First timer on Oceania considering repositioning cruise

[oceanpark]

We have never done a repositioning cruise, but wonder if Miami to Malta on Vista, in April 2024 may be a good way to enjoy what Oceania has to offer, as Europe cruises are very port intensive.  

[basenji56]

Yes. Good mix of ports and sea days. 

[edgee]

12 hours ago, oceanpark said:

We have never done a repositioning cruise, but wonder if Miami to Malta on Vista, in April 2024 may be a good way to enjoy what Oceania has to offer, as Europe cruises are very port intensive.  

Sure will be a gorgeous new ship. Depends on what your expectations are in terms of entertainment/activities/enrichment. While Oceania offers them they tend to not excel in any of these areas, so for some sea days are a little dull. Others love a somewhat quieter ship compared to large mainstream cruise lines and feel that Oceania strikes a good balance of quiet ship/vs lots to do.

[ak1004]

We like Oceania for its food and service and port intensive itineraries. There are very few activities on sea days, so personally I wouldn't sail TA on Oceania, unless you are okay with keeping yourself busy, just reading a book or relaxing at the pool. But this is probably true for most luxury/premium lines.

[basenji56]

17 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

We like Oceania for its food and service and port intensive itineraries. There are very few activities on sea days, so personally I wouldn't sail TA on Oceania, unless you are okay with keeping yourself busy, just reading a book or relaxing at the pool. But this is probably true for most luxury/premium lines.

I played team trivia three times a day on Oceania. 

 

[LHT28]

on out 1 & only crossing they had many things  to do   if you are interested  in them

but due to the  weather  they had to move the games indoors

 some people are just not into  what is on offer  so  to them there is nothing to do

 

I like  to read  & chat with  fellow shipmates  so it works  for me  just fine

some people like to be doing something all day 

 

Personal choices

 

[Orator]

40 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

We like Oceania for its food and service and port intensive itineraries. There are very few activities on sea days, so personally I wouldn't sail TA on Oceania, unless you are okay with keeping yourself busy, just reading a book or relaxing at the pool. But this is probably true for most luxury/premium lines.

Agree! Port intensive, yes! Not port intensive better choices in my opinion.

[NewSalty]

One thing I've found about Oceania repositioning cruises is that they include more port stops before and after the ocean crossing than their main competitors (Viking, Azamara, Windstar at least) do, but still at heavily discounted rates.  Sometimes they'll even offer an extra week B2B cruise before or after at a discount as well.

 

Case in point: I recently booked a 2025 Tokyo to Vancouver Oceanview on Riviera.

 

32 day B2B Tokyo-Vancouver        (4/13-5/14)  $9999   ($312/day)

 

20 day Repositioning Tokyo-Van.  (4/25-5/14)  $4799 ($240/day)

 

12 day Tokyo-Tokyo                         (4/13-4/25)  $5749 ($479/day)

 

So, you could think of it as having added the 12 day Tokyo cruise for (9999-4799)= $5299. ($442/day)

 

All ending up with a per diem price for Japan that is very attractive.  I've booked two Atlantic B2B repositioning cruises with similar results.  The other guys don't do stuff like this.

 

 

[ORV]

• I would be more concerned with Malta as a disembarkation point as opposed to what to do on the TA. What are your options for flight connections from there? What are the hotel accommodations there? I've only been there once as a cruise stop years ago, it didn't stand out as a place for embarking or disembarking. I remember I did like it, I also remember one of the merchants jacking up the prices on a water for tourists. 

[MrCoolChile]

I can vouch for NewSalty's post on two counts.

 

We've just completed our fourth trans–Atlantic.  Last Nov./Dec. was 33 days on Marina from Athens to Miami.  My wife and I have picked these cruises because when a repositioning is combined with a pre–segment (in our case Athens to Barcelona), you can get some of the best pricing Oceania offers.  As well, we love the sea days as it allows us to slow down and relax after the busy port intensive Med (ATH to BCN had 16 ports in 17 days).  On sea days we enjoy leisurely cappuccinos in Baristas and breakfast in the GDR, taking cooking classes (they're offered nearly every day while at sea), etc.  While not for everyone but weather permitting, I like getting up early and walking.  Seeing the sun rise over the ocean is wonderful.  Oceania does offer a lot of activities on sea days but being able to entertain yourself is important.

 

The second count is that we too just booked the 2025 Tokyo to Tokyo to YVR cruise with the major benefits of (again) pricing and for us, being able to fly only one way  because of where we live.  😃

 

Rob

[oceanpark]

Thanks for the information.  Not sure if we should have Oceania do the air,  as Vancouver to Miami and returning from Malta may be very expensive if we do it on our own. Also Oceania offers premium economy for a reasonable price on the return home.  

[Mura]

I see posts from people who don't like repositioning cruses and others who do.  Count us in the latter category.

 

When we started cruising we wanted port intensive ... no longer!  We like the relaxation of a few sea days on a cruise.  Depending on the itinerary that might be really only a few or rather more.  I remember a Miami-Barcelona cruise where the first port was in Madeira, 6 days later.  I may well remember that because I discovered at the last moment (Saturday morning) that my passport was not to be found and we were to fly to Miami for departure early Monday morning. 

 

I was unable to book an appointment for a new passport until later that week when we'd have been mid-Atlantic. So the result was to fly to Miami as scheduled and immediately go to the passport bureau.  I had all the papers necessary and did get my passport in time.

 

On that same cruise there was another couple coming from Logan Airport in Boston who were late as well because of bad weather further up north.  We both made the cruise ... Fortunately departure was delayed a bit due to loading comestibles ..

 

True, these cruises are more "relaxing" ... But we've always found plenty of on-board activities to fill our time.  Or we just hang out ...

 

Then again, we're no longer as young as we used to be ... But this attitude was the same when we were in our 40s and 50s ...

 

Had we been cruising regularly in our 20s and 30s, probably not!

 

Mura

 

[Jayne E]

No one answer. Some friends book a TA on O every year and love it.  We find 3 sea days on a Caribbean cruise too many.  Our 17 day Med cruise last year had no sea days….just great! If we needed some down time, we returned to ship earlier, particularly a port we had previously been to. 
We’re loyal to O, but IMO the on board activities are quite lacking. Bracelet weaving and needlepoint not very exciting…..and they were repeated several days over the course of the cruise.

[jackdeb]

Ocean park, we are of different minds about a repositioning, when we ‘discuss’ a cruise 

it comes down to value vs boredom.  For me 4 straight sea days is about my limit, my better half enjoys the sea days and what the ship has to offer.

Once you get to the Azores it should be a great time especially if you haven’t been to those ports before. Enjoy 

 

[LGW59]

44 minutes ago, jackdeb said:

Ocean park, we are of different minds about a repositioning, when we ‘discuss’ a cruise 

it comes down to value vs boredom.  For me 4 straight sea days is about my limit, my better half enjoys the sea days and what the ship has to offer.

Once you get to the Azores it should be a great time especially if you haven’t been to those ports before. Enjoy 

 

Having just completed my first ever TA, we had 8 total sea days, 2 between the last port and 6 that followed back to Florida.  I am very glad I did it, overall the cruise was lovely, but having the first 2 sea days, then a port and had that been followed by just 3 days, would have been perfect.  Like I said though, very glad to have done it as it has been a vacation to do for a long time.  

[jazznruby]

3 hours ago, LGW59 said:

but having the first 2 sea days, then a port and had that been followed by just 3 days, would have been perfect.

Kinda difficult (impossible) to cross the pond in 3 days. To the OP, I think Miami to Malta on Vista in April, 2024 is a fine idea. We have no interest in port intensive itineraries, but prefer a nice mix of good stops and many sea days...which is why we've booked the November, 2024 TA on Vista from Athens to Miami. It'll be our 6th. Highly recommended.

[LGW59]

8 minutes ago, jazznruby said:

Kinda difficult (impossible) to cross the pond in 3 days. To the OP, I think Miami to Malta on Vista in April, 2024 is a fine idea. We have no interest in port intensive itineraries, but prefer a nice mix of good stops and many sea days...which is why we've booked the November, 2024 TA on Vista from Athens to Miami. It'll be our 6th. Highly recommended.

Yes it is, quite obviously, which is why I did not say I did it in 3 dyas

[jazznruby]

8 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Yes it is, quite obviously, which is why I did not say I did it in 3 dyas

Right. Got it. 🙄

 

Also, to OP again...sorry, but I just checked and I don't see Miami to Malta in April, 2024...??

[babysteps]

14 hours ago, ORV said:

• I would be more concerned with Malta as a disembarkation point as opposed to what to do on the TA. What are your options for flight connections from there? What are the hotel accommodations there? I've only been there once as a cruise stop years ago, it didn't stand out as a place for embarking or disembarking. I remember I did like it, I also remember one of the merchants jacking up the prices on a water for tourists. 

Good points @ORV

 

A cruise ending in Malta makes sense if you want to spend some time there. If you don't, a different final port may be a better fit. Or you could plan a few days someplace in Europe in your way back. 

 

We disembarked at Malta from Nautica in August 2022 and spent time there before flying home. We enjoyed our visit very much. 

 

It has indeed been unusual to find a nonstop back to the US and many of the connections through Europe are either tight or overnight.

 

There are many options on routes (via Barcelona, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, London, etc). We came back on BA through London with an overnight and change of airport Gatwick to Heathrow. 

 

I believe Viking in the past has sometimes chartered a nonstop US to Malta and back for their itineraries that start/stop there. 

[LHT28]

6 hours ago, jazznruby said:

Right. Got it. 🙄

 

Also, to OP again...sorry, but I just checked and I don't see Miami to Malta in April, 2024...??

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/grand-voyage-cruises/miami-to-valletta-VIS240327A/?sr=%2Fcruise-finder%23marketing_region%3Dtransoceanic%26ship%3DVIS%26sort%3Dfeatured%3Adesc%26page%3D1%26pageSize%3D10

[jazznruby]

Yes, was looking only at April, so didn't see that it departs end of March. Thanks.

[Mura]

9 hours ago, LHT28 said:

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/grand-voyage-cruises/miami-to-valletta-VIS240327A/?sr=%2Fcruise-finder%23marketing_region%3Dtransoceanic%26ship%3DVIS%26sort%3Dfeatured%3Adesc%26page%3D1%26pageSize%3D10

Thanks, Lyn.  I for one like that itinerary.  Combination of sea days, ports we've been to and ports that would be new.

 

Mura

[oceanpark]

Interesting thoughts from everyone. Four consecutive days at sea I have done before, so I would do fine on this cruise, and all the ports except Rome and Malta would be new to us.  Friends recently did their first cruise with Oceania and loved everything about it.  Checking air based on this year, we would book our own air one way to Miami and then fly from Malta to Dublin or Munich for a few days.  Flights from Malta to Vancouver are crazy.  

[curmudgeon98]

We haven't done a TA or TP yet.  I look at them sometimes, but have been a bit concerned about too many sea days for our travel habits.  I see a 14-day April 6 one on Marina this year that might have suited us.  One block of 4 sea days from Bermuda to the Azores, but otherwise a good mix.  I'll have to keep a bit closer eye on Oceania offerings for this.

 

 

[PhD-iva]

On 1/11/2023 at 12:26 PM, NewSalty said:

One thing I've found about Oceania repositioning cruises is that they include more port stops before and after the ocean crossing than their main competitors (Viking, Azamara, Windstar at least) do, but still at heavily discounted rates.  Sometimes they'll even offer an extra week B2B cruise before or after at a discount as well.

 

Case in point: I recently booked a 2025 Tokyo to Vancouver Oceanview on Riviera.

 

32 day B2B Tokyo-Vancouver        (4/13-5/14)  $9999   ($312/day)

 

20 day Repositioning Tokyo-Van.  (4/25-5/14)  $4799 ($240/day)

 

12 day Tokyo-Tokyo                         (4/13-4/25)  $5749 ($479/day)

 

So, you could think of it as having added the 12 day Tokyo cruise for (9999-4799)= $5299. ($442/day)

 

All ending up with a per diem price for Japan that is very attractive.  I've booked two Atlantic B2B repositioning cruises with similar results.  The other guys don't do stuff like this.

 

 

Wow! Thx for this. I might be your cruisemate on one of these itins!😉