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Class Distinctions??


malony33

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X has different room service breakfast and I believe they say so. I have been following this post as my first trip on O is coming up and I wanted to get a feel what sort of line they are. This breakfast thing is nt spelled out by them but is of little importance to me. I am sorry to hear there is a charge for me to use the spa deck as I feel it is tacky to charge some to use different parts of the ship. I am also waiting to see if I can really get good seating in the special rests. All lines give perks to higher cabins and for me the price diff, at times, isn't worth it. However the jury is still out, if O is like Cunard it s not for me. PS, we have a ocean view cabin on the Rivera.

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I think our breakfast menu was the same as everyone else's that was Concierge and below. Perhaps the suites got a different menu. I didn't hear of anyone complaining about their breakfasts and we were quite happy with ours. When I wanted something extra that wasn't on the breakfast sheet, I just wrote it in. I had one lady asked me about the nice Oceania bag that came with our room and I told her I thought it was a concierge level+ perk. She said--"Oh, it's your $600 bag" because that's how much more our cabin was than hers and she felt like that was about the only difference. Of course, we did have the Concierge Lounge which I rarely used and I didn't think it was worth the extra money. Our friends loved their butler in their PH cabin, however. Our friends in the PH cabin were not able to secure any more dinner reservations at the specialty restaurants than we were. We all tried to get extra ones but there were none available. I don't think they assigned tables by cabin class either....if they did, I couldn't tell. Anyone can order off of the room service menu at any time....I never did but one of our travel companions ordered spaghetti at 2AM and had no problem getting it. We also were to receive some free garment pressing as a Concierge lever perk. They actually give you four....the quantity wasn't noted in the catalog but it did say that there were restrictions. I was not at all disappointed in our cruise on Oceania and felt that we got what was advertised and more. I have read back over the descriptions as to what we were to get with our cabin and in retrospect, we got what was in the catalog as I interpreted it.

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I think our breakfast menu was the same as everyone else's that was Concierge and below.

Sorry but the B cabins & below only get HOT coffee, water chocolate or tea no other hot items for breakfast

Cold cereals no hot eggs etc...it is a perk of Concierge & above

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Maybe "extensive" means you can get more than just coffee and a sweet roll. The list of things offered for the higher Cat. cabins could also be extensive-er than the "B" and lower cabins, plus include hot items. I never went hungry in the lower level cabins on my two cruises on Marina. I will be in a "A" cabin this cruise and will see what is offered.;)

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Just guessing but because it says EXTENSIVE people can read anything into that

It does not say EXTENSIVE breakfast menu which seem to be the contentious issue

People assume you can order hot items for breakfast

 

You can get steak, & other items from the menu

I am not sure what other cruise lines offer for Room service so maybe that is extensive in comparison :confused:

 

just saying

Maybe they should remove the word Extensive :confused:

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X has different room service breakfast and I believe they say so. I have been following this post as my first trip on O is coming up and I wanted to get a feel what sort of line they are. This breakfast thing is nt spelled out by them but is of little importance to me. I am sorry to hear there is a charge for me to use the spa deck as I feel it is tacky to charge some to use different parts of the ship. I am also waiting to see if I can really get good seating in the special rests. All lines give perks to higher cabins and for me the price diff, at times, isn't worth it. However the jury is still out, if O is like Cunard it s not for me. PS, we have a ocean view cabin on the Rivera.

 

Whatever Oceania is, it is NOTHING like Cunard, in any aspect whatsover. For me my first Cunard cruise was my last and we are in double digits with Oceania.

Relax - I am sure you'll love Oceania :D

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Maybe "extensive" means you can get more than just coffee and a sweet roll. ;)

 

"Extensive menu" means a lot more than just cold or hot breakfast; it means that you can order room service from an "extensive menu" 24/7 (but not from the specialty restaurants)

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Some cruise so they can complain...endlessly....about trivial matters unnoticed and/or overlooked in a hotel. Or drive through a gated community seeing it as "class distinction". Both Cunard and Oceania have strong and weak points depending on a point of view. Buy the preferred product. That is why we have free markets.:eek:

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Whatever Oceania is, it is NOTHING like Cunard, in any aspect whatsover. For me my first Cunard cruise was my last and we are in double digits with Oceania.

Relax - I am sure you'll love Oceania :D

X charges for use of the steam/sauna while O doesn't.

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...I am truly struggling to understand why this point, which has been stated multiple times by multiple people, is still in contention in this forum.

There is only contention from a few, including you, who are picking nits. The rest of us have been patiently trying to explain that ALL breakfasts on Oceania include a Continental breakfast, which generally consists of cold items. SOME cabins and suites, the ones that cost more, include more.

 

I agree that Oceania shoiuld include the difference in their advertising, but not for the reason you put forward -- they should do it as an enticement for more people to pay more for their accommodations. That's the reason there is a difference, in breakfast menus, spa deck access, early reservations, priority boarding, and much more -- not to set up a difference in class (all passengers receive the same service), but to justify a higher fare for an identically sized cabin (veranda versus concierge).

 

The rest of us understand and accept that; we're struggling to understand why it is such a bone of contention for a few.

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I am also waiting to see if I can really get good seating in the special rests. All lines give perks to higher cabins and for me the price diff, at times, isn't worth it. However the jury is still out, if O is like Cunard it s not for me. PS, we have a ocean view cabin on the Rivera.

 

I'm sure by now you have figured out that O is NOT like Cunard. However, do you think you're going to be assigned a table in the kitchen for the specialty restaurants? Fear not. I can't think of any "bad" seats in the specialty restaurants and it depends on what is available when you book.

 

Yes, if you are booking online the higher level cabins get first choice, but you really shouldn't worry about getting a "bad" table. They don't let the top cabins totally book the restaurants before anyone else gets a chance.

 

Mura

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There is only contention from a few, including you, who are picking nits. The rest of us have been patiently trying to explain that ALL breakfasts on Oceania include a Continental breakfast, which generally consists of cold items. SOME cabins and suites, the ones that cost more, include more.

 

I agree that Oceania shoiuld include the difference in their advertising, but not for the reason you put forward -- they should do it as an enticement for more people to pay more for their accommodations. That's the reason there is a difference, in breakfast menus, spa deck access, early reservations, priority boarding, and much more -- not to set up a difference in class (all passengers receive the same service), but to justify a higher fare for an identically sized cabin (veranda versus concierge).

 

The rest of us understand and accept that; we're struggling to understand why it is such a bone of contention for a few.

 

++++ Well said!!!

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Of course you can wander the ship once onboard just not on the cabin decks unless you are on a suite or concierge level

 

You're not allowed to wander on the cabin decks? Hmm.

 

...

I really enjoy those perks when I get them. But I've also seen it from the other side, and I'm sensing some global entitlement all right, but on the upscale travelers' side. ...

 

Great post!

 

Having continued to mull this whole thread I'm reminded of the furor over on the Regent board when they introduced the "concierge" benefits. Earlier restaurant bookings mostly. Supposedly some boarding preferences, but those haven't really amounted to much.

 

I like the fact that Regent has very little in the way of perks for upper suites. And I don't like the fact that Oceania has more. This despite the fact that we'll be in a PH next year, with plenty of perks. Yes, I'll take advantage of them,, and hope and expect that there will be little or no feeling of class differences on the ship. But I still decry these perks.

 

Oh, and one question--someone said that the suite rooms would be ready sooner than the rest--does that mean they actually call them separately? I find it a bit bizarre that you can't walk around the the cabin decks. I promise I won't keep saying, "they do it this way on Regent", but I'm used to walking around the decks, finding my cabin, and if the stewardess is there, saying hello and dropping my carry-on off. And then one announcement, when *all* the cabins are ready at once.

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You're not allowed to wander on the cabin decks?...I'm used to walking around the decks, finding my cabin, and if the stewardess is there, saying hello and dropping my carry-on off...

I'm trying to phrase this delicately. Passengers are strongly discouraged from wandering to their cabin. They are firmly requested to let the cabin stewards do their jobs in peace. Turnover day is probably the most difficult day the stewards face, and they do a fantastic job getting it done as qeickly as possible so ALL passengers can get to their cabins earlier. The cruise line reminds us that's not really fair (to the other passengers, and to the staff) to attempt to get into one's cabin ahead of the announcement. It's part of the underlying culture of the Oceania exerience that one respects these suggestions. The cruise line reinforces these recommendations by stationing staff at the elevators upon embarkation, reminding passengers they are to head to the pool/buffet deck and await the "all clear" announcement.

 

All of that being said, I've never seen anyone enforce a ban on "wandering the cabin decks", and never seen it officially spelled out in that manner. Security is not posted on those decks. I'm not going to try to say that no one has ever gone up to the pool deck on the elevator and then walk back down to their cabin deck.

 

I will say that not much can be gained by doing so; stewards and butlers are busy until the announcement is made, and they make themselves very available after the announcement, actively seeking to meet their guests.

 

Much as there is a conviviality among most of the participants on the Oceania forum (it has a reputation as being one of the friendliest forums on cruise critc), there is also a joint conviviality among Oceania passengers to respect the recommendations and requests about going to one's cabin early.

 

Finally, can you imagine the chaos if everyone tried to get to their cabin ahead of the announcement?

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I'm sure by now you have figured out that O is NOT like Cunard. However, do you think you're going to be assigned a table in the kitchen for the specialty restaurants? Fear not. I can't think of any "bad" seats in the specialty restaurants and it depends on what is available when you book.

 

Yes, if you are booking online the higher level cabins get first choice, but you really shouldn't worry about getting a "bad" table. They don't let the top cabins totally book the restaurants before anyone else gets a chance.

 

Mura

 

Hi Mura,

I eagerly anticipate my first Oceania cruise in April. But I do not expect the "visual" to be anything remotely like Cunard where I am Platinum without having traveled Queen or Princess Grill. Cunard to me is tradition concieved in 1840.; Cunard is vast teak promenade decks beneath suspended tenders and open railing with a view to the sea where I can stand and watch the bow wave curl away from the black hull in spindrift splendour or stand transfixed at the stern above an emerald turbulence shot with a million brief bubbles and gaze aft at the wake's frothy but diminishing smile. Tantalizing and bewitching as a dream. Fleeting but in memory.

While the Oceania cuisine will be superior to that in the Cunard B ritannia Restaurant I expect wait staff to be equal in both venues. No matter the ship our waiter and helper are always invited to become a part of our dining experience, we quickly become "family" and the jokes and smiles flow both ways. Some years later have phoned us when in Honolulu to say hello.

In closing I can only offer that all this "class distinction" is in the (envious?) eye of the beholder. Class knows no wage scale.

Life is what you make ot it..so is a cruise and the ship you sail. :):):)

Ron

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....

Cunard to me is tradition conceived in 1840.; Cunard is vast teak promenade decks beneath suspended tenders and open railing with a view to the sea where I can stand and watch the bow wave curl away from the black hull in spindrift splendour or stand transfixed at the stern above an emerald turbulence shot with a million brief bubbles and gaze aft at the wake's frothy but diminishing smile. Tantalizing and bewitching as a dream. Fleeting but in memory.

....

In closing I can only offer that all this "class distinction" is in the (envious?) eye of the beholder. Class knows no wage scale.

Life is what you make of it..so is a cruise and the ship you sail. :):):)

Ron

What a fabulous visual you just described!

And, where in the world is the LIKE button when you need it?

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Don, you don't have to be delicate with me. Point taken, I'll adjust. I've enjoyed, in the past, wandering about a new ship as soon as I board, walking the decks to get an idea of where everything is. I've certainly never interfered with any of the staff who are working very hard, even on poor old Regent. I'll restrict myself to the public decks, I promise.

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There is only contention from a few, including you, who are picking nits. The rest of us have been patiently trying to explain that ALL breakfasts on Oceania include a Continental breakfast, which generally consists of cold items. SOME cabins and suites, the ones that cost more, include more.

I agree that Oceania should include the difference in their advertising, but not for the reason you put forward -- they should do it as an enticement for more people to pay more for their accommodations. That's the reason there is a difference, in breakfast menus, spa deck access, early reservations, priority boarding, and much more -- not to set up a difference in class (all passengers receive the same service), but to justify a higher fare for an identically sized cabin (veranda versus concierge).

The rest of us understand and accept that; we're struggling to understand why it is such a bone of contention for a few.

 

*sighs*

 

My point was, is, and will be, that the information about room service is not called out in O's material.

 

When I found out that there was a difference (through cruisecritic posters, and I greatly thank those who passed on that information), I expressed surprise, because the wording *is* the same. From then on, it's been 'why should you expect that you would get the same lovely hot breakfast that the higher class of cabins get?' Which was not my issue. As for my bone of contention now, it's that other posters keep insisting the breakfast is my issue rather than knowing what breakfast I can get.

 

Frankly, I consider it highly misleading on O's part.

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The cunard that AZ4me describes ceased to exist with the demise of QE2. Having done two crossings in Queens Grill on QM2 I can say it's nothing like that now. Just walk through King's Court (if you absolutely have to) and you'll see what I mean.

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