A Comparison Of Oceania And Celebrity Today

[Aloha 1]

So last night, I went up to POLO and asked the Maitre D about making the Dover Sole for DW as she is not a meat eater, had enough of lobster, and won’t eat swordfish. He said it was impossible. DW entered and I explained she’d have to go with lobster. She said no and wanted to go to the GDR instead. As we got up, said Maitre D cam right over and said he would check with the kitchen. Couple minutes later he said they would make it. Really strange way of handling it. Almost like he was waiting for some vigorish to change hands. After all that, the meal was again, excellent.

 

Today was Portomao, Portugal. Basically a very nice beach tourist resort. A little like Clearwater Beach in Florida or Daytona Beach. After a sort visit, we headed back to commence packing for debarkation tomorrow and our sortie into the maelstrom that is London Heathrow.

[Aloha 1]

And so concludes this long report. I do hope I haven’t bored everyone to death. I started out comparing Nautica to Celebrity Edge and I’ll try to end the same way.

 

Nautica Pros:

The remodel is very nice. The common areas and suites have a nice new look about them. We found the Vista Suite very comfortable with the exception of being right above the bow thrusters. The redo of the PH Suites is a home run. Working with such a small space, the room seems larger. Removing the tub was a good move. The shower space is much better and the fall risk eliminated.

 

Staff were unfailingly friendly and polite as expected from O. Martini’s as usual was a great before dinner spot. Good piano players and great bartender. Shore excursion staff very professional and efficient. Food in POLO and TOSCANA plus the one meal we had in the GDR were up to O standards.

 

Nautica Cons:

Definitely short of staff all around. TV reception was non existent with maybe 3 exceptions. we’ve sailed this area of the Med many times and never have we had so few days of being able to get the news, etc. I used my cell phone a couple times to connect to my DISH receiver in the States and had excellent reception so it has to be the ship. You cannot get any large suitcase under the bed in the PH as there is a low bar that blocks it. The Vista bed goes all the way to the floor so no luggage under there either.

 

The Terrace menus and food prep were NOT up to O standards and in no way compared to the excellent food we’ve in The Terrace on  Riviera and Marina. The GDR menus were by and large not appetizing. I’ve seen better menus pre covid than this trip. Passenger load for both segments was around 600 so about 88% of capacity.

Celebrity Pros:

 

Beautiful almost new ship with a totally re worked dining experience. The Retreat was, as expected, very good and our Celebrity Suite was quite roomy with a separate sitting area from the bedroom. The idea of each restaurant having it’s own kitchen is brilliant. Wherever we dined the food came out promptly and quickly and was excellent. Menus were more varied than O. We frankly were very surprised at how much X has improved in this area.

 

The Martini Bar was not the focal point it has been on the Solstice Class ships but I understand that the next Edge class ship will fix that. Regardless, it was still very good. Music is ever present on X but in a subdued way other than when the live groups are playing. Excursions were well managed and staff were very polite.

 

Celebrity Cons:

It’s a big ship. Although we sailed with only 1700, capacity is 3000. Not sure how things would be fully loaded. No towel hangers in the bathroom and still a tub/shower combo.

 

So, concluding, we ARE fans of Oceania, just not the R ships. The lack of additional dining venues really became an issue for us. Our next 4 cruises are all on Riviera and Marina but I doubt we will ever sail on an R ship again. We will also sail on Celebrity again if the itinerary interests us. They have convinced us to come back at some future date.

 

Most happy to answer any questions from anyone. Ciao, for now.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, Aloha 1 said:

So last night, I went up to POLO and asked the Maitre D about making the Dover Sole for DW as she is not a meat eater, had enough of lobster, and won’t eat swordfish. He said it was impossible. DW entered and I explained she’d have to go with lobster. She said no and wanted to go to the GDR instead. As we got up, said Maitre D cam right over and said he would check with the kitchen. Couple minutes later he said they would make it. Really strange way of handling it. Almost like he was waiting for some vigorish to change hands. After all that, the meal was again, excellent.

 

Today was Portomao, Portugal. Basically a very nice beach tourist resort. A little like Clearwater Beach in Florida or Daytona Beach. After a sort visit, we headed back to commence packing for debarkation tomorrow and our sortie into the maelstrom that is London Heathrow.

It's a shame that you had to go through that nonsense to have such an easily fulfilled request satisfied.

It really does sound like he was expecting his palm to be greased.

At least in the end your wife was able to have the Dover Sole.

 

Your description of events reminds me of a couple of car buying experiences I've had over the years. When I started to walk out the door suddenly my unacceptably low offering price was accepted.

[sunlover12]

Aloha 1:

Thank you for your detailed review. 

I haven't been on Nautica but we have been on Regatta and also loved the refurbishment of the cabins and common areas.  We did manage to put 2 medium-size luggage in the closet but it was tight. 

 

Regarding the dining, I can understand your point that on a 17-day cruise the menu options on an R-ship start becoming limited.  We tend to do only 10-day cruises which isn't enough days to get to feeling like that. I'm also not that enamored with GDR.  Some evenings the dinner menus are uninspiring. We usually eat the fewest meals there, but that is just us. Sirena offers Red Ginger so you'll have more options there. Sorry to hear that the food in the Terrace wasn't up to O's standards. We've usually had very good meals there and the menus are varied each day. It really depends on the kitchen staff.

 

When choosing a cruise we go with itinerary first. The R ships have some appealing itineraries that the O class ships don't offer. 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Aloha 1 said:

So last night, I went up to POLO and asked the Maitre D about making the Dover Sole for DW as she is not a meat eater, had enough of lobster, and won’t eat swordfish. He said it was impossible. DW entered and I explained she’d have to go with lobster. She said no and wanted to go to the GDR instead. As we got up, said Maitre D cam right over and said he would check with the kitchen. Couple minutes later he said they would make it. Really strange way of handling it.

 

Very strange  since they share the same kitchen space    but glad your DW got  her meal OK

 Not ideal but you could have dined in your suite where  your DW could order  from either restaurant without a hassle

 

I hope the manager was not looking for the secret handshake  as other managers have been fired over that issue in the past

 

[ORV]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Very strange  since they share the same kitchen space    but glad your DW got  her meal OK

 Not ideal but you could have dined in your suite where  your DW could order  from either restaurant without a hassle

 

I hope the manager was not looking for the secret handshake  as other managers have been fired over that issue in the past

 

Probably more of not wanting to make it a thing, because the next thing you know everyone is doing it and ordering either menu in both restaurants. Kind of changes the vibe of the whole thing, probably not what Oceania F & B really want to happen. 

 

 

[ORV]

To Aloha, 

 

Thanks for doing this comparison. Very balanced. 

[jonthomas]

This is a comparison of a Suite with Celeb to a suite on O.

 

There would be NO comparison, if you were comparing a regular balcony to Anything on O.

 

NON suite accommodation on Celeb is almost steerage, totally different dining. IMHO food is inedible. After 50 cruises with Celeb, we opted to do O since paying for a suite on Celeb was more, huge ships with tons of kids.

 

No comparison.

 

The best food we have ever had was on the little Insignia, but that was 4 years ago, pre covid and pre staff shortages.

 

On the Riviera this March, we did not feel the food overall was up to Os standards...especially the second leg of the cruise when staff changed and new staff were very inexperienced. 

[cruisingxpert]

Thank you for doing the review.  We are big fans of the Terrace on the O ships and hardly ever go to the GDR.  We just came off the Insignia and we were disappointed with the Terrace- everything you said we agree with.  One thing I do enjoy there is the pasta station..

We dined in the GDR on Insignia on 2 nights- had really good meals and wished we had gone there more often.

The redo on the rooms is lovely.  Other than smaller bathroom and closet space, I think the layout in the PH cabins is nicer than the O ship PH layout.

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, ORV said:

Probably more of not wanting to make it a thing, because the next thing you know everyone is doing it and ordering either menu in both restaurants. Kind of changes the vibe of the whole thing, probably not what Oceania F & B really want to happen. 

 

 

That make sense

[FetaCheese]

5 hours ago, Aloha 1 said:

So last night, I went up to POLO and asked the Maitre D about making the Dover Sole for DW as she is not a meat eater, had enough of lobster, and won’t eat swordfish. He said it was impossible. DW entered and I explained she’d have to go with lobster. She said no and wanted to go to the GDR instead. As we got up, said Maitre D cam right over and said he would check with the kitchen. Couple minutes later he said they would make it. Really strange way of handling it. Almost like he was waiting for some vigorish to change hands. After all that, the meal was again, excellent.

 

Today was Portomao, Portugal. Basically a very nice beach tourist resort. A little like Clearwater Beach in Florida or Daytona Beach. After a sort visit, we headed back to commence packing for debarkation tomorrow and our sortie into the maelstrom that is London Heathrow.

On 4 O cruises, 3 R, 1 O, pre-covid, all maitre D's were excellent.  Never got feeling that they wanted a tip.  If I did tip, they were happy and thankful. Particularly remember Toscana Maitre D', on Insignia.  When I thanked him after 1st time, and said how fine meal and experienced was, he invited us back any time, just see him for extra res. We did.

[babysteps]

Thanks @Aloha 1 for all the details & insights and for taking us along with you! Hope you prevailed in your journey through airports and on flights on the way home.

 

Question 1 - what were the onboard masking requirements as enforced? Did the onboard public space masking rules change depending on what country you were in? I realize this can change daily, just curious for recent experience as we pack and prepare 🙂 I'm assuming the rules may have changed since last fall - certainly have on land (ask me about dinner with a few hundred other folks at a chateau in Burgundy in April), but we haven't been back onboard since November 2021.

 

Question 2 - any tips for beating the heat? And was AC a bit too chilly, about right, or struggling to keep up (understanding that everyone has their own opinion and comfort level!)?

[njhorseman]

3 hours ago, ORV said:

Probably more of not wanting to make it a thing, because the next thing you know everyone is doing it and ordering either menu in both restaurants. Kind of changes the vibe of the whole thing, probably not what Oceania F & B really want to happen. 

 

 

The request was made on the penultimate  night of the cruise so it would hardly be setting a precedent causing lots of requests further down the road.

[LHT28]

6 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

The request was made on the penultimate  night of the cruise so it would hardly be setting a precedent causing lots of requests further down the road.

Maybe not on that cruise  but on other cruises  down the road  ..it sets  a precedent  😉

 

[DENIE]

Thank you, Aloha!  Really enjoyed your posts and comparisons.  In our recent past we sailed mostly with Celebrity, but just experienced our first Oceania cruise on the Riviera.  

[edgee]

9 hours ago, njhorseman said:

It's a shame that you had to go through that nonsense to have such an easily fulfilled request satisfied.

It really does sound like he was expecting his palm to be greased.

At least in the end your wife was able to have the Dover Sole.

 

Your description of events reminds me of a couple of car buying experiences I've had over the years. When I started to walk out the door suddenly my unacceptably low offering price was accepted.

I very much like Oceania, but unfortunately I find they almost have a corporate culture of first instinct to say "no" to even smaller out of the ordinary special requests...and sometimes treating the customer as almost a guilty party for asking for something out of the ordinary. Generally lots of nice people but an often inflexible workplace culture. Regent can be similar.

[aggiejd2000]

Thanks so much for this comparison!  It was super timely, as DH and I were just discussing whether we should try suite class on Celebrity E-class ships or Oceania.  We've been cruising with Celebrity on its S-class ships but the main dining room's food has become disappointing and we're looking for a more elevated experience.  From your description, it sounds like the dining experiences are a toss-up.  Decisions...  

[tvmovielover]

On our trip before covid on Nautica, the dover sole was available on the Toscana menu. Is that still the case?  If so, Polo and Toscana share the kitchen not being near the MDR.  Was the person taking the order looking for a tip (I believe it could happen) or trying not to offer something from the Toscana menu for whatever reason?  Anyway, thank you Aloha 1 for a good comparison of two popular cruise lines.

[Gracie115]

On 8/3/2022 at 2:08 AM, aggiejd2000 said:

Thanks so much for this comparison!  It was super timely, as DH and I were just discussing whether we should try suite class on Celebrity E-class ships or Oceania.  We've been cruising with Celebrity on its S-class ships but the main dining room's food has become disappointing and we're looking for a more elevated experience.  From your description, it sounds like the dining experiences are a toss-up.  Decisions...  

 

We will be on the new Celebrity Apex in October in suite class and therefore eating in Luminae.  We've always found it excellent, but this will be 1st cruise with them since 2019 so hopefully the quality will still be there.  I do agree that Celebrity MDR has taken several steps back in recent years, but Luminae kept us going back.  We are looking forward to this cruise but also looking forward to next year's Oceania cruise, our first one.

[jrandjr]

12 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

 

We will be on the new Celebrity Apex in October in suite class and therefore eating in Luminae.  We've always found it excellent, but this will be 1st cruise with them since 2019 so hopefully the quality will still be there.  I do agree that Celebrity MDR has taken several steps back in recent years, but Luminae kept us going back.  We are looking forward to this cruise but also looking forward to next year's Oceania cruise, our first one.

We were at the highest loyalty level with Celebrity but found them to start slipping before Covid.  We ate most night in blue because Luminae was just not the same as previous sailings. Could have been the cook on those ships (couldn't put a finger on it). Since August 2021 its been Oceania or Crystal (Sadly) & a couple of HAL.

[Aloha 1]

On 8/2/2022 at 6:16 PM, babysteps said:

Thanks @Aloha 1 for all the details & insights and for taking us along with you! Hope you prevailed in your journey through airports and on flights on the way home.

 

Question 1 - what were the onboard masking requirements as enforced? Did the onboard public space masking rules change depending on what country you were in? I realize this can change daily, just curious for recent experience as we pack and prepare 🙂 I'm assuming the rules may have changed since last fall - certainly have on land (ask me about dinner with a few hundred other folks at a chateau in Burgundy in April), but we haven't been back onboard since November 2021.

 

Question 2 - any tips for beating the heat? And was AC a bit too chilly, about right, or struggling to keep up (understanding that everyone has their own opinion and comfort level!)?

We had to take an antigen test within 2 days prior to boarding and were told masks were mandatory within the cruise terminal and on board per Italian rules. Well, after a couple hours on board and before sailing, I could count on two hands the number of people still wearing masks. Announcements were made whenever we docked at a Greek, Italian or Spanish port that  masks were required but no one wore them and there was no enforcement . No enforcement on the tenders either. There was no retesting needed between segments. No announcements from the bridge about covid or wearing masks. I did note that the cruise director disappeared from public view or on the Nautica Today TV show about 4 days before the end of our cruise. Also a couple casino staff were in quarantine. I heard from a reliable source that all cases were mild. In all the ports we visited, hardly a mask could be seen.

 

The ship and room were overly cold. The Terrace was freezing but fortunately we had many opportunities to dine al fresco. The T Stat in the room was turned all the way to 30c but the room stayed very cold. On shore excursions we took water, dressed lightly and stayed in the shade as much as we could. 

[aggiejd2000]

18 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

 

We will be on the new Celebrity Apex in October in suite class and therefore eating in Luminae.  We've always found it excellent, but this will be 1st cruise with them since 2019 so hopefully the quality will still be there.  I do agree that Celebrity MDR has taken several steps back in recent years, but Luminae kept us going back.  We are looking forward to this cruise but also looking forward to next year's Oceania cruise, our first one.

I hope you will post about your experiences, as I'd be interested in hearing how they compare.  I'm in the process of researching to book our first Oceania cruise. 

[ORV]

13 hours ago, Aloha 1 said:

The T Stat in the room was turned all the way to 30c but the room stayed very cold.

I've never found the rooms to be cold enough in hot areas. Amazing that it worked that well. 

[LHT28]

16 hours ago, Aloha 1 said:

The ship and room were overly cold. The Terrace was freezing but fortunately we had many opportunities to dine al fresco. The T Stat in the room was turned all the way to 30c but the room stayed very cold. On shore excursions we took water, dressed lightly and stayed in the shade as much as we could. 

Did you happen to mention the T stat problem to  Management ?

I can never get it cool enough especially for sleeping

[Aloha 1]

On 8/5/2022 at 2:12 PM, LHT28 said:

Did you happen to mention the T stat problem to  Management ?

I can never get it cool enough especially for sleeping

I did but nothing came of it. Not sure if it was a result of the remodel but turning it up to what should have been hot air did nothing.