sunlover12

I always use a credit card.  I never use a debit card.  I just think you have more protection with a credit card and fewer things can go wrong.  Credit cards are more consumer-friendly. I have seen signs on the counters of hotel front desks that because of holds that the banks place and longer time necessary to process, they strongly suggest to never use a debit card when paying your hotel bill.  I assume paying your bill with a cruise line is similar.

Just my two cents worth. 

I just want to add to the comments already made.  We have put dozens of wine bottles in our checked luggage over the years and have never had any break.  We wrap them in bubble wrap and surround them with clothing in the middle of the luggage. This way you can bring your favorite wine from home and not be at the mercy of what the supermarket or liquor store sells.

Thank you everyone for your replies.  I did a further search for all Oceania ships January - March 2020.  The schedules look like they are set and Regatta is the only ship in the South Pacific.  I found it interesting that both Marina and Regatta will be in there in 2019.  Maybe O is downsizing in that region. 

We're considering a cruise to the South Pacific in 2020.  Oceania's website shows only the Regatta will be going.  The schedule for 2019 shows more cruises and both the Marina and Regatta will be in the South Pacific.  The Marina will be in South America in early 2020. Does anyone know if the South Pacific is becoming a less popular destination?  We've never been there and are interested in the Auckland to Papeete cruise but aren't too crazy about 18 days on the Regatta.  Thanks in advance for any information.

Sunlover;

 

I personally believe Oceania could do a better job in increasing overall quality of wines without cost increases. Claims by the Cheerleaders here that all the wines are just fine and that none are just plonk helps prevent them from taking the steps they need to do to achieve those gains. If served, I believe the Cheerleaders would be espousing the qualities of MD 20/20!

What is MD 20/20?

Everyone's tastes in wine are different and what is good for one person is unacceptable for someone else. It's subjective. For example, a lot of people seem to like Carmenere but that is the last wine on this list that I would order. I might drink it if is was offered to me for free. I don't even like Cabernet Sauvignon that much. I'm more of a white wine drinker and when I do drink red, it's going to be Pinot Noir. The best Pinot, IMO, is from Santa Barbara County but it's hard to find on many wine lists and I don't think I've seen it on O. Maybe if someone from O is reading this they'll add it.

I've been enjoying reading this thread. We will bring a couple of bottles from home in our luggage to drink in our cabin and we will order from Oceania's wine list for dinner. FWIW we have not been disappointed with their selection and quality. I don't know nearly as much about wine as some people here but I know what I like and don't like. I can look at a wine list and get a general idea as to what I might like. We are not so selective about our wine that we would bring a case onboard and only drink that. Just my two cents worth.

Wouldn’t it be a better option to take the Olife excursions instead of the Obc? My math usually says so.

Yes, I misspoke. We're going to take the OLife excursions.

Wel, it all depends. If you drink little or not at all and like to do your own excursions (which are cheaper and better than ship’s excursions when shared) then you would not spend nearly the difference. Especially if you fly businesss for miles. In my case the difference would be $9300/pp vs $6100/pp (O Life w/o air + 3 excursions) - $6400 for the two of us. That’s a big difference!

Why pay for something that you will not use.

Conversely, if you drink a lot and take all ship’s excursions then it might be closer.

Everyone has to do their own math. It doesn’t work for me. That said, I will take a Regent cruise next year just to try the new ship and for the itinerary, knowing that I am paying more than I would on Oceania.

I just wanted to chime in and say I completely agree. We happen to be on a Baltic cruise next year in a Marina penthouse suite and these prices that you quoted are right on. We're going to take the OBC for 3 excursions. I don't drink much, usually 2 glasses of wine with dinner. My husband will drink probably 3 glasses. We wouldn't get our money's worth with Regent's included drinks and excursions. As Lyn stated, nothing is "free".

What do you think of the food? I heard it was leaps and bounds. However, I had an ex-girlfriend who went with me on Carnival and Royal Caribbean, but ended up going on an Azamara cruise with her Father. I know Azamara and Oceania are close in quality, and her report was the food was meh, nothing to write home about and her food tastes were similar to mine.

Oceania is known for their food. It's better than Royal Caribbean's. I'm not a foodie but in my opinion the quality and selection are superior. On Oceania, you can pretty much count on lobster on the menu every night in the main dining room (no extra charge). Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it's hard to find lobster on RC anymore. I've never been on Azamara so I can't comment there.

In Oceania's Terrace Buffet, it is not self-service. As you go through the line, you tell them what you want and they will put it on your plate. I am not an extreme germophobe or anything like that but this is so much better for health reasons. It's one reason why we tend to avoid Windjammer. I have to say however that I was encouraged to see the hand-washing station on Harmony that you must pass through as you enter Windjammer.

My husband and I have been on Royal Caribbean and Oceania. We like both of them for different reasons and we don't like to limit ourselves. We've been on Harmony (6000 passengers) and we've been on Oceania Regatta (680 passengers). Obviously they're very different but we enjoyed each cruise we have been on.

The big highlight of Oceania is no nickel and diming. You don't pay extra for specialty restaurants. No extra charge for soft drinks and there is a barista bar where you can have all the specialty coffee you want for no extra charge. The food on Oceania is definitely a step above the mass market cruise lines. Another highlight is no photographer. I dread having a camera in my face as I'm trying to eat dinner. It's an older, more mature crowd on Oceania. I'd estimate average age of 60. That could be a highlight or lowlight depending how you look at it.

Highlights of Royal Caribbean are better entertainment and more onboard activities. There are activities for children, whereas on Oceania there are none. I dislike crowds and I was a little worried about that when we were planning our Harmony cruise but we were in a suite and that allows access to places on the ship that were quiet. We had breakfast in Coastal Kitchen every morning. Very relaxing.

Paying extra is worth it, in my opinion, but it depends on what you're looking for. If for a special occasion you should give it a try.

We have two cruises planned for 2019. RC Serenade of the Seas to the Southern Caribbean and Oceania Marina to the Baltic. Looking forward to each.

I agree that if the cruise does not seem to be selling well, it's the itinerary and not the ship.

I've been on the Panama Canal cruise on the Regatta. Miami to San Francisco. The last day of the cruise the sea was quite choppy in the Pacific. We were in the bow of the ship, Deck 6. It wasn't enough to bother us. Neither of us needed any motion sickness meds but each person has their own level of tolerance.

Enjoy the cruise.

Just booked Serenade of the Seas back to back 5-19-19(Scandinavia / Russia) and 5-26-19 (Norway)

Starting to plan!

How far out do you usually book airfare??

I have a Baltic cruise planned for June 2019 and have already booked the airfare. We used FF miles for business class and booked it the first day that it was available, which for United is 11 months. Perhaps someone else can say something about when to book if you're actually paying money for the airfare. I'd start looking now though.

Hello sunlover12,

 

A proper spa on a cruise ship:

 

Ron

Thank you for the information on the hydro massage. MY experiences with spas on ships have been quite different depending on the cruise line. I have been in the spa on one of the mass market cruise lines and I've been in Oceania's spa. It's a world of difference. The mass market line's spa can be crowded and noisy and not entirely relaxing. Oceania's spa has always been quiet and soothing for ME.

 

Cons

Lack of proper spa

Lack of open space on older ships

Riviera & Marina: no promenade deck, no observation deck

Rudimentary entertainment

Overpriced

Overrated

 

Note: "Oceania" is a confusing term. Oceania is actually two different products: the large ships (Riviera & Marina) and the rest of the fleet.

I'm curious what you mean by lack of proper spa. Oceania ships have a full-service spa and offer all services including massages, facials, hair, manicures, pedicures.

Just to add to what has already been said here, some of my favorite things about Oceania is the quiet atmosphere, no prearranged dining times in the GDR, and no photographers.

I don't know how I've been so lucky but I've never gotten any brochures from Oceania in the mail. Not one. We've been on 3 O cruises and have our 4th booked for 2019.

Regarding reservations for the entertainment, if you are at a certain cabin category and above you don't need a reservation. It depends on the ship but I think it's Grand Suite and above.

I think of the "7 bottle" package as filling a niche, but that niche may be relatively small. Seems like the "7 bottle" package would be great for wine-only drinkers who like a glass at a time per person of regular-old-wine and possibly not at all lunches and/or dinners. The "7 bottle" package would likely be more cost effective than the wine/beer with meals (basic package) for that niche. BYO might still be less $ than the "7 bottle" package for this niche, but if you're not a wine geek all the effort in BYO would seem like work, not play.

We like the 7 bottle package. It's been all quite good and we have not found any of it to be undrinkable or "rot gut". It's a good value - the $47.50 includes gratuity. I'm in this niche you mentioned as I drink only wine and no beer or hard alcohol. My husband drinks mostly wine as well and only an occasional mixed drink. It fits what we're looking for and we plan to purchase it again on our next Oceania cruise.

FWIW: we always take the air credit instead and DIY bizclass with FF points or cash/points combo.

We do the same. We buy economy class tickets and use FF miles to upgrade to business. It'd be too stressful for me to have little control over what flights I'm on.

Reception and the concierge should have responded somehow after you asked for a different cabin. However I suspect that all cabins were booked and there was nowhere else they could have moved you to. Their hands were tied but they should have let you know that.

It would be a shame to have to settle for boxed wine. :rolleyes: Traveling with bottles in your checked luggage is easy. Wrap them in bubble wrap and as an extra precaution wrap it again in T-shirts or other clothing. We've done that countless times over the years. Hundreds of bottles and we've never had one bottle break.

A big benefit, as was mentioned in the letter from the concierge, is priority disembarkation. We were on Harmony last year and saved a ton of time. The concierge escorts small groups of passengers down to customs and immigration, bypassing the long lines.

A word about deposits is that there is a nice perk if you book onboard. We booked a future cruise onboard and paid $250 US per person for a 10-day cruise. There is also a lowest-price guarantee if you book onboard. It's something to keep in mind when you are on the cruise and feel inclined to book another one. Welcome to Oceania.

I've never been truly disappointed with the food on RCI. Never been on Carnival so can't compare. I'm not a picky eater but the quality and temperature of the food in the MDR has been fine with me. The one thing I think the MDR is lacking in is choice. Not many options there. For lunch, Park Cafe on HOTS is probably the best complimentary restaurant I've experienced. Really good sandwiches, salads and desserts. I stay away from Windjammer. For specialty restaurants, Chops and Jamies Italian are quite good.

I've never been on Regent so can't comment on personal experiences there. But I did look at their website and compared Regent vs. Oceania for a Baltic Sea cruise which is our next cruise on Oceania. It looks like a Penthouse Suite on Oceania Marina is similar in size to a Concierge Veranda on Regent. The price difference is approximately 30-35% for a similar cruise.

Then I have to look at what's important to me. We're booked in a Penthouse Suite which is very suitable for us. We don't need or want more than that. I drink on average 2 glasses of wine per day on a cruise so, yes, it's nice to have wine included. However I did notice that premium wine on Regent is sold at a 10% discount, according to their website. I will assume that the wine that is included is a house wine. Sometimes a house wine is good and sometimes it's not drinkable. I don't know what Regent serves. Regarding food, Oceania is hard to beat. Are the excursions that Regent includes worth the 30-35% higher price?

I would need to listen to a very convincing argument why I should pick Regent over Oceania. Everyone has different ways of looking at things, but this is just me.

I prefer to have a printed pass. It's a good back-up if the system is down. I was once checking in at an airport with a major airline whose entire system was down. It was a mess but those with printed boarding passes were in a better position than those who were relying solely on their phones. Not to mention that at the gate, boarding passes on phones do not scan as quickly as the printed boarding passes. It can really back the line up if too many people are using their phones. Sometimes paper IS better. The cellular service inside a massive cruise terminal probably isn't that great either.