Opinions After Our First Oceania Cruise

[kitty9]

I've done 17 cruises on Crystal, 2 on Silversea, 6 on Seabourn (but only on the original triplets), and 3 on Regent. I think Oceania's O Class ships compare quite favorably to Crystal in terms of food and service but I feel O has the edge in terms of their specialty restaurants. Crystal has two, Prego and Silk Road, and as we all know, food is subjective, but I feel Toscana is much better than Prego and Silk Road and Red Ginger are pretty much equal, with Silk getting a slight edge because of their fresh sushi and sashimi bar. Crystal has The Bistro and O has Baristas, but The Bistro gets the nod for their better selection of day long eats and treats. Crystal has theme buffets at lunch which are really good, set up around the pool deck, and it's something I'd like to see on O, but the overall lunch buffet on O is a bit nicer and more varied. Waves compares quite favorably to Crystal's Trident Grill. Where Crystal exceeds O is with their casual, under the stars, dinner option on the Lido Deck. It's a wonderful casual option for al fresco dining. But, Crystal doesn't have a nightly dinner buffet, an option I really like on O.

 

Crystal's cabins are nicely appointed, but O wins out here with their larger basic cabins and their quite a bit larger suites. I also think O's cabins are laid out more efficiently.

 

Overall entertainment on Crystal is better than O. Their guest speakers have always been amazing, and many are well known in their field of expertise. Crystal's enrichment activities such as foreign language classes, art classes, piano lessons, and their computer enrichment programs far exceeds anything on O. With regards to their evening shows, I think Crystal has a slight edge.

 

I really can't compare Seabourn to O because I haven't cruised their new, larger ships, so I'm sorry I can't help you there.

 

My two experiences on Silversea were not at all good, so I won't even do a comparison between the two lines. Suffice it to say, I'd choose O every time over Silversea, even at twice the price.

Edited February 5, 2016 by kitty9

[brazilgirl]

I really enjoyed your comparison and will most certainly sail on Oceania in the future. Sounds wonderful. Thanks for the review.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DaKa2002]

Thanks for the enlightening comparison of the various lines.

[ChappChapp]

Not surprised about your comments re: the reception staff. With one exception we have received either frosty or dismissive treatment there. O really needs to up their game in this area.

[ChappChapp]

Almost forgot. Ladies over 50 with very few exceptions forget the yoga pants except when doing yoga and certainly not in the main dinning room! The same holds true for men over 50 in bike shorts!:D

[G8RH8R]

Apparently Yoga pants have not yet achieved the iconic fashion status which denim holds among the Oceania elite.

:cool:

 

Give it time.:rolleyes:

[ctjon]

Thank you Kitty9 for that comparison - it is very helpful

[Andy]

Hi Darcie,

 

Thanks very much for your enjoyable and informative review. We've also considered sailing on Oceania, but have not taken the step yet. As you may be aware, we have not sailed on Celebrity this season, but are giving them another try in April. If it's as negative as some recent reports (I doubt it though), then we will look at other brands for next Winter. We've just enjoyed 11 wonderful days on Azamara Journey. Azamara and Oceania will certainly be at the top of our list !

 

It's sad to see when loyal guests feel the need to leave a brand they've loved over the years, and move elsewhere, but I'm *very* happy to hear that you enjoyed Oceania, and I wish you many wonderful cruises ahead.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Host Andy

[Spursgirl]

I was interested to read Darcie's comments as I have just booked my first Oceania cruise after many enjoyable voyages with Azamara.

 

It appears that there are many positives to look forward to although I must admit to being rather surprised to hear that Oceania's reception staff seem less than stellar.

 

As a glass half full person though I am determined to thoroughly enjoy the Oceania experience.

[kitty9]

Hi Andy. Thanks for the kind words. Yes, it is difficult to leave a brand that we had enjoyed for so many years, but the last two cruises on X were not good, and with the many changes the newer President of X has instituted that we don't agree with, we just made the decision to branch out. Our Oceania cruise was so much more than we expected, that we feel we found a new home.

 

Good Luck with your upcoming cruises.

[CateW]

We are no longer loyal to any particular brand. We are platinum on Cunard and Elite Plus on X, our next cruise is on the Norwegian Gem (there is nothing like the suite life or Haven on NCL) and then we re back on Regatta in April which I am so looking forward to.

[curtdesilets]

As the OP mentioned, she was a big fan of Celebrity going back to 2001, but is currently disappointed. So are we!

 

Our first ever cruise, which was spectacular, was on the brand new Celebrity Infinity, literally a few weeks old, in May 2001. Infinity went on to win Best Large Ship for several years on the Conde Naste survey. The other M-class ships usually filled out the top 5. The food and service and overall experience on Celebrity in the early 2000's was top notch, as this survey, the most recognized in the industry, undoubtedly revealed.

 

Now where is Celebrity? Total cost cutting. Less activities. Mediocre MDR food. Larger ships with less staff. No string quartets or any classical music. Horrible canned "music" blaring everywhere. Food is only good if you want to pay $50 a head for Murano**. Very few industry or reader's awards now. It is obvious to all of us that their product currently is a far cry from what it was in 2001. I guess that's what they think is "Modern Luxury". We've experienced better.

 

Thus we are now trying other lines. We are cruising Oceania in July. I was duly impressed by the level of service and food quality when we sailed Regatta 3 seasons ago to Alaska.

 

** Disclaimer: Although it now costs $50 per head in Murano, it is EXTREMELY good!

Edited February 21, 2016 by curtdesilets
spelling

[ORV]

As the OP mentioned, she was a big fan of Celebrity going back to 2001, but is currently disappointed. So are we!

 

Our first ever cruise, which was spectacular, was on the brand new Celebrity Infinity, literally a few weeks old, in May 2001. Infinity went on to win Best Large Ship for several years on the Conde Naste survey. The other M-class ships usually filled out the top 5. The food and service and overall experience on Celebrity in the early 2000's was top notch, as this survey, the most recognized in the industry, undoubtedly revealed.

 

Now where is Celebrity? Total cost cutting. Less activities. Mediocre MDR food. Larger ships with less staff. No string quartets or any classical music. Horrible canned "music" blaring everywhere. Food is only good if you want to pay $50 a head for Murano**. Very few industry or reader's awards now. It is obvious to all of us that their product currently is a far cry from what it was in 2001. I guess that's what they think is "Modern Luxury". We've experienced better.

 

Thus we are now trying other lines. We are cruising Oceania in July. I was duly impressed by the level of service and food quality when we sailed Regatta 3 seasons ago to Alaska.

 

** Disclaimer: Although it now costs $50 per head in Murano, it is EXTREMELY good!

 

Although I've only sailed on Celebrity since 2010 I have to say I don't completely share your opinion on their decline. I thought their MDR food on Silhouette in Jan was very good,and apparently I missed all this horrible canned music. I did see two different house bands with singers as good or better than ones you see on The Voice or American Idol.

 

When was the last time you were on a Celebrity cruise? I can see how maybe it's changed for the Suite Class, especially the price which has doubled and tripled due to their push in this market, but I don't book suites on X. I can certainly understand how historic suite bookers on Celebrity are looking elsewhere.

 

We're all entitled to our outlook on things, but that doesn't make it right, it just makes it right for you and how you spend your leisure dollars.

 

Oceania is a very good line though, as you know from your Regatta experience.

[curtdesilets]

Although I've only sailed on Celebrity since 2010 I have to say I don't completely share your opinion on their decline. I thought their MDR food on Silhouette in Jan was very good,and apparently I missed all this horrible canned music. I did see two different house bands with singers as good or better than ones you see on The Voice or American Idol.

 

When was the last time you were on a Celebrity cruise? I can see how maybe it's changed for the Suite Class, especially the price which has doubled and tripled due to their push in this market, but I don't book suites on X. I can certainly understand how historic suite bookers on Celebrity are looking elsewhere.

 

We're all entitled to our outlook on things, but that doesn't make it right, it just makes it right for you and how you spend your leisure dollars.

 

Oceania is a very good line though, as you know from your Regatta experience.

 

We were a big fan of the 1800 passenger Century, before they disowned it. The smaller ship experience was better in our opinion. We were on Solstice last year. Not bad, but not what we had experienced on Century, Mercury, or any of the M-class ships before they added the extra staterooms and fee restaurants. And tendering nearly 3000 people into Juneau is a mess.

 

The canned music thing is the modern "music" you hear in the Buffet area, the pool area, outside decks, reception area even in the wee hours of the morning. It's simply annoying. Silence would be better. Hard to hear the whales.

 

Since you can only compare to 2010, I'm sure the changes are not all that dramatic. But talk to anyone who experienced Celebrity say from 2001-2008 and you will get the details as to what Celebrity was and what it now is. I'll add more details a little later.

 

Again, it is not a bad experience, but it was a lot better in our opinion earlier in the Celebrity era.

 

PS: Here is a CC thread with pictures of just the MDR food on Mercury in 2006. Conde Naste rated Mercury as the best food several years in a row, even better than most luxury lines. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=684968

Edited February 21, 2016 by curtdesilets
Post Script about Mercury food.

[jaxw17]

Not surprised about your comments re: the reception staff. With one exception we have received either frosty or dismissive treatment there. O really needs to up their game in this area.

 

This was the only fault I could find when we sailed on the Riviera A rude female on reception. everything else was fantastic

[harryw]

We were loyal to X for about 15 years, so many fond memories of the Century - it was our very first cruise, around 1988...

...at its peak, X MDR food was comparable to O. We defected to O and love it...so sad to hear about other cutbacks not known to us...

Our last Century cruise (from Barcelona) was, alas, cancelled after after one port, due to a broken rudder!

 

Harry and Carol

[curtdesilets]

We were loyal to X for about 15 years, so many fond memories of the Century - it was our very first cruise, around 1988...

...at its peak, X MDR food was comparable to O. We defected to O and love it...so sad to hear about other cutbacks not known to us...

Our last Century cruise (from Barcelona) was, alas, cancelled after after one port, due to a broken rudder!

 

Harry and Carol

 

That first cruise we had on Celebrity Infinity in 2001, was fancy, fancy, fancy! For formal night dinners, most men were in tuxedos and women were dressed to the nines. They had table-side Crepes Suzette and Cherries Jubilee. Entrees were served under plate covers that were simultaneously opened. The attendance by both the head and assistant waiters was exceptional. The china was very fine bone and there was literally 20 pieces of silverware per place setting. This was all in the MDR, mind you.

 

They had one specialty restaurant, the SS United States that seated perhaps 20 people. We never took them up for the meal as the MDR food was already top notch.

 

You are right...Celebrity food back then was equivalent to today's Oceania, which is probably the best on the High Seas today !!

[harryw]

While I never did partake, the Midnight Buffets on X were a beauty to behold.

Their daily and formal teas were exceptional.

And I loved their poolside parties with delicious barbeque.

They used to have a piano player nightly in the MDR!

Waiters used to bring out a platter showing the scrumptious dessert offerings.

Beautiful vegetable and ice carvings...

Wish I was a fly on the wall in the corporate boardrooms when cutbacks were discussed...

 

Harry

[harryw]

Century cruise was 1998, not 1988.

 

Harry

[curtdesilets]

While I never did partake, the Midnight Buffets on X were a beauty to behold.

Their daily and formal teas were exceptional.

And I loved their poolside parties with delicious barbeque.

They used to have a piano player nightly in the MDR!

Waiters used to bring out a platter showing the scrumptious dessert offerings.

Beautiful vegetable and ice carvings...

Wish I was a fly on the wall in the corporate boardrooms when cutbacks were discussed...

 

Harry

 

I remember them all, including Caviar!

 

Here is a flyer I just found when Celebrity WAS at the top of their game.

 

From 2006:

 

http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/Incentives/SL06-124175_Cel_Reasons_Incentives.pdf

[aquidneck1]

We just traveled on the Celebrity Equinox after not sailing with them for a while. We had a great cruise but spent much time on our balcony. The cruise ship was beautiful, the food was fine but not up to the previous standards. The adult pool area was fabulous and the well laid out. We had excellent service in the main dining room. We totally avoided the buffet area after the first day. All that said, we hated the noise level in the dining areas. We did book another cruise while on board as the suite option was a great deal with the smaller private dining room. We are cruising our first Oceania cruise next year and will be able to compare and decide for the future. We also frequently cruise Windstar which we also like. We almost always do our own excursions but I have to say that Oceania excursions are outrageously priced compared to the other 2 lines.

[riandei]

We too are trying O for the first time this April. We are elite on X and we do like the added perks we receive on X but we feel the experience is just not as enjoyable as it used to be.

 

I am an RCCL stockholder and must say I am very happy with the increase in value of my stock but it came at a price.

 

The food is no where near the quality it was when we first started sailing X. Its acceptable but more Chili's than Capitol Grille (for example).

 

For us the blaring techno music in the martini bar at night was probably the change we hated most .. and it was experienced on our last 4 cruises ...so not an isolated incident. I think they are trying to attract a new clientele.

 

this is not to say we would never sail X again ...we would if the situation was right.

[harryw]

I remember when initially boarding an X ship, each passenger was offered a glass of champagne, mimosa, etc, then escorted to the cabin. Years later, no drinks and no escort...

 

Harry

[Mura]

Harry, my DH just mentioned this to me last night about Oceania.

 

We always used to be escorted to our room BUT for us it hasn't necessary for quite a while because we've been on all the ships and know where everything is located.

 

But recently, we haven't been offered the escort.

 

I can see on the bigger ships these days (3000-4000 passengers) where that isn't really feasible. But for smaller ships it should be.

 

(I'm happy to say "That's okay, we know our way" if we've been on the ship before.)

 

Mura

[LHT28]

Harry, my DH just mentioned this to me last night about Oceania.

 

We always used to be escorted to our room BUT for us it hasn't necessary for quite a while because we've been on all the ships and know where everything is located.

 

Mura

I was thinking of our 1st O cruise in 2004 we had one of the wait staff carry our carry-on bag to the cabin with us in tow

in 2006 that was gone

I do not think they have the staff to do all the escorting, deliver baggage & set up things