Riviera Review

4.5 / 5.0
782 reviews

Wonderful Cruise - Very Impressive Attention to Detail

Review for the Caribbean Cruise on Riviera
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sensrock
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

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Value for Money
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Additional details

Sail Date: Feb 2018
Cabin: Concierge Level

We chose this cruise for a little R&R in the Caribbean sun. This was our 2nd cruise on Oceania. We enjoyed the first one last year so much we decided to do a similar Caribbean cruise this year. And this year we were even more impressed - so much so in fact, that while on board we already booked next year's cruise with Oceania, this time to Europe.

The cruise started out extremely well. We arrived at the cruise terminal at 11:30 am and by 11:45 am we were seated for lunch at the Terrace Café. We have been on 10+ cruises so far and this was by far the best, most efficient embarkation process we ever experienced.

The attention to detail on this cruise was truly exceptional. The public areas are beautiful and kept in perfect shape. The gym is well equipped and I appreciated that there was bottled water and cold drinks available for after the workout. We had a concierge verandah stateroom so we had access to the private area at the bow of the ship with a hot tub, chaises lounges and all the (non alcoholic) beverages you could want - a really nice spot. The ship had daily (& sometimes 2X daily) interesting enrichment lectures on each of the ports we visited and the history of the region in general. There was no plug for any product or ship services - yay! We thought these lectures were a lovely idea and we really appreciated them. The Captain's reception and party for Oceania Club members are very well done, with flowing champagne and an open bar, not to mention very nice canapés. Another very nice touch was Oscar related....While we were on board the Oscars were being televised. Oceania made a nice theme night of this and had its own red carpet with champagne in the Riviera Lounge, while it showed the Oscar ceremony live, as well as its own Oscar-themed contest. In addition, the next day they played the Oscar winning movie and the day after played the movie that won the best actor award.

Cabin Review

Concierge Level

Cabin A3

Cabin was clean, compact and efficient. Everything in the stateroom worked perfectly. The cabin stewards did an excellent job and any time we had a request they were extremely helpful. We were very happy with our stateroom.

Port Reviews

Miami

Stayed for two nights at the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay prior to the cruise. We booked the hotel on our own. Hotel was fine, other than an unfortunate problem at check-in that the hotel staff at reception did not handle well. Very convenient and very good facilities.

Antigua

Went to Dickenson Bay Beach by taxi. Cost US $12 each way. Rented 2 chairs and a beach umbrella that had seen better days for US $20. The part of the beach where they rent chairs and umbrellas to day visitors from the cruise ships is not the nicest part of the beach, however Found that part of the beach a little disappointing. The Sandals part of the beach, where you can walk, is much nicer.

Great Stirrup Cay

Enjoyed our day on the island as we were the only (small) ship in port so we virtually had the island to ourselves. Can't imagine what it is like, however, when there are 2 Norwegian ships in port with about 7000 people descending on the island. We rented a clamshel,l which was a waste. There were plenty of chairs in the shade for free. We liked Great Stirrup Cay but we find it is not as nice as Half Moon Cay, Holland America's private island in the Bahamas.

San Juan

We were scheduled to stop in Punta Cana but because of high winds we were diverted to San Juan instead. We had been to San Juan a couple of times previously so we just decided to get off the ship and walk around on our own. Shops, restaurants and bars around the central square and Columbus monument all had electricity, but once you got a couple of blocks further into the city there was no electricity. Shops were open but in the dark. We were surprised that about 5 months after the hurricane parts of central San Juan were still without electricity.

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