Oceania Losing Ground - Just Back From Marina

[Paulchili]

 drreena - I just want to point out one thing. A comparison of Crystal and Oceania is a reasonable one as they are both in the same category - more or less; comparing Oceania and NCL is an apples to oranges comparison. The cabins may be comparable in size but not much else is. That is not to say that your NCL cruise will not be a good value or enjoyable but comparing it to an Oceania cruise is not a fair comparison.

JMO.

Edited March 6, 2019 by Paulchili

[drreena]

2 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

 drreena - just want to pint out one thing. A comparison of Crystal and Oceania is a reasonable one as they are both in the same category - more or less; comparing Oceania and NCL is an apples to oranges comparison. The cabins may be comparable in size but not much else is. That is not to say that your NCL cruise will not be a good value or enjoyable but comparing it to an Oceania cruise is not a fair comparison.

JMO.

I agree. But the same could be said for Celebrity which we’ve cruised on repeatedly. Bottom line for me, the gouging on Oceania is not compensated by the few extras. 

[Mura]

Appreciate your opinion, Drreena. I haven't been on NCL in quite some time (just one cruise in recent memory, and one back in 1974 when they were a different line, or at least had different ownership).  But our 2010 cruise on NCL was pleasant enough -- we were in a higher suite, otherwise I might not have said so.  But it didn't compare to our experiences on O.

 

But that's MY opinion.  You are entitled to yours, of course!  And I'm not saying for the right price and the right cruise we wouldn't try NCL again.  We were going to (with our beloved TA) a couple of years ago but had to cancel at the last moment when my husband needed surgery.  At least we had insurance!

 

Mura

 

 

[LHT28]

JMO

If people like one cruise line over another   why challenge other peoples choices

choose what works best for you  & do not worry about what cruise line others pick

 

YMMV

[edgee]

8 hours ago, LHT28 said:

JMO

If people like one cruise line over another   why challenge other peoples choices

choose what works best for you  & do not worry about what cruise line others pick

 

YMMV

Your post using the words "challenging" and "worrying" seems to indicate a viewpoint that the discussion of this topic should not be happening. Indeed, the subject of this thread and many similar ones is (hopefully) to engage in a rational discussion of  comparison of different cruise lines and why people pick one over another. Hopefully done in a helpful courteous and fun manner.  This kind of discourse occurs very often and is one reason folks participate in Cruise Critic.  

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, edgee said:

Your post using the words "challenging" and "worrying" seems to indicate a viewpoint that the discussion of this topic should not be happening. Indeed, the subject of this thread and many similar ones is (hopefully) to engage in a rational discussion of  comparison of different cruise lines and why people pick one over another. Hopefully done in a helpful courteous and fun manner.  This kind of discourse occurs very often and is one reason folks participate in Cruise Critic.  

as  I  said  JMO 😉

Just as you gave your opinion

 

 

 

[Rob the Cruiser]

We would love to try Crystal but no matter how many ways we do the numbers the fares are almost 2X a comparable itinerary on Oceania. Are the fares less when a quote is requested either directly from Crystal or one of their TAs? (I'm comparing standard veranda, not suit a suite.)

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, Rob the Cruiser said:

We would love to try Crystal but no matter how many ways we do the numbers the fares are almost 2X a comparable itinerary on Oceania. Are the fares less when a quote is requested either directly from Crystal or one of their TAs? (I'm comparing standard veranda, not suit a suite.)

Perhaps edgee can help you with this - I cannot.

[orchestrapal]

39 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Perhaps edgee can help you with this - I cannot.

 

Try a good TA to get you your best deal.

We consider Crystal a step up from O and worth the price.

[LHT28]

Just now, orchestrapal said:

 

We consider Crystal a step up from O and worth the price.

That would make sense  since  Crystal is  a luxury line  & Oceania  is a Premium line

 

[Paulchili]

46 minutes ago, orchestrapal said:

We consider Crystal a step up from O and worth the price.

It's nice to have so many choices to suit everyone's preferences.

[PaulMCO]

On 3/6/2019 at 9:55 AM, Rob the Cruiser said:

We would love to try Crystal but no matter how many ways we do the numbers the fares are almost 2X a comparable itinerary on Oceania. Are the fares less when a quote is requested either directly from Crystal or one of their TAs? (I'm comparing standard veranda, not suit a suite.)

 

I do not think so.  I seem to get a little more OBC (2%) from my TA for Crystal.  You really have to compare - for SAME itinerary.  I generally compare the an R class A2 with a Crystal B2 or B1 - as the size of cabins are pretty comparable.  Both lines do have specials.  Our Amazon cruise was cheaper on Crystal than the same exact cruise on which we had booked on Oceania this past November.  We were already booked on O and Crystal has a 20% off sale, this plus the 2.5% Crystal society discount.  We were able to get a Seabreeze SH on Symphony for same price as a PH. When comparing we remove the O air and include the beverage package plus the up charge for premium.

 

For our upcoming Norway/Baltic cruise, Crystal was more expensive than Nautica - Crystal B2 versus Oceania A2/A1 (this is an O premium price itinerary) but the difference was less than 10%, so Crystal won that one, even though Nautica is our favorite ship.

 

So it pays to Compare.  We have sailed Crystal before and after their refreshing and really like the improvements in the ship, reduced passenger numbers and dining.   We are also looking forward to our next O cruise next year.

[daveispar]

On 8/27/2017 at 11:44 AM, palamoh said:

Believe Service is the same as Food, it is subjective, sometimes you get the service based on what you put into it, I have found on Oceania, that if you treat the Staff with courtesy and kindness, they will treat you the same, I believe they remember the names of passengers who have treated them with genuine appreciation for their service, We travel the O ships exclusively, I have NEVER had any member of the staff be rude with us. One must remember that these folks are very busy with their jobs and it might seem like they are ignoring you, but just a pleasant smile and a brief thank you for their service will go a long way to making them appreciate you as passenger

I agree with you 100%, you get what you give !  My Wife and I always treat everybody the way we want to be treated.  Please and thank you are always the first two words out of our mouth !  We see how many people treat the staff on a Cruise, it's disgusting!   I wish you could see yourself, but, it probably wouldn't make any difference !

 

 

 

[daveispar]

On 2/25/2019 at 6:27 AM, Sea42 said:

So you think it is the passenger's behavior that is resulting in the lack of attentive service in one venue on the Marina?

Yes, without a doubt!   Watch how some passengers treat the staff !  I wish the roles were reversed !!  Maybe,  then they might show some compassion and respect !

[Paulchili]

30 minutes ago, daveispar said:

Yes, without a doubt!   Watch how some passengers treat the staff !  I wish the roles were reversed !!  Maybe,  then they might show some compassion and respect !

Agree with you but unfortunately it's too late for these people. These things are or are not learned long before at home at a very young age and the saying "you can't teach old dogs new tricks" applies here.

[pinotlover]

Poor manners by guests abound on our cruise also. Most revolves around guests screaming at the staff because they couldn’t self serve in the Terrace. Those guests actions were about as intellectually moronic as yelling at a private because of some Army policy! 

 

Another really rude lady was berating their Butler, in the hallway,  for being a Butler and how belittling such class servitude was! Told him she didn’t want any services from him or him even in their cabin.

 

Nothwithstanding any of that, the horrible to non existent Beverage service in the Terrace did not occur to the many of us reporting it here because we suddenly changed personalities in that single venue!   Other problems, mainly understaffing of Beverage servers,  exist. 

 

The Terrace is for Teatotallers! Plenty of other venues on the ship to eat. Leaves more available tables for Teatotallers! Win- Win!

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

Poor manners by guests abound on our cruise also. Most revolves around guests screaming at the staff because they couldn’t self serve in the Terrace. Those guests actions were about as intellectually moronic as yelling at a private because of some Army policy! 

 

Another really rude lady was berating their Butler, in the hallway,  for being a Butler and how belittling such class servitude was! Told him she didn’t want any services from him or him even in their cabin.

Maybe she should have been scolded for being a "class bourgeois" person for staying in the PH and not an inside cabin. How belittling it must feel to those poor plebs in inside cabins 

Welcome to the "New Oceania" 

This did not seem to be a problem IME years ago. Not that this never happened but it was more uncommon than it appears to be now. As posted above, you are not the only one posting these observations. I know that I have seen these changes myself.

JMO.

Edited March 11, 2019 by Paulchili

[ORV]

As a wine drinker and one that frequently has the drink package of some sort I have to agree with Pinot on my experience on our last couple of cruises. Really hard to get served in Terrace, but I found the same situation at lunch in the GDR. 

[jamesnmphs]

7 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Poor manners by guests abound on our cruise also. Most revolves around guests screaming at the staff because they couldn’t self serve in the Terrace. Those guests actions were about as intellectually moronic as yelling at a private because of some Army policy! 

 

Another really rude lady was berating their Butler, in the hallway,  for being a Butler and how belittling such class servitude was! Told him she didn’t want any services from him or him even in their cabin.

 

Nothwithstanding any of that, the horrible to non existent Beverage service in the Terrace did not occur to the many of us reporting it here because we suddenly changed personalities in that single venue!   Other problems, mainly understaffing of Beverage servers,  exist. 

 

The Terrace is for Teatotallers! Plenty of other venues on the ship to eat. Leaves more available tables for Teatotallers! Win- Win!

Pinot, on our last cruise, 16 days Miami to Los Angeles, we had a Butler, the first time in my life. On about day 8, he came to our room and said “you aren’t using my services, is anything wrong”. I said “absolutely not, we are very independent people. You have done everything we have asked”, we asked him to make a couple of dinner reservations just to use him. I don’t know why anyone would belittle any staff on the ship. What could they have possibly have done?  While we did not use our Butler to his fullest potential, he refilled the mini fridge twice a day for us. He was always visible and said hello and called us by our names every time we saw him. 

 

I have ave read this thread from the beginning and I really do not understand it. Maybe things have changed, I only started cruising with Oceania in 2011.  But doesn’t everything change?  What kind of service do you get on an airplane?  I was in first class recently and was told by the air hostess that I could have a package of peanuts, but I could not open them because someone somewhere on the plane might have a nut allergy. REALLY??? That is something to complain about. 

 

James

[buggins0402]

On 3/5/2019 at 10:18 PM, drreena said:

I agree that calculations and experiences figure differently for people based on their preferences and choices. My husband and I are now considering a 21 day cruise with NCL (Arabian Odyssey) on the Jade beginning in Rome and ending in Dubai. I did a line by line comparison of our recent 12 day cruise with Oceania and factored in any added costs not provided by NCL (i.e., Internet beyond the 250 minutes provided by NCL; speciality coffees) as well as subtracted costs provided by NCL that were not provided by Oceania (i.e., alcohol). Our stateroom choice is comparable (junior suite) and we are provided with 5 speciality dining room dinners for each of us as was the case with Oceania. Dollar for dollar, the 21 day cruise with NCL is approximately $750 cheaper than the 12 day cruise with Oceania. We also get $50 off excursions which overall run a lot cheaper than Oceania. 

 

Our attraction to this NCL cruise is its itinerary since few cruise lines offer port stops within Egypt (most just cross the Suez Canal without a stop). Our attraction to our recent Oceania cruise was also its itinerary (French Polynesia) which are limited with cruise lines. I have checked NCL's menus that are posted online, as well as their fitness room info, photos of the staterooms and other parts of the ship. Since the cruise is scheduled for November 2019, I don't expect there will be many children onboard. All things considered, this cruise looks promising.

We took a similar approach for the “around the horn” we just completed...NCL suite versus a non suite cabin on O.  The major reason we made this decision was that in 2019 Oceania did not do the itinerary during the month we wanted to do the cruise.

 

We had a very nice cruise. But, as Paul says the two experiences are apples and oranges. We had 10 of our 14 dinners in specialty dining. Even in specialty, there is no way that the food quality compares.  I should note, the ship we were on did not have a Haven.  Suite dining for beakfast and lunch was in Cagney’s.  Breakfast was fine there.  The lunch menu is limited and fine for me, but not for my husband, who avoids bread, red meat and fats. 

 

Due to the limited menu at lunch, we used the buffet the first few non port days for that meal. What a bun fight...not even close to Terrace in ambiance and quality....but, it did have some grainy salads and Indian food which my husband loves.  After selecting food there ( served on plastic) we would hunt for a table through three connecting restaurants. Drink service is pretty much self service in the buffet, unlike Terrace. After a while, we asked the suite staff in Cagney’s if my husband could bring in his buffet selections, so we could at least enjoy a quiet lunch.  Instead, they offered to bring Indian food to him.  This worked, but it took over half the cruise to hit on it. Note, although Oatmeal is not on the suite breakfast menu, they have no issues bringing in that to the suite dining.  

 

There were two things we did very much enjoy on NCL.  The concierge was awesome and having that individual split some of the duties that the butler provides works very well. The lounge entertainment was excellent and light years more extensive than Oceania (I am not referring to main show theater shows, but various shows throughout the ship). There were three different piano players, a jazz band, two guitarists,  a string trio and a Latin duo, in addition to the show band ( some individuals did double duty...eg, band member doing a solo act. 

 

Also note that NCL’s drink package only includes drinks up to $15. If you are fussy on your pours, you will find some upcharges.  I did opt from time to time to get a little better wine, not that my wine palate is that fine tuned, which incurred an upcharge.

 

As to the shore excursion credit, at best it will bring the cost down to what you might pay for a group arranged private excursion. That said, we did do a few ship excursions for the first time in many years. They were fine. The big bus was not a detriment since they were not the type of tour where upon arriving at the destination you followed a guide, instead they were more transportation to a site and do it on your own and background information was provided on the way there.

 

Would we we do this again? Yes, with the right itinerary that has many sea days, and entertainment becomes an overriding factor.  But, we will miss Terrace and the quality of seafood choices that Oceania has in it’s MDR and Specialty restaurants. 

 

 

 

 

[Paulchili]

buggins- we feel the same way about Princess. We are Elite which comes with several perks. We cruise Princess for itineraries that are unique. We know what to expect and get value for what we pay. We never compare that experience to Oceania because it would not compare favorably - but we know this ahead of time.

Next Jan we are cruising Princess in a mini suite to Hawaii RT from SF - an easy winter getaway with no flights at all!!