Haven vs. Oceania

[Flatbush Flyer]

the unruly children is the worst. we have remedied that somewhat by avoiding summer, school vacation periods and holiday sailings.

 

dumb people are everywhere now tho.

 

i also have a major issue with people who are rude and speak down to the staff and crew. many "sophisticated" people also seem to think that their s*** doesnt stink and that the are above people who serve them. so a fancier cruise line may just replace dumb peopel and unruly children with obnoxious hoity toit people that complain about everything and make crazy demands because of their sense of entitlement.

 

 

The key word in your unsubstantiated statement is "may." Sounds like you're into stereotyping and may have no actual experience outside of mass market lines. Hopefully, you can share with us the actual premium/luxury cruise experiences you've had that were plagued by "hoity toity" "entitled" people.

 

 

 

 

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[davesgirl51]

Thanks for posting this thread. I, too, am a Haven cruiser and have wondered about Oceania and Regent. Love shows and casino (hate the smoke!), enjoy robust excursions, and value the privacy (read: quiet) of the Haven. We have never had problems with loud children in the Haven (even though there have often been children; maybe we have just been lucky with well behaved ones!). I think that by the time I pay for flights, prior night hotel, gratuities, shore excursions, upscale restaurants, etc., I could have paid the Regent price and come out close to even.....especially if I am considering overseas. The extras I would still have to pay for would be the spa and casino, as those are some of my draws to cruising! Right now, the sticker shock still gets me!

 

You are very lucky re: children in Haven. I can count on 1 hand the number of families who had well-behaved children.

[UPNYGuy]

You are very lucky re: children in Haven. I can count on 1 hand the number of families who had well-behaved children.

 

 

So can I.

 

 

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[mafig]

So can I.

 

 

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After reading so many of these comments about Haven, and also reading the thread on people who believe it's perfectly OK to blast their music on their balconies (as long as it's before 11 PM, how considerate), I can see why Oceania seems appealing.

 

We almost booked with them. Their itineraries are amazing. However, we're giving Celebrity another chance but still are keeping O as a possibility. We wanted to do Haven on NCL, but those reviews on out of control kids drove us away.:eek:

[AliceIn]

A woman openly (and without prompting) telling my mother she sells adult products by way of Passion Parties is what I call "riff raff". My mother is in her mid 60s and did not know what that term meant. DW and I had to explain it. This occurred on a 7 day Canada / New England sailing on Gem. My mother asked DW and I what a Passion Party was b/c said lady was talking about it to her. I am not a prude (and neither is my mom), but I was mortified.

 

Clientele like this would be what I am looking to avoid.

 

A couple that was used to Oceania on our Getaway cruise used that term riff raff to describe how they felt about certain clientele . It might be snobby and uppity of me to agree, but lately SOME people would classify. By no means all.

 

 

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You will find all sorts of people everywhere. Money doesn't always mean the person has class. We are fortunate people financially at this stage of our,lives, and we want pampering and extra attention and service. So we stay on the club floors for hotels and resorts, and we splurge for concierge or haven for cruises. We love to do amusement parks and family beaches, which are usually egalitarian and no frills. We have seen rude, boorish, and ill-mannered people in the best of places, and lovely, polite people where the riff-raff congregate.

 

My advice is don't focus on what others do. Avoid the idiots, and look for the best in everyone. Treat all with respect and kindness, especially those who are in the service industries.

 

Expecting that you can avoid people who irritate you based on the prices of the venue can prove to be disappointing.

[DMH15]

You are very lucky re: children in Haven. I can count on 1 hand the number of families who had well-behaved children.

 

 

Got off Epic 3/4. Had Owner's suite. Not many children in Haven but 100% were well-behaved. In fact went all week without encountering a single obnoxious passenger except one. Pretty good I'd say.

 

 

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[Larlin]

I don't know when, but I feel it coming.........:o

[UPNYGuy]

Having sailed O and NCL numerous times, there are obviously some major differences.

 

Never found O passengers rude or snobby. What I do find is a much more seasoned traveler than on NCL, much more itinerary focused than on NCL and way more self-sufficient than on NCL.

 

The NCL cruiser is more :"fun focused" and generally needs more hand holding (entertainment planned out for them, ship's excursions rather than winging it, etc.). They are more "vacationers" and enjoying themselves. O pax are more "travelers" and experiencing the world. Thus much longer cruises, generally on O.

 

Have and will sail both for completely different reasons.

 

 

The description of the typical Oceania guest here exactly describes myself and my wife. We rarely do organized activities, but sometimes do. We are also very self sufficient, and are fairly seasoned travelers. We also prefer to be with a like mindset of cruisers. We do max out at 10-12 days per cruise, but Oceania has tons to choose from.

 

 

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[UPNYGuy]

I've got three booked in the Yacht Club and am preying that it doesn't suck!!!

 

 

We have 1 in YC next October. We wanted to add MSC to our roster and see what it is about.

 

 

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[sanger727]

A woman openly (and without prompting) telling my mother she sells adult products by way of Passion Parties is what I call "riff raff". My mother is in her mid 60s and did not know what that term meant. DW and I had to explain it. This occurred on a 7 day Canada / New England sailing on Gem. My mother asked DW and I what a Passion Party was b/c said lady was talking about it to her. I am not a prude (and neither is my mom), but I was mortified.

 

Clientele like this would be what I am looking to avoid.

 

A couple that was used to Oceania on our Getaway cruise used that term riff raff to describe how they felt about certain clientele . It might be snobby and uppity of me to agree, but lately SOME people would classify. By no means all.

 

 

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No doubt my bf and I would fit the 'riff raff' label... both tattooed, my bf sleeved across his whole body; my bf likes to dress casually and we cruise NCL specifically for this... and he will wear pajamas to the casual MDR. And yes, I used to sell adult products through a different brand of parties [emoji6].

 

We are also both gainfully employed, law abiding citizens, who actually do pretty well for ourselves and could afford to cruise in the haven or Oceania if we wanted to but we prefer to save heavily for early retirement. Perfectly content hanging out with the rest of the riff raff.

 

Btw, I'm not offended. Appearances aside my bf and I have unglamorous jobs and people draw conclusions and make judgements about us quickly based on that. What they don't know is the financial future it holds for us where I can retire and live comfortably the rest of my life at 48. Initial judgements can be deceiving; and drawing conclusions about someone based on what they can afford can be equally deceiving. Lol, the wealthiest person I know made her millions off writing trashy romance novels.

 

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Edited March 19, 2017 by sanger727

[Cruzn Bills Fan]

No doubt my bf and I would fit the 'riff raff' label... both tattooed, my bf sleeved across his whole body; my bf likes to dress casually and we cruise NCL specifically for this... and he will wear pajamas to the casual MDR. And yes, I used to sell adult products through a different brand of parties [emoji6].

 

We are also both gainfully employed, law abiding citizens, who actually do pretty well for ourselves and could afford to cruise in the haven or Oceania if we wanted to but we prefer to save heavily for early retirement. Perfectly content hanging out with the rest of the riff raff.

 

Btw, I'm not offended. Appearances aside my bf and I have unglamorous jobs and people draw conclusions and make judgements about us quickly based on that. What they don't know is the financial future it holds for us where I can retire and live comfortably the rest of my life at 48. Initial judgements can be deceiving; and drawing conclusions about someone based on what they can afford can be equally deceiving. Lol, the wealthiest person I know made her millions off writing trashy romance novels.

 

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Great post! Congrats on being able to retire at such a young age. I'm sure I'm judged by my old USN tattoos. But I work hard for my money and enjoy cruising in suites. Judge away! Who cares, I'm comfortable in my skin.

[UPNYGuy]

No doubt my bf and I would fit the 'riff raff' label... both tattooed, my bf sleeved across his whole body; my bf likes to dress casually and we cruise NCL specifically for this... and he will wear pajamas to the casual MDR. And yes, I used to sell adult products through a different brand of parties [emoji6].

 

We are also both gainfully employed, law abiding citizens, who actually do pretty well for ourselves and could afford to cruise in the haven or Oceania if we wanted to but we prefer to save heavily for early retirement. Perfectly content hanging out with the rest of the riff raff.

 

Btw, I'm not offended. Appearances aside my bf and I have unglamorous jobs and people draw conclusions and make judgements about us quickly based on that. What they don't know is the financial future it holds for us where I can retire and live comfortably the rest of my life at 48. Initial judgements can be deceiving; and drawing conclusions about someone based on what they can afford can be equally deceiving. Lol, the wealthiest person I know made her millions off writing trashy romance novels.

 

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No judgement about appearances at all. And I wasn't judging the employment choice that this woman made. My apologies if that was how it sounded. She openly was telling my mother about how she sold adult products. My mother did not know the term passion party, and was offended that I had to explain it to her, as was I. My mother asked her to explain more due to the fact that she didn't know what a passion party was, and was told about the "product lineup" in politically correct terminology. She proceeded to turn to my wife and I and ask what it meant. So yes, it was inappropriate.

 

 

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[asubaru]

I think there's a good chance if an unsophisticated, riff-raff type NCL cruiser posted a "veiled" question on Cruise Critic, followed up with several pretentious comments, they would at least thank the posters who obviously took the time to respond with their thoughts/opinions.

Or put another way......unsophisticated, or riff-raff type NCL cruisers may very well have good manners; no guarantee Oceania cruisers have them.

[travelerpair]

Have any NCL regulars cruised Oceania? I switched 2 bookings to Oceania, hoping for a more upscale vibe and clientele after the calamity on our Getaway cruise. I am hoping for more sophisticated, well traveled clientele than what Norwegian usually attracts. Low lead-in prices tend to attract lots of families, and lots of first time cruisers. Both of these groups are starting to annoy me more and more (loud children, first time cruisers doing things like not realizing they must disembark at ports with key cards, thus holding up the gangway).

 

The Haven mitigates some of this, but it caters to families. I'm hoping that Oceania will give a respite from the noise and cacophony of a mass-market cruise line.

 

 

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Hello, we switched to the Sirena on a transatlantic last Oct. and booked a penthouse. No perks and it was just a Princess mini suite redone. Butler was in training and not much help. Older crowd as expected and they do dress up for dinner way more than on NCL. Service in restaurants and bars was great, entertainment OK. The clientele was well traveled and we met some very nice people. Food was nowhere near what they advertise. Except Sirena is a small ship and the buffet was great and we never use the buffet on NCL. We have done other upscale lines and felt Oceania was not worth the price. Also many of the frequent cruisers felt a downgrade since NCL bought them

[Love.II.Cruise]

And this will be our 22nd cruise, so we have a decent idea of what we are looking for.

 

 

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Then no need to ask questions here. Book what you want.

 

I think there's a good chance if an unsophisticated, riff-raff type NCL cruiser posted a "veiled" question on Cruise Critic, followed up with several pretentious comments, they would at least thank the posters who obviously took the time to respond with their thoughts/opinions.

Or put another way......unsophisticated, or riff-raff type NCL cruisers may very well have good manners; no guarantee Oceania cruisers have them.

 

Thank you!

Edited March 20, 2017 by Love.II.Cruise

[UPNYGuy]

I think there's a good chance if an unsophisticated, riff-raff type NCL cruiser posted a "veiled" question on Cruise Critic, followed up with several pretentious comments, they would at least thank the posters who obviously took the time to respond with their thoughts/opinions.

Or put another way......unsophisticated, or riff-raff type NCL cruisers may very well have good manners; no guarantee Oceania cruisers have them.

 

 

I don't live on Cruise Critic, and rarely read all the comments that come my way. But thank you for taking the time to criticize me. My wife and I have also looked into Crystal and Seabourn, and usually sail in The Haven when on NCL (and have 2 Yacht Club bookings currently on MSC), so it isn't a matter of having to book the most exquisite cabin, but rather wanting better atmosphere. I think (hope) that Oceania will give us that. I might be incorrect, but I won't know until we try.

 

 

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[UPNYGuy]

Then no need to ask questions here. Book what you want.

 

 

 

Thank you!

 

 

That is exactly what we are doing, but wanted to have some feedback. Thank you to all that provided it. I really think Oceania will be the way to go, but only time will tell. Our first O sailing is this July, after a HAL cruise end of next month.

 

 

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[mkmaj]

You should probably just charter your own yacht so you can be sure to keep the population under control. Money doesn't buy class, so if you think that going on a (still public) cruise is going to solve all of your issues with fellow passengers then you'll probably be disappointed.

I'm also curious about the horrible conversation that your mother endured. She didn't ask the passion party lady about what she does? I mean, that's a pretty typical conversation to have when meeting new people. Was the woman supposed to lie about what she does?

 

 

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[UPNYGuy]

You should probably just charter your own yacht so you can be sure to keep the population under control. Money doesn't buy class, so if you think that going on a (still public) cruise is going to solve all of your issues with fellow passengers then you'll probably be disappointed.

I'm also curious about the horrible conversation that your mother endured. She didn't ask the passion party lady about what she does? I mean, that's a pretty typical conversation to have when meeting new people. Was the woman supposed to lie about what she does?

 

 

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No. The passion party lady was publicly speaking about this out in the open with no prompting, and my mother didn't know what it meant. She curiously asked some questions, and I ended up explaining what a passion party was to my mother. THAT was the issue. Not that it was a horrible conversation she endured, but that I felt it inappropriate that someone would have a conversation like that out in the open, without prompting. And it made for a very awkward conversation with my mother as she turned to me and asked what it meant. I almost had the woman explain it, but the wife and I took care of it.

 

My mother and I weren't the only ones that were bewildered that she was talking about this openly and without prompting.

 

You can think I'm snobbish for not wanting to hear stuff like this, but I don't.

 

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Edited March 20, 2017 by UPNYGuy

[dam64]

So you think the more expensive the cruise the people will have more class?! Sorry to tell you but money doesn't buy class! :rolleyes:

[mkmaj]

No. The passion party lady was publicly speaking about this out in the open with no prompting, and my mother didn't know what it meant. She curiously asked some questions, and I ended up explaining what a passion party was to my mother. THAT was the issue. Not that it was a horrible conversation she endured, but that I felt it inappropriate that someone would have a conversation like that out in the open, without prompting. And it made for a very awkward conversation with my mother as she turned to me and asked what it meant. I almost had the woman explain it, but the wife and I took care of it.

 

My mother and I weren't the only ones that were bewildered that she was talking about this openly and without prompting.

 

You can think I'm snobbish for not wanting to hear stuff like this, but I don't.

 

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I just think it's funny. Did you grow up in an extremely affluent environment with little exposure to the outside world? Is your mother disabled or sheltered as you seem to treat her like a child? (I'd have to assume that she's in her 50's to 60's, knows what x is, and has even partaken at least once unless you are adopted)

I'm not being snarky, I'm genuinely curious and not entirely certain that this isn't a troll post.

I spend quite a bit of time with friends and family members that are on the higher rungs of the societal ladder and have never heard the pretentiousness and intolerance that your posts convey. It's like I'm reading the script of a soap opera.

 

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[UPNYGuy]

I just think it's funny. Did you grow up in an extremely affluent environment with little exposure to the outside world? Is your mother disabled or sheltered as you seem to treat her like a child? (I'd have to assume that she's in her 50's to 60's, knows what x is, and has even partaken at least once unless you are adopted)

I'm not being snarky, I'm genuinely curious and not entirely certain that this isn't a troll post.

I spend quite a bit of time with friends and family members that are on the higher rungs of the societal ladder and have never heard the pretentiousness and intolerance that your posts convey. It's like I'm reading the script of a soap opera.

 

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Yes my family is well off, but I don't see how that is relevant.

 

 

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[mkmaj]

Yes my family is well off, but I don't see how that is relevant.

 

 

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The money isn't really relevant - the limited exposure to society is. If you were raised by nannies and boarding schools I could somewhat understand the attitude.

 

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[BostonGal35]

i really cant imagine what was so embarrassing.

 

if this had been my mother, she would have been "what's a passion party" and i would have simply said that its "toys for adult entertainment in the bedroom" with a wink, and she would have figured it out. and she is very reserved/sheltered. she then probably would have made some comment about why someone would sell/use/talk about that stuff.

 

we met a nice couple on board a few cruises who legally sold marijuana. are they not supposed to talk about what they do for a living?

[Sissaaaaaa]

A woman openly (and without prompting) telling my mother she sells adult products by way of Passion Parties is what I call "riff raff". My mother is in her mid 60s and did not know what that term meant. DW and I had to explain it. This occurred on a 7 day Canada / New England sailing on Gem. My mother asked DW and I what a Passion Party was b/c said lady was talking about it to her. I am not a prude (and neither is my mom), but I was mortified.

 

Clientele like this would be what I am looking to avoid.

 

A couple that was used to Oceania on our Getaway cruise used that term riff raff to describe how they felt about certain clientele . It might be snobby and uppity of me to agree, but lately SOME people would classify. By no means all.

 

 

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Yikes - that is crazy! Luckily, we haven't run into that. We have run into a few in the Haven that we wouldn't give the time of day to because of the way they treated the staff.