potentially dangerous action or have a group discussion involving endless waits until they find someone who knows. 
Food low quality ingredients, range and choice, the have done away with their USA AAA grade beef in speciality leaving tasteless, grizzly, tough meant in its wake. One of the cost cuttings evident to knowledgeable foodies is the lack of range of ingredients that go into making the dishes which behind the scenes adds to savings on purchasing and storage, many of the offerings appeared to be pre cooked by a catering company prior to sailing, chilled and finished on the ship. I know my food and have travelled with O for a long time so feel able to comment on the changing standards. I do agree the ship is lovely.
Needless to say my next cruise is on Explora Journeys II.

[AMcC-Edinburgh]

We did our only trip with Oceania last autumn - New England, Insignia (R Class ship). We filled in the feedback form to make exactly the points you raise. Our food was 'fine', but having been told to expect the 'finest cuisine at sea' we felt let down. Apart from the main meals, two things stick in our memories: 1) the afternoon tea experience where we went up to a counter to take a scone from a chafing dish; not a premum experience, 2) running out of maple syrup as we visited the Canadian cities. First world problems perhaps but this market segment is all about the detail in the experience. We have used multiple cruise lines eg Cunard, Silversea, Seabourn, Azamara and have settled on Azamara (same R class ships) as a preference (although Cunard retains the prize for afternoon tea...)

[nigelterry]

We have cruised several times with Oceania. This year we were on Sirena in Panama and Regatta in Alaska. Standards of food and service are definitely going down. It's such a shame. We'd be cancelling our Christmas trip on Insignia if we wouldn't lose so much by doing so.

[robertboyd]

Fabulous, honest review—there are too few of these in this creative space. Have sailed exclusively on Silversea, Seabourn, Regent (and recently Ritz-Carlton) for over 20 years. Was considering Oceania. Your video has saved me from them as dining is our key issue, too. Consider this video a Public Service Announcement. Thank you!!!

[RobinH]

Thanks for an honest appraisal. We were due to go on our first Oceania cruise but then they cancelled the cruise less than 3 months before sailing - no compensation at all, not even a token on board credit offer. Took 8 weeks to get our refund. Then we had our first Silversea cruise cancelled too - they offered 10% off any other booking plus then when we rebooked they honoured the price for our replacement cruise that they were offering during wave season when we booked the original one (unprompted). Guess who we will be booking with in future....

[GabbyNeilson-wm]

Thank you so much for your honesty. I cruise because I want to totally relax, your experience sounds like constant irritations. Next cruise Regent.

[DaveM-FFB]

I must say that the "finest cuisine" is very subjective. I never had a bad meal on our two Oceania cruises. Personally I detest "food as art". Food "presentation" is somewhat wasted on me. The flavor wins me over on it's own. To some degree you get what you paid for. Oceania is approximately half the cost of Seaborn and Regent Seven Seas. Regardless of marketing slogans, you should expect more from those brands. However since Oceania is a bit more expensive than Princess and Holland America, you should expect Oceania to have elevated food offerings in comparison, and I believe they've accomplished that.

[SandraMcLeod-mg]

Really informative, I do hope you have sent your comments directly to the Oceania management team.

[jazcatFL]

Have to agree with many of your comments. We have been Oceania cruisers for 10 years and, since COVID, the food is extremely disappointing. We are now seriously considering moving to a different line but aren't sure who is comparable.