Sthrngary

@Cruzin64647 I wish you would not have asked me that question, I truly do. I am a very transparent person and on this topic, I held back. However, you asked what I consider to be a very valid question. So Here Goes. For those that are not used to the books I write to make a case, get ready for a long complete response of what some call "Word Salad". Enjoy. Let's start this with saying, "I love the NCL Haven Concept". When I booked my cruise prior to September 2022, I did a comparison of lots of cruise brands, ships, staterooms and very hard to truly find out amenities. The brands were NCL (Suite and Haven Suite), Celebrity (Balcony and Retreat), Regent Seven Seas Cruise (Non-Penthouse so no butler); Viking; Seaborne; Silver Seas; Ritz-Carlton Yacht Club and Oceania (Concierge and Penthouse). Each ship was leaving about the same time, with about the same itinerary. The NCL ship was 9 days not 10 days. Everyone else was 10 days. The hardest part was showing amenities for one brand that you had to pay for, vs the other brand that it came with the fare. Example, Regent Seven Seas Cruise provide in their fare Business Class Airfare for the long haul flight and coach to get to the departing Airport. So I showed, coach, coach comfort, premium coach and business class just to show apples to apples. I wanted to come as close to Apples to Apples and I assure you this little project was NOT easy. But I do love to do that kind of stuff. It makes me feel better about my decision once I make it. The Oceania Cruise was not only the best value, the best value proposition, it ended up being one of the lowest prices. That was in the Penthouse, with a butler I might add. Other than the least expensive balcony on NCL and Celebrity but not by much. When you add in the extra amenities, every other staterooms was more expensive. The Haven and the Retreat were insanely more the most expensive was Regent by in some cases triple. This got me to thinking. On a port intensive cruise, do I care about go-carts, Lasor tag, Virtual reality, water slides, Broadway shows, or do I want personalized service for everyone, smaller ship to get into more ports, cooking class/art classes, elevated dining and access to all the spa amenities without having to buy a very expensive treatments. Notice very clearly this is always give and take; pros/cons. My only suggestion is do the due diligence and then make your purchase decision. The value proposition was so good on Oceania, it was the obvious choice. Before doing my comparison, I would have never thought the results would be what they were. Not in a million years. Then out of the blue, Oceania had a sale and reduce the fare even more which I was thrilled to leverage. That should answer your question. Now lets add another fact. my next cruise which I booked on the ship while I was cruising is another 10 day Mediterranean itinerary for October 2025 on their new ship the Vista. The per day, per guest daily rate with coach airfare is $555.00. If you want to reduce your daily cost you can take the airfare out which is many of the other brands I mentioned. That would have given me a daily cost per guest of $415.00. Let's do the math. On a 7 day cruise, no air to the Caribbean or Mexico that would be $2,905.00. Now price out a Haven or Retreat room for 7 days for the cheapest room available. Add add on Oceania the Barista Coffee is included, the bottled water is included, day one in your stateroom is Champagne, you are given three bags of laundry and four items pressed, you have access to the outdoor spa area (Thermal Spa, Sundeck like Vibe Beach Club) in this price range, all the amenities of the spa and the list goes on. That is the very long answer to your question. Now we are on a Haven Thread that I wrote twice. Would I go on a cruise in the Haven again, you bet and I can't wait. However, I will always look at the Pros/Cons, amenities, personalized service, specialty restaurants, and other things that make a cruise right for me. Sorry for the book folks but when I make a decision to spend my money, I do Lots and Lots of due diligence. For me it is sport. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Treasure Hunter I caught your question by accident, please put @Sthrngary in your question so it alerts me you are directly asking me something. On to your question. I liked it very much but it is not the brand for everyone. We went on a 10 day Mediterranean cruise with LOTS of ports. The ship was a smaller ship that held 1200 passengers so no tenders. That was very nice. Food was better then NCL even in the Haven but food is relative. No charge for Specialty Restaurants but you are only guarantied one reservation per specialty restaurant. My ship had four so I had four guaranteed reservations. Each day you can ask for a Waitlist Reservation but might have to share a table or be turned down. The entertainment on NCL is much better across the board. Bigger ship, more budget, better entertainment. Some of the shows on Oceania were good, never great. The piano player in the bar was good and for me my kind of entertainment with a drink. The personalized service was across the board great on Oceania. Consider the personalized service in the Haven, but for the entire ship. The bars and bartenders were excellent on Oceania. Similar to the Haven Bar when not crowded. I don't do excursions with cruise brand so I am not the guy for that. Getting on the ship and off the ship was seamless and if you let the first wave do their thing, it makes it that much more pleasant. My butler was much better than any butler I have ever had on a NCL Ship. However my butler on Crystal Cruise is still the best ever. My mini-fridge was stocked, replenished daily and I could choose what to have in it as long as it was not alcoholic. I had an upper end suite and part of the perks were: Six Bottles of Wine or Spirits. The Spirits were litter bottles. When I would the NCL Joy Owners Suite, we got three bottles that were 5ths. The gifts that came with the upper end suite were very nice and generous. A beach bag with lots of stuff and a gift box with lots of Bath items. My deck was the same kind of deck as you get with a Haven Owners Suite. The difference was Oceania locked down the furniture every night making the deck worthless or uncomfortable. NCL never did that. So I can go on but I think you get the idea. If you want nightlife, lost of entertainment the NCL Haven is the ticket. If you want chill, relaxation and lots of ports; Oceania is the ticket. Hope that helps. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Well lets see. We now yet again have folks saying, "Because of SM I will not book Oceania again!", other saying "this SM forcing us to take the SM Excursions Credit when we would prefer to do excursions ourselves and save the money." Yet others say, "I will not book Oceania again because all I want is Cruise Only!" Let's not forget, "Oceania's advertising is a Scam!" Everyone's point of view is important and valuable. I remember when I got on this board the complaints back then. One of which was, why does Oceania give you the choice of one of three perks. They should give you ALL the perks. Why does Oceania only give you one internet device except in upper suites, we want two. Why doesn't every one get a drink package. Back then, it made a lot of folks mad and they said some of the same things being said now about never cruising with Oceania again. If a brand makes a change in there fee structure, some folks will hate it, some will like it. Can't please everyone, every time. If everyone hated it, the brand would stop selling cabins. If that happens, which is doubtful, the brand to stay alive would change their fares yet again. OR the brand would have a huge blowout sale, which is always welcomed. If you don't like the current state of any brand, go to another brand. Write the brand a letter and explain why they disappointed you. Make your feelings known with your pocketbook by booking somewhere else. Cruise well, choose a brand that suits you, tell others why you choose the brand. Help cruise enthusiast find great brands that offer great value.

@RocketMan275 Kind of my point. Then book somewhere else. Know the game before you play the game. If you don't like the rules, find another game to play. If you don't do due diligence, than accept accountability for a bad decision. Simple as that. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@9tee2Sea I am the author of this thread. Yes, it is 141 pages long. Would it surprise your to know this is the second version of this topic updated in 2022. The first version was even longer. No stream should be this long but when it is, it says something about the content. The search feature of CruiseCritic.com is not great but with a few words, your question regardless of what it is on this topic of the Haven will be answered. That said, never hesitate to ask as you did. I love the Haven approach to cruising but truly wish the Nickle and Diming would be eliminated at the Haven Prices. I just cruised last month on the NCL sister brand, Oceania and the stocked Mini-Fridge included soda, soft drinks, requested juices and water. Acholic beverages were brought to the stateroom either by your butler or your room service person based on the drink package you purchased. For me, and from your comment for you, that was a refreshing change. The question is, will these two difference make the difference in my future bookings. NO, I just want to know the facts to make a non-pressured decision to proceed. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Psoque WOW, what a great post. Thank you. Extremely well said. It is a maze and confusing. In my heart with no proof, I think every brand does this intentionally. Kind of like looking at a Ford or Chevy Truck. Very difficult to do an apple to apple comparison. Done on purpose. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Pandazoo For my "Word Salad Fans", here is comes. I have NO skin in this game. But again I read and post on four (4) different cruise social media boards, for four (4) different brands. I find the study to be interesting with my coffee in the morning. Full disclosure, I took my first Oceania Cruise last month and enjoyed it very much. However I also enjoy Crystal Cruises, the Haven on NCL and the Retreat on Celebrity. All for different reasons and at different times. The majority of boards are talking about reduced time at ports, issues with guest reimbursement to passengers on multiple fronts including excursions. This is NOT an Oceania Issue ONLY. That said, the core of this issue is when leveraging the quantity discount for excursions providing a reduced cost. Followed by a excursion cancellation outside of the guest control. This is a flaw in Oceania policies in my opinion. Yet is it the current rules to the Oceania game. If you know the rules, you can figure a way to win the game. On the reduction of the amount of SimplyMore excursion credit being reduced on January 1, 2024. Again, thanks to the folks here on CruiseCritic.com, new rules so you can play the game the best you can. If the rules, policies, procedures once you know them don't suit a guest, they book elsewhere. Simple as that. I am glad I booked my next Oceania Cruise before January 1, 2024 and will make my future decisions at the time of booking by the rules then. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Based on the above onboard booking facts, I booked two staterooms. The above document just received on my cruise mid-November 2023 should help this discussion. The matrix shows Stateroom Types Booked, related number of days and amount of discount given. Each stateroom, will also receive $250.00 of OBC. When booking I had the booking given to my Travel Agent. Their agency provided free gratuities but did not allow AMX Perks. Those two were not combinable. I hope this information is relevant and helps the discussion. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@mauibabes Nice post. You nutshell it. Book the Brand, Ship and Itinerary that suit you. Everyone make a decision on yourself and your situation. I booked a 2025 cruise in a A4. It was more expensive than my last Oceania Cruise by a lot. However, after my cruise and having a great time, it was worth it. My money, my choice. Now do I hope I can catch a sales and upgrade to Penthouse, You bet I do and I will be watching for it. Am I upset I could not combine my AMX perks with my agents Free Gratuities, not really. You said happy wife, happy life. For the first time, in a very long time, my wife LOVED the cruise, the brand, the ship and the experience. It was our first Mediterranean cruise and again we booked another one with our same friend. The price became not relevant. Again, thank you so much for a very good post. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@oskidunker Taking Princess as a brand out of this debate. I love your strategy of cruising less, which means you pay a bit more, but get the experience you desire. The alternative create posts with lost of complaints instead of sharing how great your vacation was. I support your strategy 100%. Now we all make a decisions. Based on the brands, ships, frequency of sailing, and Itineraries. Which one is right for my next investment in a vacation. We the consumer have 100% control over that opinion. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

From someone who has only cruised Oceania once, I am NOT alone on that, this topic and some others (Like drink packages) is what took so long to understand initially. Not so much SimplyMore(tm), more about number of excursion needed to gain a discount on all of them, providing value proposition for the excursion you take. Then losing that benefit at no fault of the guest thereby losing the value proposition (money savings). I have no real skin on this game. Whether Oceania is simply nickle and diming us pre-cruise with the SimplyMore program requirements especially with cruise excursion amounts, or when they change it on January 1, 2024. Or, folks that like just doing a true Cruise Only fare taking all the other items and doing it for themselves. It does not matter. What matters to me is how to take what ever the current rules/conditions and requirements, and leverage them to the best of my ability understanding the consequences of my decisions. Whether I like the new rules, condition or plans are mute if I book the trip. I accept the 40 page contract, the conditions of the fare and realize it is ALWAYS benefiting the cruise brand. All the Cruise Brands not just Oceania. Whether we like the changes, don't like the changes matters not. We the consumer have the right to simply choose another brand, ship or program. We hold all the cards. The debate is very interesting, both sides make a point. No change is ever a change everyone will like. Oceania job is the blend Business Changes with Clients Expectations. If it is not balanced, they see it in their sales and they shift strategies. Time will tell what happens to this debate. Very interesting topic and I thank everyone for stimulating lots of thought. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@mc_reeve My first Oceania Cruise was last month. It exceeded my expectation which was most recently booking the VIP suites on NCL and Celebrity. Oceania was different in many ways both good and bad. The good out weighed the bad. I read and comment on four different cruise brands. Each and everyone is doing the same thing. They do it subtly, and small amounts each time. Now it is up to everyone to make a decision on brand, itinerary, ship and stateroom that best suits their vacation needs. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I booked my next Oceania Cruise on the Riviera last month. The onboard consultant applied my booking to my agent. She immediately let me know that my travel agency would provide the gratuities. But could not confirm the American Express Benefits. I will give you three guess why? You got it, it was not combinable. Now two years ago I booked my recent trip on the Riviera with my Travel Agent. At the time she did not provide gratuities for that trip. I booked that trip initially with a four category upgrade and AMX worked with it. Then I was able to apply the Extraordinary Sales Event and lost the AMX but my cost per stateroom went down close to $1800. Seemed like a fair deal. I wish all perks and benefits would work together however they don't. However the math makes the decision for most of us. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I always like to see, hear and debate both sides to a story. So it seems that Oceania is saying, if you want the current SimplyMore Excursion Credits, book your cruise before 1/1/24. Do I like that, not really however I booked my upcoming cruise in November so it does not affect me. I get Oceania's message. For those thinking about booking in the future, this is one reason to consider it now and know if you don't, it will effect your future total value proposition. Now as sales happen on my cruise and it will reduce my fare, I will makes sure to make sure my Excursion Credit does not change or if it does, I will make sure it is still a value to do the future sale. I will also be looking to see if the fares stay the same, go up or go down. Thank you to @shepherd really for bringing this to all of our attention. It help with past, current and future purchase decision. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

You read right though me.

@Daniel A I say, Pajamas and Bathrobe are good for me. Daniel, I love to cruise so much and want every single experience I can have before I can't enjoy it anymore. For whatever reason, I gravitate to Cruising and before Cruising it was RVing. I read the topics on about four (4) cruise brands pretty regularly. Some might think I respond to all I read. They would be wrong. But I really do pay attention. Part of cruising is of course the experience, food, dining and atmosphere. When I am at home, to go to even an average restaurant it takes so much effort just to be ready to leave the house. Then someone has to be the designated driver which is usually me. WHY, happy wife, happy life. When I go on a cruise, the effort before dinner is about the same. Then you walk to a Seafood Restaurant and have lobster; a steak restaurant and have Prime Rib; a French Restaurant and have well French Food. Recently, I went to a cruise brand Italian Restaurants and they had Versace plates. I kid you not. As we were being seated, I over heard the host very professionally say that the Restaurant had a dress code and flip flops, tea shirt and jeans with holes in them were not allowed. The host said he would happily save the group, that is right an entire group was dressed that way, table until they came back. No issue, no fighting, no argument and they no showed for their table. When we were done, we were walking past the pool area that has a pizzeria at night. To be honest, some of the best pizza I have ever had at sea. There was the entire group, having pizza, beer, wine and having a GREAT time. They choose not to change and have pizza for dinner instead of the menu at the Specialty Restaurant. I completely respect that decision however they should have opened the table to another group. Cruises, all cruises have chooses. Dress code is a choice. If some members of CruiseCritic.com have an issue with a posted dress code, go on another cruise brand. Them there are the rules and rules are for everyone. As long as folks to not get an attitude when they are turned down for a nice specialty restaurant, all is good in the world. The issue is when they have a "COW" and make it awful for the crew and the other guests. I wish folks would always be understanding and kind. It would make every ones experience so much better. PS: I was on the NCL Getaway some years back. The Haven Lounge and Bar are right next to the pool. That day the pool was crowded. A very nice young lady in a string bikini had a towel around her bottom, came in for a drink at the Haven bar because no servers were by the pool. She was not wet but it was a string bikini top. When she left, the person next to me said who awful it was that she was dressed that way. I said, "Not at all. It is during the day, she wanted a drink, she came to the bar and went back out to the pool. If there were servers, she never would have left the pool area." That person pick up his drink and left. The other in the bar bought me a round. It was free because we all were drinking Tequila 1942 on the Premium Plus Drink Package before they changed the rules on my favorite drink. That really happened and I simply smiled and took a shot. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Would it surprise anyone on this thread that the topic of Dress Code is a reoccurring topic on every single cruise brand blog. The enforcement of the policy is inconsistant until someone is told they cannot dine they way they are dressed. Like so many things on a cruise, the rules and policies are clear as mud. Just the way it is and seems to stay. In the old days, we dressed up for every meal especially dinner. Some folks liked it, some hated it and other could go either way. Over time the dress code got more and more casual. The debate continues and will continue. My approach is kind of simple. Use good business judgement. If you are turned away, just go change. If you see someone not dressed the way you like, don't let it make your meal bad. We are on a cruise, on vacation with 4000 new friends. Not everyone approaches everything the way I do. It is up to make to no let it bother me. Our Attitude is all we can control. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

It sure seems like there is NO formal program/app to show price differences/drops for Oceania. I guess we will all have to do "old school". Check the Oceania Site often, check here on CruiseCritic.com often and know that several times a year, Oceania does the same sales. On a side note, I found last year that the bargains were in Europe for what ever reason. Not just with Oceania, lots of brands. I also noticed and on this, I can NOT confirm or deny, Oceania does not reduce prices like other brands. It seems to me, they just do a sale. Other brands prices fluctuate daily, weekly and monthly. Yes, I am very aware of the Oceania Private sales to agents and agencies. I am simply not privy to them as some are. My hopes are, you book early, book onboard, gain what ever benefits comes from that and hope for a great sale. If value is important, It helps not to cruise on the newest ships initially, to cruise just as the most popular season just ended and never on a holiday. I am booked for the Mediterranean again in 2025, however, I am looking to book a warm climate cruise on Oceania and take my Older Sister who has never cruised before. If you are going to cruise only once, the approach that Oceania uses would be to her liking. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@clo I have travels most all the world over 40 years. All for business. The ONLY time I have gone outside the US for personal vacations have been cruises. Huge difference. Hope that answers your question. Thank you for asking. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@McGarrett5oh I cannot answer the question. But I can say I have read many post where folks like the Escape Haven the best. My past post about the Mega Ships and the Haven being better than the smaller ship and the Haven is all about the size, Haven restaurant and bar. After years of traveling multiple brands and ship sizes. If one wants a smaller ship, other brand offerings provide Haven Like Approach but for the entire ship. That is why I choose a brand, not NCL Haven for my recent Europe Trip. Just my feelings, not everyone and there is a brand, ship size and experience for every cruiser. That is why make cruising such a good choice. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@gracebest I have having to make the same decision. My gut tells me Nice and my friend joining us wants Monte Carlo. WHY, they want to get all dressed up and go to a Monte Carlo Casino like James Bond did in a movie. Our cruise is in October 2025. We have lots of time. The Hotels choices seem to be better for Nice and it is lovely. Either way we both WIN big time. I have cruise 30 plus times. Europe was by far my best experience. That is why we booked it again. What a GREAT experience. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@SaltyPawz I was on the Pearl, in the Haven, for a trip to Canada/New England. Before that cruise, I did a 7 day cruise on the much larger ship the Getaway in the Haven. After the getaway, I cancelled the Pearl and booked the Joy in the Haven. The bigger ships have the best Haven's when they have a Haven Restaurant and Bar. Unless your investment is great, I would recommend you reconsider a ship like, the Bliss, The Encore or the Joy. Now either way including the Gem, you will have a good time. I just wanted to give you my opinion and we all know what opinion are. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@RocketMan275 I am thrilled to here of our improvement. We are all getting a bit older. When that happens we need maintenance for our wear and tear. Replacement parts are hard to come by at our age. Please take good care of yourself. Enjoy all you can, you deserve it. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@McGarrett5oh I am sad to hear of your diagnosis. I am impressed with your extremely positive outlook on life and want you to know, you are a role model. I hope what every your situation is, it improves. Thank you for your comment. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I am a cruise guest transfer from NCL, Celebrity, MSC, HAL and Royal. I LOVE the fact that something as simple as Soda, Juices and waters are in your stateroom on Oceania. I don't know why I like this tiny little thing so much but I really do. I also really enjoy the Barista and the fact it was for everyone on the ship. Yet I NEVER waited for a coffee. Little things made the difference. Cruise Well and Enjoy every Soda.