My thoughts; Crystal versus Oceania

[AtA]

First I'm going to give the good and the bad on my just completed trip on Oceania Sirena and where there should be I'll do a comparison to Crystal in italics.

I took my son on a 7 day cruise from MIA - MIA (Jan 6 - 13, 2020) on Oceania's Sirena with stops in Key West, Belize Harvest Caye, Roatan, and Costa Maya. The ship is a small ship with only 684 pax. I can't speak about drinks as neither my son nor I drink. (On Crystal, I will occasionally have a 1/2 glass of wine with dinner, but if I have to pay for it, I won't.)

 

I will be the first to admit that it is hard not to compare when one is happy with one's favorite cruise line. However I tried to point out all the positives and negatives as I saw it since I know a comparison was done just a few weeks ago by someone else.

 

First the Very Good:

We got to the ship around 1 PM and check in was quick and painless. I was able to go to my room immediately but my son's room as expected wasn't ready yet. We dropped our carry-ons in my room, introduced ourselves to our room stewardess and butler, and off we went to find lunch.

 

The cabin while small for a PH cabin was pretty and well appointed with lots of storage drawers and were light and bright. The bed was extremely comfortable and my butler and stewardess were excellent.

My son's cabin while very small was also well appointed with good storage and was also very light and bright. 

The ship had been recently redone and was quite attractive.

The main staff, (reception, destinations, concierge, casino) were all excellent and were only too happy to try and please.

They did an excellent job regarding concerns with food allergies.

Hand washing stations were all over the ship and not just at the entrances to dining facilities.

The ice cream was made onboard and was delicious.

 

The OK and Not So Good:

The Room:
There was no sofa or love seat in the PH room. Only a club chair and two uncomfortable chairs at the dining table. If I had been traveling with my SO, it would have meant one of us would have had to sit on one of those chairs. Additionally when I am in the cabin, I like to sprawl out on a sofa or love seat. Compare this to Crystal where the PH cabin is larger and they have a love seat or sofa in the room. 

Normally when traveling in a PH on other lines there has been fruit in the cabin to pick at. There was none. Again, compared to Crystal where there is always a bowl of fruit that is refreshed daily.

I found the hanging space lacking. It was fine for myself for the one week cruise but if I was with my SO, it would definitely have not been enough room. In the Crystal PH's the closets are walk in closets with lots more room for hanging and storing stuff. Plus there's ample room for storing stuff in drawers.

Hanging space in my son's room I also found lacking. Again compared to a standard window cabin on Crystal, the hanging space was 1/2 to 1/3 what it is on Crystal.

The bathroom was smaller than a standard window cabin on Crystal. To use the toilet, I had to angle my legs almost sideways or else I'd wind up hitting the shower door with my knees. And it was a single sink. Compare that to Crystal's double sink and in a regular PH having the jacuzzi tub and shower and enough room to comfortably um, do what's needed.

They "upgraded" the PH shower to a rain head shower. My son had the standard shower head where you can adjust for the type of spray you prefer. I had no option and to add to that, the pressure was very poor. I have chin length hair and it took me over 5 minutes to wash the soap out of my hair because the pressure was so poor. I had no choice to change the shower head. In this case they fixed what wasn't broke. Again, compare that to Crystal's showers with excellent pressure and the ability to change shower sprays.  

Lastly, there was no full length mirror in the PH! My son in his window cabin on deck 4 had a full length mirror but the PH has none? I know that every cabin on Crystal has a full length mirror. I can't believe they left it out.

 

Public Washrooms:

The one negative to the public washrooms was they used cloth napkins instead of actual hand towels to dry one's hands. Additionally there is soap but no hand lotion. Crystal's towels in the public washrooms are soft hand towels and there is always both soap and hand lotion.

 

Public Rooms:

What I found lacking was anyplace to gather to meet other people. Yes there was Martini's bar and Horizons (similar to Palm Court) but it was small and really not conducive to gathering. Compare that to Crystal and the Cove.

 

Internet:

While the internet on Oceania worked fairly well for basic stuff, if one wanted to stream they had to upgrade and pay for it. Additionally one was only allowed one device per room! And to make matters worse, if I forgot to turn off the internet on my iPad and left it in the room, I was unable to turn it off from my phone, even though they supposedly gave you that option. However that option never worked on my phone. On Crystal we are allowed 2 devices per person so no need to switch from one to the other and no need to share if you're in a cabin with someone else! 

 

Tours:

My son and I did a river rafting tour in Belize which was well done. We had signed up for the river tubing but not enough people signed up. While disappointing we had a wonderful tour guide and a fun time.

We did a snorkel tour in Roatan which was probably the best snorkel tour ever in terms of the guides concern for our safety and well being. I was extremely impressed. 

We were supposed to do an ATV adventure in Costa Maya but because of strong currents we could not dock and had another sea day. My one negative about the tours was there was no one from the ship accompanying either of the two tours we were on. Each tour included either a long boat ride and/or bus ride to get to where we needed to be. I found the lack of someone from the ship on with us to be a huge negative. Needless to say, someone from Crystal always accompanies the guests on all tours.

 

Dining:

First the good. Red Ginger and Tuscan Grill were excellent and the service in both were top notch. 

 

Food in the MDR was inconsistent and definitely not the quality I remembered from 3 years ago on Marina. Our first night in the MDR, the only thing I found worth eating was the pasta with red sauce. (I am allergic to shellfish and do not eat red meat, lamb or pork.) The choices were definitely limited and one could not make substitutions. Additionally my son ordered the roast chicken which was supposed to be one of Jacques Pepin's specialties. It came out undercooked! 

I spoke to the dining room manager and was told I could ask for whatever food I wanted if I asked for it 24 hours in advance, so I asked the second night to have chicken scallopini sautéed in a lemon butter sauce. What I got was a thick hunk of chicken grilled with the lemon butter sauce on the side! Compare this to Crystal where if on the rare occasion nothing suits you on the menu, they will actually make something up for you right there. No having to give 24 hours notice!

Service also was hit or miss in the MDR. I asked for red pepper flakes and cheese for on top of my pasta. Instead of the waiter going to get it immediately, he instead went to a table of 6 to take their order. Sorry but I prefer to not sit there staring at my food waiting for it to get cold before I eat it.

Other misses were serving my son before me and my son having to ask the waiter multiple times to get his Sprite. This didn't happen once, but every time we ate in the MDR.

 

Other very small things. I asked for almond milk for my coffee and it was served in a glass so when you went to pour it into your cup, the milk spilled all over. 

 

One thing Oceania touts is how if you don't choose to eat in the MDR, you can go up to the buffet for a more casual dining experience. However what they don't tell you is whatever they serve in the MDR is exactly the exact same food they serve in the buffet. So if there was nothing that I could eat or wanted to eat in the MDR, there was nothing in the buffet!

 

On Thursday night, they had Caribbean night both in the buffet and the MDR. I found nothing to eat in either place and was then informed that the following night they were once again having Caribbean night! Two nights in a row! I wound up going up to Red Ginger the first night and begging to be seated so I could have some sushi to eat. While eating in Red Ginger, the food manager came to my table since we had the issue of the undercooked food the first night and I explained about my food issues and how there was nothing to eat at the Caribbean buffet. As I said above, the head staff was wonderful. They managed to get my son and I a reservation in Tuscan Grill for the second Caribbean night so I wouldn't have to scrounge for something to eat the second night.

 

Now having said that, at Tuscan Grill, they had on the menu veal scallopini. I asked if they instead could make me chicken scallopini. I was told no they could not, that they needed 24 hours notice. Compare that to Crystal where in Prego they also have veal scallopini on the menu. Every time I've been to Prego, I've asked to instead have chicken scallopini and it's never been an issue and I've never had to give 24 hour notice to get it.

I did get  my chicken scallopini the second night we ate in Tuscan Grill and yes, it was delicious. I knew to ask in advance.

 

Lunch:

If we wanted to eat a bit later or came back from a tour late, our only choice was to eat in the Grill. And in the Grill no chance to get a simple sandwich such as a tuna sandwich or a grilled cheese sandwich. In fact, even in the buffet and the MDR, there was no chance to get a simple sandwich. One day the buffet did have an egg salad sandwich but it was mixed with peppers, olives, onions and something else I forgot. Compare this to Crystal where in the Grill you can get a tuna sandwich, or a tuna melt or even a plain grilled cheese sandwich. There are times one doesn't want rich food that is overly heavy.

 

Tea Time:

I went to tea time once since it tended to be later in the day. Again the sandwiches were overly fancy. Egg salad with peas? Stilton cheese with radishes on what seemed to be a bagel?

I think my son (31 years old so not a child) summed up the food very well. It seems like Oceania tries too hard to be impressive, forgetting that not everything has to be fancied up with food.

 

Sea Day Activities:

I'll just post the list of activities. Oceania is sorely lacking. There was a total of one lecture a day from an outside lecturer. Other activities were as listed. You could go to a lecture on why you should book another Oceania cruise or you could pay $75 + 18% for a vodka tasting. Or you could pay to play bingo, or pay to play in a blackjack tournament, a slots tournament or a  texas hold em tournament. We had 3 sea days (was supposed to have only 2 but the missed port) and all three days they had the same tournaments. Notice the list of activities takes up less than one page in the bulletin. Compare that to Crystal where there are usually 3 different lectures a day on sea days as well as knitting, daily movie, computer university, art lessons, dance lessons, golf lessons, bridge lessons and all the other activities. In fact on Crystal the list of activities takes up 2 pages!

 

Evening Entertainment:

Once again, Oceania is sorely lacking. They had a good comedian on 2 of the 7 days and then a harpest on 2 days, except the last day the harpest played at 5 PM. The evening's activity was a lousy movie on the last day. The Oceania show band and singers were definitely B rated. 

 

Now having written this, my son and I still managed to have a wonderful time and the best part was getting to spend a week with him. We also did meet some lovely folks who we hope to stay in touch with.

 

Below are photos I took. First is showing how little room in my PH bathroom between the toilet and the shower door.

Second pic is the activities on the first sea day. It didn't get better on the other two sea days.

Third pic is the menu at the grill. 

Fourth pic shows the rest of the PH bathroom.That's it!

Fifth pic is my son's room I was standing where the closet and door to the bathroom is.

Last pic is my room the first day. The one chair is by the bed.

 

 

[JVNYC]

Oh no!  Not another one of these Oceania vs Crystal posts. 

[ORV]

I've never been on Sirena, but I have been on all the other R ships. I'm surprised about the comments on the storage space. I've always found the R ships storage more than adequate for my wife and I and well thought out. Perhaps Princess messed with the layout of them. 

On the toilet tightness, I feel your pain. That has been one of my complaints/dislikes. Being a large man I find it very tight. 

 

Having no special requirements on food I haven't had the issues you experienced. 

 

Did you like Harvest Caye? I thought for people that like a beach day it was great. Of course the day we were there we were the only ship there. If I like hanging out on a beach, which I don't care for, I would think it was great. See pic. 

[Shawnino]

Thanks to the OP for a clear, well written, detailed comp.

Reminded me why we love O-class ships so much as opposed to R-class (more spacious cabins, more dining choices, more public space...).

[Classiccruiser777]

We are just off a Sirena cruise so a few quick notes regarding the OP’s comments.

 

• The Terrace has similar offerings as the GDR but not the same. Lobster tails, lamb chops, prawns and other grilled items are always available at dinner but not in the GDR. On our December cruise sushi was also available every night.
• I, too, have dietary concerns and restrictions. I have found Oceania to be extremely accommodating with advance notice which is what is advised on the O website as well as when talking with restaurant staff onboard.
• Room service, which has an extensive menu, is also available so I take issue with the need to “scrounge” for food.
• When I order a dish at any restaurant I always include my preferred condiments for that dish at that time.

While on an Oceania cruise I have met and talked with several passengers that have been on Crystal ships. The general impressions I have made from these conversations were that the food on O was equal to or better than Crystal, that Crystal has formal nights, and the price point of a Crystal cruise wouldn’t be worth it for us. May the OP be happy with their future choices.

 

[clo]

20 minutes ago, Shawnino said:

(more spacious cabins,

I was really shocked by the photo of the cabin. We were just on O Marina in a concierge verandah and had a sofa. The Sirena PENTHOUSE just had a chair? Wow.

[Cruseforme]

While I agree broadly with the OP’s assessment, I do have to say, that comparing one entire cruise line  to another is really difficult if not impossible.    I would compare ship to ship not cruiseline to entire cruiseline and point out what I feel is similar and then different. The O Class Oceania Ships (Riviera and Marina) are like day and night comparison to the R Class smaller ships.   I feel that a comparison could be made from O class to Serenity, but not R Class, as there really is such a difference between Oceania ships in general.  I agree in most points, having been on the Serenity twice, however, I do disagree about scrounging for food.   The Terrace has made to order items every night, as well as sushi and a wonderful pasta selection, that is not in the GDR.  I believe it is a very personal decision, and Marina and Riviera would be a better comparison and closer to what the OP is up used to IMHO.  My anger would be directed at their TA who misrepresented the ship and neglected to advise of the allergy process with the chef, and smaller cabins, etc.   Shame on them, and I would xfer to a luxury TA that has actually been  on the ships they book.   

Edited January 14, 2020 by Cruseforme

[Paulchili]

AtA,

Thank you for taking the time to write such a comprehensive review.

You might have read my comparison of the two lines and it was essentially 180 degrees opposite from yours.

That only makes sense as we are two different people with different likes and preferences.

You are fully entitled to your point of view as I would expect the same courtesy from you.

We obviously each have our preferred cruise lines and that is how it should be.

I would only like to point out two things:

1 As others have mentioned, while the Terrace mirrors the MDR in many entrees, it also offers a variety of items at the grill and pasta/wok station. Crystal has no equivalent dining option at night

2 What is the per diem comparison between the PH on Sirena vs a PH on Serenity? That is an important consideration for this to be an apples to apples comparison.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Paulchili

[newlondon]

Regarding the towels in the public washrooms: I prefer paper disposables AND they are safer.

[AtA]

2 hours ago, ORV said:

I've never been on Sirena, but I have been on all the other R ships. I'm surprised about the comments on the storage space. I've always found the R ships storage more than adequate for my wife and I and well thought out. Perhaps Princess messed with the layout of them. 

On the toilet tightness, I feel your pain. That has been one of my complaints/dislikes. Being a large man I find it very tight. 

 

Having no special requirements on food I haven't had the issues you experienced. 

 

Did you like Harvest Caye? I thought for people that like a beach day it was great. Of course the day we were there we were the only ship there. If I like hanging out on a beach, which I don't care for, I would think it was great. See pic. 

Harvest Caye is beautiful and I had been there before. We didn't spend time on Harvest Caye this time because we did the snorkel trip which as I said was one of the best ones ever in terms of how conscientious the crew was. I have been snorkeling for well over 15 years and I actually learned a few things from them!

[AtA]

1 hour ago, Classiccruiser777 said:

We are just off a Sirena cruise so a few quick notes regarding the OP’s comments.

 

• The Terrace has similar offerings as the GDR but not the same. Lobster tails, lamb chops, prawns and other grilled items are always available at dinner but not in the GDR. On our December cruise sushi was also available every night.
• I, too, have dietary concerns and restrictions. I have found Oceania to be extremely accommodating with advance notice which is what is advised on the O website as well as when talking with restaurant staff onboard.
• Room service, which has an extensive menu, is also available so I take issue with the need to “scrounge” for food.
• When I order a dish at any restaurant I always include my preferred condiments for that dish at that time.

While on an Oceania cruise I have met and talked with several passengers that have been on Crystal ships. The general impressions I have made from these conversations were that the food on O was equal to or better than Crystal, that Crystal has formal nights, and the price point of a Crystal cruise wouldn’t be worth it for us. May the OP be happy with their future choices.

 

Yes the GDR has the same offering and yes they have lamb chops prawns and lobster tails. I'm allergic to shellfish which means I can't eat any of the things you just mentioned.

 

Sushi was available the first night but as I had sushi the night before boarding, I didn't want sushi. We went to the MDR on day 2 and on day 3 we went to Red Ginger. On day 4 AND day 5, they had Caribbean night and there was NO SUSHI in the Terrace. And I hadn't filled out my early menu because I had expected to go to the Terrace and have sushi on day 4.

 

Yes O is accommodating with ADVANCED NOTICE. Note the word advanced. On Crystal, unless it's the tuna tartare in Waterside or a special dessert, I don't have to give advanced notice. I can ask when I sit down to eat that same night.

 

Yes I can eat in my room but I don't go on a cruise to eat alone in my room. I dislike eating where I sleep and I enjoy the atmosphere of being with other diners.

 

The general impressions I have made from these conversations were that the food on O was equal to or better than Crystal, that Crystal has formal nights, and the price point of a Crystal cruise wouldn’t be worth it for us. May the OP be happy with their future choices.

 

Food is a personal choice and prefer the food on Crystal. 

Crystal has black tie optional nights. If you choose not to dress formally, no one will penalize you. For men, a jacket over a sport shirt works fine if that's what you prefer.

 

If you don't drink, then yes O is much less expensive. If you drink, the difference may not be as much as you think. However even more importantly is on Crystal the entertainment is far above what's on O and so are the activities. 

[AtA]

1 hour ago, clo said:

I was really shocked by the photo of the cabin. We were just on O Marina in a concierge verandah and had a sofa. The Sirena PENTHOUSE just had a chair? Wow.

It has just a club chair and two chairs for the dining table.

[AtA]

While I agree broadly with the OP’s assessment as we prefer the Serenity to Oceania’s Riviera for other reasons, I do have to say, that comparing one entire cruise line  to another is really difficult if not impossible.    I would compare ship to ship not cruiseline to entire cruiseline and point out what I feel is similar and then different. The O Class Oceania Ships (Riviera and Marina) are like day and night comparison to the R Class smaller ships (Sirena, Nautica, Regatta...etc).

 

Well I had been on Marina 3 years ago with my SO and we had sworn we'd never sail Oceania again because when we got to our PH the room was dirty (previous tenant's medications and stuff in a drawer, sand in the drawers in the closet and salt spray 1/4" thick on the balcony and the balcony chairs) as well as the staff being surly. On top of that I have a sensitivity to shellfish and at tea time I had asked what one of the sandwiches was. I was told it was egg salad. When I bit into it, I bit into a shrimp! That could kills someone with a severe allergy. When I complained to the maitre'd he shrugged it off. When we then went down to the concierge, he said he'd look into it and get back to us. He never did!

 

I agree in most points, having been on the Serenity twice, however, I do disagree about scrounging for food.   The Terrace has made to order items every night (fresh fish, Lobster tails..) as well as sushi and a wonderful pasta selection, that is not in the GDR. 

 

Obviously you did not read where I said I have a shellfish allergy and where I said I do not eat meat, lamb or pork!

Yes they had sushi the first night we went up there but as I had sushi the night before boarding, I didn't want sushi. And no they did NOT have a pasta selection. The selection was the same pasta as in the MDR.

 

And on the Caribbean night, you could NOT get sushi. There was alsolutely NONE available.

 

Also many side dishes ala carte... I believe it is a very personal decision, and Marina and Riviera would be a better comparison and closer to what the OP is up used to IMHO.  My anger would be directed at the TA who misrepresented the ship and neglected to advise of the allergy process with the chef, and smaller cabins, etc.   Shame on them, and I would xfer to a luxury TA that has actually been  on the ships they book.   We also prefer Serenity over Oceania’s Sirena, but have had a negative experience on the Symphony and will never sail on that ship again.   

 

My TA did a wonderful job letting me know about the smaller ship. It is why she insisted I take a PH. She was quite clear I wouldn't be happy in a standard cabin with the bathroom you can't even stand in because it's so tiny. My broom closet is larger!

 

She did not know that the Terrace serves the exact same foods as the MDR or the lack of choice compared to Crystal. I recall that you are correct in that Marina had different dining choices if you didn't like what was in the MDR but that was 3 years ago. Is that still the same or are they now serving the exact same food? And what is the point of having two dining venues serving the same food?

 

Sorry to hear you had a negative experience on Symphony because that actually is my favorite of the two ships.

[AtA]

21 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

AtA,

Thank you for taking the time to write such a comprehensive review.

You might have read my comparison of the two lines and it was essentially 180 degrees opposite from yours.

That only makes sense as we are two different people with different likes and preferences.

You are fully entitled to your point of view as I would expect the same courtesy from you.

We obviously each have our preferred cruise lines and that is how it should be.

I would only like to point out two things:

1 As others have mentioned, while the Terrace mirrors the MDR in many entrees, it also offers a variety of items at the grill and pasta/wok station. Crystal has no equivalent dining option at night

2 What is the per diem comparison between the PH on Sirena vs a PH on Serenity? That is an important consideration for this to be an apples to apples comparison.

1. I agree Crystal has no equivalent dining option at night but it does have besides Waterside (it's MDR), Umi Uma (Chef Nobu's restaurant), Prego (the Italian restaurant), Silk (the Chinese inspired restaurant) and Chiarascura (or however it's spelled. The Brazilian steak house)

 

Additionally in the MDR, on the rare occasions I can't find anything to eat (and their dining menu is more extensive), they will make me anything I want within reason and I don't need to give 24 hours notice.

 

I will admit that 3 years ago on Marina we did enjoy eating in the Terrace 2 of the nights and there was a nice variety. The only option this time at the pasta station was the same pasta as downstairs in the MDR and at the grill the only thing I'd eat was chicken and I was getting quite tired of grilled chicken.

 

2. Obviously the PH on Serenity or Symphony is more especially with this cruise I took which had originally been a Cuba trip. However the per diem didn't include any booze on O. The PH on Crystal on either ship was larger as was the bathroom AND the balcony.

 

And it's impossible to do an apples to apples comparison because O doesn't have the plethora of daytime activities including lecturers from Broadway or film and TV, astronauts like Scott Kelly, world affairs, etc. They don't have a computer lab where they teach classes that range from iPad and phone tricks to working with Photoshop Elements, etc. They don't have art classes on the R ships. They don't have knitting classes, golf lessons, pickle ball, dance classes, bridge classes, a full movie theater showing a different movie daily and on and on.

 

At night they don't have shows that are full production shows with costume changes as well as designer sets and top notch singers and dancers. Nor do they have 2 piano players, a show band as well as a separate dance band. And there are other things I'm missing that I can't think of right this minute.

[AtA]

One other thing I forgot. The towels in the bathroom were like sandpaper.

[sunlover12]

I haven't been on Crystal so I can't comment on them but I see from their website that their ships are larger than Oceania Sirena.  It's not really an equal comparison. 

 

I've been on Oceania Regatta twice and I do agree with you about the small bathrooms. What I found the most surprising from your review was what you said about the same food being in GDR as in the Terrace.  I didn't find that to be true at all on Regatta.  There was a lot of variety in the Terrace and it changed daily. There are selections in the GDR that are not in Terrace. Maybe it's different on Sirena...... 🤔

You also mentioned that you don't drink but may have a 1/2 glass of wine with dinner.  If you have to pay for it, you won't.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Crystal inclusive?  That means you're paying for that glass of wine.

 

Regarding fruit in your cabin, you can order that from your butler when in a PH.  There is also a very good canapés menu that you can order from every day when in a PH.

 

I'll be on Sirena for the first time later this year so I read your review with interest. One of the things that draws me to Oceania and not to cruise lines that are inclusive is that I can pay for only what I want a la carte.  Thank you for submitting your review.

[LHT28]

I am not surprised by the review

Sirena is  half the size of the Serenity  so of course the rooms are smaller

Why she even booked an Oceania cruise again  is beyond me

She did not like  Marina  so of course  an R ship would be inferior

 

The  dinner buffet on Crystal is very small &  only holds a small portion of guests  in the evening  (think smaller than Polo)   but very odd service   You get your hot/cold sides then wait for the servers to bring the skewers of meat around  after 45 min & 1 piece of meat each we gave up

 

Yes food is subject  but  to not find anything to eat ??

 

 

[Classiccruiser777]

16 minutes ago, sunlover12 said:

I haven't been on Crystal so I can't comment on them but I see from their website that their ships are larger than Oceania Sirena.  It's not really an equal comparison. 

 

I've been on Oceania Regatta twice and I do agree with you about the small bathrooms. What I found the most surprising from your review was what you said about the same food being in GDR as in the Terrace.  I didn't find that to be true at all on Regatta.  There was a lot of variety in the Terrace and it changed daily. There are selections in the GDR that are not in Terrace. Maybe it's different on Sirena...... 🤔

You also mentioned that you don't drink but may have a 1/2 glass of wine with dinner.  If you have to pay for it, you won't.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Crystal inclusive?  That means you're paying for that glass of wine.

 

Regarding fruit in your cabin, you can order that from your butler when in a PH.  There is also a very good canapés menu that you can order from every day when in a PH.

 

I'll be on Sirena for the first time later this year so I read your review with interest. One of the things that draws me to Oceania and not to cruise lines that are inclusive is that I can pay for only what I want a la carte.  Thank you for submitting your review.

We were on Sirena this past December, our 10th on Oceania, and she was consistent with Regatta and Insignia. We had a great cruise, a clean cabin, good to great food every day. Perhaps Oceania has two different Sirenas?

[AtA]

3 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I am not surprised by the review

Sirena is  half the size of the Serenity  so of course the rooms are smaller

Why she even booked an Oceania cruise again  is beyond me

She did not like  Marina  so of course  an R ship would be inferior

 

The  dinner buffet on Crystal is very small &  only holds a small portion of guests  in the evening  (think smaller than Polo)   but very odd service   You get your hot/cold sides then wait for the servers to bring the skewers of meat around  after 45 min & 1 piece of meat each we gave up

 

Yes food is subject  but  to not find anything to eat ??

 

 

I booked the cruise because I don't believe one time is telling. If a restaurant has great reviews and i go for the first time and find it less than stellar, I will give it a second chance. Because of the reduced price of this cruise, I thought it would be a good one to try O again.

 

The dinner buffet on Crystal is not a buffet. It is considered a Brazilian steak house type of restaurant. Big difference. Personally it's the one restaurant on Crystal I am not a fan of but that's to be expected since I don't eat meat.

 

Yes nothing except in the specialty restaurants which I already said were excellent. I wound up losing 2 lbs this past week on the cruise.

 

 

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, AtA said:

The dinner buffet on Crystal is not a buffet. It is considered a Brazilian steak house type of restaurant. Big difference.

HMMM could have sworn it had serving dishes  with utensils  to help yourself  unlike on O where the staff serve you

Yes they bring the skewers of meat around  if you not die from starvation waiting  ..but if you do not eat meat you would not have to worry  about  that

 

[AtA]

21 minutes ago, sunlover12 said:

I haven't been on Crystal so I can't comment on them but I see from their website that their ships are larger than Oceania Sirena.  It's not really an equal comparison. 

 

I've been on Oceania Regatta twice and I do agree with you about the small bathrooms. What I found the most surprising from your review was what you said about the same food being in GDR as in the Terrace.  I didn't find that to be true at all on Regatta.  There was a lot of variety in the Terrace and it changed daily. There are selections in the GDR that are not in Terrace. Maybe it's different on Sirena...... 🤔

You also mentioned that you don't drink but may have a 1/2 glass of wine with dinner.  If you have to pay for it, you won't.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Crystal inclusive?  That means you're paying for that glass of wine.

 

Regarding fruit in your cabin, you can order that from your butler when in a PH.  There is also a very good canapés menu that you can order from every day when in a PH.

 

I'll be on Sirena for the first time later this year so I read your review with interest. One of the things that draws me to Oceania and not to cruise lines that are inclusive is that I can pay for only what I want a la carte.  Thank you for submitting your review.

I too found it most surprising to have the exact same menu in both venues, even down to the desserts. In fact the times we did eat in the MDR, we'd relax for a bit after dinner and then go upstairs to the Terrace before closing to get our dessert as my son didn't like having dessert right after dinner.

 

Yes Crystal is all inclusive.

 

Yes I know about the canapés menu but I I don't go on a cruise to eat in my room. But you are correct in that I should have ordered fruit for my room.

 

I also liked that I didn't have to pay for spirits but the difference is that on Crystal we get so much more than just alcohol that isn't on O. I'm talking daily activities and entertainment which are important to me.

 

 

[clo]

4 minutes ago, AtA said:

I booked the cruise because I don't believe one time is telling. If a restaurant has great reviews and i go for the first time and find it less than stellar, I will give it a second chance. Because of the reduced price of this cruise, I thought it would be a good one to try O again.

 

The dinner buffet on Crystal is not a buffet. It is considered a Brazilian steak house type of restaurant. Big difference. Personally it's the one restaurant on Crystal I am not a fan of but that's to be expected since I don't eat meat.

 

Yes nothing except in the specialty restaurants which I already said were excellent. I wound up losing 2 lbs this past week on the cruise.

 

 

Off-topic I suppose but what foods do you eat when you're not on a cruise? What do you cook at home?

[AtA]

7 minutes ago, Classiccruiser777 said:

We were on Sirena this past December, our 10th on Oceania, and she was consistent with Regatta and Insignia. We had a great cruise, a clean cabin, good to great food every day. Perhaps Oceania has two different Sirenas?

Did you realize the Terrace menu at night was the same as the MDR menu? Or didn't you check?

[AtA]

Just now, clo said:

Off-topic I suppose but what foods do you eat when you're not on a cruise? What do you cook at home?

Lots of veggies, sometimes with or without pasta. Lots of fish (we're in FL where we get very fresh fish), sushi, salads, chicken, turkey, soups. 

[AtA]

3 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

HMMM could have sworn it had serving dishes  with utensils  to help yourself  unlike on O where the staff serve you

Yes they bring the skewers of meat around  if you not die from starvation waiting  ..but if you do not eat meat you would not have to worry  about  that

 

Yes I did forget to mention that is a big positive in that the staff serves you from the buffets. However then if you want mustard or may with your food you're touching the same container others who may not have washed their hands are touching.