Once you try Oceania, do you ever go back to Celebrity?

[Ken the cruiser]

10 hours ago, StanandJim said:

Funny, in the thread about the Allura Class, somebody was extolling the "life" and "light" which all of that activity brings to those Atriums.  

We were recently on the Eclipse for 25 days and the atrium definitely came alive many of the evenings. They had the Silent Disco there and then Jayne Curry, a fantastic performer, gave impromptu performances a few nights there as well. But, usually the events were over by 11 PM at the latest. But, I would imagine if you like to retire early having a cabin near the updraft of the atrium would not be the best place to be.

[StanandJim]

29 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

They had the Silent Disco there

Those Silent Disco's are all the rage at Weddings here in the Northeast-

I finally know what my cousins have been saying for all of these years.  

The BEST IDEA EVER!!!

[Ken the cruiser]

6 minutes ago, StanandJim said:

Those Silent Disco's are all the rage at Weddings here in the Northeast-

I finally know what my cousins have been saying for all of these years.  

The BEST IDEA EVER!!!

They're a hoot to watch too! We were a couple decks up watching the folks below who were dancing to 3 different types of songs, depending on which color of headphones they had on.

[sammiedawg]

On 1/10/2019 at 7:36 PM, Paulchili said:

I feel the same way about Princess. We go for a unique itinerary, get Elite benefits, pay significantly less but most importantly know what to expect and are realistic about it.

That said, O is our favorite by far.

 

Same here,  we have done Princess Alaska multiple times and every couple of years we do another one.  But we mostly stick to Coral Princess,  which has the best passenger space ratio in the fleet.  Combined with a cruisetour it is a great trip.  Every time I’m in Glacier Bay I feel blessed and totally enjoy the serenity. 

Food in the dining room is fairly good , not great but we don’t expect great for the price paid.  The specialty restaurants for a fee are pretty good.  

We did one Oceania Alaska,  it was fine but we missed Glacier Bay. 

[Iamthesea]

On 1/11/2019 at 9:31 PM, Paulchili said:

It’s interesting how different things bother different people. While I am not particularly fond of some (but not all) Oceania CDs using the PA system to excess, it would not stop me from cruising on Oceania. There are more important things I care about on a cruise.

OTOH, I remember sailing on the Solstice and could to my annoynment hear every single word of a song sung loudly in the atrium around 11:30 PM and beyond in my cabin several decks above. There are so many closed venues on Solstice where music could go on as loudly as desired till early hours of the morning, if desired, why do it in a public space like the atrium where you cannot escape it even in your cabin. It wasn’t the only time this happened either.

Now, that (along with some other things I didn’t care for) did stop me from sailing on X again.

Different strokes....🙂

 

I don't understand the complaint about the atrium noise on the Solstice class ships.  We have stayed in the 1A staterooms many times on those ships.  The 1A's are just off of the atrium area.  The area, stairs and elevators are blocked off from the stateroom halls by automatic sliding glass doors.  We have never heard noise while in our staterooms from the atrium.   Perhaps if you are closer than we were on Deck 9, you could hear something.  But as someone else mentioned, the entertainment in the atrium ends at a decent time.  I think the loudest it has ever been in there is when Celebrity has ABBA night. 

 

To answer the OP's question...We have tried Oceania and gone back to Celebrity.  Tried Oceania a second time, and went right back to Celebrity. 🤗  Not sure if we will go for a 3rd time on Oceania.  It will depend on the iteniary and the value compared to Celebrity or another cruiseline like HAL.  

[Paulchili]

Are you saying that I am making this up? Decent time at night is a rather subjective measurement of time.

Not only did I hear every single word of the song at 11:30 PM while in bed trying to go to sleep but I called the desk to inquire when this ruckus will finally stop.

Edited January 13, 2019 by Paulchili

[Iamthesea]

  Nowhere did I say you were making it up.  I said that I did not understand you hearing noise, as we have never heard it as high as Deck 9.  On lower decks, the noise could very well be present.  Although I do not recall reading any complaints about this on the Celebrity board.  Anyway, I am not getting into further debate as this is the Oceania forum.   

Edited January 14, 2019 by Iamthesea

[Go-Bucks!]

2 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

I don't understand the complaint about the atrium noise on the Solstice class ships.  We have stayed in the 1A staterooms many times on those ships.  The 1A's are just off of the atrium area.  The area, stairs and elevators are blocked off from the stateroom halls by automatic sliding glass doors.  We have never heard noise while in our staterooms from the atrium.    

 

I've had 2 cabins right off the Atrium (on Reflection and Silhouette) and the loud music and partying was very bothersome.  Too bad they can't figure out somewhere else to hold their shindigs.  🎤   🎸  🥁 

[Flatbush Flyer]

On 1/12/2019 at 2:08 PM, sammiedawg said:

 

Same here,  we have done Princess Alaska multiple times and every couple of years we do another one.  But we mostly stick to Coral Princess,  which has the best passenger space ratio in the fleet.  Combined with a cruisetour it is a great trip.  Every time I’m in Glacier Bay I feel blessed and totally enjoy the serenity. 

Food in the dining room is fairly good , not great but we don’t expect great for the price paid.  The specialty restaurants for a fee are pretty good.  

We did one Oceania Alaska,  it was fine but we missed Glacier Bay. 

But, I assume, you went "up close and personal" with the Hubbard Glacier on Oceania- a far different experience and (IMO) far better.

If you prefer Celebrity, why keep trying Oceania? Don't worry, O has plenty of repeat business and will never go wanting.

Edited January 14, 2019 by Flatbush Flyer

[Go-Bucks!]

On 1/12/2019 at 5:08 PM, sammiedawg said:

Same here,  we have done Princess Alaska multiple times and every couple of years we do another one.  But we mostly stick to Coral Princess

 

I agree...I think Princess is the best in Alaska.  Carnival Corp even bought the White Pass & Yukon railroad.  And Princess has the train and lodges for a great cruisetour up to Denali. 

 

But that doesn't mean that O can't do a good Alaska cruise....to each his own.   

[edgee]

44 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

But, I assume, you went "up close and personal" with the Hubbard Glacier on Oceania- a far different experience and (IMO) far better.

If you prefer Celebrity, why keep trying Oceania? Don't worry, O has plenty of repeat business and will never go wanting.

I totally agree with previous poster that there is nothing like Glacier Bay. Just returned from a Crystal cruise and enjoyed Hubbard Glacier, but it was our first Alaska cruise without Glacier Bay and we really missed it.

[sammiedawg]

16 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

But, I assume, you went "up close and personal" with the Hubbard Glacier on Oceania- a far different experience and (IMO) far better.

If you prefer Celebrity, why keep trying Oceania? Don't worry, O has plenty of repeat business and will never go wanting.

 

I said nothing about celebrity as we haven’t been on that line in ages.

I praised the Princess Alaska program.   Also said I missed Glacier Bay when we did the Oceania Alaska cruise.  I am already a repeat Oceania customer but I give credit where credit is due. 

[lais]

20 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

 

I don't understand the complaint about the atrium noise on the Solstice class ships.  We have stayed in the 1A staterooms many times on those ships.  The 1A's are just off of the atrium area.  The area, stairs and elevators are blocked off from the stateroom halls by automatic sliding glass doors.  We have never heard noise while in our staterooms from the atrium.   Perhaps if you are closer than we were on Deck 9, you could hear something.  But as someone else mentioned, the entertainment in the atrium ends at a decent time.  I think the loudest it has ever been in there is when Celebrity has ABBA night. 

 

There aren’t any  sliding glass doors on Reflection  

 

[ano]

On 1/10/2019 at 2:51 PM, ilikewhatisgood said:

Once you try Azamara, Crystal, Oceania, do you ever go back to Celebrity? Or should I expect the luxury cruise to make me never want to cruise Celebrity again?

Hmmm.. So after many Carnival, Royal, Norwegian, and Princess cruises, we were very sick of the Nickel-and-Diming, in addition to many other factors, so people said, try Celebrity. We did, and really I didn't see it to be anything different than the others. So now its Oceania.  If this doesn't turn out to be better, then its probably our last cruise, and we will be doing ground tours after this.

 

So far what I have heard here about management's lack of concern for problems, missed ports, the condition of 20 year old ships, and the "class system" when making dinner reservations and this don't have me very hopeful. But wish us luck on our first of many Oceania cruises, or our last cruise ever. We shall see.

 

(We may try Virgin Voyages if this line is truly different.)

 

 

 

Edited January 15, 2019 by ano

[StanandJim]

After what you have experienced on the Mass Market Lines, Oceania will seem like a dream.

We liked it so well that after 20 years as loyal HAL passengers we jumped ship leaving a free cruise and all of those  lovely loyalty points on the table.

 

 

[wr2next]

So we have taken 6 Oceania cruises, 4 on the "O" ships Marina and Riviera and 2 on the "R" ships Insignia and Nautica.   I have also taken 2 Celebrity cruises, both on the Solstice.   I also have 2 cruises currently scheduled.  One on the Solstice and one on the Marina.   As additional background we are suite customers on both.

With that said, there are things on both lines that l like and some that I don't.   I'll try and do my best to highlight the things on each I like and the things I dislike as fairly as I can and based only my experiences. 

The experience on Solstice and that on Marina and Rivera are are much closer to each other than to Solstice and the R class ships due to the size and the number of restaurants and things to do, so I'll try and highlight pros and cons on that.

 

Pro's on Celebrity:

- the restaurants Luminae and Sky for suite customers are great.  Food is on par with the Oceania restaurants and the service as also been way more personalized

- Same with the other specialty restaurants.  Food is great and easy to get into although you have to pay (that will be a plus on Oceania)

-I love the Solarium pool area on Celebrity.   When the weather is bad or ya just want out of the sun, its awesome

-Access to the ships Captain and executive staff is way better.   They are out front and greeting passengers all the time. The executive staff all greeted me by my name every time they saw us after they met us the first time

- Ships shore excursions...   of course anything is better than Oceania....  Just sayin......

 

Pro's for Oceania:

-Cooking classes and shore excursion food experiences.  (Not to be confused with standard shore excursions.)   So much fun!!!

-For suite customers, butlers are WAY more attentive and provide way more service.

- Food in Grand Dining room as well as the Terrace cafe as well as the experience in both venues is much better,..   My wife refused to go to the buffet in the morning on Celebrity.   It's a zoo....

- Red Ginger Spicy Duck and Watermelon Salad...   May be worth booking Oceania in and of itself... Just sayin.  

- No one bugging you all day to buy a drink package...  PRICELESS

- Somewhat related as above, not getting nickeled and dimed for water and soda...

- no add-ons for specialty restaurants

- Wine options on the Oceania are way better and the ability to carry wine and alcohol onboard is great!!

 

Soooooo,  To answer your original question would I go back to Celebrity after Oceania...  Yes I would, I'd go back to both.   Are they both great experiences, yes.   Are they different, Yes.   but at the end of the day I like them both for different reasons and will continue to do both based on itinerary.   I dont view this as an either/or question, but it an "and" question.   IMHO..

 

 

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

8 hours ago, ano said:

Hmmm.. So after many Carnival, Royal, Norwegian, and Princess cruises, we were very sick of the Nickel-and-Diming, in addition to many other factors, so people said, try Celebrity. We did, and really I didn't see it to be anything different than the others. So now its Oceania.  If this doesn't turn out to be better, then its probably our last cruise, and we will be doing ground tours after this.

 

So far what I have heard here about management's lack of concern for problems, missed ports, the condition of 20 year old ships, and the "class system" when making dinner reservations and this don't have me very hopeful. But wish us luck on our first of many Oceania cruises, or our last cruise ever. We shall see.

 

(We may try Virgin Voyages if this line is truly different.)

 

 

 

It will be interesting to hear your opinion after you return from an Oceania ship. That said:

 

The earlier window for food reservations are only pre-cruise. Once onboard, everyone has equal access to an unlimited number of extra reservations.

Old ships? Oceania acquired the Ocean Princess from Princess several years ago and spent $40 million to turn it into Sirena. All four of the R ships are currently in line for total interior redecoration (Insignia is already done). Two brand new ships are due (in 2022 and 2025).

Responsive management? Best I've ever experienced. And an average 70+% repeat customers certainly trumps the few complaints you hear on CC.

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.....

Just report back and also let us know what additional Oceania cruises you booked onboard.

[ano]

I will do. Its not til April though.

 

I guess I'm a bit jaded by the mainstream lines because we have been cruising 25 years, and the experience today is NOTHING like it was 25 years ago.  I guess those just starting to cruise today have an advantage because they have never experienced how it used to be. I'm optimistic about Oceania.

[Flatbush Flyer]

5 minutes ago, ano said:

I will do. Its not til April though.

 

I guess I'm a bit jaded by the mainstream lines because we have been cruising 25 years, and the experience today is NOTHING like it was 25 years ago.  I guess those just starting to cruise today have an advantage because they have never experienced how it used to be. I'm optimistic about Oceania.

Our first cruise was in the mid-80's. I expect that  Oceania will impress you -even exceed your fond memories of day-of-yore.

[ORV]

Ah, the good ol days, just ain't like the used to be. 

 

These are the good ol days, enjoy them. 

[Paulchili]

14 minutes ago, ORV said:

These are the good ol days, enjoy them. 

Indeed.

While there are no more midnight buffets of mediocre food, there is plenty of excellent food throughout the day to keep us happy on Oceania.

Enjoy.

Edited January 16, 2019 by Paulchili

[bitob]

I used to say I sail both lines and I like both lines for different reasons.

IMO the food on Celebrity (other than in Luminae) has gone downhill so much that we have taken our last cruise on Celebrity despite having status that gets us perks.  I no longer like the ambiance on Celebrity.  The entertainment is no longer appealing.  The musical productions are no longer stellar.

 

I still like Oceania.  I like the ambiance most of all.  But truth be told I have become Crystallized to the extent that I am only a few cruises away from a free O cruise and I probably won't book those 2 extra cruises to get the free one.  That's how much we love Crystal.

 

Times change.  Cruise lines change.  Tastes change.  Priorities change.

 

If you enjoy a cruise line then sail it.  If you do not, you have many other options.

Edited January 16, 2019 by bitob

[Loracpin2]

The OP asked the question and, I will give an honest answer based on our personal experience. 

 

After 37 cruises, with 27 on Celebrity, we took our first Oceania cruise in July 2018 on the Marina to the British Isles.  I was so excited to finally experience an Oceania Cruise and was very disappointed. Yes the Ship is beautiful, our Concierge class room was beautifully appointed, and access to the CC lounge was very nice benefit but all the hype about the food, particularly in the Specialty restaurants, was far below expectations. IMO, food in the Terrace Café was better than our experience in both the Polo Grill and Jacques. I won't go into the detail but the many Oceania loyalists on our Roll Call and who we dined with nightly, admitted since ownership was moved to NCL, dining was the biggest impacted change. 

The one other issue we did not like was there was no covering over either the outdoor pool or the Spa Terrace hot tub.....something that is very much needed when crossing the North Atlantic. In addition, two of the three ship's tours we booked, were extreme disappointments. Fortunately the remaining four were booked with private tours. 

 

 

 

[Granny DI]

Not going back to Azamara or Crystal. Have booked Oceania in 2020 for a Cuba Cruise. Enjoyed the Regatta years ago. 

[Petoonya]

My vote. I was done for after I first tried O about 14 years ago. Did a few more Celebrity cruises here and there along with more O. But the last Celebrity cruise on Silhouette about 7 years ago ended our friendship with those 2500 passenger beasts. On the R ships we love the size, amenities, service, dining, closeness to the water, space, and comfortable atmosphere. Cost has always been a factor but we'd rather cruise less and enjoy O than cruise on a small city of a Celebrity ship.

Edited January 22, 2019 by Petoonya