Tried Oceania once, but not again

[PSULion]

No cruise line, including Oceania or Royal Caribbean, is responsible for what takes place in the terminal before boarding. That is handled by a shore-side organization such as Intercruises. If there was a shortage of pens, it has nothing to do with the cruise line. Perhaps If you were more familiar with the inner workings of cruises, such as lobster storage (do you still get whole Maine lobster on Royal, fresh or frozen?), you would not be so hyper crtical. Yes, this is Cruise Critic, but all criticism does not have to be negative.

 

I would assume cruise lines individually contract with Intercruises, et. al., and I would think a cruise line can dictate the terms of the contract. Cruise lines spend a ton of money avoiding Noro and othe nasties, and it seems like some contract language to minimize pre-boarding contamination seems reasonable, and one does not have to be an expert in cruise line operations to make that assessment.

 

I do like the ideas about bringing my own pens as I always like to carry one to sign receipts at grocery stores (especially when the store clerk hands you the pen that was just in their mouth!). Yuck!

 

John R.

Edited August 21, 2015 by PSULion

[Jancruz]

We just sailed on the Equinox in May and on the Marina in April, 2014. The closets on both ships were about the same. Small and hard to get into. I think Princess has the best closets at sea, but that's about the only good thing. While Celebrity is our first choice, you will enjoy Oceania. We did not like their MDR, but that's just us. The food was just okay at best. However, we loved the grill in the Terrace and ate there most nights. Entertainment was so-so with the main problem being the size of the theatre. It was very small and mostly on one level, so if you got there late and sat in the back you could hear but not see the stage. My husband likes to play craps in the casino and there was never in 14 days anyone playing at the table, so he was disappointed in that. Luckily Oceania cruises are port intensive so being bored during the day was never a problem. My only other gripe, and it is a minor one, is that their buffet and Waves grill close at certain times during the day, so if we were on shore and got back on ship at 4:00, there was no place to eat except room service.

 

I love the tea at 4pm and the sandwiches and scones are heavenly..

Jancruz1

[Iamthesea]

workstocruise - Good information!

 

I love the tea at 4pm and the sandwiches and scones are heavenly..

Jancruz1

 

Will have to remember the tea at 4:00. :D

 

We ran into the same problem of the buffet closing on Celebrity after an excursion. We HAD to go eat at the pool grill. :rolleyes:

Edited August 21, 2015 by Iamthesea

[hondorner]

workstocruise - Good information!

 

 

 

Will have to remember the tea at 4:00. :D

 

We ran into the same problem of the buffet closing on Celebrity after an excursion. We HAD to go eat at the pool grill. :rolleyes:

 

Probably not everyone's opinion, but I love Waves, the pool grill on Oceania. Breakfast there is as good as anywhere on the ship but express with fewer choices. Lunch is fabulous - on what other ship can you get a surf and turf sandwich (small filet and unshelled lobster tail with truffle fries)?

 

I just wish they'd open it a night or two with bbq ribs and such.

[Fam_Cruise]

I have been on all the middle class boats with Royal and I have always found a chair , just like Oceania we found a chair , the food was just as equal on both companies also.

RCI and O... I did a cruise this past June on RCI specifically because it was half the price of O. I got what I paid for.

 

I would totally disagree with Mercer's assessment of food as RCI food was totally mediocre at best. Many items were unacceptable and were left uneaten on my plate. The only excellent breakfast option was the suite breakfast in Chops Grille. The steaks in Chops were mediocre except the dry aged for an extra up charge in addition to the specialty restaurant charge, which means your steak dinner ends up costing $50-60. I've had better steaks for less on land. Izumi was OK with a healthy ala carte charge, but paled in comparison to Red Ginger. Giovanni's Table was just OK. Reflections MDR food was poor to OK, but service was sparse. Bread came by once, and wait staff seemed disoriented. The wait for a table was a pain, and three times they seated us right next to the front door and a service area; the second and third time we insisted on a different table. I could always find something acceptable at the buffet, but most of the food was rubbish.

 

OK enough about food...

 

On RCI photographers at every turn. Formal nights, need I say more; and even more photographers.

 

On RCI I have always stayed in Owners Suites, but this past cruise I did a Grand Suite. Concierge lounge is used more on RCI because of the free alcohol at happy hour (Pavlov's dogs) than O and there is definitely a pecking order which I don't see on O; probably because lounges are for suite guests on O and for both suite guests and elite chasers on RCI.

 

Beds, furnishings, and toiletries are much nicer on O. I brought my own Bvlgari soap and shampoo on my RCI cruise in June as a result.

 

The one thing that was really great about the RCI cruise was that it reinforced my love of O. I'm back on Marina this November and next.

 

Yes, O is more expensive but worth every penny.

 

No formal nights

No photographers

Butler with

• standing breakfast order
  
• afternoon appetizers
  
• in suite specialty restaurant course by course dining
  

Spa Terrace with Thelasotherapy pool

No additional charge for four excellent specialty restaurants

San Pellegrino and Perrier are included free of charge (my preferred beverages)

Beautiful furnishings in suite and throughout ship

Bvlgari toiletries

Better and more comfortable beds

Much better food and service

 

Now, one does have to pay more for all of the above. Having cruised on both RCI and O a few times, and after the most recent RCI cruise (my first back on RCI since migrating to O) the differences are fresh in my mind and so was the 50% discount compared to O's prices. Actually the discount is a bit less as O usually includes gratuities, and always includes specialty restaurants, my preferred beverages, butler service with breakfast, appetizers, and in suite specialty restaurant course by course dining, and numerous other aforementioned benefits.

 

So if you don't care about many of those the things mentioned above that I personally love about O, then by all means save money and go with RCI. Or for that matter go with Carnival as there is less difference between RCI and Carnival than there is between O and RCI.

 

If you want a better cruise, service, and food, included better specialty restaurants, butler with associated in suite dining, nicer furnishings and accouterments, less annoying features (formal nights, photographers, unnecessary announcements, etc.), and less nickel and diming then pay more and choose O. I'll see you on board.

 

O has wonderful self service laundry facilities on every deck.

Edited August 22, 2015 by Fam_Cruise
Added laundry comment

[Iamthesea]

Fam_Cruise - I am holding you to this! :)

 

The only difference in what you are discribing and what we are hoping for as a first time experience on Oceania is that we will only be in a Verandah stateroom. No Butler this time.:( We normally stay in Suites... when we can ...on Celebrity and our most recent RCCL cruise (last September on the Oasis... also in a GS...and also the same not so good experience that you mentioned), but the Suite price was too high for our liking on Oceania. I think if the bathrooms were upgraded from a Verandah to the PH, we may have given the price a second thought, but for the stateroom to be just a few feet larger with the same bathroom as all the rest, we are fine with the Verandah. We can survive without the Butler, the C Lounge, Spa Terrace (which we plan to try once), the hot breakfast and snacks. ;)

 

Probably not everyone's opinion, but I love Waves, the pool grill on Oceania. Breakfast there is as good as anywhere on the ship but express with fewer choices. Lunch is fabulous - on what other ship can you get a surf and turf sandwich (small filet and unshelled lobster tail with truffle fries)?

 

I just wish they'd open it a night or two with bbq ribs and such.

 

Sounds delicious!

[bob278]

We got off the Insignia this past Sunday and I have some pretty fresh observations to make. We all have to make our own determination about how much we'll pay for what we (but not others) consider a better experience. I have no qualms in saying that O provides a more elegant and luxurious experience over many other lines, but I would not pay twice what a cruise on RCL costs that has about the same itinerary just to be on O. I did an in-depth comparison based on my opinion of cost/value on Celebrity, Azamara and O here. I did not include some of the things that are important to you (as they weren't that important to me) but it is a discussion of our experiences on three lines.

 

RCI and O... I did a cruise this past June on RCI specifically because it was half the price of O. I got what I paid for.

 

I would totally disagree with Mercer's assessment of food as RCI food was totally mediocre at best. Many items were unacceptable and were left uneaten on my plate. The only excellent breakfast option was the suite breakfast in Chops Grille. The steaks in Chops were mediocre except the dry aged for an extra up charge in addition to the specialty restaurant charge, which means your steak dinner ends up costing $50-60. I've had better steaks for less on land. Izumi was OK with a healthy ala carte charge, but paled in comparison to Red Ginger. Giovanni's Table was just OK. Reflections MDR food was poor to OK, but service was sparse. Bread came by once, and wait staff seemed disoriented. The wait for a table was a pain, and three times they seated us right next to the front door and a service area; the second and third time we insisted on a different table. I could always find something acceptable at the buffet, but most of the food was rubbish.

 

OK enough about food...

 

On RCI photographers at every turn. Formal nights, need I say more; and even more photographers. true

 

On RCI I have always stayed in Owners Suites, but this past cruise I did a Grand Suite. Concierge lounge is used more on RCI because of the free alcohol at happy hour (Pavlov's dogs) than O and there is definitely a pecking order which I don't see on O; probably because lounges are for suite guests on O and for both suite guests and elite chasers on RCI.

 

Beds, furnishings, and toiletries are much nicer on O. Absolutely true. The beds in our PH were the most comfortable either of us have found on RCL, Celebrity or Azamara I brought my own Bvlgari soap and shampoo on my RCI cruise in June as a result.

 

The one thing that was really great about the RCI cruise was that it reinforced my love of O. I'm back on Marina this November and next.

 

Yes, O is more expensive but worth every penny.

 

No formal nights

No photographers

Butler with

• standing breakfast order
  
• afternoon appetizers
  
• in suite specialty restaurant course by course dining
  

Spa Terrace with Thelasotherapy pool nobody told me that the spa was included for a PH. Did I miss out? I love that T-pool on the bow on Azamara

No additional charge for four excellent specialty restaurants Only two on the R-ships and in my opinion (we all have those, don't we?) the two on Insignia were not really much better than Portofino or Chops. One of our friends had a veal chop in Aqualina that he said was terrible (mine was good).

San Pellegrino and Perrier are included free of charge (my preferred beverages)

Beautiful furnishings in suite and throughout ship

Bvlgari toiletries

Better and more comfortable beds Oh, so true

Much better food and service

 

Now, one does have to pay more for all of the above. Having cruised on both RCI and O a few times, and after the most recent RCI cruise (my first back on RCI since migrating to O) the differences are fresh in my mind and so was the 50% discount compared to O's prices. Actually the discount is a bit less as O usually includes gratuities, and always includes specialty restaurants, my preferred beverages, butler service with breakfast, appetizers, and in suite specialty restaurant course by course dining, and numerous other aforementioned benefits.

 

So if you don't care about many of those the things mentioned above that I personally love about O, then by all means save money and go with RCI. Or for that matter go with Carnival as there is less difference between RCI and Carnival than there is between O and RCI.

 

If you want a better cruise, service, and food, included better specialty restaurants, butler with associated in suite dining, nicer furnishings and accouterments, less annoying features (formal nights, photographers, unnecessary announcements, etc.), and less nickel and diming then pay more and choose O. I'll see you on board.

 

O has wonderful self service laundry facilities on every deck. On Insignia there was just the one on deck 7

[artbcpa]

We just completed a 7-day Baltic Cruise on the Oceania Marina. (You can read my "live review" in a separate thread).

 

I would have to say that to a great degree we agree with the main complaint of the OP - the food does not match its ship's ratings. We found the food to be totally inconsistent, one meal good, one dish great, but the only consistent meals we had were at Red Ginger.

 

Ships of this ranking - 5 1/2 stars - should have more consistency in their food. That is the real difference between good and great. Our experience was definitely not great and sometimes not even good. That is a shame because there was much that we did like about Oceania - the service, their helpful attitude, the casino, the Internet, the entertainment, the itinerary and more.

[TrulyBlonde]

Yes, you are correct that Insiginia has only one laundry area because when I was recently on Regatta (same R ship) it was the same. I think the O ships have more laundry rooms if I remember correctly.

As for costs, my main objective is timing and itinerary when choosing a cruise and I would never overpay if both were same. The reason we are trying Celebrity Solstice this Oct 2015 is because of timing (I cannot travel during Winter ski season because DH loves to ski everyday that ends in a "Y). We have upgraded from Aqua to a CS and SS (for the space) and although there will be more passengers, we do not or will not let it impact our having an enjoyable time.

We will try Insignia to SA Oct 2016 for close to a month and due to the small size of ship and numerous sea days, we have chosen a VS (for the space).

Those are the important things for us and it is nice we all have choices and can be different and still lucky enough to cruise :)

Your review is very balanced and thank you for taking the time.

[Mura]

Yes, the small ships only have one laundry room while the larger ships have one on each passenger floor. I think the exception to that is Deck 12.

 

Mura

[LHT28]

There are many reviews & opinions wrapped up in this thread

the size of ships & amenities do differ

 

R-ships 2 specialties 1 laundry room deck 7

O class ships 4 specialties, laundry rooms on deck 7,8, 9, 10, 11

2 pay for restaurants La Reserve, Privee

 

Not sure where this 5 1/2 star rating comes from ?

 

Those in Concierge & above on both size ships get free access to the spa deck

Those in PH & above can get dinner served in their suites course by course

 

All this information is in the brochure, online & in your cruise planner

I guess it is like the T & C's ..who reads them :rolleyes:

[LHT28]

As for costs, my main objective is timing and itinerary when choosing a cruise and I would never overpay if both were same. .

 

I would :D

I hate big ships so definitely would pay more to sail on Oceania

It is a personal choice & everyone has to do what works best for them

There is NO perfect cruise line

 

Enjoy life , it has an expiry date

[Travelcat2]

Probably not everyone's opinion, but I love Waves, the pool grill on Oceania. Breakfast there is as good as anywhere on the ship but express with fewer choices. Lunch is fabulous - on what other ship can you get a surf and turf sandwich (small filet and unshelled lobster tail with truffle fries)?

 

I just wish they'd open it a night or two with bbq ribs and such.

 

Strongly agree with you. While we do not care for lunch in the Terrace Café, we love Waves. For some reason, the quality of the food seems dramatically better. Love the surf and turf sandwich with truffle fries (minus the turf - double surf).

[Iamthesea]

Are the beds just as comfortable in the lesser staterooms, or are they upgraded for the PH and above?

 

 

As for costs, my main objective is timing and itinerary when choosing a cruise and I would never overpay if both were same. The reason we are trying Celebrity Solstice this Oct 2015 is because of timing (I cannot travel during Winter ski season because DH loves to ski everyday that ends in a "Y). We have upgraded from Aqua to a CS and SS (for the space) and although there will be more passengers, we do not or will not let it impact our having an enjoyable time.

.

 

Your husband sounds like my brother. He and his wife live in SC, but they spend almost all winter in CO skiing. Makes me frustrated when we try to plan a trip and they cannot go because of skiing. :rolleyes:

 

I think you will like Celebrity. :) We prefer the SS Suite over the CS (for 2 persons) because to us they feel more spacious. Much less in $$, too! If you had a child or two, the CS would be the way to go, but we found way back that it was the same in price to get two staterooms instead of trying to fit everyone in one. This with teens and college age children.

 

Hope you have a good time! We will be on the Celebrity Eclipse at the same time...in an SS. ;)

 

I would :D

I hate big ships so definitely would pay more to sail on Oceania

It is a personal choice & everyone has to do what works best for them

There is NO perfect cruise line

 

Enjoy life , it has an expiry date

 

So true! And why we are trying to travel as much as possible now...before DH retires. All our friends keep saying "after we retire." :( Read an obituary the other day where a man died at 63, shortly after retirement. He was my husbands age. The obit said that he planned to travel after retirement, but after falling ill, he never met that goal.

 

No perfect cruiseline is correct!

Edited August 22, 2015 by Iamthesea

[Fam_Cruise]

I did an in-depth comparison based on my opinion of cost/value on Celebrity, Azamara and O. I did not include some of the things that are important to you (as they weren't that important to me) but it is a discussion of our experiences on three lines.

While it was a good objective cost analysis, it did not take into account many things like formal nights, ambiance, photographers, announcements, fit and finish, beds, butler service, in suite course by course dining, etc., not to mention other subjective aspects. Also you included factors in your cost comparison that are important to you (but weren't that important to me), the main one being alcohol costs. I have cruised on Celebrity in a Celebrity Suite and it was OK. Nothing compelling that made me want to return to Celebrity. Olympus specialty restaurant was OK. I have not cruised on Azamara.

 

The reason we are trying Celebrity Solstice this Oct 2015 is because of timing (I cannot travel during Winter ski season because DH loves to ski everyday that ends in a "Y).

Your husband sounds like my brother. He and his wife live in SC, but they spend almost all winter in CO skiing.

Sounds like some smart folks. I'm in Vail from the end of December until the first weekend in April. Definitely not the time for a cruise. ;)

[LHT28]

Are the beds just as comfortable in the lesser staterooms, or are they upgraded for the PH and above?

 

I have never been in a PH or above the beds are very comfy in the A B & C cabins ;)

[bob278]

While it was a good objective cost analysis, it did not take into account many things like formal nights, ambiance, photographers, announcements, fit and finish, beds, butler service, in suite course by course dining, etc., not to mention other subjective aspects. Also you included factors in your cost comparison that are important to you (but weren't that important to me), the main one being alcohol costs. I have cruised on Celebrity in a Celebrity Suite and it was OK. Nothing compelling that made me want to return to Celebrity. Olympus specialty restaurant was OK. I have not cruised on Azamara.

 

Of course I did not include everything. That list would be almost impossible to create to cover what was important to everyone. I did try to include most

things that relate directly to cost. I included alcohol because it is a high-cost item and is included on Azamara so I needed to include it in the other two so the comparisons would be as close to apples/apples as I could make it (and alcohol really isn't important to me because I don't drink and my wife drinks only wine).

 

I guess I could have contrasted the lack of photographers (I liked that but Azamara also does a good job of keeping them low profile, just not quite as good as O), the dress code (I like that but it is the same on Azamara and not strictly enforced on Celebrity), announcements (they are the same on Azamara) and gone into more details about butler service (but all three had them and they are more similar than different).

 

My intention was to try to evaluate the dollar value for the absolute product and touch on some of the subjective areas. I knew I would not hit the hot spots for everyone, but I also wanted to keep it to a reasonable length (and it was trimmed a bit from my first couple of drafts.

[TrulyBlonde]

I would :D

I hate big ships so definitely would pay more to sail on Oceania

It is a personal choice & everyone has to do what works best for them

There is NO perfect cruise line

 

Enjoy life , it has an expiry date

 

I think you misunderstood my post. The reason we are on the big ship is because it is the only itinerary that works for us at that time (due to ski season). I would prefer a smaller ship, but...I also like to stay married LOL! I ski 5 days, he skis 7;-). If smaller and similar were available we would be on it. I do however think we will have a most enjoyable time on Celebrity. The business class air from LAX costs about the same as one cruise. Anyway, I am excited to just be on a cruise!

[Iamthesea]

My sister-in-law also does less skiing than my brother. She says she needs her days. Have fun doing both!

 

I have never been in a PH or above the beds are very comfy in the A B & C cabins ;)

 

:)

[LHT28]

I think you misunderstood my post.

how so ?

I was responding to your comment

 

I would never overpay if both were same.

 

If a larger ship was the same itinerary as Oceania I would go with O hands down ;)

Edited August 22, 2015 by LHT28

[LHT28]

My sister-in-law also does less skiing than my brother. She says she needs her days. Have fun doing both!

 

 

 

:)

Skiing ..what is that?? :eek:

I hibernate in the winter or go someplace warm

 

Must have confused me with someone else :D

[TrulyBlonde]

how so ?

I was responding to your comment

 

 

 

If a larger ship was the same itinerary as Oceania I would go with O hands down ;)

 

So would I if all things were equal. As I stated, no small ships were available when I am able to cruise. They are not equal(size) and I am very happy to take the large ship because O is not available at the time I can cruise. What is your point other than to be argumentative?

[Travelcat2]

This thread seems to have taken a left turn a couple of pages ago. Suddenly Oceania is being compared to Celebrity and even mainstream cruise line RCI - really? I completely see where LHT - some people (myself included) would not sail on a large ship for any reason or for any price. It seems to me that Oceania, Azamara and Viking Oceans understands that which is why their ships (and luxury ships) sail smaller ships.

 

While I do understand sailing other cruise lines for itinerary purposes, there are limits to which cruise sails we would sail.

[TrulyBlonde]

This thread seems to have taken a left turn a couple of pages ago. Suddenly Oceania is being compared to Celebrity and even mainstream cruise line RCI - really? I completely see where LHT - some people (myself included) would not sail on a large ship for any reason or for any price. It seems to me that Oceania, Azamara and Viking Oceans understands that which is why their ships (and luxury ships) sail smaller ships.

 

While I do understand sailing other cruise lines for itinerary purposes, there are limits to which cruise sails we would sail.

 

TC2, the OP quote "I could go on, but I thought I'd share this review for other cruisers who may be trying to decide between lines like, Celebrity, Seabourn , Oceania etc..

For us it's Seabourn or a suite on Celebrity"

 

Start reading from the beginning and you will understand it took no wrong turns and is in fact heading straight.

[TrulyBlonde]

My sister-in-law also does less skiing than my brother. She says she needs her days. Have fun doing both!

 

Yes, hair and nails are important too ;-) You sound like fun and I enjoy your upbeat posts and positive attitude. Does your brother also watch College Basketball LOL! I forgot to mention DH other passion...no trips until April due to skiing AND after March Madness. But...we do have lots of fun :)