Oceana or Queen Victoria

I’m thinking of booking another Cruise, but I’m not sure which?!

Both go early January 2019.

Queen Victoria is for 4 nights (1 port of call) and Oceana is for 7 nights (4 ports of call). The total cost for three of us on Queen Victoria is around £500 cheaper too.

However, I’ve always wanted to do a Cunard Ship, but don’t know if they represent good value for money.

Help please!

Only you can answer this one. Personally I would sail on Oceana any day but she is not Cunard.

Then again I've read bad reviews about Cunard too !

Personally I would go with the 7 day Oceana any day.

Oceana will be cheaper in terms of alcohol if you enjoy a drink as Cunard are in dollars like a US line - I think

Cunard is more formal but Oceana had 2 formal nights on a 7 night cruise and these are well observed.

What time are you thinking of going and which Oceana itinerary?

Only you can decide, if one of the itineraries appeals more to you then that might be your option. Are the cabin categories con parable?

I’ve sailed on both Oceana and Q.V.’s sister ship Elizabeth and the two ships are quite different in atmosphere and aesthetics. Both are lovely though!

I’m thinking of booking another Cruise, but I’m not sure which?!

 

Both go early January 2019.

 

Queen Victoria is for 4 nights (1 port of call) and Oceana is for 7 nights (4 ports of call). The total cost for three of us on Queen Victoria is around £500 cheaper too.

 

However, I’ve always wanted to do a Cunard Ship, but don’t know if they represent good value for money.

 

Help please!

January is not the ideal time for an ex-Southampton cruise. However if that is your date you have to go with it. I have sailed both P&O and Cunard and given these prices I should book P&O. The cruise length is nearly double and offers much better value. The Cunard offering is simply to/from Hamburg more or less like an extended weekender.

If you want to experience Cunard on a budget with a decent cruise length then Queen Mary is doing a 5 night May 2019 around £600 - £700 and Queen Victoria a 7 night June 2019 in June around £600 - £800. Cunard also do a lot of pre-Christmas cruises where they offer a reasonable cruise duration for European shopping breaks where fares drop substantially nearer sail date. These will all give a better Cunard experience. Searching the internet on different agents prices I have found, in the past, a Queen Elizabeth transatlantic including airfare at £500 per person, possibly a last leg of an Eastbound world cruise. World cruise, last legs are a good source of bargains in my experience on all lines that do "worldies".

Regards John

Both have their good points. Just my opinion -

Cunard pros & cons

Queen Victoria is a much nicer ship

Afternoon tea is a lovely experience

The dress code is applied fully, great for people watching

Well produced stage shows

More international pax

Expensive drinks

Charges in dollars so exchange charges

Class system so your dining experience definitely depends on which cabin / dining room you are in.

High charges for auto grats

The extra charges while onboard soon add up.

P&O pros& cons

A reasonable dining experience for everyone

Reasonably priced drinks

Better priced excusions

More lively

Paying in pounds

Much lower auto grats

Quizzes refer to UK questions

Bog standard ship

Less cosmopolitan

Sometimes cheesy entertainment

Personally I would do the 7 day P&O cruise and if you want to try Cunard go for the Queen Mary as she is a really different experience. If the 4 days is in the standard cabin / dining room then you are just as well getting the extra days and ports imo.

As other have said only you can decide.

I've had a seven-nighter on Oceana and a four-nighter on Cunard (QM2). It was great to experience Cunard but now that I've done it I would now choose the week long cruise on Oceana.

Four ports of call against one, seven nights against four, pounds against dollars (less pricey on P&O), choice of freedom dining against fixed (on Select Fare). Although the Cunard cruise is less money, with the higher on-board prices the overall difference will be much less than £500.

Oceana is a lovely ship and of course more relaxed. I thought the entertainment was good.

If you really want to experience Cunard then a mini cruise is the ideal opportunity. As others say though, only you can decide which one to do. I'm sure you'll enjoy either one.

My comments added in red

Both have their good points. Just my opinion -

 

 

Cunard pros & cons

 

 

Queen Victoria is a much nicer ship - Nicer, but not much nicer

Afternoon tea is a lovely experience - I prefer P&O's version. Cunard is very production line.

The dress code is applied fully, great for people watching - Can't say I have noticed much difference

Well produced stage shows - Agree. Also the speakers on Cunard are a *lot* better than P&O

More international pax - Totally agree

 

Expensive drinks - You mean utterly extortionate to the extent it is worth taking on wine and paying the $20 corkage

Charges in dollars so exchange charges - Yes

Class system so your dining experience definitely depends on which cabin / dining room you are in. - Although the worst meal I have had on Cunard in steerage still beats the best meal on P&O

High charges for auto grats - Don't know as I don't pay them.

The extra charges while onboard soon add up. - Agree

 

P&O pros& cons

 

 

A reasonable dining experience for everyone - If you define "reasonable" as distinctly average and frequently poor.

Reasonably priced drinks - Totally agree

Better priced excusions - No idea, never used them

More lively - Possibly

Paying in pounds - Yes

Much lower auto grats - Again I don't pay them, so no advantage

Quizzes refer to UK questions

 

 

Bog standard ship

Less cosmopolitan

Sometimes cheesy entertainment

 

Personally I would do the 7 day P&O cruise and if you want to try Cunard go for the Queen Mary as she is a really different experience. If the 4 days is in the standard cabin / dining room then you are just as well getting the extra days and ports imo.

 

 

As other have said only you can decide.

Queen Victoria is much, much nicer. But Oceana is good too.