Oceania vs. Silversea

[Seafairer]

After years of sailing exclusively on Silversea, my husband and I (77/62) are thinking of trying other lines, for convenience to our home in NYC. We 're considering Regatta's 10/19/12 NYC-NYC voyage, 14 days.

This is what's important to us: comfort, quiet environment, no intrusive music in public areas (in bars, lounges, at tea is fine, of course), mature, grown-up passenger profile, ease of meeting other travelers, few children, wonderful service. We enjoy good food, but it's not why we cruise.

Balconies are a problem for us, so we're looking at a C-1 Deluxe Ocean View. (I know it's a lot smaller than the 240 sq.ft. Vista cabins on Silversea...). We had the pleasure of touring the Regatta when it was in New York and were thrilled with the ship's very traditional, beautiful interior design - we'll probably spend a fair amount of time indoors on the Regatta's late October voyage up to New England and Canada!

(Full disclosure: we've already booked a 2013 NYC-Miami voyage on Crystal, but this has no bearing on our decision to sail on Oceania.) I'd love to hear from those who've sailed on Oceania/Regatta and Silversea and would particularly appreciate comparisons on life aboard the ships. Thanks in advance for your help!

[JimandStan]

First of all, for the Room Service to be even remotely comparable to Silversea, you'd have to book a Suite on Oceania, so this trip won't be as much of a bargain as you first pictured.

 

Other than that, you will probably notice more people around the ship, and frankly, that there are far fewer May-December couples. :rolleyes:

 

Other than that, if you're any kind of a drinker, buy the Prestige Beverage Package, and you won't even notice that you switched lines:

PRESTIGE SELECT

Wine, Beer & Spirits

Per Guest Per Day (Gratuity Included)

This UNLIMITED package includes beer, a selection of wines by the glass, most top shelf spirits and cocktails, all of which may be ordered at any onboard venue as well as through room service* during regular operating hours. 49.95 PER PASSENGER PER DAY

[jpalbny]

Have done 5 with each. Love both lines; we've been on SS more recently because O seems a bit more expensive for what you get (even though it's very good). It's been really hard to turn down the all-inclusive fares that SS is offering, and lately their itineraries have looked more appealing to us.

 

O ships (R-class) are bigger, but not markedly so and the ships feel intimate and cozy; comfort, quiet, and not intrusive, as you mention in your post, would apply very well. We have really enjoyed the atmosphere onboard both lines - fellow passengers have been a lot of fun - well-traveled, interesting, very nice. SS tended to attract a more international clientele; on average, fewer Americans on SS cf. O but we've found very similar folks on both lines. Grown-up passengers and few children are appropriate descriptions of those who sail either line.

 

Many love O's lack of formal nights. We enjoy the country-club casual setting very much, but we don't mind dressing up either. No preference here; the extra luggage hasn't been an issue.

 

The main difference for us would be that O is not all-inclusive. We love wine and food so SS is a big winner in terms of overall cost for us - especially now that SS is giving generous OBC which makes the ships' tours essentially free for us, with extra for some special wine from the connoisseur's list and a dinner or two at Le Champagne.

 

O includes a generous allotment of specialty dining which we really enjoy; be aware, though, that *some* have felt that they had a harder time getting reservations if they were in a lower stateroom category. We've never experienced that, but others say that they have.

 

We have only been in PH or OS, and found the rooms to be quite comparable to SS. Can't comment about inside rooms; you could find them a step down from SS.

 

Bottom line: would go with itinerary first and then compare prices. We routinely look at what O is offering, and when O has an itinerary that we really want to do, would have no problem going back on one of the R ships. We have not tried Marina but would be happy to do so. We would be even happier if prices came down a bit!

[james j feller]

JIM and STAN,

 

Can one person buy the drink package only, or do you both have to buy it?

 

JIM

[JimandStan]

JIM and STAN,

 

Can one person buy the drink package only, or do you both have to buy it?

 

JIM

 

 

One person may buy the packages at present, another example of Oceania treating us like adults. :)

 

I only hope that the bad apples don't try "creative ordering" and ruin it for all of us. :o

[james j feller]

JIM and STAN,

 

I agree 100%.

 

Thank you

[Noggins]

We can only claim 3 cruises on each and have one of each 'up the spout', so to speak. We have thoroughly enjoyed both lines equally but perhaps the real test question is whether, if you have tried Silver Spirit, whether you found it too large. If you felt at all unsettled by its size (as some SS regulars have) then you might just find Oceania too large too. We were just as happy on Spirit as we were on Cloud.

 

Otherwise every other comment here is spot on too, so I'll not repeat them.

 

My advice is try it - I think you might just be delighted!

[Seafairer]

Thanks, everyone, for your helpful comments - keep 'em coming! JP and Chris, I love your specifics on the passenger profile, etc. Very helpful.

I'd like to book a PH Suite but, as I noted above, balconies are a problem and always have to dictate our choice of cabin, so we're really limited to the much smaller Deluxe Oceanview stateroom. I think we can pretty much get away unscathed by beverage charges, since our drinking is limited to the "soft" variety - an afternoon Virgin Colada is just our speed! Thanks again.

[JimandStan]

Thanks, everyone, for your helpful comments - keep 'em coming! JP and Chris, I love your specifics on the passenger profile, etc. Very helpful.

I'd like to book a PH Suite but, as I noted above, balconies are a problem and always have to dictate our choice of cabin, so we're really limited to the much smaller Deluxe Oceanview stateroom. I think we can pretty much get away unscathed by beverage charges, since our drinking is limited to the "soft" variety - an afternoon Virgin Colada is just our speed! Thanks again.

 

Just because the cabin HAS a Veranda, does not mean that you have to USE it. I have many friends in Manhattan who haven't used their terraces in years (except to store the odd tricycle).

 

I originally recommended a Suite, because the level of Service is more like Silversea, as is the size of the cabin itself.

 

Room service in a standard cabin on Oceania does not include hot breakfast, for example, and the in cabin Dinner Service is also VERY limited.

 

The Oceania experience can definitely be as luxurious as Silversea, but NOT if you book a standard cabin. :rolleyes:

[pacheco18]

I usually book a standard (Deluxe Oceanview) on O -- booked a PH once.

 

Truthfully, I did not notice any difference in experience other than stateroom size (big difference - and I loved having a tub). Like the OP we are not drinkers (I bring some wine on to drink in cabin; our bar bill will be less than $100 for a 14 night cruise) and we do not use room service except for an occasional pot of coffee.

 

If you are a room service aficionado you will feel a difference. Otherwise, if you are not big drinkers, I cannot imagine what you would be missing.