JVNYC

Thank you all!

Is there a guide somewhere that lists the room configurations? Would be a big help! Thanks!

Good morning. First time Celebrity Cruiser. Booked Aqua room 1525.

1. Is the bed on the right side of the room or the left?

2. Is the bed near the balcony or near the bathroom?

Thanks so much guys!

I've never sailed Celebrity and have been eyeing the Edge for a while. The per day prices on Edge are quite high for the summer 2019 season. I just randomly priced up a 7 day Med cruise in June in Concierge class with "Best" and it's pricing out at $456 per person per day. I think that's high for Celebrity.

We usually sail Oceania in PH category and it always prices in the $500's per person per day for PH with a butler. This isn't far off from Oceania pricing in PH category.

I'm wondering if I should stick with Oceania...wow! Anyone else seeing these high per day prices?!

I must have dreamt our overnight right in Bordeaux city centre on Marina on the September 24th sailing from Amsterdam to Lisbon :confused::confused::confused:

Did you dock in Le Verdon? I'm looking at that same cruise and I'd rather not dock in Le Verdon. What a waste of an overnight in such a beautiful city. How did you like that cruise and did you have good weather?

When do they go on sale? I'm not seeing that in the pdf.

Hey there. Wanted to get your opinion of Crystal Cruises. I've never sailed with Crystal. Always thought they would be too stuffy or too formal or too old. Seems like things are changing and for the better.

I'm 46 years old and my partner and I love cruising. We usually sail Oceania but I'm considering Crystal due to an itinerary that I'm interested in.

I like that they are moving to open dining and seem to be less formal. But I worry that I will be the youngest on board and worry that it will be too stuffy. And is Crystal gay friendly?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Belongings moved from lounge chairs while having lunch. Absolutely horrible and inappropriate. Low class ship and people. Be careful! Overcrowded ship and very disappointed.

 

 

 

 

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Low class people are people that leave their belongings on lounge chairs while having lunch.

On the Nautica now, nearing completion of a 20 day cruise. Will post a more complete review when I get home next week. Lots of problems with the food. Bottom line is, as reported by both a restaurant chef and some of the crew" the recipes have been altered so to make the dishes more approachable for more of our guests." What this means in practical terms is that a lot of the food has been made bland and tasteless to satisfy the geriatrics that are claiming to prefer bland and tasteless. Guess all the ships are encountering this. More details and examples late next week.

YIKES! Please tell us more. This has me very nervous. Could Oceania be turning into NCL?

One more point

 

It is possible to hire a private guide for land trips and emulate high end organized tours using same hotels but setting your own agenda. Price is often less you don't have to be on a bus with a large group and you can eat when and where you like

 

 

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Excellent point....land vacations are SO much cheaper than Oceania! We always stay in a PH on Oceania and it usually comes to $500-600 per person per day. We can stay at a 5 star hotel and have amazing meals (in Spain they are so cheap to begin with) and pay way less than that.

To clarify, I'm doing these land trips on my own....not an escorted tour. Don't think I'd like that.

We have been cruising on Oceania for the past 5 years and this year we are taking a break and doing a few land vacations (Spain, Netherlands).

It was hard to not book Oceania this year as I always look forward to having a cruise coming up. Being at sea is so relaxing to me and of course all the wonderful things that come with sailing Oceania make it even better.

I went to Barcelona in May for 9 days and did a few day trips and had an amazing time!! I had been there 4 times before but always spent only 2 nights prior to my Oceania cruise. This time I truly fell in love with the city. I was able to really experience it and focus on just "being" and less on "seeing." The meals, the walks, the night air all were fantastic.

I feel like you really can't experience a place when only spending a few hours a day off the ship. Sometimes when we get to a port I'll go in after breakfast and find myself returning to the ship around 1:30 pm for lunch (can't miss the Terrace buffet). As much as I love being on the ship, I feel like I've been missing out on all the wonderful places I'm visiting. I don't think you can really enjoy a place fully on a cruise visit. It's just an appetizer!

I still work, I'm not retired so I can't spend all my time traveling (wish I could but eventually I can). I usually book 14 nights on Oceania and spend a few nights before. It was nice this year to not have to take almost 3 weeks of my vacation time all at once and now can schedule a few trips throughout the year. I'm wondering if I want to do this again next year. :)

Was wondering how many of you take a break from cruising and if you enjoy your land vacations as much or even more than cruising?

Yes, I would never tell someone not to do something. We all need to have our own experiences. That's why I hate these x cruise line vs. x cruise line threads. We were on the Voyager last summer and it was very poor experience. Maybe the new ship is better. But we won't go on Regent again. Silversea is lightyears better, from our experience.

 

Michael

Michael, I see you sail Celebrity frequently. Wouldn't that be a big step down from Silversea, Crystal and Regent? I'm very curious as I've never sailed Celebrity. Just seems too big for me.

Michael:

 

Your observations and insights have been particularly interesting to me. Although my wife and I have been on Silversea three times in the past three years (twice on the Spirit), our most recent cruise was on the Oceania Riviera. It's not Silversea but I felt Oceania offers a high-quality and high-value experience. As you may know, Oceania and Regent are sister lines (now a part of Norwegian Cruise Lines). Until reading your negative comments about Regent, I had assumed that Regent was pretty much a more luxurious (and of course pricier) version of Oceania and is basically the same as Silversea. You may have saved me a big chunk of change at some point. I'll stick with SS when I'm ready to blow the budget again.

 

Jim

You can't let one review sway you away from Regent. Regent has many excellent reviews....especially their new ship, the Explorer....it's stunning!! Absolutely gorgeous!! The reviews are quite good. I haven't sailed it yet but I must. So far Oceania Riviera is my favorite ship!

These new RC ships look remarkable and stunning. I am beyond interested! We love the brand and I can only imagine that they will excel. Can't wait for these!

A nice person from NYC? Impossible ! (just kidding - I spent many years in NYC :D :D)

Haha! I mean I don't sweat the small stuff. I'm not a native New Yorker, been here 10 years. And I will not be retiring here either! Still figuring out where I'll end up....it's fun to think about. ;)

We spent 6 months on Insignia last year and ate most of our meals in Terrace. We got to know the young men and women there very well. Many, if not most, have their Bachelors degrees and all are multi-lingual.

 

After seeing how some of the cruisers treat the staff, and that passengers literally poked at the food they could get their hands on, I'm thrilled that the buffet is not self-serve.

 

One woman touched every roll in the basket, I cocked my head at one of the staff, and he immediately helped her with one of the rolls and removed the entire basket afterwards.

 

And yes, there are people who wanted 6 tomatoes on their salad, no more, no less. Perhaps they could have carefully pushed the few extra aside?

 

I am a true fan of Terrace but most especially the people that work there....they are amazing and each one of them had a personal story...imagine that.....

You're a nice person who obviously gets the saying "don't sweat the small stuff." I am the same. I hope you are on my next sailing! :)

Not self service is one of the things I like most about Oceania's buffets!!

It's great not to have to worry about people coughing on their hands and then touching serving utensils.

I think this makes Oceania more luxurious and upscale!

We shared the same cruise and also have the same opinion that Encore is not up to previous Seabourn standards-the extra passenger load seems to be taking its toll.

The Colonnade was always busy at breakfast and lunch and the staff had a difficult time. Service was not swift or attentive - it was clear that they were a bit overwhelmed.

The buffet was not very creative and the food rather tasteless- The Restaurant food was quite limited in selection and unless a special request was made it tasted like the mass produced product it was. We had three good meals- two from the TK Grille and one special request- the rest were bland and boring/ too repetitive.

We started ordering room service breakfast because of the crowding in the Colonnade and our omelettes/pancakes were dry and often missing ingredients. The coffee could also be improved upon and running out of OJ is rediculous.

The pool deck has one row of loungers in the shade- less than we have experienced on previous cruises, and the area was extremely crowded even with 7 ports of call. The Encore increased its passenger load but maintained a footprint similar to its other 3 ships which results in inadequate space and the ship seemed to be understaffed to meet the needs of its guests.

We cruised on the Legend, Quest and Sojourn prior to this recent cruise and would not cruise Seabourn again if this had been our first experience. A decline in the quality of food, wine and service were noticeable and I am hoping that this is not the Seabourn of the future.

This isn't good to hear. I'm considering booking my first Seabourn cruise on Encore in July next year because of the great itinerary but I keep reading about how the food isn't good and tasteless. Even on the reviews page this sentiment is repeated. I'm not going to spend $20K for bad food. I've always been happy with Oceania's food but wanted to branch out and try Seabourn. Food is important to me, as much as the ports.

I doubt prices will rise across the board. Oceania has dropped prices for my summer cruises a year in advance each year for the past 3 years. I'm waiting for the price drop on my Aug/Sep, 2018 cruise on Riviera. I don't expect to see that price rise.

1. Definitely outdoor space on the lower levels....some sort of a promenade deck with chairs.

2. Remove the golf and better utilize that top deck outdoor space. It's a perfect viewing area.

About € 400 cheaper

Looks like you got a good deal. Glad you took it. Whenever I price up Seabourn for a summer cruise in the Med a year out it's always the same price if not more than an Oceania PH on Riviera/Marina. Since I get gratuities and loads of shipboard credit for drinks or whatever, it's better for me on Oceania. In all honesty, I like a little bigger ship and the O ships are the perfect size for me. More choices of dining are also a factor. As many say, glad we have choices.

I am on the Encore on the 27th of may for a 7-day-cruise! The price was € 2.990,-- für die GTY veranda cabin including flights and $ 150 onboard credit per cabin plus an extra discount of 5% for open booking! Oceania charges for the same dates and approx the same route for the PH-Suite € 4.559,-- including flights - onboard credit $ 400,-- per cabin! No tipps and no alcoholic beverages included! So it is very easy to decide!

What is the Oceania price without the flights then?

Like most of these articles this one is filled with inconsistencies and wrong impressions. Choosing Oceania to go to Alaska is no longer an issue. Choosing Oceania if you're a foodie inso better than choosing Seabourn if your'e a foodie. The bottom lines if you're willing to squeeze into a tiny cabin, pay high prices for drinks, excursions, wifi and tips but like good food and nice ships Oceania is for you. BUT if you want a cabin comparable in size to Seabourn you must book a penthouse on Oceania and you will be paying more on O than on SB.

I disagree. The PH on Oceania is the same price as Seabourn's basic room. My agent always gives gratuities and shipboard credit, in addition to Oceania's shipboard credit. This covers more than enough drinks for me, I'm not a heavy drinker. Seabourn's excursions are just as expensive, you can't say that they are not.

I have been on the O Riviera twice in the last year. Once in PH and once in Extended Balcony.

Both cruise exceeded my expectations. Food in all venues was smashing along with service. I like the size of their two larger ships. I have been on all the luxury lines except Seabourn. ( have booking on Sojourn this August ) I feel Oceania can compete with the best of them. Will let you know how the two compare after my Seabourn cruise in August.

Thanks Maggie, please do let us know! The O Riviera is my favorite ship. I've never tried Seabourn and I'm very interested in trying but can't seem to break away from Oceania. They impress me and exceed my expectations every time too!