Oceania or Azamara? Opinions please!

[soskalt1]

We are a retired couple who have cruised often but not on either of these lines. We enjoy transatlantic crossings because of the days at sea. Can't decide between an owners suite on the Azamara Journey or Oceania suite on the Oceania Marina. These ships have almost identical itineraries in Nov 2024 that we are considering. We like a casual atmosphere, don't gamble, maybe 1-2 cocktails a day, like good food but not necessarily fancy food, like some entertainment after dinner. Would love your thoughts!

[LHT28]

Ship are  different in size   so depends on  how comfortable you are on the smaller ship R ship of Azamara

I am sure both would be fine

 

 

 

[ak1004]

We sailed on both and liked both. Marina is newer, more spacious and has more dining options. We liked food slightly better on Oceania, but both are excellent. Azamara has white nights and Azamazing evenings (not sure about TA crossings). Entertainment mediocre on both. Service excellent on both.

[roberts2005]

While it does not apply to a TA, I like that Azamara has more overnights and or longer time in port.  

[pinotlover]

1 hour ago, roberts2005 said:

While it does not apply to a TA, I like that Azamara has more overnights and or longer time in port.  

+1. Won’t much affect a TA, but this will become a huge factor between the two lines, especially as Oceania slices more port times away.

 

For those that care, some of Oceania’s senior staff, such as the ship captain, are invisible. They don’t even show up for the Captain’s Welcome Party. AZ’s senior staff intermingles with the passengers FAR more than Oceania’s. Never been a big deal for me, but others enjoy meeting and being coddled by senior staff.

[redraider1966]

Pre-pandemic (January 2019), we did an Antarctic "drive-by" on Azamara's Pursuit (RT from Buenos Aires).  While the itinerary was fantastic and the Captain, officers, and crew generally first-rate, our experience was not the most pleasant, owing to a serious outbreak of G-I maladies affecting a significant number of pax (including my spouse) over several days.  We were forced to conclude that the most likely explanation was Azamara's ill-conceived practice of allowing pax to serve themselves at their equivalent of the Terrace Cafe and infecting every/every serving utensil in sight.  This is based on having seen even the ship's entertainment troupe being "drafted" to assist in serving along the buffer line and observing other measures taken to minimize opportunities for pax to handle any serving utensils.

 

If Azamara's practice of allowing pax to serve themselves is still in place, this remains a deal breaker for us.  With 16 O cruises on all 6 ships under our belt, we have never had any quarrel with O's servers in the Terrace serving the pax and believe it is the preferable way to control the spread of G-I infections.  We recognize O's way does not eliminate the possibility of contracting something, but we are convinced it significantly lessens the risk. 

[jeanine]

On Regatta for 30 days the senior staff were all in attendance at the Captain’s welcome party 

[pinotlover]

4 minutes ago, jeanine said:

On Regatta for 30 days the senior staff were all in attendance at the Captain’s welcome party 

Some officers are highly visible and attend all the functions. Some of the senior officers attend none of the functions . There is no requirement for any senior O officer to ever intermingle with guests. You were on a ship with the good guys! Luck if the draw.

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, redraider1966 said:

Pre-pandemic (January 2019), we did an Antarctic "drive-by" on Azamara's Pursuit (RT from Buenos Aires).  While the itinerary was fantastic and the Captain, officers, and crew generally first-rate, our experience was not the most pleasant, owing to a serious outbreak of G-I maladies affecting a significant number of pax (including my spouse) over several days.  We were forced to conclude that the most likely explanation was Azamara's ill-conceived practice of allowing pax to serve themselves at their equivalent of the Terrace Cafe and infecting every/every serving utensil in sight.  This is based on having seen even the ship's entertainment troupe being "drafted" to assist in serving along the buffer line and observing other measures taken to minimize opportunities for pax to handle any serving utensils.

 

If Azamara's practice of allowing pax to serve themselves is still in place, this remains a deal breaker for us.  With 16 O cruises on all 6 ships under our belt, we have never had any quarrel with O's servers in the Terrace serving the pax and believe it is the preferable way to control the spread of G-I infections.  We recognize O's way does not eliminate the possibility of contracting something, but we are convinced it significantly lessens the risk. 

In 35+ years of cruising encompassing hundreds of days on board ships on about a dozen different cruise lines including Oceania and Azamara, the only time we were on a ship with a severe GI illness outbreak was on Oceania...and virtually every one of our other  cruises were on lines where you serve yourself at the buffet.

 

When we recovered and went back to the buffet for breakfast the person who served me every morning told me she and other buffet crew had gotten sick. No one can say what the origin of the GI outbreak was, but perhaps that server who I was in contact with every day was responsible for my illness...or perhaps it was the other way around...or that neither of us became infected by the other.

 

The point is that buffet servers can pass illness to the passengers and crew just as passengers can pass illness to passengers and crew. Might not allowing self service cut the risk somewhat? Sure...but It's on the bottom of my list of reasons why I would choose one cruise line over another.

[cruisemom42]

My suggestion would be to try both. It's really the only way to see what is the best fit, short of any glaringly obvious shortcomings or personal dealbreakers on either line.

 

I do tend to think Oceania puts more of a premium on their onboard experience (and particularly on dining) whereas Azamara tends to pride itself on itineraries and longer port times. 

[hamrag]

I note on the Azamara thread you said you had posted on both boards, so I have also posted this there.

 

Background....we are a retired couple mid-60s with 54 cruises on 16 different cruiselines. We have found the 'mass' cruiselines to have declined substantially in the quality of MDR food offerings in the past decade or so. A couple of years pre-Covid we decided to explore potential better experiences on the two so called premium lines, and also began dipping our toes in a couple of luxury lines/experiences also. Most cruisers on these boards recognise that the post-Covid return has and continues to present many challenges, and having cruised now 6 times post-Covid we accord with such opinion.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our first Oceania cruise, on Insignia about six months ago. It was 7 nights, to Bermuda, from NYC with 3 sea days. We have sailed once on B2B cruises with Azamara December 2019 on Journey. Both ships we understand to be 'R' class vessels and they are definitely identical in structure and most of layout.

 

The Oceania food experience is everything they claim, from buffet to MDR and the included specialty restaurants, the 'best culinary experience at sea'. We had 4 superb evening meals in the MDR, and one which was average. We ate once in each of the included Specialty restaurants which were a step up even from the MDR. The menus are extensive, imaginative, and the food exceptionally well presented. The quality of buffet food for breakfast and lunches was the best we have ever experienced at sea. In marketing terms, the food and service are its USP.

 

We did not find the Azamara food experience to be as good as many claim it to be, it wasn't much different from most other cruiselines and not quite as good as Cunard. On each of our 7 night cruises we were fortunate to purchase a 3 meal package (very fairly priced) in the specialty restaurants which were excellent. MDR fare is certainly a notch below Oceania, and it was the specialty restaurants and the White Night which made the overall culinary experience tolerable.

 

Azamara White Night is spectacular, and not to be missed, both in presentation and quality and this is when the senior officers really come to the fore and personally serve a high quality buffet on deck. Most cruiselines have a white night, we have walked through them all and departed after 15 minutes because they are awful. Azamara also have an Azamazing evening off ship on most cruises, not ours unfortunately, and by all accounts that too is a night to remember. In marketing terms White Night and Azamazing evenings seem to be its USP,

 

Everything else is broadly similar e.g. show lounge entertainment is limited and average at best. The pianists rolled out in bar areas are fine, and is done by 10.30 to 10.45pm as are most passengers! Stringed instrumentalists on both lines are good, but have a limited audience.

 

If Oceania were to do something similar to Azamara in terms of a White Night, they would blow Azamara out of the water....pun intended! We would definitely sail Oceania again, and probably Azamara as it is itinerary that is of principal interest to us. Within reason, the cruiseline is secondary if the itinerary is right for us.

 

[soskalt1]

3 hours ago, hamrag said:

I note on the Azamara thread you said you had posted on both boards, so I have also posted this there.

 

Background....we are a retired couple mid-60s with 54 cruises on 16 different cruiselines. We have found the 'mass' cruiselines to have declined substantially in the quality of MDR food offerings in the past decade or so. A couple of years pre-Covid we decided to explore potential better experiences on the two so called premium lines, and also began dipping our toes in a couple of luxury lines/experiences also. Most cruisers on these boards recognise that the post-Covid return has and continues to present many challenges, and having cruised now 6 times post-Covid we accord with such opinion.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our first Oceania cruise, on Insignia about six months ago. It was 7 nights, to Bermuda, from NYC with 3 sea days. We have sailed once on B2B cruises with Azamara December 2019 on Journey. Both ships we understand to be 'R' class vessels and they are definitely identical in structure and most of layout.

 

The Oceania food experience is everything they claim, from buffet to MDR and the included specialty restaurants, the 'best culinary experience at sea'. We had 4 superb evening meals in the MDR, and one which was average. We ate once in each of the included Specialty restaurants which were a step up even from the MDR. The menus are extensive, imaginative, and the food exceptionally well presented. The quality of buffet food for breakfast and lunches was the best we have ever experienced at sea. In marketing terms, the food and service are its USP.

 

We did not find the Azamara food experience to be as good as many claim it to be, it wasn't much different from most other cruiselines and not quite as good as Cunard. On each of our 7 night cruises we were fortunate to purchase a 3 meal package (very fairly priced) in the specialty restaurants which were excellent. MDR fare is certainly a notch below Oceania, and it was the specialty restaurants and the White Night which made the overall culinary experience tolerable.

 

Azamara White Night is spectacular, and not to be missed, both in presentation and quality and this is when the senior officers really come to the fore and personally serve a high quality buffet on deck. Most cruiselines have a white night, we have walked through them all and departed after 15 minutes because they are awful. Azamara also have an Azamazing evening off ship on most cruises, not ours unfortunately, and by all accounts that too is a night to remember. In marketing terms White Night and Azamazing evenings seem to be its USP,

 

Everything else is broadly similar e.g. show lounge entertainment is limited and average at best. The pianists rolled out in bar areas are fine, and is done by 10.30 to 10.45pm as are most passengers! Stringed instrumentalists on both lines are good, but have a limited audience.

 

If Oceania were to do something similar to Azamara in terms of a White Night, they would blow Azamara out of the water....pun intended! We would definitely sail Oceania again, and probably Azamara as it is itinerary that is of principal interest to us. Within reason, the cruiseline is secondary if the itinerary is right for us.

 

 

Thanks so much for this!

As we're taking a crossing, we are very interested in your experiences in sea days. We're looking at either the Aza Journey or the Oceania Marina, which is one of their 2 larger ships. We're also treating ourselves to a suite & tend to enjoy time in our cabin & relaxing on our verandah. Can you compare the onboard experience of each?

[LHT28]

3 hours ago, hamrag said:

If Oceania were to do something similar to Azamara in terms of a White Night, they would blow Azamara out of the water....pun intended!

 

 

I hope Oceania does not  do White night 

[hamrag]

1 hour ago, soskalt1 said:

 

Thanks so much for this!

As we're taking a crossing, we are very interested in your experiences in sea days. We're looking at either the Aza Journey or the Oceania Marina, which is one of their 2 larger ships. We're also treating ourselves to a suite & tend to enjoy time in our cabin & relaxing on our verandah. Can you compare the onboard experience of each?

We always enjoy sea days, generally relaxing in the outdoor areas with a book, so perhaps we are not the best to advise. Others like to rush around doing stuff to fill such days, that is not us!

 

Our Oceania cruise was on Insignia, an 'R' class ship same as all of Az vessels. It was fine, but you do need to recognise that entertainment is not high priority on either line.

[LHT28]

I think you will find   both lines have their pluses & minuses

 Have not been on Azamara  but they  seem to have very similar things  to Oceania

the ships are the  same R Ships   with the exception of the casinos  Azamara  had them removed

On Marina  they do have  the casino  you can go or not 

they also have culinary classes if you choose to go for  a fee  they are a fun few hours

Marina will have more dining venues  than the R ships

you pay as you dink on Oceania  or get a beverage package  if you choose

you can take wine & spirits for in cabin use

 

I am sure you will enjoy either line 

[Redtravel]

Like both Azamara and Oceania.  Nothing beats Azamara amazing evenings.  Been to some fabulous venues. Owners suite on Azamara is beautiful. However, its location aft has lots of vibration.  Food on Oceania is better than Azamara. Prefer Oceania Marina or Riviera over any R ship.  We were on Marina in December.  It was excellent. You will have a good time on either line.  

[alcpa1]

We sail both lines but have only been on the Marina. 

We are itinerary driven and appreciate the overnights for more extensive explorations.

The last time we were on Azamara was pre Covid and from all accounts the food was subjectively better then. It's not far below Oceania by any means.

These two cruise lines are our favorites and we will continue to focus on their sailings.

[edgee]

On 1/18/2023 at 2:53 PM, redraider1966 said:

Pre-pandemic (January 2019), we did an Antarctic "drive-by" on Azamara's Pursuit (RT from Buenos Aires).  While the itinerary was fantastic and the Captain, officers, and crew generally first-rate, our experience was not the most pleasant, owing to a serious outbreak of G-I maladies affecting a significant number of pax (including my spouse) over several days.  We were forced to conclude that the most likely explanation was Azamara's ill-conceived practice of allowing pax to serve themselves at their equivalent of the Terrace Cafe and infecting every/every serving utensil in sight.  This is based on having seen even the ship's entertainment troupe being "drafted" to assist in serving along the buffer line and observing other measures taken to minimize opportunities for pax to handle any serving utensils.

 

If Azamara's practice of allowing pax to serve themselves is still in place, this remains a deal breaker for us.  With 16 O cruises on all 6 ships under our belt, we have never had any quarrel with O's servers in the Terrace serving the pax and believe it is the preferable way to control the spread of G-I infections.  We recognize O's way does not eliminate the possibility of contracting something, but we are convinced it significantly lessens the risk. 

I believe, while Oceania's staff served system provides the facade of a safer experience, I do not believe it makes a whole lot of difference. In nearly 50 cruises, 8 of which have been on Oceania the ONLY norovirus outbreak we have experienced was on an Oceania Marina transatlantic and the situation was poorly handled by the crew. I just completed my first cruise in many years on Regent and found it interesting that NCL Corp's cruise line which is supposed to be a step up from Oceania has an entirely self serve buffet.

[LHT28]

8 hours ago, edgee said:

 I just completed my first cruise in many years on Regent and found it interesting that NCL Corp's cruise line which is supposed to be a step up from Oceania has an entirely self serve buffet.

Maybe a Luxury line thing

Crystal also had self serve  buffet

More main stream like  than Luxury  IMO

 

[mauibabes]

We have not been on Azamara but have only been docked next to one of the AZ ships. I know when the line was sold by RCCL, the ships were in need of a lot of work 💵💵 to get the ships up to O standard.  We have been able to sail in Alaska on Regatta in an Owners Suite, about 750 sq. ft.  You can not compare the smaller AZ Owners Suite ship to Marina Owners Suite which is about 2,000 sq. ft.  Also, your free access to ALL the Specialty Restaurants on O and in Suite Course by Course Specialty dining on Marina. 
 

Mauibabes

[osandomir]

40 minutes ago, mauibabes said:

We have not been on Azamara but have only been docked next to one of the AZ ships. I know when the line was sold by RCCL, the ships were in need of a lot of work 💵💵 to get the ships up to O standard.  We have been able to sail in Alaska on Regatta in an Owners Suite, about 750 sq. ft.  You can not compare the smaller AZ Owners Suite ship to Marina Owners Suite which is about 2,000 sq. ft.  Also, your free access to ALL the Specialty Restaurants on O and in Suite Course by Course Specialty dining on Marina. 
 

Mauibabes

For the rest of us who don’t sail in an Owners suite, I would say these two lines are more similar than different when you compare Azamara to the R- ships. We prefer Oceania for the food and personal service, so we mostly cruise with them, and we like R-ships as much as their bigger ships. We go with itineraries and because of that we sailed twice with Azamara. There were some differences but we also enjoyed these two cruises with them, and we’ll not hesitate to sail on Azamara again if they continue to maintain the same or higher level under the new ownership.

[AMHuntFerry]

When I was researching Azamara I noticed they had more Indian food on the menus. How is it?

Also, what in the world is a White Night? I assumed is had something to do with summer solstice, but it appears to be something where people wear white. My spouse and I own nothing white (we're way too messy and accident prone), even my wedding gown had no white (a little ivory but mostly "rum pink"...it was a thing back then 🤪).

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, AMHuntFerry said:

When I was researching Azamara I noticed they had more Indian food on the menus. How is it?

Also, what in the world is a White Night? I assumed is had something to do with summer solstice, but it appears to be something where people wear white. My spouse and I own nothing white (we're way too messy and accident prone), even my wedding gown had no white (a little ivory but mostly "rum pink"...it was a thing back then 🤪).

I believe  is is some sort dinner  deck party ??

I am sure someone will know

 

[Kelownadon]

White night is party time for all with a huge outdoor buffet/bbq and dancing later to live music. 
 

[ORV]

5 hours ago, LHT28 said:

I believe  is is some sort dinner  deck party ??

I am sure someone will know

 

It’s something Oceania doesn’t do. It’s popular on mass market lines, you dress in white and go to a party late in the evening after 11 most of the time. We’re in bed, not for old fuddies like us and about 80% of Oceania’s cruisers. Not all lines do the food.