ak1004

SB is less formal than SS.

7 months in advance they can cancel with no penalty, so what's the issue?

Unfortunately, sometimes things that are pure speculation are presented as facts. Considering the level of negativity and constant criticism that comes from some members, I'm not sure what they even do here? There are plenty of alternatives..

Actually your O formal nights was not in quotes if you look at your post. Never had to dress up for a SS "formal night" - this was in quotes. Looks like some of your SS cruises were expedition cruises - no formal nights on expedition cruises, but those are different animals. Unless your IST to BCN was expedition too, I find it hard to believe no ties on formal nights. They are very strict about it, unless you go to the Grill or the Pizza place which are outside. On classic (non expedition) cruises there are definitely formal nights where jackets and ties are required. Just to clarify - SS=Silversea, correct? Why to mislead people?

I'm really confused by this post. First, you definitely have to dress up on SS formal nights - unless you go to two venues that have outside dining. In fact, you need a jacket to enter most dining venues even on "informal" nights. And many men did wear a Tux. Not the majority probably, but significant number. Second, "No jackets required on the formal nights on O" - O doesn't have formal nights. Some men do wear a jacket, but it's their choice. The bottom line is that O is one of the most casual lines while SS is one of the most formal.

The young also sail on Carnival and consider it veryvery cool.. 😁

Most of Europe is very expensive. I checked Lucerne, and 5 star hotels still start around $700-800 CAD ($500-600 USD). Meals extra. Transportation extra. Yes, Zurich is even more expensive. 3-4 stars are cheaper, but this would not be apples to apples comparison. And typical rooms are usually around 220-250 sqft. Bigger rooms more expensive.

yep. Majestic hotel in Barcelona was $400 CAD before Covid. It’s $650 CAD now. This is for a 215 sqft room, smaller than OV on the Riviera.

Lima is your example? Really? PH on the O ship is 350 sqft. Now go and check how much is a 350 sqft room in a 4 star hotel. In Barcelona, Rome, Venice or Zurich. We usually book OV on O class ships. That’s around $800 CAD per day for both of us. A similar level hotel in any big city in Europe is at least $600-700 CAD. At least. Many are more. Add meals and transportation and the total price will be at least 20-30% more than O fare. let’s be real and compare apples to apples.

We usually book OV too. Don't really need veranda. But if you book 2-3 star hotels and eat in cheap places, then Oceania is not apples to apples comparison in terms of accommodation and food. Compare to Carnival or RCI and then see that cruising will still be cheaper.

Well.. maybe, but they have to remember they are not the only game in town. If they raise the prices by 10-15%, they will be close to SB (or even more expensive when you account for all inclusions). I doubt that people would book O if they can book SB at similar prices. We recently booked SS cruise that was only 10% more than comparable cruise on O. If you account for the inclusions (drinks, gratuities and excursions), SS was actually cheaper.

Yes, it all depends. If you book 2-3 star hotels and eat in McDonald's (and stay in the same place), then yes, it will be cheaper. But if you book comparable hotels, eat 3 times a day in good restaurants and move from city to city, then land trips will be MUCH more expensive. At least this is the case in Europe.

To me it's a positive development, but I guess some people will see only negatives.. For those who don't like the shows there is a great option: going to bed. The beds are very comfortable, I think even the biggest critics would agree.

But this is not necessarily a bad thing. That means that all their regular excursions (not OS, OE etc) are under $200 and can be booked with Olife for $100. On our upcoming cruise in May, there are plenty of excursions that seem very good quality and similar to what private companies like Spain Day Tours offer. The only difference is the size of the groups, but from our experience, O doesn't overload buses, so 25-30 people is usually an average size. I don't know another cruise line where you can book most tours for $100. I'm pretty sure Celebrity is much more expensive.

My favorite review of all times! It's from Silversea, but tells you what those reviews are worth. Just for the record, the ship is Silver Dawn, and the smallest cabin on the ship is 390 sqft including veranda.

We had a private excursion in Lisbon scheduled well in advance. When O moved the arrival time from 9am to 10am, we contacted the tour operator and asked to move the tour from 9:30 to 10:30. No issues at all, especially considering the notifications are sent well in advance. Call me naïve, but I don't believe that this is the reason. That said, I'm really angry that they are using this bogus excuse of carbon reduction or whatever it's called. Do they consider their guests morons?

Several people mentioned that you can select any excursion that is priced up to $200. However, O FAQs says otherwise: Any standard shore excursion that is not designated as an Oceania Select, Oceania Exclusive, or any private vehicle offered as part of our Executive Collection program may be selected as part of the O Life Choice Free Shore Excursion amenity. https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005361193-Which-shore-excursions-can-be-selected-as-part-of-the-O-Life-Choice-Free-Excursions-amenity- There is no mention of any price limit.

No indefinitely, but the chances are much better that the ship will wait for the a ship excursion that is late. Nothing is 100%, and if they are forced to leave, they leave. But it's not their interest, as many people might lose one of the main incentives to book the ship excursions. I have seen people get left on private tours and I have seen people get left on ship excursions.

And also for cruise prices..

This is probably the best of both worlds. But Spain Day Tours for example don't have that option. it's 14-18 people or private tour at set price. So if you travel as a group of 6-8 people, then this is the best option. Even 1200 euro is only 150 euro per person. Otherwise you need to find random people to join the small group.

Yes, for longer tours that are priced over $200 and cannot be part of olife the difference is significant. But don't forget that there is also a certain risk, especially for tours that require long drive. We know personally at least two couples who missed the ship because the tour was late. It's not common, but it happens. An accident, bad weather, mechanical failure, passengers late/lost etc. The risk is pretty small, but it does exist.

Okay, this is obviously a completely different story. But fully private tour is also significantly more expensive. In Cadiz and Bilbao SpainDayTours quoted us 1,000-1,200 euro for the tours for the 2 of us. Even for 4 people it would be 300 euro each.

I agree with you about panoramic tours, and I agree about guests being late and/or lost. But how private tours solve the issue? People on private tours cannot be late? Aren't private tours usually have the same passengers from the ship? People cannot get lost on private tours? As an example, thanks to @Jayne E we booked couple private tours in our upcoming cruise on Riviera in May. Those tours are 5-7 hours and cost around 70-90 euro. Riviera has very similar tours (maybe 1-2 hours less) for around $140-170. So yes, it's double, but if you take oLife, you get them for $100 and the difference becomes very small. And I suspect that O tours might even be operated by the same operator. Of course the biggest advantage is much smaller groups (14-18 people), but even with O we had some tours with only 25 people, and usually no more than 30.

You know the old saying.. Heaven is where the police are British, the cooks are French, the mechanics German, the lovers Italian and it's all organized by the Swiss. Hell is where the chefs are British, the mechanics French, the lover's Swiss, the police German and it's all organized by the Italians. Sorry, couldn't resist..

I'm curious what do you mean by "suffer on O shorex"? Our O excursions were usually well organized, on time and reasonable group sizes (25-30 people). Regrading prices, most excursions are under $200, so if you take oLife, they will cost you $100. I don't think private tours in Europe are much cheaper.