Baltic - July / August 2012

[valuemkt]

Just starting the Cruise Line selection process for an anniversary cruise in summer 2012. Have 5 princess (caribbean,grand,golden) including one Mediterranean, an NCL transatlantic (Epic) and a quickie Carnival (ugh) as reference. Looks like the four that will be under serious consideration are: Marina, constellation, Emerald and the Symphony. I doubt we'll spend the time leaving from UK, and move towards Amsterdam, copenhagen or Stockholm as points of embarkation. I thought the new "all inclusive" orientation of Crystal in 2012 would be a plus, but we will most likely do a private tour company in St Pete .. so this is a price / value question .. not a cheapest price question, as this will be a (hopefully positive) memorable vacation.

 

Comments on why to select Oceania vs Princess vs Celebrity vs Crystal (or others) very welcome !!

[LHT28]

There is a search feature (top right) put in each comparison EG: Oceania VS Princess & you will get lots of other discussions on the same topic

 

Of course most of us here will say Oceania

But it comes down to what you want/need in a cruise

It is a personal preference

 

We prefer the smaller ships less than 700 passengers but Marina at 1250 was also very nice

 

If you need lots of people with you, long lines, set dining, formal nights, liberal smoking policies pick one of the others

You will get lots of opinions but basically it is about what YOU want in a cruise

 

enjoy

 

Lyn

[Denny01]

....If you need lots of people with you, long lines, set dining, formal nights, liberal smoking policies pick one of the others

You will get lots of opinions but basically it is about what YOU want in a cruise

 

enjoy

 

Lyn

 

Just to set the record straight, the only long lines on Celebrity are those that line up well prior to the ship being cleared, there is set and flexible dining, yes formal nights (probably 3 for this type cruise), and probably the most restrictive smoking rules of the mass market (not allowed in SR or balcony, allowed in on two outside decks port side, and port side of one lounge).

 

Would love to cruise Oceania one of these times, but still enjoying the upscale mass market Lines.

 

Den

[LHT28]

J

Would love to cruise Oceania one of these times, but still enjoying the upscale mass market Lines.

 

Den

 

Enjoy

It comes down to what you want/need in a cruise

It is a personal preference

Glad you found ones you like

 

Lyn

[caribbeansun]

Just an FYI - you might want to take into consideration the fact that the summer Olympics are being held in London in 2012 when reviewing itineraries, cruise line aside.

 

We are going to avoid getting caught up in all that.

 

 

Just starting the Cruise Line selection process for an anniversary cruise in summer 2012. Have 5 princess (caribbean,grand,golden) including one Mediterranean, an NCL transatlantic (Epic) and a quickie Carnival (ugh) as reference. Looks like the four that will be under serious consideration are: Marina, constellation, Emerald and the Symphony. I doubt we'll spend the time leaving from UK, and move towards Amsterdam, copenhagen or Stockholm as points of embarkation. I thought the new "all inclusive" orientation of Crystal in 2012 would be a plus, but we will most likely do a private tour company in St Pete .. so this is a price / value question .. not a cheapest price question, as this will be a (hopefully positive) memorable vacation.

 

Comments on why to select Oceania vs Princess vs Celebrity vs Crystal (or others) very welcome !!

[Bruin Steve]

We have cruised with Celebrity, Princess and Oceania in Europe...Celebrity and Oceania multiple times (our one Princess Baltic experience was enough to push them toward the bottom of my list)...

 

Frankly, among the probolems I have with Princess is the space-per passenger ratios...The ship we were on in the Baltic was an older ship, but I more recently tried a newer Princess ship and was not overly impressed...

 

I have not cruised on Crystal, so I cannot really offer a first hand opinion there except that if money is not a consideration, I am sure it is a worthwhile option...

 

As to Oceania and Celebrity, both will give you an excellent cruise experience...

The notable differences are:

 

1) Ship and ship size: The Marina is a brand new ship, 66,000 gross tons, 1250 passengers...The Constellation is now a few years old, but still a very nice ship...91,000 gross tons, 1950 passengers...neither are, in today's market considered giant...Both are very spacious--more spacious than what you are used to on Princess, NCL or Carnival...

 

2) Dinner seating: Oceania is Open Seating for everyone, Celebrity is largely traditional seating but does have an open seating option...

 

3) Dress code: Oceania is casual every night, Celebrity has three formal nights on a two week cruise...

 

I give a slight edge to Oceania on food, though both are good...an edge to Celebrity on entertainment...

 

Celebrity has a slightly younger demographic and does have kids' and teens' programs (Oceania doesn't)...

 

Really consider the itineraries...many Oceania itineraries have three days in St. Petersburg, so, if that's a big concern to you, it's worth noting...But, really, look carefully at all of the ports visited, the hours in port...and even where the ship is docked (When we did the Baltic on Princess, they docked in Nynashamn for Stockholm--which meant an expensive and time consuming hour and a half bus ride in each direction)...

 

You may also want to consider Azamara--owned by Celebrity, similar to Oceania...

 

As to the 2012 Olympics, I don't know where you live, but for us, it was a consideration...We're cruising our of Southampton on Celebrity Eclipse in July 2012...Flights shouldn't be a concern as our cruise returns on July 21...the Olympics start July 27--figuring we'll be flying home (on the 23rd) when everyone else is flying in...But hotels in London (We plan on spending 2 nights post-cruise) were a consideration--so we have already made a reservation 15 months in advance!!

 

Good luck...

[valuemkt]

Thank you !