Rumor of Oceania sale to Royal Caribbean

[Cruising89143]

There is an article as Seatrader Inside News reporting that RCI may be interested in buying Oceania cruises.

 

The link to the entire story can be found here.

 

http://www.cruise-community.com/ShowStory.asp?ID=10353

 

I see this a move that could happen. Oceania has three of the R ships that makes up it's entire fleet. By RCI purchasing Oceania it could move the two former R ships in the Pullmantur fleet to Oceania and that would give them five sister ships in the fleet. That would make room for RCI to move some of their older tonnage to Pullmantur.

[KandMGIn]

I totally agree that they will most likely buy and move the ships around just as you stated. I assume there may be an upcoming stock split!

[caviargal]

If this does happen, and I most sincerely hope it does not, I believe that the current Oceania fleet will be moved to Celebrity. Many of the folks who cruise X, me included, prefer small ships with personalized service. This would allow for more interesting itineraries on nicer ships, something that would be a hit with X cruises.

 

The old ships of RCI could move to Pullmantur, and compete against the Thomson ships and other budget lines in Europe where many RCI ships have found a home.

 

Three ships are probably not enough for a separate brand but this move would answer a lot of questions about the future of X.

[negc]

[quote name=caviargal

 

Three ships are probably not enough for a separate brand but this move would answer a lot of questions about the future of X.[/quote]

 

I'm not sure what questions there are about the future of X since RCCL has committed to building three new, large ships in the next few years. I believe that Solstice and Equinox are due to be delivered nlt 2009. Three smaller ships would, however, fit in with the Celebrity Xpeditions niche.:)

[caviargal]

I'm not sure what questions there are about the future of X since RCCL has committed to building three new, large ships in the next few years. I believe that Solstice and Equinox are due to be delivered nlt 2009. Three smaller ships would, however, fit in with the Celebrity Xpeditions niche.:)

 

WHat I was referring to is the fact that diehard X are not enamored of the big ships on order by X. This is more in keeping with the style of RCI to fit more and more people on larger and larger vessels.

 

IMO, it is impossible to deliver the same level of food and service on large ships with so many passengers.

 

I should have stated that many X cruisers, myself included, are concerned about the future of the "Celebrity Experience" which historically has been based on smaller vessels with high SPRs. X as we know it and enjoy it looks to be following in RCIs footsteps and some of us prefer that it remain differentiated to a large degree.

 

Xpedition is decidedly smaller and much more $$$ than anything in Oceania fleet. I think these ships could be ideally employed on extended Caribbean and European itineraries as well as extend their reach into Hawaii and South American, currently just an afterthought.

[The Big Booper]

WHat I was referring to is the fact that diehard X are not enamored of the big ships on order by X. This is more in keeping with the style of RCI to fit more and more people on larger and larger vessels.

 

IMO, it is impossible to deliver the same level of food and service on large ships with so many passengers.

 

I should have stated that many X cruisers, myself included, are concerned about the future of the "Celebrity Experience" which historically has been based on smaller vessels with high SPRs. X as we know it and enjoy it looks to be following in RCIs footsteps and some of us prefer that it remain differentiated to a large degree.

 

Xpedition is decidedly smaller and much more $$$ than anything in Oceania fleet. I think these ships could be ideally employed on extended Caribbean and European itineraries as well as extend their reach into Hawaii and South American, currently just an afterthought.

 

I think you have hit the nail on the head. Based on your posts here you are typical of the X cruiser in your needs and desires. It all makes sense in that the 5 R ships become globetrotters (Meadowlark !!!) and the Equinox newbuilds would be positioned as a more upscale RCI type of cruise for RCI people who want to move up. If Carnival can shuffle the fleet with its 12 brands why not RCI?

[grandsix]

Whether or not the rumor is true, consolidation in the cruise industry is the wave of the future just like Las Vegas. Each cruise line has their groupies including Oceania. If the rumor comes to fruition, we feel Oceania will be more efficicient.

[wolfganghowell]

Celebrity in my mind has not been ruined by RCCL. It is a beautiful classy line and our personal fave ( no offense to RCCL - we really like both lines!) As a stockholder, I can only hope an Oceania purchase would be a good thing and not a bad thing.

[negc]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=415756

 

They are worried that RCCL is going to ruin Oceania if they do buy the cruise line. They also said that Celebrity has been runned into the ground by RCCL....is that really true??

 

It sounds like, from this group of people on that board, that RCCL has a tainted reputation.

 

What do you think?

 

Some people do not handle change well. Whenever one cruiseline is taken over by another there are almost always misgivings on the part of the first line's fans. When there are subsequent changes involving that line, there will be some who blame the changes (which in their minds at least, are always bad changes and never changes for the better) on the new owners, even if the changes were inevitable and would have taken place even without a change in ownership. One big myth that persists on the boards is that Carnival doesn't interfere in the operation of any of the lines it has bought. Those that perpetuate that myth conveniently overlook the Joe Farcus effect on the design of many of HAL's Vista class ships, or the manner in which Carnival's Tropicale was foisted off onto Costa when it no longer met Carnival's needs or standards. Celebrity was not in the best of financial shape when it was taken over by RCI and at the time of the merger, John Chandris was adamant that the line be taken over by RCI and not Carnival. Since RCI bought Celebrity, the line has added several new and larger ships to the fleet, and is in the process of building even more. If you read the Celebrity boards, most Celebrity fans believe that it offers the best cruise experience, while others persist in claiming that everything has gone downhill since the buyout.

Princess' executives recommended that RCI not Carnival's offer be accepted, but stockholders, most interested in the financial offer being made to them by Carnival, forced the sale to Carnival instead, at a significant cost to Princess since they had to pay RCI for reneging on the original agreement.

If you read enough threads on this or any cruiseboard, you will find opinions on just about every topic. Many of them will differ dramatically. Take the opinions for what they are worth and don't consider any of them to be gospel.:)

[dougp26364]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=415756

 

They are worried that RCCL is going to ruin Oceania if they do buy the cruise line. They also said that Celebrity has been runned into the ground by RCCL....is that really true??

 

It sounds like, from this group of people on that board, that RCCL has a tainted reputation.

 

What do you think?

 

This was brought up as the Diamond/Plat. C&A event on Vision and yes, I believe that is the cruise line mentioned that RCI had recently aquired.

 

As for the Oceania people being upset, how do you think RCI people would've felt if Carnival had managed to gain controlling interest in RCI. That very nearly happened several years ago when Carinval made an offer some of the major owners could't refuse. Fortunately, RCI found someone else to jump in and save the day.

[ORANGEinINDY]

This was brought up as the Diamond/Plat. C&A event on Vision and yes, I believe that is the cruise line mentioned that RCI had recently aquired.

I believe the on they ARE buying is Pullmantur. Ociana is a rumor (RCI won't comment on it).

I doubt anbody that is happy with ther line would like it if anyone was buying them. It's a 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' attitude. I almost always understand that attitude.

[superjerryw]

. If you read the Celebrity boards, most Celebrity fans believe that it offers the best cruise experience, while others persist in claiming that everything has gone downhill since the buyout.

 

Even the Celebrity fans that say Celebrity still offers the best cruise experience will admit that the experience has been dumbed down since the merger.

[negc]

Even the Celebrity fans that say Celebrity still offers the best cruise experience will admit that the experience has been dumbed down since the merger.

I guess I would need examples to understand. If by dumbing down you count eliminating the silly $35 fee to join their Captain's Club, or their failure to elimate the position of assistant chief housekeeper as a tippable position, I would at least have some indication of what "dumbing down" means to those who feel that way. Despite all the rumors that swirled around the merger, Michel Roux was retained, more and larger better equipped ships were added to the fleet and new and different itineraries were created. :)

[Merion_Mom]

Some people do not handle change well. Whenever one cruiseline is taken over by another there are almost always misgivings on the part of the first line's fans.

OMG, that was my FAVORITE *brouhaha* EVER! Oh, the Princess people SCREAMING when Carnival bought 'em. wwwwwhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

:D :D :D

[superjerryw]

I guess I would need examples to understand. If by dumbing down you count eliminating the silly $35 fee to join their Captain's Club, or their failure to elimate the position of assistant chief housekeeper as a tippable position, I would at least have some indication of what "dumbing down" means to those who feel that way. Despite all the rumors that swirled around the merger, Michel Roux was retained, more and larger better equipped ships were added to the fleet and new and different itineraries were created. :)

 

As far as the Captains Club, the benefits have been revised a few times and each time they have been revised downwards so you get less. While the food and service on Celebrity is still better than most other lines to a degree, it is not as good as it used to be. The fact that they tout the name of a famous chef really means nothing as he is not in the galley on any of the ships actually preparing the food. As for their fleet, I think that the "M" class was on order before the merger with RCI. In any case, RCI has rolled out 3 classes of ship since 1999 while Celebrity did nothing but finish building the "M" class. There has also been a lot of time that has elapsed since the "M" class was completed and the Solstice class was announce. Celebrity has managed to maintain it's edge in terms of food and service because food and service on all the other cruise lines have gone down as well.

[caviargal]

I guess I would need examples to understand. If by dumbing down you count eliminating the silly $35 fee to join their Captain's Club, or their failure to elimate the position of assistant chief housekeeper as a tippable position, I would at least have some indication of what "dumbing down" means to those who feel that way. Despite all the rumors that swirled around the merger, Michel Roux was retained, more and larger better equipped ships were added to the fleet and new and different itineraries were created. :)

 

I cruise X in the early 90s on Zenith and Horizon, on Inifinity in her first year of service and Mercury last year.

 

"Dumbing down" to me was in the form of deferred maintenance in areas that sorely need it, including bedding, towels (threadbare), softgoods, old furniture, etc. Our bathroom sink was chipped and cracked, our shower curtain yucky, the tile in the shower itself showed mold. We called the steward in to replace the shower curtain, clean the tile and provide egg crates for the thin mattresses that should have been replaced years ago.

 

The executive housekeeper on Mercury was Broom Hilda and I reported her nasty attitude to the front desk, the CC rep on board and later in my comment card and follow up emails (never responded to).

 

There was no escort to our cabin, no one offering to carry trays in the lido.

 

Gym is old and equipment poorly maintained (2 pieces broken for duration).

 

Elevators worked sporadically as did A/C in certain parts of the ship.

 

Sommelier was overworked and could not provide good service.

 

Bar service was slow due to understaffing.

 

This was unheard of with X until the past few years.

 

Food and service in the main dining room was excellent.

 

I would still choose X over RCI because: dress code was adhered to by the vast majority of passengers, there were no kids running amok, I did not have to listen to drunks outside my door at 2am yelling, I was not nickel and dimed to death, the ship was a perfect size and not overcrowded.

 

To each his own and X needs to spend some $$$ on maintenance but, overall, I would sail their M class ships and Century.