'SIRENA' - Isles of Paradise

[GeriatricNurse]

I am thinking of booking the 22-Day 'Isles of Paradise' cruise, November 28 to December 20, 2022, Miami to Bridgetown, onboard the 'SIRENA'; (an older ship built in 1999)!

Although I have been on 25+ cruises with five different cruise lines, I have never been on an Oceania cruise!

I am seeking information from Oceania cruisers, who have cruised onboard the 'SIRENA', about their cruise experience as well as the pros and cons of their Oceania cruises in general.

 

Thank you very much.

 

Ward 😀

[Flatbush Flyer]

5 hours ago, GeriatricNurse said:

I am thinking of booking the 22-Day 'Isles of Paradise' cruise, November 28 to December 20, 2022, Miami to Bridgetown, onboard the 'SIRENA'; (an older ship built in 1999)!

Although I have been on 25+ cruises with five different cruise lines, I have never been on an Oceania cruise!

I am seeking information from Oceania cruisers, who have cruised onboard the 'SIRENA', about their cruise experience as well as the pros and cons of their Oceania cruises in general.

 

Thank you very much.

 

Ward 😀

For starters, why not follow the discussions on the various Oceania CC boards.

As for Sirena, what’s your concern about the age of the ships? O takes excellent care of its original four Regatta Class ships. In fact, when the acquired the Ocean Princess (a Princess R ship) about 6 years ago, they spent $40 million to bring it up to O standards. AND they just gave it (and the other Rs) multi-million interior makeovers as part of the Oceania NEXT project.

If your previous five cruise lines were mass market ones like Celebrity, you are in for a far far better experience -particularly when it comes to food and service.

Oceania is our preferred cruise line and we love Sirena.

[LHT28]

6 hours ago, GeriatricNurse said:

I am thinking of booking the 22-Day 'Isles of Paradise' cruise, November 28 to December 20, 2022, Miami to Bridgetown, onboard the 'SIRENA'; (an older ship built in 1999)!

Although I have been on 25+ cruises with five different cruise lines, I have never been on an Oceania cruise!

I am seeking information from Oceania cruisers, who have cruised onboard the 'SIRENA', about their cruise experience as well as the pros and cons of their Oceania cruises in general.

 

Thank you very much.

 

Ward 😀

Depends on your cabin preferences

 The lower cat A -G  are small with small W/C 

if you like  a larger W/C go to the PH or higher Cat

 

Have not been on Sirena  only Regatta & Insignia  but the ships  are close in decor etc.. Sirena has different Specialty restaurants than the other 3 R ships  but the food is good  on all the O ships

The entertainment is low key  & 1 show about 9:30 pm nightly

Afternoon tea is not to be missed   daily at 4pm  except embarkations day  ..go at least once if you can

CONS  for some are the small showers in the lower cabin cat

 

The R ships are well maintained & cozy ..less than 700 pax  so you get to meet  people more often than on main stream lines

 

Give them a try  & judge for yourself

Enjoy

[alcpa1]

I have not been on Sirena yet. We will sail on her in February.

I have been on the Azamara fleet which are the same R ships, and have another R class ship booked too.

The ships are indeed more intimate than any mass market ship you might have sailed. The A - G cabins are on the small size and the bathrooms are indeed challengingly small.

The ships were originally built for Renaissance Cruise Lines. It was a niche line catering to those who wanted refinement with the focus on itineraries.

As LHT28 said, if you want a more spacious cabin start looking at the PH's and above.

I absolutely expect us to have another very good O experience with a culinary forward focus and a staff who has our safety and well being first and foremost.

We chose our particular sailing because of the itinerary. I think you found Oceania because of the Isles of Paradise itinerary too.

If you want an oceanview do be aware that the deck 6 midships oceanviews are set back from the hull with the lifeboats above. If you like shade then you would be fine.

Hopefully, very hopefully, by November of 22 the Caribbean will be open to visitors and just as lovely as ever.

 

[LHT28]

deck 6  are more obstructive view cabin due to the lifeboats  than the Oceanviews on deck 3 & 4

Also the E cat are smaller  than the others

[njhorseman]

10 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Afternoon tea is not to be missed   daily at 4pm  except embarkations day  ..go at least once if you can

No...go every day if you can...☺️

[BBQ Lover]

I notice that you are a Four Star Mariner. We also love HAL, but we far prefer Oceania. The Oceania ships provide more of a premium feel than a Dam Ship. Other notable differences or similarities between Hal and Oceania:

 

1. Oceania is changing the decor of their R-ships to brighten things up. However, there are still a lot of dark woods that might remind you of HAL, and the traditional cruise experience.
2. There are no formal nights. The dress code is country club casual every day. It is much more relaxed than HAL.
3. There is no traditional dining option. Everything is open seating, and you just roll up whenever you like. However, you do need to make reservations in the specialty dining rooms to assure a spot.
4. There is no extra charge for specialty dining rooms. On Sirena, and the other R-Ships, all food is included in the price of your cruise. On Riviera and Marina, there is a charge for Privee and La Reserve. Privee is a private dining room for 8 people. La Reserve is a wine tasting that is paired with a chef's table experience. At La Reserve, you are really paying for the wine instead of the food.
5. There is no charge for coffee, tea, and other soft drinks. Afternoon tea is also complimentary, as well as other things that are extra on HAL. You will find that you rarely need to show your room card while on board.
6. Your fellow travelers on Oceania will be about the same age as on HAL.
7. The Oceania ships are smaller and provide a much more intimate atmosphere.

I'm sure there are other things I could mention, but that is about all I can currently think of. I would much rather sail on Oceania than HAL. It is much more of a premium experience.

Edited September 25, 2021 by BBQ Lover

[ronrick1943]

Everyone has their own preference’s, but for us we enjoy the smaller ship of “O”.  You’ll have a great time on the ship.  

[GeriatricNurse]

On 9/23/2021 at 10:50 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

For starters, why not follow the discussions on the various Oceania CC boards.

As for Sirena, what’s your concern about the age of the ships? O takes excellent care of its original four Regatta Class ships. In fact, when the acquired the Ocean Princess (a Princess R ship) about 6 years ago, they spent $40 million to bring it up to O standards. AND they just gave it (and the other Rs) multi-million interior makeovers as part of the Oceania NEXT project.

If your previous five cruise lines were mass market ones like Celebrity, you are in for a far far better experience -particularly when it comes to food and service.

Oceania is our preferred cruise line and we love Sirena.

Flatbush Flyer, thank you very much for your reply and advice. 🙂

[GeriatricNurse]

8 hours ago, BBQ Lover said:

I notice that you are a Four Star Mariner. We also love HAL, but we far prefer Oceania. The Oceania ships provide more of a premium feel than a Dam Ship. Other notable differences or similarities between Hal and Oceania:

 

1. Oceania is changing the decor of their R-ships to brighten things up. However, there are still a lot of dark woods that might remind you of HAL, and the traditional cruise experience.
2. There are no formal nights. The dress code is country club casual every day. It is much more relaxed than HAL.
3. There is no traditional dining option. Everything is open seating, and you just roll up whenever you like. However, you do need to make reservations in the specialty dining rooms to assure a spot.
4. There is no extra charge for specialty dining rooms. On Sirena, and the other R-Ships, all food is included in the price of your cruise. On Riviera and Marina, there is a charge for Privee and La Reserve. Privee is a private dining room for 8 people. La Reserve is a wine tasting that is paired with a chef's table experience. At La Reserve, you are really paying for the wine instead of the food.
5. There is no charge for coffee, tea, and other soft drinks. Afternoon tea is also complimentary, as well as other things that are extra on HAL. You will find that you rarely need to show your room card while on board.
6. Your fellow travelers on Oceania will be about the same age as on HAL.
7. The Oceania ships are smaller and provide a much more intimate atmosphere.

I'm sure there are other things I could mention, but that is about all I can currently think of. I would much rather sail on Oceania than HAL. It is much more of a premium experience.

BBQ Lover, thank you very much for your reply.  I appreciate the comparisons. 🙂

[GeorgesGal]

After sailing over the past 30 years or so, I've been on NCL, Dolphin (now defunct), RCCL, HAL, Celebrity and Oceania, my preference is always Oceania.  It seems to fit me like a glove.  Only problem is that since I enjoy cruising multiple times a year it becomes quite pricey in my retirement.  That's why Celebrity is my second choice.  But it's good to have options, isn't it?

Donna