Impending divorce

[Jean4ever]

As a long time elite member of Celebrity, I feel a little like a traitor but I am going for it! I cannot longer ignore the siren's song of Oceania, so I booked a cruise out of Istanbul for May 2009. Don't get me wrong, I have always had a great time on Celebrity but recent declines in service and quality have made me reconsider all my options. I am not ruling out Azamara in the future, either.

 

Anyway, I am really excited about cruising on Nautica....I once cruised on Renaissance and loved the R2. All the positive comments on this board swayed me, so if I don't like it, I am blaming it on all of you:p .

 

Keep all the great posts coming, it really adds to the experience!

 

p.s I selected an aft cabin based on all the good reviews.

[glenneagle]

WE were in the same situation as you last year.We finally bit the bullet and did the nautica from Istanbul to Rome.

We loved it, We are doing O again this summer.We love the smaller ship,the dress poicy.the open seating,,The tea is outstanding,

When we cruise with our 20 something kids it will be celebrity but for the 2 of us its O.

[tak2]

I went on my first O cruise in Nov, also out of Istanbul, and have two more booked. Unless you need the broadway type shows of celebrity, most other aspects of O are far superior to my X cruises in 2005 and 2007. However, the aft cabins of O have much smaller balconies than the M class of X, just so you have realistic expectations.

 

Crew on O, most of them, have this great attitude that they want you to have a good time, and would do their best, something that only a fraction of X staff possess.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[garykool81]

As a long time elite member of Celebrity, I feel a little like a traitor but I am going for it!

 

As you can see from my signature, I am not one to bash Celebrity. I think they offer the best product in mass-market cruising hands down.

 

That said, Oceania blows them out of the water. You're going to have an amazing time!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Ask4Jay]

Jean4ever -

An aft cabin on O. Things can't get much better. Enjoy!

[Rob & Beckys mom]

As a long time elite member of Celebrity, I feel a little like a traitor but I am going for it! I cannot longer ignore the siren's song of Oceania, so I booked a cruise out of Istanbul for May 2009. Don't get me wrong, I have always had a great time on Celebrity but recent declines in service and quality have made me reconsider all my options. I am not ruling out Azamara in the future, either.

 

Anyway, I am really excited about cruising on Nautica....I once cruised on Renaissance and loved the R2. All the positive comments on this board swayed me, so if I don't like it, I am blaming it on all of you:p .

 

Keep all the great posts coming, it really adds to the experience!

 

p.s I selected an aft cabin based on all the good reviews.

 

 

We have cruised almost exclusively on Princess & took a transalantic cruise on Oceania last November/December. Maybe it was because of so many days at sea, but we became bored with the entertainment. The enrichment series was wonderful, as the speaker kept everyones attention, but this was one hour each day. We watched more movies in our cabin than we had ever done before:rolleyes: . The food was better than Princess & I loved having a tea pot with breakfast & I can not fault the service. I'm glad we took the cruise, but still like the entertainment on Princess. I also like the future cruise credit on Princess that allows a $100 deposit with a $100 on board credit. Love Oceania, but like Princess better.

 

Jan

[garykool81]

We have cruised almost exclusively on Princess & took a transalantic cruise on Oceania last November/December. Maybe it was because of so many days at sea, but we became bored with the entertainment. The enrichment series was wonderful, as the speaker kept everyones attention, but this was one hour each day. We watched more movies in our cabin than we had ever done before:rolleyes: .

 

Yep, Oceania is definitely not the line for those who want to be stimulated with the type of entertainment found aboard the more mainstream cruise lines. Oceania is very much a "do your own thing" type of line, with entertainment only focused on small cabaret-style shows, string quartets, etc. That said, the quality of their minimal entertainment tends to be quite good. The standard "pool cover band" you see on larger ships is replaced by a brass band that plays Sinatra-era "classics." It is quite wonderful, IMO.

 

I've actually grown tired with the "big-ship" entertainment...all the shows become the same, boring thing after a while. It is refreshing to me to sail on a line (even for 12 days at sea) that focuses more on superb dining and high-quality service.

 

If you don't need the frequent pool Olympics, broadway-style shows, etc., you'll do just find on Oceania being entertained through all the new friends you make (passengers tend to be more social, since the crowd is much smaller), or just relaxing with a good book by the pool.

[KIWP]

:) I won't bore you, or anyone else, by listing all our cruises...but suffice it to say that the accumulated days add up to well over several years’ worth.

That being said, however I will tell you that we're going into double digit cruises with "O" and each one is better than the last.

The "O" ships will not offer you all the "hoopla" you may find on other lines, but you will find a special cruise - regardless of the itinerary.

Excellent cuisine with the accompanying service. A staff willing to cater to your wishes, with a pleasant smile and not holding out a hand waiting for the gratuity at the end of the cruise. The ships are small enough so that you will have the opportunity to become acquainted with people, including staff members, and not feel like a number lost in the crowd.

There are many fine lines out there and each has its own special touch, and appeals to all interests and budgets. For us, the "O" ships are just what we like.

Enjoy and do let us hear your impressions.

[CathyCruises]

It is always interesting to me how different people's tastes are. On a recent 12 day "X" cruise, I think we may have gone to 3 shows--and were not overly impressed with any of the big Broadway-style extravaganzas. We had late seating, and a very port-intensive itinerary, and we were ready to hit the sack after a very long dinner. So for me, the "lack" of entertainment on "O" is not the slightest deterrent and in fact may be an asset. But I have to say that entertainment is something I never consider when booking a cruise--itinerary, condition of ship, and quality of food are the most imoprtant things, in that order. SO, I am REALLY looking forward to my first "O" cruise! Different strokes, as they say.

 

:) Cathy

[merryecho]

We choose Oceania because we do NOT like to wear formal dress on vacation, don't like to be told when to eat, and don't care for song and dance shows. If you like those things, this is not the line for you.

Given that, we love the food, the fellow cruisers, no kids, and the ship size. Until there is a line that has small ships, is all inclusive, and does not require dress up nights, Oceania is our favorite.

[sacway]

jean4ever - We started out steady with X and a few years ago decided to play the field. It's been great! We've done RCCL, Princess, NCL, and O since then. The biggest diff O compared to X in a negative way for us is the small sq ft of the standard cabin; you were on R2 so you might remember. Plus, there's no dedicated cinema. Every other way, for what we want out of a cruise, O does it as well or much better than X. Dinner at Tapas is by far the best casual dinner option we've experienced.

[CruseKrazy]

We choose Oceania because we do NOT like to wear formal dress on vacation, don't like to be told when to eat, and don't care for song and dance shows. If you like those things, this is not the line for you.

Given that, we love the food, the fellow cruisers, no kids, and the ship size. Until there is a line that has small ships, is all inclusive, and does not require dress up nights, Oceania is our favorite.

 

I love this post merryecho. Expresses our sentiments exactly. Stepping up from RCCL to O this fall. Aft balcony, Istanbul to Venice. Group of 30. Can't wait!!