Bruin Steve Posted March 23, 2011 #1 Share Posted March 23, 2011 My wife's school district is converting over from a September to June school year to a May to August...The effect is that our Summer Vacation window next year is fairly narrow...we can only take a cruise during the month of July, basically... We also want to do a cruise that is predominantly a new itinerary to us... And, I prefer to limit my choices to Oceania, Azamara or Celebrity (I also looked at Regent, but the price structure is slightly higher from what I can tell. That leaves a fairly select number of cruises... It looks like it may come down to these four: Celebrity Silhouette: 12 nights. Inside $1999 Window $2299 Balcony $2949 Thu, Jul 05 Venice, Italy Fri, Jul 06 Venice, Italy Depart 5:00 PM Sat, Jul 07 Ravenna, Italy 7:00 AM 6:00 PM Sun, Jul 08 Koper, Slovenia 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Mon, Jul 09 Split, Croatia 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Tue, Jul 10 Dubrovnik, Croatia 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Wed, Jul 11 Kotor, Montenegro 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Thu, Jul 12 Bari, Italy 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Fri, Jul 13 At Sea Sat, Jul 14 Valletta, Malta 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Sun, Jul 15 Catania, Sicily, Italy 7:00 AM 5:00 PM Mon, Jul 16 Naples/Capri, Italy 7:00 AM 6:30 PM Tue, Jul 17 Rome (Civitavecchia) Arrive 4:30 AM Celebrity Eclipse: 14 nights. Inside $2749 Window $2929 Balcony $3289 Sat, Jul 07 Southampton, England Depart 4:30 PM Sun, Jul 08 At Sea Mon, Jul 09 At Sea Tue, Jul 10 Reykjavik, Iceland Arrive 1:00 PM Wed, Jul 11 Reykjavik, Iceland Depart 2:00 PM Thu, Jul 12 Akureyri, Iceland 9:00 AM 7:00 PM Fri, Jul 13 At Sea Sat, Jul 14 Klaksvik, Faroe Islands 7:00 AM 4:00 PM Sun, Jul 15 At Sea Mon, Jul 16 Geiranger, Norway 11:00 AM 7:00 PM Tue, Jul 17 Alesund, Norway 7:00 AM 5:00 PM Wed, Jul 18 Olden, Norway 9:00 AM 6:00 PM Thu, Jul 19 Bergen, Norway 7:00 AM 2:00 PM Fri, Jul 20 At Sea Sat, Jul 21 Southampton, England Arrive 5:30 AM Azamara Quest 10 nights. Inside $2599 Window $2999 Balcony $3749 Sun, Jul 22 Istanbul, Turkey Depart 10:00 PM Mon, Jul 23 Varna, Bulgaria 10:00 AM 10:00 PM Tue, Jul 24 Constanta, Romania 6:00 AM 10:00 PM Wed, Jul 25 Odessa, Ukraine 12:00 PM 11:59 PM Thu, Jul 26 Sevastopol, Ukraine 1:00 PM 10:00 PM Fri, Jul 27 Yalta, Ukraine 8:00 AM 7:00 PM Sat, Jul 28 Bosporus Strait (Cruising) 4:00 PM 6:00 PM Sun, Jul 29 Canakkale (Kepez), Turkey 7:00 AM 2:00 PM Mon, Jul 30 Santorini, Greece 9:00 AM 11:59 PM Tue, Jul 31 Paros, Greece 8:00 AM 8:00 PM Wed, Aug 01 Athens (Piraeus), Greece Arrive 6:00 AM Oceania Regatta 12 nights. Inside $4799 Window $5099 Balcony $6199 Including Air and 1 night hotel W/O Air/hotel: Inside $3399 Window $3699 Balcony $4799 Thu, Jul 05 Athens (Piraeus), Greece 8:00 p.m. Fri, Jul 06 Cruising Dardanelles & Bosphorus Straits Sat, Jul 07 Nessebur, Bulgaria 8:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Sun, Jul 08 Constanta, Romania 8:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Mon, Jul 09 Odessa, Ukraine 8:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Tues, Jul 10 Sevastopol, Ukraine 8:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m. Wed, Jul 11 Yalta, Ukraine 8:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Thurs, Jul 12 Sochi, Russia 9:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Fri, Jul 13 Batumi, Georgia 8:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m. Sat, Jul 14 Trabzon, Turkey 8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Sun, Jul 15 Sinop, Turkey 8:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Mon, Jul 16 Istanbul, Turkey 11:00 a.m. Tues, Jul 17 Istanbul, Turkey I have enough frequent flier miles on British Airways to get two free round trips to Europe...but they don't go to Athens, so, if we do one of the latter two, we'd have to get to some other place and fly into or out of there...But, for the most part, I'm comparing the "Cruise only" options... I really prefer longer cruises, at least 14 nights, but, as has been discussed on another thread, everything seems to be cut down to 10 or 12 nights this coming year... The Celebrity Silhouette cruise is easily the least expensive...Venice Rome, Naples, Dubrovnik, Kotor and Valetta would all be repeats of recent ports for us...Bari and Catania would be slightly new--We were in Bari 30 years ago and really did nothing there but pass through and we were in Sicily on Nautica, stopping at Taormina but only had time to go to Mt. Etna...but Ravenna, Koper and Split would be new for us...Overall, it looks like a pleasant itinerary...a lot of small ports on the Adriatic...brand new ship...and a great price for 12 nights...We'd likely tack on a couple of nights in Venice and a couple of nights in Rome... The Eclipse cruise is sort of the Wild Card here, the others being warm weather, full of history and Mediterranean culture...This one is cold and scenic...I was in Iceland in 1975, but Beth's never been...We did the Norwegian Fjords in 2005...This one's the longest at 14 nights...We save about 20-30,000 frequent flier miles on BA with the flights only being to Heathrow and back...Of course, pre-and post-cruise may be a bit ho-hum for us as we've been to the UK more than just about anywhere (and did a 9-night pre-cruise and 2-night post cruise there this past summer and will be doing a 4 night pre-cruise there this summer)... The Azamara Quest cruise and the Oceania Regatta cruise are both fairly similar Black Sea cruises...and, basically, identical ships...looking at cost on a "per night basis", the Azamara cruise, cruise only, costs $260 - $300 - $375 per night while the Oceania cruise is at $283 - $308 - $400 per night...So, basically, Oceania costs approximately 6% more...fairly inconsequential... Comparing the two itineraries: Both have Athens and Istanbul as the termini...we've been to both more than once...so, the overnight in Istanbul doesn't mean that much to me, except as a replacement for one hotel night... Both make a stop in Bulgaria...I'm not sure what the differences between Varna and Nessebur are...they appear to be about 50-60 miles apart...Azamara's stop appears to be a bit longer, stretching into the evening hours... Both stop in Constanta, Romania, with, again, Azamara's stop being a bit longer and into the evening... Both stop in Odessa...with, again, Azamara staying well into the evening... Both stop in Sevastopol...with, again, Azamara staying late (do you sense a recurring theme here?) Both stop in Yalta (again, Azamara stays a bit later)... The latter part of the cruise is where they get substantially different... Azamara winds up with Canakkale, Santorini and Paros...Oceania does Sochi, Batumi, Trabzon and Sinop...Santorini, of course, would be a repeat port for us... These latter two hold some interest since my Father's family originally came from the Ukraine and Beth's family came from Romania/Moldava... The decision here is a bit tough, though... There is no one area I absolutely need to cruise to this summer...if I don't go there now, I'll go next year or the year after... Though I don't mind paying for what I want, I also enjoy a good "bargain"... The Silhouette cruise costs me six grand for a balcony. Period. With Celebrity, as Elite Captains Club members, we get free drinks every evening. With BA, our flights are free...so, to the six grand, we only have to add hotels and expenses for pre-cruise/post-cruise and whatever we spend on port tours and incidentals...A budget of around $8-9,000 pretty much pays for the whole vacation...Heck, we could settle for an inside cabin and shave two grand off of that... The Eclipse cruise, figure we're under seven grand for a balcony...we're still going to come in at around $9,000... With Azamara, we're up to about eight grand for a balcony, so figure it's $10-11,000 all told...and the cruise is 2-4 nights shorter... With Oceania, we're up to $9,600 just for the cruise (and the temptation is to save the FF miles and just go with the complete package)...we could drop to a window or an inside to save a few dollars and take this down to $6800 or $7400, of course...but, add in some pre- and post-cruise nights and shore excursions, bar bill et al and we're likely looking at an apples-to-apples budget of around $12-13,000... And, of course, all of these budgets will prove to be entirely underestimated!!! And, yes, I know for a lot of you, the answer is a simple "Go for it!" or Oceania is better and worth more... But, to be realistic, we like ALL of these cruise lines and I don't think any would be a bad cruise choice...Heck, I would love to take ALL of them... But, we've only got so much vacation time...and, financially speaking, we've got one daughter still at home and another about to go back to grad school and, no doubt, needing a bit of help...and probably a couple of expensive weddings coming up in the next few years...and I'm still on the track of saving up for retirement--and, with our chosen lifestyle, we still need to put a bit of money away for that (so we can keep cruising!)... And, we tend to go on more than just the one cruise a year...so, saving 4 grand means we can use that for another cruise at some other time during the year... OTOH, obviously, all of these cruise choices are within the realm of possibilities...it's just a difficult choice... So...what do you guys think? What stands out about the individual itineraries? Any experiences that make one or another seem less attractive? Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted March 23, 2011 #2 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Bruin Steve - like you, I am a fan of Celebrity as well as O. The S class ships are wonderful. No, it's not O, but it's very very good. I have not sailed Azamara. Until recently, I had heard too many complaints to be comfortable booking A, but many O cruisers have come back with favorable comparisons. All things being equal with respect to the itinerary (as that is the primary determinant), save the $$$. If you truly prefer one itinerary over the other of the longer port stays, that should be your choice. Any one of these cruises is a good choice. In the end, the difference in price is not going to "change your life" in any meaningful way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmaven Posted March 24, 2011 #3 Share Posted March 24, 2011 I just booked AQ on the Eclipse 7/7/2012. We wanted a Norwegian Fjords cruise and O wasn't offering an itinerary we liked. Closest O itinerary on Marina with a 12 day itinerary we weren't thrilled with was about $1,000.00 more per person for an A4. We'll use that money for a drink package on the Eclipse and make it essentially all inclusive. With the drink package and anytime dining in Blu its as close as you can get to O. Mid summer I prefer the northern climates. Also like starting and ending in London, great city for pre or post cruise couple of days, and one of few cities in Europe we can fly to non-stop from Orlando. Love to meet you on board but happy cruising on whatever trip you choose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrprof Posted March 24, 2011 #4 Share Posted March 24, 2011 We just booked and deposited the 8/18/12 Regatta Black Sea cruise (identical to your July sailing) for one reason. With the exception of Athens and Istanbul, all ports are new for us. Looked closely at Marina and Riviera itins - there was simply too much repetition compared to our previous travels. We booked the first morning it was opened and were lucky enough to get a deck 7 OS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benita Posted March 24, 2011 #5 Share Posted March 24, 2011 We have done all the cruises listed - or will have done them, as we are on the Route of the Vikings Oceania Marina sailing on July 1 to most of the same ports you listed. We did the Black Sea cruise with Oceania a few years ago and the coast of Italy with Oceania as well. We also have been on land trips to Croatia and Iceland. My grandparents were from the Ukraine (OK, to be honest it was Poland back then, but the boundaries changed after the war) and I wanted to visit the area. The three Ukraine ports were highlights, and we also really enjoyed Nessbar, Bulgaria. (You can stay on the ship in Constanta). I happen to like Athens and Istanbul, so they were good ways to begin and end the cruise. The cruise with the typically European ports would be great as an overview, but since you have been to all the ports, I would try something different. I loved Iceland - I call it Yellowstone Park on steroids, but expect to see gorgeous scenery, but no real history. The Norwegian fjords are beautiful. We have the Celebrity Eclipse booked for the Caribbean in November - I like Celebrity, but have never been on a large ship in Europe before. The Nautica was the largest ship that I have ever been on for a European tour - I would hate to disembark in these small ports with 2800 other people. I would lean towards either the Norway-Iceland itinerary or the Black Sea. They don't occur too often - you can hit the typically European ports almost anytime, so I tend to look for the more exotic. I can't tell you how to spend your money - if the prices were the same for all, I would take the Oceania Black Sea cruise, followed by the Norway-Iceland trip. As a matter of fact, since I practice what I preach, that is what I have done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms Understood Posted March 24, 2011 #6 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Just to make sure you are accurately calculating your costs, remember that Azamara has no tipping. I have been on Celebrity 2x and Azamara and O each once, I would be happy with any of them. I found my on board experience on Azamara virtually indistinguishable from Oceania. Nice to have options! ------------- Helen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisecountess Posted March 24, 2011 #7 Share Posted March 24, 2011 If you love all the itineraries (I know I do!) and can't decide, try leaving it to chance. Years ago, when DH, two sons and I were awarded four round-trip tickets to anywhere TWA flew, we couldn't decide. So we each got to choose two destinations, put the eight cities in a hat, and each picked one, then returned it to the hat. Spain was chosen twice, so that's how we came to do a road trip through Andalusia and Madrid. We loved planning for it and it was one of the best family vacations we ever had. If you truly love all the options, don't take the fun out of it by over-analyzing; make choosing part of the adventure. Good luck. I hope you'll post your final decision. Harriet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skandls Posted March 25, 2011 #8 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Most of us have our limits on travel time money or both. We did AQ on the Solstice - best food on a cruise ship very Calif small tasty portions. We are planning on O as a 65th BD with some friends. We are looking at the special food cruise. We are going May 2012 to the Med. With the great cabins on the Marina and the special pricing its a no brainer. I did like Oceania a lot - ambience - food - overall experience. But Celebrity Soltice class - AQ with Elite perks is great. I will only sail on Celebrity in a ship with Blu - a great restaurant every night. TrojanSue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebobh Posted March 25, 2011 #9 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Hi, Steve, looking at your previous itineraries, and thinking of what we're discussing for next year, an alternate idea could be to look at one of the Grand Europe river cruises (I know, hold your jeers, folks, I'm just trying to help). We are looking at Amsterdam to Budapest, and our choice would be Tauck River Cruises (although AMA is a close second). BA flies to Amsterdam, and code shares back from Budapest; you could also take the Buda-north option if the timing works and have an interesting pre-cruise in a great city Ocean folks don't get to see. The prices are comparable to Oceania's Concierge rooms, although the shorex are included in the price, as is wine and beer. Of course, less onboard entertainment, slower pace, but a great way to see some interesting places, including options for overnights in Vienna, etc. With similar restrictions due to work, we already know that none of the cruises we would like (new places, longer itineraries) will fit with my schedule, so the river option might be the one we'll take. Tauck doesn't have their 2012 schedule posted yet, but should in April. Check their 2011 trips to get a feel for what it offers. Regards, Bob H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted March 25, 2011 #10 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Just to make sure you are accurately calculating your costs, remember that Azamara has no tipping. -------------Helen ...and wine with lunch and dinner. Seriously though, forget the price for now and go with the itinerary you like the best. You may not be able to visit some of those places again (for whatever reason - I take nothing for granted). :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted March 26, 2011 Author #11 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Well, tonight, we had theater tickets... So, beforehand, we went out to eat... I printed out all four itineraries and laid them out before my wife... Her first instinct: Let's do them all! I had to remind her we only had time for one in Summer 2012...but we would have more opportunities to do the others... We went through all of the pluses and minuses, cruise by cruise... I asked which one stood out for her... And she chose.... Iceland on the Eclipse... Runner-up would have been the Black Sea on Regatta... She liked the 14 nights rather than 12...and the interspersed "at sea" days rather than the port every day...She liked the idea of Iceland being "so different"... We'll save the Black Sea for another year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benita Posted March 26, 2011 #12 Share Posted March 26, 2011 We will be on the Eclipse over Thanksgiving. They have a cabin class called the Aquaclass with its own restaurant called BLU, that I have heard great things about, so we are giving it a try. The Aquaclass is the most expensive balcony cabin, and you have to be over 18 to be in those cabins as well as to eat in the restaurant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted March 26, 2011 #13 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Well, tonight, we had theater tickets...So, beforehand, we went out to eat... I printed out all four itineraries and laid them out before my wife... Her first instinct: Let's do them all! I had to remind her we only had time for one in Summer 2012...but we would have more opportunities to do the others... We went through all of the pluses and minuses, cruise by cruise... I asked which one stood out for her... And she chose.... Iceland on the Eclipse... Runner-up would have been the Black Sea on Regatta... She liked the 14 nights rather than 12...and the interspersed "at sea" days rather than the port every day...She liked the idea of Iceland being "so different"... We'll save the Black Sea for another year... Your wife and I think alike!! We almost booked that cruise -- but it is too close in time to the O cruise we booked for May 2012. Great itinerary which I am sure we will do another time and we love those S class ships. We just booked Solstice for Australia/NZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_uk Posted March 26, 2011 #14 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Jean and I are off to Iceland on Friday for 4 nights.....will let you know. Since when do BA not fly to Athens ? Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrodsfan Posted March 29, 2011 #15 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Just one more piece of info.... We were also planning a trip using BA miles next July to celebrate two significant events....and we were thinking of some the the same cruises. When we talked to our travel agent she reminded us that the Olympics will be in London next July starting on the 27th of July. So do plan any time in London before your cruise and cross your fingers that you can use miles to do the trip. Airfares will be astronomic and don't know if BA will limit award travel... As far as your itineraries go: all look wonderful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbb Posted March 29, 2011 #16 Share Posted March 29, 2011 When you get to Reykjavik be sure and go to the Blue Lagoon. Also look for basalt columns on the beach near Vik...awesome. Iceland is breathtaking with all of the waterfalls and geysers but I'm glad I don't live there in winter--I'm not that hardy. Bergen is amazing with its different colored store fronts; taking pictures with the afternoon sun on the colors-- fantastic. Have a wonderful trip!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted March 29, 2011 #17 Share Posted March 29, 2011 I notice you are doing the Celebrity Australia/NZ cruise later this year. I generally like the private tours you describe in your posts (we seem to have similar cruising tastes) and I wondered if you had booked anything for that cruise. We are doing NZ/OZ following year on the Solstice and I thought I could shortcut my research a bit. LOL If you can share anything, please email me at pacheco18@comcast.net. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted March 29, 2011 Author #18 Share Posted March 29, 2011 We will be on the Eclipse over Thanksgiving. They have a cabin class called the Aquaclass with its own restaurant called BLU, that I have heard great things about, so we are giving it a try. The Aquaclass is the most expensive balcony cabin, and you have to be over 18 to be in those cabins as well as to eat in the restaurant. Hi, Benita, That Aqua Class just doesn't appeal to me that much...the Blu restaurant is supposed to have healthier choices...I don't want healthy on my cruise...We booked a standard balcony...but nabbed one of the "hump" or wedge ones with the double-sized balcony... Jean and I are off to Iceland on Friday for 4 nights.....will let you know. Since when do BA not fly to Athens ? Brian Brian, my error on Athens...I did a quick search on an arbitrary date on available frequent flier seats and Athens showed up as not available...in retrospect, it likely only meant that FF seats were not available...I'm still trying to figure out how to best use my (currently) 15,000 FF miles on BA...The taxes, fees and fuel surcharges on the "free" tickets are almost as much as a fare! At today's prices, it's 100,000 miles and $1000 for two coach seats, 200,000 and $1600 for two business seats...If we're still short of the 200,000 points, there's an additional charge to make up the difference in points...Or do I purchase coach seats and use 100,000 FF miles to upgrade to Business? It is certainly not easy to figure out... Enjoy Iceland...and, of course, let us in on anything you like or dislike... Just one more piece of info.... We were also planning a trip using BA miles next July to celebrate two significant events....and we were thinking of some the the same cruises. When we talked to our travel agent she reminded us that the Olympics will be in London next July starting on the 27th of July. So do plan any time in London before your cruise and cross your fingers that you can use miles to do the trip. Airfares will be astronomic and don't know if BA will limit award travel... As far as your itineraries go: all look wonderful. My thought is that we'll be flying in around July 3, over three weeks before the Olympics...and flying HOME July 23, a few days before...I doubt if the rush will be for people exodusing London prior to the dates...Seems most will be flying in the other direction... I notice you are doing the Celebrity Australia/NZ cruise later this year.I generally like the private tours you describe in your posts (we seem to have similar cruising tastes) and I wondered if you had booked anything for that cruise. We are doing NZ/OZ following year on the Solstice and I thought I could shortcut my research a bit. LOL If you can share anything, please email me at pacheco18@comcast.net. Thanks So, far, we haven't done any planning for Australia/New Zealand (or for Iceland)...we still have too many things to work on for our Marina cruise in August--14 ports plus pre- and post-cruise! I think we have only five tours settled on... When I get home from the Marina, I'll start getting into the NZ/Aus cruise...keep in touch closer to then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted March 29, 2011 #19 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Will do - enjoy Marina -- we will be on the TA in November I have 4 cruises before NZ/OZ - one is with Regent with shore excursions included so all I will have to do is choose! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellbon Posted March 30, 2011 #20 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I loved Aazamra and am booked on 4 more cruises. using them in europe on late July.. picked for the ports and time in each port. coffee was great.. had over 200 internet minutes to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgesGal Posted May 15, 2011 #21 Share Posted May 15, 2011 Bruin Steve, Don't believe everything you heard about Blu. Believe me, IT IS NOT DIET FOOD!!!!! Spent a week on Eclipse last month in AQ class and had dinner in Blu every night - almost unheard of for my sister and I to go to the dining room all the time - the food was that spectacular. Guess the only real diet-y part of it was the fact that there were fewer sauced dishes served. Take my word for it, you won't go hungry nor will you lose an ounce. And the ambiance is lovely, since the venue is small - about 100 persons. Go and enjoy! Donna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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