Oceania Riviera Penthouse Suite Tour - Worth the Upgrade? We give you a detailed look.

#oceaniacruises #oceaniariviera
Oceania Riviera Penthouse Suite Tour - Worth the Upgrade? We give you a detailed look at our luxurious suite that we spent 11 nights in on board Oceania's beautiful Oceania Class (or 'O Class') ship. This is the first of a series all about Oceania Riviera so please subscribe and stay tuned for the rest and we give you the complete lowdown of these luxurious small/mid size ships.
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Voluntary Disclosure:
We were invited on board as guests of Oceania Cruises as Ambassadors of Panache Cruises, the UK luxury cruise provider. We paid for our own transport to and from the ship and received no fees or remuneration for producing media during and after this voyage from either of the aforementioned companies. Any resulting videos have been produced without influence or expectation from Oceania Cruises or Panache (they genuinely just love what we do) and we had complete editorial and artistic freedom. Neither Oceania Cruises or Panache have had no prior preview of this content and are watching for the first time along with you. All our videos contain our personal and unbiased opinion. Please ask us if you want to know more or visit www.asa.org.uk for more information on blogger/vlogger disclosure requirements. Thank you and we hope you enjoy the content as much as we did creating it. Rich and Helen.

[@visitwithus]

Thank you so much for watching! It really does mean the world to us! Please give this video a THUMBS UP, please SUBSCRIBE and please leave us a comment too as that's extremely important to us (and it also encourages KZbin to suggest it with other viewers who might be interested), and also we’d LOVE to hear from you. R&H x

[@paladinhill]

We have sailed on the Marina, Riviera, Regatta, and Insignia. We like the larger ships in the Oceania line, and look forward to the Vista next year. The R class ships are more intimate, but have smaller penthouse suites, fewer dining options and smaller entertainment troupes. An advantage of the R class is faster boarding and deboarding for excursions.... otherwise, it's M class for us. Almost ALL Oceania crew-members on ALL their ships have been superb... "Best Food at Sea AND Best Crews at Sea" in our opinion. Our butler (PH2) was fantastic, and absolute magician resolving some special soft drink requests and getting distilled water for my CPCP machine. Why pay more for Seabourn, Silverseas, or Regent when Oceania is, in our opinion, just as good,? Only remaining ship on our bucket list: trans-atlantic on QM2 Princess Grill. As for your videos, I enjoy them and would rank you up there with Gary Bembridge (Tips for Travelers), though I would suggest you show each page of the restaurant menus for 2-3 seconds, and for each venue... Polo Grill, Red Ginger, Waves, etc. Cheers..Mark, on top of Paladin Hill. P.S. IF you ever go R class, be sure to get a PH3 or above, as the showers in the smaller cabins are really small!!

[@kevincounts5662]

You found the shoe racks in the closet, but you won't find a tie rack. Frank Del Rio says that there are no tie racks on Oceania because he wants to encourage you to leave your tie at home. I like that attitude.

[@visitwithus]

We didn’t know that, but like that 👍 Thanks for watching 😊

[@judilynduba413]

We were in the next forward cabin and go t a major headache form the carpet pattern.

[@visitwithus]

The carpet didn’t bother us, we really liked the suite. Would love to see it now that it’s been refurbed ❤️

[@maurieshakespeare5835]

Have I missed something? Has a Encore Guide been posted yet? Hanging out for it................

[@visitwithus]

Keep hanging Maurie, hopefully not long now 🤞😆

[@txnavy8714]

Railings are much less obstructive and our preference. Thanks for the honest reviews.

[@visitwithus]

We agree! Thanks for watching. 🙂

[@eminiarvii]

I agree it is very odd not having the curtain go all the way. I recently traveled with 2 sisters and myself we were in a mini suite on Sky Princess. It was quite lovely to close myself off. Thank you for taking us through this lovely suite. It truly can make you de-stress 🚢😊

[@visitwithus]

We can’t wait to see why they do to the penthouse suites in the Riviera refit. But we know for certain the curtain is going 😁👍 Thanks for watching.

[@JaJa-qt5sf]

I dont get it, why people compare Oceania and Viking beceause Oceania is so much more than Viking.

[@visitwithus]

We also have some Viking content which we hope you’ll enjoy 👍 Thanks for watching 😊

[@waynewhitman1561]

Hi Helen and Richard Thank you for the thorough tour. I am grateful to see your video, I am looking at the Penthouse cabin versus the Oceania suite, big difference in $$$. Try to sneak in one for me please😀. Let us all know if the food onboard is as good as Oceania claims. Cheers Wayne

[@visitwithus]

Sorry Wayne, the ship was almost full so we didn’t get in any other suites. But we loved the penthouse suite and found it more than adequate. And we enjoyed the food, especially in the specialty restaurants. Hopefully we’ll have a dining guide out before the end of the year 👍 Thanks for watching 😊

[@ericericson3535]

Great turnaround! Oct 13! I've always liked Oceania, mainly because there is not a shower curtain in sight! LOL.

[@visitwithus]

Shower curtain nightmares 😱 Thanks for watching 😊

[@michaelpruitt7610]

We have Been in a Penthouse Suite and found it a delight. The food was very good onboard. Thanks for the always interesting video. I'm a fan!

[@visitwithus]

We loved our Penthouse suite and are missing the lovely Riviera 😔 Thanks for watching 😊

[@charlesredick9424]

Good video. Better view of AC plugs by desk and the plug/nightlight in bathroom would be helpful. We do love that closet. PH privileges include an always helpful but not intrusive butler. Early boarding. Early online booking of specialty restaurants- 4 on the Riviera and Marina. Butler/Concierge bookings of additional dining dates as well as general troubleshooting. Agree the curtains are useless and disappearing with the refits.

[@visitwithus]

We can’t wait to see that they do in the refit but we loved our penthouse suite just they way it was 😊 Thanks for watching and for your detailed comments 👍

[@DaveM-FFB]

Thanks for the video. We have two cruises booked on Riviera in 2023. She's going into drydock for interior design upgrades next month. We have a Penthouse suite on one, and a Concierge Veranda cabin on the other cruise. I believe Oceania will be removing the curtain.

[@visitwithus]

Thanks for watching 👍 We can’t wait to see what they do in the refit. Happy cruising 🛳 ❤️

[@jenniferalbert910]

Absolutely stunning!!! A real proper room with lots of space and well-considered details 😍

[@visitwithus]

An absolutely wonderful and very comfortable suite to spend 12 nights in ❤️ Thanks for watching 😊

[@southerncaladygolfer8651]

This is almost identical to the PH suite that we just left in Lisbon on the Marina after a 28 day voyage from Oslo. The one difference being that we did not have the lighted vanity lite. We did have a separate magnifying mirror at the desk area. So much of this is going to change with the “redo” of the Riviera and the Marina. Hopefully they will put a mirror over the desk area instead of the picture…..definitely needed when two women are traveling. The tubs will be removed from almost all of the penthouses😢 We were on deck 11 and were told all of those will be gone in order to make a larger shower. The amount of storage in these suites is over the top. We don’t travel light 😉 and there was absolutely no way we came close to using all of the shelves and drawers. This is our third extended cruise in a PH suite on the Marina which is identical to the Riviera and it has spoiled us. It is definitely worth the extra! The butler, the spa deck availability, early date to make dinner reservations in the specialty restaurants ahead of the cruise and so much more..

[@visitwithus]

Thanks for watching and for your detailed comments. We can’t wait to see what they do to both ships in the refit, though we found it was already lovely and we loved the penthouse suite, though, like you say we only managed to about a third fill it even with all of our camera equipment 😆

[@tahirudintahir1802]

yang Indonesia sulawesi selatan tahir udin👍🤲👍🤲🤲🤲🤲🤲🤲😍

[@arikin1961]

Thanks for your great videos, I love them. Otherwise, We have never traveled in Viking or Oceania. This august we will get our first Viking around England Isles, but next year we already booked two cruises, we have to choose one, Viking from Reikiavic to New York (we already knew Reikiavic), or Oceania Allura (inaugural) from Lisbon to New York, both of them 14 nights and more less same dates. People, help us. Which one you choose and why please. We will appreciate your reviews, thanks in advance. Federico

[@visitwithus]

Wow, they both sound amazing. We expect Allura will be amazing but inaugurals are always a bit of a risk (ship not being ready on time, inexperienced crew etc) so maybe see how you get on with your Viking cruise this August then make a decision??? Thanks for watching.

[@arikin1961]

@@visitwithus thanks for your comments. Regards

[@jabojr5171]

We are going in 2024.

[@visitwithus]

Hope you have a fabulous time 🚢❤️ Thanks for watching 👍

[@Cruising_sabbycat]

We stayed in a PH1 on Riviera for 19 days several years ago, and will be staying in a PH2 on Marina for 21 days this autumn. Love these staterooms. Plenty of room, lovely furnishings, and the executive lounge access is a great bonus. I highly recommend these staterooms.

[@visitwithus]

Yes, they’re really lovely suites. We thoroughly enjoyed our 11 nights in it but 21 days will be awesome - enjoy 😊

[@suzannemoore3647]

Great review - when was this done? I am trying to determine whether or not Riviera has been refurbished per the marketing info. I was told she was and back in the water 12/22 - was this the case? Thank you in advance - and love all your videos!

[@visitwithus]

Thank you Suzanne. We sailed on the Riviera in October last year, just before she went in for a refit. She is definitely back now and from what we’ve seen of photos and videos since the refit looks even more amazing 🤩

[@richrichard6520]

Nice cabin. My wife and I are considering a Baltic cruise which hits ports in Sweden as she is of Swedish heritage and Oceacia seems to have a couple of such itineraries. If I may, how big was the bed and how often did you see your butler please?

[@visitwithus]

Thanks for watching. The bed was large super king size (and super comfy). We saw our butler every day. He sorted out our laundry and bought us canapés every evening and was a phone call away if we needed him in between. We also had two amazing room stewards so felt very well looked after ❤️

[@paullai7161]

Thanks for the tour - probably not worth the upgrade in my books... but I'm curious, how come the body lotion and conditioner are au the blanc, but the conditioner is au the vert? These fragrances are similar but different!

[@visitwithus]

Haha! I never noticed that. Haven’t a clue why. 😂

[@dynamohum5484]

Nice vid, was waiting for you guys to discover Oceania! Don’t rave about them too much, I want to be able to book more cruises and kind of don’t want the secret to get out! My preference is for their R class ships, as they are smaller - but only in a PH. Looking forward to Riviera’s refit before my Christmas ‘22 cruise. You will have to travel on her again to check it out as I hear they are doing a lot. The R classes are beautiful after their refits.

[@visitwithus]

Thanks for watching 😊 We’d love to try the R class ships (maybe next year 🤞) Have a fab Christmas cruise 👍

[@FrancoisD551]

As always, so nice to view your video. High resolution, such quality. The motion of the camera is so smooth flowing if I may say so. I real delight.

[@visitwithus]

Thank you for your kind words 😊 And thanks for watching 👍

[@sergiod6781]

I think it's too big. If you want to spend most of the cruise in your room it's fine, but it's a waste of money of you plan to go out and only stay in your room for bedtime

[@visitwithus]

Thanks for watching 😊

[@carolynbraunius1914]

It is odd that the curtains midway through the cabin are for decorative purposes only.

[@visitwithus]

Riviera is being refitted very soon and the curtain is rumoured to be going 👍 We can’t wait to see what she looks like after the refit. Thanks for watching 👍

[@guapoberry]

So nice to have a pair of guides on this video. It's great to see the Likes and Subscribers increase. You two are the best.

[@visitwithus]

Aww, thanks Wayne 😊 And thanks for your support 👍

[@cindyhewitt7951]

Railings! Not only is the view better, but you can also put your feet up 🙂

[@visitwithus]

We agree 👍 Thanks for watching 😊

[@brucegordon4992]

That suite looks great. I am looking forward to more videos from this cruise.

[@visitwithus]

It was a wonderful suite 👍 Thanks for watching 😊

[@tfung8]

paid advertising.... can you believe???

[@visitwithus]

Haha! Banging that drum again? Not paid. Told you that before. 😂

[@warrenwolf4690]

So I read the write and you got another freebie. Nice work if you can get it😊

[@visitwithus]

Being retired from our professional lives, Content creation is what we do full time. If we’re offered a cruise we rarely say no (who would eh?) because it means we get to make more content for people to watch and makes our savings go a little bit further. Yes, it’s nice work and we’re so grateful for it. 🥂😊

[@mav1480]

Oceania VS Silversea ? Which one would you choose?

[@visitwithus]

Very difficult question to answer in this short space. May I suggest you watch our latest KZbin live video where we have a go at answering some comparison questions. Or join us for our next live and ask us live and we’ll have a go at answering it in more detail 👍 Thanks for watching 😊

[@2CraftySeniors]

What a lovely suite! 🥰 It looks so relaxing and comfortable.

[@visitwithus]

It really was ❤️ Thanks for watching 😊

[@joancook2933]

Is the bed a queen or king? Looks small in the video. King is a must for me especially if your paying more money.

[@DaveM-FFB]

Queen bed

[@visitwithus]

Not sure but we found it plenty big enough 👍 Thanks for watching 😊

[@lizdyson3627]

Beautiful..

[@cruisa]

Railing for us 👍🏻

[@visitwithus]

We love the railing too David! Thanks for watching.

[@DaveM-FFB]

We just booked a French Veranda cabin on the new Oceania Vista ship for a 16-day Panama canal crossing in 2025. I figured once this ship launches in May 2023, prices will probably go up. The French Veranda is exactly like a Veranda cabin (including glass balcony doors and a balcony railing), but without the balcony space to sit on. This is new to us. There are only 20 cabins in this configuration.

[@visitwithus]

Sounds interesting. Please let us know what you think. Thanks for watching 😊

[@DaveM-FFB]

@@visitwithus Will do! Waiting 2 years to get on the Oceania Vista will seem like an eternity. But our dance card was full until then.

[@bobcarr5497]

Hello, My wife and I just booked our first cruise with Oceania Vista for the end of December 2023 including New years into early January 2024 for 10 days to the Caribbean. We booked a Penthouse suite which we have never done so looking forward to that and less of a crowd with only 1,200 Passenger's and most likely no children. This will be our first luxury ship per say as we have gone on bigger ships when we were younger with all the bells and whistles per say like water slides etc. Now that we will be both be 56 by December our focus is more driven by cuisine, smaller crowds and overall pampering and luxury. Lol. It's amazing how aging does that to a person or couples. Lol. Enjoy your cruise in 2025 Sir.

[@DaveM-FFB]

@@bobcarr5497 We had our first penthouse suite on Oceania Riviera last month. The cabin was incredible, and having a butler for the first time was very special. You can even have your butler serve dinner in your cabin course by course from any specialty restaurant. Enjoy!!

[@bobcarr5497]

@@DaveM-FFB That's pretty awesome! We are looking forward to the experience for sure. Thank you for the insight.

[@N0N4M30]

Well that’s one room I’d live in for a week :)

[@visitwithus]

It was indeed fabulous. 😍

[@visitwithus]

It was very comfortable 😍

[@cheniw.4365]

if you are a vegetarian, you might want to think twice before you book a Oceania ship. January 2019, my husband and I went onboard Riviera for a 10 day cruise from Miami for our 50th anniversary celebration. Being a vegetarian for over 30 years, I brought to the attention of the head waiter and the head chef that there were no VÉGÉTARIEN dishes on the main dining room menu. I was told "chefs are not going to go out of their way to cook anything that is not on the menu. you can always order an appetizer or a salad". Even though we booked a Concierge room and yet, I felt very much like a second class passenger. Since then, I have traveled with Royal Caribbean, NCL, and Celebrity, never never again with Oceania!

[@visitwithus]

Sorry you experienced this but we never found it an issue. Helen eats mainly vegetarian and there was always a vegetarian option on the menu in the main dining room at all mealtimes and she found them all to be very nice 😋

[@africandoll27]

Fingers crossed for the dining review 😊

[@southerncaladygolfer8651]

After just spending a month on the Marina I can give a pretty accurate dining review. We were in a penthouse suite so had access to more specialty restaurants than others. We were able to make more reservations earlier than others that are any of the levels below PH. We also had a butler who was able to get us reservations. The first two weeks there were only 600-650 passengers so I think anyone that truly wanted reservations were able to get them. The second two weeks it was full and it wasn’t as easy but we still managed several nights. I want to preface this with the fact that we were on the Marina for a month shortly before the shutdown and also a few years prior and Oceania is “our” cruise line. We love them and have 36 days booked on the Vista in 2024. The service was absolutely amazing. Every employee that you passed or worked with went out of their way to be friendly, tell you their name and whey they are from. It was very apparent they were as happy to be back on the ship as we were. You asked about the food……..while not perfect in the specialty restaurants it was close enough. The only negative issue we had was food not being served hot a few times. When this fact was brought to the attention of the server they couldn’t do enough to make it right. We had the dining room manager track us down one night while dining in Toscana to apologize for issues in the MDR the night before and offered to do anything he could to make it up to us. We are not complainers, we simply wanted to give input in the nicest of ways so situations could be addressed. They are definitely still working out the kinks and they are receptive and doing just that. Once again….amazing service,service, service. I believe I had lobster at least once in every restaurant. Always excellent with the exception of the MDR. The food just wasn’t anywhere near the experience we had at the others including The Terrace Cafe which is their buffet. My friend that I travel with is not a fan of buffets but that is a personal choice. The food there was always very good. Sitting out on the patio at the back of the ship while dining at the Cafe can be a great experience…it was just too cold or rainy for us to take advantage of that area on this last cruise. The servers will take your plates from you and carry them to your table and once seated they bring you anything else you might want. They are very visible and helpful. We are not room service people for the most part but we did have breakfast in our room most port days….we had 23 excursion days out of 28. I believe they are still having staffing issues because the dining room was not open for lunch which put a strain on the buffet so while crowded, for us it was still always very good food. Many options that change daily so plenty of choices. One of our favorite venues was Barristas where you can get light breakfast selections and wonderful coffee selections. Paulo was in charge there during the day and in the evening he was the olive oil “guru” in Toscana. He is loved by everyone! In the evening they have appetizers and wine in Barristas. I know I haven’t covered it all ….there is Waves Grill where you can get lunch near the pool and LaReserve where they have a gourmet dinner with wine pairings. LaReserve is by wine spectator and does have an up charge and I have been told it is well worth it but it is a set menu so it has to work for you. I have never been mostly because my friend does not drink at all. I have no doubt it would be a fabulous experience. I have only been back a few days and I am already counting the days to our next cruise with Oceania. I am also eager to hear what others have to say about their dining experiences.

[@visitwithus]

Hopefully not long 🤞😆 Make sure you’re subscribed and have notifications so you’re the first to know 😁 Thanks for watching 😊

[@sandyschledinger8996]

Beautiful!

[@visitwithus]

Indeed ❤️ Thanks for watching 👍