Oceania compared to HAL and Princess

[trickylibrarian]

Thinking of branching out and trying O after 20+ cruises on HAL and Princess.

After reading some reviews here I am wondering if it is a good idea.  We 

recently were on Princess (food/service has gone down) and HAL was a 

bit above Princess with food/service.  Anyone out there who would give

me their observations after cruising on these 3 lines?  Thanks in advance

for the information.  We are looking at a cruise on the Nautica starting and

ending in Barcelona in November.  

[LHT28]

I think all lines  have some issues  post  pandemic

 

 We sailed  HAL 2015 2016

 Food was so so

cabin was comparable to an O class  regular cabin (size wise)

Hal did have more entertainment  

you had to pay for specialty restaurants on HAL

 

Only 1 Princess cruise back in 2006  so I am sure it has changed since then 😉

 

I would say give O a try   & decide for yourself  what works best for your  needs/wants

JMO

[mauibabes]

We have friends on Nautica now and they sent pictures and say they are LOVING HER. 
It is JMHO that you can not put the three lines in the same sentence or category. We have sailed Oceania over 25 times and on P and left them 15 years ago and it was on a downward trend then. Never sailed HAL but lots of friends have and never looked back after sailing on O with us. This Board is filled with guests who have fled P and HAL and X and only venture back because a cruise was Comped or other friends wanted/lobbied them to cruise with them and they could not get them to make a switch. X, now that is another issue because they are coming in droves. 
You can find hundreds of posters on the Board who have asked your same question and it is a very easy answer, try it, you’ll like it. Make your own decisions and do not let a comment here and there dissuade you from giving Oceania a try. There are O cruisers on this Board who have sailed over 40 times and we have sailed recently with a lady who had been on over 100 Oceania cruises.
Book and Sail and Enjoy your cruise and then post your own opinion and don’t pay attention to a few negative comments. O is not perfect but it is a far cry better than the mass market lines on the huge ships.  640-1238 passenger ships are far more enjoyable and IMHO you will find your niche with Oceania.  When you look at the total cruise experience, you will find Oceania to be the best value going for an Upper Premium cruise line. 
 

Again, Try it 

Mauibabes

[ak1004]

Different galaxies.

 

No lines. No crowds. Very few children. Much better food. More personal service.

 

No comparison at all. We are not going back to big ships.

[trickylibrarian]

Thank you all for your insight.  We are going to give it a try and will report back upon return.

ak1104 I see you've been on QM2 twice.  We have been on her once and just loved it.  

 

[ak1004]

5 minutes ago, trickylibrarian said:

Thank you all for your insight.  We are going to give it a try and will report back upon return.

ak1104 I see you've been on QM2 twice.  We have been on her once and just loved it.  

 

Regular cabin or suite?

[trickylibrarian]

Regular cabin.  Price is right.  🙂

[ak1004]

We were in regular cabin too. Entertainment and enrichment were outstanding, among the best we had on any ship. However, the service and food were very mediocre. And still pretty crowded. I was told that suites get much better food and service, but for the price of the suite, we can book O.

[oskidunker]

22 cruises on Princess no comparison. Oceania is like Princess used to be when they bought Sitmar. We wont cruise Princess mega ships. 

[susiesan]

Hurry up and book before July 1. prices are about to increase dramatically with the new simply more program. You could see your cost go up $600-$800 for the same cruise if you book cruise only.

[ak1004]

2 minutes ago, susiesan said:

Hurry up and book before July 1. prices are about to increase dramatically with the new simply more program. You could see your cost go up $600-$800 for the same cruise if you book cruise only.

 

Do you KNOW this or it's pure speculation?