Hawaiidan Posted January 13, 2012 #26 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Two factor that I consider, to me, very important and that is size and kids.. From sailiing everything from NCL to Regent, from 2300 to 600 persons, I have found the larger the ship the less the ocean experience. I have seen the new 3000 mega ships this summer in Turkey and they looked , well like an ant farm and very little deck space to me. I am and was totaly happy with one dining room on a ship, and seldom went to the evening shows. and having a little ships store rather than a shopping mall I have not salied on any mega ship because 2000 is stretching it for me. Oceania at 1200 is much closer to my ideal of 600-700. No I haven't sailed on any mega ship. Neither have I been hit by a train . There are some things you don't need to experience to understand and appreciate A second factor is kids, both adult and child,have become more and more on many lines. Some with huge kids centers and playgrounds. For me like Oceania represents the most kid free ship with no facilities or program for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribbeansun Posted January 14, 2012 #27 Share Posted January 14, 2012 The biggest negative of the buffet on X was the cafeteria style tables and chairs and the masses of people - this was the part of the ship that was the biggest negative for me and I quite simply had a strong dislike of it. Didn't help that people didn't seem to understand the concept of personal space - I'll not go into details other than to say that personal space and food are for me essential. We adapted by ordering breakfast into the stateroom (another positive for X - you can get a hot breakfast via room service without having to upgrade your stateroom) and ate lunches on the back deck. I fully agree that O ships have better intimacy. Although I was pleasantly surprised to find a number of great spots on X for reading. Neither O or X would compare to being hit by a train :rolleyes: I am 98% in agreement. The only category I would differ is MDR - I give it to X - The MDR on Marina was awful (I am not the first to say so) - it's probably a tie on the R ships. On the Marina, the buffet is a clear winner for O. On the R ships, where O's buffet is more limited, I don't see a clear winner. I have not noticed any difference in stateroom quietness. Could be a function of location. Let's add one category. If we are comparing the R ships to X, O wins hands down in terms of ambiance -- the intimacy of those ships cannot be beat. That's what makes it worth paying almost twice as much. Once you move to the M class ships, that special ambiance is lost. I can sail either line (and I do) and be perfectly happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted January 14, 2012 #28 Share Posted January 14, 2012 The biggest negative of the buffet on X was the cafeteria style tables and chairs and the masses of people - this was the part of the ship that was the biggest negative for me and I quite simply had a strong dislike of it. Didn't help that people didn't seem to understand the concept of personal space : I would agree that on the smaller M class ships personal space is an issue in the buffet. We found the new design of the buffet on the Solstice class ships to be wonderful -- more spacious, more stations, expanded options - and we never sensed a crowd. Every cruise is different -- and lot of it just depends on your fellow cruisers. As I always say, if you don't like what's going on around you on a ship, go somewhere else. There's plenty of choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bphman Posted January 15, 2012 #29 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I just returned from the Marina Islands of the Caribbean and sailed the Equinox last year on it's U.S. inaugural and am able to make a few comparisons. I found the Terrace Cafe to be very limited in selection at lunch and found it difficult to find a table at prime time. I did not expect this to be the case on a line that claims to be premium. I did not encounter this on the Equinox. Waves, on the other hand was great with good burger and sandwich options. GDR was nice on Marina but the first night we waited 30 minutes for dinner only to be told it would be another 15. We were then given the option of going to Toscana which we grabbed. Meals were also quite rushed in the GDR with the next course immediately being placed in front of you with the last bite of the previous one. The quality of the food on O was very good but not great but presentation was excellent and better than X. I give O the edge on wines with better pricing and mixed drinks were cheaper as well. Cabins are attractive on O but had very limited storage. Very poor bathroom layout. The shower was a joke and the commode was tight. X won this comparison at a third to half the price. We had a Sky Suite on Equinox with butler service for less than O. We found the itinerary better on O since it was more interesting than a comparable X cruise but excursions were overpriced on O. Where O did shine is in the service of the Destinations staff. We had a horrible experience with one excursion not living up to the description and that evening we had a request for comments followed by a 50% refund. Entertainment and the show lounge were severely lacking on O which we expected but that is not the reason one would sail with them. I enjoyed the Culinary Arts Center very much. It was very well done and entertaining. Chef Annie was a blast in the Center and out. X had wonderful entertainment and lots of activities. Advantage X. I thoroughly enjoyed the Marina and found the overall experience to be very good although I am not sure if it really represented a great value. I would sail O again if the itinerary and price suited me. I feel that Celebrity is a better value with the dining experience a notch lower. What made the Marina worth it was the exceptional service of the crew although the Celebrity crew is quite good as well. I do not feel that that Marina is able to handle the number of passengers that well although the space to passenger ratio is high. As far as traveling with children, I find the problem to be mainly the parents and not the kids. Well behaved children are certainly more pleasant than some of the constantly complaining curmudgeons we had on our cruise. Some lose sight of the fact that we all started life as children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgesGal Posted January 15, 2012 #30 Share Posted January 15, 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 that seems to be nice too. Thanks for sharing your advices. As it's been said, almost all cruiselines seem nice, depending our expectations. MontrealerEB, you will be pleased with your choice of an AQ class stateroom, as well as the ship. Sailed Eclipse last year to "try her on for size" we were looking at her sailing for the Baltic this year. 3000 pax was waaay to big - really don't like any more than 12-1400 pax, prefer the R ship size - but we were pleasantly surprised. With your AQ class SR, your assigned dining room is Blu, a wonderful venue which is more of a specialty dining room for AQ and above, that seats about 150-200 guests. The menus are not the same as in the MDR, and the wait staff are unhurried. They have their own kitchen right next to Blu so there is none of that up and down the escalators with the food. And everything was supurbly prepared. A word of advice about Blu - you may hear some folks say it is a spa menu, but they obviously have never dined there. It is anything but spa - it is just delicious food delightly prepared. Another perc with AQ class is the Relaxation Room. Situated at the front of the ship, it is furnished with huge loungers with 6 inch mattresses. We would be up there in robes with our coffee in the a.m. watching our progress into the various ports. You will LOVE IT! And the grass on the upper deck was a nice idea (though when X first announced this amenity I thought they were out of their minds). It felt so nice to walk on the soft green turf instead of the hard decking, and with the comfortable chairs up there was a nice place to have a drink or glass of wine in the evening! Enjoy yourself, and come to your own conclusions based on your own experience. Don't forget, "some say toMAYto, some say toMAHto". Personally I think there is a place in the cruise industry to accommodate all of our tastes!:) Donna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelmac Posted January 19, 2012 #31 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I always tell people -- "if you want an Oceania type experience, at half the cost -- cruise Celebrity in Aqua Class". Too bad Celebrity doesn't offer innovative itineraries! We love Oceania, but the best bang for the buck is still Celebrity's Solstice class ships. Enjoy! Kel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted January 19, 2012 #32 Share Posted January 19, 2012 imo you cannot get an Oceania type experience on a ship which carries 2800 passengers, even in Aqua class. The beauty of Oceania is its intimacy and great staff with whom it's easier to interact because of the smaller ship size. I'm not saying that Solstice class ships are not nice for what they are, but it's not an Oceania experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted January 19, 2012 #33 Share Posted January 19, 2012 imo you cannot get an Oceania type experience on a ship which carries 2800 passengers, even in Aqua class. The beauty of Oceania is its intimacy and great staff with whom it's easier to interact because of the smaller ship size. I'm not saying that Solstice class ships are not nice for what they are, but it's not an Oceania experience. As some who sails both lines I agree with respect to the R ships. The intimacy is lost on the Marina IMO. I would rather be on an S class ship than on Marina or Riviera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelmac Posted January 21, 2012 #34 Share Posted January 21, 2012 For "O" fans -- Celebrity is no longer allowing smoking in any areas inside the ship! All lounges are now completely non-smoking, casino is non-smoking, and of course, the cabins and all balconies are non-smoking. Similar to Oceania, there are just a couple of outside areas for the smokers. Celebrity rolled this out on the new Silhouette and is testing it out on a couple of the "M" class ships. Soon to be fleet wide. Enjoy! Kel:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted January 21, 2012 #35 Share Posted January 21, 2012 For "O" fans -- Celebrity is no longer allowing smoking in any areas inside the ship! All lounges are now completely non-smoking, casino is non-smoking, and of course, the cabins and all balconies are non-smoking. Similar to Oceania, there are just a couple of outside areas for the smokers. Celebrity rolled this out on the new Silhouette and is testing it out on a couple of the "M" class ships. Soon to be fleet wide. Enjoy! Kel:) What wonderful News! We haven't sailed Celebrity since the Summit was new. We just had to see those lacquered panels from the Normandie- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orchestrapal Posted January 21, 2012 #36 Share Posted January 21, 2012 For "O" fans -- Celebrity is no longer allowing smoking in any areas inside the ship! All lounges are now completely non-smoking, casino is non-smoking, and of course, the cabins and all balconies are non-smoking. Similar to Oceania, there are just a couple of outside areas for the smokers. Celebrity rolled this out on the new Silhouette and is testing it out on a couple of the "M" class ships. Soon to be fleet wide. Enjoy! Kel:) O could easly do that too. The one inside smoking area on the R ships fills that entire area with smoke.:mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted January 21, 2012 #37 Share Posted January 21, 2012 O could easly do that too. The one inside smoking area on the R ships fills that entire area with smoke.:mad: Not on the Marina class, their smoking areas are totally glassed in- You and your R ships :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted January 21, 2012 #38 Share Posted January 21, 2012 O could easly do that too. The one inside smoking area on the R ships fills that entire area with smoke.:mad: I have never seen the area filled with smoke..guess we have been lucky A few occasions we did smell smoke sitting on the Port side of Horizons Maybe they could retro fit a glass enclosure like on the Oceania Class ships :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banti Posted January 22, 2012 #39 Share Posted January 22, 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've had 2 Celebrity cruises, and one Oceania, with a second booked for next month, as well as one on Azamara last November. We loved them all, but I think the service and food is better on Oceania. Also, I like the much smaller ship (690 passengers), even on a long cruise (our first was 27 days, and we'll have 25 days in Feb). However, if you are thinking of the smaller ships you might want to consider Azamara, which will give you credit for your Captain's Club credits on Celebrity. Also, Azamara included very good wine with lunch and dinner, and our internet was free because of our Captain's Club credits (from just 2 cruises). That was a huge saving. Azamara's ships are identical to Oceania's Nautica, Regatta, and Insignia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted January 22, 2012 #40 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Well, mostly identical ... Didn't Azamara take the R7 and R8? Those ships didn't originally have the penthouse cabins on Deck 8. When Azamara took over my understanding is that they did reconfigure half of Deck 8 to be somewhat equivalent to Oceania's penthouse cabins (and maybe they are exactly the same -- I haven't been on Azamara yet but I was checking their webpage this afternoon and from the square footage indicated it did appear they are pretty close). This is just a minor quibble of course... Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shedridt Posted March 25, 2012 #41 Share Posted March 25, 2012 I've sailed twice on Oceania & once on Crystal, not at all on Celebrity but we are booked for the May 6 cruise on Azamara (Celebrity's up market line). It's all lifestyle, money, the company you'd like to keep - we would sail on Oceania again but find that their shore excursions are awfully expensive & although gratuities are included the sticker shock on the last day when you add in all your on board & shore excursions can be pretty surprising. Crystal didn't suit us at all. It would be impossible to argue against their luxury & brilliant attention to service - & now they are all-inclusive, too - but we called it our 'Captains of Industry Cruise' in honor of our fellow passengers. Crystal Cruisers love the ambiance & almost seem to like the at sea days more than the port days, & they love to dress up, too. Me - I can play Trivial Pursuit at home with friends & am uncomfortable with so many dress-up days. ALSO - while on our only Crystal Cruise we developed a nodding acquaintance with a woman whose luggage had been lost at Heathrow - she literally had the clothes she stood up in, which were great for travel but not so great on dress-up night. She wasn't moved to buy new things from the cruise boutique, either, & Crystal told her she could only dine early in the evening in the steak house restaurant in that attire & we were so offended on her behalf. Great for so many people, not so great for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted March 25, 2012 #42 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Lordy, lordy, I'd have been offended on her behalf as well. Not the best way to retain a customer, I should think. Why should I have to buy a new wardrobe, and overpriced at that, because somebody else lost my luggage!? As to the expense of shore excursions on O, indeed they are expensive. But there are other options! I realize as I say that there are many people who prefer the convenience of not having to do their own planning ... but CC makes it easy to find people to share with. If you want to do ship's tours, than you do and I certainly won't try to change your mind! Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 26, 2012 #43 Share Posted March 26, 2012 OMG I could not stand to wear the same outfit for several days I would be buying some new clothes either on shore or if required from the ship stores Surely if I could afford a Crystal cruise I could spring for a new outfit or two:eek: At the end of a month long cruise I never want to see any of the clothes I took ;) YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sldispatcher Posted March 26, 2012 #44 Share Posted March 26, 2012 To the OP: I encourage you to try Oceania. I certainly did after several other lines (HAL, Celebrity). They may be a tad overpriced, but if you value food and attention to small details, you'll love Oceania. But beware, once you try O, going back to Celebrity, especially on the bigger ships will be tough. Trust me, I know. And can vouch for it on a daily basis right now ;) David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted March 26, 2012 #45 Share Posted March 26, 2012 But beware, once you try O, going back to Celebrity, especially on the bigger ships will be tough. Trust me, I know. And can vouch for it on a daily basis right now ;) David David - I disagree. Sorry you are not enjoying your cruise wherever you are. I love O but I also love the Solstice class ships. I go back and forth between Celebrity and O with no problem. I find that each class of ships has its advantages and disadvantages and I enjoy both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypercafe Posted March 26, 2012 #46 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Just booked our first O cruise on an M class ship. We got an Ocean view room for 100$ person per day more than an Aqua on X. We are looking forward to the change. The room on O looks nicer than X and I expect the whole exp to be a little nicer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmaven Posted March 26, 2012 #47 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Just booked our first O cruise on an M class ship. We got an Ocean view room for 100$ person per day more than an Aqua on X. We are looking forward to the change. The room on O looks nicer than X and I expect the whole exp to be a little nicer. I don't know. O is my preferred cruise line, and I'm sure you'll enjoy your experience on the Marina, but - everything else being equal - I'd be tempted to go with the AQ class cabin on X plus $200 per day over an ocean view on the Marina. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 26, 2012 #48 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Just booked our first O cruise on an M class ship. We got an Ocean view room for 100$ person per day more than an Aqua on X. We are looking forward to the change. The room on O looks nicer than X and I expect the whole exp to be a little nicer. Enjoy the cruise I just look at the bottom line so never worry about how much per day the cruise costs If I want to cruise I cannot do it on a per day basis;) Check what is included in each line if you want to see the value of the cruise line Lyn PS the new ships are O class I think M class is the other line ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypercafe Posted March 26, 2012 #49 Share Posted March 26, 2012 This wasn't about the money, I always wanted to try O and thought this was a great trip at a good price point for me. We have taken lots of X trips but on their smaller ships and had a great time. I like the resort casual and inclusive rest. I bet at the end of the day the shows are equal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 26, 2012 #50 Share Posted March 26, 2012 I bet at the end of the day the shows are equal. If you mean the entertainment will be similar you will be in for a surprise on Oceania I would use the search feature above fro "entertainment" just so you are prepared :D Enjoy the cruise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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