Oceania vs Azamara

[Hawaiidan]

3 hours ago, kitty9 said:

I have no idea why, but even on Crystal, it's considered a religious experience to interact with the bridge officers

I too find this funny....why?    These guys could careless . They know nothing about you  it  is a job not a friendship.   Do you want to socialize with real estate salesmen, Car salesmen, who are selling you a product, hang with the pizza delivery guy when he gets off.?    They, when they do are polished in the art of making you feel they are interested in you.   Part of the  Job.  something some get all  excited about.   

Edited February 23, 2020 by Hawaiidan

[clo]

2 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

I too find this funny....why?    These guys could careless . They know nothing about you  it  is a job not a friendship.   Do you want to socialize with real estate salesmen, Car salesmen, who are selling you a product, hang with the pizza delivery guy when he gets off.?    They, when they do are polished in the art of making you feel they are interested in you.   Part of the  Job.  something some get all  excited about.   

We did have a very different experience a year ago when we sailed on the Hurtigruten's 100 pax Lofoten. We struck up a chat with the kitchen officer (what's that title, drawing a blank) and he offered us a private tour (shh, don't tell anyone.) But we didn't infringe on their breakfast time when they were in the dining room. (He's the one on the far right.)

[DeanoNorthPerth]

1 hour ago, clo said:

We did have a very different experience a year ago when we sailed on the Hurtigruten's 100 pax Lofoten. We struck up a chat with the kitchen officer (what's that title, drawing a blank) and he offered us a private tour (shh, don't tell anyone.) But we didn't infringe on their breakfast time when they were in the dining room. (He's the one on the far right.)

Food and Beverage Manager?

[clo]

7 minutes ago, DeanoNorthPerth said:

Food and Beverage Manager?

Probably.

 

 

 

[Salf777]

I am amazed at how rude people are getting in this thread. People are just expressing their opinions that’s what this board is for, and others are telling them leave the board, that they are silly or pathetic for enjoying being paid a little attention to by staff or crew. If you like Oceania great, if you like Azamara great but don’t disparage someone else for liking a different cruise line, really. There are people on here trying to be all highbrow talking about all their sailings on “luxury and high end” ships yet they jump all over someone who doesn’t like the same line as them. 
This is supposed to be a place where people share their experience good or bad so others can read and get information. What’s happen here is just sad and rude

[Shawnino]

15 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

I too find this funny....why?    These guys could careless . They know nothing about you  it  is a job not a friendship.   Do you want to socialize with real estate salesmen, Car salesmen, who are selling you a product, hang with the pizza delivery guy when he gets off.?    They, when they do are polished in the art of making you feel they are interested in you.   Part of the  Job.  something some get all  excited about.   

 

This...and on Azamara it's cultishly pathetic for about 1/3 of the pax.

[ABoatNerd]

Everyone has an assessment of their cruise experience, and it does not need to be the same as the next persons.

 

A common attribute on each board is the effort of the cheerleaders and embedded corporate shrills to shut down conversation/be in denial - particularly if it is about negative elements of a cruise line.

 

And given that all the cruise lines appear to be degrading their cruise product, there is a logical increase in negative assessments of cruise lines - evidence #1, the many recent Oceania CC reviews with one and two starts.

 

Freedom of thought and freedom of speech are pillars of democracy and should be valued and supported.

 

I require to see all analysis, good, bad or indifferent.

 

As a consumer, I am noting very significant degradation of consumer goods and services (smaller bottles of soap at same or higher price, more air in potato chip bags at same or higher price etc). Consumers have a choice to accept this trend or fight back. You choose. I fight.

 

This Oceania board does not have a favorable reputation as noted by posters on other cruise lines boards - it is earned from what I can see since I joined CC a very long time ago.

 

Post your analysis. Agree to disagree but keep posting.

 

 

 

 

 

[Paulchili]

4 hours ago, ABoatNerd said:

Everyone has an assessment of their cruise experience, and it does not need to be the same as the next persons.

 

A common attribute on each board is the effort of the cheerleaders and embedded corporate shrills to shut down conversation/be in denial - particularly if it is about negative elements of a cruise line.

 

And given that all the cruise lines appear to be degrading their cruise product, there is a logical increase in negative assessments of cruise lines - evidence #1, the many recent Oceania CC reviews with one and two starts.

 

Freedom of thought and freedom of speech are pillars of democracy and should be valued and supported.

 

I require to see all analysis, good, bad or indifferent.

 

As a consumer, I am noting very significant degradation of consumer goods and services (smaller bottles of soap at same or higher price, more air in potato chip bags at same or higher price etc). Consumers have a choice to accept this trend or fight back. You choose. I fight.

 

This Oceania board does not have a favorable reputation as noted by posters on other cruise lines boards - it is earned from what I can see since I joined CC a very long time ago.

 

Post your analysis. Agree to disagree but keep posting.

 

 

 

 

 

You are correct but missing my point. You are entitled to your opinion about declining product of Oceania and your displeasure about it and have the right to say so but there is no need to do it a 100 times over and over in every thread, IMO.

We got it already - you are not happy with Oceania and will be moving on.

Edited February 24, 2020 by Paulchili

[pinotlover]

What I have learned via experience is that a twelve (12) day cruise on the Marina has little in common with a twenty one (21) day cruise on the Nautica. This is the case on multiple levels. Therefore, when cruisers write of their personal experiences on Oceania, my initial thought is which Oceania are they referring to. That cruisers report such huge disparities on their individual cruises is not a mystery to me.

[Hawaiidan]

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

What I have learned via experience is that a twelve (12) day cruise on the Marina has little in common with a twenty one (21) day cruise on the Nautica. This is the case on multiple levels. Therefore, when cruisers write of their personal experiences on Oceania, my initial thought is which Oceania are they referring to. That cruisers report such huge disparities on their individual cruises is not a mystery to me.

very true Pintlover...   Consider, we are all humans, and as humans we are also individuals who have their own opinions .    Suffice to say, we all see things differently. in some or many ways.   Each person is unique like fingerprints  and autonomous to a certain extent from any other person. 

So... if we all see things differently and say there are 100,000 passengers who take Oceania in a given year, do your suppose there could be then 100,000 different Oceania's ?   

 Furthur, if so, what do you experience on YOUR  Oceania  ????????????????

What complicates the mix even more is that we are evaluating an experience that is almost entirely dependent on people, crew and passengers ,who can vary across the board.    People are the X factor  I think in this total equation .   

Here is an idea,  just a theory of mine. Could it be that in today's over abundance of information our insecurities make us more prone to become needy  and cause us to heavily weigh the opinions of others over our own.    Scared of  an unknown we worry that we might not fully understand.   That maybe I will look stupid or dumb if I do not rely on others, who may or may not be like me,.     Look at some recurring posts " what are the must do's"  "what is the menu" " what is the weather on next Thursday of my cruise"  " who is the chef"  Etc  etc.       

 

Edited February 26, 2020 by Hawaiidan

[clo]

On 2/26/2020 at 10:16 AM, Hawaiidan said:

Etc  etc. 

Superb piece of writing, sir. Thank you.

[ECCruise]

Since we have pretty contemporary experience on both lines, will chime in. 

25 days on Insignia 6 weeks ago. 26 days on Quest as we speak. Both semi unique itineraries: Insignia RT Amazon river to Manaus from Miami. Quest Cape Town East Africa to Dubai Indian Ocean. Both virtually the shame R class ship. Both extensively refitted in the last 2 years. 

Had sailed O 5 times prior to this sailing.  AZ 4 imes prior, all a bit longer 12+ days) sailings so no stranger to either. 

Our assessment?  Each line has strengths and weaknesses but overall Azamara a far better fit for us. 

The food is a notch better on O in the 

MDR. Buffet a wash although hate having to be served on O. Crew levels are low so you often have to wait for something as simple as a bowl of soup. Specialty restaurants better on O and no extra cost. 

Cabin refurbishment nicer on O since theirs was even more extensive than AZ. 

From there everything tilts strongly AZ for us. Crew engagement and friendliness night and day so service totally different. Our take on Insignia customer facing staff?  Cold to the point of approaching surly. Getting a cup of coffee in the morning was often a test of wills with crew seeming to ignore you, either by intention or simply not engaged. 

Communication from Senior staff and officers weak at best on O. Plenty of marketing communication though including CD announcements in the MDR. During dinner service. 

 

All cabin categories check in at the same time on AZ. Staterooms all available at the same time (around 1pm). On O unless you are in a suite or PH, you wait. Cabin not available until 3pm. Truly annoying after you've paid big bucks even if it is "only" a verandah. 

AZ has most drinks included. 

Chargeable on O. Gratuities included on AZ. Extra on O. Combined with a higher initial per diem on O ended up with a $180 PER DAY higher cost on O. No way worth anything more let alone nearly $5000 more. 

After 4 very good sailings on O , 1 so-so and this one just not satisfying at all, it's 6 and done with O. Have 4 more booked on AZ ( as well as several other lines). 

[Hawaiidan]

16 hours ago, clo said:

Superb piece of writing, sir. Thank you.

Thanks....I have my moments........

[Hawaiidan]

7 hours ago, ECCruise said:

Since we have pretty contemporary experience on both lines, will chime in. 

25 days on Insignia 6 weeks ago. 26 days on Quest as we speak. Both semi unique itineraries: Insignia RT Amazon river to Manaus from Miami. Quest Cape Town East Africa to Dubai Indian Ocean. Both virtually the shame R class ship. Both extensively refitted in the last 2 years. 

Had sailed O 5 times prior to this sailing.  AZ 4 imes prior, all a bit longer 12+ days) sailings so no stranger to either. 

Our assessment?  Each line has strengths and weaknesses but overall Azamara a far better fit for us. 

The food is a notch better on O in the 

MDR. Buffet a wash although hate having to be served on O. Crew levels are low so you often have to wait for something as simple as a bowl of soup. Specialty restaurants better on O and no extra cost. 

Cabin refurbishment nicer on O since theirs was even more extensive than AZ. 

From there everything tilts strongly AZ for us. Crew engagement and friendliness night and day so service totally different. Our take on Insignia customer facing staff?  Cold to the point of approaching surly. Getting a cup of coffee in the morning was often a test of wills with crew seeming to ignore you, either by intention or simply not engaged. 

Communication from Senior staff and officers weak at best on O. Plenty of marketing communication though including CD announcements in the MDR. During dinner service. 

 

All cabin categories check in at the same time on AZ. Staterooms all available at the same time (around 1pm). On O unless you are in a suite or PH, you wait. Cabin not available until 3pm. Truly annoying after you've paid big bucks even if it is "only" a verandah. 

AZ has most drinks included. 

Chargeable on O. Gratuities included on AZ. Extra on O. Combined with a higher initial per diem on O ended up with a $180 PER DAY higher cost on O. No way worth anything more let alone nearly $5000 more. 

After 4 very good sailings on O , 1 so-so and this one just not satisfying at all, it's 6 and done with O. Have 4 more booked on AZ ( as well as several other lines). 

Wonderful comments... but they really only apply to you... I would suspect others experience and opinions might vary wildly...  Not that yours are bad or invalid , just only truly accurate to your take.

This is inherent to each and every review.   People need to stop and think am I him?  Or is he me? 

Worth pondering is it not...........

[ECCruise]

2 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

Wonderful comments... but they really only apply to you... I would suspect others experience and opinions might vary wildly...  Not that yours are bad or invalid , just only truly accurate to your take.

This is inherent to each and every review.   People need to stop and think am I him?  Or is he me? 

Worth pondering is it not...........

Obviously that is always the case. Whether commenting on a movie or music or a restaurant or a cruise experience. How else would anyone comment?

[Hawaiidan]

2 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

Obviously that is always the case. Whether commenting on a movie or music or a restaurant or a cruise experience. How else would anyone comment?

I think the old saying is " trust everyone, but count your own cards"  is salient here.

[Paulchili]

33 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

I think the old saying is " trust everyone, but count your own cards"  is salient here.

Or YMMV 😀

[spiritoftravel]

On 11/22/2017 at 2:35 PM, sabrefan said:

Interested in hearing from cruisers who have been on both Oceania and Azamara regarding how they compare.

We have just come back from a 15 night cruise, have to say so glad we are booked with O next year. I appreciate we are all different and some people love Azamara, they do some things very well, but for me the people on O are friendly, the staff just as friendly, if you cruise a lot with A I think the officers and staff do get to know you but as a returning customer after 10 years they were no more friendly than O. Yes they do stay a long time in ports of call and do one overnight, but the ship normally leaves at lunchtime. 

The food on O is 100% better, unless it has gone downhill in 2 years, most of the food on A is cheap with an occasional exception only 2 of the meals my family had were memorable and none of my vegetarian food was nice. 

Still I did manage to loose weight!! For me it is O. Hope this helps. 

[Mura]

 

Every cruise line has its fans who think it's the bee's knees.  For us, that line is Oceania but even the lowliest of the mass market lines has fans who think it is the best.  We all have our own reasons for why we make that judgment.

 

Nothing wrong with that.  We haven't sailed on Azamara although I did check it out a few times.  (Just didn't find an itinerary we wanted.)  I have a cousin who is loyal to Azamara and has loved her cruises with them.  She might love Oceania if she tried it ... then again, maybe she wouldn't.

 

[Hawaiidan]

On 2/28/2020 at 10:41 AM, Paulchili said:

Or YMMV 😀

Ok.... I lost my code book and the cypher on the enigima machine is broken... what the heck is  YMMV?

A secret ?   What is it you can't say?

[Paulchili]

1 minute ago, Hawaiidan said:

Ok.... I lost my code book and the cypher on the enigima machine is broken... what the heck is  YMMV?

A secret ?   What is it you can't say?

Your Mileage May Vary 😀

[Hawaiidan]

1 minute ago, Paulchili said:

Your Mileage May Vary 😀

Still confused....how was automobile gas millage equate  to opinions on cruise ship experience ??????????

[Paulchili]

36 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

Still confused....how was automobile gas millage equate  to opinions on cruise ship experience ??????????

That expression (YMMV) started with automobile gas mileage but is now widely used to say that your experience may vary (from others').

For example - I love Oceania (or Azamara) but YMMV (i.e. you may not like it).

https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-ymmv-2483722

You need to get out more 😀

Edited March 1, 2020 by Paulchili

[ORV]

It's an analogy that means that your experience or perception might be different from others. 

[Rob the Cruiser]

46 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

Still confused....how was automobile gas millage equate  to opinions on cruise ship experience ??????????

 

Have another cup of coffee. A big one.