First Time Oceania Cruise Review - Comparison of Owners Suite to the Top Suite on HAL

[Torquer]

We finished our first cruise on Oceania (O) after a number of cruises on Holland America (HAL) ships. I thought others might find a review interesting in comparing the Oceania Riviera Owners Suite (OS) with the top suite on HAL, their Pinnacle Suite (PS). This review is mainly about the top suite experience, but we also mention other issues between HAL and O. Sorry for the long post, but didn't want to leave anything out.

 

Background - We are a family of four that have always cruised together. Right now, my wife and I are in our mid-50s, and our two sons are 20-ish. Our first cruise was 7 years ago.

 

For those that don’t know, there are one or two top suites called Pinnacle Suites (PS) on HAL ships. They are on the side of the ship, typically mid-ship. There is a next lower level suite called Neptune Suites that have some of the same privileges and amenities as PS, and of course, many other types of lesser suites and rooms. On our first cruise, we got a good deal on the PS level, and after that, we could never go with anything but the top-level suite.

 

Price and Pre-cruise - It is difficult to compare prices on the top suites on different lines for different cruises, since there are many variables. I would say that Oceania was somewhat more expensive for the suite, but not enough to be a difference maker, compared to HAL.

 

However, there was one issue that affected us which, granted, will not impact many other people. The Pinnacle Suite on HAL sleeps four people; in addition to the master bedroom, there is a queen-size bed that folds out from a cabinet in the wall in the living room (it is actually quite comfortable). On HAL, typically the 3rd and 4th guests in a room are free or nearly free, and you only have to pay port charges for these guests. On O, we had to buy an interior room for our sons which cost over $4,000 (for the two), versus a typical $1,000 (for the two) on HAL. Our sons only slept in their room and spent all the days in our huge Owners Suite. So this is a significant difference, but it only affects a family like us.

 

We did not do O-life or air. We found airfare cheaper booking ourselves, especially with the custom air surcharge to get the flights we wanted. We generally, don’t use ship shore excursions because we like smaller tours that are usually also cheaper. I must say that the O shore excursions seemed even more overpriced than HAL’s.

 

We also were impressed with the personalized printed cruise guide O mailed to us. On HAL, they give you a personalized PDF that you have to print yourself.

 

Embarkation - On HAL, the two top-level suites guests have a separate processing line and then wait in a separate, and nicer waiting room with drinks and snacks until it is time to board. The PS suite guests are then personally escorted aboard the ship by the concierge or another manager, before any other guests board. On one cruise, when we arrived in our suite, there was a lineup including the hotel manager, hospitality manager, and a ship officer, waiting to greet us. This always made us feel very special.

 

On O, of course we could board early with the other three types of top suites, but there was none of the personal treatment we were used to.

 

The Suite - On HAL, the PS suites range from 1150 to 1300 square feet compared to 2000 on the O-class ships. They have a similar number of rooms compared to the OS (except only one walk-in closet instead of two...not sure we really needed two), but each room is a little smaller.

 

The OS used Ralph Lauren as the decorator and it looks beautiful. On the other hand, HAL’s PS suites have old original artwork (1600s-1800s) in them which is quite impressive...like being in your private art museum.

 

One big difference is the large entry foyer room in the OS. We thought we wouldn’t use this much but actually spent a lot of time there on a couple sea days looking out the huge windows when it was either too wet or too hot on the balcony. The piano was very nice; from other reviews, I expected a Yamaha baby grand, but it was actually a Roland electronic piano in a baby grand cabinet. This makes sense due to the need to constantly tune a real piano on a moving ship; our son got MIDI files to play on it so we had hundreds of piano pieces playing constantly. The sound of the piano was actually quite good.

 

The other big difference is the balconies. The two balconies on O are twice as big as the balcony on HAL. It was great to be able to walk from port to starboard and see things on both side of the ship (but I wish you could walk directly instead of having to go inside to go from one balcony to the other). The whirlpool on the balcony is bigger on HAL than O and accommodates an extra person (but some smaller HAL ships don’t even have a whirlpool on the balcony, nor do O’s R-class ships) . OTOH, the TV above the OS balcony whirlpool was great. Both have a table big enough for a meal for 4 persons.

 

The master bathroom on HAL is slightly smaller than on O. Depending on your tastes, the gold-plated fixtures and sinks on HAL are either really cool or just plain gaudy. The shower on HAL is ridiculously small even though there is room for a much larger one; the tile shower in the OS is much nicer. Both have bidets, which we have never used, except to wash our feet after being on the balcony. On O, the glass door between the main bathroom and toilet/bidet really should be replaced with a solid door. The foyer bathrooms are similar, except the one in the OS has a shower (who would use this if the room only sleeps 2?).

 

The one real problem we had in the OS was the vibrations/rattling from the chandelier in the bedroom ceiling (the one you see in Oceania’s photograph of the suite). It was very loud at night when the seas were not calm. My wife could not sleep; she said it sounded like a helicopter overhead. Our butler stuffed towels in a crack between the chandelier and the ceiling which improved it; he says everyone complains about this in all the OS suites. This is a maintenance problem that really should be fixed even if it means ripping the ceiling apart. I was surprised I never read about this in any reviews.

 

The PS on HAL has a butlers pantry (I guess if you provide your own butler). There is a large refrigerator there (much bigger than mini-bar size) along with a microwave. This is very nice and nothing like this on O. Both suites have high quality crystal, silverware, and table linens to use in the suite.

 

The media server for movies was impressive on O; you have to borrow DVDs from their library on HAL. On HAL you can route the bridge/cruise director audio to the balcony speakers, which is very useful when there is on-going commentary for a scenic cruising area; there is no way we found to do that O. Both suites have overly-complex lighting controls; it seems that only as the cruise ends do we figure out which switch works which lights and how the lighting themes work.

 

Both suites are truly impressive and almost everyone will be happy with either, but I have to say that the OS on Oceania is clearly superior. BTW, based on the pictures I have seen, I don’t think we would be happy in the OS suites on the R-class ships (seems too small and lack of whirlpool on the balcony is a big issue for us), but the O-class OS is wonderful.

 

Butler versus HAL Concierge - Our butler on O was fantastic and answered all our questions and made all the arrangements you would expect. He always provided our room service breakfasts and a couple lunches promptly and professionally. On the other hand the concierges in the Executive and Concierge Lounges were pretty worthless; they were seldom there and could not help us the two times we asked for something.

 

On HAL, there are no butlers, but the concierge in the Neptune Lounge (which is only for the top two levels suites) has always been extremely useful. They answer all questions and handle all reservations and other requests professionally; from what we have seen, they also seem to pay extra attention to the PS guests over the Neptune Suite guests. On HAL, we have never had to visit the normal hotel registration desk since the concierge could handle everything for us; on O, we had to wait in line with everyone else 3 times at the registration desk. The Neptune Lounge itself on HAL, is twice as big as the Executive Lounge on O; in addition it feels nicer appointed and has better snacks available than the Executive Lounge.

 

Food - Overall, I thought the food was better on O than HAL, although I’m not sure my wife and sons would agree.

 

We generally liked the specialty restaurants on O and ate at these 6 times. Except for me, my family does not like spicy food. At Red Ginger the soup was very spicy even though it didn’t have the little symbol saying it was; that really turned off my wife and sons. All of us really liked Toscana.

 

HAL only has one real specialty restaurant on most ships (I don’t consider the Caneletto worthy of the title specialty restaurant) and there is a charge, so we eat in the main dining room much of the time. On HAL as PS guests, the matre d’ always asks us to pick the table we want throughout the cruise (on two cruises we had a table for 6 with only us 4 using it because it had the best view). Therefore, we develop a nice rapport with the waiters who we see every night, which didn’t happen on O, although all the O waiters were very friendly. On HAL, they pretty much reserve our table for the entire evening so it doesn’t matter when we show up for dinner.

 

We noticed that on HAL, the larger tables are by the windows, but on O, it is almost exclusively tables for 2 by the window. So we didn’t get the best seats on O; however, someday when my wife and I cruise without our sons we will appreciate the table for 2 set-up on O.

 

HAL typically has two or three formal nights for a 10-day cruise; O is country club casual always. My wife does like the formal nights on HAL, but having to take suits along for us 3 men nearly fills an entire suitcase with just the formal clothes.

 

On HAL, the top two level suites can have breakfast in the specialty restaurant. The food is the same as the main dining room, but the exclusivity and better service is a nice touch. Nothing like this on O.

 

Alcohol - On HAL, we have always booked a cruise when they have an “Explore 4” sale going on. This includes 4 amenities, one of which is a beverage package for each guest. You can get beer, mixed drinks, and house wine at any bar or restaurant on the ship for no charge. However, you can not get free drinks through room service, which is a drawback. This package is available to all guests, not just top suites, when they have the Explore 4 sale going on.

 

As part of the OS on Oceania, we had the 6 bottles of wine and liquor in the suite. It is also not mentioned, but your butler provides any beer carried on the ship in your refrigerator...just ask; this is unlimited and not part of the 6 bottles they advertise. However, you have to pay for alcohol anywhere else on the ship, but all non-alcoholic beverages are free on O, unlike HAL. So although we did spend a lot of time relaxing on our balcony and in our suite, there is no way we could finish 6 bottles of wine/liquor in our suite. I would have preferred just two bottles in the suite, with a couple hundred dollars of credit for alcohol at other venues on the ship.

 

Entertainment - HAL has great entertainment aboard and the productions in their “Mainstage” have been impressive. The showroom is three decks high and includes balcony seating, in addition to the main floor.

 

Frankly, I had low expectations on our first Oceania cruise. However, I was very pleasantly surprised and the entertainment far exceeded my expectations. The singers and dancers were all top-notch, and the band was also very good. Actually, I ended up liking the more intimate venue in the showroom. I also liked how the entertainers on O participated in other shipboard activities.

 

Oceania had a really excellent string quartet, if you like classical music, which we do. Years ago, HAL also had a string quartet, but in recent years, they have gone with a violin/piano duo (which are also quite good).

 

Tendering and Disembarkation - On HAL, they advertise that PS suite guests have priority tendering. You just bypass the line and show them your room key and get on.

 

We never saw this mentioned on Oceania for OS guests. However, we asked our butler and he told us you just go to a certain stairs, show them your owners suite room key, and they let you on immediately. So this also worked fine for us, but O should mention this amenity; we were worried we would have to wait an hour to get a ticket and board the tender.

 

During disembarkation, on HAL the PS guests can stay in the suite until your disembarkation time. Although this wasn’t advertised on O, our butler said we could do it too.

 

Other Things - On HAL, they have a cocktail party for the PS and Neptune Suite guests with the captain, officers and cruise director. It is a setting where you can actually have a conversation with them, rather than just shake their hand and say hello. We missed not having this on O.

 

HAL offers a “behind-the-scenes” ship tour on each cruise where you see the bridge, kitchens, engine room, crew areas, etc. They normally charge a couple hundred dollars for this. On our last cruise on HAL, they had a tour like this for the PS suite guests, complimentary. We loved it and was the highlight of our cruise. Nothing like this on O.

 

On HAL you get fresh flowers in the suite, replaced when necessary. No flowers on O.

 

On HAL, PS suites get unlimited free laundry. Plus you get it returned the next day and sometimes the same day. On O, you only get 3 free bags, and it took 3 days to get each one back. Not sure how it can take so long and why they can’t give priority to OS guests. This is important for a family of 4 on a 10-day or longer cruise since unlimited laundry can save having to take an extra suitcase.

 

In addition to the blue Oceania tote bag, we were surprised to get a white cloth Oceania logo beach towel bag and two large white Oceania logo beach towels to keep (not the blue ones that everyone can use ashore). Very nice for a Caribbean cruise with beaches. On HAL you just get a HAL logo tote bag. On O, we also got two free Oceania logo hats in our suite...never saw that mentioned.

 

We were very impressed with the internet on O. We had unlimited number of concurrent devices, which was much more than advertised, so our whole family could use the 7 devices we had. Note this was part of the suite itself, since we did not get O-life internet. In addition, it was fast...we were able to make VoIP phone calls and upload/download large files with no problems. OTOH, the laptop that comes with the OS suite was useless since it was locked down such that even web browsing wasn’t acceptable. Internet on HAL is barely usable for anything more than e-mail. It is also not included in the normal suite price, but is often available to everyone when HAL runs promotional sales.

 

In general, the location lecturers on both HAL and O have been excellent. However, on HAL in addition to telling you about the location, they really emphasize selling the ship shore excursions. There was none of that selling on O, which we liked.

 

Summary - A lot of things are different on Oceania compared to HAL. Some things are better, some are not as good. In general, the suite itself is much nicer on O, but HAL makes its top suite guests feel more special.

 

Overall, we loved our first Oceania cruise and we would be happy to do another cruise on Oceania in the OS. However, we would also be happy to do another cruise on HAL in the PS suite. It will all depend on the itinerary and cruise dates.

[Toranut97]

Thanks for your well-reasoned and thoughtful review! For those considering these upper level suites, your evaluations will be very helpful. For the rest of us, you provided a glimpse into a world we will probably never know - and I enjoyed the vicarious experience!

 

Donna

 

 

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[Caroldoll]

Wow, you nailed it. You covered everything except the Prestige Liquor Package on Oceania. We find that it is much less expensive than paying for liquor per glass. You did a superb job! Thanks.

[portofrome]

Thanks so much for your comparisons.

[Jay23]

Great comparison specially for those of us who will never reach those heights of accommodation but are really interested in how the other half live.

 

Just one thing..... The wine that was put in your suite could be taken to the restaurant and if you did not drink a whole bottle at one sitting, it is then stored for you and you ask for it at any of the restaurants on board. Is that not correct?

 

We have never been on HAL, but have been in a Veranda suite and a PH suite on O, and R ships. All accommodations were extremely comfortable and the service excellent. We prefer that Oceania treats all guests the same, and we can enjoy every part of their ships wherever we are "berthed" !!!

[Floridiana]

Thank you for a very fair comparison. We traveled with both lines a few years ago and are now considering a HAL cruise for its itinerary.

 

What I will miss most compared to an Oceania ship: properly spiced food. HAL food reminds me hospitals, it's that bland and uninspired. I will also miss the excellent buffet restaurant of Oceania ships. HAL's buffet was repetitive without the excellent choices provided on Oceania. We have relatives from the Midwest and they like bland food, and please, nothing exotic they have never heard of. :rolleyes:

 

I will also miss Oceania's beds.

[ORV]

Thank you for a very fair comparison. We traveled with both lines a few years ago and are now considering a HAL cruise for its itinerary.

 

What I will miss most compared to an Oceania ship: properly spiced food. HAL food reminds me hospitals, it's that bland and uninspired. I will also miss the excellent buffet restaurant of Oceania ships. HAL's buffet was repetitive without the excellent choices provided on Oceania. We have relatives from the Midwest and they like bland food, and please, nothing exotic they have never heard of. :rolleyes:

 

I will also miss Oceania's beds.

 

Yeah, us Midwesterners sure like to keep it plain. :rolleyes:

 

I’m just not sure where they’re from has to do with it.

[Floridiana]

ORV, that was them saying: "We Midwesterners don't like spicy food." There must be enough passengers of all regions who prefer bland.

[Cruise Junky]

Thank you for a very fair comparison. We traveled with both lines a few years ago and are now considering a HAL cruise for its itinerary.

 

What I will miss most compared to an Oceania ship: properly spiced food. HAL food reminds me hospitals, it's that bland and uninspired. I will also miss the excellent buffet restaurant of Oceania ships. HAL's buffet was repetitive without the excellent choices provided on Oceania. We have relatives from the Midwest and they like bland food, and please, nothing exotic they have never heard of. :rolleyes:

 

I will also miss Oceania's beds.

 

Definitely not limited to the Mid West but I completely agree with you about HAL's food. Bland and tasteless is being kind.

[Paulchili]

Thank you for a very fair comparison. We traveled with both lines a few years ago and are now considering a HAL cruise for its itinerary.

 

What I will miss most compared to an Oceania ship: properly spiced food. HAL food reminds me hospitals, it's that bland and uninspired. I will also miss the excellent buffet restaurant of Oceania ships. HAL's buffet was repetitive without the excellent choices provided on Oceania. We have relatives from the Midwest and they like bland food, and please, nothing exotic they have never heard of. :rolleyes:

 

I will also miss Oceania's beds.

 

(Underlining is mine)

For me, the HAL would have to sail to the moon to give up Oceania for HAL.

BTW, what unique itinerary is it?

Edited January 26, 2018 by Paulchili

[Flatbush Flyer]

Definitely not limited to the Mid West but I completely agree with you about HAL's food. Bland and tasteless is being kind.

 

 

 

Amen. HAL food is well known for being reminiscent of Golden Corral. OTOH, Oceania is often lauded by critical reviewers (e.g., Condé Nast Traveler, Food and Wine) as the "best food at sea."

 

 

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[Floridiana]

(Underlining is mine)

For me, the HAL would have to sail to the moon to give up Oceania for HAL.

BTW, what unique itinerary is it?

 

They are sailing Los Angeles - Los Angeles around the Pacific Rim.

 

As to food, I need to lose weight - my doctor said.

[Paulchili]

They are sailing Los Angeles - Los Angeles around the Pacific Rim.

 

As to food, I need to lose weight - my doctor said.

 

Thanks - nice itinerary but I am not tempted enough. If I am motivated enough, I can lose weight at home for free - I prefer to eat well on the cruise (where I spend lots of money) :D

Enjoy

Edited January 26, 2018 by Paulchili

[Floridiana]

Thank you. I will think of Oceania food ...

[Go-Bucks!]

OTOH, the laptop that comes with the OS suite was useless since it was locked down such that even web browsing wasn’t acceptable.

Are you meaning that the laptop was secured (bolted) to the desk so that it can't be moved? Or that it was programed to not allow anything to be done on it? I'm confused. We'll have a laptop in a PH suite on our next cruise so would like to know what you are meaning. Thx!

[Go-Bucks!]

We prefer that Oceania treats all guests the same, and we can enjoy every part of their ships...

I agree. Perks are nice for certain cabin categories, but it's also great that no matter what price you pay, you get great food and can enjoy most all of the areas of the ship.

[Torquer]

Are you meaning that the laptop was secured (bolted) to the desk so that it can't be moved? Or that it was programed to not allow anything to be done on it? I'm confused. We'll have a laptop in a PH suite on our next cruise so would like to know what you are meaning. Thx!

 

No it was not bolted to the desk. It was a very nice Lenovo laptop. However, the security software installed on it we oppressive. The only thing you could do was open the Internet Explorer browser; no other programs could be run. Even Javascript was disabled and no videos would even play in the web browser.

 

My son is a computer science major, and just for fun he tried to crack the security on it so we could do other things on it. He could not. I understand the desire to provide a pristine software image for the next guest, but that was ridiculous.

 

Luckily I had my personal laptop and my sons each had tablets. My next cruise on Oceania, I will bring along a thumb drive containing a live Linux image, so I can have fully functional computer using the supplied laptop. Then I won't have to bring along my personal laptop, which would be nice.

[Sea42]

Torquer, do you think we would be able to upload our photos to the cloud using the supplied laptop? It's really the only thing I would need to do on a laptop versus my tablet.

[Torquer]

Torquer, do you think we would be able to upload our photos to the cloud using the supplied laptop? It's really the only thing I would need to do on a laptop versus my tablet.

 

I really don't know. Given how great O's internet worked on our personal laptop/tablets we quickly gave up on the laptop supplied in the suite. Perhaps someone who has really tried to use the O-supplied laptop can answer definitively.

[ORV]

No it was not bolted to the desk. It was a very nice Lenovo laptop. However, the security software installed on it we oppressive. The only thing you could do was open the Internet Explorer browser; no other programs could be run. Even Javascript was disabled and no videos would even play in the web browser.

 

My son is a computer science major, and just for fun he tried to crack the security on it so we could do other things on it. He could not. I understand the desire to provide a pristine software image for the next guest, but that was ridiculous.

 

Luckily I had my personal laptop and my sons each had tablets. My next cruise on Oceania, I will bring along a thumb drive containing a live Linux image, so I can have fully functional computer using the supplied laptop. Then I won't have to bring along my personal laptop, which would be nice.

 

Are you sure you can plug a thumb drive in them? I think I’ve read that’s disabled due to virus concerns.

[Mura]

Quite a few years ago I took a thumb drive up to the internet cafe so that I could do SOMETHING -- not sure what it was since I always have my laptop with me. Possibly that was before I brought my laptop with me.

 

But there was no way for me to do it, and the cost to make a copy was prohibitive. I laughed at the attendant when she told me what it would cost.

 

Ever since I just bring my own equipment. Those provided laptops are pretty basic. I am quite sure that you won't be able to use a thumb drive.

 

You might ask your TA or Oceania to be sure.

 

Mura

[Krazy Kruizers]

I don't know when you last sailed on HAL, but on our last couple of cruises, there was no special cocktail parties for the Neptune and Pinnacle Suites with the captain, hotel manager, etc. The cocktail party the first night of the cruise in the Neptune Lounge is with a choice of sparkling wines and really only a chance for the concierges to introduce themselves and explain what all they can do for you.

We mostly book the PS on HAL and have never been asked if we had a special table we wanted in the dining room. That doesn't bother us as we have given up eating in the dining room -- poor service and poor quality of food. We only eat in the Pinnacle and the Tamarind on the ships that have this restaurant.

Do appreciate all the comparisons you made between the 2 cruise lines.

[Torquer]

Are you sure you can plug a thumb drive in them? I think I’ve read that’s disabled due to virus concerns.

 

You certainly can not plug a thumb drive in and have it recognized by Windows on this Laptop; it is too locked down. But if you know what you are doing, you can always boot an operating system (Linux) from a thumb drive on any computer; Windows is not even running to prevent it. It is pretty advanced to be able to prepare the thumb drive specially, but it can be done. The hard drive/SSD in the laptop is not even accessed, and the operating system and programs run off the USB thumb drive. People who are really computer nerds (like us) do this on public hotel computers too.

[Go-Bucks!]

No it was not bolted to the desk. It was a very nice Lenovo laptop. However, the security software installed on it we oppressive. The only thing you could do was open the Internet Explorer browser; no other programs could be run. Even Javascript was disabled and no videos would even play in the web browser.

 

My son is a computer science major, and just for fun he tried to crack the security on it so we could do other things on it. He could not. I understand the desire to provide a pristine software image for the next guest, but that was ridiculous.

 

Luckily I had my personal laptop and my sons each had tablets. My next cruise on Oceania, I will bring along a thumb drive containing a live Linux image, so I can have fully functional computer using the supplied laptop. Then I won't have to bring along my personal laptop, which would be nice.

I'll be taking my own laptop with me and plan to have the butler (or whomever) take the Oceania one out of the cabin. It won't be used and will be taking needed space.

[Paulchili]

I'll be taking my own laptop with me and plan to have the butler (or whomever) take the Oceania one out of the cabin. It won't be used and will be taking needed space.

 

That’s the way to go for most of us “normal” computer people - own laptops or iPads.

Geeks can do their own thing that the rest of us can’t :D