Oceania v Celebrity Thoughts

[LGW59]

I've not sailed on Oceania yet, have Riviera booked for Nov 2022.  Have been on Edge and Summit, now two current bookings on Celebrity, May 22 & Oct 2022 (overlaps with the Riviera won't do both), but I have been doing quite a bit of research on O and just about ALL the reviews I read are really positive, esp the food and included spec dining.  They also have some fantastic itineraries.  O seems to be a step above Celebrity but the $$ on C are really really high.  I can stay in a Vista suite (I have a deposit on it) in Nov 2022 for less than the Celebrity suite I currently have booked on Beyond and NO specialty dining is included.  For those of you that have done both lines, may you please share what you feel are the biggest differences.  Atmosphere on-board, crew staff, passengers. and anything else you can think of.  TYIA! 

[shank63]

4 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

For those of you that have done both lines, may you please share what you feel are the biggest differences.  Atmosphere on-board, crew staff, passengers. and anything else you can think of.  TYIA! 

We sailed on the Celebrity Summit when it was a new ship nearly 20 years ago.  It’s now one of Celebrity’s small ships at 2,158 passengers.  Like all cruise lines, Celebrity has its fine points, but for us Oceania is a better fit.  Wonderful food in all venues at no additional charge, smart casual dress code, port intensive itineraries, the best mix of passengers, and a happy crew.  Celebrity may have better entertainment shows, but that’s the only advantage I know.  After your first cruise on the Riviera, you will know which one suits your preferences.  Welcome aboard!

[lj77346]

Although Oceania is our cruise line of choice, we've had many enjoyable Celebrity cruises as well.

 

IMO, the food on Oceania is clearly better than that offered on Celebrity.  If you are in a suite on Oceania, be aware that on nights when you don't have reservations in a specialty restaurant, you can order dinner from a specialty restaurant and your butler will serve you in your suite.

 

Of course a big difference is the small ship v. big ship experience.  Sailing Oceania is a much more relaxed experience than on a big ship - no crowds to contend with, no ship's photographers to avoid and a clientele that tends to be experienced travelers.  Also, with a smaller ship comes smaller production shows (if that's important to you), but there still are shows with featured performers, a piano bar, string quartet, etc.

 

We're in our 70's now and have cruised extensively, so for us the ship is the destination and on Oceania we find enough activities to keep us amused and ample space to read, relax and watch the world pass by.   Oceania just seems like a good fit for us - friendly, efficient staff and other cruisers that are fun to get to know.

 

We're heading off on the Millennium to Alaska later this week and starting this December we have a number of Oceania cruises booked through 2022.  Using the tag line from an old commercial, if you're undecided about Oceania, "try it, you'll like it.'

[LGW59]

4 minutes ago, lj77346 said:

Although Oceania is our cruise line of choice, we've had many enjoyable Celebrity cruises as well.

 

IMO, the food on Oceania is clearly better than that offered on Celebrity.  If you are in a suite on Oceania, be aware that on nights when you don't have reservations in a specialty restaurant, you can order dinner from a specialty restaurant and your butler will serve you in your suite.

 

Of course a big difference is the small ship v. big ship experience.  Sailing Oceania is a much more relaxed experience than on a big ship - no crowds to contend with, no ship's photographers to avoid and a clientele that tends to be experienced travelers.  Also, with a smaller ship comes smaller production shows (if that's important to you), but there still are shows with featured performers, a piano bar, string quartet, etc.

 

We're in our 70's now and have cruised extensively, so for us the ship is the destination and on Oceania we find enough activities to keep us amused and ample space to read, relax and watch the world pass by.   Oceania just seems like a good fit for us - friendly, efficient staff and other cruisers that are fun to get to know.

 

We're heading off on the Millennium to Alaska later this week and starting this December we have a number of Oceania cruises booked through 2022.  Using the tag line from an old commercial, if you're undecided about Oceania, "try it, you'll like it.'

shank63 and lj77346 - Thank you very much for the info!  All that I have read about the food say it is the best at sea.  We generally tend to eat a big breakfast in the suite just about everyday, though I may have to "forget" to make a dinner res and be sure to eat a night or so in the room.  Appreciate the info on the shows, I am not so much of a theatre guy, nor is my husband, but love the live music you mentioned, some of the music (piped in especially) on Celebrity has been quite loud and can have difficulty sometimes in conversation if in the atrium or wine bar enjoying a drink etc.  I am in my early 60's so my days of kicking it up so to speak, are gladly behind me.  When we vacation now, we like it a bit quieter, classy and being able to meet nice folks over a drink, lunch etc.  Celebrity has a new program called Always Included, really beefs up the cost of the cruise, to almost ridiculous level.  In Vista suite it looks like it includes 6 bottles of wine and with the combined $600 on-board credit I feel we'd be able to use it for additional drinks if needed?  If not purchasing the beverage package do you find the wine prices to be reasonable?  I may have a Manhattan or two/three during the 12 days, but primarily a wine drinker.  One last question please, specialty dining is included, but I read something about a dining venue that is an upcharge, Prevee, Preview (???) do you know if that offers private table seating or is it a group experience with fellow guests?

[Flatbush Flyer]

52 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

I've not sailed on Oceania yet, have Riviera booked for Nov 2022.  Have been on Edge and Summit, now two current bookings on Celebrity, May 22 & Oct 2022 (overlaps with the Riviera won't do both), but I have been doing quite a bit of research on O and just about ALL the reviews I read are really positive, esp the food and included spec dining.  They also have some fantastic itineraries.  O seems to be a step above Celebrity but the $$ on C are really really high.  I can stay in a Vista suite (I have a deposit on it) in Nov 2022 for less than the Celebrity suite I currently have booked on Beyond and NO specialty dining is included.  For those of you that have done both lines, may you please share what you feel are the biggest differences.  Atmosphere on-board, crew staff, passengers. and anything else you can think of.  TYIA! 

You’re fortunate that you’ll have time to cancel that May 2022 Celebrity cruise. Once you experience O, you’ll join the MANY Celebrity cruisers who moved up (far up) to O and never looked back.

 

No matter how you “slice it or dice it,” you’re talking about a significant difference in pretty much every aspect starting with O’s “finest cuisine at sea.”™️
 

Where O will appear to fall somewhat short is in the scope of entertainment options. The ships are too small for wannabe Broadway type productions. But, IMO, if you want production shows - just go to Broadway (at the end of one of O’s fabulous itineraries that start or end in NYC.

[patty1955]

One of the advantages of Oceania over Celebrity is the ability to bring your own wine on board. We're long time Celebrity cruisers but are taking out first Oceania cruise this fall. Since the ports we're visiting are all good wine countries (Italy, France and Spain) I plan on bringing wine on at every port. 

[LGW59]

3 minutes ago, patty1955 said:

One of the advantages of Oceania over Celebrity is the ability to bring your own wine on board. We're long time Celebrity cruisers but are taking out first Oceania cruise this fall. Since the ports we're visiting are all good wine countries (Italy, France and Spain) I plan on bringing wine on at every port. 

Thank you patty, very good info to know!  I was just looking to see if there was a roll call for Nov 22 (way way early, I know) while there is not one for the cruise I am booked on, there a for others that follow, several are saying they heard Riviera may go to drydock in Nov 2022.  Time for a plan B!!  🙂

[lj77346]

"LGW59" - Wine prices on Oceania are comparable to other ships.  Also as others have mentioned you can bring on wine to drink in your room or pay a corkage fee ($25) to drink in a restaurant.  On the Riviera, there are some wine pairing dinners that can be booked at an additional cost and are very good.  Privee is a private dining space that is usually booked by people traveling together and gets a meal from a specialty restaurant - usually in high demand and gets booked quickly.

 

If you like an occasional drink, prices are comparable to other cruise lines.  in addition, there are happy hours every day from 5 - 6 p.m. and 11 - midnight (I think) with 2 for 1 drinks.  Also the captain's welcome aboard cocktail party is different than most lines in that it is essentially an open bar for a few hours.

[patty1955]

55 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Thank you patty, very good info to know!  I was just looking to see if there was a roll call for Nov 22 (way way early, I know) while there is not one for the cruise I am booked on, there a for others that follow, several are saying they heard Riviera may go to drydock in Nov 2022.  Time for a plan B!!  🙂

It's never too early. I'm on a roll call for a Celebrity cruise for Jan 2023

[PhD-iva]

I am also a refugee from Celebrity. So many advantages of Oceania, disadvantages of Celebrity, where do I start? The small ship experience means you not in a long queue to debark for excursions. Celebrity’s cruise fare is substantial (Aquaclass to get access to Blu), so my husband won’t spring for more money to eat in a specialty restaurant. We have not been impressed w Celebrity’s main dining room food.
We usually get the included alcohol package, but that’s worthless when you can’t get service at a bar that is mobbed. 

I don’t care about production shows, and enjoy the music on Oceania (string quartets, small group of musicians, etc). June 2016 we sailed on Marina on a Baltic itinerary, fabulous! I won’t say it was perfect (life never is), but the pax profile is much more “world traveler” than I found on Celebrity (okay - that’s my bias and YMMV).

I will admit that we did return to celebrity in 2019 to do an Alaska cruise tour. I’m not looking to go back!

Edited September 5, 2021 by PhD-iva
Edit

[LGW59]

31 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

I am also a refugee from Celebrity. So many advantages of Oceania, disadvantages of Celebrity, where do I start? The small ship experience means you not in a long queue to debark for excursions. Celebrity’s cruise fare is substantial (Aquaclass to get access to Blu), so my husband won’t spring for more money to eat in a specialty restaurant. We have not been impressed w Celebrity’s main dining room food.
We usually get the included alcohol package, but that’s worthless when you can’t get service at a bar that is mobbed. 

I don’t care about production shows, and enjoy the music on Oceania (string quartets, small group of musicians, etc). June 2016 we sailed on Marina on a Baltic itinerary, fabulous! I won’t say it was perfect (life never is), but the pax profile is much more “world traveler” than I found on Celebrity (okay - that’s my bias and YMMV).

I will admit that we did return to celebrity in 2019 to do an Alaska cruise tour. I’m not looking to go back!

I’ve been spending time reading further reviews from Oceania cruisers as well as travel site reviews and all seem to concur with what you folks have said.  Also looking at a bunch of videos on YouTube etc, ships look amazing both suites and public spaces!  Looks like the May 2022 on Celebrity is going to be replaced with something on Oceania, def keeping the Nov 2022 on Riviera, but if fate allow and I am comfortable cruising next spring, I’m in.

[mauibabes]

LGW ,

There are so many posters from Celebrity on here so go back into old posts on Celebrity defectors and Oceania. We have only done one Celebrity cruise in Aqua and we’re not impressed. We immediately returned to Oceania and have never left, 20 cruises and counting and looking forward to our sailing on October 18 on Riviera. A 1250 pax ship vs 2100 pax is a big difference. We love the smaller/midsize lux ships of Oceania. Food, no question, all Oceania.  Since you will be in a Vista Suite and have a Butler, you will have a number of Specialty reservations assigned based on your Category and length of cruise. Your Butler will get you into extra Specialty restaurants virtually anytime you want to go.  Red Ginger, Toscana, Polo and Jacques are all wonderful. La Reserve for wine pairing dinners will be about $120 pp and there is a Dom Perignon pairing dinner too so be prepared.  Prive is a private dining room for up to 10 guests and costs $300 a night but it is a wonderful place to get a group of friends or a group of new friends together and enjoy anything from the Toscana and Polo menus. Fantastic evening, we try to book it every time we are on Riviera and Marina. 
If there is concern about a Riviera dry dock in 2022, have your TA confirm this with Oceania because that may or may not be accurate. Marina and Riviera have both been enhanced during the shutdown. The ships are never allowed to get worn out, millions are spent all the time to maintain their luxury level. 
Good luck and enjoy your cruise on Riviera, you will enjoy your new Oceania family of staff and guests  Also, while you are checking things out on Oceania, go to the O website and sign up to view the Vista Presentation on Wednesday, September 8.  Riviera is beautiful but Vista will be AMAZING, check her out and consider a booking when she opens for booking on September 15. She sails April 2023 and her 6 month Inaugural Season itineraries will be a veritable feeding frenzy. 
Welcome to Oceania 

Mauibabes

[alcpa1]

One thing that no one mentioned is the casino. It's small and not the hot spot that an X casino can be.

We're another O convert but are itinerary driven and sometimes O just doesn't fit the bill for either timing or itinerary.

Since you have done your research you probably understand the air program. If you want to either alter the day(s) flights or fly business or first O air may not be for you.

The only other ticky thing I can mention is the crew. They are not as warm and fuzzy as the X crew. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

10 minutes ago, alcpa1 said:

One thing that no one mentioned is the casino. It's small and not the hot spot that an X casino can be.

We're another O convert but are itinerary driven and sometimes O just doesn't fit the bill for either timing or itinerary.

Since you have done your research you probably understand the air program. If you want to either alter the day(s) flights or fly business or first O air may not be for you.

The only other ticky thing I can mention is the crew. They are not as warm and fuzzy as the X crew. 

Oceania ships have casinos? 😉

As for the O crew, I find them quite courteous, professional and authentic in their relationships with passengers. In fact, I count a handful as friends beyond the cruise setting.

[Croooser]

We are also Celebrity refugees. Elite on Celebrity but 3 of our next 4 are on Oceania. Our opinions are:

 

Celebrity has a significant edge in entertainment and activities. In addition, their airfare program is usually far superior. 

 

In all other respects, we concur with the opinions you see here.

 

It is worthwhile to do a search on these boards on the O Life Choice Benefits and arranging air through O. There are a LOT of options on booking any given sailing. For example, you can book with O Life and O air or with O Life but without O air or with O air but no O Life or you can book O air with or without deviation fees or you can book O air one way only. Not all of these options are apparent on the O website but they are all possible and all affect the price.

Edited September 6, 2021 by Croooser

[basenji56]

17 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

I am also a refugee from Celebrity. So many advantages of Oceania, disadvantages of Celebrity, where do I start? The small ship experience means you not in a long queue to debark for excursions. Celebrity’s cruise fare is substantial (Aquaclass to get access to Blu), so my husband won’t spring for more money to eat in a specialty restaurant. We have not been impressed w Celebrity’s main dining room food.
We usually get the included alcohol package, but that’s worthless when you can’t get service at a bar that is mobbed. 

 

I get what you are saying about the small ship experience.

 

I am currently on Celebrity Edge and there are less than 1000 passengers. (Instead of 2900).

 

Very nice experience. No lines.

 

How long this lasts is an open question.

[cruisingsfun]

I am also a former Celebrity cruiser. I’ve been elite plus for quite awhile and have over 20 Celebrity cruises. We were on an Oceania cruise to Thr Amazon for 24 days as our last cruise prior to Covid. Everything was wonderful We now have 3 more Oceania cruises booked - none on Celebrity. In my view, Celebrity has been cutting too many corners and raising prices too much to justify sailing with them. I’ve decided that the smaller ships and personalized service of Oceania is in my future.

[LGW59]

16 minutes ago, cruisingsfun said:

I am also a former Celebrity cruiser. I’ve been elite plus for quite awhile and have over 20 Celebrity cruises. We were on an Oceania cruise to Thr Amazon for 24 days as our last cruise prior to Covid. Everything was wonderful We now have 3 more Oceania cruises booked - none on Celebrity. In my view, Celebrity has been cutting too many corners and raising prices too much to justify sailing with them. I’ve decided that the smaller ships and personalized service of Oceania is in my future.

"former" seems to be the common theme here.

[patty1955]

Just now, LGW59 said:

"former" seems to be the common theme here.

Not always. We have 3 upcoming cruises; one Oceania, one Windstar and one Celebrity and we plan to sail on all of them. The Celebrity Always Included and our Elite Plus status keep us customers. 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Celebrity is ok if you want to save money.  We did that twice, using short Caribbean cruises on Summit.  And early on, we chose a Princess cruise because Oceania didn't go to Alaska at the time. I'm mostly about seeing the world, not seeing the ship.  I thought it wouldn't make much difference. But I did find it hard to ignore the things I disliked about the other lines, so now we just stick to two tried/true and loved lines, and that's that.  If we want to save money, we simply get an inside cabin on Oceania, and are always fine with that. 

[avalong]

16 minutes ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Celebrity is ok if you want to save money.  We did that twice, using short Caribbean cruises on Summit.  And early on, we chose a Princess cruise because Oceania didn't go to Alaska at the time. I'm mostly about seeing the world, not seeing the ship.  I thought it wouldn't make much difference. But I did find it hard to ignore the things I disliked about the other lines, so now we just stick to two tried/true and loved lines, and that's that.  If we want to save money, we simply get an inside cabin on Oceania, and are always fine with that. 

So what's your other favorite?

[LGW59]

42 minutes ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Celebrity is ok if you want to save money.  We did that twice, using short Caribbean cruises on Summit.  And early on, we chose a Princess cruise because Oceania didn't go to Alaska at the time. I'm mostly about seeing the world, not seeing the ship.  I thought it wouldn't make much difference. But I did find it hard to ignore the things I disliked about the other lines, so now we just stick to two tried/true and loved lines, and that's that.  If we want to save money, we simply get an inside cabin on Oceania, and are always fine with that. 

$$ Is what made me start to look into Oceania.  Hard to find an exact apples to apples but below is close as I was able to find.  I did these comparison within the last hour and both priced w/o air included.  WTH am I missing the price diff is huge!

 

Celebrity Beyond

Royal Suite (comparing this because that is where specialty dining becomes available)

9 nights - Oct 2022

$28,037 (always included package)

$800 OBC

Rome

Corsica

Portofino

Nice

Marseille

at sea

Palma De Mallorca

Valencia

Barcelona

 

Oceania Riviera

Vista Suite

10 nights - Oct 2022

$19,892

$600 OBC

Monte Carlo

Livorno

Rome

Salerno

Valletta

Crotone

Kotor

Split

Koper

Venice

Venice

 

[GrammieK]

Is drink package included in either?

 

that really is a big difference and an additional day on O. 

Edited September 6, 2021 by GrammieK
Added

[LGW59]

3 minutes ago, GrammieK said:

Is drink package included in either?

 

that really is a big difference and an additional day on O. 

On celebrity because it’s a suite it includes premium beverage package for two (but my husband does not drink ever) tips and streaming WiFi.  Oceania includes 6 bottles of wine/spirits in the room, which would be all for me.  We’d also have to pay gratuities (we happily do) and purchase internet package.  None of which will even come close to $9k.  

[basor]

3 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

On celebrity because it’s a suite it includes premium beverage package for two (but my husband does not drink ever) tips and streaming WiFi.  Oceania includes 6 bottles of wine/spirits in the room, which would be all for me.  We’d also have to pay gratuities (we happily do) and purchase internet package.  None of which will even come close to $9k.  

O includes WIFI and, in a suite for 2,  so only gratuities at this point and many TA"S offer gratuities so perhaps nothing additional on O