Is Oceania for Us?

[ORV]

Just now, Flatbush Flyer said:

It definitely is NOT you (at least it's not you to whom I am referring). Think about it.

Actually yes, it is me, I'm the only one with SW MO in their location. I asked Flo how many cruises she had been on. Though my neighbor did quote her. My question had nothing to do with starting a debate. There was nothing to debate. 

 

I may not contribute much but I do pay attention. Not referring to you with that FF. 

[Norseh2o]

On 11/22/2020 at 6:32 PM, Busy Mum said:

Hi all,

 

Hubby and I are considering an Oceania cruise around in Japan 2022.  We are in our early 60’s and the cruise lines we have been with to date are Princess and Celebrity.

 

Just wondering if you lovely people can tell me your experiences, good and bad, of Oceania?  Are they ‘miles ahead’ of Princess and Celebrity and are they good value of money?  Not sure how their excursions work, what is OLife? Do you get a good variety of tours if you choose these tours.

 

Lots to look into but was just hoping you can guide me in the right direction.

 

We are also hoping the world will be a lot more settled by 2022 and our cruising experiences back to being some sort of ‘normal’!

 

Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

Vicki. 🙂 

We had only cruised on NCL and Holland and found the cruises practically perfect.  We traveled on Oceania for the first time in 2019 with a transatlantic trip, Barcelona-Miami and a round trip to the Amazon from Miami. Aside from the less than 'country club casual dress' adopted by some cruisers, we found nothing negative about Oceania. We love the small ship size (we traveled on the Sirena and the Insignia) , the great food, the sea days, the ports, the staff and the travelers that we met. Entertainment productions were fine,  we prefer the fine music offerings found in small settings throughout the ship. We are Hopeful that our 2021 Oceania cruises don't get cancelled! 

[pinotlover]

16 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Oceania pays Travel Agency commissions on a sliding scale related to their O sales volume (also the basis for acquiring Connoisseurs Club recognition. While high sales numbers don't guarantee a TA will share the commission, the fact remains that Connoisseurs Club member agencies have more $ with which to work. 

I believe this is partially old inaccurate news. From what I learned from a TA on a recent cruise:

 

1. there is a sales level of Oceania only cruise sales that puts an Agency into the OCC status and max commissions level;

 

2.  there was always a tiered number of combined PCH ( Oceania & Regent) sales that granted the Agency the top commission level for the lines;

 

3.  Today there is a scale for combined NCLH sales that grants top commissions on all three lines.

 

I believe it is accurate to overall say that in dealing with an OCC travel agency,  and high selling Oceania travel agent, one will most likely find an Agent that is extremely knowledgeable in the particular workings of Oceania. I no longer believe that commission tiers are still tied solely to Oceania sales. That ship sailed quite awhile ago. There is a set of high selling Travel Agencies that enjoy the top commission tier for NCLH various lines. OCC members are one of the subsets if that group.

[Flatbush Flyer]

44 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

I believe this is partially old inaccurate news. From what I learned from a TA on a recent cruise:

 

1. there is a sales level of Oceania only cruise sales that puts an Agency into the OCC status and max commissions level;

 

2.  there was always a tiered number of combined PCH ( Oceania & Regent) sales that granted the Agency the top commission level for the lines;

 

3.  Today there is a scale for combined NCLH sales that grants top commissions on all three lines.

 

I believe it is accurate to overall say that in dealing with an OCC travel agency,  and high selling Oceania travel agent, one will most likely find an Agent that is extremely knowledgeable in the particular workings of Oceania. I no longer believe that commission tiers are still tied solely to Oceania sales. That ship sailed quite awhile ago. There is a set of high selling Travel Agencies that enjoy the top commission tier for NCLH various lines. OCC members are one of the subsets if that group.

I'm okay with that😎

[clo]

1 hour ago, ORV said:

Actually yes, it is me, I'm the only one with SW MO in their location. I asked Flo how many cruises she had been on. Though my neighbor did quote her. My question had nothing to do with starting a debate. There was nothing to debate. 

 

I may not contribute much but I do pay attention. Not referring to you with that FF. 

It's clo not Flo 🙂 And I've been on about ten cruises. Only one so far on O which we simply loved. Okay?

[Busy Mum]

11 hours ago, Norseh2o said:

We had only cruised on NCL and Holland and found the cruises practically perfect.  We traveled on Oceania for the first time in 2019 with a transatlantic trip, Barcelona-Miami and a round trip to the Amazon from Miami. Aside from the less than 'country club casual dress' adopted by some cruisers, we found nothing negative about Oceania. We love the small ship size (we traveled on the Sirena and the Insignia) , the great food, the sea days, the ports, the staff and the travelers that we met. Entertainment productions were fine,  we prefer the fine music offerings found in small settings throughout the ship. We are Hopeful that our 2021 Oceania cruises don't get cancelled! 

Awesome photos of the gorgeous Sirena. That ship is the old ‘Ocean Princess’ which we have spent 48 days on (2 separate cruises) and just loved her. Love that size of ship. I’m getting lots of positive feedback for Oceania and we are very keen it give it a try. Will be waiting a while to book though as the cruising world is just too unpredictable at the moment and I don’t want any more cancelled cruises! 😞 Thanks again for your reply.

Vicki. 🙂 

[basenji56]

On 11/23/2020 at 6:59 PM, Classiccruiser777 said:

Included in the fare are all non-alcoholic beverages and specialty restaurants. 

 

 

 

So, specialty coffees are included? 

[ORV]

17 hours ago, Paulchili said:

You obviously have no idea of what your are saying or implying. I am not sure how well you know this board with only 81 prior posts. I certainly do not recognize you as a long standing contributor to O boards.

Just to be clear - ORV is one of the most respected and knowledgeable members of this board and his contributions are valued by most members.

He is one of the voices of reason.

Thanks for the support Paul, I missed this yesterday. I may be an acquired taste and polarizing, but most of the time I do know a bit about Oceania, and cruising in general. 

[LHT28]

56 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

So, specialty coffees are included? 

ALL  NON alcoholic beverages included

[Paulchili]

3 hours ago, ORV said:

Thanks for the support Paul, I missed this yesterday. I may be an acquired taste and polarizing, but most of the time I do know a bit about Oceania, and cruising in general. 

Everything I said I meant and is true.

I hope we get to sail together some day.

[calicakes]

On 11/22/2020 at 8:53 PM, alcpa1 said:

We are new to Oceania but after our first sailing we have booked two additional cruises. We have sailed Princess - not our best cruise. Our usual cruise line is Celebrity usually in an Aqua cabin so that we can dine in Blu which we much prefer over the MDR.

Oceania's two larger ships carry 1250 passengers. Like Celebrity's fleet they are well laid out with multiple dining options - 4 specialty restaurants with no service charge. You will find enhanced menus and service. Waves poolside grill serves everything from salads to Caribbean sized lobsters every day.

The MDR dining options are varied each evening and special requests are accepted with notice.

We have not yet sailed on one of the smaller ships of Oceania but have sailed on the same sized Azamara ships. They do not have as many specialty restaurants (2 per ship) but all the other restaurants are present.

The cabins on the Riviera  and Marina are comparable to the larger balcony cabins on Celebrity's Millie class ships. The regular balcony cabins on the smaller ships are smaller but the bathrooms are a challenge. There is ample storage in every cabin class. No top storage like on the S class ships.

It looks like we will have to endure cruise line tours in the immediate future. That's where the O Life program comes in. Excursions are an option in that price point. Tours are varied and are on the same pricy side as any other line. The O Life included tours are valued at anything below $199. You can 

purchase additional tours above that price and you can also bundle additional tours for a discount. Your intended itinerary probably offers 6-8 included tours. 

The crew and officers on our Marina cruise in February were not as warm and fuzzy as our normal Celebrity staff but they were professional and efficient. The ship was spotless and the public areas were comfortable.

Like Celebrity the production shows and entertainment were too loud for my tender ears. I stayed often as long as I could tolerate the decibels. 

Alternating from Celebrity to Oceania and vice versa seems like a good option for us. Please give it a little more study but you should fit right in with the friendly passengers and wonderful itinerary.

 

Thanks for you reply.  My wife and I( same sex couple) are considering a 10 day Caribbean cruise on Sirena in Feb 2022( my wife's 60th bday).   Our last 4 cruises have been on Celebrity in AQ.  We had a suite booked for this Xmas, but that was cancelled.  We also booked a cruise for 2022 on Edge and they cancelled that and offered us to rebook at current rates( the 7 day was more expensive than the 10 day we had booked). 

 

We don't drink alcohol, we don't attend shows, we prefer to lounge by the pool, use the gym and eat good food.   On X, we attend all the trivia games and usually the pool games.  I'm doing research now and I had all the same questions at the OP 

[calicakes]

This is going to sound trivial, so forgive me.  Does O carry coke or pepsi products? 

[ORV]

Coke, but you can usually request whatever you want stocked in your frig through your Travel Agent. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

12 minutes ago, calicakes said:

This is going to sound trivial, so forgive me.  Does O carry coke or pepsi products? 

They still make Pepsi???

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 minutes ago, ORV said:

Coke, but you can usually request whatever you want stocked in your frig through your Travel Agent. 

If O has a Coke exclusive contract, they may not be able to do Pepsi orders.

[calicakes]

25 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

If O has a Coke exclusive contract, they may not be able to do Pepsi orders.

We drink coke products, so I'm happy. 

[clo]

31 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

They still make Pepsi???

As a native Atlantan, this is my favorite post of yours 🙂

[Hawaiidan]

On 11/25/2020 at 10:12 AM, Paulchili said:

Everything I said I meant and is true.

I hope we get to sail together some day.

He  Is ORV  and I have some sea time together....Great guy and Great Wife....

[Hawaiidan]

17 hours ago, calicakes said:

 

 

We don't drink alcohol, we don't attend shows, we prefer to lounge by the pool, use the gym and eat good food.   On X, we attend all the trivia games and usually the pool games.  I'm doing research now and I had all the same questions at the OP 

Well Kiddo......this is the motherlode for you....  I am in the same boat  for likes so to speak and this IS the ship experience after 30+ years  .  In fact with one terrible exception ( HAL) To cruise means ONLY  Oceania ..   Its a rut, but one I have no substitute for.

[GeorgesGal]

To the OP, we had cruised Royal, HAL and X for years, then met Oceania!  If we had our choice - and more money we wanted to spend - we would sail exclusively on O, but since we like to take more than one cruise a year, our second and third cruises would be on X (Celebrity).

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, GeorgesGal said:

To the OP, we had cruised Royal, HAL and X for years, then met Oceania!  If we had our choice - and more money we wanted to spend - we would sail exclusively on O, but since we like to take more than one cruise a year, our second and third cruises would be on X (Celebrity).

Many O regulars (including us) have had the same "aha" experience and the lesson learned is that the ship experience DOES matter. Of course, with Oceania niche market of primarily middle/older aged adults who are generally well-travelled, professionally accomplished and desirous of value laden quality, it's not going to be the right cruise line for everyone.

. 

FWIW: As to Oceania's cost, whenever your cruise profile includes intercontinental air travel (tix or air credit included on O cruises) and a desire for included perks/amenities such as beverages, internet, specialty restaurants and a choice of booze, tours or SBC, do compare the bottom line cost to similar itineraries on the higher end mass market lines like Celebrity, Viking, etc.(where those extras most often cost extra). I trust that you'll find O's net daily cost to be "in their ball park."

 

Then (as you've already done), compare your experiences/expectations regarding the qualitative cruise elements of food, service, space and crew ratios, demographics and unique/unusual itineraries (including many extended journeys) et al. and the choice of O as one's preferred line becomes very easy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 5, 2020 by Flatbush Flyer

[GeorgesGal]

2 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Many O regulars (including us) have had the same "aha" experience and the lesson learned is that the ship experience DOES matter.

 

Of course, with Oceania catering primarily to a niche market of middle/older aged adults who are generally well travelled,  professionally accomplished and desirous of value laden quality, it is not going to be the right cruise line for everyone. 

 

FWIW: As to Oceania's cost, whenever your cruise profile includes intercontinental air travel (tix or air credit included on O cruises) and a desire for included perks/amenities such as beverages, internet, specialty restaurants and a choice of booze, tours or SBC, do compare the bottom line cost to similar itineraries on the higher end mass market lines like Celebrity, Viking, etc.(where those extras most often cost extra). I trust that you'll find O's net daily cost to be "in their ball park."

 

Then (as you've already done), compare your experiences/expectations regarding the qualitative cruise elements of food, service, space and crew ratios, demographics and unique/unusual itineraries (including many extended journeys) et al. and the choice of O as one's preferred line becomes very easy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But the cruise cost is still about 30% higher from our experience.

And yes, your second paragraph is all too true.  These experiences are what keep us coming back, at least once a year since our first O cruise 9 years ago. Of course this year was an exception with 4 O cruises cancelled.

Yes O is our preferred line although not our exclusive line for my reason stated in a prior post.

[Busy Mum]

2 hours ago, GeorgesGal said:

To the OP, we had cruised Royal, HAL and X for years, then met Oceania!  If we had our choice - and more money we wanted to spend - we would sail exclusively on O, but since we like to take more than one cruise a year, our second and third cruises would be on X (Celebrity).

Thank you GeorgesGal, I’ve read lots of very positive posts on O, now to get them all back sailing! 🤞🤞😊

[Flatbush Flyer]

50 minutes ago, GeorgesGal said:

But the cruise cost is still about 30% higher from our experience.

And yes, your second paragraph is all too true.  These experiences are what keep us coming back, at least once a year since our first O cruise 9 years ago. Of course this year was an exception with 4 O cruises cancelled.

Yes O is our preferred line although not our exclusive line for my reason stated in a prior post.

In comparisons we've made on specific intercontinental itineraries, it's the Oceania air credit of $1200 to $1500+\- pp that is often the great price equalizer with lines like Celebrity. And, if one selects the O Life tours perk, the allowable ones can net double the equivalent SBC option (e.g., $800 O Life SBC = 8 tours though you can book the <$200 ones, which doubles the value to $1600). That tour perk also counts for the minimum tour order to get the YWYW 25% discount on any paid tours you add. 

"Bottom line" is that it's the "bottom line" of all your door-to-door costs on certain itineraries where you can get the far superior O product at the same cost or even less than the upper mass market experience.