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Oceana for the "good old times"


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A big thanks and ABoatNerd we will be waiting to find out how your Oceania cruise went. Yes posting on Oceania just because it comes sooner alphabetically than some others. Unfortunately Cruise Critic really doesn't have a section for all cruises in general. I'm also watching Virgin Voyages Cruise Line. (I see there is a sub-forum now.) I think that could be very interesting, but we'll have to wait a few years.

 

I also tray to really stay away from the designations like "luxury" "super premium," etc. To me they mean nothing because there is no standardization. I get tons of flyers daily (Oceania, Viking, Crystal, etc.) and they make it very hard to know exactly WHAT is included. I can't even tell the price, because they seem to do this "2 for 1" thing, which seems like a lie to me. Oh, you mean this price is for two? We'll no, its actually not.

 

So in reading your comments, its helped me narrow things down. We aren't big drinkers, but often do excursions. We have done our own, but in some countries just don't trust them.

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A big thanks and ABoatNerd we will be waiting to find out how your Oceania cruise went. Yes posting on Oceania just because it comes sooner alphabetically than some others. Unfortunately Cruise Critic really doesn't have a section for all cruises in general. I'm also watching Virgin Voyages Cruise Line. (I see there is a sub-forum now.) I think that could be very interesting, but we'll have to wait a few years.

 

I also try to really stay away from the designations like "luxury" "super premium," etc. To me they mean nothing because there is no standardization. I get tons of flyers daily (Oceania, Viking, Crystal, etc.) and they make it very hard to know exactly WHAT is included. I can't even tell the price, because they seem to do this "2 for 1" thing, which seems like a lie to me. Oh, you mean this price is for two? We'll no, its actually not.

 

So in reading your comments, its helped me narrow things down. We aren't big drinkers, but often do excursions. We have done our own, but in some countries just don't trust them.

 

 

Most of us who do private tours are careful about where we do them! You are wise to be careful. There are places where a ship's tours is safer ... whether because you don't want to be left at the dock because your private tour got back late or because you are in an "iffy" area.

 

We aren't big drinkers either (well, maybe I am but DH is not) so we don't take the drink package. We prefer to buy wine by the bottle or bring on our own and pay a corkage fee if drinking that bottle in a public venue. That works for us.

 

Like you I'm not really sure what luxury means other than that we've never sailed on a truly "luxury" line!

 

Mura

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Luxury to me is not cooking but having great meals ready when I am

Not having to vacuum

Not having to make the bed

Not cleaning the toilets (well DH does those anyway)

Being on any Oceania ship

 

YMMD ;)

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Luxury to me is not cooking but having great meals ready when I am

Not having to vacuum

Not having to make the bed

Not cleaning the toilets (well DH does those anyway)

Being on any Oceania ship

 

YMMD ;)

Well said. Seems like from many posts the inclusions are equating to luxury. On another board that seemed to focus on liquor. And the size of the pours. While all-inclusive is more luxury level than not to me paying for stuff to be included does not make the on-board experience luxury. Luxury is the experience. And if that is relaxing and enjoying then I am all in.

 

And Lynn, like your key points, the Housekeeping team is such an enjoyment. Sometimes I think thought of as a fixture but to me a big deal. Coming back from breakfast to a freshly cleaned room, as I enter the cabin I always say Thank-you ...... Always makes me smile.

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And Lynn, like your key points, the Housekeeping team is such an enjoyment. Sometimes I think thought of as a fixture but to me a big deal. Coming back from breakfast to a freshly cleaned room, as I enter the cabin I always say Thank-you ...... Always makes me smile.

I agree the staff are what make the cruise special for us

 

A smile & a thank you go a long way

I look forward to seeing familiar faces onboard

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Luxury to me is not cooking but having great meals ready when I am

Not having to vacuum

Not having to make the bed

Not cleaning the toilets (well DH does those anyway)

Being on any Oceania ship

 

YMMD ;)

 

 

 

You had me on the first item on your list. [emoji16]

 

 

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Greetings Oceania fans.

 

Thanks ORV for your information. Really appreciated. We do know about the various levels and the lounges. Like you said, Oceania uses discretion to provide amenities to various levels but not in your face, similar to our voyages on Cunard.

 

We chose Oceania because it resides above the mass cruise lines but below the luxury. Also we can customize our voyage to our liking - not being forced to pay for so called perks like other lines or pay for all inclusive alcohol when we do not drink.

 

One thing that caught our eye about Oceania is that the company seems to know and accept the market they are serving - unlike Celebrity / HAL who seem to be chasing a new demographic and ending up stranding many of their former clients. This means the former product offering is consistently changing (usually downwards like the for fee hamburger fiasco on Celebrity last month). The inconsistency of the mass market cruise lines is a major reason we will not book with them.

 

Another reason we chose Oceania is for the ships - they are ships - not floating hotel/amusement parks. It is not just the size, it is the simple acknowledgement that they are ships that sail. The mass lines are fixated on abandoning the notion the ship sails - they should frankly pick an island and tie up.

 

Fortunately there are many choices available to the consumer and one size fits all is the reality today. Loyalty to a brand is dicey at the mass market cruise line level.

 

We are already packed for our Sept 12 Baltic on Marina, really looking forward to it.

 

Thanks to all

 

ABoatNerd

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Greetings Oceania fans.

 

Thanks ORV for your information. Really appreciated. We do know about the various levels and the lounges. Like you said, Oceania uses discretion to provide amenities to various levels but not in your face, similar to our voyages on Cunard.

 

We chose Oceania because it resides above the mass cruise lines but below the luxury. Also we can customize our voyage to our liking - not being forced to pay for so called perks like other lines or pay for all inclusive alcohol when we do not drink.

 

One thing that caught our eye about Oceania is that the company seems to know and accept the market they are serving - unlike Celebrity / HAL who seem to be chasing a new demographic and ending up stranding many of their former clients. This means the former product offering is consistently changing (usually downwards like the for fee hamburger fiasco on Celebrity last month). The inconsistency of the mass market cruise lines is a major reason we will not book with them.

 

Another reason we chose Oceania is for the ships - they are ships - not floating hotel/amusement parks. It is not just the size, it is the simple acknowledgement that they are ships that sail. The mass lines are fixated on abandoning the notion the ship sails - they should frankly pick an island and tie up.

 

Fortunately there are many choices available to the consumer and one size fits all is the reality today. Loyalty to a brand is dicey at the mass market cruise line level.

 

We are already packed for our Sept 12 Baltic on Marina, really looking forward to it.

 

Thanks to all

 

ABoatNerd

 

I could not have said this any better. Enjoy your cruise!

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But, I think they do charge for all that. I think the difference is you pay for them all up front with the cost of the cruise. One line even includes business class airfare.

 

As I posted before, everyone has their own taste and that is why there are so many different lines with differences of what is included. There are many that don't want to deal with all the extra cost of what they will use. Others don't want to pay for things they will not us (IMO).

 

If you want anything even approximating the same amount of space on Oceania that you will get in a standard suite on the luxury lines you have to book a penthouse (the standard cabins on O are FAR smaller.) Compare and you'll see the fare is the same or even more on Oceania without all the inclusions.

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If you want anything even approximating the same amount of space on Oceania that you will get in a standard suite on the luxury lines you have to book a penthouse (the standard cabins on O are FAR smaller.) Compare and you'll see the fare is the same or even more on Oceania without all the inclusions.

 

As usual, it depends. 21 days on the Odyssey verandah next spring in the Med, 10.1K. 21 days in a PH on the Marina in F18 - Med, 8.7k. Then it matters as to whether that drinks package is important to you as to which one is the better deal.

 

I just spent weeks and multiple spreadsheets between SB, Crystal and O for a Med shoulder season. I will say the learning curve with all the different '"packages" with O was very steep.

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To me, "luxury" or "premium" these days means being able to vacation in any location where there aren't rude, obnoxious, entitled people who feel that their demands are priority; their kids are the cutest and thus, can scream as loudly as they want and can run around as much as they want; and whose attitude is all about them, them, them. I basically want to vacation with others who still understand and appreciate respect and civility in society, know what manners are and instinctively use them in pretty much any situation, and enjoy travel for the sake for seeing new places and learning about other cultures - and opening their minds - rather than focusing on how much they can drink until they pass out. Hard to find these days, IMO, but from all the research I've done, Oceania passengers seem to fit this bill, and if some of the finer material things in life just happens to be a part of the package - then so be it. I'm fortunate we can consider an Oceania cruise for us and am greatly looking forward to not only the tangible benefits, but definitely the intangible ones, like meeting like-minded folks who love to travel and have respect for others ... all while having a great time doing it!

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Luxury to me is not cooking but having great meals ready when I am

;)

 

 

 

Lyn, I smiled today remembering your definition of luxury.

 

Last year we cruised around the Horn on the Norwegian Sun. The food was mostly poor, especially compared to that of Oceania, but we had an incredible aft cabin with a 180° sheltered view of the fjords, The entertainment was great, and the crew were delightful, so it was still a luxury cruise in my book. The same cruise with Oceania food would've been heaven.

 

Last month I took a Holland America cruise to Alaska. The food was OK but compared to HAL, life on board Oceania is a nonstop party. LOL. Still, for someone who has to prepare meals almost every single day of their life at home, I definitely consider any cruise to be a luxury.

 

 

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. Still, for someone who has to prepare meals almost every single day of their life at home, I definitely consider any cruise to be a luxury.

 

I agree

I used to like to cook & bake but now I say let's go to the dining room .... then reality strikes

 

I am home & not on Oceania

 

back to check the fridge :(

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We're getting ready to go on our 5th Oceania cruise and we have no complaints about anything. We love a smaller ship and a more mature clientele. We're 64. Delicious food, very friendly staff who quickly greet you by name, and comfortable beds. We especially love not having formal nights and slacks and a sport shirt for men are perfectly acceptable in the restaurants. We wouldn't sail on anything else.

 

 

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If you want anything even approximating the same amount of space on Oceania that you will get in a standard suite on the luxury lines you have to book a penthouse (the standard cabins on O are FAR smaller.) Compare and you'll see the fare is the same or even more on Oceania without all the inclusions.

Have no idea what you are talking about and maybe you can give us an example?

 

My example looking at a comparable 7 night cruise we are taking in May from Monte Carlo:

 

Regent Explorer (includes alcohol, excursions, tips, plus the other things Oceania includes)

Cabin H, 219 sq. ft. with balcony

Total cost for 2 people = $10,198

 

Oceania Riviera

Cabin B3, 282 sq. ft. with balcony

Total cost for 2 people = $6,198

 

That's a $4,000 difference and room on Regent cabin is smaller. Needless to say a Penthouse on O would be even larger.

 

It's just my example while we looked for a cruise for the Med in May of next year so this is the info I had. I did not include OBC from both lines or the 4 excursions on O as I don't know what they are.

 

As I keep saying, that $4,000 additional cost might be worth it to some which is cool. But, saying that veranda cabins are as large as PH on O is not correct.

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Have no idea what you are talking about and maybe you can give us an example?

 

My example looking at a comparable 7 night cruise we are taking in May from Monte Carlo:

 

Regent Explorer (includes alcohol, excursions, tips, plus the other things Oceania includes)

Cabin H, 219 sq. ft. with balcony

Total cost for 2 people = $10,198

 

Oceania Riviera

Cabin B3, 282 sq. ft. with balcony

Total cost for 2 people = $6,198.

 

AZjohn

 

You might want to check the Regent Explorer Cabin H size. It's 219 s/f for the suite PLUS 88 s/f for the balcony so the total is 307 not 219.

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In the past 10 months we have done a Viking ocean, Lindblad Antarctica, Oceania Caribbean and Central America, Regent BA to Rio with the Iguazu falls extension, and we just got off a Silversea. We are all about excursions and ports. We have a uniworld river, Oceania reposition Barcelona to Miami in the OS, Viking British Isle, Viking river Bucharest to Budapest and some others booked. Still working. Excursions are important to us. If they aren't to you move along. We are researching a line for a world cruise 2020 or 2021. We are low 60s. So food is always good everywhere except Disney. Oceania, get over it. Viking ships are smaller but great food and excursions. Service on Oceania and RSSC was terrible for the price paid. We will see about the Oceania suite. Coming off the Silversea Stockholm to Copenhagen we were very impressed. Best yet except Viking had slightly better excursions.

 

 

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So we have cruised for 20+ years on Carnival, Norwegian, Princess, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean. At the beginning, cruising was fabulous, but every year they eliminate more and more and nickle-and-dime you. In any case our most recent Celebrity cruise was our last on the "mainstream" lines. We've basically had it.

 

 

 

So to that end, we are trying to figure which "luxury" cruise line is best for us. (They say Celebrity & Princess are "premium," which we find a joke.)

 

 

 

Anyway, we aren't looking for real "luxury" just something closer to what these other cruise lines were 10 to 15 years ago. Better food, maybe free non-alcoholic beverages, no nickle-and-dimming, some entertainment, maybe a few excursions included, etc.

 

 

 

What would you all recommend? We are in our 50's and 60's and don't want overly stuffy. Would you recommend Oceania, Crystal, Silversea, Viking Ocean, Seabourn?

 

 

 

You will Love Viking Cruising . They treat you like you want to be treated. The Food, Service and Ships are all top notch . They are now even combining River Cruises to join a Ocean Cruise to make it even more memorable ! Look at their brochures , I'm sure you will find one that will fill your needs .

 

 

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