Oceania vs Holland or Celebrity

[Mura]

We had a nice private lunch in Terrace after their closing hours with PaulChili and his wife a couple of years ago ... catered by the Waves staff.

 

Mura

[Paulchili]

54 minutes ago, Mura said:

We had a nice private lunch in Terrace after their closing hours with PaulChili and his wife a couple of years ago ... catered by the Waves staff.

 

Mura

Oh yes - I remember it well and fondly.

[Mura]

🙂

 

Thanks, Paul.  That was a nice day indeed.

[Rob the Cruiser]

16 hours ago, cruisingxpert said:

I have to add the Terrace buffet.  This is nothing like HAL Lido or any other main stream cruise line buffet.  So much so that I rarely have dinner in the Main dining room.  You wouldn't catch me having dinner in HAL buffet or even Celebrity buffet

 

We always avoided the buffet aboard Celebrity. We were afraid of being trampled by people behaving as if they hadn't had a meal in weeks.  

[shank63]

We have sailed Riveria and Marina recently as well as two HAL ships, but not on X in the last 20 years.  No question that O has the best cuisine in every venue compared to HAL. However, I give HAL’s entertainment the edge and their Flight Ease for booking flight is far better and simpler than O’s flight scheduling, at least on domestic flights.  Negatives on HAL are photographers and their nickel & dime policy.  The X ships are too large for my tastes, so while O is my favorite the others may fit other people just as well.

[Hawaiidan]

15 hours ago, clo said:

Oh my, one of those picture/thousand word things. And that was the best!

Clo.....yup.....in 28 days  that  was the best offering I was able to get......The  1 lobster night  in 28 days was a sub par Long John Silver experience.... in the main dining room...  Waiters just threw food on the table as fast as they could .

  I really wanted to enjoy the cruise    But with a cruise director who spoke every day  how he could not wait to get off in Sydney, The enrichment people who quit or were fired  10 days into the cruise...   The pathetic on board activities...  Trivia pursuit   where "everybody wins"  no looser.....  A veterans focus cruise  where the captain and  staff forbade veterans from gathering or paying respects .    The list went on and on.....   

I planned to spend several days in Sydney at the end... but like the cruise director I caught a flight the same day we docked..... The HAL  experience made me wonder if I should ever cruise again..... 

[Shawnino]

11 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

Clo.....yup.....in 28 days  that  was the best offering I was able to get......The  1 lobster night  in 28 days was a sub par Long John Silver experience.... in the main dining room...  Waiters just threw food on the table as fast as they could .

  I really wanted to enjoy the cruise    But with a cruise director who spoke every day  how he could not wait to get off in Sydney, The enrichment people who quit or were fired  10 days into the cruise...   The pathetic on board activities...  Trivia pursuit   where "everybody wins"  no looser.....  A veterans focus cruise  where the captain and  staff forbade veterans from gathering or paying respects .    The list went on and on.....   

I planned to spend several days in Sydney at the end... but like the cruise director I caught a flight the same day we docked..... The HAL  experience made me wonder if I should ever cruise again..... 

 

Emphasis mine--WTH happened there?

 

[LHT28]

6 minutes ago, Shawnino said:

 

Emphasis mine--WTH happened there?

 

Maybe they did not like the food on HAL 😉

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, Shawnino said:

 

Emphasis mine--WTH happened there?

 

Well....I wish I knew.     I think it started in Seattle  with a  whole new  management focus and agenda and it filtered down to the ships....  I sailed in the past with HAL as I said so I had some reasonable knowledge of what to expect based on 10 years ago........what I   experienced was so drastically different  I  could not believe it.

 

    I am not hard to please and considerate of people and their problems, companies too.    BUT this was so far beyond anything I had ever experienced with any cruise line....ever that it pushed me beyond the limits tolerance .   

 HAL has become a seagoing pariah    Every day was worse than the first.... food, staff, the works.... and for 28 days  you can imagine just how bad it got.   Many people opted to just stay in their cabin ......... I was not the only person having a bad time.

With the departure of the enrichment staff.. under threat of being kicked off the ship,  we vets did our own gatherings and enrichment.. several were threatened to stop and told not to speak to any other guest for the  remainder of the cruise....  religious services were also banned....     Ok..... you get the idea I was not just the food

Edited April 17, 2020 by Hawaiidan

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Maybe they did not like the food on HAL 😉

here is another one of the better meals presented... a mexican fiesta dinner....   makes Taco Bell seem like high end dining

[larry_s_taco]

You guys have convinced me that I need to go Oceania if for nothing more than the meals. The Med. cruise will be port intensive. We will be off the ship early and all aboard will be later in the day. I'm thinking that they will be long days, so having a good meal, and skipping the shows will probably be my game plan. That way we can be up early be ready for the next port. The shows won't be that important to me. 

[Paulchili]

6 minutes ago, larry_s_taco said:

You guys have convinced me that I need to go Oceania if for nothing more than the meals. The Med. cruise will be port intensive. We will be off the ship early and all aboard will be later in the day. I'm thinking that they will be long days, so having a good meal, and skipping the shows will probably be my game plan. That way we can be up early be ready for the next port. The shows won't be that important to me. 

Good choice IMO.

Let us know what you think afterwards.

[bluejayrover]

I'VE DONE HAL AND OCEANIA EQUALLY. OCEANIA IS FAR BETTER. THE BIG DIFFERENCE IS:

 

 - NOT BEING NICKEL AND DIMED ON OCEANIA. NO CHARGE FOR SOFT DRINKS, BOTTLED WATER, COFFEES

- NO PICTURES BEING TAKEN ALL THE TIME AND THEN TRYING TO BE SOLD 

- NO EXTRA CHARGES FOR SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS

- FREE WIFI

- FREE AIRFARE

- FREE SHUTTLES AT MOST PORTS TO THE CENTER OF TOWN

- MUCH, MUCH BETTER FOOD

- SMALLER EXCURSIONS

- MUCH HIGHER CLASS OF PEOPLE WITH MORE SOPHISTICATION AND MORE WORLDLY TRAVELERS

- NO FORMAl NIGHTS !

 

BUT: 

- NO LATE NIGHT BUFFET

- ENTERTAINMENT IS A BIT WEAK AND VERY OLDIE FOGIES FOCUSED

- HAL IS CHEAPER UP FRONT 

- IF FORMAL NIGHTS ARE YOUR THING - HAL

- INDOOR POOLS ON SOME SHIPS ARE REALLY NICE WHEN ITS COOLER

- SPA ON HAL IS NICER WITH THE WARM TILE CHAIRS 

 

[Paulchili]

22 minutes ago, bluejayrover said:

I'VE DONE HAL AND OCEANIA EQUALLY. OCEANIA IS FAR BETTER. THE BIG DIFFERENCE IS:

 

 - NOT BEING NICKEL AND DIMED ON OCEANIA. NO CHARGE FOR SOFT DRINKS, BOTTLED WATER, COFFEES

- NO PICTURES BEING TAKEN ALL THE TIME AND THEN TRYING TO BE SOLD 

- NO EXTRA CHARGES FOR SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS

- FREE WIFI

- FREE AIRFARE

- FREE SHUTTLES AT MOST PORTS TO THE CENTER OF TOWN

- MUCH, MUCH BETTER FOOD

- SMALLER EXCURSIONS

- MUCH HIGHER CLASS OF PEOPLE WITH MORE SOPHISTICATION AND MORE WORLDLY TRAVELERS

- NO FORMAl NIGHTS !

 

BUT: 

- NO LATE NIGHT BUFFET

- ENTERTAINMENT IS A BIT WEAK AND VERY OLDIE FOGIES FOCUSED

- HAL IS CHEAPER UP FRONT 

- IF FORMAL NIGHTS ARE YOUR THING - HAL

- INDOOR POOLS ON SOME SHIPS ARE REALLY NICE WHEN ITS COOLER

- SPA ON HAL IS NICER WITH THE WARM TILE CHAIRS 

 

Only one correction - airfare is not free - it is included. Can opt out and get credit for the price of airfare.

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, bluejayrover said:

BUT: 

- NO LATE NIGHT BUFFET

- ENTERTAINMENT IS A BIT WEAK AND VERY OLDIE FOGIES FOCUSED

- HAL IS CHEAPER UP FRONT 

- IF FORMAL NIGHTS ARE YOUR THING - HAL

- INDOOR POOLS ON SOME SHIPS ARE REALLY NICE WHEN ITS COOLER

- SPA ON HAL IS NICER WITH THE WARM TILE CHAIRS 

 

GOSH  No need to shout

 The O class ships also have the warm tile chairs   open for all to use   

[bluejayrover]

Sorry, caps was stuck on my laptop. If you Can book your own airfare, hotel, transfers, are very Independent for tours, don’t need really good food and ok with average food, don’t drink and don’t mind getting your picture taken and people selling you all the time, HAL is a good option. I have a February Singapore to Sydney  trip booked with an unusual itinerary to Papau New Guinea on HAL on the Maasdamn. Looking forward to it. 

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, bluejayrover said:

Sorry, caps was stuck on my laptop. If you Can book your own airfare, hotel, transfers, are very Independent for tours, don’t need really good food and ok with average food, don’t drink and don’t mind getting your picture taken and people selling you all the time, HAL is a good option. I have a February Singapore to Sydney  trip booked with an unusual itinerary to Papau New Guinea on HAL on the Maasdamn. Looking forward to it. 

I was on the" Mass-Damed" .....   My friend  you have a very big surprise  awaiting you    I was on a cruise that included Papua and that region.....    All  I can say is you need to prepare for un-caring staff, politically correct lectures by  un emotional poorly trained speakers, and more layers of BS  than you can even fathom ..............

 

You get what you pay for   except for HAl... where you get WAY less than you pay for....

Like Paul  I will be eager to hear of your "experience",     HAL  a good option?    Yea  to stay away from ( Horrible Alternative Line)

[larry_s_taco]

Do you think that HAL is like many other lines in that experiences can vary ship to ship? I know there is a standard of quality to maintain, but I expect it is harder to maintain across a larger fleet than in a smaller one.  That being said, what is your favorite ship on Oceania? 

Edited April 18, 2020 by larry_s_taco

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, larry_s_taco said:

Do you think that HAL is like many other lines in that experiences can vary ship to ship? I know there is a standard of quality to maintain, but I expect it is harder to maintain across a larger fleet than in a smaller one.  That being said, what is your favorite ship on Oceania? 

Standards are hard to maintain even with less ships

 read some of the reviews/opinions on Oceania ships

They can get the same menu/food supplies  but it is who ever is cooking it  that can make or break the outcome

There is  no perfect ship or cruise line

 JMO

[zoncom]

10N on HAL, 130 on O .I will never forget my lousy HAL cruise. Floating nursing home, counted 23 wheel chairs, walkers etc outside MDR one evening  .Lousy food too             .Dead body went by our table on gurney in MDR one night. They tried to push it through kitchen, refused entry and went by us again. 

[CintiPam]

3 hours ago, larry_s_taco said:

That being said, what is your favorite ship on Oceania? 

Our favorite is Riviera, one of the two (with Marina) of Oceania’s “O” ships, newbuilds launched in 2011 (Marina) and 2012 (Riviera) which hold about 1250 passengers.  The four “R” ships (Nautica, Insignia, Regatta and Sirena) hold about 684 passengers and are refurbished former Renaissance cruise line ships.  
 

We enjoy having four specialty restaurants (rather than two), the much larger bathrooms in the regular veranda cabins, the better sight lines in the main show lounge, the laundry room on each cabin deck and the nicer larger pool. Once we sailed in Marina in 2011, we have sailed only on Riviera and Marina and not (yet) returned to the “R” ships. 

[Ken the cruiser]

On 4/15/2020 at 5:45 PM, larry_s_taco said:

We are looking ahead to fall 2021 for a European cruise. For those of you who have been on the various lines, how would you compare them? We are both fans of Celebrity and Holland, but have not yet tried Oceania. 

Thanks

My first suggestion would be to find similar Med itineraries on all three lines. Then determine the type of cabin you like to cruise in. For us, we like to cruise in an aft-facing cabin. Then determine the price per person per day for each line. Remember, on HAL and X, the perks vary depending on the sale going on at the time. 

 

Now that you have determined the cost pp/day, you will find that the price for an O cabin, especially if it's at least a balcony, may be much higher than a similar cabin on X or HAL. In fact you may find the price for the O cabin may get you an AQ or sky suite cabin on X or maybe a signature suite on HAL. If you also included a Princess cruise, you might be able to get a CC mini-suite or maybe even a suite.

 

As far as shows go, I know you mentioned that you may not go to them. But in case you do, X definitely knows how to put on a show and they usually have plenty of fun things to do on the ship. HAL has their Music Walk with a variety of music venues and entertaining evening shows. With regards to O on a port intensive cruise, they usually offer a more "relaxing" entertainment environment with maybe one evening game of trivia and one evening show, usually at 9:30.

 

Food wise, we very much enjoy eating in Blu or the Luminae on X when we book one of their applicable cabins. HAL we usually eat in the MDR and never have been disappointed with their offerings. But I will say, O does offer a richer dining adventure with their free specialty restaurants and quality buffet up in the Terrace Cafe. 

 

If internet connectivity is important to you, X definitely shines there with HAL a close second. But don't expect much of a quality package from O, even though they give each cabin one free account.

 

Bottom line, if you want to have a fun time while you're on the ship along with reasonably cheap excursions, X or Princess would be my choice. But if you are looking for a more "relaxing" environment where your main goal is to have tasty food to eat and don't mind paying for the smaller ship experience, then O would be my choice. The only time we would choose HAL is if their itinerary went to unique ports we hadn't been to yet that the other 3 weren't going.

 

But, as I mentioned in the beginning, the first thing I would do is a cost comparison and go from there. Of course you also have to consider loyalty programs if you plan on doing a lot of cruising, and each line varies greatly in that area.

 

In any case whichever cruise you pick, you'll have a great time!!!

 

Edited April 19, 2020 by Ken the cruiser

[larry_s_taco]

Ken, 

Good advise, and a really logical way to look at it. I'll have to say after 28 cruises that I've never had a bad cruise. Some lines/ships are better at one thing than another. There have always been good, and not so good experiences. The bottom line is that you can't beat cruising. 

[Hanoverian]

larry_s_taco,  please also note that YouTube may supplement the sound advice that Ken gave.  You can search for videos of ships and cabins and get more of an idea of what might suit and what may not.  We have found that seeing some things on YouTube can definitely influence one's impressions.

[Guindalf]

Of the three, we will be sticking to Celebrity if cruising becomes an option in the future. We were on the Insignia in July of last year and had to admit to being disappointed.

 

We didn't expect the entertainment to rival the big lines, but the magician was good and fun. He also held classes in basic magic and, as an amateur magician myself, was good fun.

 

However, considering O has the tagline of 'the best cuisine at sea', between the six of us (DW, DiL & hub and two friends), I don't think we had a single meal that didn't have problems and failed the taste test! this ranged from suckling pig that was a circle of skin with a sausage-like substance inside it to lobster tail that was obviously claw meat to an iceberg wedge that was actually spring mix with the answer from the waiter that 'it was wrong on the menu' without any further explanation! The biggest issue I had was asking for San Pelligrino with my meal. On some occasions it was served, but more often, someone returned with Perrier and asked if it was OK - even in the Italian specialty restaurant! It wasn't as if they had run out as it varied throughout the cruise. I realize that these seem to be petty, but added up, they were significant.

 

We followed up with Celebrity to Alaska and again to Key West and Cozumel in December and had a much better experience, so that's where we'll stay.