How my Oceania cruise compared to Seabourn

I just returned from a 7 day Caribbean cruise on Oceania's Marina. i was asked to post my thoughts on the comparison between the two lines, so this is my report.

We had booked a penthouse suite and the all inclusive beverage package, in an attempt to make the comparison as close to Apples to apples as possible.

The ship itself was quite nice. It holds about 1250, but other than at thelunch buffet on embarkation day, it did not really seem too crowded. Tables were always available in thenon-specialty restaurants (the specialties require reservations) and even onthe sea days in the Caribbean there seemed to be adequate lounge chairs aroundthe pool. The chairs are more padded andhave nice terry covers ? better than Seabourn. The pool was a little larger, allowing for actual swimming, at leastsort of swimming. As one would expect ona bigger ship, the exercise room was significantly larger with more equipmentavailable.

There was one tender port and that had its downside. If you were not on a tour, you had to go tothe show lounge and get a color ticket and wait for that to be called beforeyou could get on a tender.

The suite was quite nice, a little larger than the standardSeabourn veranda stateroom, with a larger walk in closet. There was only one sink in the bathroom and a little less bathroomstorage space, but in general the room as pretty comparable. It had what for us was an odd layout, sincethere is a table and two chairs at the foot of the bed. Good for room service, I guess, but since we don?teat in our cabin, it just took up space. The PH suite came with a butler. Similar to the one Silversea cruise we took, I really did not use thebutler. I know that is a matter of personalpreference, but I don?t really have any need for a butler?s services. For those who enjoy a butler, this would be aplus for Oceania.

Food is subjective, but we found the food in the main diningroom to be quite lacking in flavor and presentation. Also, the food at the breakfast and lunchbuffets was meh, and you do not have any waiter service there except fordrinks. You can get eggs, pancakes andthe like made to order, but you must stand and wait for them. However, the food in the specialty restaurants,for which there is no extra charge, was quite good. We thought the food in the Asian restaurant,Red Ginger, was excellent.

Our main problem was with the service, especially barservice. Sometimes we would wait forwhat seemed like forever to have an order taken or wine refilled. For the first three nights in the bar, beforedinner, they got my order wrong. Weheard others complain about service. Onecouple we met said that dinner took them 2 ? hours, and they did intend such aleisurely pace.

We were not impressed with senior staff. We saw the cruise director at trivia, but he washokey, and made no attempt to mingle or work a room, outside of his actualrequired duties. In fact, he noticeablypassed us by after greeting one or two people he already knew. The officers were not really visible. At the captain?s reception, we werespecifically instructed not to shake any of the officers? hands. I know this was for health reason, but therewas no break out of any kind on this ship, so it seemed a bit cold.

Listening to other passengers, those who were on their firstOceania cruise, coming from main stream cruise lines, were quite happy, andthought the ship was small and more intimate, the food and service wereattentive, but the entertainment and activities were lacking. Those I spoke to or overheard who had sailedSeabourn or Silversea found the ship a little big and definitely commented onthe lack of service. So, perspective is everything.

So, Seabourn is definitely still our line of choice. However, having said that, the cruise fair, even for apenthouse suite, with the drink package and tips tacked on was noticeably lowerthan Seabourn, and once we mentally adjusted to the fact that it was notSeabourn, we found everything to be at least acceptable and we definitelyenjoyed the cruise. So it might be worthanother try for the right price and the right itinerary.

Was it free seating?

In the main dining room, yes. In the specialty restaurants you had to make a reservation in advance. The higher the category cabin the earlier you could make reservations on line. You could pick your own time, subject to availability, and choose to dine alone or with a group,

CLOU,

Thank you for your report.

You say Oceania might be worth another try at the right price but to me if there is not much service to be had then it is not worth it at any price and should be avoided.

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Funny we had poor service in our seabourn cruise. Everyone was complaining, particularly seabourn regulars. We were told it was atypical. We have one more cruised booked

I don't think you can accurately gauge a cruiseline based on a single cruise. We have done 12 oceania cruises and on every one we had superb service

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I just returned from a 7 day Caribbean cruise on Oceania's Marina. i was asked to post my thoughts on the comparison between the two lines, so this is my report.

 

We had booked a penthouse suite and the all inclusive beverage package, in an attempt to make the comparison as close to Apples to apples as possible.

 

 

The ship itself was quite nice. It holds about 1250, but other than at thelunch buffet on embarkation day, it did not really seem too crowded. Tables were always available in thenon-specialty restaurants (the specialties require reservations) and even onthe sea days in the Caribbean there seemed to be adequate lounge chairs aroundthe pool. The chairs are more padded andhave nice terry covers ? better than Seabourn. The pool was a little larger, allowing for actual swimming, at leastsort of swimming. As one would expect ona bigger ship, the exercise room was significantly larger with more equipmentavailable.

 

 

There was one tender port and that had its downside. If you were not on a tour, you had to go tothe show lounge and get a color ticket and wait for that to be called beforeyou could get on a tender.

 

 

The suite was quite nice, a little larger than the standardSeabourn veranda stateroom, with a larger walk in closet. There was only one sink in the bathroom and a little less bathroomstorage space, but in general the room as pretty comparable. It had what for us was an odd layout, sincethere is a table and two chairs at the foot of the bed. Good for room service, I guess, but since we don?teat in our cabin, it just took up space. The PH suite came with a butler. Similar to the one Silversea cruise we took, I really did not use thebutler. I know that is a matter of personalpreference, but I don?t really have any need for a butler?s services. For those who enjoy a butler, this would be aplus for Oceania.

 

 

Food is subjective, but we found the food in the main diningroom to be quite lacking in flavor and presentation. Also, the food at the breakfast and lunchbuffets was meh, and you do not have any waiter service there except fordrinks. You can get eggs, pancakes andthe like made to order, but you must stand and wait for them. However, the food in the specialty restaurants,for which there is no extra charge, was quite good. We thought the food in the Asian restaurant,Red Ginger, was excellent.

 

Our main problem was with the service, especially barservice. Sometimes we would wait forwhat seemed like forever to have an order taken or wine refilled. For the first three nights in the bar, beforedinner, they got my order wrong. Weheard others complain about service. Onecouple we met said that dinner took them 2 ? hours, and they did intend such aleisurely pace.

 

 

We were not impressed with senior staff. We saw the cruise director at trivia, but he washokey, and made no attempt to mingle or work a room, outside of his actualrequired duties. In fact, he noticeablypassed us by after greeting one or two people he already knew. The officers were not really visible. At the captain?s reception, we werespecifically instructed not to shake any of the officers? hands. I know this was for health reason, but therewas no break out of any kind on this ship, so it seemed a bit cold.

 

 

 

Listening to other passengers, those who were on their firstOceania cruise, coming from main stream cruise lines, were quite happy, andthought the ship was small and more intimate, the food and service wereattentive, but the entertainment and activities were lacking. Those I spoke to or overheard who had sailedSeabourn or Silversea found the ship a little big and definitely commented onthe lack of service. So, perspective is everything.

 

So, Seabourn is definitely still our line of choice. However, having said that, the cruise fair, even for apenthouse suite, with the drink package and tips tacked on was noticeably lowerthan Seabourn, and once we mentally adjusted to the fact that it was notSeabourn, we found everything to be at least acceptable and we definitelyenjoyed the cruise. So it might be worthanother try for the right price and the right itinerary.

Agree with you for most of your comments. Just back from the Riviera in a penthouse because we wanted to accompany 2 other couples. They were also in penthouses. We have sailed on Seabourn for over 200 days and the only thing we preferred on Oceania was the food in the specialty restaurants--wonderful except for one overcooked lobster. We ate there 8 nights out of 10. On Seabourn they know your name after 48 hours--what a nice touch. Looking forward to our April trip from Hong Kong to Seattle! (y)

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Interesting comparison. We will be on Oceania for the first time this fall. Thanks for the information.

Clou,

Thank you for the comparison review of the Oceania Marina to your past Seabourn experiences.

I am afraid that the future will bring new challenges to such comparison efforts. Why? It's the introduction of the Encore which has some marked differences to the Odyssey class ships.

Here is my brief take, written as a loyal Seabourn passenger of 17 years. Much as I commented on CC during the Encore's maiden season, and especially when the ship was full, Encore IS different.

There is less outdoor space per passenger and this will be obvious to those who like to walk deck 5 or who seek shaded loungers there and elsewhere, and there is no sports area for golf and shuffleboard as the area it could be offered was given over to the ludicrous Retreat. Nor is there a captain's welcome party because the Grand Salon is hardly larger than the Odyssey class ships. Ditto the MDR. And much smaller is the Encore's sad excuse for its Club.

That said, to me the highlights of Encore are the expansive Observation Bar with more comfortable and versatile seating, the beautiful Thomas Keller restaurant and bar, the slightly bigger Patio Restaurant, and unique Sushi restaurant which we much enjoyed.

So it's take your pick now that you know. Either way you will have that terrific hospitality for which Seabourn crew and officers are so widely commended.

Happy and healthy sailing!

Again. Markham, we agree. The only thing I'd never miss on the encore is the Captain's welcome party. I stopped going to those and the good bye party years ago. One of my favorite crew members once confided in me that she regarded the good bye party as a monkey show where they paraded the staff in front of the passengers for applause. The seating is uncomfortable, there's no mingling and all you get is pitches from the spa and future cruise consultant.

One of my favorite crew members once confided in me that she regarded the good bye party as a monkey show where they paraded the staff in front of the passengers for applause.

I'm sure some of the crew members enjoyed, or at least didn't dislike, the applause from the guests. However, the farewell parade/party is no longer that enjoyable to me as a guest any more, when compared to the older days when it was held in the Restaurant towards the end of the market galley lunch. Nowadays, they'd come out altogether quickly upstairs on deck 9, they are too dispersed all around the rectangular deck, and it's usually too dark to see them clearly and for photos...

Totally agree that the unfortunately dearly departed galley lunch was a much better opportunity to show your appreciation. (Recall having a lot of laughs with a few of the crew while the speeches were in-progress during more than a couple of them...). Now it is if on deck 9 you barely see the crew, or in the Salon, even worse as they are packed together on the stage.

This "parade" is something they should get rid of. If anyone watched the Oscars and saw how they paraded a bunch of unknowing tourists in front of all the major stars who appeared to welcome them and mingle with them then they know how pretentious and demeaning it is. I bet every one of the crew members would much prefer a donation to the crew welfare fund to this sill display.

I would not throw out the baby.

I expect that many of the crew who participate in the above-the-pool deck parade choose to be there or they are senior enough to want to lead their departments. Some of the crew may well enjoy being on deck, albeit briefly, with the passengers and enjoy the moment. As a passenger I know I do and when I catch our wait staff's, bar staff's and stewardess' eyes we make the "high sign" to each other with smiles all around.

It's just a little ship board tradition and it's fun especially for the crew that seldom have deck privileges apart from the crew's own deck area.

Happy and healthy sailing!

I would not throw out the baby.

 

I expect that many of the crew who participate in the above-the-pool deck parade choose to be there or they are senior enough to want to lead their departments. Some of the crew may well enjoy being on deck, albeit briefly, with the passengers and enjoy the moment. As a passenger I know I do and when I catch our wait staff's, bar staff's and stewardess' eyes we make the "high sign" to each other with smiles all around.

 

It's just a little ship board tradition and it's fun especially for the crew that seldom have deck privileges apart from the crew's own deck area.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

I guess it depends on what one's definition of privilege is.

Wripro,

What I meant was the it seemed to me that in each occasion when we had these farewell/thank you, crew parades on deck 9 and 10 on my recent Sojourn and Encore cruises respectively that the crew enjoyed the party atmosphere of being in a large line, by department and being celebrated by the CD.

I saw smiles and I was smiling, too. It's a substitute for the galley lunch parade and not a bad substitute as it's in the early evening when you might be on deck. Many crew don't normally have access to the area. It's also a break from their normal routine.

Seems like a win - win.

Happy and healthy sailing!