Oceania Decline

[Snaefell3]

1 hour ago, Nitrodog said:

All of the so called luxury lines are seeing their star ratings going down. It could very well be that the lines are having a more difficult time attracting staff.

It cost a lot of money the cruise lines did not have to survive two years without revenue during the COVID shutdown.  NCLH (NCL + O + RSSC), alone, took out on extra $6,000,000,000 (with a 'B') in debt.  Some of the "reduced expectations" we face is from loss of staff experience, but most of it their need to pay off that debt.

[FetaCheese]

I do not see any 20 - 30 somethings in O brochures or web adverts.

[MEFIowa]

4 hours ago, Harters said:

Lots to do. ... We've visited Cyprus several times over the years, usually renting an apartment and car to get out and about round the island (although never been to the occupied north - although my partner lived there as a child).  

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

... On the other hand, I would consider Cyprus a very interesting destination and one I wouldn't mind spending time at, so long as I wasn't "only" staying at an AI

 

Cyprus "interesting"? In the modern era alone, fascinating history! Sad, but quite historical in modern terms. Hard to believe violence going back to the 1950s by the Greeks against the Brits. Then the political settlement. Along comes sectarian politics and later violence in the 1960s. And an attempt at union with Greece, "civil war", and Turkish military invasion in the 1970s with the creation of a "new nation" recognized only by Turkey. And a militarized dividing line across the island, not unlike the DMZ between N. & S. Korea. And two huge British sovereign military bases. UN Peacekeepers still wearing the blue helmets to separate the sides!

 

https://unficyp.unmissions.org/

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_invasion_of_Cyprus

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprus_Emergency

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akrotiri_and_Dhekelia

[clo]

1 hour ago, Vallesan said:

In your opinion at what age should people stop cruising because you consider them to be ‘old fogeys’???

I didn't see where it was said or implied that "old fogeys" should stop cruising. Just that you'll see more of them on certain lines.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, osandomir said:

I found nothing bad about Oceania itself in this review. It only shows that the 70+ age reviewer was never taught about being kind to other people in general. I wouldn’t want to meet this person on the ship or anywhere else.

 

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

 

Exactly! So why 1 star rating?

 

Look at their ratings. They only gave 2 stars for Entertainment, Value for Money, Fitness & Recreation. And 1 star for Family (which I think most O cruisers would agree with).

 

For many people, "Value for Money" is probably one of the most overriding factors. Thy didn't see it. So...back to Celebrity they go. Not everyone is O's target audience.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

On 3/12/2024 at 10:39 AM, TRLD said:

Yep there are many choices. One can also cruise for about $125 per person per day if they choose.

 

That is why the reports and articles are specific in comparing prices for equivalent.

 

One can go cheap onboard and expensive on land or expensive on board and cheap on land. It is all up to individual choice, but as the reports indicate in general cruising is cheaper than land based resorts at equivalent level.

True that. However, I don’t travel the same at sea as I do on land. I guess I should just stay out of this discussion 😂. As I don’t want to compare like to like on land and at sea. To me these are vastly different experiences and I simply don’t want the same things on land as I do on a ship. 

[daydreamer62]

22 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

 

Look at their ratings. They only gave 2 stars for Entertainment, Value for Money, Fitness & Recreation. And 1 star for Family (which I think most O cruisers would agree with).

 

For many people, "Value for Money" is probably one of the most overriding factors. Thy didn't see it. So...back to Celebrity they go. Not everyone is O's target audience.

And the very next review from a couple in their 40s/30s gave  a really great review. Different strokes for different folks. 

[ak1004]

25 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

 

Look at their ratings. They only gave 2 stars for Entertainment, Value for Money, Fitness & Recreation. And 1 star for Family (which I think most O cruisers would agree with).

 

For many people, "Value for Money" is probably one of the most overriding factors. Thy didn't see it. So...back to Celebrity they go. Not everyone is O's target audience.

 

I actually agree with most of their ratings lol.. except for "value for money" which is really subjective.. to me Silversea does not provide the best value for money, but it doesn't mean I would ever give it 1 star overall. And yes, 1 star for Family, which would be true on all premium or luxury lines.

[Vineyard View]

2 hours ago, susiesan said:

No TA who is trying to sell an Oceania cruise is going to tell a client about the average age of O passengers. I find most people do not do any research into this kind of cruise line minutia except the people on cruise critic.

I will have to disagree on this one. We were looking at a different cruise line that we haven’t sailed on for years because the itinerary was outstanding. Our TA mentioned that not only had it slipped in service and food, it really does attract mostly an older and very sedate crowd…..and we aren’t overly young. So I do believe that if a good travel agent knows you and your styles, they will bring up areas to you that could include age/activity/styles. 
Clearly the conflicting thing is that the poster who wrote the review wasn’t overly young either!  Go figure.

[MEFIowa]

2 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

... Our TA mentioned that not only had it slipped in service and food, it really does attract mostly an older and very sedate crowd…..and we aren’t overly young. So I do believe that if a good travel agent knows you and your styles, they will bring up areas to you that could include age/activity/styles....

Had a fascinating conversation with a very high-end TA while on Riviera 11/2023. She was on the ship researching O, in general, and Riviera, in particular, in the post-COVID environment. When I asked her what things she was seeing and what she would tell her clients, she quickly mentioned demographics of the passengers. She pointed out age and ethnicity and culture issues, for example. She made clear she knows her clients and she tells her clients what she believes they need to know about cruising. She mentioned we had a large Asian contingent. Older. She described a (humorous to me, not to her) situation where an older Asian lady broke wind repeatedly exiting an elevator. And their preferences and actions in the TC buffet, for example. (To say they liked the grilling station and there was always a long line there would be an understatement.)

[Mareblu]

3 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

I learned to take the reviews with grain of salt. Just look at the latest review of the Vista - https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=712929

 

Can it be any more ridiculous and absurd??

It's actually hilarious, and makes absolutely no sense at all, including the spelling.  As it's not a CC review, I'm pretty sure I'm safe in saying that.  I giggled at the Toscana review:  terrible one evening, redeemed itself the next.  How he ended up giving Vista a 1* overall is unfathomable.  His take on Ember:  brilliant.  Yes, others will not be amused.  Thanks, @ak1004 for the link.

[FlyerTalker]

13 hours ago, Harters said:

Another way would be to say I've compared the costs of two specific holidays that we'd be interested in booking and reached conclusions. 

 

And that phrase makes for all the difference.

 

Not sure how many others here would want a week at a single resort in Cyprus.

 

 

[Hlitner]

We all should be able to agree that reviews are somewhat subjective.  Experienced cruisers cannot help but compare a cruise to what they know from past cruises.  But we have learned to accept both negative and positive reviews, on any cruise line, knowing that each cruiser has different expectations.  

 

Since we have yet to cruise on O (it is coming up soon) we cannot know whether to agree/disagree with anything in that review.  But we do respect the person who takes the time to post their thoughts even if many may not agree.  I ignored the comments about family and old folks (we are seniors) but I found the comments about cuisine quite interesting.  Like most going on O for the first time, we have heard (for years) about O having the best cuisine at sea.  Many posts, here on CC, have recently given us some reason to wonder if that is true.  Looking forward to experiencing for ourselves and we will try to post (live if the Internet connection permits).  

 

One issue I do have with the poster is criticizing O (or any line) for the age of the cruisers.  That is not the fault of the cruise line (they will accept bookings from anyone) and is actually a criticism of the type of person who chooses to cruise on a ship.  It seems that in the past couple of years we have seen more negative reviews because of complaints related to passenger demographics.  Tis strange.

[FlyerTalker]

4 hours ago, Harters said:

I'm really not the slightest bit interested in the general - only my own specific holiday.

 

And there we have it.

[Waltershipman]

30 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We all should be able to agree that reviews are somewhat subjective.  Experienced cruisers cannot help but compare a cruise to what they know from past cruises.  But we have learned to accept both negative and positive reviews, on any cruise line, knowing that each cruiser has different expectations.  

 

Since we have yet to cruise on O (it is coming up soon) we cannot know whether to agree/disagree with anything in that review.  But we do respect the person who takes the time to post their thoughts even if many may not agree.  I ignored the comments about family and old folks (we are seniors) but I found the comments about cuisine quite interesting.  Like most going on O for the first time, we have heard (for years) about O having the best cuisine at sea.  Many posts, here on CC, have recently given us some reason to wonder if that is true.  Looking forward to experiencing for ourselves and we will try to post (live if the Internet connection permits).  

 

One issue I do have with the poster is criticizing O (or any line) for the age of the cruisers.  That is not the fault of the cruise line (they will accept bookings from anyone) and is actually a criticism of the type of person who chooses to cruise on a ship.  It seems that in the past couple of years we have seen more negative reviews because of complaints related to passenger demographics.  Tis strange.

Will be interested in your  comparison of food on O and food on EJ

 

Enjoy your  cruise 

[TRLD]

6 hours ago, Harters said:

I'm really not the slightest bit interested in the general - only my own specific holiday. You know, the one I'm actually going to spend my pension on. I've tried to indicate that more than once. You seem unwilling to accept what I am saying so I guess we're done trying to have a conversation. Have a great day.  

I accept what you are saying that your 1 holiday to cypress is less expensive.

 

Hiwever you made the initial claim that cruising is more expensive. As if that was a general case. When I posted references that cruising is considered to be in general to be more cost effective by the analysts following  the various travel industries. You followed that up saying that you found differently. Yet you only reference that one trip and seem to ignore the larger scope of the state and pricing of the travel industry. That state and pricing which indicates that future price increases are likely. 

 

So for you it appears that you are unwilling to accept the comparisons beyond your holiday.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Waltershipman said:

Will be interested in your  comparison of food on O and food on EJ

 

Enjoy your  cruise 

Awww, we were looking forward to your comparison.  Your silence (unless I missed something) is deafening.   We do have 3 reservations in each of the four alternative restaurants and expect it all to be fun....unless it is not.

 

Hank

[Harters]

On 3/13/2024 at 1:55 PM, Harters said:

The "per day" cost is cheaper than the Vista cruise we'd been looking at for next year.

FWIW, our forthcoming TA on Vista has an Oceania  "per person per day" cost of £344  (A1 cabin), including flights London/Miami and Rome/London. Next years cruise is £429 pppd - with no flights as this is a UK round trip cruise. 

[ak1004]

10 minutes ago, Harters said:

FWIW, our forthcoming TA on Vista has an Oceania  "per person per day" cost of £344  (A1 cabin), including flights London/Miami and Rome/London. Next years cruise is £429 pppd - with no flights as this is a UK round trip cruise. 

 

What is the benefit of quoting  "per person per day" cost including flights? The cost will be impacted by the cruise length (10 days would be significantly more expensive than say 30 days), flight fare (business class would make "per person per day" cost significantly more expensive etc.

 

Completely meaningless.

[EJL2023]

12 minutes ago, Harters said:

FWIW, our forthcoming TA on Vista has an Oceania  "per person per day" cost of £344  (A1 cabin), including flights London/Miami and Rome/London. Next years cruise is £429 pppd - with no flights as this is a UK round trip cruise. 

I believe a TA cruise is typically less expensive from what I have seen with the lack of ports and associated fees, etc.  

[Harters]

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

Completely meaningless.

Thanks for your insight. Appreciated. 

 

I understand better from your explanation how you can't easily compare the cost of one Oceania cruise with another. I should have just left it vague in saying it seemed the TA is cheaper than the other. 

Edited March 14 by Harters

[Woofbite]

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

 

What is the benefit of quoting  "per person per day" cost including flights? The cost will be impacted by the cruise length (10 days would be significantly more expensive than say 30 days),

 

 Not necessarily. Just got a quote for the 2025 world cruise single, (in a double cabin - all singles already gone), for $109,000.00 with a big discount and air credit.

Not a good value in my book.

 

[Woofbite]

Oops!  2026.

[ak1004]

1 minute ago, Woofbite said:

 

 

What I meant by "10 days would be significantly more expensive than say 30 day" was that including flights will have much higher impact on the 10 days cruise per day cost.

 

For example:

10 day cruise no flights is $5,000 = $500/day

30 day cruise no flight is $15,000 = same $500/day.

 

Now include business flights at $4,000.

 

10 day cruise becomes $9,000 or $900/day

30 day cruise becomes $19,000 or $633/day.

 

Hence including flights in a per day cost is meaningless.  

[ORV]

15 hours ago, Waltershipman said:

Will be interested in your  comparison of food on O and food on EJ

 

Enjoy your  cruise 

You do know what Franck Garanger was doing before he went to EJ?