First Oceania Cruise...21 Days on Regatta...No Thanks...Back to Celebrity

[MEFIowa]

14 hours ago, Harters said:

... For our next cruise - which is a port intensive one - we'll regard some of the port days as though they were sea days. That way, we'll finish the holiday relaxed and not frazzled from dashing about every day for a fortnight. 

Though since often O only allows disembarkation at 0800 or 0900 and you have to be back on board as early as 1430-1600 many days, can be hard to be "frazzled" from short days in ports. By the time you come back, you can relax somewhere on board before diner. Found in our 20-night port-intensive Med cruise this past Oct-Nov that a nice soak in the therapy pool worked wonders around 1730. Before dinner. Could hardly imagine missing some amazing sights or places merely to treat an 8-hour port day as a sea day. But that's just us.

[ak1004]

29 minutes ago, Acrusa said:

We are doing LA to PPT on Naitica this January just curious why people decided to leave the cruise in Hawaii. Why where they unhappy with the cruise. 

 

 

Matter of attitude I guess. We never had a bad cruise (well, maybe except for Carnival a while ago). Sometimes we don't like some aspects of the cruise, the ships etc. but to leave in the middle of the cruise?? Unless there is some emergency of course. 

 

I guess some people are never happy.

Edited April 23 by ak1004

[TRLD]

27 minutes ago, Acrusa said:

We are doing LA to PPT on Naitica this January just curious why people decided to leave the cruise in Hawaii. Why where they unhappy with the cruise. 

 

I suspect a couple different reasons. The ride to Hawaii from FP was rather rough (for some reason the Regatta was moving a lot more then the other same size ships I had been on so in similar level seas) I know of atleast 1 person that left for that reason. A group of 4 from Australia decided to spend more time in Hawaii (even though the weather was cloudy and rainy) instead of the 6 sea days. Exactly why do not know.

 

Did not hear the exact reason for the others. Some had been on since Sydney and had been on board 35 days already.

[TRLD]

8 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Matter of attitude I guess. We never had a bad cruise (well, maybe except for Carnival a while ago). Sometimes we don't like some aspects of the cruise, the ships etc. but to leave in the middle of the cruise?? Unless there is some emergency of course. 

 

I guess some people are never happy.

In over 70 cruises we had never had one where we seriously thought about leaving before the end until this one. We have done the 5 sea days from Hawaii to the mainland 5 times and always enjoyed it. This time not so much. Though they actually did modify the daily routine on 2 days. Two shows the next to last day, instead of a show the last night.

[TRLD]

14 hours ago, ORV said:

What was this thread about? Maybe the OP was mad because Oceania doesn’t have Red Stripe. They do have a couple of other bland beers. 
 

I'm currently on Regatta and I’m not surprised at this post. If this were my first Oceania cruise I’d also ask what the fuss has been about. Seems many of the main staff are new to Oceania and it’s not really the regular product. There are a few long timers aboard. (Workers, age of the guests is another matter). This is our CD’s first cruise as main CD. He does seem to be a nice young man. He’s also one of the singers. 
 

I could post a lot about this cruise but I hate to type with one finger on a phone. This is only the third day. We’ll see how it goes. But, I sure wouldn’t buy one of these beds, and I’ve always thought the beds are great. Makes me wonder if they’re not changing them out as often. I also hate to complain, so I’ll try not to. 

What are you finding different from normal?

[Harters]

46 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

But that's just us.

Indeed. Lots of people love the daily port visits. But not us. Our recent transatlantic convinced us (if such was needed) that the ship is the holiday, not where it goes. It's why next years cruise may be our last - we're paying a lot of money (over a land based holiday) to visit places that we're not overly fussed about visiting. 

[PhD-iva]

I suspect some people need to be entertained (more than me….). I generally can make new friends on board, several different ones. So, I am likely changing it up by hanging with different groups at different times.

Sorry O isn’t for them…..

[TRLD]

8 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

I suspect some people need to be entertained (more than me….). I generally can make new friends on board, several different ones. So, I am likely changing it up by hanging with different groups at different times.

Sorry O isn’t for them…..

That is why I said it reminded me of the board meeting cocktail hours that I used to attend, only going on for days. If happy hour with cocktails with the same live background music day after day is ones thing then Oceania would certainly be appealing.

[bradpole]

On 4/21/2024 at 10:40 PM, TRLD said:

For me the issue was extreme lack of variation. The sea day schedule pretty much the same with the 3 music options, string quartet, show band and piano player doing basically the same routines each day. Mostly playing background music for tea, happy hour, etc. Little variation  little change in what was being played, little interaction with passengers. Basically playing their curated list.

 

To the OP, thank you for posting your review.  I've skimmed through most of the thread.  Don't worry I'm not going to "attack" you.  I completely understand O is not for everyone.  Just as X is not for everyone.  I will say one thing, "One does not book an Oceania cruise for entertainment."  For some that is an issue, for us, not one bit.  Personally we enjoy the product as it is, including the repetition.  One benefit of the minimal activities onboard is once you learn the schedule, that's pretty much the schedule the entire cruise, as well as from cruise to cruise.  We've done port intensive cruises where we have cared about the ports (Europe) as well as several Caribbean sailings with O where we don't care about the ports at all and have remained onboard the entire sailing.  For us we enjoy the onboard product just as it is, no need for any more activities or live music.  Is everything perfect?  Not a chance, nothing ever is, but for now we're happy.  

 

We've done the big ships, and we're done with them.  For us the atmosphere on the R ships suits us just perfectly.  Thankfully there are choices and you know that O is not for you.  

 

 

[jonthomas]

Happy to see no kids on O and hope that some do bring their kids will rethink it and take them on Royal carib or Celeb as we do.

 

yes I will be on a Celeb ship next Christmas...woe is me, but its for the grandkids....

[ORV]

3 hours ago, TRLD said:

What are you finding different from normal?

I touched on a couple of points in the post I made, let me get back to you when I have a little more time to ponder just what it is. I also want to give the cruise a few more days to see how it goes. We’re only in the 4th day. 

[TRLD]

1 hour ago, ORV said:

I touched on a couple of points in the post I made, let me get back to you when I have a little more time to ponder just what it is. I also want to give the cruise a few more days to see how it goes. We’re only in the 4th day. 

Sure, just trying to see if what we experienced was normal or an unusual event. so let me know what is not part of the normal Oceania experience.

 

 

Edited April 23 by TRLD

[judi666]

On 4/21/2024 at 7:40 PM, TRLD said:

There were 200 first timers on the 21 day cruise out of the 600 on board.

 

I suspect that many are one and done. The first timers included  those coming up from the adult mass market lines (HAL, Princess, Celebrity) as well as those that normally sail higher end lines such as Regent, Crystal, Seabourn and Silver Sea.

 

The itinerary is what attracted many to try Oceania starting in French Polynesia and ending in LA.

 

For me the issue was extreme lack of variation. The sea day schedule pretty much the same with the 3 music options, string quartet, show band and piano player doing basically the same routines each day. Mostly playing background music for tea, happy hour, etc. Little variation  little change in what was being played, little interaction with passengers. Basically playing their curated list.

 

In many ways a waste of live music  They could use canned music for background on some days and then have a concert type show with the freed up time where they could be more interactive with the audience on both type of music and maybe even requests.

 

If you take away the grill to order lobster, and steaks, as well as the sushi, the food did really not seem any better than food available on other lines, including HAL  Celebrity, and Princess, with less variation. Basically in talking with the Chef the menus are also curated by HQ and must be followed exactly as HQ indicates.

 

The pool area was mostly full. But not so much by people saving seats and not being there, but instead by people that basically spent all day there when weather allowed. The number one activity seemed to be sleeping on the lounges near the pool 

 

I have been on some sedate cruises in the past, but this cruise was more sedated.

So true.  I’m in my late 70’s and it was like a rest home for 90 plus.  Absolutely no energy.

The one country fair thing actually got people up and having fun.  That was an hour out of 21 days.  Everyday the same boring stuff. 
 

Initially I dissed the food, but feel like it got better after we were in the Islands and there was more fresh fish and fruit.  We canceled all specialty reservation after going to each 2 times. Nothing special in food or service to recommend. Menu never changes.  Every pasta dish was pretty bad.  I don’t eat red meat and the specialties are heavy on those dishes.   To call Toscana Italian food is a joke. If you want to lose weight, this cruise was a winner. I lost 5 pounds.

 

i mention in another post, the SM wine by the glass was very limited and half of those were gone 8 or so days into the cruise. I did find one or two that made it thru to the end that were ok. 

 

We had nostalgia for several R class cruises we took around 15 years ago. Two were when it was Renaissance, so maybe longer. The ship is still beautiful and great condition, spotlessly clean.  I think we forgot how small the veranda cabins are. Our previous Oceania cruises in the last 10 years or so were in PH. There were none left when we booked and I thought the veranda would be fine. It would have been ok for 7 days but really got old after 21.  The bathroom works fine, but it is not fun or luxury by any stretch of the imagination. 

 

The included excursions were fine, if typical with a long stop at some store.  For the price of the cruises you would think they didn’t have to be subsidized by forcing you into a retail outlet.

 

The worst of the whole experience was the huge number of obviously sick people by the end of the cruise. No venue was safe ( the ship is really small) People coughing and sneezing nonstop.  I got very sick and still am. It wasn’t Covid, but very bad upper respiratory illness. 
 

There were a several pros, which have been mentioned, but not enough to go on another R  

ship, even in a bigger cabin.  The vibe is just so sedate and low energy.  The Islands themselves are spectacular ( our fourth time) but the long very rough condition on the 10 sea days held little in the way of fun .  It was difficult to move about the ship or engage any any activity. ( I’m old)
 

 

[judi666]

On 4/22/2024 at 5:45 AM, TRLD said:

I have sailed this exact size ship twice nefore, one of the old R class ships though with 2 other lines. In both cases there was plenty to do.  Not so much on this. Let me rephrase that. There were things to do, but pretty much the same thing day to day.  

 

We spend about 100 days per year on cruise ships. Last year we were sailed on 7 different cruise lines from 50 passengers to 5000 passenger ships. We pick primarily by itinerary with no loyalty to any line or any style. From mass market to luxury.  We like many others picked this because of the itinerary. French Polynesia and Hawaii on a ship size we were familiar with, small enough to get into Bora Bora.

 

 We like sea days and have been on much longer cruises, we like classical music and i carry about a thousand books on my phone and read about a book a day. Entertainment is normally not an issue.

 

The problem is not what was  going on any given day it is that nothing changes between days. A kind of sea going ground hog day movie. Live music started at 4 with tea and the string quartet. Playing pretty much the same background music every day. No interaction with guests  no talking, just classical.background music. Then at 5 it was happy hour with the show band. Basically the same thing. Background music, same thing day to day, no interaction. 

 

There was also a Piano player during happy hour in Martinis that atleast spoke,  After leaving the tea the quartet would play in the upper hall where they would atleast announce what they were playing and vary it to some degree, but there was only about 8 or 10 chairs in the area.

 

So lots of live music, mostly playing a very curated background to tea or happy hour. 

 

Like being in one of my old board meeting cocktail hours for days.

 

On the surface it would seem to be something  we would like. In practice it got old very quickly 

 

About the only variation was in the one show each night. A couple were very good (one piano player did 2 excellent shows, one piano player did 2 ok shows, the comedian not so good  2 different vocalists did 2 shows each, one was good one not so much). The 4 production shows were OK.

 

As far as food goes. There were some nice features such as the grill to order in the Terrace Cafe and the sushi selection. But in general the food did not really impress. The problem there was also the lack of variety.  Again a very curated menu. Very consistent, but as far as quality goes nothing special. Not bad, but pretty much in line with other lines. It lacked the customization of the luxury lines, though did have some unique features compared to mass market lines.

 

The long time Oceania cruisers seemed to like it, the 200+ first timers not so much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been on at least 10 Oceania cruises and did not like this one at all, except for the itinerary. It was a snoozefest.  It’s a good thing I enjoy reading.

[judi666]

21 hours ago, TRLD said:

To make it clear we sail for destinations. It is that sone destinations include having a lot of sea days  This 21 itinerary was a good example French Polynesia to LA. Singapore to Cape Town is another.

 

Most port intensive itineraries we have done multiple times. We can do most of those on just about any cruise line.

 

What I stated is not that we sail for sea days, but that we have never minded them in the past, even on much longer cruises.

 

In the past our view on almost every other line we have been on is better to cruise somewhere instead of flying. With Oceania that has changed to in the future if the only way to get somewhere is either Oceania or flying, we will fly. 

 

This cruuse went to FP and Hawaii. We have been to both seversl times including both cruises and land trups in both. Spent 14 days in Bora Bora, Moorea and Papeete last year and we usually fly to Hawaii for two weeks each year.  Thought this would be a good time to check out Oceania. Almost got off in Honolulu to sprnd a few days and fly home instead of spending the last 7 days on board. Several people (I know of atleast 10) did get off there. There was enough interest that they put a notice in the Current giving the cutoff of when anyone deciding to do so had to notify reception.

 

Different people different views.  Glad you enjoy them. 

I strongly considered flying back from Kauai. I only wish I had followed gut feeling.

[durberville]

*sighs. Thanks for the honest review but man o man am I bummed. Have booked our first Oceania cruise on the Regatta for October (25 days). Sounds like it will be a floating nursing home with poor food. I convinced my husband to try this line since we’ve become disillusioned with Celebrity. Full of regret now. 😟

[cayman09]

Don't be worrying, this is but a small sample. There are literally thousands of positive customers. We were onboard Regatta for 18 days last year and have no regrets. Loved the ship, the crew and the food. One poor main course out of all of them. We've booked two more.

[FetaCheese]

15 minutes ago, durberville said:

*sighs. Thanks for the honest review but man o man am I bummed. Have booked our first Oceania cruise on the Regatta for October (25 days). Sounds like it will be a floating nursing home with poor food. I convinced my husband to try this line since we’ve become disillusioned with Celebrity. Full of regret now. 😟

Suggest you go with open mind, then form your own opinions.  In my opinion, a very small % of pax post on CC.  I've met pax on several cruises who have never heard of CC.

[TRLD]

24 minutes ago, durberville said:

*sighs. Thanks for the honest review but man o man am I bummed. Have booked our first Oceania cruise on the Regatta for October (25 days). Sounds like it will be a floating nursing home with poor food. I convinced my husband to try this line since we’ve become disillusioned with Celebrity. Full of regret now. 😟

 

I would not say poor food. I would say overly curated menu that is too consistent  Some items we found to be quite good, others not so much. Just expect fairly good cruise line food. Though I would agree that the pasta was not one if their strong points.

 

There was a mix of passengers, more older than younger. Certainly low energy on board ship.

 

It does have those that really like it  My brother in law is one of them. Some have only done Oceania.

 

 

Really the only way to find out if you like it is to try it.

 

What of the most frequent questions I was asked by other passengers on board was what is out favorite cruise line.

 

My answer is always the same - it depends upon what the individual in looking for and what they enjoy. Every line has it's pros and cons.

 

The one thing that most on board seemed to have in common was an extreme dislike of large ships. 

 

Kind of funny when we were coming in San Pedro someone saw the Discovery Princess and said that it carries 12000. Actual number is around 4000. So not quite sure if that is due to actual experience or not.

Edited April 23 by TRLD

[ak1004]

6 minutes ago, FetaCheese said:

Suggest you go with open mind, then form your own opinions.  In my opinion, a very small % of pax post on CC.  I've met pax on several cruises who have never heard of CC.

 

12 minutes ago, cayman09 said:

Don't be worrying, this is but a small sample. There are literally thousands of positive customers. We were onboard Regatta for 18 days last year and have no regrets. Loved the ship, the crew and the food. One poor main course out of all of them. We've booked two more.

 

Completely agree. Looks like 99% of the whiners are on CC. We rarely met unhappy guests on board O.

[TRLD]

19 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

 

Completely agree. Looks like 99% of the whiners are on CC. We rarely met unhappy guests on board O.

No most just go off and never give feedback.

 

Considering that this cruise held 600 with 200 first timers to find 3 on CC agreeing and one on the next cruise with similar thoughts after 4 days seems like an unusually high number.

 

Those on board are mostly repeat customers that have decided they like the experience or atleast will not say anything different while onboard to those that think it is wonderful.

Edited April 23 by TRLD

[bbqoug]

35 minutes ago, durberville said:

*sighs. Thanks for the honest review but man o man am I bummed. Have booked our first Oceania cruise on the Regatta for October (25 days). Sounds like it will be a floating nursing home with poor food. I convinced my husband to try this line since we’ve become disillusioned with Celebrity. Full of regret now. 😟

I felt the same way before our first O cruise on Insignia in September 2022. I thought I had made a mistake after reading all of the negative comments on CC about the decline in food quality, lack of energy, etc.

We had a fantastic cruise and thoroughly enjoyed the food as compared to our previous cruises on Azamara & Celebrity. We enjoyed ourselves enough that we are sailing on Regatta this September. While I have some concern about the recent negative comments, I have to remind myself of the negative comments back then as well.

Like others have said, go into your cruise with an open mind.

[Kay S]

42 minutes ago, durberville said:

*sighs. Thanks for the honest review but man o man am I bummed. Have booked our first Oceania cruise on the Regatta for October (25 days). Sounds like it will be a floating nursing home with poor food. I convinced my husband to try this line since we’ve become disillusioned with Celebrity. Full of regret now. 😟

Self-fulfilling prophecy:  if you go expecting a bad time, you will find it.

[ak1004]

9 minutes ago, TRLD said:

No most just go off and never give feedback.

 

Considering that this cruise held 600 with 200 first timers to find 3 oc CC agreeing and one on the next cruise with similar thoughts after 4 days seems like an unusually high number.

 

Those on board are mostly repeat customers that have decided they like the experience or atleast will not say anything different while onboard to those that think it is wonderful.

And yet the future cruise office was always packed with long lines. The only crowded place on the whole ship.

 

Btw this was not the case on our recent SS cruise..

[Jim_Iain]

Interesting to read you perspective.    We all experience a cruise in a different way and enjoy life differently.

 

We have sailed Celebrity exclusively for 23 years in upper suite and so looking forward to our First Oceania Cruise in September.    Even though we hit Double Zenith on the cruise we are now on -   Since January I have booked 1 Celebrity,  2 Oceania, 2 Silversea and 2 Cunard

 

Even though we have not sailed Oceania yet I really believe they will be our new cruise line of choice, mostly due to the warmth of the members of this thread and so many Celebrity Refugee recommendations.