JVNYC

+1

Especially if you don't drink.

Yes, certainly. And also if you do your own excursions....and if you already have pre-paid gratuities....and if you have shipboard credit. Actually, it's not close. Oceania is still cheaper.

It is the same as a comparable regent cruise too, when you add in drinks, tips, excursions, and a comparable suite. I figured it out. Oceania is not about saving money. To get a comparable experience, you will pay the same or more.

It's pretty close but not quite. Oceania is still cheaper.

Another Oceania enthusiast (can't remember who) was also on Crystal recently for the first time and commented how dated the ship is (which I've heard as well). It shows that everyone sees things differently.

Moving this thread up. Anxious to hear from those that have stayed in the room or seen them. Thanks!!

Has anyone seen the V1 rooms on deck 7 with the shower only? Is the room the same size but just a smaller bathroom? I'm curious. Good value for location.

That seems ridiculous! Just call them and have yourself removed. I did it and it's easy!

Crystal just seems sooooo stuffy, old fashioned, proper and almost cultish in a way. I just don't feel that I would fit in. I prefer Oceania's laid back atmosphere. I don't need so much attention constantly. If I need anything I'm happy to ask and I'm ok with that.

Unfortunately, you cannot use a 7 day pass for multiple people. Per the NY MTA: Cannot be used again at the same subway station or the same bus route for at least 18 minutes.

You are better off getting a Metro card and just putting $ on it and then you can swipe and go through and hand the pass back to your husband for him to swipe and go through. Can't do that with any unlimited pass, which the 7 day pass is.

I have a hunch that the price drop we saw earlier today that vanished will take effect on October 1.

Apparently Oceania had a system-wide issue this morning and the price reduction that I saw this morning is now gone. I haven't officially heard back from them yet but it appears they put the old pricing back up. Oh well.

I noticed this morning that my B2B in June/July, 2017 had a nice price drop. The Oceania website reflects this new pricing but Oceania doesn't have it in their systems yet (odd). It's being looked into now. Has anyone noticed a new price drop?

Trying again

 

 

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Beautiful photo and day! What did you think of Antwerp?

A luxury looking ship is one thing. Luxury service and food is another.

 

As they say, you can put lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig.

Opinions of what luxury is will differ. Some expect more and are harder to please. Others are not.

Have a fantastic cruise! This is a wonderful itinerary....Regal Routes. I've considered taking this as well. I hope to hear your reviews on the ports. I haven been to a few of these & they look interesting. Enjoy the beautiful Marina & the wonderful food & service. Life is good. :)

You've completely missed my point.[/quote

 

To the contrary, I did not miss your point at all, but I believe you missed mine.

No one expects perfection from a ship's internet. and hopefully some passengers have other things to do on the cruise other than being online so hopefully 1200 passengers are not on line at the same time, That being said , my point was that the internet on my Insignia cruise was No better than a year ago, 2 years ago , or 5 years ago.The article referenced by the OP

stated that the bandwidth was quadrupled and would be operative for all NCL ships as of July.Also says that they have "moved beyond the decade old problem of slow data speeds from satellite to deliver a much more efficient and faster internet experience". My comment was that despite these supposed enhancements, there was NO improvement at all in the internet speed. Since it was reported that there was some improvement on the Marina, that probably the new enhancements are not yet installed on the Insignia.I was just trying to answer a poster's question as to if the internet showed any improvement after the supposed enhacements.

Is that clearer?

 

 

Clearer :)

I am on Insignia now and yesterday (a Sea day) it took 45 minutes to download a digital newspaper of 36Mb. The connection was lost several times.

We are currently docked in Bordeaux (France) and I just performed a speedtest. Download speed is 0.37Mb/s which is very slow. When using cellular (4G), download speed was 3,06. Mb/s. Quiet a difference!

It's satellite! There is no way around that for a cruise ship. Ships are not hard wired like a hotel or home. One should not expect the same service. Best to download everything you will want to watch & read before you sail.

according to the article"the speednet program delivers popular websites at speeds that mimic high speed fiberoptic networks, similar to those available in homes and offices." "our guests can consume content,post to social media and stay in touch with family and friends on the ship's network just as they are used to on land" ...NOT EVEN CLOSE!

 

I can only assume that the new system on the Insignia is not yet operable. It was far more like "dial-up" than a high speed fiber optic network.

There is no improvement in the internet from 5 or six years ago.

You've completely missed my point.

No internet anywhere is perfect when 1200 people are downloading and uploading large photos, downloading songs, newspapers & magazines, playing games, watching movies, videos, etc. all at the same time all the time. People don't disconnect either. C'mon guys, be realistic here.

I enjoyed reading the review and agree with some your comments - both positive and negative. The biggest disagreement is that I hope that Oceania does not build ships any larger than the Riviera (which is borderline too big for many customers).

 

P.S. To those of you that like being served in the Terrace Cafe and believe that this is keeping you safe somehow, it seems that Oceania had more illness issues in the past year that their sister cruise lines combined. Serving yourself vs. self-serve did not protect Oceania's guests IMHO.

Not to bring up the horrid Riviera norovirus thread again (boy that was tiring), I tend to disagree with your statement. I'm not a gambler but I would bet that most of the passengers are the ones that brought the virus on board. Oceania is not doing anything different than it always does. I am beyond glad Oceania is serving me at Terrace, I don't want to touch those utensils after stupid people that don't wash their hands have been touching them. Eeek! Yes, I believe that is keeping me safe.

Yes -but- O did not want to honor it. I had it in writing. Not my regular Travel Agent. So we got two for one really - or 25% off the promo fare each.

Hi Kathy. Which cruise did you book?

Traveling today. Will let you know tomorrow the date of the Med cruise for $699

Bob, which cruise did you book?

No not another tipping debate!

 

We have booked a PH1 on Riviera and would welcome any tips on how best to enjoy an Oceania cruise.

 

We have previously sailed extensively with Princess, Carnival, Celebrity, Azamara, Regent and Seabourn, with most recent cruises including tipping and all drinks.

 

We have $800 obc, free wifi and basic drinks packages.

Hi Tim. I've read your many posts on Seabourn, Regent and Azamara and have always enjoyed your photos and day by day posts. Welcome to Oceania! You have picked my favorite ship and room category....you will absolutely love it! I am just off Riviera 2 weeks ago and I'm still longing to be back on board. What cruise did you book?

I believe Host Andy had posted on another thread that cruise was chartered.

 

I found this online: Organized by Luxury Lifestyle Vacations, and also sold by various other agencies, this eight-day, clothing-optional, full-ship swinger cruise embarks Rome (Civitavecchia) on August 5, 2017. The ship is the Azamara Quest, cruising to Barcelona with port calls in Livorno (for Florence), Monte Carlo (overnight), St. Tropez, Sete (France) and Ibiza (overnight).

 

Have Fun! ;)

Oh....ah....no! Thanks for letting me know. Guess I'll stick with Oceania.

Hi Bonnie. Where is Quest on August 5, 2017? I like the new Quest itinerary on July 29, 2017 & I'd like to do a back to back. I'm not seeing the August 5 itinerary listed online. Thanks for your help!

I also left the Riviera a week ago in Rome and honestly I can't wait to go back to Europe! I never tire of the food and culture and amazing Mediterranean weather. It's miserably hot and humid here in NYC!