OCEANIA RIVIERA GALA CHRISTENING CRUISE REVIEW

The Riviera is a beautiful new ship, christened May 11, 2012 in Barcelona, Spain. She is the twin sister to the Marina, which débuted in February 2011, but with over 700 changes. I would highly recommend it if the itinerary or pricing appeals to you. Ours was not a traditional cruise as this was the christening celebration with special events to commemorate this new vessel.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

The Riviera has some very beautiful touches, light and bright atmosphere. The cabins at the lower categories are a bit smaller than some but larger than the three smaller Oceania ships. The public areas are very spacious with comfortable seating. There is the traditional atrium with a beautiful Gone with the Wind staircase with Lalique lighting and decors. There is a large bar area outside the Grand Dining room, a martini bar, good size casino and a number of specialty rooms such as the Bon Appétit Culinary center that offers cooking classes and the Artist Loft that offers art, photography, needlepoint, scrapbooking and quilting classes at a reasonable fee. Our ship was totally full with 1250 guests, but it rarely felt crowded. There were not long lines at the restaurants. The only areas that I noticed were more crowded were the Terrace Café, the Grand Bar, and the Barista. The Terrace Café can be more crowded when the majority of the ship arrives all at the same time.

EMBARKATION

Staff offered glasses of champagne as we embarked. Lunch was served in both the Waves Grill and Terrace Café. The Waves Grill offered burgers, sandwiches, a drink bar, and a wonderful ice cream case. The Wagyu beef burger was outstanding. They also have a new menu offering the surf and turf sandwich, which is lobster and steak on a bun. In the Terrace Café there were a number of food stations that offered a wide variety of food, including a grill that cooked fish, steak or burgers to order as well as had a pasta station.

CABINS

All have full length mirrors, pillowtopTranquility beds, safes, a leather covered alarm clock, a hand held 1875 watt hair dryer, slippers, terry robes, marble bathrooms, and refrigerated mini-bar stocked with complimentary bottled water and soft drinks. Beer, wine and spirits have a charge throughout the vessel including those in the mini-bar.

Inside cabins - 174 square feet
These rooms appear a bit larger; I imagine because of the glass mirrors on the walls. There is a nice glass shower but no tub in the bathroom.

Ocean view cabins - 242 square feet
There is a beautiful full floor to ceiling window about the size of standard sliding doors that offers a good amount of light, but the window cannot be opened. This is quite special as most ocean view staterooms only have a picture window that does not offer as much light and visibility.

Standard balcony cabins - 282 square feet
The décor features wood, with blue coloring for the accent pillows, couch, and headboard. There are two bedside tables with three drawers in each that are quite useful. Bedside lamps are mounted on the wall with a small flexible reading light attached, which is very handy.

There is not a walk in closet but there is good storage space. There is a single hung closet with a wooden sliding door that is not totally accessible from both sides due to the nightstand, particularly if the room is made with twin beds. There are a number of drawers adjacent to the closet with a good size safe and mini-refrigerator. There is a desk area with the traditional top drawers but two deep slide out drawers on either side, a lighted makeup mirror. a magnifying mirrors, and three plugs. There are two additional plugs at either side of the bed. A flat screen TV with DVD hangs on the wall adjacent to the desk and is easily visible from both the bed and the love seat, although it would be nice if it could swivel. They offer a variety of movies that start at set times and TV shows including CNBC, Fox News, ESPN, BBC News, and some National Geographic and History Channel specials. They do not offer movies on demand.

Daily newspapers such as USA Today or LA Times are available for $6.50 per day. Or you do receive the small 4 page typical cruise news.

Bathroom
The marble and granite bathroom has a bathtub with a shower head on a sliding bar that can be adjusted, a single sink with small cabinets on both sides, and two shelves below for storage. The separate shower has a large rain shower head as well as a shower head on a sliding bar that can be adjusted. The shower is a great improvement over the Marina. There is a 110V plug for shavers.
Concierge level balcony cabins offer a complimentary Oceania Cruises logo tote bag, Bvlgari toiletries, a cashmere lap blanket, exclusive access to the private Concierge Lounge, early embarkation with a dedicated check-in desk, priority luggage delivery, and priority restaurant reservations.
Penthouse, Oceania, Vista and Owner’s suites offer the same amenities as the concierge level as well as butler service, access to the private Executive Lounge, and more extensive Bvlgari toiletries.

Penthouse suites – 420 square feet
These are nice larger suites with a walk-in closet with 10 foot hanging rod and 4 large drawers. The bathroom is much larger including a larger vanity, larger storage cabinets, and a larger shower. There is good storage and counter space as well as a lighted vanity that has a lift up lighted makeup mirror. It was disappointing that the curtains between the sitting area and bedroom cannot be drawn to offer two separate areas.

Oceania Suite – 1000 square feet
This suite has some very positives aspects. There is a nice separate powder room upon entering the suite. The living area which offers good seating space has a nice bar area on one wall and a dining room table. A side media room includes a large flat-screen TV and sofa, but seems like a waste of space. The bedroom is separated by a translucent glass door. There is not much space between the door and the bed. In my opinion, the space in the separate entertainment area could have been better utilized in the bedroom. There is a good size balcony with a Jacuzzi.

Vista Suite – 1200 square feet
There is a nice powder room upon entering the cabin. The good size living room includes a dining table, separate work station, large flat screen TV, and bar. There are two sliding glass doors that go out onto the balcony, which extends from the center of the ship across the front and wraps around the side. On the side, there is a Jacuzzi and a flat screen TV above the tub.

The bedroom also has a sliding glass door onto the balcony. Adjacent to the bedroom is a reasonable size work out room with two pieces of equipment and a window with a nice ocean view while you are working out. There is a good size walk-in closet with plenty of drawers, shoe rack, and safe.

Owners Suite – 2000 square feet
There are three owner’s suites, each of which stretches across the entire back of the ship. They are a WOW. When you first walk in there is a central room with a player baby grand piano, a bar, a full wall of glass looking out, and two faux animal print chairs.

To one side of the central room is a large separate living room/study with work station, telescope, flat screen TV with Bose sound system, and a dining area. Laptop and wireless access are included. Internet is an additional charge.

There is a large master bedroom with flat-screen TV, two walk in closets, a marble bathroom with Jacuzzi tub and a larger separate shower.

All rooms have doors that go out onto the balcony that stretches across the back of the ship and wraps around both sides. On one side there is a Jacuzzi tub and a flat screen TV perched above it. On the other side there is a large seating area and also additional table space so that you could host a dinner or cocktail party.

CONCIERGE AND EXECUTIVE LOUNGE

There is a comfortable lounge on deck 9 with 12 chairs, coffee and tea machine, refrigerator with yogurt, snacks, 2 computers, newspapers, magazines and an executive concierge to handle requests. This lounge is for the exclusive use of concierge level suites. On our cruise we found people tended to run in, pick up coffee and a snack, and leave. However, I would imagine this room can be quite busy, and there really isn’t enough space to accommodate many at one time.

There is an executive lounge on deck 11 for the penthouse and above suites that is similar to the concierge level lounge with 12 seats, but decorated in woods and also has access to a copy machine. While this lounge serves fewer suites, I would imagine it cannot handle enough guests during peak times. On our cruise there was never a crowd though.

RESTAURANTS AND FOOD

The Grand Dining Room

This is a spectacular room. Beautiful Lalique lighting, high ceilings, several different levels, very light and airy. The Grand Bar leading up to the dining room has a number of tables and chairs for seating with tables to hold drinks. This is a pretty area with molded ceilings and hand blown glass pieces. There is one small bench inside the restaurant entrance that could only seat about two to three people. We did not experience any waiting time to be seated and it is open dining, open seating.

The lunch and dinner menus offered a wide variety of foods. There were 6 appetizers, several soups and salads. With nine entrées that included pasta, fish, and several meat dishes there was something for everyone. A Canyon Ranch menu was offered for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is a standard offering with chicken breast, salmon, pasta, and a steak.

The large breakfast menu has all the offerings one could wish for with a quick Continental Breakfast as well as a Canyon Ranch Spa offering.

While the restaurant has a dedicated chef to handle special dietary requirements such lactose free or gluten free, we have been told the restaurant is not able to honor special orders, but there were plenty of tempting dishes to select from.

Oceania Cruises offers unlimited complimentary soft drinks, bottled water, specialty coffees, teas and juices on every sailing. Wine beer and spririts are available at an additional charge. Oceania offers several drink packages.

HOUSE SELECT $29.95
Wine & Beer
Per Guest Per Day (Gratuity Included)

This package includes beer and a selection of wines by the glass during lunch and dinner in any dining venue or through room service.*
PRESTIGE SELECT $49.95
Wine, Beer & Spirits
Per Guest Per Day (Gratuity Included)

This UNLIMITED package includes beer, a selection of wines by the glass, most top shelf spirits and cocktails, all of which may be ordered at any onboard venue as well as through room service* during regular operating hours.
Beverage packages may be purchased during the online booking process or by calling Reservations at 800-531-5619.

Beverage packages may also be purchased onboard during your cruise
There is a $25 corkage fee if you bring your own bottle of wine to any dining room. They will save any remaining wine with your suite number for another day.

Jacques

This is a small reservations only Jacque Pepin restaurant that offers a wonderful French menu and seats about 100 people. The décor is elegant with beige and gold tones. The presentations are unique. For example, pumpkin soup was served from an actual pumpkin. The escargot presentation was a sight to behold with raised puff pastry.

There is no charge for reservations. Concierge level suites and above are given two reservations to begin and those in standard suites begin with one reservation. One can request additional reservations if space permits.

Red Ginger

This is a small reservations only Asian restaurant with beautiful red décor and beautiful glass lighting. My colleague is not an Asian fusion fan, but she was very pleased with the food she selected. It offers a wide menu selection including an extensive tea menu, sushi, spring rolls, and sashimi. Many say it is their favorite restaurant. Again, concierge level suites and above are given two priority reservations where lower suites receive one to begin.

Polo Grill

Polo Grill is a great steak and seafood restaurant with 32 oz. Prime rib, porterhouse, filet, rack of lamb, oysters, escargot, and lobster. The prime rib was the best entrée the night we ate there, although I have had excellent steak and lamb here in the past. Reservations are required but there is no additional cost. The décor is rich with dark woods.

Toscana

Toscana, which is a traditional Italian restaurant, has very quality food and a very large menu. We were amazed that they also had an olive oil menu including a spicy one. The courses include a hot appetizer, a cold appetizer, pasta or risotti, soup, salad and to top that off an entrée. The final act is marvelous and tempting desserts. Both the Polo and Toscana had whole Maine lobsters as well as Polo had Florida lobster tail. Reservations are required but there is no additional cost. Both Polo and Toscana have great views from all the windows. The beige and ivory décor is beautiful.

The Terrace Café

is the casual restaurant and is a very nice venue. There is a grill on one wall where they offer different grilled foods at each meal. There is a large center island with all types of salads, appetizers, and deserts including 6 ice cream selections and toppings. On the opposite wall there is a long station with the hot foods and a carving station. There is a sufficient number of staff and all food is served by the staff. There is good indoor as well as outdoor seating.

This restaurant serves a buffet breakfast and lunch during the daytime and a la carte dining at night. At dinner they also offer great freshly prepared sushi.

The breakfast buffet offers almost everything you could wish for including all the traditional items along with made to order eggs.

Each day at lunch featured a theme. One day was seafood with the largest offering and variety of seafood I have seen. The next day it was Italian.

Waves Grill

Is adjacent to the pool, outdoor dining featuring the normal salads and cooked to order burgers, paninis, grilled Reuben sandwich, barbecue grilled seafood, and simplicity items at lunch. There is an ice cream bar and also a nice soft drink and juice bar.

La Reserve

by Wine Spectator is a 24-guest reservations only restaurant that pairs 7 courses with appropriate premium wines. Cover charge is $95 per person plus 18% gratuity for a total of $112.10 per person. We were delighted to eat with Frank Del Rio and hear his thoughts about the new Riviera. There are three menus to select from and this can be reserved in advance or upon embarkation. The food and wine paring was excellent. This restaurant also is used as an onboard wine tasting center with seminars and wine tastings during cruises also.

Privée

For $250 one can reserve this restaurant for up to 10 people. It is located between Polo Grill and Toscana. It is a very private area with a large white oval table with white leather chairs. Dinner can be ordered from either the Polo Grill or Toscana menus. Wine is an additional fee.

BARISTAS

is a coffee bar overlooking the pool where master baristas serve espressos, cappuccinos, pastries and homemade biscotti. There is limited counter seating as well as seating along the glass wall. This is a very narrow area and did become crowded at times. There is no self service.

LOBBY AND SHOPS

The main reception area is similar to many ships. One side is reception and the opposite side is shore excursions. There was sufficient staff so there were not long lines.

In the main foyer there are two concierge staff to make reservations. This is a large space with comfortable seating.

Off the main lobby are three shops offering clothing, jewelry, perfumes, and toiletries. These were very nice, well stocked shops and the staff were quite friendly and helpful.

AFTERNOON TEA

is held in the Horizons lounge on deck 14 with great panoramic views. White glove service features exotic teas with sandwiches and pastries. A string quartet provided music.

COMMENTS ON FOOD AND SERVICE

The food overall was very good, of course food is very subjective to each person’s tastes so these comments are only my opinion. I believe lunch in the Terrace is the best I have had on a ship. The desserts were excellent. Most items exceeded our expectations. There is an effort to offer full service as all food is served by the staff at the buffets, but most times there was not a long wait.

The service staff was very good with a variety of Filipinos and Europeans. Staff greeted us in the hall consistently and were very friendly.

DRESS CODE

The ship is entirely casual throughout. Shorts, jeans, and sandals cannot be worn at dinner, with the exception of the Terrace Café where nice shorts and causal shirts may be worn at dinner. Some men wore jackets and some ladies wore dresses.

SELF SERVICE LAUNDRY ROOMS

Spacious laundry rooms are offered on decks 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 with three sets of machines per laundry room. There were also ironing boards and irons. Tokens can be charged to your shipboard account at reception. It is $2 per wash and $2 per dry. Dry cleaning and pressing services are offered for a customary charge except for in concierge level suites and above where limited pressing is complimentary.

CANYON RANCH SPA

A lot of space is devoted to the spa. The exercise room offers a number of treadmills, ellipticals, and other equipment and is open to all guests. Gatorade and bottled water are complimentary.

There is a separate exercise room where they offer yoga, aerobics, Pilates and indoor cycling classes. Most classes are complimentary. A personalized trainer is available for a fee as well as personal Pilates sessions.

There is a large aromatic steam and dry sauna room. There are two side rooms with heated tile loungers and soothing music that are quite relaxing. A private sun deck and whirlpool are in front of the spa for spa guests.
Services include skin care and body treatments, facial enhancements, facial and body waxing, tanning treatments, massages, acupuncture, hair cuts and hair design, hair color, manicures, nails, pedicures, fitness assessments, and wellness services. You may reserve your Canyon Ranch spa treatment by calling Canyon Ranch at 877-329-1924.

INTERNET PACKAGES

There is a large computer room but it never was full, although they were having difficulty with connectivity as well as Wi-Fi. They switched the satellite when we arrived in Barcelona and it was significantly faster. Wi-Fi is available throughout the ship and concierge level and above suites offer laptops in the rooms. As with all ships the internet is slow. The staff were very helpful.

Rate Plans
$.95 per minute with no package
100 minutes for $80
200 minutes for $140
500 minutes for $300
800 minutes for $400
1,200 minutes for $540

GRATUITIES

are $18.50 per person per day for Penthouse and above suites and are added to your onboard account. All suites below the Penthouses are $13.50 per person per day. There are times in which we are able to offer prepaid gratuities as an amenity. 18% gratuity is added to all alcoholic drink orders.

SHORE EXCURSIONS

In addition to à la carte shore excursions, Oceania now offers two shore excursion packages that must be purchased prior to the cruise. Your World Collection provides the flexibility for you to custom design a personalized, value-packed collection of excursions by allowing you to select from Oceania’s entire portfolio just the right number of tours you desire. You will save 25% off regular à la carte prices, subject to a minimum number of excursions required to be reserved depending on voyage length. The Unlimited Passport Collection affords you the opportunity to fully experience all that a destination has to offer with UNLIMITED shore excursions throughout the voyage. You may choose from an array of excursions all for one low price at a savings of up to 40% off à la carte prices. As an added bonus, Unlimited Passport Collection guests will also receive significant discounts off Oceania Choice and Oceania Exclusive excursions. Oceania Choice and Oceania Exclusive Excursions offer unique, one-of-a-kind experiences with a minimum participation of 10 guests, and never more than 16, these excursions benefit from a higher level of personal attention and detail only possible in small groups.

ENTERTAINMENT

The Riviera lounge is the show lounge with theater style seating. They have improved the seating and there are small pull up tables much like an airplane that are smaller and much sturdier than those on the Marina. They have raised the ceiling as the one on the Marina is too low. There was a variety of entertainment including a Flamenco show, a violinist, a Beatlemania show, an Elton John/Billy Joel show, and several production shows.

There is a group of cabaret type singers and dancers as well as an 8 piece band. There is a piano player in Martinis as well as one that alternates between the Grand Bar and the Horizons Lounge. There is small band that plays in the lounges.

ACTIVITIES

There is a good size heated swimming pool with two whirlpools. There were Balinese beds and chaise lounges covered with nice terry towel covers. While this area was busy on our cruise, I did not see any problem getting a lounge.

On the upper decks there is a small 18-hole golf putting green, paddle tennis court, lawn bowling, and croquet. Ping pong and shuffleboard are also available. There were arts and crafts activities on many days.

The Bon Appétit culinary center features 24 individual cooking stations with one guest at each station. A la carte classes offered on our cruise were $49 per person per class. A two session class called Southwestern Sizzle was $99 per person and a 3 class Homemade Pasta course was $149. Reservations can be made online and payment is due when reserved. On our cruise the classes were full.

CASINO

is reasonably sized and includes craps and roulette tables, some blackjack tables, poker, and a wall of slot machines. It was busy during our trip.

LIBRARY

has molded ceilings and was quite sizeable with big comfy leather chairs.

DECK WALKING

On deck 15 there is a dedicated fitness track that covers about 1/3 the length of the ship.

DECK PLAN

Decks 5 and 6 contain many of the common rooms, services, show lounge, restaurants and bars.
In my personal opinion this centrally located design is a great convenience to guests’ ease of use.

Decks 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are dedicated to staterooms. The hallways do seem rather long because they are not broken up with other common rooms. Staterooms are also offered on Deck 12 forward.

Deck 12 includes the Culinary Center, Artist Loft, pool, La Reserve and the Terrace Café casual dining.

Deck 14 contains the spa, fitness center, library, computer room, and three specialty restaurants.

Thanks Susan, for your detailed report. Good job!

Thanks Susan for an easy-to-read yet comprehensive review. Personally, what has always interested me the most regarding Oceania is the variety of dining venues offered, and the generally positive reviews they receive. But as Ngaire and others continue to point out, if one wants Regent-type cabin space and that means an Oceania PH, then I think Oceania becomes as (or more) expensive than Regent.

That said, I bet that if B&K escorted a cruise with an interesting itinerary on one of new ships, some of us would be tempted in trying something different.

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Eugene

Eugene,
Linda and I were in a standard veranda cabin. It was fine but we did notice the difference in space and particularly missed the walk in closet. I don't know why since I went carry on, but still these are touches you might miss. However, we did have the mini-fridge, sufficient desk space, and a laptop to use during the cruise. The space is too small to accommodate a full size sofa and instead had a loveseat. We did enjoy the variety of restaurants.

Did you mean Billy Joel? Thanks so much for the comprehensive review, Susan. we are sailing on her in September. That will be our second O cruise and I am looking forward to it. We are fine in the standard Veranda cabin so find Oceania to be a great value for the price. Appreciate you taking the time! My best to Linda.
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-Helen

Helen,
You are absolutely right. Good catch. Must have been a Freudian slip. I have corrected this to reflect Billy Joel. I will give your best to Linda. I agree the verandas can be a very good value.

Go to http://www.oceaniacruisesblog.com/ for Oceania's report on the christening. Click on the different categories on the right side for various views.
Jim

I added a few details about drink packages and shore excursions to my original review.

Thanks very much, Susan. I agree with Eugene, once you select a Penthouse suite, and add in the costs of gratuities, drinks, excursions, etc, Regent becomes a (relative) bargain. I am sure many of you may have seen the article in the travel section of the New York Times last Sunday that discussed how many cruise lines were adding on more and more unbundled extras and the writer also concluded that the luxury, all-inclusive fares represent an excellent value, especially if you book early to get the best prices. Here is a link to the NY Times article:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/05/1...uise-fees.html?scp=9&sq=&st=tcse

Susan, thanks for adding the drinks package info. Wonder what the HOUSE vs. PRESTIGE SELECT wines are?