considering our first Oceania cruise on Nautica

[kayguz]

We are avid cruises but have mostly stayed with RCL, Celebrity, Princess, and Disney-but would like to try Oceania.  We are considering a cruise on the Nautica next fall-- and I'm trying to figure out what to expect.  I tend to get seasick unless I take Bonine nightly- then I can be susceptible, but that tends to hold me.  I am concerned about a smaller ship and the movement- can anyone give me any feedback or comparisons of the Nautica vs a much larger ship? (I think the smallest I have sailed is about 70,000 tons).  Also, what are the evenings and days at sea like in regards to entertainment options?  Thank you for your help!

 

[LHT28]

I do not tend to get seasick to the point I need to medicate daily but sometimes do feel the motion of the ocean depending on location on the ship

I found the smaller R ships  handle the seas quite well 

I steer clear of the forward  rooms like Horizons & the front of the theatre 

We have been in some rough seas  on Regatta & Insignia 

The worst was the crossing last year on Marina  we were caught inbetween to weather fronts  & you could feel the pitching & rolling

 

I would take your meds & hope for best   or do not cruise 

 

Oceania is much quieter  in the evening that those line you have sailed in the past

 

 

[CintiPam]

I have found that sticking to a cabin mid-ships, located between the fore and aft elevators, really has helped my queasiness in rough seas at night a great deal.  (Note that although I switched to the larger Marina snd Riviera once they debuted, I have sailed on Azamara ships the same size as Nautica much more recently.) 

 

Entertainment probably is Oceania’s weakest area but anecdotally we believe it has improved in the last couple of years.  

[alcpa1]

We have done several cruises with Azamara on the same size ship as the Nautica and have sister Regatta booked and are booking another R ship sailing in the next few weeks.

You did not indicate where you plan to cruise and, of course, that makes all the difference. Your choice of cabins is also a factor.

The bathrooms in any cabin below the penthouse category are VERY small. It's probably the biggest drawback to the fleet. But there are so many more factors that should appeal to you as veteran cruisers.

R ships have an advantage. Because they are smaller they really can get into new to you ports. 

The ships have stabilizers that work well. 

Bonine has been my friend too from time to time. There's nothing wrong with using it especially if it allows you to sail.

I think you will find some lively discussions about the Oceania fleet on Cruise Critic. You can get a better feel for the ambiance, cuisine, and everything else in the posts. It's interesting reading!!!

I hope you book. It will be a different experience and that could be a good thing.

[Hawaiidan]

Very stable..... never had any issues ..... as far as entertainment  O  ships are very low key with minimal entertainment...  you provide your own.   Conversation and dining being the big focus.  Its mot like the non stop carnivals of mass market ships ...very subdued   The people who sail  on O like it that way  Friendly but not like Las Vegas....  It is a low key crowd... well mannered and well traveled who has migrated to this more subdued and romantic atmosphere.......

[Qruzon]

The smaller regatta class ships are some 30,000 tons.

Much will depend on what the itinerary will be.

We are booked from San francisco to miami April 22.

I expect relative smooth sailing since most of the trip is close to shore.

If you go trans atlantic,  sea conditions may well be a problem for you.

I have been on the similar sized sirena and do not recall issues when circumnavigating Cuba a few years ago.

The marina and riviera are more like 66000 tons and are quite stable.

As on any ship, to minimize motion, book a mid ship cabin low down.

Deck 3/4 have some.

The cabins will be on the small side so don't expect much.

There are some ocean view cabins on deck 6 that I would avoid. they are tiny.

There is a stage, not a real theater.

They will have enrichment lectures during the day.  How good will depend on the speaker.

Evening will be the usual dance/song performance, but necessarily not as lavish as on a larger ship.

Trivia has some very ardent players if you like that.

The big attraction is the food which is excellent.

We like to meet and talk with new people at dinner.

Hope the covid situation will allow that.

Also, there will be a string quartet that plays at afternoon tea and at other times.

 

 

Edited September 5, 2020 by Qruzon

[LHT28]

28 minutes ago, Qruzon said:

The smaller regatta class ships are some 30,000 tons.

Much will depend on what the itinerary will be.

We are booked from San francisco to miami April 22.

I expect relative smooth sailing since most of the trip is close to shore.

 

we hit rough seas on the way to Colombia  one year

 

[sunlover12]

2 hours ago, Qruzon said:

The smaller regatta class ships are some 30,000 tons.

Much will depend on what the itinerary will be.

We are booked from San francisco to miami April 22.

I expect relative smooth sailing since most of the trip is close to shore

 

We took that cruise a few years ago on the Regatta in the reverse direction,  Miami to San Francisco.  The seas were rough between Cabo San Lucas and San Francisco but not enough where we needed to take our dramamine. The rest of the trip was smooth. 

[Cliff-FLL]

Our first Oceania cruise was a trans-Atlantic on Regatta and it was the cruise from h*ll.  The seas were so rough that even die-hard cruisers were holed-up in their staterooms.  Restaurants and other venues were a bit short-handed because the so many of the staff were sick.  Every horizontal surface had seasick bags and the handrails in the corridors were the only thing that kept some people on their feet.  I'd been on ships before but never on one pitching and rolling the way this one did.  Fortunately, we didn't experience any seasickness and, on the upside, all of the dining rooms were surprisingly empty on many evenings.  It wasn't like that for the entire cruise, but for enough days that it's as if it were yesterday.  

 

Of course, none of this was Oceania's fault and they went out their way to do whatever they could to help anyone who was affected.  For example, I fell when stepping out of the Jacuzzi in our room, cracked a bunch of ribs,  and they gave me free pain meds every day, 'til we arrived in Madeira, our first port of call.🤪  After that, those of us taken to the hospital were stuck with the so-so meds from Clínica da Sé. ☹️

[Queen of DaNile]

Days are active. Evenings can be quiet. Never had a problem with motion sickness on any of our voyages on 5 of the O ships but would not hesitate to take Bonine if I had a doubt. Go for it and enjoy!

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, Queen of DaNile said:

Days are active. Evenings can be quiet. Never had a problem with motion sickness on any of our voyages on 5 of the O ships but would not hesitate to take Bonine if I had a doubt. Go for it and enjoy!

Just remember the further in the front of the ship you are the more you feel the motion

[Mura]

3 hours ago, Cliff-FLL said:

Our first Oceania cruise was a trans-Atlantic on Regatta and it was the cruise from h*ll.  The seas were so rough that even die-hard cruisers were holed-up in their staterooms.  Restaurants and other venues were a bit short-handed because the so many of the staff were sick.  Every horizontal surface had seasick bags and the handrails in the corridors were the only thing that kept some people on their feet.  I'd been on ships before but never on one pitching and rolling the way this one did.  Fortunately, we didn't experience any seasickness and, on the upside, all of the dining rooms were surprisingly empty on many evenings.  It wasn't like that for the entire cruise, but for enough days that it's as if it were yesterday.  

 

Sorry you had such a difficult experience,  We've  done several TAs on the "R" ships and never had such a problem.

 

I'm not doubting that you DID. Weather is weather ... When we did a Costa Rica-Miami cruise in O's early days (Feb 2004) most days were smooth but I remember that the captain took us OUT to sea when going to Aruba.  We had to cancel the stop in the San Blas Islands the day earlier (which was one which I really had wanted to do) and then the sail to Aruba was SO difficult.  Our cabin stewardess was sick as well but she still had to work.  These couple of days were far worse than any TA we did on an "R" ship.

 

There is no predicting what you will find.  That cruise was far more difficult than any TA I can recall on an "R" ship.  You never know.

 

Mura

 

[bigmjh]

Weather and seas are unpredictable very far out ... the old "You gets whatcha gets" is apropos 

[Paulchili]

7 minutes ago, bigmjh said:

Weather and seas are unpredictable very far out ... the old "You gets whatcha gets" is apropos 

True, but another common saying is just as apropos for mal de mer - location, location, location.

It really does matter where your cabin is located on the ship in rough seas - just like it matters where your house is on land 😀.

Edited September 9, 2020 by Paulchili

[bigmjh]

14 hours ago, Paulchili said:

True, but another common saying is just as apropos for mal de mer - location, location, location.

It really does matter where your cabin is located on the ship in rough seas - just like it matters where your house is on land 😀.

TOTALLY agree! Some of the most desireable, expensive suites on a ship are in the worst locations if you are prone to motion sickness.  🤢

[CintiPam]

11 hours ago, bigmjh said:

TOTALLY agree! Some of the most desireable, expensive suites on a ship are in the worst locations if you are prone to motion sickness.  🤢

Yes, mid-ships only for me, basically between the two elevator banks on both the “O” snd “R” ships.

[royallondon]

Many Oceania cruises are port intensive and with longer times in port then many other lines.  As someone who struggles with the motion of the ocean, this makes Oceania with a mid ship cabin one of my favourite cruise lines.
 

Regards

[deadzone1003]

If you thinking of sailing next fall on the Nautica, then you will be sailing the Mediterranean.  So, it will be port-intensive and relatively calm unless you run into a rain storm.  The rainy season is October and November, so that is the time you may run into a storm.   Also, I don't think the Mediterranean storms are as violent as ones in the open ocean.  Just get a cabin mid-ship and you will be o.k.