Oceania vs Holland or Celebrity

[KirkNC]

44 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

 

I would not base my cruise on the laundry  that is all I am saying

Nor would I.  We have cruises currently booked on five different lines, we get free laundry on one of them.

[Georgia_Peaches]

So for those of you who have sailed in the concierge cabins and suites, besides the size and butler service, are there any other advantages to being in a suite?

 

I have a hold on a Concierge level but have been considering a PH for about $1300 more total, not pp.

[Paulchili]

16 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

So for those of you who have sailed in the concierge cabins and suites, besides the size and butler service, are there any other advantages to being in a suite?

 

I have a hold on a Concierge level but have been considering a PH for about $1300 more total, not pp.

Take the PH - well worth the difference in price IMO.

Love the en-suite dining from any specialty restaurant feature among other perks.

[Tedferg]

44 minutes ago, Sea42 said:

Oceania's price very competitive with HAL's base price and much lower when looking at the total package of inclusions.

What are Oceania's inclusions, please. I am just trying to find my way around their website,

[ORV]

40 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Yes, it's just a perk, not a make or break item.  It is interesting how O uses it (A or higher cabin or PC) while other lines base it on cruise days.  On the other hand the rest of O's loyalty perks are faaaaar better than HAL.

I'm curious how many other lines have a free laundry you can use if you so choose? 

30 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

So for those of you who have sailed in the concierge cabins and suites, besides the size and butler service, are there any other advantages to being in a suite?

 

I have a hold on a Concierge level but have been considering a PH for about $1300 more total, not pp.

How many days is this cruise? Which ship. 

3 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

What are Oceania's inclusions, please. I am just trying to find my way around their website,

Unlimited internet, no charge specialty restaurants, any beverage no charge as long as there is no alcohol in it. Did I mention lobster everyday in multiple restaurants? Most cruise lines you have to wait for a special day to get a tiny tail. Beds that are some of the most comfortable I've ever slept in anywhere. I'm sure there are other things I'm forgetting. 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Yes, this is a cruise only fare.  As ATL is a Delta hub, we can get to MIA pretty inexpensively so the air option really wasn't necessary for us.

 

Thank you for the great feedback!

The cruise only fare  does not include the  O Life perks

So be sure to do the math   to see if you are paying for the perk

[LHT28]

14 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

What are Oceania's inclusions, please. I am just trying to find my way around their website,

Pre Covid   they did not have self serve Buffet   but I think that will be the new normal on most lines

Easier to list the non included

 You pay extra for alcoholic beverages/ Spa treatments/Shop purchases/ Excursions/ La Reserve (on the O class ships) /if you send out laundry  some exceptions apply

If you shop around you can find  a TA that includes Gratuities

Airfare  is included  or you can take the air credit  & book your own 

 

Every thing else is included  pretty much

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I understand. But if you like taking longer cruises like we do, some of those cruise line loyalty perks like free gratuities, free OBC, free laundry and/or free internet to name a few offered by various cruise lines, do factor into the "long range" decision making process when choosing which "group" of cruise lines we may research for a cool itinerary.

We usually get  PPG/ free internet/OBC/ sometime use the included air on Oceania  even before hitting Gold

I do not mind doing my laundry even before  when they charged for the machines

I like it done MY way

We have done up to 32 days at a time  so yes I do laundry weekly

We also did  longer cruise in  a C  on an R ship   so no need for a suite

we can do fine  in the smaller cabins but draw the line at insides

 

[Tedferg]

Thank you ORV and LHT28. I had the misunderstanding that Oceania was 'all inclusive', so do need to factor in Gratuities and Alcohol Drinks. Just trying to refine my Princess / HAL / Celebrity / Oceania spreadsheet 🙂

 

I do appreciate that small ship, great food, unusual itineraries make a difference that is hard to put in words. I am trying to get to first base and establish what the Oceania premium in cost is over main line companies and then decide if the premium is worth it.

[Georgia_Peaches]

36 minutes ago, ORV said:

How many days is this cruise? Which ship. 

10 nights on the Riviera...Caribbean itinerary.

[Georgia_Peaches]

8 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Thank you ORV and LHT28. I had the misunderstanding that Oceania was 'all inclusive', so do need to factor in Gratuities and Alcohol Drinks. Just trying to refine my Princess / HAL / Celebrity / Oceania spreadsheet 🙂

I'm impressed that you have a spreadsheet to keep all this straight!   Like you, I was under the mistaken impression that the O product was all inclusive.  But what I am learning is that the fare does include more than what some of the others include.  Most of my experience is with Celebrity and NCL Haven product and some Carnival in my earlier cruising years.  Even though grats aren't included, I do like that wifi and specialty dining come with the deal.  Our TA is offering a $175 OBC which we will use towards the gratuities.  I feel like the basic drink package won't be to our liking so we will upgrade.  All in, I think we will come out better with Oceania than we would on a similar 10 night cruise on Celebrity.  Now I just need to figure out if upgrading to a suite is worth the extra money.  On Celebrity when you upgrade to a suite, the drinks package upgrades as well.  So much to consider!

[LHT28]

27 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Thank you ORV and LHT28. I had the misunderstanding that Oceania was 'all inclusive', so do need to factor in Gratuities and Alcohol Drinks. Just trying to refine my Princess / HAL / Celebrity / Oceania spreadsheet 🙂

 

Are you looking for all inclusive cruises?

Regent is pretty much A.I.

 Maybe you are just over analyzing  things  😉

 

 

 

[Tedferg]

36 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Are you looking for all inclusive cruises?

Regent is pretty much A.I.

 Maybe you are just over analyzing  things  😉

Georgia Peaches, it is not an elaborate spreadsheet - two or three lines, easier than scribbling on the back of an envelope. I will go back and update to full price with taxes etc. for two - easy to do.

 

 

 

Absolutely overanalyzing 🙂 but with Stay At  Home I have a lot of free time !

[ORV]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

10 nights on the Riviera...Caribbean itinerary.

I would jump on that upgrade in a heartbeat before someone else does. You can bet you are not the only one they offered it to. 

[ORV]

1 hour ago, Tedferg said:

I do appreciate that small ship, great food, unusual itineraries make a difference that is hard to put in words. I am trying to get to first base and establish what the Oceania premium in cost is over main line companies and then decide if the premium is worth it.

And that becomes the 64k question. It's different for different people. The only real way to know is to jump on a itinerary that interest you and then determine if the price difference is worth it for you.

 

There are many people that come from a Mass Market ship background(such as myself and many others here) that do not like Oceania as well as what they have been doing. There are others that will never go back. Myself I like Celebrity just fine, I've enjoyed every cruise I've been on with them, enough to be Elite, but we've been on twice as many on Oceania once we started with them. We enjoy them both for different things. 

[Tedferg]

28 minutes ago, ORV said:

And that becomes the 64k question. It's different for different people. The only real way to know is to jump on a itinerary that interest you and then determine if the price difference is worth it for you.

 

There are many people that come from a Mass Market ship background(such as myself and many others here) that do not like Oceania as well as what they have been doing. There are others that will never go back. Myself I like Celebrity just fine, I've enjoyed every cruise I've been on with them, enough to be Elite, but we've been on twice as many on Oceania once we started with them. We enjoy them both for different things. 

Well said, thanks.

[Tedferg]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I'm impressed that you have a spreadsheet to keep all this straight!  

My spreadsheet is pretty simple, just three or four lines - I looked at single base fares for each line and now will go back and put in full cost for two including port fees, taxes. Perhaps then look at Premium cabin locations. Easier to redo versus back of an envelope 🙂

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

2 hours ago, LHT28 said:

The cruise only fare  does not include the  O Life perks

So be sure to do the math   to see if you are paying for the perk

Just to make sure I’m understanding what you mean... we are getting wifi, drink package and an OBC from TA. When you say O life perks, are you referring to that or something else?  Thank you. 

[1985rz1]

10 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Just to make sure I’m understanding what you mean... we are getting wifi, drink package and an OBC from TA. When you say O life perks, are you referring to that or something else?  Thank you. 

WiFi is included (one account, one device at a time per cabin) with or without Olife.  The OBC from your TA is between you two, and is not part of Olife.  If you took Olife for the drink package, that's the only Olife perk and that is a not included in the cruise only fare; you pay for it in the Olife fare, just like you pay for included airfare is you chose that with or without Olife.  

[Georgia_Peaches]

47 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

WiFi is included (one account, one device at a time per cabin) with or without Olife.  The OBC from your TA is between you two, and is not part of Olife.  If you took Olife for the drink package, that's the only Olife perk and that is a not included in the cruise only fare; you pay for it in the Olife fare, just like you pay for included airfare is you chose that with or without Olife.  

Guess I was/am confused by the comment made by @LHT28 and wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something since Oceania is new to me.  Yes, the OBC is btwn me and my TA, wifi is included for every stateroom and the drinks package was one of the "free" perks we opted for in the offer.  LHT28 said that if you take the cruise only fare, you don't get O life perks.  I'm trying to figure out what perks I'm missing by taking cruise only as we don't need air fare.

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Just to make sure I’m understanding what you mean... we are getting wifi, drink package and an OBC from TA. When you say O life perks, are you referring to that or something else?  Thank you. 

Maybe you booked  with O Life  but have the airfare removed  from the booking  & get  a small discount

 There are several ways to book Oceania

 

1)Cruise with air included & O Life perk

2)Cruise only ..no air no O Life Perk

3)Cruise with no air  but the O life perk

 

Compare the price for cruise only  & the price with air/Olife 

That will give you what the air credit should be  compare that to your invoice

 You are not missing anything by taking the cruise only  but you may be paying  more for the O Life

Find out how much the air credit was PP

In the past it has been about $400 pp for US sailings

 

 

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

5 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Maybe you booked  with O Life  but have the airfare removed  from the booking  & get  a small discount

 There are several ways to book Oceania

 

1)Cruise with air included & O Life perk

2)Cruise only ..no air no O Life Perk

3)Cruise with no air  but the O life perk

 

Compare the price for cruise only  & the price with air/Olife 

That will give you what the air credit should be  compare that to your invoice

 You are not missing anything

 

 

Awesome!  Thank you so much.  I appreciate the clarification.

[LHT28]

2 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Awesome!  Thank you so much.  I appreciate the clarification.

It is more complicated than it needs to be  LOL

 Just do the math & be aware  if it really is  a deal or not

Enjoy

[KirkNC]

15 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

It is more complicated than it needs to be  LOL

 Just do the math & be aware  if it really is  a deal or not

Enjoy

Agreed, took us a while to figure it out our first time.

[Ken the cruiser]

4 hours ago, ORV said:

I'm curious how many other lines have a free laundry you can use if you so choose? 

I know with Celebrity when you make Elite, you get 1 bag of laundry per leg (up to 30 items) and when you make Elite+ you get 2 bags per leg. So if your traveling partner and yourself are both Elite, you basically get 2 bags of laundry per leg (or 4 bags if you both are Elite+) which pretty much works out to free laundry. The same concept is applicable with RCCL and Azamara.

 

Besides Princess, when you make Elite level, and HAL, when you make 4 star, I'm not aware of any other lines offering free laundry as a perk.

 

One other Princess perk we take advantage of is the Military Personnel OBC perk. Since we are both retired military we get up to $500 OBC when we book a cruise 14 days or longer. With Celebrity we usually get anywhere from $100-300 off our cruise fare. No other cruise line I'm aware of gives a similar military discount perk, but I could be wrong.

Edited June 5, 2020 by Ken the cruiser