focusedcruiser Posted March 18, 2012 #1 Share Posted March 18, 2012 We have been reading on these post and cruise reviews regarding Oceania's service ect, but we have a few onboard experience questions. We are sailing on our first Oceania Cruise for 30 days from Cape Town to Singapore as we have never cruised this area and Oceania Nautica seems to be the only cruise line that does such an Itinerary. We have some concerns in the area of on board experience with things to do on the ship in the evenings and days out to sea. We are seeking advice from any past Oceania Natuica passengers to share their thoughts regarding the following: What is avaiable in the evening and on days out to sea regarding entertainment after Dinner (do they Have Shows) Casino, is it active and used? Do they have Tournaments like you would find on HOL or Princesss? Shore Excursions, we have seen many complaints regarding the shore excursions on the Nautica being not so good and very expensive. What have your experiences been? Cabins, looking at the interactive cabins on Oceania's Website the cabins seem to be smaller than those on HOL or Princess. We are booked on a Penthouse Suite (PH2). Have you been happy with accomodations? Spa do they have Suana and Steam rooms in the Spa and if so is there an extra cost to access? How is the Spa services on Nautica? Have you been happy? Any suggestions/information would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Scott & Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie60 Posted March 18, 2012 #2 Share Posted March 18, 2012 My answer may not be the most appropriate, but I'll give it a try. We cruised to Alaska on Regatta in 2011 - it was our first cruise. We were completely charmed w/ the ship, the crew and the suite. We also had a PH2 and it was extremely comfortable. There was an amazing amount of storage space for all our stuff. The suitcases went under the bed after being opened and didn't see them again until we docked. I cannot compare the size of the suite to any other cruise lines, but I can tell you that the bed was fantastic. The food and wine service was excellent and we are pretty picky. Our Butler Alex, made the cruise outstanding with his ability to predict what we wanted and when. Take advantage of the course by course dining in your suite from the two specialty restaurants - you won't be sorry. The excursions in Alaska were expensive, but my research tells me that they were no more expensive on Oceania than any other cruise line doing Alaska - they're just expensive. We booked several excursions with other Cruise Critic folks and saved about 30% on each one. You should get on the thread for your cruise and see what a group of you can do. During the days, there were a number of activities that my husband enjoyed - bridge lessons, bridge groups. I enjoyed the naturalist speaker several times and we did use the gym regularly. The spa was fine but I'm not that into spas, just had my nails done. It was expensive to me, but then again, I'm not into spa stuff so perhaps it was standard for cruise ships. Nighttime entertainment for us is enjoying a leisurely dinner w/ fine wine and then reading so you'll have to count on someone else's advice re: casino, shows, etc. We are already booked for a 21 cruise on Oceania in Aug 22 and didn't hesitate to book another PH2. Good luck on getting more, and perhaps more appropriate, info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 18, 2012 #3 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Casino activity levels will depend on your fellow passengers we did a B2B the 1st cruise you could barley get a seat at the slots the 2nd cruise it was wide open Yes there is a show at night usually 9:45 pm then they may have music or games in Horizons after the main show Cabins ..I am not sure what you are comparing the size against but we usually take a C cabin @ 165 sq ft ..works for us even on a month long cruise ...it is a personal choice If you book a PH on HAL you probably need to book an OS to get a similar size cabin on O I am not a spa person but I do think they have steam rooms ..free of charge I am sure J & S will have the correct info for you Excursions in some ports are more pricey than some other lines Join the ROLL CALL for your cruise & maybe you can share private tours Enjoy the cruise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
focusedcruiser Posted March 18, 2012 Author #4 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Thank you for your prompt reply. We have sailed on many ships. First time with Oceania. Your input was very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no fuss travel Posted March 18, 2012 #5 Share Posted March 18, 2012 They did have contests in the Casino on the Insignia. I am not a gambler and refer to the Casino as the donation room. The tables were quite full at night and people seemed to be socializing quite a bit there. They also have Trivia each day and it does get quite competitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondorner Posted March 18, 2012 #6 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Regarding the entertainment, it seems to run about 50/50 between the folks who don't attend for one reason or another and those who attend most shows. For us, that's a great thing, because we rarely miss a show, and the show lounge only holds about 50% of the guests. If everyone went, it would be difficult to get a seat. As it is, it's almost always full, so someone other than us must like the entertainment! I can only speak for myself, but you should definitely try them out and see how they fit your desires. You won't find huge production shows like on the megaships because the lounge is too small, but the cabaret style entertainment suists us just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted March 18, 2012 #7 Share Posted March 18, 2012 We love Nautica and have 2 future cruises booked on her. YOu will, however, sacrifice the number and quality of activities available if you sail her. To us, it is worth the tradeoff. My opinion - the entertainment ranges from sub standard to awful -- if you have very low expectations you will not be disappointed. This is Oceania's biggest weakness. Fortunately,on a port intensive cruise, I can barely stay awake after dinner so it is not a big deal. Book your own shore excursions or join others on your roll call. It will be cheaper (if you have a small group), better, you can go where you want to go without a bus load of 50 people and have a guide of your choice. If you do not wish to do the legwork, there are always fellow cruisers who love to find and book the guide and then ask for others to join them. I find the spa services on Oceania absurdly expensive even for a cruise ship. On our recent Marina cruise they were asking 200+ for a massage. If you can book something on a port day, you might grab a special. If you are going to be in Thailand, Cambodia or other southeast Asian ports on your cruise, get a massage off the ship. They are dirt cheap and fabulous. If money is no object, the spa services are fine -- but not out of this world. Casino is small but you can still lose your money. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksps cruise fan Posted March 18, 2012 #8 Share Posted March 18, 2012 My opinion - the entertainment ranges from sub standard to awful -- if you have very low expectations you will not be disappointed. This is Oceania's biggest weakness. Fortunately,on a port intensive cruise, I can barely stay awake after dinner so it is not a big deal. Barbara Niles was one of the two best solo performers I've ever seen -- on any cruise line. She performed on a long-ago Regatta cruise in the Caribbean. Niles performed the role of Mary Magdelene in the 1977 Broadway revival of Jesus Christ Superstar. When we cruised, she was no longer young and no longer svelte, but her singing voice was still every bit as glorious. I wish Oceania would follow this model more when booking: singers who were once in the spotlight but who have aged. Too often, the entertainers Oceania books simply never have achieved great success. Their talent can be a pleasant-enough hour, but that's a pretty low threshold. It certainly isn't transforming like Niles' was. (The other solo performer was a British singer somewhat younger than Julie Andrews but with that kind of crystalline soprano voice. In fact, she often won the lead role in revivals in West End productions of Andrews' original roles. I can't remember her name, but she performed on a Celebrity cruise. Interestingly, unlike Niles, she was at the height of her career when she appeared, but her application for a work permit to appear in, I believe ,the US revival of Mary Poppins had gotten tied up in legal issues so she had a chunk of time to perform on cruise ships.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepawa Posted March 18, 2012 #9 Share Posted March 18, 2012 ksps cruise fan I may be wrong but I think the name of the singer is Lindsay Hamilton. She was on our Baltic cruise on Celebrity Constellation in 2003. She has a beautiful voice and excellent stage presence. One in our party recommended her to the Director of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, sadly she was not invited to perform here. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksps cruise fan Posted March 18, 2012 #10 Share Posted March 18, 2012 I may be wrong but I think the name of the singer is Lindsay Hamilton. She was on our Baltic cruise on Celebrity Constellation in 2003. She has a beautiful voice and excellent stage presence. One in our party recommended her to the Director of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, sadly she was not invited to perform here. Don Yes, I'm definitely thinking of Lindsay Hamilton. Thanks! Her web site claims that she works on all the major cruise lines, although the list only includes a number of Celebrity cruises through 2009. I truly wish Oceania would work hard to sign her. Talented and classy, she would fit right in with the Oeania atmosphere. The Kennedy Center has had a series for at least four years organized by Broadway great Barbara Cook featuring older Broadway stars so I know these people are out there looking for work. It's definitely time for Oceania to upgrade its entertainment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted March 19, 2012 #11 Share Posted March 19, 2012 We have been reading on these post and cruise reviews regarding Oceania's service ect, but we have a few onboard experience questions. We are sailing on our first Oceania Cruise for 30 days from Cape Town to Singapore as we have never cruised this area and Oceania Nautica seems to be the only cruise line that does such an Itinerary. We have some concerns in the area of on board experience with things to do on the ship in the evenings and days out to sea. We are seeking advice from any past Oceania Natuica passengers to share their thoughts regarding the following: What is avaiable in the evening and on days out to sea regarding entertainment after Dinner (do they Have Shows) Casino, is it active and used? Do they have Tournaments like you would find on HOL or Princesss? Shore Excursions, we have seen many complaints regarding the shore excursions on the Nautica being not so good and very expensive. What have your experiences been? Cabins, looking at the interactive cabins on Oceania's Website the cabins seem to be smaller than those on HOL or Princess. We are booked on a Penthouse Suite (PH2). Have you been happy with accomodations? Spa do they have Suana and Steam rooms in the Spa and if so is there an extra cost to access? How is the Spa services on Nautica? Have you been happy? Any suggestions/information would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Scott & Karen Okay...my turn... We've cruised twice on Nautica... Both were actually outstanding cruise experiences... Like all cruises, there is good and bad... But goods far outweigh the bad... Evening entertainment is not what you get on Royasl Caribbean or Celebrity, but it will be adequate to fill your time...Casino is, actually, the one busy place at night...There are venues open, though not necessarily well-attended... It's a little "laid back", but, remember, it's a small ship with a lot of older folks... Despite whatever deficits, the positives outweigh them... The itineraries are GREAT... Make the most of it and enjoy!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondorner Posted March 19, 2012 #12 Share Posted March 19, 2012 I've been on Oceania over 100 nights (103, to be exact) and have been in the showroom probably 100 of them. I wish I had kept a log of the superlative performers I've seen -- comedian Tom Drake, (married to cruise director Dottie), a fabulous classical guitarist, a solo clarinetist who was incredible, an Australian singer known as the "Aussie Phantom of the Opera" (the speaker system failed during his performance, and he boomed it out, sounding bettter without the micropone), a family of musicians from Australia including a brother and sister and their spouses and their two children, incredibly talented (the 15 year old boy played a number of insruments), other singers, comedians and a magician or two whose names I can't recall and many more. Each professional generally performed twice. They were all equal or above any talent I've seen on other cruise ships, but none of them were Cirque du Soleil or Blue Man Group -- there simply isn't room for that type of entertainment, although there was a fantastic group of native folkloric dancers in Manaus, Brazil. Marina, and soon Riviera, have a larger, more theater-like showroom than Regatta or Nautica, with a larger stage, and therefore feature more producvtion-like shows featuring singers and dancers from Jean Ann ryan Singers and Dancers. They generally do 3 to 4 themed musical shows per cruise, with cabaret-style perfromers flown in for in-between performances. They're fairly good performers with well-scripted shows, especailly one last year whch featured some "legit" music like Nessun Dorma (see, I learned to spell it, Mura ;)) and music from LaMancha. Sometimes they fill in with perforamces by the ship musicians -- I've seen the 8 piece show bands combined with the string quartet to form a 12 piece "orchestra" that was more than adequate, and certainly not "awful". Also, Martinis Bar pianist, Jerry Blaine (who I first encountered on Regent Navigator) is incredibly talented, and put on a virtuoso performance one evenng. Uusally there is one crew talent show per cruise, and while some of the performances are definitely amateur, they are all enthusiastic and work hard to do their best, and it's always grat fun! Perhaps the worst I've seen was one of the cruise director's staff who presented an evening of modern dance in the vein of "So You Think You Can Dance"; she was likely very talented, but much of her routine was performed by gyrating on the floor, and the "R" ship theater lounges have little or no sightline to the floor, She simply disappeared from our view during much of her performance, but the foklks in the front row of seats seemd to like it. One of the best in that class of entertainment (ship staff) was Assistant Cruise Diretor Chris, who has a fabulous voice and could easily sing operatically if he exercised his voice every day (I asked him, and he related that he liked opera, but did not attempt it on board because of the lack of practice time). The shows are almost always from 9:45 PM to 10:30 PM, allowing most to have time to get to the show after dinner, even after a lingering 2 hour dinner in the GDR, and are not so late that I miss much of my sleep. I've seldom participated in the later night music such as in Horizons, and I'm given to understand that they are sparsely attended. When Jerry blaine was at the piano, I did fairly often attend the "Name That Tune" sessions in Martinis after the show, mainly because Jim (of Jim and Stan) seems to know the titles of every tune ever sung and is willing to have Betsy and I hang around his team, thus garnering me some undeserved "Big O" points. As I mentioned earlier, I really appreciate all the folks who avoid the shows because that means I'll get a good seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 19, 2012 #13 Share Posted March 19, 2012 I've been on Oceania over 100 nights (103, to be exact) and have been in the showroom probably 100 of them. I wish I had kept a log of the superlative performers I've seen -- comedian Tom Drake, (married to cruise director Dottie), a fabulous classical guitarist, a solo clarinetist who was incredible, an Australian singer known as the "Aussie Phantom of the Opera" (the speaker system failed during his performance, and he boomed it out, sounding bettter without the micropone), a family of musicians from Australia including a brother and sister and their spouses and their two children, incredibly talented (the 15 year old boy played a number of insruments), other singers, comedians and a magician or two whose names I can't recall and many more. I agree with Don We only have 120 days on the ships but we did enjoy most of the entertainers We much prefer the solo musicians ..we leave room in the lounge for those that enjoy the production shows by the CD staff we do not enjoy those as much. We went to a couple of those & once you have seen Leslie Jon do his THING ...that is enough for me others would not miss his performance Of course their were some acts that could have gotten the hook & made to walk the plank the majority were very good No vulgar comedians like you find on some cruise lines If you get to see Jerry Blaine be sure to attend his performance he is a very talented guy The new company that contracts the performers is not as good as the old contractor but that is JMO We all have personal opinions on entertainment so what works for one does not work for all but there is a good mix & you will find something that suits your tastes Ok off my soap box Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted March 19, 2012 #14 Share Posted March 19, 2012 I agree with Dononce you have seen Leslie Jon do his THING ...that is enough for me others would not miss his performance Leslie Jon's thing was the ONLY entertainment I can rave about. Entertainment is like food - very subjective and depends what your standards and experiences are. I lived most of my life in New York and have been going to musical theater since the age of 7. My dad spent his early years s a dancer with the Marx Brothers -- I grew up loving theater. I do not expect Broadway (or even New York) quality entertainment on a ship (although I have seen it on Celebrity) but I personally have a low tolerance for what I consider marginal talent. I'd rather read a book. On our Marina cruise, O had what they billed a "broadway star" (never heard of her; she actually had been an understudy) who was a "belter" (but she was no Ethel Merman)-- she only knew one way to sing - LOUD. We could not stand her and left after a while. Others thought she was "fabulous." To each his own. I am glad others enjoyed the show. There is a great deal of real talent out there -- 90% of talented people don't get the big break -- but for some reason O does not tap into this wealth of talent. It is a mystery to me. This is the ONLY serious negative I can identify in the entire O cruise experience. But perhaps as long as there are people like me who are still willing to sail with O and forego the entertainment completely, O has very little incentive to do anything about. I really wish they would, but it is not a deal breaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksps cruise fan Posted March 19, 2012 #15 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Marina, and soon Riviera, have a larger, more theater-like showroom than Regatta or Nautica, with a larger stage, and therefore feature more producvtion-like shows featuring singers and dancers from Jean Ann ryan Singers and Dancers. They generally do 3 to 4 themed musical shows per cruise, with cabaret-style perfromers flown in for in-between performances. They're fairly good performers with well-scripted shows, especailly one last year whch featured some "legit" music like Nessun Dorma (see, I learned to spell it, Mura ;)) and music from LaMancha. Small detail: Gary Musik Productions -- not Jean Ann Ryan -- is now responsible for Marina's production shows. Without seeing his name in the program and hearing the cruise director repeat this fact at each of the big shows, there's no way I would have known anyone other than Ryan was responsible for the performances. The shows featured popular themes (e.g. 60s music) and favorite songs for each theme. The costumes were glittery, feathery, gender-appropriately scanty -- and changed often. The arrangements still had a tendency to rush the tempo. And the facial expressions and acting accompanying the singing relied heavily on shtick. I thought I detected a slight difference for the better: I thought the voices of the singers were stronger and the precision of the dancers better than similar shows on other cruise lines. Since this is Gary Musik's first set of shows for Oceania, perhaps the production company made sure to get everything super polished. Did the director perhaps schedule more rehearsals before the entertainment staff came on board? Did the casting director luck out on by getting somewhat more capable singers and dancers. (Offered higher pay?) Whatever the explanation, if cruisers have enjoyed Jean Ann Ryan shows in the past, no one will have any objection to Gary Musik shows. Incidentally, the third of the three production shows included the type of "legit" music you mentioned. Those songs were very well delivered and very well received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 19, 2012 #16 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Leslie Jon's thing was the ONLY entertainment I can rave about. Entertainment is like food - very subjective and depends what your standards and experiences are. Not sure about standards but everyone has their own personal preferences for entertainment & food for that matter ...If you enjoy a certain type of entertainment it does not make the rest bad just not to your specific tastes:rolleyes: Opinions are like noses...everyone has one ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted March 19, 2012 #17 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Opinions are like noses...everyone has one Yes, but if you have enough money...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 19, 2012 #18 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Yes, but if you have enough money...... ..still only 1 nose just different Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondorner Posted March 19, 2012 #19 Share Posted March 19, 2012 I wonder what percentage of Oceania forum guest were raised in a professionally musical family in New York? On this forum, Laraine, and Mura, and perhaps a cpuple of others -- I think the rest of us are accustomed to life in a small town, where university or college performances may be the best thing available. Our region does have a couple a amateur theater guilds and a semi-professional opera society (they only one I've heard of in a cow town), but our primaryl entertainment is by music and drama majors at the local state college. We've seen Big Bucks peformances, of course, but we hardly expect them on a 684 passenger ship, or even a 1250 passenger ship. And, when we don't get that kind of entertainment, we would never dream of criticising the cruise line for doing the best they can. After all, they have to produce four simultaneous entertainment packages well over 100 times per year; I can't think of anything outside Las Vegas that does that -- even broadway touring groups run into poor comparisons with the original casts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted March 19, 2012 #20 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Don -- you once again show how utterly intolerant you are of ANY criticism of Oceania. Read my post again i said clearly I do not expect Broadway quality or even New York quality entertainment. That is not the standard. I said entertainment was the ONLY serious deficiency of the line (that opinion is shared by many posters on CC). i did not condemn Oceania as a cruise line. I also do not have blind loyalty to the line and I state my opinion with which you are free to disagree. But at least read what I write. My post has nothing to do with my having been brought up in a musical family. It's about hiring good talent and there is plenty of good talent out there. If you really think Oceania is "doing the best it can" with respect to entertainment, that indeed is a very sad commentary. I do not believe for one minute that it is the case-- its resources are placed elsewhere. They prefer to focus on food - that is where they are doing the best they can. With respect to entertainment, Oceania has never even shown that it cares. That is my opinion -- different from yours -- but still valid. I still love sailing Oceania -- and unless things change I plan to skip all the shows so you can be sure to get a good seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondorner Posted March 19, 2012 #21 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Don -- you once again show how utterly intolerant you are of ANY criticism of Oceania. Read my post again i said clearly I do not expect Broadway quality or even New York quality entertainment. That is not the standard. I said entertainment was the ONLY serious deficiency of the line (that opinion is shared by many posters on CC). i did not condemn Oceania as a cruise line. I also do not have blind loyalty to the line and I state my opinion with which you are free to disagree. But at least read what I write. My post has nothing to do with my having been brought up in a musical family. It's about hiring good talent and there is plenty of good talent out there. If you really think Oceania is "doing the best it can" with respect to entertainment, that indeed is a very sad commentary. I do not believe for one minute that it is the case-- its resources are placed elsewhere. They prefer to focus on food - that is where they are doing the best they can. With respect to entertainment, Oceania has never even shown that it cares. That is my opinion -- different from yours -- but still valid. I still love sailing Oceania -- and unless things change I plan to skip all the shows so you can be sure to get a good seat. Laraine, I'm sorry you find me "utterly intolerant". It's just that ""has never even shown that it cares" sounds more to me like a incorrect statement of fact than an opinion, and that sort of thing gets my back up a little, as my statements obviously do to you. Truce? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted March 19, 2012 #22 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Don -- I am not at war with you so a truce is not necessary. The fact that you "get your back up" underscores that you take every less than positive statement about Oceania personally -- that any criticism of Oceania triggers a reaction within you. You seem to think that any negative comment about Oceania must be wrong. That's my point. Sorry IMO O is not perfect and can do better in certain areas. I love cruising on Oceania. I demonstrate that by booking O repeatedly (but not exclusively) (2 in 2011, 1 out of 2 in 2012, 2 out of 3 cruises for 2013 and I am sure more after that). But I do not look at O with blinders on. I dislike the larger Oceania class ships -- one cruise on Marina was enough for me. I love the R ships -- it's all good (not perfect) except for the entertainment IMO and the ship's shore excursions which do not affect me since I do not take them. I do not "own" the cruise line and I welcome everyone's opinion -- positive or negative. All those opinions contribute something to these boards. They help me and others make decisions. Nothing gets my back up other than someone distorting what I have said, telling me that I am not entitled to express my opinion, or worse, that my opinions are "wrong." No one's opinions are wrong -- they are opinions. You can accept or reject what people say, but you should not discredit them simply because you disagree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balloon Man Posted March 19, 2012 #23 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Laraine, if you think Don is intolerant of any criticism of Oceania better not speak ill of Regent on their boards or a certain cat will pounce. And yes, I know you prowl the Oceania forums as well TC ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondorner Posted March 19, 2012 #24 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Laraine, I whole-heartedly agree that everyone is entitled to their own opinions. However, I do not believe everyone is entitled to their own facts. Opinions must has some basis in reality. the reality is that if Oceania truly "never even showed it cared" about entertainment, the showroom lounge wold be dark and locked, and no entertainers would ever be hired. You're entitled to your opinion, but I firmly believe that opinion must be grounded in reality and not be overly harsh and intemperate. I am not intolerant, and I have expressed negative opinions of my own, and as long as you contine to to paint me as intolerant, I'm afraid we are, if not at war, then at odds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted March 20, 2012 #25 Share Posted March 20, 2012 So be it. We are not on the same planet I am afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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