Oceania vs Azamara thoughts

[TrulyBlonde]

I looked at Oceania for 3 years to do the west coast and horn as AZ did not seem to want to do it.. now booked for 2018 RT Mia. adding Mp a good idea but you can get sick if you go up the mt to fast. not a rio fan prefer BA. both you can not wear any jewelry.

 

Thanks for the tips. Our CO ski home is at 9500 ft. so understand the altitude issues and that little headache that creeps in when you 1st arrive. Was in BA yrs ago and having lunch at the Cipriani and always remember the waiter telling me to take off my watch and hide it and not to wear any jewelry. We intend to be very cautious.

 

We booked the OS on Insignia so will have some fabulous views while cruising the fjords. Also, cannot wait to see some penguins :)

[TrulyBlonde]

Thanks for all comments and will try to answer them.

 

Also posted on Oceania board but only 500+ views vs !1599 here.

 

As a regular reader of the O boards I finally found your post this a.m. I think the reason for fewer views was because you titled it differently and it was not AZ VS: O but a review of Italy? It took me a while to search for it.

[ellbon]

Thanks for the tips. Our CO ski home is at 9500 ft. so understand the altitude issues and that little headache that creeps in when you 1st arrive. Was in BA yrs ago and having lunch at the Cipriani and always remember the waiter telling me to take off my watch and hide it and not to wear any jewelry. We intend to be very cautious.

 

I have not done MP yet.. getting close..But have been warned about it. .i heard slow steps vs the flight from Lima. even in Spain I have been warned. Yet reece and italy iwore whatever.

 

We booked the OS on Insignia so will have some fabulous views while cruising the fjords. Also, cannot wait to see some penguins :)

 

love the King ones .spent hours there. private tour. .someone else set it up.

 

As a regular reader of the O boards I finally found your post this a.m. I think the reason for fewer views was because you titled it differently and it was not AZ VS: O but a review of Italy? It took me a while to search for it.

 

no wonder i missed it. I looked for 2 days. I am reading both with the upcoming Tahiti cruise. funny I could of been on your cruise this year but went for that one. hate flying in or out of S America.. airports suck.. prefer the Mia crazy one

[Spursgirl]

Thanks for all comments and will try to answer them.

 

Spursgirl.

We never had afternoon tea as we prefer to have the later hours of sunshine after being in shade at hottest part of day.

Incidentally spa area beds Single or Double have retractable canopies so that you can get shade for head whilst rest of body can be burnt.

I think these would be a great enhancement for Azamara.

The sun beds were not as luxurious as Az though.

 

Bonnie,

If hotel management are serious about food comparisons then I am sure either Heike or Alex (Prime C) may still have Ivo's email but if not then Iwan the chef worked on the world boat with the buffet chef and you may be able to use that contact also.

I do have to say that O trounced Azamara all round with freshly cooked items and service as well as great pastries and desserts.

Sorry but true.

Elbon

Never had breakfast in room so cannot comment.

Also posted on Oceania board but only 500+ views vs !1599 here.

 

Thank you Proctor,

 

I don't normally have afternoon tea either but have heard it is particularly good on O so will try it at least once when we are on Marina.

[little britain]

I've just been to a sales presentation on Oceania.

Totally underwhelmed I'm afraid to say!!

 

They pitched themselves against Regent, Crystal, Silverseas and Seabourn. Aza was not mentioned.

 

They made some interesting 'claims'....fastest wifi at sea..(only cannot stream movies....); more early morning arrivals and late departures than any other line (..errr)....

 

Free wine/bubbles only at lunch and dinner.

Admittedly the Specialty restaurants were complimentary. However you are 'guaranteed' to get at least one dinner in each restaurant per cruise.

[TERRIER1]

I've just been to a sales presentation on Oceania.

Totally underwhelmed I'm afraid to say!!

 

They pitched themselves against Regent, Crystal, Silverseas and Seabourn. Aza was not mentioned.

 

They made some interesting 'claims'....fastest wifi at sea..(only cannot stream movies....); more early morning arrivals and late departures than any other line (..errr)....

 

Free wine/bubbles only at lunch and dinner.

Admittedly the Specialty restaurants were complimentary. However you are 'guaranteed' to get at least one dinner in each restaurant per cruise.

 

Are you sure this was an Oceania presentation? O doesn't provide free wine/beer/bubbles at lunch or dinner. We sail a lot with O and they are not in the same class as Regent, Silverseas, etc soI am wondering why they said that. Where was this presentation?

[TrulyBlonde]

Are you sure this was an Oceania presentation? O doesn't provide free wine/beer/bubbles at lunch or dinner. We sail a lot with O and they are not in the same class as Regent, Silverseas, etc soI am wondering why they said that. Where was this presentation?

 

This person is from Britain, I believe. I think I have read that offers of wine etc. is being offered there vs: US. They market differently.

[little britain]

It was a presentation by Oceania cruises in conjunction with a big UK TA. I would hope he knew whether wine was free or not!! I also specifically checked this with the TA and they also confirmed it was mealtimes only! Interesting the TA had also been on Aza and I got the distinct feeling she preferred the Aza brand [emoji1]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6s using Tapatalk

Edited September 1, 2016 by little britain

[scapel]

Thanks for the tips. Our CO ski home is at 9500 ft. so understand the altitude issues and that little headache that creeps in when you 1st arrive. Was in BA yrs ago and having lunch at the Cipriani and always remember the waiter telling me to take off my watch and hide it and not to wear any jewelry. We intend to be very cautious.

 

We booked the OS on Insignia so will have some fabulous views while cruising the fjords. Also, cannot wait to see some penguins :)

 

Susan,

I love the comment "I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list".

Comment BA-- On a Horn Cruise 2004 with Ernie Borginne I had a $20,000 Rolex that I wore as a regular watch. My kids gave it to me. I didn't think of it a jewelry. I always make private tour arrangements prior to sailing and had some in BA. When we got off the ship I saw a sign "Patagonian Tours which was the mane my contact Gustava used. I asked the guy if he was Gustavo and he said yes. I guess he saw the watch and from then on I was the mark.

At all the previous ports the agent had my name. This time I jumped the gun and didn't walk far enough out of the port to find the guy with my name. My costly mistake. It was a great move put on me by the thief who on a dead run grabbed my right shoulder with his right hand and spun me around and used his left hand on my left wrist to get the watch. I guess the good God in heaven figured he needed it more than I did.

Yes do not wear jewelry. I think the little beggars you see being raised to beg become the grownup thieves because the people don't give them what they are begging for. A great Infinity cruise with great people.

Learned how to take that long signature out. Comment probably a little off topic, but I haven't been on an Oceania cruise.

Edited September 13, 2016 by scapel

[oliveau]

An interesting review from the OP. After 4 Az cruises we were happy to try a fifth, but we like the repositioning cruises in the Autumn for the sea days. We didn't particularly want to do TA again and the eastbound cruise left too early - we like to get away towards the end of October.

By chance i spotted that one of O's R ships - the ex-Princess one I think - was doing South Africa for Xmas/New Year, which would have fitted very well as we were due to spend 5 weeks in Cape Town anyway in the new year.

 

In the end the negative feedback relating to the lack of warmth, compared to Az's welcome and service put us off, and the port calls were not really interesting either. We have plumped for a TA to Barbados from Malaga on SeaDream 1 at a ridiculously low price. Now I find out that it caught fire 2 or 3 weeks ago; hopefully it will be fixed by November. We are due to sail on 5th so I hope that's not an omen.

 

I don't doubt that we'll be back with Az soon.

[travelberlin]

I travel alone and many meals eat alone .at times want company.. the drinks- days i have 0 on ship- and days 3 or 4 but still not worth $60 a day to me.. officers guess i am just use to it. but not a reason to cruise one line over other. what cruise are you going on? AZ getting younger every day. .but traveling in summer or in dec i see younger people.

 

Does Oceania also offer solo discounts?

[ellbon]

Does Oceania also offer solo discounts?

 

have no idea. i picked a cruise as it sailed from Tahiti to Sydney. sometimes i jsut pick what i want not by what it costs.

[Local17]

It was a presentation by Oceania cruises in conjunction with a big UK TA. I would hope he knew whether wine was free or not!! I also specifically checked this with the TA and they also confirmed it was mealtimes only! Interesting the TA had also been on Aza and I got the distinct feeling she preferred the Aza brand [emoji1]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6s using Tapatalk

 

...

[Local17]

I looked at Oceania for 3 years to do the west coast and horn as AZ did not seem to want to do it.. now booked for 2018 RT Mia. adding Mp a good idea but you can get sick if you go up the mt to fast. not a rio fan prefer BA. both you can not wear any jewelry.

 

Robin, dear old friend. it's not that we are getting older, they indeed are getting younger. . .

[ellbon]

Robin, dear old friend. it's not that we are getting older, they indeed are getting younger. . .

 

who is getting younger? my RT Mia is on Regent. at least i an drink whenever.

[H2OH!]

great review. Thanks!

[Jay19]

Procter, thanks for your review. It was interesting for us as we were just about to go on our first Oceania cruise, booked because the original Azamara itinerary we were interested in was changed because of the charter.

We were on one of the R ships and were delighted with virtually all aspects of the cruise.

Embarkation was a breeze and when our cabin was ready the bags were already waiting for us so we were able to unpack very quickly. We had a concierge level balcony cabin and layout was pretty much the same as Azamara except that the mini bar fridge was in the desk cupboard by the window. Wardrobe and cupboards were the same dark wood as Azamara but the colour scheme was blue and gold, we actually liked it better than the new Azamara colours which we find rather cold looking. All the other furnishings and curtains, including the sofa bed, looked quite new and were in excellent condition. Our cabin attendant was very good, everything we asked for was provided very quickly and he was very pleasant and efficient.

The highlight for us was the food which we personally felt was superior to Azamara. We ate at Polo Grill and Toscana and they were both excellent, also the main dining room which, like Azamara, is any time dining. We had no trouble getting the time and size table that we wanted. The best for us though was the Terrace Café (Windows equivalent). They have a grill area where it is possible to have lobster, jumbo shrimp, baby lamb chops, fish of the day or steak cooked to order each evening. There was also sushi each night, a salad bar, soup, a carvery and choices of vegetables, as well as pasta. I particularly liked the way the food was presented, in serving dishes rather than the more utilitarian stainless steel trays that Azamara uses. Breakfast and lunch were also good but we did miss the Azamara fresh made sandwiches. We were able to sit outside most nights and it was a very popular area as the weather was mostly good and we were often still in port. We found that people were happy to share tables and we met some very pleasant people.

We missed Mosaic as there didn't seem to be an equivalent. That space was used by the Future Cruise consultant.

Afternoon tea was lovely, held daily in Horizons with live music. Tea was in nice pots with a selection of cakes and sandwiches.

The crew were overall excellent, very professional and efficient but also very friendly and helpful. The Cruise Director was also very good and very visible around the ship. We didn't see much of the Captain or officers and the only time we saw the Hotel Director was when we were disembarking, so that was very different to Azamara.

We used the Shore Excursions department quite a bit as we had free tours included with our booking. One of the tours we had booked was from St. Jean de Luz but that port was cancelled because the seas were quite rough and so it was not possible to tender. The Captain decided to go to Bilbao instead which was the next port, so we had an extra half day there instead. The Shore Excursions staff could not have been more helpful in swapping tours for us. We felt that they were actually more organised in getting tours away as well, we never had to wait long once we had checked in. I had read on the Oceania board that most people do private tours but in fact we found the ship's tours to be well utilised and they had some excellent choices that were more interesting than the usual offerings we have seen in these ports before.

The laundry room was well used, they had 5 stacking washers/dryers and while it did get busy sometimes, I never had any issues getting machines when I wanted them. I did find it a bit annoying that we had to get tokens from Reception for the machines, they were $2 each which seemed rather nickel and diming to me.

The only real downside to us was the cost of the drinks. We actually don't mind paying for them but when a bottle of wine that I bought from a supermarket in the UK for about US$12 cost US$48 on the ship (including the gratuity) then that seems to us to be excessive. We had intended buying the 7 bottle wine package but there were no wines on there that we liked so instead we usually opted for a NZ sauvignon blanc that could be bought by the glass or bottle. Unfortunately this ran out a few days before the end of the cruise as it seemed to be very popular. Soft drinks, teas, coffees and water were free (including Pellegrino and Perrier) and they had water available at the gangway when you got off the ship.

On a per person per day cost basis Oceania was a bit more expensive than Azamara, but the included benefits that we got with our booking helped quite a bit. We had unlimited free wifi and found it to be about the same speed as Azamara, it was certainly nice not to worry about how much time was spent online.

While Azamara still remains our favourite, we are finding it increasingly difficult to find itineraries that we haven't already done, particularly with the ongoing charters that usually seem to occur in the spring and autumn, our favoured times for cruising. We now see Oceania as a very good alternative for itineraries that Azamara doesn't do and we will definitely be booking with them again.

[Memlin]

Wonderful review, but so hard to read with no spaces.

[florisdekort]

While Azamara still remains our favourite, we are finding it increasingly difficult to find itineraries that we haven't already done, particularly with the ongoing charters that usually seem to occur in the spring and autumn, our favoured times for cruising. We now see Oceania as a very good alternative for itineraries that Azamara doesn't do and we will definitely be booking with them again.

 

That precisely is my only current issue with Azamara: the itineraries are hopelessly repetitive (how many times can you sail from Rome to Barcelona or to the same Eastern Caribbean islands?). The two ship fleet doesn't help with Azamara's ability to try new places, and if one shop is chartered out for months on end, there truly are very little options left. Finally, all this makes booking lengthy reservations (long back to backs) very difficult.

Edited October 15, 2016 by florisdekort

[Lottie A]

That precisely is my only current issue with Azamara: the itineraries are hopelessly repetitive (how many times can you sail from Rome to Barcelona or to the same Eastern Caribbean islands?). The two ship fleet doesn't help with Azamara's ability to try new places, and if one shop is chartered out for months on end, there truly are very little options left. Finally, all this makes booking lengthy reservations (long back to backs) very difficult.

 

I would agree with you on this Floris. Azamara will always be my first choice of cruise line but it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a cruise with any new ports for us. We don't mind going back to Barcelona or Nice many times over.....great shopping....but it would also be nice to have some new, small and undiscovered ports in the Med included in the rest of the itinerary. Why not visit Portugal for instance?

 

We have booked cruises with Viking and Oceania for next year and only one with Azamara (so far!). I know I will miss the special ambience and the crew of Azamara, but these itineraries and the timing for the Viking January cruise for me are great. We would have liked to book a B2B on our Azamara cruise next year but it seems the cruise following on is a charter. Azamara definitely needs another ship!

[Riocca]

Charters are always going to be the bugbear of any small ship cruise line in this market sector, and only having two ships exasperates it. Recently the Crystal forum went into meltdown as Symphony has been chartered in 2018 to the same company that have Quest next year for an "Adult" cruise.

Having had our plans for September 2017 disrupted by that very charter we have started to look at alternatives, not because we want to but because we feel we need to. We came out OK from the cancelled cruise but instead of two very different itineraries our b2b is basically the same cruises in reverse.

We have for the next couple of years found enough Azamara cruise that tick enough boxes regarding itineraries but whether we can sustain that into 2019 is the question.

Always read Oceania reviews with interest as it would appear to be the logical alternative, we will try them one day but again it's very itinerary dependant.

 

 

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[ellbon]

That precisely is my only current issue with Azamara: the itineraries are hopelessly repetitive (how many times can you sail from Rome to Barcelona or to the same Eastern Caribbean islands?). The two ship fleet doesn't help with Azamara's ability to try new places, and if one shop is chartered out for months on end, there truly are very little options left. Finally, all this makes booking lengthy reservations (long back to backs) very difficult.

 

doing the Carribbean this Dec. But there are so many islands they can get to from Mia or PR that they just skip. one would be Tortola and the other Grand Turk. There are more I am sure. The charter that AZ is doing for the Aussies many Americans would enjoy from Canada. specially if sold as a longer cruise- maybe in 2 legs.

 

I would agree with you on this Floris. Azamara will always be my first choice of cruise line but it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a cruise with any new ports for us. We don't mind going back to Barcelona or Nice many times over.....great shopping....but it would also be nice to have some new, small and undiscovered ports in the Med included in the rest of the itinerary. Why not visit Portugal for instance?

 

it is rare they do 2 ports in Portugal.. and one has better luck doing their own touring. i love to shop but not the reason I pick ports in Europe. if i find shopping but igo for history and beaches.. I did Lucca with the ship to go to the Villa. i got the rain- Phil did not. wish i had trained in and back. .Trained in Pisa

 

We have booked cruises with Viking and Oceania for next year and only one with Azamara (so far!). I know I will miss the special ambience and the crew of Azamara, but these itineraries and the timing for the Viking January cruise for me are great. We would have liked to book a B2B on our Azamara cruise next year but it seems the cruise following on is a charter. Azamara definitely needs another ship!

 

I love seeing guests saying the same thing as I keep hoping AZ listens to us. Both the charter in Europe and the one now would be prefect for me. but in Europe I am not sure how warm the med is in May but since it was so hot in June it would of been.. the charter in the states is going from fall to summer weather in Mia. Charleston on their list and it about plus 28 there.

 

I asked Philip why AZ did not sail from LA to Tahiti and Sydney. i was told the cost. and i said well Oceania does it. you could get on in Mia or La and sail to Sydney or beyond right back to Europe or anywhere. not sure which Oceania cruise but i can find the Viking one easily.

 

In the next two winters doing Oceania and Regent. Regent as it does RT from Mia all over S America. there will be boring days but some great ports . Been wanting to go back for years.

 

really afraid to see that the new guy does with 2019.

 

[mare s.]

I agree with Robin and other posters. I love Azamara (and even have a cruise in 2018 booked because we couldn't resist the double upgrade and it's in our hemisphere) but if I'm going to get on a airplane and travel for 10 or 12 hours, I want to go to new places. Hence, Oceania in 2017 to Iceland. I would love Azamara to do an East Coast Canada and Eastern seaboard, but this seems always to be a charter. For those based in the U.K. or in Australia, there are options, but for us West Coast U.S. folks, not so much.

[ellbon]

I agree with Robin and other posters. I love Azamara (and even have a cruise in 2018 booked because we couldn't resist the double upgrade and it's in our hemisphere) but if I'm going to get on a airplane and travel for 10 or 12 hours, I want to go to new places. Hence, Oceania in 2017 to Iceland. I would love Azamara to do an East Coast Canada and Eastern seaboard, but this seems always to be a charter. For those based in the U.K. or in Australia, there are options, but for us West Coast U.S. folks, not so much.

 

pretty sad that as people who live here we can not get a cruise like the Aussies have now. same with their 5 week Med cruise. tons of new ports for me. meanwhile i sailed around and saw some ports 3 times and many not at all. a cruise friend did iceland with greenland this year. .Regent cancel some tours at last minute. but i feel they all do. I also would do a cruise again in CA from a CA port up coast to enjoy the wines and the towns. would be willing to cruise from LA or SD to Vancouver or back from there to CA.

 

AZ does not look at the big picture. from LA there are so many options.

[travelberlin]

That precisely is my only current issue with Azamara: the itineraries are hopelessly repetitive (how many times can you sail from Rome to Barcelona or to the same Eastern Caribbean islands?). The two ship fleet doesn't help with Azamara's ability to try new places, and if one shop is chartered out for months on end, there truly are very little options left. Finally, all this makes booking lengthy reservations (long back to backs) very difficult.

 

I also agree with you on this issue... Please new Caribbean ports! Please new Mediterrenean and Asia ports...

Edited October 15, 2016 by travelberlin