ak1004

Yes, HAL is cheaper, but can you really compare the experience? We sailed on HAL, Celebrity and Princess (among 12 other lines), I doubt we will go back to big ships (unless there is a really unique itinerary). But it pays off to book early. Our cost for this cruise was around $360/night for B5. I'm sure 2026 prices will be much higher, but we like the small ship experience, and rest of the small ship lines are even more expensive. But there are sales. SS is having a sale now, some sailings for 2026-2027 are around $400/night, TA is even less. So it's worth to look around.

I did a detailed comparison: I would say that food overall is comparable with a slight edge to O (and I'm very picky). There is no buffet at dinner, and breakfast and lunch they do serve most of the food with a small central section for self service. But they have unlimited black caviar, and they are more flexible when it comes to food customization.

I wouldn't even put C and O in the same sentence. Different galaxies. Took our friends who are elite plus on C to O. They are not going back to C.

At the end of the day, after 14 pages of discussion, no matter how you crunch the numbers, the bottom line is pretty simple: SM was not beneficial to people who don't drink and prefer private tours. The recent change is the opposite. The net result compared to what it was before SM is addition of gratuities and second Wifi device. Sure, prices increased since then, as they did on all lines. SM was a non event to us, and SL (or whatever you call it) is a non event too. People who like to drink can bring their own wine. Problem solved. I'm sure $25 corking fee won't kill you.. But you can continue to vent. It's entertaining to read.

Venetian Society members get 5% on VS sailings (currently 250+ sailings out of 750+, so over 30%). When you reach 100 days, you get extra 5% on ALL sailings. 250 days get 10%. Plus Complimentary 7-Day Cruise every 150 VS Days after 500 VS Days. I recently got status match with Celebrity and RCI (and I had only 4 cruises with Celebrity, so I guess this is not that difficult). So now I get 5% off all sailings, and 10% off VS sailings. 100 VS is equivalent to someone who took 5 20 days cruises on O. Bronze members get $100 OBC on O. Even O Silver members (10 10 days cruises) get $250 OBC and free PPG (till now). Definitely worth less than 5% in most cases. And you also get 5% extra discount when booking on board. So I wouldn't call it little value.

We sailed on Azamara too. The experience was very close to O older ships. Smaller cabins, but that's the only negative. If they were much worse than O, they couldn't charge prices similar to O. And you are right, SS is similar and different to O at the same time. We are not formal people, but we always enjoy watching how other people dress up. It's entertaining and amusing at the same time. The atmosphere is very different from O, and it's good for novelty. Choice is always good. We would not hesitate sailing on SS again, but cannot justify their prices at this point.

Exactly. And personally, I would try as many lines as possible even if the itinerary was not important. There is zero risk. Of course I'm not talking about lines like Carnival..

I think this last statement nailed it. For you, the first priority is the ship. For us it's the itinerary. This is the main difference.

But who says there has to be a single line of choice? Why not several lines of choice? There is no chasing. Just looking for the good itinerary at reasonable price. in 2025, those happened to be on O. In 2026, who knows? We are waiting for O itineraries to be released. But if we see a good itinerary on SB, SS, Explora, Windstar or Azamara, we will book. I see zero risk sailing on any of those lines, they all offer an excellent experience.

I looked at Az too and came to similar conclusions. Prices are comparable to O. Sometimes slightly higher, sometimes slightly less, but comparable overall. However, I don't consider Az in the same category as O newer ships. Not compared to Marina/Riviera, and definitely not Vista/Allura. Older ships, much smaller cabins, less dining options etc. I know the same can be said about O older R class ships, but I don't consider them in the same category too. O having similar pricing for R ships and Vista never made sense to me. To me to sail on any of the R ships, both itinerary and price has to be much more attractive. But O at least has a better food than Az. What Az can offer that I cannot get on Vista for a similar price, but much more attractive ship?

We sailed with Crystal in 2019. We found their food very good, comparable to O, maybe O slightly better but definitely comparable. Is the food on the new Crystal better than on the Old Crystal? But yes, they are much more expensive. More expensive than SB in fact. Which doesn’t make sense to me.

Those are very interesting numbers. For O, I assume you refer to Feb.9 sailing on Vista, B4 category? I don't know if this is typical. Mar9 sailing on Vista is priced at $545, which is still pretty expensive, but cheaper than EJ. However, when you check European sailings, you see a different picture. FV on Vista is around $600/night while EJ is close to $800 or more. Yes, EJ is more inclusive and has slightly larger cabins, but it's hard to justify $200 difference per person, especially for people who don't drink. (all prices are in CAD) I will continue watching EJ, really want to try them. I think they have sales from time to time. If they come to $650 range for European cruise, we will definitely give them a try.

When Crystal went out of business, SB offered status match to C refuges. We did a single cruise with C, but got Silver status on SB. Then we booked MSC Yacht Club and they did status match to SB - we got Diamond, their highest status. In both cases we got status without sailing a single day with them. So yes, all lines are trying to attract new cruisers, and couldn't care less about loyalty. Maybe it would be different if guests voted with their wallets too, like we do. We sailed on 12 different lines and doing 2 more in the next 6 months. Always based on itinerary and the overall package. Never on loyalty. Yes, getting a free cruise after 20 cruises is nice - but it's basically equivalent to 5% discount. Nice but doesn't change the big picture.

So including alcohol at meals but not gratuities is considered "a more inclusive framework" than including gratuities but not alcohol? Not to people like me who don't drink.

Exactly our thoughts, and pretty much summarizes the whole thread. If you select your cruise line based on the loyalty program, don't complain when the loyalty program changes and you lose some of your perks. Loyalty means NOTHING. Be loyal to your wife and your family, not to some corporate brand.

My point is that those things are so insignificant they are not really worth it to make such a big deal out of them. If you think about it, gratuities are never more than 5-6% of the cruise cost even for the cheapest cruise in cheapest cabin. And for more expensive sailing in more expensive cabins, it's even less. If I can afford paying $10k for a cruise, I can certainty afford another $500. Lets just be grateful that we can afford those cruises and enjoy life!

The best thing to do is accept this is a price increase. Nothing more nothing less. All lines increase prices, and O is no exception. Accept it or move on and find another line. This whole thread is a colossal waste of time and energy, but I understand that some people just need to vent.

Was it intended for me? You should really quote the person you are answering to.. Cabins on the newer O ships are 240 sqft, more than enough for most people. SB newest non expedition ship is from 2018, O 2023 and 2025, and two more coming. Nicer venues is subjective. Service comparable. Food better on O compared to SS. Nicer cabins is the only thing that is better on SS and SB.

we are on the same cruise. Booked FV a year ago when they just came out. We are getting $900 USD rebate from our TA. That’s like getting 11% discount, in addition to the early bird 5% discount and FCC. To answer your question, $500 is per person per night.

Except for the fact that they are all inclusive and O is not, why they are not comparable?

I have no doubt we will enjoy SB. I just cannot see us booking it again if we have to pay $200 more per day compared to O. We are also looking at Nay 2026 and yes very few options. Maybe they will add more in the next release.

I guess it depends on your preferences and parameters like Region, duration, cabin category etc. I just looked at 10-12 nights sailings in Europe for Amy-June 2025. Oceania FV on Vista is around $500/night. SB entry level cabin (OV or veranda) around $700. I think last year the difference was less, but there is no way I'm going to pay $700/night for SB (or any other line), unless the itinerary is really unique (and I don't see this happening). SS and Crystal are even more expensive. So to me, the fiscal positive doesn't really matter. What matters is the total price, compared to the overall value and how this value compares to other lines.

Just for the record, this wasn't my quote.

What you gain is variety and choice. What you gain is more options. How does it feel to do 10+ cruises with your favorite line just to find out that new cruisers now get some of the same benefits from day 1? It's the same as with airlines. We love Aeroplan, but we also use KLM, Air France and British Airways, based on itinerary and price.

So to summarize the BIG CHANGE: For people who don't drink, it's basically a wash. On a 10 nights cruise, SM excursion credit is $300 per person. With the new pricing, you get gratuities included - $180 value, and $125 OBC. That's $305. BUT: with SM you have to use the credit for excursions, while the new OBC can be used for anything. Am I missing something?