Oceania Newbie! Single friendly?

[cindilouwho]

Greetings to ALL! I have just booked my first Oceania - :D

 

Although not new to cruising (84 and counting) - I have been cruising on Azamara pretty much exclusively for the past few years. I happened to have found an offer that I couldn't refuse on O and decided to "jump ship"! LOL

 

I am traveling to the Baltic in June 2013 and was wondering how single friendly O is. Not that I am shy about making my own friends - I am travelling with a group of my 10 CLOSEST CC buddies on this sailing - but it's always nice to know what the cruise line is like for singles.

 

I understand Seabourn is great - making sure that singles are well taken care of for dinner - AZ pretty much does nothing outside of the standard single get togethers - so I am interested to find out how O stacks up!

 

Any input will be greatly appreciated!

[Mura]

On our first 2-3 Oceania sailings (which was quite a while ago) the ship made a point of holding singles get-togethers but I don't think I've seen anything like that in quite a while. Then again, I haven't been looking.

 

(A couple who met at one of those gatherings on our Panama Canal cruise ended up being a *real* couple.)

 

But it certainly doesn't sound as if you'll be alone since you're traveling with friends! And passengers tend to be friendly and open to meeting new people, whether they are couples or singles.

 

Mura

[A Knitter]

Hi. Cindi. Welcome to Oceania. I have traveled solo with O since my husband passed 9 years ago and really never saw any Single gatherings. I wasn't looking either but always felt welcome everywhere. The roll call is the best way to meet before the cruise and on my Amazon cruise in 2009, there was a single male in our roll call and it was nice to have a dinner mate once onboard. I was often asked if I wanted additional reservations at Polo and Toscana since some of the tables for two were empty so there is some advantage. I always had wonderful conversations with the waiter and Matre D while dining. Have a great cruise:)

[RetiredFL]

On our last cruise in June on Regatta they had singles get togethers and also a Canada get together. I believe we were sailing over a Canadian holiday and they also organized something for that.

I am sure it somewhat depends on the cruise director but everyone is so friendly you will have a great time.

[cindilouwho]

I may be an "O" newbie, but I am not a CC one! :D Our roll call is already very active and we are all busy making plans! I know the value of the roll calls for singles...that's how I made such wonderful friends and traveling companions over the years! I have always found it nice to meet other singles who are traveling and may not be as lucky as I have been in making connections with others on board and we just LOVE to gather a few more folks together to share our fun!

 

My experience with singles "do's" has not been great. Many years ago while traveling on a quickie Caribbean cruise, I attended quite a large get together.....there were groups of folks that were not singles who dropped in and spent much time berating the single women. I am not self concious nor meek but found it completely distasteful and were I less confident, I would have been devastated by the comments made. No one from the staff or crew put a stop to this. Granted this cruise was not AZ or O or even HAL but a "party" ship. I have never gone back on board that cruise line.

 

That being said - I have rarely gone to another singles function but have peeked in on occasion!!! :o

 

I love to dance and always have my friends to keep me company on the dance floor - sometimes even the staff joins in - but now and then I think about what it would be like to PERHAPS meet someone that would turn the "ship" into a teeny-tiny bit of the "love boat"!!! LOL :D :eek: :rolleyes:

 

Having raised 2 beautiful daughters on my own, enjoying my 2 amazing grandkids (3 and 2) and looking forward to 2 more soon, loving my job and my success in the business world and looking at retirement in the (hopefully) near future.....after 25 years on my own-- maybe --- just maybe

"Prince Charming" is still out there looking for me! My only question is......Will he recognize me with all this BOTOX!!!! And will I be able to call out to him without cracking my face????? HAHAHAHAHA --- GOTCHA :cool:

[pacheco18]

I may be an "O" newbie, but I am not a CC one! :D Our roll call is already very active and we are all busy making plans! I know the value of the roll calls for singles...that's how I made such wonderful friends and traveling companions over the years! I have always found it nice to meet other singles who are traveling and may not be as lucky as I have been in making connections with others on board and we just LOVE to gather a few more folks together to share our fun!

 

My experience with singles "do's" has not been great. Many years ago while traveling on a quickie Caribbean cruise, I attended quite a large get together.....there were groups of folks that were not singles who dropped in and spent much time berating the single women. I am not self concious nor meek but found it completely distasteful and were I less confident, I would have been devastated by the comments made. No one from the staff or crew put a stop to this. Granted this cruise was not AZ or O or even HAL but a "party" ship. I have never gone back on board that cruise line.

 

That being said - I have rarely gone to another singles function but have peeked in on occasion!!! :o

 

I love to dance and always have my friends to keep me company on the dance floor - sometimes even the staff joins in - but now and then I think about what it would be like to PERHAPS meet someone that would turn the "ship" into a teeny-tiny bit of the "love boat"!!! LOL :D :eek: :rolleyes:

 

Having raised 2 beautiful daughters on my own, enjoying my 2 amazing grandkids (3 and 2) and looking forward to 2 more soon, loving my job and my success in the business world and looking at retirement in the (hopefully) near future.....after 25 years on my own-- maybe --- just maybe

"Prince Charming" is still out there looking for me! My only question is......Will he recognize me with all this BOTOX!!!! And will I be able to call out to him without cracking my face????? HAHAHAHAHA --- GOTCHA :cool:

 

 

CindiLou

 

You have always been Azamara's biggest cheerleader! I am amazed you have jumped ship but you won't be sorry. You will love Oceania. With your attitude and personality you can't help but have a great time!

 

I, on the other hand, am testing the Azamara waters. LOL

[cindilouwho]

CindiLou

 

You have always been Azamara's biggest cheerleader! I am amazed you have jumped ship but you won't be sorry. You will love Oceania. With your attitude and personality you can't help but have a great time!

 

I, on the other hand, am testing the Azamara waters. LOL

 

Hey Laraine!

 

I still love AZ but they priced me out of this sailing. We had been planning to do the Baltic for a while and checked AZ right away. I ended up booking Seabourn - which cost me less than AZ for 2 more days and had more inclusions. The single was a great rate but my friends were still priced out of the sailing. I wouldn't have my beloved balcony but the stateroom was larger than AZ and had a full bath tub (love, love, love my hot baths at night). Then I saw an ad and I called up - "O" bent over backwards to get my booking and gave me an amazing rate to book - which I did. I sent the info to my friends and they got great rates too so here we all are - 7 cabins!!!! I have to say - Azamara seemed to care less about getting us on - and here we ALL were Discoverer Level!!!!! The sailing I am on O is pretty full - only Balcony and up left and AZ is wide open but still no sales are on.

 

I am happy to be able to give Oceania a try - all the group is excited too - this will be a first for all of us - looking forward to the larger staterooms and great bathrooms! I take the CC suite on AZ for the space but I can come a little "downmarket" on the room on O and get the same space. Going to miss the butler tho!!

 

The service onboard AZ is fabulous - unfortunately shoreside seems a bit wonky ---

but enjoy the AZ experience -- YOU WILL. Keep me up to date ...let's compare NOTES!!!

[titong]

Greetings to ALL! I have just booked my first Oceania - :D

 

Although not new to cruising (84 and counting) - I have been cruising on Azamara pretty much exclusively for the past few years. I happened to have found an offer that I couldn't refuse on O and decided to "jump ship"! LOL

 

I am traveling to the Baltic in June 2013 and was wondering how single friendly O is. Not that I am shy about making my own friends - I am traveling with a group of my 10 CLOSEST CC buddies on this sailing - but it's always nice to know what the cruise line is like for singles.

 

I understand Seabourn is great - making sure that singles are well taken care of for dinner - AZ pretty much does nothing outside of the standard single get togethers - so I am interested to find out how O stacks up!

 

Any input will be greatly appreciated!

 

I have been on both Oceania and Crystal. Four cruises on Crystal and one on Oceania. That was a recent cruise on Oceania's Rivera ship. Oceania like Crystal is a very good cruise company. The food on both Oceania and Crystal is excellent. However, in terms of being single Crystal is way above Oceania. Crystal is eager to attract solo travelers and it shows. They normally have lower single supplements than the other luxury cruise lines. They have dance instructors and free daily group classes on their ships. They have what they call ambassador hosts to dance with women who want someone to dance with. The have ballroom themed dance cruises twice a year. In addition, they always have great guest speakers. Moreover, they have a mix and mingle party for those who are on cruise critic and want to sign up. I am not trying to take anything away from Oceania. They are an excellent cruise company. However if you want to go on a cruise ship that really caters to singles, dancing and great speakers-Crystal cruises is where you want to be. For more on dancing on Crystal-see the cruise critic thread titled: "Dancing on Crystal." Hope this helps you.

[pacheco18]

Hey Laraine!

 

I still love AZ but they priced me out of this sailing. We had been planning to do the Baltic for a while and checked AZ right away. I ended up booking Seabourn - which cost me less than AZ for 2 more days and had more inclusions. The single was a great rate but my friends were still priced out of the sailing. I wouldn't have my beloved balcony but the stateroom was larger than AZ and had a full bath tub (love, love, love my hot baths at night). Then I saw an ad and I called up - "O" bent over backwards to get my booking and gave me an amazing rate to book - which I did. I sent the info to my friends and they got great rates too so here we all are - 7 cabins!!!! I have to say - Azamara seemed to care less about getting us on - and here we ALL were Discoverer Level!!!!! The sailing I am on O is pretty full - only Balcony and up left and AZ is wide open but still no sales are on.

 

I am happy to be able to give Oceania a try - all the group is excited too - this will be a first for all of us - looking forward to the larger staterooms and great bathrooms! I take the CC suite on AZ for the space but I can come a little "downmarket" on the room on O and get the same space. Going to miss the butler tho!!

 

The service onboard AZ is fabulous - unfortunately shoreside seems a bit wonky ---

but enjoy the AZ experience -- YOU WILL. Keep me up to date ...let's compare NOTES!!!

 

 

At my urging, sone of closest friends just cruised to the Baltics on Nautica (an R ship -- my personal favorite ). It was their first O cruise and they loved it.

 

YOur "defection" is a big loss for Azamara but with the recent changes and price increase (which I believe are insane) I think many A folks are gravitating over to O. The first A cruise I booked was because I wanted more options for R ships. I love those ships. The 2nd one is an itinerary totally unique to Azamara. It will probably be those 2 and done. I wonder if the line can remain in business!

 

My email is below. Let's compare notes for sure.