MontrealerEB Posted January 8, 2012 #1 Share Posted January 8, 2012 We recently booked our holiday cruise on Celebrity Eclipse. Never tried other companies than Celebrity but thinking about trying Crystal or Oceania for a change. Is it worthing a try and if so, which one between Crystal or Oceania would be the best choice ? Any advice ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Frances Posted January 8, 2012 #2 Share Posted January 8, 2012 We haven't sailed Chrystal but I think you should also look at Azamara - same R ships but more inclusive (gratuities, wine with lunch and dinner etc) and a more restrictive smoking policy. Also your Captain's Club benefits carry over to Azamara (depending on your level with X). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontrealerEB Posted January 8, 2012 Author #3 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Haven't thaught of this possibility (we'll be Elite by that time). Worth a look. Thanks for this information. And as we are non smoker, the more restrictive policy would please us a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wineart Posted January 9, 2012 #4 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Haven't been on Crystal, but have been on both Azamara and Oceania several times. Azamara has small ships, and Oceania has small and mid-size ships. My understanding is that Crystal has larger ships. Which line you select probably depends on whether you enjoy the large ship experience, or the small ship experience. Smaller ships are much more limited in areas such as entertainment and dining venues. However, they usually have more interesting itineraries. I could go on for ages about the differences, but there are many threads comparing these lines to the others, so you may want to do a search on some of the other boards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alidor Posted January 9, 2012 #5 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Crystal is more formal while Azamara is country club casual. We love the country club casual (Regent also has this and I think Oceania does also) over anything formal. Seabourn is also country club casual. If you like formal, look at Crystal. All of these have smaller ships which are friendlier, have less lines and, in general, are just more personal. Regent has very large cabins while Crystal has smaller ones. The cabins on Azamara and Oceania (the older ships) can be on the small side - and definitely those very small bathrooms - but the rooms have all the amenities. On any of these, there is way less, or none, nickel and diming which is welcomed after mass market lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendaJ Posted January 9, 2012 #6 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I agree with the others - give Azamara a try. Although we have not tried Crystal or Oceania, I believe Oceania is pretty close to Azamara - all but their newest ships are the exact same class of ship as Azamara. The smaller ship experience is quite different from Celebrity; fewer entertainment options and a somewhat friendlier experience, in that you see the same people over and over. Azamara has a lot of inclusions that make a nice difference, although the price difference may negate their value, depending on which of the perks you make use of. We love Azamara - the service is out of this world and the staff is wonderful. My only complaint is those little showers with the shower curtain. The S-class ships have a wonderful bathroom in comparison. On Azamara, there are no line-ups (not that I've really noticed many on Celebrity either), few children, you can dock in more places, and the intineraries have some more unusual ports, if you feel you've hit most of the main ports already and are looking for something new. I can't imagine too many loyal Celebrity cruisers would not enjoy Azamara. We have friends who used to sail Crystal exclusively, and they said that once they tried Celebrity, they found that, for the price difference, Celebrity provided them with such an enjoyable experience that they've given up Crystal and sail now only with Celebrity and Azamara. However, I'm sure that any of your listed options will provide you with a wonderful vacation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty9 Posted January 9, 2012 #7 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Oceania and Azamara are considered in the same classification of cruise lines. They're not mass market but they're not luxury lines. Both are elegant casual in their dress code with no formal nights. Their ships are a lot smaller than Celebrity. Crystal, a line I have cruised many times, is considered a luxury line that's very formal in attire. They have three dress codes for the evening, formal, semi formal and casual, and their passengers tend to dress to the nines on formal nights, with most men in tuxes or white dinner jackets. You will also notice a huge difference in cost on Crystal, with similar itineraries to Celebrity costing three to four times the fare. Crystal will be all inclusive starting in May, with all beverages and gratuities included. But, it's questionable that a per diem of $500 + a day, compared to maybe $150 a day on Celebrity covers a lot of alcohol. If you don't drink a lot, an all inclusive might not be economically advantageous. Crystal also allows smoking in cabins, in the casino and in two of their music/dancing venues. Celebrity has the most restrictive smoking policy of the two lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skandls Posted January 9, 2012 #8 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I have not cruised Crystal in many years. We book Oceania for the ports - it is nice to get back from a day of sightseeing and have the option of wandering into dinner when we are ready. For the Caribbean or Mexico - the ship becomes more important. With more sea days we appreciate the added venues and entertainment options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Frances Posted January 9, 2012 #9 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Oceania and Azamara are considered in the same classification of cruise lines. They're not mass market but they're not luxury lines. Both are elegant casual in their dress code with no formal nights. Their ships are a lot smaller than Celebrity. It is interesting to compare the latest reviews for both these lines. Azamara seems to be more consistent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare travelberlin Posted January 9, 2012 #10 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I have sailed with Celebrity, Azamara and Oceania. I like all of them. Azamara and Oceania are similar, but I prefer Azamara. The ships are for about 600 passagiers and very port intensive. Food and service is very good in both of them, but entertainment is to my opinion not so good. I have not sailed yet with Cristal. If I were you, I would choose depending of the itinerary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seatraveler24 Posted January 10, 2012 #11 Share Posted January 10, 2012 We recently booked our holiday cruise on Celebrity Eclipse. Never tried other companies than Celebrity but thinking about trying Crystal or Oceania for a change. Is it worthing a try and if so, which one between Crystal or Oceania would be the best choice ? Any advice ? We have been on both Celebrity and Oceania. Even though Oceania markets their line as "gourmet", we actually think Celebrity's food is better. The entertainment on Oceania is non-existent. In our humble opinion (and experience), we enjoy Celebrity over Oceania. We tried Oceania to see what encompassed an "upscale" experience but did not find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontrealerEB Posted January 11, 2012 Author #12 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Start thinkink to stay with X, since I don't think I'd like the smoking non-policy of Crystal. I don't like to many formal nights though I do enjoy few of them (let's say 1 or 2 at most). My reservation is done on X Aquaclass, but will keep open eyes on your comments on O or Azamara that seem to be nice too. Thanks for sharing your advices. As it's been said, almost all cruiselines seem nice, depending our expectations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host Jazzbeau Posted January 11, 2012 #13 Share Posted January 11, 2012 It sounds like Oceania might be appealing to you. Very strict smoking policy (one indoor location and one outdoor). NO formal nights ever. Very good food and amazingly attentive service. Small ship that is easy to navigate (I'm referring to their older class - the 2 new ones are larger for them but still small for the industry). Very classy decor (think London club). Much more included than on X (all soft drinks, espresso/capuccino all free -- coolers with bottled water as you leave the ship). The only downside that I've heard is that the entertainment isn't that great. This was not a problem for us, because we chose to dine around 8 or 8:30 (open seating, never a problem) and didn't go to the shows. Very few announcements. No selling. Very laid-back. If I could afford it, I would sail Oceania all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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