FROM Celebrity TO (i) Oceania or (ii) MSC ?

[Shadow9612]

The majority of my cruising experience has been with Celebrity S class ships, non-suite level, concierge class. I love my cruise experience with them. I’ve reached Elite status, but I’m discouraged by the limited additional benefits at the next Elite Plus level (not to mention the incredible gap in points for me to even attain Elite Plus).

 

After a lot of reflection, as well as insights from others on a past thread I started on Loyalty Rewards (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2448877), I am considering trying either MSC or Oceania.

 

I would value any insight from current or past loyal X cruisers on whether to choose Oceania or MSC. (MSC Meraviglia or MSC Seaside or Oceania Riviera)

 

Essentially, I still love everything about X and enjoy every Celebrity cruise, but am a bit disappointed at a perceived decline in their overall product. I find myself ‘wanting just a bit more’ without even being able to put my finger on what that ‘little bit more’ even is.

 

I am sure I would be even more impressed with X if I jump up to the Suite Level, but it’s beyond my budget right now. Due to work, I am limited to when I can travel - often December holidays where costs are already higher.

 

I thought that it’ll be a win-win if I try another line. I’ll either enjoy it more, which is a win. Or, I’ll enjoy it less and be happier back on Celebrity the next time.

 

Can people comment/compare Oceania and MSC with respect to the following points that are important to me (feel free of course to talk about anything!):

 

 

 

• Ship Layout. I find the layout of Celebrity S class ships very logical and maneuverable. (e.g. I could never remember how to get from 'A' to 'B' on a previous Princess cruise I took).
  
• Buffet Design. I find the layout of the Oceanview Cafe very pleasant - I don't enjoy the "enter here" / "exit there" line-up style.
  
• No Smoking. Due to being sensitive to smoke, I don’t want to take a cruise where smoking is permitted anywhere indoors (e.g. Casino). I have seen conflicting information about this for MSC and Oceania, so could people clarify about noticing smoke on these 2 lines.
  
• Food Quality. Important
  

Thank you to everyone in advance!

[cruiserchuck]

We have sailed on S class ships five times, and once on the Oceania Marina. With Celebrity, we have always sailed in Aqua class, and thus have eaten most of our meals in Blu.

 

The ship layout on the Marina was very good. We did not have any problems with it. We have read many reviews about the small bathrooms on the older Oceania R ships. Oceania seems to have over compensated on the new ships, as the bathrooms were huge, with both a walk in shower and separate bathtub in our standard veranda cabin.

 

The buffet design on the Marina was also spread out, but not as much as on the S class ships, and there were short lines at times. It was often difficult to find seating, especially when the weather was bad and the outdoor seating was closed.

 

Smoking. Oceania has similar no smoking policies, but on our cruise, they did not seem to enforce the rules. The small smoking area by the pool was expanded by guests who simply moved chairs/tables to other areas. We complained, but not much seemed to happen to enforce the rules.

 

Food quality. The food was better on Oceania, especially in the speciality restaurants. They were included in the cruise price, but we were limited to one meal in each on our two week cruise. They had a complex reservation system, with priority given to the higher priced cabins.

 

The Oceania cruise was significantly more expensive than the Celebrity cruises we have taken, and we feel that Celebrity was a much better value.

[floridatravelersforlife]

We are Elite PLus who have sailed O. The specialty restaurants can be reserved once on board the ship. We snagged reservations for every nite of one cruise. Wont do that again, ate so well almost popped an artery.

 

Smoking was no different an experience than C.

 

Depends on your experience

[stipmom]

I sailed on Oceania for the first time in April for a 10 night European cruise. I am elite plus on Celebrity. If not for my cruise to Cuba in December I doubt I would sail with them again. Was not a fan of their product. Specialty restaurants were good but regular restaurants left a lot to be desired.One night I actually left dinner hungry.Breakfast and Lunch buffets needed more choices. Looking forward to returning to Celebrity for my next few cruises

[DWhit]

We are elite celebrity, who sailed Yacht Class MSC on the Divina. It was a very excellent cruise. The boarding was top notch, as was the yacht club in general.

 

I would compare it as equal to to a Celebrity suite experience. Hope you find the best expereince for you.

[Mr. Click]

We are now Elite on Celebrity and have sailed on and enjoyed both M and S class ships. Last year we were invited to join some friends on an Oceania cruise from Amsterdam going south into the Med. I did a quick price comparison and similar cabins on Celebrity were about half the price of Oceania and while Oceania "included" airfare there were surcharges if we wanted to fly in early and fly home later than the day off departure/arrival. The money alone made no sense to me so we took the Celebrity Silhouette from Amsterdam to Rome and loved every minute of it and have not look at Oceania again.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

MSC will match your status with Celebrity. However, unless you sail in the Yacht Club, I think you will find the ship overwhelming. Those ships are HUGE. Why are you not considering Azamara? You will continue to accrue Celebrity CC points with them. Their price structure is somewhat similar to Oceania and their ships are the same.

[mafig]

With the MSC status match you also get 5% off your cruise. We were in Yacht Club last year for about the price of Aqua. The new Seaside has YC for about $2000 per person, then comes the 5% OFF.

 

I researched Oceania last year and for a little more than a normal balcony on Celebrity I could be in an inside. No thanks.

[cruzzzinma]

Recommend you also consider Viking Ocean.

[agnesd]

Our last 6 ocean cruises were with Crystal. We wanted something in January just to get away from winter but not spend so much. We are taking MSC yacht club and just going with the flow! May the Force Be With Us! It should be interesting.

 

 

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[eandj]

Oceania has ships smaller than the S class. Even the newest of the O ships are smaller. We found their food to be better than X. MSC is large, but to get a nicer experience, the Yacht Club booking will help.

 

I agree, look too at Azamara and Viking Ocean for the nicer ship experience.

 

Entertainment can be lacking on the smaller ships for obvious reasons.

[Mr. Click]

When we have looked at Azamara we found the pricing to be beyond what we feel a cruise is worth to us. We are happy with Celebrity, we are headed to Venice in a few days to meet the Constellation for 11 nights and after that, we will see where the wanderlust takes us.

[cruiserchuck]

We have not sailed with Azamara due to concerns about the relatively small cabins and bathrooms. For the cruises we have looked at, the prices have been too high to entice us.

[Shadow9612]

The Oceania cruise was significantly more expensive than the Celebrity cruises we have taken, and we feel that Celebrity was a much better value.

Thank you cruiserchuck for your detailed comments, especially the overall conclusion regarding value.

[Eloise4Ever]

I would value any insight from current or past loyal X cruisers on whether to choose Oceania or MSC. (MSC Meraviglia or MSC Seaside or Oceania Riviera).

 

We have tried several cruise lines but these days, our "go-to" line is Celebrity. We took one 7 day cruise on MSC which we looked on as an experiment. Unfortunately the experiment was not a success and will never be repeated. For the first few days I did actually consider leaving the ship early and spending the rest of the week in whichever city we happened to be in that day. However, we were sailing with friends so we stuck it out. Let's just say the day we finally disembarked was a very happy day.

 

I really don't enjoy being so negative about MSC but I feel obliged to answer your questions honestly. We sail in balcony cabins and while things like food quality would, I'm sure, be much better in the MSC Yacht Club, the other issues would be still arise when you left the Yacht Club to experience the rest of the ship. On the plus side, the staff (apart from Guest Services) were mostly very pleasant and the theatre shows were enjoyable. Neither of these areas were better than Celebrity though.

 

Please see my comments in the various categories below.

Can people comment/compare Oceania and MSC with respect to the following points that are important to me (feel free of course to talk about anything!):

 

 

• Ship Layout. I find the layout of Celebrity S class ships very logical and maneuverable. (e.g. I could never remember how to get from 'A' to 'B' on a previous Princess cruise I took).
  

I, too, really enjoy the layout of the S class ships. They are easy to navigate and never feel crowded. We found MSC Precziosa (the newest MSC ship at the time) the exact opposite. To get to the dining room, you had to fight your way through crowds of people milling about and then you had to "go up to go down" if you know what I mean. I thought that kind of old-fashioned design was a thing of the past. It seemed many of the bars and lounges were designed in a linear fashion so you had to meander through them to get to the one you wanted. These spaces always felt crowded to me.

• Buffet Design. I find the layout of the Oceanview Cafe very pleasant - I don't enjoy the "enter here" / "exit there" line-up style.
  

Again, I agree with you. The open and spacious layout of the Oceanview is fantastic and the central location of the food stations means you don't have to walk very far from where you are seated to get something from the buffet. When you do, there is plenty of space which ensures you are not constantly bumping into other passengers. This was not the case on MSC. While it was not an "enter here/exit there" style setup, the food stations were near the entrance which meant a long walk if you were seated towards the back of the buffet seating area. There were lots of nooks and crannies which made seeing what was available difficult. Also there were narrow corridors in certain parts which became very congested.

• No Smoking. Due to being sensitive to smoke, I don’t want to take a cruise where smoking is permitted anywhere indoors (e.g. Casino). I have seen conflicting information about this for MSC and Oceania, so could people clarify about noticing smoke on these 2 lines.
  

We feel the same about smoke and really enjoy the Celebrity policy. MSC was very different. Even though smoking is not permitted in the cabins, there were ashtrays attached to the wall in the bathroom! Why this should be the case on a newly built ship is anybodys guess. Suffice it to say there was a distinct smell of smoke in the accommodation corridors. Smoking is permitted in the casino which is open to the Piano Lounge above it. Unfortunately for us, this was our favourite bar for entertainment after dinner as most of the entertainment in the other bars was not to our taste. Both my husband and I ended up with serious chest infections and had to take time off work to recover after the cruise. Of course we will never know for sure what caused us to be ill, but I am convinced the smoke on the ship was to blame.

• Food Quality. Important
  

We found the food quality on MSC very poor, both in the buffet and the main restaurant. We also ate in the Specialty restaurant one night and that wasn't much better. The food in the buffet was always cold and the selection unappealing. I thought that I would be ok with the food in the dining room because it was mostly Italian, which I usually enjoy. The first few nights I ordered pasta or risotto but it was so stodgy and unpleasant I had to give up. The meat and fish was very poor quality. This was the first ever cruise where I came home weighing less than I did leaving home!

 

I find myself ‘wanting just a bit more’ without even being able to put my finger on what that ‘little bit more’ even is.

In my experience with MSC you will find yourself wanting a lot more of some things and a lot less of others!

 

I thought that it’ll be a win-win if I try another line. I’ll either enjoy it more, which is a win. Or, I’ll enjoy it less and be happier back on Celebrity the next time.

I had a similar mindset when booking our MSC cruise but realised afterwards that wasn't the whole picture. Yes, I was ecstatic on Celebrity the next time, but I will never get back that wasted week of holiday leave I spent on MSC. You mention that your time for travel is limited due to work, I think it would be a shame to spend that time on a less than enjoyable experience.

Apologies for the long post, I hope it is helpful. Please do pop back to let us know how you get on if you do choose to sail with another cruise line. We are interested to try Oceania so would love to hear about that.

[Redtravel]

I am elite plus with lots of past cruises on celebrity and Azamara. I agree that the elite plus benefits are not much. We like the MDR food. Menus are the same. Celebrity gets boring. Celebrity needs a facelift. New menu offerings with different choices. I am never getting to zenith. Celebrity cruises are good. Celebrity could do better....or even best. However, we have sailed on other lines. I recently sailed on Oceania Marina. It was excellent. The food and service was outstanding. The cabins were gorgeous. The bathrooms were huge with beautiful thick towels and Bvlgari toiletries. The beds were very good. Did not have to request a mattress pad. Linens were changed daily without asking. Nothing was worn out. Never had to ask for anything. Cabin steward always left us 4 sets of towels and lots of toiletries. It reminded me of what Celebrity was like years ago.

[reilly1]

We have not sailed with Azamara due to concerns about the relatively small cabins and bathrooms. For the cruises we have looked at, the prices have been too high to entice us.

 

 

 

Loyal Celebrity cruiser who tried Azamara last year. Never again. Balcony cabin and bathroom tiny. Very small ship with not a lot happening after dinner. Not impressed at all. Back to Celebrity with Equinox and Reflection booked for 2018.

 

 

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[agnesd]

I forgot to mention that MSC gives a 10% discount on the cruise if you are a veteran. All we had to do was send proof. DD214, etc.

[Shadow9612]

MSC will match your status with Celebrity. However, unless you sail in the Yacht Club, I think you will find the ship overwhelming. Those ships are HUGE. Why are you not considering Azamara? You will continue to accrue Celebrity CC points with them. Their price structure is somewhat similar to Oceania and their ships are the same.

Thank you Happy Cruiser! I would very much like to try Azamara but they are also out of my price range for now. After seeing other posters' comments and researching a bit more, it appears Oceania may be higher than expected.

 

Why is an MSC not as overwhelming if you are in Yacht Club - is it because of the YC-only spaces or extra privileges with YC?

 

I did notice on the Reflection last time, that is seemed a little bit busier than the Equinox (presumably due to more passengers at the cost of less public space). ..... so.... going to a MSC ship of over 5000 does bring that concern up to me as well...

 

Thank you again!

[Shadow9612]

In my experience with MSC you will find yourself wanting a lot more of some things and a lot less of others!

 

 

I had a similar mindset when booking our MSC cruise but realised afterwards that wasn't the whole picture. Yes, I was ecstatic on Celebrity the next time, but I will never get back that wasted week of holiday leave I spent on MSC. You mention that your time for travel is limited due to work, I think it would be a shame to spend that time on a less than enjoyable experience.

Apologies for the long post, I hope it is helpful. Please do pop back to let us know how you get on if you do choose to sail with another cruise line. We are interested to try Oceania so would love to hear about that.

Thank you so so much Eloise4Ever for your detailed response. I really appreciate the time and insight you provided.

 

I'm still pondering on which to do... It looks like I may look at Oceania, Viking, Azamara in the future when my schedule allows me to be more flexible in vacation timing, so that I can find affordable rates.

 

 

I am now also re-considering Princess on the Regal (it would be my 3rd Princess cruise, but first time in that class of ship)....

[Shadow9612]

A shout-out THANK YOU to everyone who has replied to my post on this thread. Rather than lengthen out the thread for new readers with a bunch of individual THANK-YOUs, I hope you don't mind if I bulk it all together :)