Oceania vs azamara

[procter]

Hi to all Oceania fans.

We are /were azamara fans 10+ cruises but have had a very poor cruise on Journey at Christmas (Procter on reviews here ) so are looking to cruise on Marina in Sept this year.

Would welcome any opinions on our choice.

Probably Penthouse grade but open to advice.

Realise it is not "more inclusive and grats are extra" but we have been disappointed with Azamara.

The crew on last voyage were really unhappy and food was only moderate.

Look forward to comments.

Edited April 9, 2015 by procter

[ORV]

Hi to all Oceania fans.

We are /were azamara fans 10+ cruises but have had a very poor cruise on Journey at Christmas (Procter on reviews here ) so are looking to cruise on Marina in Sept this year.

Would welcome any opinions on our choice.

Probably Penthouse grade but open to advice.

Realise it is not "more inclusive and grats are extra" but we have been disappointed with Azamara.

The crew on last voyage were really unhappy and food was only moderate.

Look forward to comments.

 

I haven't cruised on Azamara, so have no info for you there, but this subject has discussed time and time again here. If you do a search you will find multiple threads on it to help you out.

[takemewithyou]

Hi to all Oceania fans.

We are /were azamara fans 10+ cruises but have had a very poor cruise on Journey at Christmas (Procter on reviews here ) so are looking to cruise on Marina in Sept this year.

Would welcome any opinions on our choice.

Probably Penthouse grade but open to advice.

Realise it is not "more inclusive and grats are extra" but we have been disappointed with Azamara.

The crew on last voyage were really unhappy and food was only moderate.

Look forward to comments.

 

Procter,

We were Azamara fans...before they raised their prices to a ridiculous level! That would be when they added the free wine, etc. Prior to that we had one wonderful cruise on Journey in 2009. The food was great and the sky suite cabin was great. next cruise was 2010 on Quest and the food had gone way down hill and the price was so high for suites, we had to make do in one of their small verandas on an uncomfortable old mattress and that was when we said no more Azamara.

 

We are booked for our first O cruise. Take a look at some of the pictures of the O ships and the renovated R ships.....there is no comparison to Azamara. The staterooms look very comfortable and the beds are supposed to be some of the best at sea. And then there is the food.....!

 

We are looking forward to our first O cruise in a little over a month.

I think you will enjoy O..:)

[Jancruz]

I have been on both Azamara and Oceania many times and tho I really love the staff on Azamara, IMHO Oceania takes the prize hands down for overall comfort, food and service..

I will be happy to answer any questions comapring the two..

Jancruz1

[procter]

Thanks Jancruz,

We too loved the friendly staff but on last cruise it was obviously an unhappy ship from captain down.

Refused to acknowledge people in smoothie breakfast queue even though dined with him 2 nights previously.

Heike and Alex had cares of world on shoulder

Adel and both Dale and his oppo were missing Visas allegedly) and hardly a staff member we recognised despite 10 +_ cruises with them.

Look like we may have made a wise choice although I will miss the good times on Journey

Edited April 9, 2015 by procter

[pinotlover]

Of the two, I have only sailed on O.

 

On our last cruise, some of our fellow passengers was talking about this subject. One said they typically do two cruises per year, one on each line. His reasoning was in his opinion A was still overall less expensive than O in the standard verandah class. The food and the comfort was definitely better on O, but he could afford one of each, but not two of O.

 

His other comment was passenger related. He and his wife are 58, and as he said they would definitely be in the youngest 10% of the cruise we were on. He said that on most of the Az cruises, he might be in the older 25%. He felt that there exists a definite difference in buzz and energy on Az as compared to O. He felt the overall feeling of the cruise is different when 70+% of the ship heads to their cabin by 9:30, as opposed to a cruise where maybe 20% do. He said sometimes he likes the sedate, and other cruises he likes the energy and more festive atmosphere, so it was fun going back and forth, not withstanding the poorer quality food on Az.

 

Found those comments direct and interesting. We are nearing our mid 60s and still find it extremely strange to go into one of the lounges at 9:30 to 10 p.m. and be the only people there! Especially on those cruises when it's still light outside for another hour! :eek:

[Jancruz]

Thanks Jancruz,

We too loved the friendly staff but on last cruise it was obviously an unhappy ship from captain down.

Refused to acknowledge people in smoothie breakfast queue even though dined with him 2 nights previously.

Heike and Alex had cares of world on shoulder

Adel and both Dale and his oppo were missing Visas allegedly) and hardly a staff member we recognised despite 10 +_ cruises with them.

Look like we may have made a wise choice although I will miss the good times on Journey

 

Sorry to hear that..Heike and Captain Smith are two of my favorites,

Jancruz1

[LHT28]

I have only sailed on O

You cannot really compare the O class ships with the R-class ships

There is so much more to a cruise than the included drinks IMO

Look at the other threads & photos of O vs A

There are cheerleaders on both that cannot see any problems even when things are sliding

You have to work out what works best for you

 

If you shop around you can find agents that include the Gratuities or even some sailings include PPG

All include airfare if you want to use it or opt out & diy

 

I do not find the ships dead at 9-10pm, some people are at the show or finishing dinner

now if we are talking 11pm then yes it is very quiet on the ships ...maybe that is why most cruises have 50% + repeat cruisers..it obviously works for some people

 

Hope you find a cruise that works for you

 

Lyn

[ShopperfiendTO]

We've sailed on Az twice and on O four times, all on the R-ships except one (Riviera). We enjoyed all of them, although some more than others and we don't think the greater/less enjoyment is because of any defining difference between Az and O, just that particular cruise.

 

In addition to a change in cruise line, you're jumping from R-ship to O-ship, so you're really looking at two levels of changes.

 

The R-ship to O-ship jump is quite a difference, as you'll be able to enjoy more dining options, plus on-board cooking classes. You don't really feel that it is that much larger than the R-ship (spacious on ship, not crowded), but over the course of the cruise it does show itself when you start to see people near the end of the cruise that you never saw before (on the R-ships, this is a much less likely occurrence).

 

We agree that overall, food is only moderate on Az compared to O (they are more comparable in the specialties). However, what we really liked about Az was that the heated food was consistently served hot. This wasn't always the case on O (and sending it back to be heated takes too much time so we just deal with the tepid food temperature). Yes, there are duds on O (sound great but execution just isn't there), but at least they try to be creative and you can order something else.

 

Also, on O, there is the daily afternoon tea which is so much better than on Az, even when it has its special "high tea" event in Aqualina. O's French pastries at tea are excellent.

 

O doesn't have a Mosaic Cafe where you can get finger sandwiches and sweets 24/7, but to be honest on our last Az cruise the Cafe wasn't that great anyhow so this advantage isn't as valuable as it once was.

 

There is definitely a difference in officer interaction so don't expect to be greeted personally by every officer you come across. The staff (room stewards, restaurant staff) are great on both so really no difference between them.

 

I don't think you will regret trying O. It may not be your cup of tea in the end, but it shouldn't be a huge disappointment either.

Edited April 9, 2015 by ShopperfiendTO

[PADIshack]

Hi to all Oceania fans.

We are /were azamara fans 10+ cruises but have had a very poor cruise on Journey at Christmas (Procter on reviews here ) so are looking to cruise on Marina in Sept this year.

Would welcome any opinions on our choice.

Probably Penthouse grade but open to advice.

Realise it is not "more inclusive and grats are extra" but we have been disappointed with Azamara.

The crew on last voyage were really unhappy and food was only moderate.

Look forward to comments.

 

We hear that only possible plus with Azamara is longer time in ports. Re. Oceania, food is invariably superb, when we talk with crew they are satisfied with their lot and as a result incredibly up beat, which makes a big difference to guests. You are considering one of their 2 larger ships. We hear that the entertainment is a bit more upscale, but have enjoyed the entertainment on smaller ships too. Casual attire is a big plus for us. Obviously one must consider what's included and what's extra. We find Oceania to be straight shooters, dependable.

[TrulyBlonde]

I have cruised both. If you relish black mold growing under your bed you can cruise on AZ. O is where we will spend our dollars again. Nothing more to say.

[Mura]

Yipes! That is not exactly a recommendation ...

 

Mura

[Host Jazzbeau]

O is great unless you expect to get a steak cooked the way you ordered it. DW and I both ordered filets in the specialty restaurant "medium rare" and got one rare and one well done. Over a 10-day cruise, we never got a steak the way we ordered it.

[Mrs Miggins]

Our first Oceania cruise was on Riviera after 3 Azamara cruises. It was great to try the Speciality Restaurants but our experience ranged from excellent to poor. The MDR was dire. We found the ship and cabins lovely. Staff friendly apart from very nasty Guest Relations person. Liked the entertainment, but then we had seen the Azamara shows before and liked them first time too.

Customer profile was different I felt. Certainly older, less adventurous, rather staid, a bit grumpy and very early to bed, apart from a hospitality group hosted by a bank.

That was what we found, but of course, a different cruise could well be completely different.

I read both forums, and I know you can be 'controversial' on the Azamara board. I think that, especially if you are happy with your own company, you will enjoy Oceania. I would add that the Oceania forum is even fiercer than the Azamara one so you might enjoy some high energy conversations on the forum, but not, perhaps, on board.

[Lady golfer]

Hello,

Have sailed on both lines many times.

On O, no interaction with officers, very few late night stays, no overnights (well maybe some), no ice cream social or white nights and deck BBQ. But overall love the renovations of the cabins and public spaces on O. On the larger ship, great, no cost specialty restaurants. Better itineraries, Az needs some new ones, ships need renovations and not just public spaces and suites. We have 3 O cruises booked and still waiting for Az to come up with changes.

 

Suzanne

[corpkid]

Sailed Azamara once and enjoyed it, but it was our first trip into upscale cruising and the Rio to BsAs itinerary was a dream item for us... We found the ship to be very quiet, probably as only about 450 people were on board. The food was good and service was fine. The standard verandah stateroom was quite small for us, and the whole bathroom layout (I'm looking at you shower curtain!) was a awkward.

 

We tried Oceania as we had heard good things, plus they had the cooking school on board and it just seemed more food centric, which is something we really enjoy while sailing. Well like baby bear said, it fit "just right" for us. We LOVE the O class ship size and offerings. The food is certainly a few notches up from Azamara. The rooms and public spaces are really nice and spacious. The staff has always been friendly and welcoming. The patrons do shift a little older on some of our cruises, but many do stay up past 10pm I've found if the itinerary isn't super intensive. Also, we've never had any problems making friends onboard and most people are very friendly and not overly stodgy (of course there are always going to be some types of people on EVERY cruise). My advice is give it a shot, book your own shore excursions as Oceania's are very overpriced and of the big bus format, and make your specialty dining reservations the day you are eligible for better seating times. Let us know what you think. I know we are big fans, :)

[procter]

Thanks for all the input.

Looks like a bit quieter than AZ but better food (sometimes) and less officer interaction.

Last 2 Az were on downward slope so even though we have 2 certs and at Discovery plus we are reluctant to try again with Az.

Will be booking this week and just need to get to grips with pre booking dining as in suites.

Brochure page 89 states 6 bottles wine inc penthouse whilst website states top 3 grades only.

Can anybody confirm.

Also are transfers to leaving airport free or extra.

THANKS

 

No doubt more questions later.

Edited April 11, 2015 by procter

[malcliz]

We love Azamara but boarding the Regatta today so hopefully we will enjoy both!

[procter]

Look forward to your review.

ENJOY!!!

[wally_bushy]

We love Azamara but boarding the Regatta today so hopefully we will enjoy both!

 

Love to see a review

Where is your cruise?

We are on the Regatta next month:)

[TrulyBlonde]

Love to see a review

Where is your cruise?

We are on the Regatta next month:)

 

We are on Regatta next month, also. SF to Vancouver 5/9 (Alaska)

[Paulchili]

procter,

Only top 3 suite categories (OS, VS & OC) get 6 free bottles of booze.

Transfers to/from airport are not free - unless you booked pre/post cruise hotel package.

Transfers and hotels are very expensive with Oceania (as are shorex) - you can do much better for all of those on your own.

[Mura]

Brochure page 89 states 6 bottles wine inc penthouse whilst website states top 3 grades only.

Can anybody confirm.

Also are transfers to leaving airport free or extra.

THANKS

 

No doubt more questions later.

 

 

My understanding is the 6 bottle liquor set-up is for OS, VS and OC on Marina and Riviera, and for OS and VS on the "R" ships. Not for a PH.

 

Transfers are expensive UNLESS you are using their flights and are going in at least a day early. If you opt for the super-expensive hotel package pre- or post-cruise, I'm quite sure that transfers are included.

 

Mura

[LHT28]

Brochure page 89 states 6 bottles wine inc penthouse whilst website states top 3 grades only.

Can anybody confirm.

Also are transfers to leaving airport free or extra.

THANKS

 

No doubt more questions later.

 

transfers are NOT included unless you book the hotel package but as already stated you can do better on your own

The 6 bottle deal is only for top suites

Make sure there is no * or + next to the description in the brochure ;)

 

If you want a PH or lower you can always take your own wine/spirits onboard for use in your cabin

[MIKESCOTLAND]

Hi to all Oceania fans.

We are /were azamara fans 10+ cruises but have had a very poor cruise on Journey at Christmas (Procter on reviews here ) so are looking to cruise on Marina in Sept this year.

Would welcome any opinions on our choice.

Probably Penthouse grade but open to advice.

Realise it is not "more inclusive and grats are extra" but we have been disappointed with Azamara.

The crew on last voyage were really unhappy and food was only moderate.

Look forward to comments.

 

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience on Azamara Journey. Recent indications are the Journey's main recent problems have been resolved but I am watching subsequent reviews as we have 3 future cruises booked with Azamara.

 

My wife & I have sailed several times with both Azamara & Oceania in last 3 years on R vessels & also on the Riviera. Our choice is largely based on itinerary & price. Oceania tends to be more expensive & overall we find that Azamara gives much better value for money than Oceania on shore tours (like many others we now tend to book more private tours when cruising with Oceania). If one ignores price then on balance we prefer Oceania particularly because of the very high quality of their meals.