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1 hour ago, cruiserchuck said:

I just received an email with an offer to bid for upgrades on a Vista cruise this November.  I am already in Concierge, so upgrading to a Penthouse suite would not appear to add much, except the ability to order from speciality restaurants for in-room dining.  I am not a big fan of in-room dining, so that is not really a benefit for me.  I already made my specialty restaurant reservations, so early booking for penthouse suites would not benefit me.  

 

We had a butler once in a suite on Celebrity, and did not really feel comfortable calling the butler for things I could easily do myself.  For instance, one morning I called and asked for espresso.  It took some time, and I determined it was quicker and easier to go get it myself.

 

Are there any other advantages of penthouse vs. concierge that I may be overlooking? 

 

Here is a link to Os FAQ about bidding for upgrades.

 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/legal/upgrade-advantage-faq

 

You would also have a bigger room with more storage and a bigger bathroom with 2 sinks. Depending on the length of the cruise, it may be an advantage you may be willing to pay for.

I don't iron much either but some do. The launderettes are very useful on longer cruises.

Trust me, there are plenty of opportunities to socialize onboard in all the regular venues. Happy Hour is very popular as are the Welcome/return guests/first time guests parties. There are also lots of activities every day: trivia, wine tastings, ping pong tournaments, cooking classes, speakers, etc. I saw a group of ladies either doing needle point or knitting. Some people prefer reading (sometimes with their eyes closed) in the library. However you like to socialize, you should find a way.

I've only been on the Vista and the Riviera. The gyms are well equipped although not as big as on Celebrity. The machines usually work. No walking track is better than on E class ships. On the bigger Oceania ships, the tracks are on the deck above the pool. Due to the size of the ships, they're not as long as the ones on Celebrity ships. As far as the spa, we never use it but it seems that the typical treatments are offered. Steam rooms and saunas are accessible to everyone. For people in Concierge class and above (or for a fee for lower classes), there is an outside area forward of the spa where there are lounge chairs, hot tubs, and a therapy pool (Vista and Riviera). There is not much shade however. 

8 hours ago, JDPCruisers said:

Do you know if they are on every floor or select floors? My wife is more interested in the irons/ironing boards as we find on Celebrity with the laundry it comes back very wrinkled and the dry cleaning pants/shorts have no creases (pressed flat).

On the 3 bigger ships, Vista, Marina, and Riviera, there are launderettes are on every stateroom floor. Those have 3 washer/dryer sets and iron/ironing boards. By the way, there is no charge for using them and the Ocean Safe detergent is provided free of charge as well. On the smaller R ships, there is one launderette for the whole ship and they have 4 washer/dryer sets with iron/ironing boards. Those rooms are very entertaining. There are always interesting discussions going on while people iron or wait on their laundry.

Jim, thank you for this beautiful Live Review. It sounds like you and Iain are having a wonderful time and that Oceania is living up to your expectations. I was a little sad to see that Toscana was a desert at dessert time. Also, are the lights in the restaurant really that bright or was it your camera giving that impression? 

It seems every cruise has a particular vibe depending on the passengers on board. Being a US and Canada cruise, with many North American passengers,  partly explains the restaurant being so empty later at night. Also, people on premium/luxury lines tend to be a little older, as we all know here.

Please continue posting your beautiful pictures and your insightful commentaries.

That is very interesting. I'll definitely do a little research on this router. Thanks!

It seems that many people who have answered, like myself, have been checking availabilities themselves on a regular basis. I would not leave it just to Oceania to contact you if you clear the waitlist.

Last summer, we went to San Francisco and Napa for 10 days and were apprehending the state of the city. We walked all over the city for 5 of those days and always felt safe, even at night. I must say, it got cold at night for us Floridians.

Jim_Iain boarded today on Regatta. He is a prolific blogger. We will soon know how strong is the wifi.

A few ships, Vista, Riviera, and Marina, have been upgraded to Starlink and have decent wifi. As far as I know, the "R" ships have not been upgraded yet. You have 2 logins available per stateroom, as mentioned above, which means only 2 devices per stateroom can be logged in at the same time. 

Yes, I cleared a paid waitlist. However, it was because I was checking availability everyday. The cruise was over a year away and completely waitlisted. At some point, I noticed my preferred category became "guaranteed". I called my TA and she immediately grabbed it. A bit later, a particular cabin number became available and again I called my TA and obtained it. The whole cruise has been waitlisted on and off since then.

57 minutes ago, Jazzbo said:

Jim — sorry to go off-topic, but would you mind posting a link to the thread where you and another CC member (maybe more than one) discussed VPNs? I tried using the VPN that comes with my McAfee in the DR recently, but it doesn’t give me specific locations in the U.S., only “U.S.” as a choice.

On topic — really looking forward to another Jim_Iain Live and to the comparison with Celebrity. Bon voyage!

I use NordVPN. It's a paid service and costs about $85 for 2 years. With it, you can connect 10 devices. It's always on our phones. It's especially important when we use public wifis. I also use it in hotels/cruise ships for my laptop for safety. For the US, it has 16 cities you can choose from and for Canada, it has 3 cities if you want to trick your device into thinking it's back home. 

Jim, this is off subject and I know you would figure it out but when you get on the ship and you initially log in the Oceania wifi, if you use a VPN, you need to turn it off. You can turn it back on once you're logged in. I've only done 2 Oceania cruises so far, both with Starlink on board, but turning back on the VPN seems to enable streaming. I'm really not sure why.

I am looking forward to your Live post. I have been following you on the Celebrity forums for a few years and always enjoy your writing style, your dedication to answering/commenting almost everyone's posts, and, definitely not least, your beautiful pictures.

That Santorini excursion sounds perfect! We'll have to try it next time we're there. Last year, we did the donkey route up and down due to the never ending line at the cable car, then we took a municipal bus to Oia. The weather in May was beautiful for the climb. I would just suggest that you don't wear white shoes for it 😉.

Thank you for your balanced review and for your comparison with Seabourn and Regent. I agree with you that you should have been offered another night at Toscana, possibly by the Maitre D' on the very night. How were O's excursions? Which other O ship did you sail on? Would you return on O?

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Back for another Comparison -

 

Website / APP services.

 

Without being biased I have to say that Celebrity beats Oceania hands down when it comes to technology.    While many complain about Celebrity's glitchy,  I find it very efficient and an effective tool.

 

Oceania has a long way to go when it comes to technology.    One example is that you can book an excursion on their website but if you need to make a change or cancellation you have to physically call and speak with an agent.  

 

Celebrity has a both a Website as well as a dedicated app.   You can book excursions, drink packages, internet using either and if you need to cancel you just click a cancel button and payments are immediately refunded to the form of payment used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I agree with you 100%! If we can order excursions online, we should be able to cancel them the same way as well! What I like best in the Celebrity App is the ability to look up menus later on in the cruise and being able to plan where we will eat. It's also really practical for activities planning. The only "electronic option" to view menus in Oceania is through the stateroom's interactive TV. I believe it is only for the day's menus, nothing in the future although I am not completely sure. For all activities, you have to refer to the paper dailies. I haven't traveled on NCL in about 15 years but they must have better technology than what is found on Oceania.

I know that there are cooking and art classes on the bigger Oceania ships. Are there any on the Regatta?

Regarding laundry, an advantage that Oceania has over Celebrity is the availability of complimentary washers/dryers/Ocean safe detergent as well as ironing boards/irons in the launderettes that every passenger can use for free.

Personally, I'm excited about every cruise I take, no matter the ship, the destination, the stateroom or the length. It's always fun!

Thank you both for your replies. I figured I could not claim both segments. I believe that the benefit is $100 for cruises 7-14 days and $250 for 15 days and longer. The grand voyage is 32 days with 2 segments of 14 and 18 days each, so it would have been $350 instead of $250. The difference is really peanuts when compared to the total cost of the cruise.😉

I am sure I'm just reaching for the stars but if we booked a grand voyage which is also sold as 2 segments, can we submit for the 2 separate segments to get 2 separate OBCs?

Thank you for doing this comparison review. I really love your objective writing style and gorgeous pictures. I will follow along. We have been on many Celebrity cruises, including Millennium, but only on 2 Oceania so far (Riviera and Vista). We do have a couple Oceania cruises booked for 2025 on the bigger Marina and Vista. I will be very interested in your opinion of a smaller ship as we have hesitated to book them.

Let me clarify my post a little. Many B4, A4, and Ph3 have separate tubs and small showers. I have seen a list somewhere of the exact staterooms but I don't remember where exactly. The other subcategories only have big showers and extra storage.

Hello Walkingsoon, the Riviera was extensively refurbished in late 2022, including all cabins. If you decide to go for either the balcony cabins (cat.B), Concierge cabins (cat.A), or Penthouse suites (cat. Ph), please note that in many of the sub categories #4, the bathrooms kept the tub and have a small shower. The other sub categories have a beautiful, big shower (no tub) in addition to extra storage, which could come in handy in a long cruise. You can probably tell that I am a shower person. I have only done 2 cruises on Oceania including one on the Riviera. It was lovely, not crowded, and not stuffy.

The way I understand the extra internet package on Oceania, it does not give you more speed, it allows for streaming. But we've been able to join Teams meetings with the included package on both cruises we've done on Oceania (Vista and Riviera). If you are in port and the wifi on board is mediocre, then your cell phone's hotspot would be the best solution.