Question for Oceania Lovers

[Hlitner]

We are thinking about booking a pretty long (45 day) Oceania cruise but have some concerns. DW and I have spent about 2 1/2 years on cruises (12 cruise lines and more then 65 different ships) so are not newbies. But, for some reason, we have never been on Oceania. The cruise we are looking at is on the Nautica and we are quite familiar with the R ships having been on Renaissance, Azamara and Princess where they all have (or had) R ships. But when I read through the various posts and reviews about Oceania here is what I see,

 

......Food is pretty good in the MDR and alternative restaurants.

......The ability to get reservations in the alternative restaurants is somewhat limited

...... Entertainment on Oceania is not particularly good

.......Drinks and wines are priced moderately high

.......Passengers in lower categories may have some issues like not being able to board until late (and missing out on a first-day lunch).

 

So...after looking at all the pluses and minuses we have a problem understanding why Oceania is priced pretty high when compared to some of their competition. We can go on HA and get our free unlimited laundry, decent entertainment, pretty good food, etc for a lot less. We can go on Celebrity and get some excellent entertainment, very good food, several hours of free cocktails every day (we are Elite), and some gorgeous ships. We can go on Princess and get decent food (probably not in the same class as Oceania), excellent entertainment, free laundry and dry cleaning (we are Elite), free internet, etc....and Princess would cost us at least $100 a day less then O. On lines such as Celebrity we can pay extra for some of their upscale alternative restaurants and still save more then $100 per day over O. So please help me. What am I missing here that makes O worth the buck.

 

Hank

[Mura]

Of course, being an O fan I think your perceptions are on the wrong track. Let's see if I can elucidate ...

 

 

We are thinking about booking a pretty long (45 day) Oceania cruise but have some concerns. DW and I have spent about 2 1/2 years on cruises (12 cruise lines and more then 65 different ships) so are not newbies. But, for some reason, we have never been on Oceania. The cruise we are looking at is on the Nautica and we are quite familiar with the R ships having been on Renaissance, Azamara and Princess where they all have (or had) R ships. But when I read through the various posts and reviews about Oceania here is what I see,

 

......Food is pretty good in the MDR and alternative restaurants.

 

I would say the food is VERY good everywhere on the ship, even on the "R" ships although the new "O" ships do have more alternatives.

 

 

......The ability to get reservations in the alternative restaurants is somewhat limited

 

Not really. You are limited in terms of pre-booking depending on cabin category but that doesn't mean you cannot get reservations. On the "R" ships PH and above get 2 reservations per restaurant (I'm not sure if "A" concierge cabins get the same two). But many passengers in non-suite categories have no problem getting reservations just by asking for them. DH and myself tend to prefer the DR (because of the larger choice of dishes, and we personally aren't all that wild about Toscana). So for every reservation that we don't use, someone else can. And we are NOT the only people who feel that way. Also, we do tend to book PH (and upsell to a higher category if we can) which now allows us to order dinner from the specialty restaurants served in our cabin.

 

 

...... Entertainment on Oceania is not particularly good

 

I have to agree there, except that on one or two cruises we were very pleased. Then again, we are both classical musicians and so our tastes are probably different from the average passenger.

 

 

.......Drinks and wines are priced moderately high

 

I wouldn't say they are different from other lines we have been on ... Yes, you pay more than you would at your neighborhood liquor store, but any restaurant charges you more than that as well. Plus you can bring on your own wine/liquor if you wish for consumption in your cabin -- or pay the corkage fee in the restaurant. How many lines let you bring on your own liquor?

 

 

.......Passengers in lower categories may have some issues like not being able to board until late (and missing out on a first-day lunch).

 

Again, not really. They serve lunch pretty late. And lower category cabin people can often board earlier than they are "supposed" to just because there may be room in the Terrace Cafe. Higher cabin categories get preference, but they don't always show up early.

 

When we boarded Marina last October, we didn't get to the ship until around 4:30. No lunch was available but we were able to go to the lounge for some nibbles. We were in a Vista suite as it happened, but we were in the same position as a lower level cabin that arrived at the same time. Probably we would have had to "starve" for a while if we'd been on an "R" ship where no venues were open until 6:30 or so.

 

 

So...after looking at all the pluses and minuses we have a problem understanding why Oceania is priced pretty high when compared to some of their competition. We can go on HA and get our free unlimited laundry, decent entertainment, pretty good food, etc for a lot less. We can go on Celebrity and get some excellent entertainment, very good food, several hours of free cocktails every day (we are Elite), and some gorgeous ships. We can go on Princess and get decent food (probably not in the same class as Oceania), excellent entertainment, free laundry and dry cleaning (we are Elite), free internet, etc....and Princess would cost us at least $100 a day less then O. On lines such as Celebrity we can pay extra for some of their upscale alternative restaurants and still save more then $100 per day over O. So please help me. What am I missing here that makes O worth the buck.

 

 

That is your choice, of course. But many of us opt for O because we like the open seating at meal times (other than needing a specific reservation in a specialty restaurant which really is not hard to get). Some of us don't give a hoot about the entertainment. We like a smaller ship. We don't like formal nights. Or smoking!

 

I don't deny that I would like free laundry! When were on the QE2 (no longer possible), we had a huge laundry room at no charge. Then again, NCL had NO laundry facilities. I prefer to do my own rather than sending it out ... But free laundry is not a deal breaker for me. (It IS usually a deal breaker if I have to pay the cruise line for doing my laundry, however.)

 

If you prefer the ships you've mentioned, then you should continue to sail on them. I would say "give O a try" because you might well change your mind ...

 

But I am prejudiced!

 

Mura

 

[LHT28]

I agree with just about everything Mura said ;)

We prefer the low key entertainment

We usually board anywhere from 1 pm to 3pm

We are in the lower Cabin Cat

The Terrace is open until 4 pm maybe 5 on some sailings

 

Free laundry would be a nice perk but not a deal breaker for us either

 

There is just something about O that we like... cannot put it into words..

it is not all about the price

Do not forget when looking at the prices Air is included in the brochure/online price (TA's sites are exceptions maybe)

 

Also Sodas, bottled water, tea & coffees are included no need to pay onboard

 

You are also allowed to bring wine & alcohol for use in your cabin if you choose You do not see smuggling thread on the Oceania forum ;)

 

If you are not sure ...try a short cruise before you commit to a longer one

Then decide

 

Enjoy what ever cruise you choose

 

Lyn

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Hank, I've been *hankering* after Oceania for years! Still doing it, and I'm pretty sure they are great (I'm a Regent cruiser.) But I would never go on a cruiseline for the first time for 45 days. Why don't you try O on a short itinerary, like the Caribbean, to see if you like it?

[ricki]

We were brand new to Oceania when we sailed Marina last month, Barcelona to Rome, but not new to cruising. We've sailed twice on HAL (one of which was the last two segments of the WC last month) once on Princess, twice on Regent, and 18 times on Crystal--just to give you some background.

 

We were extremely impressed with the Marina! It is definitely the most beautiful ship on which we have sailed--gorgeous decor, well chosen fine art and comfortable surroundings. I would give Marina top marks Iin this category based on the ships we have sailed.

 

As far as food is concerned, I still think Crystal comes out on top, but Oceania is a close second. We sailed in Concierge Class and were guaranteed a reservation in each of the four specialty restaurants. We had no trouble getting two additional reservations if we were flexible about the time. We enjoyed the very attractive Main Dining Room and the variety of the Terrace Grill. Food likes and dislikes are so personal, but in our opinion, Oceania is much, much better than HAL,Regent or Princess. The food is another area in which Oceania really shines.

 

In terms of entertainment, Crystal again is number one I M O but we did have a wonderful evening of Broadway show tunes performed by the Asst Cruise Director, J R Lustig on Oceania.

 

Comparing laundry facilities, although not free as on Crystal, Oceania has, by far, the most comfortable laundry rooms we have seen, with a couch, flat screen TV and chilled bottled water.

 

We are all fortunate to have so many ships to choose from, and each person has their favorite, the line that speaks to them. But I think you havr been given good advice to try Oceania on a short cruise before committing to 45 days. I have a feeling you will be back, I know we will.

 

Ricki

[caribbeansun]

Well, the value proposition is always the key to most purchases. My own opinion, which will vary from many others, is that O's value proposition has been eroded over time and the cost per night premium can be difficult to justify and many of the differentiators are non-financial.

 

I've been on HAL, O and X although HAL was quite some time ago now and not nearly as many that post on CC.

 

O wins the day based on port intensive itineraries. Can't really put a price on that but it seems like more value than having more sea days but that's a personal choice. On itineraries such as this the entertainment becomes more of a non-issue because a long day of touring, cocktails, dinner and some socializing until 11 and we're done because the next day it's rinse and repeat.

 

O wins on no formal nights. This can be a polarizing issue so enough said.

 

Food - always a tough call and you'll never get agreement. My personal experience has been that the MDR on O is solid if unexceptional. Terrace Cafe on a warm night can't be beaten even if the food can be a bit hit and miss. I personally think Polo is the most over rated restaurant in the line up and I'd much prefer to dine in Toscana. Having said that we found X's MDR to be less satisfying than O but found their specialty restaurants to be superior to those on O. Kind of a saw off in my opinion as each has positives and negatives.

 

Drinks - virtually no difference between O and X with the addition of the drink packages although O would get the nod because they appear to add more top shelf brands whereas X imposes a $12 limit on their premier drink package. If you don't drink enough to justify a package then your difference is likely nominal at best.

 

Boarding the first day - we've never had an issue boarding regardless of stateroom and it's only the first day of a 45 day cruise, in that context it's not something I'd dwell on.

 

Laundry - not a pleasant experience on O. Often not all the machines are working and there's usually a line up because the facilities aren't adequate. Can't comment on X as we didn't use laundry.

 

Internet - O is really bad and really expensive

 

In-room entertainment - O is really bad, X has on-demand movies, lecturers, information, etc. something you might make use of with such a long itinerary (this may vary depending on the ship though).

 

Entertainment - O is IMO horrible. X is an okay time waster with some decent acts that at least change during the cruise. On a 45 day cruise I'd struggle with this on O particularly on sea days.

 

In your cost per day calculation I trust you compared apples to apples ie. removed the air component from the O calculation vs. X and HAL.

 

Only you can determine if the value proposition has been answered or not since everyone assigns value differently than the next person.

 

Best of luck with your decision.

 

 

We are thinking about booking a pretty long (45 day) Oceania cruise but have some concerns. DW and I have spent about 2 1/2 years on cruises (12 cruise lines and more then 65 different ships) so are not newbies. But, for some reason, we have never been on Oceania. The cruise we are looking at is on the Nautica and we are quite familiar with the R ships having been on Renaissance, Azamara and Princess where they all have (or had) R ships. But when I read through the various posts and reviews about Oceania here is what I see,

 

......Food is pretty good in the MDR and alternative restaurants.

......The ability to get reservations in the alternative restaurants is somewhat limited

...... Entertainment on Oceania is not particularly good

.......Drinks and wines are priced moderately high

.......Passengers in lower categories may have some issues like not being able to board until late (and missing out on a first-day lunch).

 

So...after looking at all the pluses and minuses we have a problem understanding why Oceania is priced pretty high when compared to some of their competition. We can go on HA and get our free unlimited laundry, decent entertainment, pretty good food, etc for a lot less. We can go on Celebrity and get some excellent entertainment, very good food, several hours of free cocktails every day (we are Elite), and some gorgeous ships. We can go on Princess and get decent food (probably not in the same class as Oceania), excellent entertainment, free laundry and dry cleaning (we are Elite), free internet, etc....and Princess would cost us at least $100 a day less then O. On lines such as Celebrity we can pay extra for some of their upscale alternative restaurants and still save more then $100 per day over O. So please help me. What am I missing here that makes O worth the buck.

 

Hank

[caribbeansun]

Keep in mind that the OP is looking at Nautica not Marina.

 

We were brand new to Oceania when we sailed Marina last month

[Fetchpeople]

Some of us value peace and quiet. The elimination of both those pesky photographers and the endless promoting of art auctions makes for a more gracious experience.

[csto]

Ricki,

 

How would compare Oceania service in general to Crystal?

 

Thanks

Chris

[ricki]

Ricki,

 

How would compare Oceania service in general to Crystal?

 

Thanks

Chris

 

Although we had an excellent housekeeping team on Marina--efficient, professional, yet warm and friendly, the rest of the staff seemed rather hit or miss. Everyone did their jobs, but only a few stood out as particularly pleasant and helpful. This was most notable in Waves and the Terrace Cafe, where service almost seemed perfunctory and indifferent.

 

Crystal really excels in service. It is gracious without being cloying, intuitive without being intrusive, and when they say "My pleasure, madam!", they really seem to mean it! By day two, the Lido Deck waiters will all know your name, and remember your preferences--and this extends from cruise to cruise. Even when we visit one of the ships for the day (Crystal is one of the few lines to permit this), they will recognize you and call you by name when they see you.

 

We like the traditional dining experience on Crystal, although they now offer "Dining by Reservation," which is essentially open dining. We enjoy the experience of having a waiter whom we get to know and with whom we establish rapport, and their waitstaff seems very highly trained.

 

We did feel the Cruise Director, Dottie, and Asst Cruuise Director, JR, were much more involved with the guests and tried hard to make certain guests were happy than on Crystal. they were certainly more visable.

 

All this said, Oceania has a terrific product and the service issues were not enough to change our pleasure at sailing on this line again.

 

Ricki

[Hlitner]

We really appreciate all the polite and thoughtful responses to our post. I should have mentioned that we have previously cruised on Crystal and agree its a great cruise line. But it is hard to say that Crystal offers a good value when many of their cruises are priced at over $500 per passenger day. After reading the comments on this thread (and elsewhere) it sounds like O has postioned itself as a decent mass-market line but keeps itself at a level below the luxury lines a ie, Crystal, Seabourne, etc. Guess we will give our decison some more thought and continue to follow the comments on this board. It is very interesting that several posters question the wisdom of taking a longer cruise...but at this point in our lives we tend to really enjoy the itineraries and relaxation only afforded on longer trips. The days of 10 day (8 port) track meets are long past :)

 

Hank

[LHT28]

. It is very interesting that several posters question the wisdom of taking a longer cruise...but at this point in our lives we tend to really enjoy the itineraries and relaxation only afforded on longer trips. The days of 10 day (8 port) track meets are long past :)

 

Hank

Hank

I do not think we question the wisdom of a longer cruise but if you are used to luxury lines you may or may not be disappointed in Oceania (not sure how) ;)

The suggestions to taking a shorter cruise is to test the waters as it were

 

It may be that if on day 7 of a 45 day cruise you decide Oceania is not for you then you may not be happy for the rest of the cruise

 

I much prefer longer cruises myself & if I could talk DH into a world cruise I would do that :D

 

 

Lyn

[PaulMCO]

We are thinking about booking a pretty long (45 day) Oceania cruise but have some concerns. DW and I have spent about 2 1/2 years on cruises (12 cruise lines and more then 65 different ships) so are not newbies. But, for some reason, we have never been on Oceania. The cruise we are looking at is on the Nautica and we are quite familiar with the R ships having been on Renaissance, Azamara and Princess where they all have (or had) R ships. But when I read through the various posts and reviews about Oceania here is what I see,

 

......Food is pretty good in the MDR and alternative restaurants.

......The ability to get reservations in the alternative restaurants is somewhat limited

...... Entertainment on Oceania is not particularly good

.......Drinks and wines are priced moderately high

.......Passengers in lower categories may have some issues like not being able to board until late (and missing out on a first-day lunch).

 

So...after looking at all the pluses and minuses we have a problem understanding why Oceania is priced pretty high when compared to some of their competition. We can go on HA and get our free unlimited laundry, decent entertainment, pretty good food, etc for a lot less. We can go on Celebrity and get some excellent entertainment, very good food, several hours of free cocktails every day (we are Elite), and some gorgeous ships. We can go on Princess and get decent food (probably not in the same class as Oceania), excellent entertainment, free laundry and dry cleaning (we are Elite), free internet, etc....and Princess would cost us at least $100 a day less then O. On lines such as Celebrity we can pay extra for some of their upscale alternative restaurants and still save more then $100 per day over O. So please help me. What am I missing here that makes O worth the buck.

 

Hank

 

Our last cruise was on the Nautica 35 day - Capetown -to -Singapore. Frankly when the cruise ended -- we did not want to leave the ship. This is after 35 days and in the past sometimes after a 14 day cruise we are happy to go home.

 

I think the status thing is overplayed. Yes higher priced rooms get you some more benefits but you are paying for these.

 

We have never had an issue getting another night/s at the specialty restaurants. Yes -- they are No Charge extras.

 

The big point in Cruising on an R class ship is the size. Staff knows your name -- as does the General Manager who greeted everyone as the left or boarded the ship.

 

Never had an issue with boarding -- even in a normal cabin we have always been able to board by 12:30 latest on an R ship. Conceirge and above do get to board at 11am -- but remember they account for about 35% of the 330 staterooms.

 

Yes entertainment is lacking -- but after a day of 9 to 5 touring -- I want a drink, dinner and some down time.

 

A yes the food is definitely a step above Celebrity and way above Princess.

[barbaralove]

You can bring alcohol on board Marina?

[Mura]

You can bring wine, beer and liquor on ALL the ships. Technically there is a limit but as far as we know it's never been enforced. More of an excuse if someone abuses the privilege.

 

Mura

[LHT28]

You can bring alcohol on board Marina?

On Nautica, Regatta & Riveria also ;) ..for use in your cabin only

 

 

Lyn

[sitraveler]

Boarding the ship is not the same as getting into your room.

 

 

Concierge level passengers get access to their rooms 2 hours earlier than non-concierge .

 

Yes, Oceania permits alcohol to be brought on board for consumption in your cabin.

[lais]

We just did our first O cruise for 35 days. All I can say is don't question it, don't try to compare it, just do it. Everything was fantastic.

[azam71209]

We had no problem boarding early. Just showed up and showed our passport and that was it. We did have to wait awhile to get into our cabin. If you have a lower level cabin, consider carrying very little on with you. People who were burdened with a lot of "stuff" were pretty much stuck in the Terrace Cafe. If you're traveling light and comfortably dressed, you can wander the ship, get your bearings, go on deck, relax, read a book, and get a nice start to the day. Then it doesn't feel like you are just waiting for the cabin to be ready.

[rbach]

I just returned from a 10 day Nautica cruise. Here's what I can say:

 

......Food is pretty good in the MDR and alternative restaurants.

Food is Great. - Even the buffet is a great evening dining experience.

 

......The ability to get reservations in the alternative restaurants is somewhat limited

Depending on your room type you are guaranteed a minimum alt resturant reservation. But, if you are flexible with the time you may get more than the minimum. And there are no Up Charges!

 

...... Entertainment on Oceania is not particularly good

The cruise that we were on was a port instensive cruise, so entertainment was not important to us. The little we saw was good, just small productions.

 

.......Drinks and wines are priced moderately high

I found the house wines to be very good. Around $30 for a bottle and $8 for a glass is vary fair and they will happily hold the bottle and bring it back to any of the resturants on the following nights. The prices for mixed drinks were around $10 and beers around $5. Again this is fair compared to most resturants.

 

.......Passengers in lower categories may have some issues like not being able to board until late (and missing out on a first-day lunch).

Dont let 1 lunch make up your mind. You cant compare the feeling of the smaller ships. This has a HUGE value. Everything is easier. Tenders, Lines, etc. But we got to the port @ 1pm and they were letting everyone on board and into the dining area.

 

Laundy: The ships have a laundry room. Its $2 for a load. They provide the soap. We never had trouble getting access to a machine.

[billy.qc]

We just did our first O cruise for 35 days. All I can say is don't question it, don't try to compare it, just do it. Everything was fantastic.

Well said...our first O cruise was 4 yrs ago, 15 days aboard the Nautica. and we loved it. We enjoyed the port intensive itinerary, never went to a show!! After a full day we enjoyed a dinner for 2, and a drink in the foyer before returning early to our cabin!! The casual intimate feel of the O ships are great. We have cruised with the R & O class ships ever since and have never been disappointed. Don't stress the small stuff, and enjoy!!

[sparty1]

We are on Deck 9. Are these balconies covered? or at least partially covered by the balconies above us? I saw pictures of uncovered balconies, but do not know what decks thoses are. Thx.

[phillymaps]

Just returned from a 21 day cruise on the Regatta. Did laundry 3 times for a total cost of $12. No big deal breaker!

 

The entertainment on this cruise was much better than on previous Oceania cruises - the showroom was almost 100% full on many nights.

[LHT28]

We are on Deck 9. Are these balconies covered? or at least partially covered by the balconies above us? I saw pictures of uncovered balconies, but do not know what decks thoses are. Thx.

The ones you probably saw uncovered were on deck 7 extended balconies (B4) or maybe the aft suites

[spook1]

As I have commented on other O threads we have booked our first O voyage for next April in PH3 suite. Reading the above observations is almost as entertaining as a good novel. But with thirty-five married years of ships in the ships (some BM and six troop ships) I can still agree with so many comments...no pesky photograhers...no art auctions..peace and quiet. Some like a port-a-day as they might OJ. Fine. We are (or should be) individuals but we like sea days-the more the better. Perhaps that is where the word 'cruising' originated. To fully enjoy and get familiar with a ship and her routine one needs days at sea. This is where the peace and quite enter. To gaze at the horizon, nod off, and waken to find you have not reached that horizon. Didn't miss a thing. Naturally can't offer an opinon of cusine, but we were given TASTE THE WORLD while visiting Regatta and I can see Polo Grill will be my haunt if the rack of lamb photo is any indication of what to expect.

Did a 20 day Silversea two years and fully expect O to outshine that experience.

Keep up the good work O Sailers. Knowledge..knowledge..knowledge. That is the key.:cool::cool::)