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Oceania Cruises maintains a strong focus on quality food and wine with complimentary specialty dining. Its loyal clientele, often younger than on luxury lines (Oceania Cruises is ranked premium, with luxury-level cuisine), love to eat and drink in style as they sail the globe. And sail the globe they do, as Oceania’s six ships cover more than 450 destinations. (Vista, Oceania’s newest and most glam ship, debuts in May 2023.) Port-intensive itineraries, including many late-nights and overnights. Among the well-maintained vessels, Riviera and twin Marina rank the largest, and arguably, the most stylish. The two were purpose-built for foodies, showcasing more dining choices and a Culinary Center offering hands-on cooking classes.
Oceania Insignia Dress Code
The top-tier suites can only be described as opulent, with marble detailing and lush fabrics practically everywhere; the Owners Suites are Ralph Lauren branded. If you’re passionate about food and wine and exploring the world in style, you’ll love life onboard Riviera. Travelers tend to fall into the older age ranges (50 and up), are well traveled (and often avid cruisers) and hail mostly from the U.S. and Canada, with Brits and Australians making up the balance. On our school break sailing, we did see a handful of kids and younger adult travelers. Crew members are professional and polite, and they know their product and customers thoroughly. Special requests and personal preferences are a hallmark of the staff in restaurants.
Review: Oceania Riviera
My 440 square feet included a dining table, spacious veranda and access to the Executive Lounge with its concierge and coffee, soft drinks and snacks. I only used the lounge once, but I really appreciated Penthouse amenities, like welcome Champagne, priority restaurant reservations and laundry service. I didn’t interact with my butler other than for breakfast room service, but I liked the idea of having one. The biggest, fanciest suites are dubbed Oceania, Vista and Owner’s and grouped behind an etched glass door. Those lucky occupants wallow in more than 1,000 square feet and up, with media rooms, indoor and outdoor whirlpool spas and other luxurious appointments. Riviera draws an active crowd of repeat guests, mostly American, who indulge well onboard and explore energetically ashore.
Riviera Review
I came away impressed with the sommeliers, too; they knew their wines and sometimes gently steered me to better selections than what I chose. Food is a main event, and Insignia's culinary offerings are a true highlight of the sailing. The chandelier in the Grand Dining Room makes the space sparkle, literally, and Versace plates lend an aura of high-end restaurant gravitas to your meals.
If Asian-fusion Red Ginger ever loses the lobster pad Thai, I think passengers (including me) would revolt. I often revisited Toscana, for its hand-fashioned pastas and rolling olive oil cart. What’s better than dipping fresh-baked focaccia into markedly different olive oils? I barely went to the beautiful afternoon teas but when I did, the flaky scones made me swoon. La Reserve, the only fee-based eatery, offers multi-course meals with wine pairings.
Marina Review
Its smart design emphasizes contemporary cool with lavish flourishes, like the Lalique-embellished grand staircase and gleaming Italian marble. Designed for foodies, this vessel lures connoisseurs with seven complimentary dining venues, mostly astonishingly good. Come nighttime, passengers move between the casino, bars, and Riviera Lounge for primarily musical revues.
Oceania Riviera Inclusions
On our Caribbean cruise, we found that people generally looked nice, but not overly fancy or fashionista at dinner; we saw more skirts or slacks with blouses than little black dresses at night. Cabins are spacious and nicely appointed -- a welcome change from the R-class's tight fits -- and the suites are gorgeous. Four specialty restaurants -- French, Italian, Asian and steak -- supplement the main restaurant nicely and provide welcome dining variety. A Culinary Center and Artist Loft are designed specifically for enrichment classes; the library is a sleeper hit with inviting leather chairs and quiet nooks adjacent to a coffee shop.
The notable exception is poolside, where there don't seem to be enough cocktail servers to keep up with passenger demand. As the most discerning, up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel, Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse, offering both inspiration and vital intel. Months later, I can still taste the illy crema, a frozen blend primarily of espresso and cream, at Baristas. I currently crave Waves Grill’s fragrant vanilla-forward milkshakes, and Wagyu burgers, their juices dripping down my hands. I see the tall chef in a tall toque expertly carving a crackling-skinned whole suckling pig at lunchtime in the Terrace Café.
Marina Inclusions
There are now seven venues; the newest (which I have yet to experience) is an al fresco trattoria and pizzeria. Reservations are needed for Toscana, Polo Grill, Jacques and La Reserve; passengers are promised at least one reservation in each (other than La Reserve) per cruise. Book as far in advance as possible; once onboard, add your name to waitlists to score additional bookings. Unlike many upscale cruise lines, Oceania's fares are not overly inclusive. Bottled water, soda and coffee drinks are free of charge, whether ordered at a bar or stocked in your cabin's mini-fridge.
The ship visits new ports almost every day, so the schedule onboard is designed to accommodate early mornings. Consequently, the pace is a bit slow at night, and entertainment varies between live bands in the Horizons lounge to musical revues in the Riviera Lounge. Retired couples, friend groups and adult children traveling with elderly parents are largely what you'll find onboard Insignia sailings; it would be very rare to spot a child or even a young adult.
Review: Oceania Cruises' Vista - TravelAge West
Review: Oceania Cruises' Vista.
Posted: Mon, 15 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
You'll be hard-pressed to find a crowded place onboard (except, perhaps, the buffet at peak mealtimes) -- and that can be both good and bad. If you're wondering what exactly an "ultra-premium" cruise ship is, look no further than Marina, the first new-build Oceania built back in 2011. If you ask for a single piece of toast to be well done, that is precisely what you will get.
Oceania consistently invests in its food and wine, most recently adding a full plant-based menu that spans all dining areas. Tips are automatically charged to your onboard account at the rate of $16 per person, per day (half to housekeeping and half to dining staff). Passengers in suites with butler service (Penthouse, Vista, Oceania and Owner's suites) are charged an additional $7 per person, per day. You are welcome to give additional tips to individuals who go above and beyond at your discretion. It's expected that those bringing room service will be tipped (anywhere from $1 to $5, depending on what's ordered) as items are delivered.
Riviera hits the sweet spot for food and wine devotees, delivering exceptional cuisine, wine pairing extravaganzas, and culinary and vintner-driven shore excursions. The cruise line is at its best on longer itineraries, 10 nights and up; look for plenty of overnights and a minimum of sea days on many sailings. The line's culinary tours are not to be missed if you are interested in the interplay of food and culture, and appreciate small-sized tour groups. Polo Grill steakhouse’s bacon rolls were insane; don’t do as I did, which is eat the entire breadbasket before the big beefy main event.
I saw lots of the same faces playing table tennis, paddle tennis, putting, croquet, bocce and shuffleboard. Pre-dinner, I relished a talented female string quartet playing classical music in the Grand Bar, although the adjacent Martinis lounge was the busiest and buzziest. Post-dinner, I attended a musical show or two starring shipboard singers and dancers in the Riviera Lounge, which were okay, much like those on luxury lines. The casino was sometimes busy when I looked; with many early morning excursions, passengers tend to turn in early, although some head to Horizons for nightcaps and dancing to a live band.
The pool deck is beautiful, with just the right number of soft padded loungers to accommodate everyone on a sunny sea day. My favorite was a hands-on cooking class with recipes from Red Ginger in the Culinary Center. Our chef instructor expertly demonstrated each dish and then we tried – and succeeded – in duplicating them at our well-equipped stations. In the Artist Loft, a resident artist displays his work and offers workshops. The big library tempts with diversified tomes and beckoning comfy chairs with ottomans.
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