Waltershipman

13 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Interesting that you found the cruisers on SB, friendly.  The first time we cruised on Seabourn we were concerned that fellow passengers might be somewhat snobby and entitled.  What we found was completely the opposite and have found fellow passengers on all of our SB cruises to be very friendly, sociable and outgoing.  Even in the restaurants we found SB passengers often wanting to share and enjoy mealtime conversations.  One fellow cruiser told us she compared Seabourn to being in a country club with that type of social atmosphere.  It's like a club where the price of admission is simply being on the ship.

 

SB also has a lot of interaction/socialization between some of the staff (senior officers, entertainers, etc).  On one long SB cruise, where we were in a lower category suite, we dined with the Captain, Staff Captain, Chief Engineer, the Cruise Director and most of the entertainers.  Some of those folks would also regularly join us in the various lounges.  After COVID, some of this socialization was reduced as the Senior Officers reduced their possible exposure to COVID..but things now appear to be returning to pre-covid norms.  One Senior Bridge Officer told us the company actually encouraged them to dine with passengers at least twice a week.

 

We are looking forward to our upcoming Vista cruise as it will finally give us an opportunity to see how O compares to other lines.

 

Hank

Agree we too are interested in a comparison. We have found fellow passengers on both SB and SS that were lovely and we have remained friendly and in contact. I hope we are able to find that on Vista too

15 hours ago, edgee said:

Thanks for your review! We were on November 16 night Vista cruise. So many things to like about Vista. We will be returning to her later this month on a cruise we had already booked, but sadly we will not cruise on her again due to paper thin walls between the cabins. Could hear even low TV volume at night, but also conversations of neighbors. Truly unfortunate.

See you on board

15 minutes ago, edgee said:

Yes, I posted 6 p.m. was opening time for specialties on our short cruise several years ago. The political climate at the time was such that the term " fake news" was just coming into vogue. I was accused of offering "fake news" and was actually pretty offended! Seems funny now in retrospect. Anyhow, as others have said, specialty, GDR and Terrace opening times are pretty consistently 6:30 p.m., but for some 7 night cruises they will open specialty restaurants at 6.p.m. in order to offer everyone a shot at getting specialty reservations.

Great  news we cruised on the Sirena in March 2020 and were the last ones to complete returning March 8. Speaking fake news it was pretty interesting while cruising wondering if we would be able to return to Miami before ports were closed

Be well cruise happy 

4 minutes ago, basor said:

There are plenty of loungers scattered around the ship on several decks - people who only want to sit by the pool in the shade then there is a problem.  How do you have 1200 loungers in the shade around the pool on a ship the size of VISTA?  This is the only way a cruise line can assure that everyone who wants a lounger in the shade around the pool will find one.  We sat in loungers in the shade with no problem anytime we wanted but we were not by the pool which was fine with us.  This is a separate issue then chair hogs...

Excellent info thank you

4 minutes ago, PrivateIdaho said:

I hope there is a lot to rave about, but I have a feeling they won’t compare to EJ. Willing to give them a chance. 

Will be on January 31 so will know 1st hand comparison 

2 hours ago, PrivateIdaho said:

We have completed 3 EJ cruises and due to a lack of itinerary choices, are considering the Vista in March. Looking forward to your evaluation and comparison. Have a great trip.

We sail on Vista january 31

2 hours ago, PrivateIdaho said:

We have completed 3 EJ cruises and due to a lack of itinerary choices, are considering the Vista in March. Looking forward to your evaluation and comparison. Have a great trip.

Will be happy to provide  that info

Thanks much

14 minutes ago, jeffyd said:

Like someone said, each cruise line’s 

website can give you the exact dimensions of every cabin for every ship. These are just my impressions and what I can remember since they all seem to run together! And these were all entry level cabins. 
 

EJ 1 - comfortable room, huge shower, heated bathroom tile floor, thickest bath towels we’ve seen, no curtain to make seating area separate, decent sized balcony with chaise lounge along with two chairs and table. 
 

Regent Explorer - comfortable room, good sized bathroom, curtain to make separate living area from bedroom, regular sized balcony

 

Seabourn Ovation - comfortable room, very nice bathroom with two sinks, curtain to make separate living area from bedroom, regular sized balcony. 
 

Oceania Nautica - smallest shower we’ve ever experienced, would never sail this ship again but would try other larger Oceania ships 

 

PS: a little off topic but if you ever want to do an expedition cruise and still want luxury but not pay the Seabourn/Silversea prices, try Atlas Ocean Voyages. We did the Arctic with them last August and are doing Antarctica next month and can’t say enough good things about them. 

Thank you  I have seen Atlas adds and the lines looks like its worth further study

6 minutes ago, jazznruby said:

I posted a similar sentiment/observation on another thread. We became O regulars 12 years ago, having migrated from Princess and Celebrity. But even back then, I don't remember such rude/antisocial behavior on the larger ships; and on O, it was almost unheard of. I do believe that the current state of affairs has to be directly related and attributable to the recent influx of refugees from other, larger ships. (Can only imagine what it's like on P and C now! 😲) Coinicidence? I don't think so. But then again, sadly,  the world is a very different place now than it was then, in terms of common courtesy and just being kind to your fellow humans. Any setting with a gathering of said humans is nothing more than a microcosm of the world.

Agreed i am hopeful that i will be fortunate enough on my upcoming Vista cruise to encounter wonderful souls.  Gratitude for just beubg able to cruise

4 minutes ago, frankhi said:

I've been on Nova and going on EJ next week. I was wondering how the cabins compare to Seabourn, Regent and Oceania mentioned in #61. 

Loved cabin in Seabourn and really loved EJ as very roomy. We found out from our cabin steward that we were the 1st people to occupy our suite. 

34 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

I’ve never travelled Celebrity. Do that have lots of ‘chair hogs’?

Not really at all

7 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

It’s really sad to think that so many passengers are being so inconsiderate. I’ve never experienced this in the past. Not to ‘blame’ anybody in particular but Oceania does seem to be attracting a lot of cruisers who are ‘jumping’ from other larger ships and maybe this is the norm for them

 

I find it odd that Oceania won’t move ‘personal possessions’ from beds  that have not been occupied for ‘hours’. Surely they must realise that this means some people can ‘commandeer’ a bed but never use it all day whilst other, ‘fare paying’ passengers, are left to fume because they can’t get a bed, when there are obviously beds that could be used.

 

Possibly the only way to remedy this situation is that EVERYONE who can’t get a bed to go and complain to the hotel director. Maybe, if they have constant complaints, they will realise how upsetting it is for the other ‘fare paying’ passengers and maybe do something about it. Another idea maybe for Oceania not to allow any books, sunglasses or other ‘bed saving’ items be put on a bed before 9am by which time those going on morning trips will have gone without being able to save a bed!

I think  Celebrity is pricing itself in such a way that benefits Oceania passenger count 

1 hour ago, jeffyd said:

You will all love EJ. We are just finishing up a 14 day journey with them and we’ve cruised all of the luxury lines and are leaning toward EJ as the best. We are in our mid 60’s but enjoy the vibe on EJ. Food is amazing and service is the best of all of them. There is a large mix of mid 30’s to mid 40’s ages onboard so it’s a nice range of people. We also feel Seabourn has a really good vibe and food and service there was also excellent. Regent is up there near the top for us as well. We felt the service on Oceania was a bit too impersonal for us and we didn’t feel the food was as good as the others. Silversea was a bit too boring for us but the food was good and we really loved the Jazz restaurant/club called the Silver Note. That was our favorite. You probably can’t go wrong with any of them but right now we’d probably rank them EJ, Seabourn and Regent. Happy Sailing!

 

Jeff

Loved EJ in so many ways. Food fantastic crew wonderful ship so beautiful . Cabins lovely

Will be on Oceania's Vista soon and hope i am pleasantiy surprised by how great it is

Happy cruising 

19 minutes ago, frankhi said:

Would you be able to rank them on entry level (balcony) cabins? I know EJ and SS are ~300sqft interior + 70sqft balcony. Thanks

Had an OT 1 on EJ and was very satisfied in every way

16 minutes ago, Pandazoo said:

We are considering Explora but there are no 2025 sailings yet…right now going back to land vacations.

Unequivocally EJ ranks at very top from over our 100plus cruises ranging on luxury to not as luxury lines its wonderful 

Enjoy

2 minutes ago, Pandazoo said:

When there are actual fist fights over pool loungers I believe the cruise line should step in.  The lost and found table would be a good start.  Please don’t attack me for saying this but I have never encountered so many rude people then on the last Vista cruise.  Everywhere not just the pool area.

Ouch hope thats nit what we encounter on the 31st

Explora journeys on the other hand had amazing lovely prople

9 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

When I read the thread title I questioned it.  Having sailed many times on O, never had chair hogs. That was until today. On Vista. It’s a port day.  Usually on a port day, there’s no problem finding seating by the pool.  After lunch, we thought that we would sit there. Nothing.  Not that many people out there. Everything was littered with stuff.  Asked at reception and was told that they don’t remove personal belongings.  Frustrated .

Indeed Will be on ship in few weeks and will likely have same experience too bad indeed. Hopefully will be able to find some shaded loungers.

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

We found the entertainment in the Journey Lounge to be non-stop (15 minute break between sets) from 8:30pm for 14 days from Christmas to New Years. Best New Years party ever. People here drink but do not get drunk. Booked another on board. Was so afraid with all the negative reports prior to sailing. NONE were found, even got Acqua Panna liter bottles of mineral water in cabin every day. By end of cruise they were offering AP mineral water in the Emporium and Fil Rouge. Did not need a butler like one needs in Yacht Club, but butler intimates that he is a "genie" that can get anything one desires (extra reservations even when booked solid). Highly recommend this cruise line. Prices are comparable, even better than Yacht Club for comparable YC1 vs GT with a 25% discount promotion for sailings in 2025 vs World of America. No self service Emporium, no lines, super fast service. Still saw no one using the hand washing stations entering the Emporium. When seen washing our hands we were told 90% do not. That one time there was a problem and the ship was forced to make guests wash before entering or turned away from entering.

Fantastic ship extraordinary food. We just ate last week at the 2023 best new restaurant in America and the food and service on EJ were better in every instance and venue

Enjoy

5 minutes ago, uktog said:

Just make sure when comparing prices, unless your accepting a lower level experience that you set the Azamara price at a club continental suite and you add in $27 a head per day drinks package plus the cost of unlimited WiFi 

Perfect thanks so very much

I appreciate your guidance 

Cruise well 

13 minutes ago, jeffyd said:

@travelwide - I just had amazing New Zealand lamb chops at Sakura last night and it was day 6 of the journey and the last night for most people. We are currently docked in Cartagena, Columbia and are doing the next leg of the journey which is 8 more days ending in Barbados. Yes, the menus don’t change but like others have said, there is so much variety on every menu, we have not been dusappointed. 
 

We LOVE this ship and the experience! The food is excellent and the service is the best we’ve had of all the luxury cruise lines. It may help that the first leg of the journey only had 510 people and we hear this next leg will have only around 480. But the attitude of every crew member to be willing to help is the best we’ve seen. In talking to them, many of them have come from high end hotels and airlines with an emphasis on customer service. It really shows and has enhanced our experience. EJ is not perfect but we’d go on them again in a heartbeat. Happy cruising to all! 

ABSOLUTELY AGREE WITH ALL YOU SAID  and yes the lamb is definitely delightful 

24 minutes ago, kool kruiser said:

Just to add, generally endorsing uktog's views, Explora is, in our view, a class above AZ.Everything is more upscale, food sensational, service tip top and ship beautiful. To be honest, overall we were not wowed by entertainment on either line but enough to keep us happy.. AZ really beats Explora hands down on itineraries. We would be happy to be on either line..

 

Great to know  and Az pricing is lower generally 

36 minutes ago, uktog said:

I have not been on Oceana, so my comparisons are purely with Azamara where we have over 40 voyages. They were our go to cruise line, but over the last two years there have been a number of changes and consistency of standards has become for us a major issue.  That said we do have two Azamara Cruises booked in the coming months and are looking forward to them. 
 

First major thing to bear in mind is that an entry level  OT1 on Explora  is the equivalent of the entry level suite on Azamara, so you have to ignore  the Veranda and smaller rooms - almost 75% of the ship.
  

Obviously, with being a newer ship, and having a more efficient layout Explora  wins handsdown in terms of the room and public space experience.  Azamara, particularly on onward out because they have taken out one area of general public space that could be used during the day and made a bar only included for those buying the top drinks package, is very short of public space. It only has one swimming pool and two tubs available to all guests. There is a second large hot tub, but that is on a private deck only available to guests in suites or by paying an additional fee.

We found no difference in the friendliness of guests between Azamara and Explora  we also found the crew to be equally attentive, although explora crew has the edge in terms of professionalism.   The Azamara crew do try very hard. Sometimes they enthusiasm gets in the way of the maintenance of consistent standards.

 

The biggest difference, without a doubt is the food explora food is in a different league is consistently well served and at an appropriate temperature  we found the Emporium on much more pleasant experience than the windows café, which is the equivalent on Azamara

On Explora , apart from the Michelin star restaurant, there is no charge for their more special restaurants marble grill and Sakura and the other two restaurants which are technically “main dining room walk ups” are lovely well laid out venues with the standard of food and service at the level of Aqualina or Prime C on Azamara, but the difference is there is no charge to eat there. 
 

The included drinks on Explora are of a higher calibre to those on Azamara. So, for example, if you wanted to drink a beefeater gin on Azamara, you would have to pay extra for that or buy a package for the whole Cruise that upgraded your drinks, whereas on Explora drinks like that and champagne are included for all.  The included wines were also of a much better quality on Explora although I appreciate some people still find them not to their liking, but they were far better than those offered on Azamara.

Our experience of the included excursions was that for a Caribbean cruise, which is what we will compare offering on. Though slightly more expensive on Explora it was far better, much smaller groups and much more professionally delivered.  Azamara in that part of the world can often feel like the jolly trip they providers deliver to Cruises of 6000 guests and that’s what you’re to have also!

 

To entertainment, where Explora is still trying to fully sort out their offering. They certainly have the venue capacity to offer a much wider range of options in an evening than Azamara does, and where they were providing entertainers brought in for the Cruise, they were of an equal standard to those that Azamara contract with.
However , the two resident singers are opposed to four on Azamara where very poor and lacked the musical skills that we are used to Azamara. That said we know Explora are looking at their entertainment options so hopefully that changes if it hasn’t already. 
 

There were enrichment speakers. I would say again, broadly similar standards between the two lines which did disappoint as I was looking for some more to the standard offered by Viking. We have been fortunate on Viking to have had excellent speakers, although I appreciate that can sometimes be timing and some Cruises just get better speakers than others.  
 

So to sum up, I would say that if you see Azamara as around a 4.5 star experience, Explora would be a much more solid 5 overall with food, being at least one to 1 a half stars above. 

Excellent analysis thank you  ill let you know how it gies after our upcoming oceania vista cruise since EJ remains fresh in us

Enjoy and thanj you 

17 minutes ago, kozycz said:

We cruised Az last August/September. We had a wonderful trip! We went with another couple who has done other Az cruises with us and another couple for their first time. They absolutely loved it. We all thought the food was very good (high praise from the newbies as she works for a high end steak house in the Boston area), the service was excellent, we had no issues with dropped or shortened port stays. It was a great relaxing vacation! We did Oceania Vista this past November for a Panama Canal cruise with 2 other couples. In short, the ship is absolutely beautiful! We had a Conciege level veranda. Plenty spacious with a phenomenal bathroom! The food was excellent, maybe just a few misses between the 6 of us. Service was okay, I’d say! At dinner placing a drink order before our food order was hit or miss. We developed our own work around on that! We just asked for the sommelier first. Drink service poolside was not as spot on as Azamara. We felt there were ample choices for all meals, and we were able to get 5 additional speciality restaurant reservations on board. This was in addition to the four we booked before sailing. We did lose two ports due to circumstances outside of Oceania’s control. One was replaced with a different port, the other became a sea day! The entertainment was similar to Azamara which we enjoyed several nights. Just a side note, we found the other PAX to be a bit grumpy (maybe they were hot, it was extremely hot, but as expected) and not as friendly as the many people we’ve met on Az. We’ve met many lovely folks on Az. All that said, we are considering another Oceania. Overall I think we’d choose Az over Oceania, especially if Az gets a new ship but keeping our options open. Hope this helps! 

Excellent info thank you 

3 minutes ago, kozycz said:

@uktog if I’m not mistaken you have done many Azamara cruises. We too have done Az and have always enjoyed. At this point, we’re looking for a small ship line with newer ships! I’d love to know how you think EJ compares to Az. We also just did a 16 night Panama Canal on Oceania Vista. If you have Oceania experience, would also be interested in your thoughts on that comparison. TIA! 

Information would be extremely helpful.  We were in EJ in October and loved it and head out on oceania vista at end of month. Went onAz many years ago and truly had a great time and while the cabins were small we were fine.

Would consider Az again if were felt we would enjoy food et al

Thanks

26 minutes ago, SATaxman said:

One dinner at Terrace Cafe we had lobster and lambchops from the grill station. Lots of lobster and lambchops.

26 minutes ago, SATaxman said:

One dinner at Terrace Cafe we had lobster and lambchops from the grill station. Lots of lobster and lambchops.

Thanks i know i will be eating that as well. On my 1st Oceania cruise in 2002 i enjoyed lamb and lobster at least once per day 

Enjoy