First Oceania cruise

[NJ Gal]

I am in the process of booking our first Oceania cruise on the new Allura.  What are some of the questions that I should be asking?  We are experienced cruisers, but have never been on this cruise line before.  

[Vallesan]

6 minutes ago, NJ Gal said:

I am in the process of booking our first Oceania cruise on the new Allura.  What are some of the questions that I should be asking?  We are experienced cruisers, but have never been on this cruise line before.  

Difficult to answer.
Which  other lines have you sailed on? Have you sailed on smaller ships before? Do you like ‘nightlife’? How important is the itinerary to you? Do you like a ‘port’ intensive cruise? 

[NJ Gal]

Most of our cruises have been on Celebrity, but we have been on several Royal Caribbean, too.  We have been on large ships and some smaller so size is not an issue.  The one we are considering has a great itinerary, but the main thing for us is that it will sail in and out of New York.  We are trying to eliminate as much flying as possible (we live in New Jersey so it is easy to get to NY). 

[mauibabes]

@NJ Gal

Since Allura is still under construction, it may be hard to say about her unique attributes but she will be an even more updated version of the May 2023 release of Vista and she is BEAUTIFUL. We have been on a couple Vista trips and she is awesome and the updates mentioned are tied to the Punchlist items Orr noise issues between staterooms or even facility locations. We hear they are working on some design adjustments. If you are talking about the October 4, 2025 NY-NY cruise, we have several friends on board who have also sailed on Vista last October. We were booked on it as well but swapped it for the Montreal to Miami sailing a couple weeks later. 
You mention X and Royal, just consider booking comparable Staterooms and you would have a more valid comparison. The  raise Critic O Board has a LOT of X escapees so be prepared for an enhanced experience. I am sure you will hear from some of them as well.  We left long ago after a supposed excellent experience in Blu, but it wasn’t so it was a one and done. O is home 😇❤️👍 Book Allura and ENJOY, it will be a FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE. 

Mauibabes

[willidc]

Welcome to Oceania!

 

Poster 'dock' posted on July 27 an excellent comparison of his many years sailing with X vs his first sailing on O.

 

Check for the following on this board: 

"Celebrity Loyalists on their First Oceania Cruise, Vista July 23- Aug 02"

 

 

 

[MEFIowa]

Just start searching the plethora of threads here. Sure most of your thoughts/questions are already answered.

 

And when you board, STUDY your CURRENTS, the daily newspaper provided each evening, very carefully, for it will tell you what all is happening where and when the next day.

[Harters]

3 hours ago, NJ Gal said:

What are some of the questions that I should be asking? 

My reading of your post is that you are committed to booking this cruise, so don't need further persuasion as to whether it is going to suit. In which case, I think the following are the basic questions you are going to want to ask:

 

1) What Simply More shore excursions do I want to book and when can I do that

 

2) What do I want to do in ports where I'm not doing a ships excursion (see 5 below)

 

3) When can I make reservations in the speciality restaurants.

 

4) Do I understand Oceania's dress code so I'll know what to pack. 

 

5) What's the benefit of joining the Cruise Critic Roll Call for my cruise. 

[halfapair]

3 hours ago, NJ Gal said:

Most of our cruises have been on Celebrity, but we have been on several Royal Caribbean, too.  We have been on large ships and some smaller so size is not an issue.  The one we are considering has a great itinerary, but the main thing for us is that it will sail in and out of New York.  We are trying to eliminate as much flying as possible (we live in New Jersey so it is easy to get to NY). 

I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Oceania is a step up (or maybe two steps up) from RCCL and Celebrity. The Allura is going to be brand new. I don't know what the itinerary is, but if it's a fall cruise to view the foliage, I would book a balcony cabin for the best experience.

 

We like the Concierge level staterooms for access to the spa. But this is a personal preference, and has been a topic of discussion on this forum. Some people like the Concierge staterooms, others are fine without it.

[mauibabes]

Ditto, halfapair, once you make a move up from whatever level, O does make it hard to go back. After a 2018 ATW segment on Insignia in a PH, it was impossible to get DW out of a PH. Whatever you do NJ Gal, my story is Happy Wife, Happy Life. 😇🙏👍
Everyone has access to everything on O, you just may have to pay for it, like Spa Terrace area or Private dinners in Privee or in a couple of the Specialties that have bookable private tables for wine pairings. Harters started you off on things to consider. Another set of great posts were from Sthrngary as he prepared for and sailed and rebooked O again. Like all lines, none are perfect and on the same cruise you will find experiences and opinions that are 180 degrees apart. You just have to make your own decisions and after all, the only budget that matters is yours and the only opinions that matter about your experience are yours. 
Mauibabes

[DENIE]

We were Celebrity cruisers until Covid when we decided to try something different.  The advice we received from @mauibabes was invaluable to us. We now have 2 under our belt (Riviera, Vista), with 2 more booked (Vista, Insignia).  Since Allura is basically the same ship as Vista, you are in for a real treat!  

[mauibabes]

@DENIE thanks for the kind words. Like any O veteran cruiser on this Board, we are happy to share our knowledge and experiences to help others as they “test the waters” on Oceania. 

Mauibabes

[Cruzin Terri]

8 hours ago, mauibabes said:

@DENIE thanks for the kind words. Like any O veteran cruiser on this Board, we are happy to share our knowledge and experiences to help others as they “test the waters” on Oceania. 

Mauibabes

i echo @DENIE.  It is nice to receive advice from those who have a good number of cruises from a cruse line under their belt.  i am always amazed at those who have taken one or two cruises on a cruise line and consider themselves a self-proclaimed experts on that line.

Terri

[NJ Gal]

Thank you to all of the experienced Oceania cruisers.  I appreciate all of your comments.  This cruise on the Allura is starting to sound like one that we will enjoy.  It will be a nice change from Celebrity.  Sometimes change is just what we need.  

 

[Harters]

27 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

those who have taken one or two cruises on a cruise line and consider themselves a self-proclaimed experts on that line.

Yes. I sometimes wonder why I bother posting and don't just leave it to those who have experienced many cruises. 

[MEFIowa]

Though experience and expertise, while related, are different. Anyone who has recently cruised on an O ship has acquired specific experience that can be shared. The more such experience they acquire, the more they acquire expertise.

 

It is funny how so many want to say things like, "We remember cruising on O back in (insert year from a long time ago) and we've done (X number) of O cruises." All or most of it pre-COVID or pre-ship refit. So, it is often older, sometimes out-of-date information.

 

Having 3 O cruises for a total of 30 nights on 2 O ships since 12/2021, including cruises in 2022 & 2023, I'd like to think we've got sufficient experience and expertise. Our upcoming 22 nights will only add to that.

[Cruzin Terri]

I have 215 Days on Oceania on all the ships except the Regatta. I have three more cruises booked.   I think I can speak from experience.  However, I shudder from what I read sometimes on these boards.  

I have read reports from some who have taken  one 7 day or 10 day cruise and think they know everything.  And then there are those who have to brag that they are on the best stateroom on the ship.  Who cares!

I enjoy each cruise I am on.  I learn something new on each one.  If I can share it with others I am happy to do so.

To each his own.

 

[Queen of DaNile]

On 8/6/2024 at 9:09 AM, NJ Gal said:

Most of our cruises have been on Celebrity, but we have been on several Royal Caribbean, too.  We have been on large ships and some smaller so size is not an issue.  The one we are considering has a great itinerary, but the main thing for us is that it will sail in and out of New York.  We are trying to eliminate as much flying as possible (we live in New Jersey so it is easy to get to NY). 

We're booked on Allura for the same reason - sailing in and out of Miami so NO flying!!!

We booked Concierge because of access to the beautiful spa terrace which I know we'll enjoy in the Caribbean. Look at the amenities that are offered and choose a cabin level that suits your needs.

We were on Vista last year for her first TA and are well aware of the "newly built" construction noises that we'll probably experience again on Allura. We even had an engineer come to our cabin who assured us that all the noises we heard during the night were "normal" for a new ship so don't be surprised if you hear some strange sounds.

If you are using a travel agent who offers refundable shipboard credit, make sure you understand the difference between that and Simply More shore excursion credit and any other NON refundable credit offered by Oceania.

Whatever you decide, have a great cruise. Nearly 20 years later, we still enjoy experiencing what Oceania has to offer.

 

[Vallesan]

2 minutes ago, Queen of DaNile said:

We're booked on Allura for the same reason - sailing in and out of Miami so NO flying!!!

We booked Concierge because of access to the beautiful spa terrace which I know we'll enjoy in the Caribbean. Look at the amenities that are offered and choose a cabin level that suits your needs.

We were on Vista last year for her first TA and are well aware of the "newly built" construction noises that we'll probably experience again on Allura. We even had an engineer come to our cabin who assured us that all the noises we heard during the night were "normal" for a new ship so don't be surprised if you hear some strange sounds.

If you are using a travel agent who offers refundable shipboard credit, make sure you understand the difference between that and Simply More shore excursion credit and any other NON refundable credit offered by Oceania.

Whatever you decide, have a great cruise. Nearly 20 years later, we still enjoy experiencing what Oceania has to offer.

 

It will be really interesting to see if Vista ‘beds down’ in time. I’d really like to sail on her but cabin noise and slippy floors in the Terrace cafe really put me off. The fact that the aft lift doesn’t go down to deck 5(?) isn’t a huge issue as we usually travel mid-ships. 
Just have to wait and see what the next 12 months brings before I’d be happy booking.

[Harters]

59 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

If I can share it with others I am happy to do so.

I'm sure that, in due course, you'll post something positive that helps to answer NJ Gal's OP, 😀

[Vallesan]

2 hours ago, Harters said:

Yes. I sometimes wonder why I bother posting and don't just leave it to those who have experienced many cruises. 

I for one have found your posts useful and any ‘experience’ is ‘experience’. Yours might not be mine and mine not be yours! We are all individuals looking for different things in a cruise. BUT it’s always good to hear of other experiences even though when we cruise, even on the same cruise,  our ‘experience’ will be individual to us, irrespective of itinerary, ship, cabin etc.

Other people’s experiences can only give you a ‘glimpse’ into their experience which could be totally different to yours! The only real answer is to ‘cruise’ and see!

[Lastdance]

There is also something positive and exciting to be said about a new ship and cruise experience, as that is what I am looking forward to next May.  I will walk the ship, visiting each deck to see the main venues, along with nooks and crannies, sort of like a scavenger hunt for newbies.  Of course, there will always be that comparison going on in my head from previous cruises and ships, but I will be open-minded, ask questions and enjoy.  I hope you have a wonderful experience on Allura!

[MEFIowa]

3 hours ago, Cruzin Terri said:

I have 215 Days on Oceania on all the ships except the Regatta....

How many of these days are post-COVID, after O restarted around 10/2021? So much has happened since then. So many changes. Including to their ships.

[lorimay]

3 hours ago, Vallesan said:

It will be really interesting to see if Vista ‘beds down’ in time. I’d really like to sail on her but cabin noise and slippy floors in the Terrace cafe really put me off. The fact that the aft lift doesn’t go down to deck 5(?) isn’t a huge issue as we usually travel mid-ships. 
Just have to wait and see what the next 12 months brings before I’d be happy booking.

We never saw (or experienced) any issue with slippery floors in the Terrace cafe. Yes, it's a stone floor, but it wasn't any slicker than anywhere else on the ship. The aft lift not going down to five is a huge inconvenience, though. We also experience little to no cabin noise from surrounding cabins, but  we did have a loud noise from the ship (engines or something else). You just have to hope that you are lucky and have quiet neighbors or they fix the cabin to cabin noise issue on the Allura.

[Kay S]

6 hours ago, Cruzin Terri said:

7 hours ago, Cruzin Terri said:

 i am always amazed at those who have taken one or two cruises on a cruise line and consider themselves a self-proclaimed experts on that li

 

You mean I have to wait until AFTER my first O cruise to self-delacre my expertise?  😝 

[NJ Gal]

3 hours ago, Lastdance said:

There is also something positive and exciting to be said about a new ship and cruise experience, as that is what I am looking forward to next May.  I will walk the ship, visiting each deck to see the main venues, along with nooks and crannies, sort of like a scavenger hunt for newbies.  Of course, there will always be that comparison going on in my head from previous cruises and ships, but I will be open-minded, ask questions and enjoy.  I hope you have a wonderful experience on Allura!

Thank you....

Yes, that sounds like us in October, 2025.