If I like Azamaar will I like Oceania ?

[TrulyBlonde]

Hi portofinoitaly and paulchili....I am going with an open mind honestly. I have been on Marina before and we enjoyed a lot of aspects of the cruise....but some things we naturally compared to Azamara and found them wanting. I know we will have a great time on Nautica but even the O afficionado's have to admit that there is a lot of negativity around the O board at present and from some loyal past customers too. My friend Kat is on Riviera in a couple of weeks and I will look forward to her feedback because she loves both O and AZ ....we actually met on Marina. That was because we were practically the only four people on the cruise who were not in bed at 11 pm! :D :D

 

Paulchili, lots of people find that AZ is not the cruiseline for them and I don't mind at all, because it leaves empty cabins for us! I dare say you feel the same about O. Aren't we lucky to have the options of both great cruiselines?

 

Portofino, I well remember your angst over the mould under the bed....I always check for it now, just in case....but luckily I have never found any. I have to say that Azamara rarely suffers a Noro outbreak like Oceania seems to do so often lately. Aren't you going on your Silversea cruise soon? Just a hint.....Rush to book La Champagne on your first day and pretty much as soon as you board, if you do want to go. It's getting booked up so quickly now and a lot of people are disappointed that they can't go. I'm on two SS cruises this summer but on Shadow and Spirit. Let's hope we can meet up soon on either O or AZ and I'll buy you that glass of wine and we can have a giggle....I really am a glass half full girl. :)

 

Thank you for the suggestions. Actually, my SS cruise is Spring of 2017. We are doing a B2B for close to a month. Having never sailed on SS, it is a bit of a gamble, but these boards helped in making the decision, as well as your suggestion. I think we will love it.

Looking forward to that Full glass of wine ;-) Also, I have seen an itinerary for AZ in 2018 that interests me but will wait to see what other lines will be doing something similar before I commit. I am sure their refit is lovely and forgive them for the mold:).

We will be on O Insignia this Oct for a month in S. America. Just switched from VS to OS and this will our 1st time in the OS. This should provide lots of space on the R ship. Happy Sailing!

[wally_bushy]

Just a little observation.

There will always be ex loyal customers for every cruise line as there is for every product or service.

Perfection does not exist every time.

Sometimes the imperfection is enough to change your preference.

Thankfully the decision is individual and nobody makes you cruise with only one line

[shedridt]

Go with your instincts. There's something very wrong about a cruise ship that leaves you feeling annoyed because your sense is that you've been slighted by the crew.

 

As you point out, it's not JUST a series of negative reviews but add to that norovirus that seems to be pervasive plus unruly children plus management that can't seem to control diners in specialty restaurants. It all adds up to a negative experience.

 

There's something wrong on O just now. I hope that they get it right --- & take their staff back to school to teach them good manners & what it is to serve the public.

[Lottie A]

In fairness shedridt, there are a lot of positive O reviews as well. It was lovely reading Heather's cruise review and her enjoyment of her O cruise shone through.

I think I can only judge for myself in October whether O will be one of my preferred cruise lines in the future. I hope it will be though, because although Azamara will always be my first choice, O does have some great deals in the UK at present. I love the small ship experience too and from previous experience I do know Oceania is a quality cruise line. However the seemingly inept management reactions to various onboard problems recently is a matter for concern.....and Yes, the problems would have been sorted out very quickly on Azamara.

[Bowie MeMe]

Having cruised both lines, but Azamara far more extensively, I would say if you enjoy one of them then you will enjoy the other one. Food quality is subjective of course but I would say they are pretty much on par, with Azamara definitely winning on entertainment and officer interaction. It interests me that some people think this is unimportant. It is clear that until you have experienced directly that Azamara special interaction, then you cannot understand just how much it does improve your cruise experience. I know I didn't understand it prior to my first Azamara cruise in 2011.

 

I also am not keen on sharing a table in the Speciality Restaurants on O....don't mind sharing in the MDR, but prefer to be just us in the Specialities. It is difficult to get a table for two at our preferred dining times on O. Never had that trouble on Azamara.

 

Both O and AZ are great cruise experiences and aren't we all so lucky to have the choice?

 

I have been on O twice and I am scheduled for next year. I was on Azamara last year this time. They are very much alike and they have to my thinking about the same feel. AZ has the Azmazing Night and that is a nice party and entertainment (though no normal dinner service that night) and one other big deck party on a long Asian cruise. On O my first cruise had Dottie as cruise director and she is just THE BEST. O food is great and I like the specialty restaurants included though usually ate MDR. I love R ships and the ports they fit into. Give it a try. Both products excellent and comfortable. O has the wonderful Bulgari soap that I love so much I pay $8 a bar for on-line once my cruise stash is gone. O wins on smell of soap alone.