Another glossy pamphlet

[Minoushka]

This time on Siirena aka .ocean Princess aka .tahitian princess aka some Renaissance ship ..Question ...why buy old ships ?why fix them

I have been on Ocean Princess ,small ship no real place for extra restaurants ,nice library,small theatre .crappy casino ..very little funat night ...mostly dead

Wonder how they will jazz it up ?

But really quit with the expensive pamphlets ..all they do is feed my recycling box ...waste of paper ..and trees

[LHT28]

just call Oceania & ask to be taken of the mailing list ...it may take a few weeks before the brochure stop but they will eventually

 

If you did not like the Princess ship do not book any cruises on Oceania small ships ..they are the same size

[Paulchili]

This time on Siirena aka .ocean Princess aka .tahitian princess aka some Renaissance ship ..Question ...why buy old ships ?why fix them

 

Because many people love the R ships. O will fix Sirena to the O standard and the Princess stamp will be gone and forgotten.

My problem with Sirena is that they chose not to give her new & more exciting itineraries, just the same old/same old Civitavecchia, Barcelona, Istanbul, etc

[RetiredFL]

+1

We have sailed on all 5 ships currently in the fleet and while we like some of the cabin amenities more on the O ships the R ships win hands down for a better cruising experience, in our opinion.

We are looking forward to Sirena and hope they will come up with some new ports.

I am sure Oceania did their due diligence and found there was a market for more R ships.

[buggins0402]

Because many people love the R ships. O will fix Sirena to the O standard and the Princess stamp will be gone and forgotten.

My problem with Sirena is that they chose not to give her new & more exciting itineraries, just the same old/same old Civitavecchia, Barcelona, Istanbul, etc

 

She has a very nice European Atlantic itinerary from Lisbon to LeHavre that I keep trying to fit in my work schedule. It's similar to an earlier/shorter Marina itinerary, but Sirena's ports are better. We're booked on the Marina, but just loving that Sirena itinerary.

[Paulchili]

She has a very nice European Atlantic itinerary from Lisbon to LeHavre that I keep trying to fit in my work schedule. It's similar to an earlier/shorter Marina itinerary, but Sirena's ports are better. We're booked on the Marina, but just loving that Sirena itinerary.

 

Yes, it is a nice one, but........

[Minoushka]

What is the lifespan of a ship .this one is quite old why not build new small ship?

Don.t these smell of mildew after a while ?Don.t the hulls start to rot ..is it better to fix or build ?

I liked Marina ..it was just the right size

[no fuss travel]

We just disembarked from the Nautica and there was no odour of mildew. Oceania keeps their ships spotless so the odours you will smell are disinfectants from cleaning and polish to make the wood shine. I will admit though that it was cold in our cabin when we were in the South China Sea as we hit a bit of a storm and you could hear the wind whistling through the door. They did try to fix the door, but then the floor was cold and the rest of the room warm. Did not spend much time in the cabin so it wasn't a major problem.

[LHT28]

Marco Polo was built in 1965 & still sailing

[Paulchili]

What is the lifespan of a ship .this one is quite old why not build new small ship?

Don.t these smell of mildew after a while ?Don.t the hulls start to rot ..is it better to fix or build ?

I liked Marina ..it was just the right size

 

Are you volunteering to pay for a new ship (or at least the difference between renovation and the new ship)?:D

Alternatively, do you want the cruise fares to go up even more to cover the cost of a new ship? I know that I am not eager for either one of those options (and I doubt very much that you are either)

If you like the Marina keep sailing on her (or the Riviera :))

[Minoushka]

I travel according to destination ..i liked Marina in French Polynesia I sometimes go for the ship itself ...Like Freedom of the Seas ,Epic and now Getaway even Queen Mary 2.

But i do not understand why they would spruce up someone eleses old ship .ive been on Ocean and cannot imagine where they will put those specialty restaurants ...not much roomas I recall for adding anything

[Paulchili]

I travel according to destination ..i liked Marina in French Polynesia I sometimes go for the ship itself ...Like Freedom of the Seas ,Epic and now Getaway even Queen Mary 2.

But i do not understand why they would spruce up someone eleses old ship .ive been on Ocean and cannot imagine where they will put those specialty restaurants ...not much roomas I recall for adding anything

 

I really don't understand what you are talking about. The Sirena is (will be) identical to Nautica, Insignia and Regatta. If they wouldn't have liked those 3 ships they would not have bought the Ocean Princess. They don't plan on adding anything that is not on the other 3 R ships (i.e. no Red Ginger or Jacques). Or are you suggesting they get rid of all 4 of them?

Many people like the R ships and being smaller they are easier to fill for the cruise line.

Oceania has proven over the years that they know very well what they are doing (and that they know their customers and their market share).

You are certainly free to return to the Epic, Getaway or any of the Monsters of the Sea, if that is what you like in a ship.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Paulchili

[DOJO466]

I travel according to destination ..i liked Marina in French Polynesia I sometimes go for the ship itself ...Like Freedom of the Seas ,Epic and now Getaway even Queen Mary 2.

But i do not understand why they would spruce up someone eleses old ship .ive been on Ocean and cannot imagine where they will put those specialty restaurants ...not much roomas I recall for adding anything

 

I don't think you are familiar with the Regatta, Insignia, Nautica, 3 fine ships purchased from another cruise line, the same line that owned Ocean. These are beautiful ships and with a $40 million renovation project will bring it up to O's standard of excellence and yes it will have the 2 specialty restaurants (Polo & Toscana) as none of the other R ships have Red Ginger or Jacques. Perhaps one should hold judgment until one tries the smaller ships and actually sees for one's self. Until then enjoy brand new behemoths.

[bitob]

We avoid Oceanias bigger ships in favor of the R ships. I guess the op doesn't realize that some people may prefer ships she does not like. Most o cruisers would never set foot on the epic

 

I cannot understand why anyone doesn't get that there exists a wide variety of preferences in the world.

 

And they don't "Jazz it up"

O is not a jazzy cruise line

The ship will be elegant and upscale like its three sisters in the fleet

Edited March 17, 2015 by bitob

[orchestrapal]

We avoid Oceanias bigger ships in favor of the R ships. I guess the op doesn't realize that some people may prefer ships she does not like. Most o cruisers would never set foot on the epic

I cannot understand why anyone doesn't get that there exists a wide variety of preferences in the world.

And they don't "Jazz it up"

O is not a jazzy cruise line

The ship will be elegant and upscale like its three sisters in the fleet

 

+1 What a great answer. We also only cruise on the R ships.

[wally_bushy]

I don't think you are familiar with the Regatta, Insignia, Nautica, 3 fine ships purchased from another cruise line, the same line that owned Ocean. These are beautiful ships and with a $40 million renovation project will bring it up to O's standard of excellence and yes it will have the 2 specialty restaurants (Polo & Toscana) as none of the other R ships have Red Ginger or Jacques. Perhaps one should hold judgment until one tries the smaller ships and actually sees for one's self. Until then enjoy brand new behemoths.

Exactly right.

The current R ships work well and suit many people (us) and so will this one:)

Edited March 17, 2015 by wally_bushy

[DOJO466]

What is the lifespan of a ship .this one is quite old why not build new small ship?

Don.t these smell of mildew after a while ?Don.t the hulls start to rot ..is it better to fix or build ?

I liked Marina ..it was just the right size

 

Do the hulls start to rot:confused: this is not the Nina, Pinta & Santa Maria:rolleyes:

[Cruseforme]

After sailing on the 'R' class ships (Regatta etc), we look forward to each cruise on one, as they feel like family! We know where everything is, and have come across several crew members that we knew from previous sailings. It feels like a home away from home, and is familiar in all ways. That said, next year we are looking at a cruise on the Riviera, just to explore new territory [emoji3]! I think that is why there are so many cruise lines, and so many varied ships. Some like large, some like small and cozy. Imagine my surprise when I found out many years ago, that the first ship I ever cruised on (the SS Stella Solaris), finally went to the boneyard after serving the cruise industry for over 40 years! Older ships can have a very full life and can be remodeled and refurbished to fit almost everyone's taste, and Oceania will do her proud! Look up the history of the Regent Navigator some time for an interesting refurb!

[buggins0402]

And the little R class ships can go into some ports which the O class can't visit, because of their size. If unique ports interst you......

[Mura]

We started out on Renaissance, sailed on the R2 (now Regatta), the R5 (now Nautica) and the R7 (and I'm not sure which it became.)

 

Our last four cruises have been three on Marina and one on Regatta. Our next cruise is also on Marina but after that we are booked on Sirena.

 

I can't say that I prefer the "R" ships to the "O" ships because each have features we like. I would be delighted if the "R" ships could accommodate four specialty restaurants as the "O" ships can, but I know that is not possible and so I don't worry about it. The main reason we'd liked 4 specialty restaurants as opposed to only two is that we aren't that enthralled with dining there to begin with. One or maybe two reservations per cruise is fine with us.

 

(When I'm walking from a forward location on an "R" ship going to a restaurant, I am reminded that it's a REALLY LONG walk on an "O" snip!)

 

We love all of them.

 

No, we wouldn't consider going on Epic ... but we will cruise on an NCL smaller ship every so often... bearing in mind that a smaller ship on NCL is around 2300 passengers which is LOTS bigger than Oceania's ships but it's nowhere near the size of the newer NCL ships.

 

Mura

[hondorner]

...Don.t these smell of mildew after a while ?Don.t the hulls start to rot...

You've got to be kidding!

 

..is it better to fix or build ?

It's a lot cheaper to fix; Sirena will cost about $40 Million to bring up to Oceania standards; a new ship of similar design would probably be in the range of $300 Million (Marina and Riviera cost about $480 Million each). You've got to sail on one of Oceania's small ships (any of them, they're identical) -- they're so well maintained you'd swear they are new.

Edited March 17, 2015 by hondorner

[Minoushka]

You've got to be kidding!

 

 

It's a lot cheaper to fix; Sirena will cost about $40 Million to bring up to Oceania standards; a new ship of similar design would probably be in the range of $300 Million (Marina and Riviera cost about $480 Million each). You've got to sail on one of Oceania's small ships (any of them, they're identical) -- they're so well maintained you'd swear they are new.

 

Glad to hear ..i hope to see Sirena as I remember Ocean and would love to see the difference .On Ocean did a Transat from New york up the coast of Canada to Greenland and Iceland ...very unique voyage ..i remember it handled the seas very well .Captain called it the little white lady

[sitraveler]

Another vote for the R ships.

 

If you miss Jacques or Red Ginger too much, the GDR menu always includes a dish or 2 from their menus on the small ships. And the library is far superior on the small boats.

[warburg]

The Marco Polo began as an ice cutter and had a heliport on a top deck. It was built to withstand the harshest conditions, and is probably still very strong. Not sure how many ice cutters are currently available.

[LHT28]

The Marco Polo began as an ice cutter and had a heliport on a top deck. It was built to withstand the harshest conditions, and is probably still very strong. Not sure how many ice cutters are currently available.

Not sure if she was an Ice cutter but she does have a reinforced hull

 

She started life as the Alexandr Pushkin