Oceania vs Celebrity

We are looking at an Oceania cruise with a great itinerary and are wondering if anyone could compare the line to Celebrity. We usually book a Sky suite or a Celebrity suite, but on Oceania, it looks like we would be booking a veranda cabin. Could anyone compare: is Oceania worth the extra cost? Thanks

I have not been on Celebrity but if you are used to a larger cabin I would book a PH or higher on Oceania

Oceania ships are smaller & less passengers

no formal nights, non alcoholic drinks are included, quality food

For us the extra $$ are worth it for cruising on O

YMMV

Are you familiar with the search function?

If you do a search on "Oceania vs Celebrity" on this forum, you will get several threads discussing this issue with lots of info.

If you have more specific questions after reading through those, I will gladly respond.

Enjoy your exploration :)

We had a Sky Suite on Celebrity a few years ago and we loved our suite - it had a very large balcony, our butler was wonderful, the 5:00 p.m. sushi was the perfect appetizer, and we met some lovely people whom we could entertain on the balcony thanks to a large table. But in general, there really is no comparison between the two lines. The food on Oceania is superior, and the treatment by the staff throughout the ship is attentive and professional.

There is no charge for the specialty restaurants, which is a big draw for us. On Celebrity we ate in the specialty restaurants many evenings because we found the main dining room food just ok, but it came with a big price tag by the end of the cruise. There is not the same kind of nickel and diming on Oceania we found on Celebrity. Every time we wanted something on Celebrity, it seemed to come with a charge. On Oceania, we are able to bring wine and liquor on board without worrying about a quota or it being confiscated, and we love the essential quiet of the ship - no non-stop announcements, no photographers everywhere to snap and charge for photos.

I understand completely the trade-off you are facing. I would also agree that if you could pinch the pennies, the Penthouse would be the way to go to get the same feeling as you experienced in the Sky Suite but even more fabulous. If that jump in cabin is not worth it, I think you will still love your Oceania trip, but the cabin part of the experience may feel a little different.

Catherine

We have been on 3 Oceania cruises so far and have another one coming up in October. One on the Regatta and two on the Riviera. We have been on the Celebrity Equinox twice, the Celebrity Reflection twice and we were just on the Celebrity Solstice this past February. We usually sail in Aqua Class on Celebrity and Concierge class on Oceania. The food on Oceania is better than Celebrity. In fact on this last Celebrity cruise I felt the food quality has slipped some. Sailing on Celebrity in Aqua class you do have Blu restaurant but it seems their menu never changes. Also, Oceania has no formal nights which I think is a great idea. Even though Celebrity has formal nights, I feel that people don't dress up as much as they used to. I will say this though that the specialty restaurants on Celebrity are as good as those on Oceania. Of course you pay extra on Celebrity for the specialty restaurants. The other nice thing about Oceania is because they have smaller ships their itinaries are more unique.

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

Did a 24 day on Oceania. Smaller ships. Had a ph cabin (with butler) about same size as RC veranda maybe a touch wider. Good points , airfare included, (we did not use- got credit )food excellent, free soda, bottled water allowed to bring as much wine onboard. service excellent, no formal s ,average age approx 70's , )mostly very well traveled clientele. There was only . one show each evening ends at 9:30. no nightlife to speak of. .small casino. If your going for destination, the smaller ships can get to places the big ships can't Our destination was the Amazon. Can't do that with Celebrity.

The comparisons above are prior to the new Celebrity Luminae suites-only restaurant, which despite teething problems has clearly elevated the level of food on Celebrity beyond anything that was previously offered. This will change the value comparison between a Celebrity suite and Oceania.

The comparisons above are prior to the new Celebrity Luminae suites-only restaurant, which despite teething problems has clearly elevated the level of food on Celebrity beyond anything that was previously offered. This will change the value comparison between a Celebrity suite and Oceania.

You must be kidding!

You must be kidding!

No. I have sailed both lines. The food on Oceania was good, but not that much better than Celebrity. And nowhere near as good as on Crystal. So Luminae has the potential to be better than Oceania, and an S-2 will cost much less than a comparably-sized cabin on Oceania.

There was only . one show each evening ends at 9:30. no nightlife to speak of. .small casino.

The show begins at 9:30 or 9:45 pm

No. I have sailed both lines. The food on Oceania was good, but not that much better than Celebrity. And nowhere near as good as on Crystal. So Luminae has the potential to be better than Oceania, and an S-2 will cost much less than a comparably-sized cabin on Oceania.

Last year we priced Celebrity vs Oceania for Alaska before talking with friends about their preferences.

Figuring in air credit on O along with (on the selected dates) their free tips, specialties, beverages, one price drop, O/TA exclusive cabin price break and both O and TA OBC, it worked out to be about $100/person more for the 10 days on O. Of course that's not every cruise. But, O can be affordable.

As to food, I see you are a New Yorker. But I don't know if that is upstate or the City (though I must admit- two of my favorite restaurants in the northeast are the American Hotel in Sharon Springs and Ric Orlando's New World Home Cooking in Saugerties).

Even then, we all agree that food rating is subjective and I don't know if your "good" (let's say: for Italian in NYC) is Rao's or Frankie's Sputino vs Olive Garden).

Because of the recommendation of our trusted TA and fairly cosmopolitan friends here in SF or back in NYC, we'd probably not sail on Celebrity just because of the food.

As for O food, I'd say it would earn an average 2.5 stars in the SF Chronicle, for which most of our local hotel restaurants would kill.

Perhaps you're correct regarding the possibility of future Celebrity food being good. As for me, I'll stick with O (or Disney when the new granddaughter is old enough).

I have been on 6 celebrity cruises -and2 on Oceania ...always in a midship to aft balcony .

Oceania is famous for its food and specialty restaurants ...we enjoyed most except Toscana the Italian one I found hohum compared to the great Italian food available in Montreal

I also found Jacques way too rich for my taste ....loads of butter ..which I do not care for ..my sister loved the foie gras ....not for me

But the Red ginger was exceptional ...the dishes and presentation outstanding

Ships are smaller ..buffet is not self served so less waste .I enjoyed waves ordered food on back outdoor venue delivered to the table .service was excellent .The dining room at night was very cold so I took the chefs advice and ate under the stars at the buffet ...made to order food ....in front of Bora Bora ..it was awesome

Yes Oceania is more expensive but i truly cannot compare with Celebrity which at times did disappoint ....its not really IMO anywhere near that calibre .....

There is very little entertainment on either ship ....but i really enjoyed our tour of French Polynesia on Oceania ..it was amazing

Try it you might just like it ...I hope to go back to French Polynesia with my son in a few years as a grad present ....i hated oceanias ground service but really enjoyed the ship and great people I shared time with ..although did meet some hootyy totty snobs one evening ...dreadful woman and her ambulance chasing husband .....not nice at all

Go enjoy

We are looking at an Oceania cruise with a great itinerary and are wondering if anyone could compare the line to Celebrity. We usually book a Sky suite or a Celebrity suite, but on Oceania, it looks like we would be booking a veranda cabin. Could anyone compare: is Oceania worth the extra cost? Thanks

You have not said which class of ship on Oceania. On the larger ships the standard cabin is quite large. We have always found it very comfortable and never felt the need to upgrade to a PH. We do not use a butler nor like to eat in our cabin so those perks mean nothing to us. As for food, there are more included choices on Oceania and the Terrace (Buffet) really stands out IMO. In some venues X and O are equal and in others O is better, again IMO. Sometimes we like the smaller ship and low keyed trip on O and other luxury lines and sometimes we like the bigger ship, more action on X and other mass market lines. I see no reason you would not be happy on Oceania and have a nice trip.

The comparisons above are prior to the new Celebrity Luminae suites-only restaurant, which despite teething problems has clearly elevated the level of food on Celebrity beyond anything that was previously offered. This will change the value comparison between a Celebrity suite and Oceania.

This comment has me worried. We went on our first Celebrity cruise last month. It was the worst cruise out of 40 we have been on. We seriously considered jumping ship at the first port of call. Most food was inedible and service was terrible. We are booked on our first Oceania cruise this fall. Maybe we need to cancel.

This comment has me worried. We went on our first Celebrity cruise last month. It was the worst cruise out of 40 we have been on. We seriously considered jumping ship at the first port of call. Most food was inedible and service was terrible. We are booked on our first Oceania cruise this fall. Maybe we need to cancel.

Food is so subjective I would give Oceania a try

There are some hits & misses on any cruise line

Sounds like you need to book a suite to enjoy the Luminae restaurant with the high level of food

What if you book a low level cabin???

I would go & enjoy Oceania for what it offers then decide what cruise line makes you happy

I would not jump ship. I take all reviews and statements about food, service and shows with a grain of salt. I do not know these people and what their perspective is. One persons pleasure is another's nightmare.

Sent from my XT1032 using Forums mobile app

I have taken 2 O on Riviera and 1 X. I am taking my 3rd O this May and have 2 more booked for 2016.

The X cruise was decent for what it was and we chose Aqua class and enjoyed Blu and the privacy it offered. This cruise was to Bermuda and only because we were in between moving from one home to a new one in NY and we had nothing else to do for a week.The demographic on that cruise was different than O but I assume most of that was because of ease from NY and it was in mid August so a few families aboard. The French specialty restaurant was excellent but nothing compares to O in my opinion for all that it offers. We are however, taking another cruise to OZ and NZ this October on X because the timing suited us, as well as the itinerary. It will be a nice floating hotel and we will us it for that purpose.

Truly, take the O cruise especially if it is on Riviera. The buffet on X was not to our liking, but wait until you see the Terrace Cafe on O :) Hope you take the jump!

We have done 35 cruises on Celebrity and will not go back. We enjoyed Aqua class on the Solstice, it was excellent. We then booked Aqua class on the Infinity, the cabin was excellent, but the Blu dining room was like a railroad box car that was carved out of the balcony on deck 5. The food came from the galley on deck three. It was served without being covered and was constantly cold.

We have grandchildren and great grandchildren, who we enjoy. We have encountered many unruly kids in the pools and other areas on Celebrity and the rules are not enforced by the staff.

We now only cruise on Oceania.

This comment has me worried. We went on our first Celebrity cruise last month. It was the worst cruise out of 40 we have been on. We seriously considered jumping ship at the first port of call. Most food was inedible and service was terrible. We are booked on our first Oceania cruise this fall. Maybe we need to cancel.

I cant even imagine thinking about canceling any cruise on the word of one person you dont even know..how would you know if you liked it or not without even trying??

Jancruz1

This comment has me worried. We went on our first Celebrity cruise last month. It was the worst cruise out of 40 we have been on. We seriously considered jumping ship at the first port of call. Most food was inedible and service was terrible. We are booked on our first Oceania cruise this fall. Maybe we need to cancel.

If one comment is your make or break then...

Here is another single comment.

We have enjoyed both cruise lines.

Pick the one that provides the best total value to you.

Itinerary, food, size, service, embarkation, disembarkation, price

Our opinion is that Oceania is worth it:)

I cant even imagine thinking about canceling any cruise on the word of one person you dont even know..how would you know if you liked it or not without even trying??

Jancruz1

We would never cancel based on a stranger's opinion. I assumed I would get a lot of people saying positive things about Oceania - and that is what happened. We are sailing Hong Kong to Cape Town on the Insignia. All shore tours are booked. We are going. Were just disappointed when somebody compared Celebrity food to Oceania food. We did cancel a Celebrity cruise for July 2016 based on the food and service we received on Celebrity.

Thank you to everyone who responded. The information was helpful. I think we may give Oceania a try!

Thank you to everyone who responded. The information was helpful. I think we may give Oceania a try!

If this is your first O cruise, do take the time to find a top producing O TA (sorry but I can't provide on CC a recommendation of the two that I know). O and their preferred partners will occasionally offer a "new O cruisers" discount of about 10% +\-.

If this is your first O cruise, do take the time to find a top producing O TA (sorry but I can't provide on CC a recommendation of the two that I know). O and their preferred partners will occasionally offer a "new O cruisers" discount of about 10% +\-.

Actually a minimum 10% rebate is available to ALL cruisers if you go to the right TA and there are several TA's who offer this.

Actually a minimum 10% rebate is available to ALL cruisers if you go to the right TA and there are several TA's who offer this.

Of course! The preferred partner occasional "new O discount" is in addition to the TA OBC of 10%+/-.