Rare Salf777 Posted August 8, 2019 #1 Share Posted August 8, 2019 Hi All We recently returned from an Italy Intensive Voyage on the Azamara Pursuit. It was our first Azamara cruise and we loved it. In our opinion the whole experience was fantastic. We loved the white party, Amazing evening, and we were at the Best of the Best dinner which was just fantastic. We want to do an Africa sailing in 2021 and we were pretty set on booking Azamara. Our travel agent loves Oceania and Oceania has basically the same itinerary as the Azamara sailing. We have never sailed Oceania. So my question to the more experienced cruisers which do you like better? Why? Pros and cons of each? We are doing a sailing on Oceania in December in the Caribbean just to try it out as we live right in Ft Lauderdale. Some have said you can't judge Oceania by a Caribbean sailing as it the full experience but we figured we could get a feel for a bigger ship (we are sailing on the Rivera) and Oceania Any input appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted August 8, 2019 #2 Share Posted August 8, 2019 You might do better by doing a search here for your topic -- there are several threads (at least) with the same title. I haven't gone on Azamara myself so I won't say anything since if I did it would not be valid. From my readings of comments, though, it appears that Azamara fans really like the friendly relations with the officers. You don't see that so much on Oceania, although it's not something I would seek out so for ME is not important. Food seems to be better on O on average. There are those who prefer the "free" drinks on Azamara whereas you pay on Oceania, whether you have a drink package or just buy by the glass. And there are those who seem to like both lines equally. I'm sure you'll enjoy your cruise. The Caribbean cruise on Riviera certainly should give you a taste of what Oceania is like. As far as we are concerned, we have always found the crew -- from officers down to the lowliest crew -- are as friendly as WE want! I'm sure others with experience on both lines will chime in. Mura 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabrefan Posted August 9, 2019 #3 Share Posted August 9, 2019 I have been on Oceania 4 times, on Riviera twice. I was on Azamara Quest on a Panama Canal transit two years ago. Riviera is a newer and bigger ship that the Pursuit. As a result the ship has more to offer. I think the food overall is slightly better on Oceania. I feel Azamara’s crew was more customer focused. Drinks are complimentary on Azamara where they are not on Oceania. The verandah cabin bathrooms on Azamara are very small and not well laid out. Azamara crew is more visible and they do some unique things like White night and barbecues on deck. If you really wanted to compare the Pursuit to Oceania you should go on Regatta, Nautica or Insignia. However, you will really enjoy Riviera, kind of comparing apples with oranges. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted August 9, 2019 #4 Share Posted August 9, 2019 I agree If comparing cabins & things to do onboard then book one of Oceania's R Ships That said Oceania does not have the White Night parties or the events ashore If you get the prestige Drink package on O then it will be like included drinks on Azamara if you get a good price for Oceania go ahead & give them a try & decide for yourself ...they are NOT Azamara though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redtravel Posted August 9, 2019 #5 Share Posted August 9, 2019 Wrote response on Azamara. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted August 9, 2019 #6 Share Posted August 9, 2019 5 minutes ago, Redtravel said: Wrote response on Azamara. I will comment here O LIFE is separate from the included air You can the air without O LIFE if you choose You can O LIFE without the air if you choose you can CRUISE only prices with NO air & No O life You can take the included air & the O life choices choices 😎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseaholic78 Posted August 9, 2019 #7 Share Posted August 9, 2019 We are quite happy with either cruise line however the itinerary is always very important. That said you really can’t compare tha Riviera to the R ships but as both lines use the smaller ships for South Africa this does not really matter. As you are comparing the two I would like to mention the following: Azamara starts in Cape Town and ends there for three days which means of the 13 cruise days 4 are in Cape Town. It would make more sense in this case to book a few days pre cruise there, the Oceania cruise is longer giving 15 days total which is always good in my books. Pricewise they look similar but you have to take the possible “O”life into consideration and Azamara includes drinks and tips. Finally and most important, if you have the days and the cash why not choose the amazing trip on Oceania Nautica from Cape Town to Singapore 31 days visiting not only South Africa but also Maldives Mauritius and many many more. Needless to say this is the one we chose! Happy planning Rosalyn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redtravel Posted August 9, 2019 #8 Share Posted August 9, 2019 8 hours ago, LHT28 said: I will comment here O LIFE is separate from the included air You can the air without O LIFE if you choose You can O LIFE without the air if you choose you can CRUISE only prices with NO air & No O life You can take the included air & the O life choices choices 😎 I get O prices with O life including air if the total price is less than the 3 components...cruise, excursions( beverages, OBC) , and air. I often book my own air. My next O cruise is on Sirena. Booked cruise only and got my own air. Each time that I book, I do the math. I prefer cruise only and take private excursions. Sometimes it makes more sense to just book everything from O. O excursions are convenient. They are extremely high priced. You can often find less expensive tours. I use the roll call to hook up with other guests who would prefer to book privately. Sharing the cost of an excursion can save you money. In some ports, I book private excursions for the two of us. That way, we control where we go and how much time we stay at each venue. Everyone is different. Access your own needs and book whatever makes the best sense for you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jo-b Posted August 9, 2019 #9 Share Posted August 9, 2019 For us Azamara was a similar experience in most ways to O other than Speciality restaurants, price included in the fare on O, quality and service much higher on O ( our view only) Drinks price higher on O but I hated the “poor relation” status of having to ask for drinks made with included spirits on Azamara as we didn’t take up the premium drink package If you take into account what’s included or not on both lines for the cruises we were looking at Az was way dearer per night. Having said which we got we got a great deal on Christmas cruise on Az this year so happy to go on either, just won’t bother with specialities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Salf777 Posted August 9, 2019 Author #10 Share Posted August 9, 2019 WOW! Thank you all for the input! A lot to consider here. I would love to do the 31 day cruise but unfortunately I cant get away that long. The 4 days in Cape Town on the Azamara cruise is bothering me a bit as we have been there before. What I like about Azamara is that you can take a land tour and stay in a safari camp while the ship is at sea for a day or then fly to meet the ship at the next stop so all you miss is a sea day. I dont know if Oceania does that. Someone hit the nail on the head about the Azamara staff. Thats what we really liked. We enjoy talking with the staff and learning about their life at sea. Plus they have great insight as to places to go and things to do in ports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted August 9, 2019 #11 Share Posted August 9, 2019 Oceania offers land tours or you can ask permission to leave the ship in one port & rejoin it in another As long as it is not in the USA 😉 You can check their offerings for this year as an example https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Africa-cruises/cape-town-to-cape-town-NAU200120/hotels/pre/1/?sr=%2fcruise-finder%2f%23destinations%3dafrica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted August 9, 2019 #12 Share Posted August 9, 2019 I have done Azamara Journey and Oceania Riviera. Much preferred the former. I liked the friendly ambience on Az; the staff were great. I liked the included alcohol and had no problem with the included brands. I hated having to flash my card for drinks on Riviera (we had the prestige package.) Did not like the overall ambience of Riviera; I think I might prefer the R ships, we'll never know because we won't be sailing O any time soon. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nymich Posted August 9, 2019 #13 Share Posted August 9, 2019 14 hours ago, LHT28 said: I will comment here O LIFE is separate from the included air You can the air without O LIFE if you choose You can O LIFE without the air if you choose you can CRUISE only prices with NO air & No O life You can take the included air & the O life choices choices 😎 O k 🙂 BTW you are one of the friendliest and most informative on this board! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the mice Posted August 9, 2019 #14 Share Posted August 9, 2019 I posted my comparision of our Azamara Journey and Oceania Nautica cruises over on the Azamara board, since you posted on both. We like both cruise lines. I will say that our more recent Azamara Journey was not as good as our first, and was lacking in some of the areas that people rave about. But service was excellent. Our Nautica cruise was terrific all the way around. We would sail both again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Salf777 Posted August 9, 2019 Author #15 Share Posted August 9, 2019 3 minutes ago, the mice said: I posted my comparision of our Azamara Journey and Oceania Nautica cruises over on the Azamara board, since you posted on both. We like both cruise lines. I will say that our more recent Azamara Journey was not as good as our first, and was lacking in some of the areas that people rave about. But service was excellent. Our Nautica cruise was terrific all the way around. We would sail both again. Thank you I read all your informative posts. Always amazed at how helpful everyone is here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Cruise Junky Posted August 14, 2019 #16 Share Posted August 14, 2019 I was reading this thread on the Azamara Board. There seems to be a lot of comments that Oceania constantly misses ports? I remember the Circumnavigation of Australia missing a few ,has that become a lot more common? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted August 14, 2019 #17 Share Posted August 14, 2019 1 minute ago, Cruise Junky said: I was reading this thread on the Azamara Board. There seems to be a lot of comments that Oceania constantly misses ports? I remember the Circumnavigation of Australia missing a few ,has that become a lot more common? I believe there was a weather issue but some people do not understand safety over visiting the scheduled ports JMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redtravel Posted August 28, 2019 #18 Share Posted August 28, 2019 I have missed ports on many cruises, not just O.There is usually a good reason. Disappointed? Yes. The worst happened on Windstar in May. We sat out a bomb cyclone in Oporto for 3 days. When we sailed, it was very rough. Many people got sick including crew. It was hard to stand up. We skipped 2 ports and got into Amsterdam late where we disembarked. Cruise lines want to keep the schedule. However, things happen. Accept that and try not to bet too upset if you miss a port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted August 28, 2019 #19 Share Posted August 28, 2019 9 minutes ago, Redtravel said: I have missed ports on many cruises, not just O.There is usually a good reason. Disappointed? Yes. The worst happened on Windstar in May. We sat out a bomb cyclone in Oporto for 3 days. When we sailed, it was very rough. Many people got sick including crew. It was hard to stand up. We skipped 2 ports and got into Amsterdam late where we disembarked. Cruise lines want to keep the schedule. However, things happen. Accept that and try not to bet too upset if you miss a port. There was some nasty weather this spring the TA from NYC to the UK was pretty rough & stuck in Cobh for 2 days instead of 1 but we were safe at the dock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenndale Posted August 28, 2019 #20 Share Posted August 28, 2019 I've sailed on both lines and prefer Oceania, just my particular preference. Prices are better on Oceania and so is the food, IMHO. Staff are friendly on both lines but really not an important factor in my choosing a cruise line. My favourites are Riviera and Marina, not too big or too small. The only way you can decide is try them for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibzy Posted August 28, 2019 #21 Share Posted August 28, 2019 (edited) We have been on every ship of Oceania and generally prefer it Quality of food is probably the major reason Having said that, I’m beginning to think that the extra price you pay for the penthouse suites on O are not worth it. You really get nothing more than the regular rooms except 100 ft.² more. Not worth daily $100-$200pp extra Save your money and buy some of the amenities like two Internet accounts in the room You don’t get it thrown in for the PHs anyways The dealbreaker for us is the itinerary and we would go on either Edited August 28, 2019 by Gibzy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted August 28, 2019 #22 Share Posted August 28, 2019 22 minutes ago, Gibzy said: We have been on every ship of Oceania and generally prefer it Quality of food is probably the major reason Having said that, I’m beginning to think that the extra price you pay for the penthouse suites on O are not worth it. You really get nothing more than the regular rooms except 100 ft.² more. Not worth daily $100-$200pp extra Save your money and buy some of the amenities like two Internet accounts in the room You don’t get it thrown in for the PHs anyways The dealbreaker for us is the itinerary and we would go on either It's worth it if you're feeling like the walls are closing in on you in a regular cabin. They are far too small for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ORV Posted August 28, 2019 #23 Share Posted August 28, 2019 24 minutes ago, Gibzy said: We have been on every ship of Oceania and generally prefer it Quality of food is probably the major reason Having said that, I’m beginning to think that the extra price you pay for the penthouse suites on O are not worth it. You really get nothing more than the regular rooms except 100 ft.² more. Not worth daily $100-$200pp extra Save your money and buy some of the amenities like two Internet accounts in the room You don’t get it thrown in for the PHs anyways The dealbreaker for us is the itinerary and we would go on either Well just for starters you get a butler and the ability to order from any of the Specialties each evening. There's also the hot breakfast thing. If you had said Concierge room I would probably agree with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted August 28, 2019 #24 Share Posted August 28, 2019 1 hour ago, ORV said: Well just for starters you get a butler and the ability to order from any of the Specialties each evening. There's also the hot breakfast thing. ..and a walk-in closet on O ships and a manageable bathroom and shower on R ships, a room where you can actually enjoy ensuite dining and so on. That said - it’s an entirely personal choice. Many are perfectly happy in an inside rooms and others would not sail if they can’t get an OS or VS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuAnn Posted August 28, 2019 #25 Share Posted August 28, 2019 I have been lucky enough to sail on AZ and O...a number of times... and I like them both...they are "similar but different"...and they "ARE different" in my eyes". TBH...I"m just thrilled that I can go on either one...aren't we blessed? I think that everyone should maybe try EACH one...and then decide for themselves...no one can decide for you...IMO...what you will like...but any day at sea is a day I will never forget! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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