Oceania vs NCL Haven

DH and I are huge fans of NCL haven level cruising. We’re just beginning to discuss retirement and a possible long cruise - I’m dreaming of a world cruise someday. Early research sounds like Oceania is the best deal for this type of cruising. However, their suites are just too pricey for us!

How are things for the regular cruiser? I don’t care one way or another about butlers & concierges, but we both hate cattlecalls, crowding, and pools with a few chairs and lots of chair hogs. Is Oceania any better than lines like NCL and Carnival about these things? Thanks for your thoughts and experience!

Oceania is dramatically better than NCL. Even if you stay in a top suite on a mainstream cruise line, you are still on a huge ship with too many passengers and, in some cases, have to pay for water (this really blows my mind).

When you are comparing pricing, remember to compare what is included on Oceania vs. what is included on NCL. This makes the price a bit closer. Plus, if you use a luxury TA (even though Oceania is not a true luxury line), you can get gratuities paid for you. A lot to consider.

We usually book an inside cabin on O but get the same beds and food as those that stay in the owner’s suite. On O the entire ship is a haven for those that don’t like crowds, gimmicks, nickel and dimming, endless announcements, a “party boat” atmosphere. It is quiet, refined, pleasant with ample good food and service.

I am a frequent NCL Haven cruiser who has taken two Oceania cruises totaling 58 days in the past 13 months. We are returning to NCL, and have three cruises currently booked with them because we did not like numerous aspects of our Oceania cruises and are unlikely to ever cruise Oceania again.

Among our dislikes on Oceania:

Passengers who act over entitled, and will shove you aside to get on or off a tender or elevator, or in front of you in the buffet. Passengers who smoke in non-smoking areas. Also passengers who talk loudly and disrupt others enjoyment of musical performances.

Shipboard management that is arrogant and unapproachable, gives out misinformation...or to be more direct about it, lies to your face, and are totally clueless about how to manage the ship in a crisis such as a GI outbreak.

We cruised on Oceania for itineraries that were unavailable on NCL or many other lines, but that will not be enough to lure us back.

NCL's entertainment is far superior to Oceania's.

My travel agency which is a high-level Oceania and NCL producer gives me more than enough refundable OBC on NCL to cover gratuities (service charges) so I'm in the same position on that as I would be if I booked Oceania with the agency.

Yes, Oceania's food is better, but if you're an NCL Haven passenger you have the Haven restaurant on the newer ships, as well as specialty restaurants where the food is more than adequate.

The inclusions on Oceania such as free soft drinks and bottled water are not enough to warrant paying Oceania's higher prices. I can buy water and soft drinks on NCL for a heck of a lot less than the difference in prices.

I've never been "nickled and dimed " ( hate that phrase) in all the years I've cruised on NCL and in recent years there really aren't that many more announcements made than on Oceania.

I'm glad you enjoy NCL and will be happy to return. We all have our favorites.

But I DO have to say that I have not encountered the rude people you describe at the top of your post on ANY of our cruises -- whether with Oceania or anyone else. It sounds to me like you were particularly unlucky on your two Oceania cruises. But in your place, if I saw those things, I wouldn't return either.

Our last NCL cruise was quite a while ago but we DID see nickel and diming there. A lot of it. We were able to ignore it pretty much but it was hard to miss. Maybe those tactics have been reduced since our TA six years ago.

Mura

We just did a family cruise on the NCL Getaway over the holidays and I must say the Haven balcony was very comfortable with no complaints and the service was impeccable. However, the 2 main reasons we won't cruise with NCL again is because their itineraries are very common and the Haven restaurant menu never changes. It's like eating in a specialty restaurant every night with the same menu. However, they had plenty of specialty restaurants you could eat at; although the fat and salt content of their servings were a little high for our taste.

Of course, the 4700 passengers on the ship didn't help either.

NCL's entertainment was definitely better, especially if you had a reserved seat in the Haven section. Unfortunately, they usually played the same production show 2 nights in a row to accommodate everyone that wanted to go, so we basically saw 3 shows on our 7 day cruise.

But, in a nutshell, they are two very different cruise lines whose target demographics are totally different.

For us who are in our mid 60's, O is much more to our liking. Their food is MUCH better and they have much cooler itineraries. To their credit, though, NCL did have some fun interactive game shows and there was always something to do.

OP - you will get as many different answers here as there will be posters.

We tried Haven once and will never return.

All of this - including my opinion - is of very little actual help to you. We all have different likes and dislikes and you don’t know whose preferences agree with your preferences as you don’t know any of us.

Really, the only thing for you to do is to try an Oceania cruise - maybe a short one - to see what YOU think and what is YOUR preference. Nobody can decide for you which line you will like better - only you can do that.

IMO Oceania ships are a haven, away from the maddening crowd.

I’ve never sailed NCL but last fall the Insignia was berthed next door to one of their ships in NYC. It was embarkation day and the two ships were sharing a terminal. Wall to wall people trying to move through various NCL lines to check in. Noisy, crowded, hectic.

Oceania had employees in the terminal directing us to check in, which was done on board. We got to leave the crowds and noise behind to enter the haven of Oceania.

I too have sailed in the Haven several times and loved the experience..in fact going back again..

Do I like Oceania better..yes but really enjoy all kinds of cruising..to me being on either ship is a treat ..the truth is everyone has to make their own decisions..I dont ask anyone for advice on my vacation..everyone likes something different..

Jancruz1

I am a frequent NCL Haven cruiser who has taken two Oceania cruises totaling 58 days in the past 13 months. We are returning to NCL, and have three cruises currently booked with them because we did not like numerous aspects of our Oceania cruises and are unlikely to ever cruise Oceania again.

 

Among our dislikes on Oceania:

 

Passengers who act over entitled, and will shove you aside to get on or off a tender or elevator, or in front of you in the buffet. Passengers who smoke in non-smoking areas. Also passengers who talk loudly and disrupt others enjoyment of musical performances.

 

Shipboard management that is arrogant and unapproachable, gives out misinformation...or to be more direct about it, lies to your face, and are totally clueless about how to manage the ship in a crisis such as a GI outbreak.

 

We cruised on Oceania for itineraries that were unavailable on NCL or many other lines, but that will not be enough to lure us back.

 

NCL's entertainment is far superior to Oceania's.

 

My travel agency which is a high-level Oceania and NCL producer gives me more than enough refundable OBC on NCL to cover gratuities (service charges) so I'm in the same position on that as I would be if I booked Oceania with the agency.

 

Yes, Oceania's food is better, but if you're an NCL Haven passenger you have the Haven restaurant on the newer ships, as well as specialty restaurants where the food is more than adequate.

 

The inclusions on Oceania such as free soft drinks and bottled water are not enough to warrant paying Oceania's higher prices. I can buy water and soft drinks on NCL for a heck of a lot less than the difference in prices.

 

I've never been "nickled and dimed " ( hate that phrase) in all the years I've cruised on NCL and in recent years there really aren't that many more announcements made than on Oceania.

Not the Oceania ships that I am used to going on. We find Oceania to be wonderful no matter which cabin class you sail on. Too bad that your cruise was different than all or ours Enjoy NCL while we enjoy Oceania.

I'm glad you enjoy NCL and will be happy to return. We all have our favorites.

 

 

 

But I DO have to say that I have not encountered the rude people you describe at the top of your post on ANY of our cruises -- whether with Oceania or anyone else. It sounds to me like you were particularly unlucky on your two Oceania cruises. But in your place, if I saw those things, I wouldn't return either.

 

 

 

Our last NCL cruise was quite a while ago but we DID see nickel and diming there. A lot of it. We were able to ignore it pretty much but it was hard to miss. Maybe those tactics have been reduced since our TA six years ago.

 

 

 

Mura

Past experience on NCL and other mass market lines (including nickel-diming) is what brought us to Oceania.

As for passenger behavior, most folks we've encountered on an Oceania ship have been courteous and interesting to chat with. But, of course, there are butt heads on every cruise ship.

As for entertainment, O now uses the same agency as NCL. But, the smaller O ships can only handle less extravagant productions.

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I think I hate chair hogs the most - and the reverse chair hogs! I had the NERVE to get up from my chair to take a dip in the pool and I got back to find someone else in my chair because "you got up"! OMG! Or I held a seat for 10 mins for two family members and had someone else get belligerent and sit in their chairs 30 seconds before they came out. But if I want a chair, not a single on to be had, but there are sure lots of towels on the chairs, sometimes all day! That type of thing is why we only do Haven. Sounds like chair hogs not an issue on O? At least most of the time.

I think I hate chair hogs the most - and the reverse chair hogs! I had the NERVE to get up from my chair to take a dip in the pool and I got back to find someone else in my chair because "you got up"! OMG! Or I held a seat for 10 mins for two family members and had someone else get belligerent and sit in their chairs 30 seconds before they came out. But if I want a chair, not a single on to be had, but there are sure lots of towels on the chairs, sometimes all day! That type of thing is why we only do Haven. Sounds like chair hogs not an issue on O? At least most of the time.

The pool guys have cards with warning times on them that they place on unoccupied chairs which have items sitting there but no people for quite some time. Not many chair hogs on O at all.

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Erdoran: Specifically to your concerns: On Oceania Marina this past December we experienced no crowds or cattle calls, and there seemed to be plenty of deck chairs available on warm sunny days.

On Riviera in January......the pool guys DO NOT use any cards. I do remember those cards from a few years ago. There are many chair hogs. We had 6 sea days (missed 1 port so gave us an extra sea day) and it was hard to find a chair in the afternoon. Lots in the sun, but I actually need shade.

On Riviera in January......the pool guys DO NOT use any cards. I do remember those cards from a few years ago. There are many chair hogs. We had 6 sea days (missed 1 port so gave us an extra sea day) and it was hard to find a chair in the afternoon. Lots in the sun, but I actually need shade.

Interesting. The cards were used on our Riviera TA in March/April 2017.

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Not Riveria but Nautica December 2017

Not Riveria but Nautica December 2017

 

Yes- these are the cards. Glad to see that they're still in use.

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The pool attendants removed items from lounges and used cards on Marina Dec/Jan. There were only a handful of chair hogs aboard.