Oceania vs Crystal

[dougiefresh]

Hi everyone. Sold on Oceania, were on the Rio to Manaus trip on Insignia Feb 28 and will be going on the Istanbul to Athens Sept 2 trip on Nautica. We like the decor of the ships and low key elegance. We're active in our late 50's, curious why so few on Oceania under age 70+. Any ideas?

[Jancruz]

Hi everyone. Sold on Oceania, were on the Rio to Manaus trip on Insignia Feb 28 and will be going on the Istanbul to Athens Sept 2 trip on Nautica. We like the decor of the ships and low key elegance. We're active in our late 50's, curious why so few on Oceania under age 70+. Any ideas?

 

 

The length of the trips is a problem for younger people..many cant go for that long!!

Jan

*****

[jfb128]

It depends on the itinerary as well. Last year's Black Sea cruise for example attracted a much older crowd. Nevertheless we were able to find many positive upbeat people regardless of age. Other itineraries especially in the summer had a younger crowd.

 

We started cruising on Oceania when we were in our 50's but now have reached the new threshold. There have been many in their fifties and sixties on our cruises. Age is not an issue unless one chooses it to be.

[mike35]

were on the Rio to Manaus trip on Insignia Feb 28

 

I wish they hadn't canceled the Manaus itinerary - nothing showing for 2007. We've been on 3 O trips and found a good mix of folks 50+ - for us, the ideal demographics.

 

Mike

[dougiefresh]

Thanks for you're comments. Also I think the more well traveled crowd attracted to Oceania may be looking for some more "exotic" itineraries i.e. Brazil, Black Sea, etc vs the standard Caribbean. To MikeBrill: we also are signed up for Feb 3 '07 Hong Kong to Bankok.

[ferret]

Thanks for you're comments. Also I think the more well traveled crowd attracted to Oceania may be looking for some more "exotic" itineraries i.e. Brazil, Black Sea, etc vs the standard Caribbean. To MikeBrill: we also are signed up for Feb 3 '07 Hong Kong to Bankok.

 

true, but these same passengers are attracted to Crystal too!

 

I will be able to say more about this comparo in December when I've tried both. I had to try Oceania as the same exact cruise on the same days was half the price of that on Crystal when the airfare was factored in.

 

 

I'm also 28 (will be 29 when I cruise), and travel solo, so this comes from a different POV than most travelers....but I still prefer traveling with older people. Really, I'll talk to anyone that talks to me. I don't care who you are, jsut have something interesting to say! :cool:

[Leonid]

Ferret - We have been on 8 Crystal sailings & one O...when all is said and down, we give it to O...main reason is the single, open seating. Also, the food on O is as good if not better than Crystal. There are "things" on Crystal that are "better" than O, but one can't have everything. The one area that really irks me about O is the tipping policy. Crystal beats O by a mile.

[ferret]

leonid- Have you tried Regent (Radisson)

 

You might like it a lot. They look expensive, but their entry-level cabins are large suites. And of course, the well-known tps and alcohol policy is pretty nice. I liked it. I'm trying all the lux lines to see which one I like the most because I'm so burnt out on mass market lines. This is a fun project. :)

[Leonid]

Ferret - will be doing RSSC this Nov., SS in July and O next Feb. We have also done 5 SB sailings. After all is done, I'll be better able to compare the lines.

[birdrock96]

My husband and I are also early 50, truly enjoy Oceania cruise line.

We are going on our 3rd cruise in July and have booked 2 more in 2007.

 

Bonnie

[Jane110]

The length of the trips is a problem for younger people..many cant go for that long!!

Jan

*****

 

Additionally, Oceania is not a good line to bring kids on, because they have no facilities or special activities for them.

 

So those in their 30's/40's with young kids will more likely gravitate towards a cruiseline that will accomodate them and not merely tolerate them.

[Obie]

We're just back from our first Oceania trip and have the 27 day Amazon trip planned for Nov. However, my first love would still be Crystal. I booked a penthouse to get the amount of space that is available on Crystal's lowest cat.

We couldn't get a penthouse on the Amazon trip and the A cat has no bathtub. Love to soak in hot tub. Also only one laundry for whole ship. Thank heavens for the line in the bathroom. I just did hand laundry for myself every day.

 

My husband loved the casual dress. Not that important to me. Open seating is a plus. Only one show at 9:45 PM. I'm in bed. The ship is as beautiful as when it was Ren. Daytime activities were plentiful on the long crossing and the Med, my first time there, was beautiful. I dragged hubby through every church in sight. I'm glad I went but won't go back. I'd do another crossing just for the ship experience.

 

I figured the free air and prepaid gratuties were just added in the price. Nothing is free.

 

IMHO the entertainment, food and service on Crystal are still a step up from the other lines we cruised.

 

Our 28 th cruise. Holland, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Seaborn (compares to Crystal) Ren

 

Thanks