ak1004

O entertainment and atmosphere are well known. This is not why people cruise on O, and it's not a reason to give 1 star.

I don't disagree, but is it a reason to give a one star rating? Looks like they liked the ship, the food, the service, so the age must be the main reason for 1 star rating. Also, O average age is a well known fact, doing some research or asking the TA could go a long way if this is a deal breaker.

I learned to take the reviews with grain of salt. Just look at the latest review of the Vista - https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=712929 Can it be any more ridiculous and absurd??

Or maybe a TA? By then again, TAs are typically much cheaper, so this wouldn't fit the theory that land vacations are cheaper.

And to me comparing a low cost resort in Cyprus to the cost of PH on O is useless.. But I guess if you spend a week in a resort, the risk to miss any ports is close to zero.. But I think comparing a good hotel in Barcelona, Paris, Rome or London to OV on O is a more accurate comparison..

Here is a screenshot of a cruise we took in 2018 on the Riviera in inside cabin, 10 night from Rome to Barcelona, cruise only. And here are comparable sailings in 2024-2025 that now include SM (drinks and excursions credit): At the same time, hotel in Barcelona that cost $1,150 CAD in 2020, now costs $1,750. Only facts. No speculation.

Always important to compare apples to apples. Comparing Silversea or PH on O to some cheap "Pensions in Europe" is definitely not apples to apples. And if you manage to do it under $300 per night, your meals are definitely not the same quality as O or SS.

When we asked to fly 2 days early, SS asked almost $1,000 USD extra per person for business class. We took air credit and booked our own flights. The amount is fixed, should be specified in your reservation or on SS website.

Why not Norwegian Heaven? From what I read, their product is comparable to MSC Yacht Club. Or not?

I checked land tours and/or independent tours few times, and every single time the prices were significantly higher than cruises. But you need to compare apples to apples. For example, when comparing a line like Silversea or Seabourn, you need to compared to hotels like Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton. You also need to compare comparable rooms. Does your hotel room have a veranda? If not, then the correct category on a cruise would be OV, not veranda and definitely not concierge. What about food? Are you comparing to eating 3 times a day in a high end restaurant? Do you include drinks with meals at those restaurants? Do you consider all other inclusions, like free room service? What about transportation cost? And I'm not even mentioning all the convenience that comes with cruising.

Thank you. I read the review. Our experience with food on Riviera and Regatta was very different. But then again, it's matter of expectations. Is a couple hundred bucks for a 50 minute massage exorbitant? Of course it is, but those are the prices on all cruise lines. This is why we don't do massages on cruise ships. Some of the other points are equally ridiculous. But obviously everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Same I would spend booking direct, less 10-12%.

We always book cruise only, no air, no excursions (before SM), and still get the rebates. And we book the cheapest cabins (OV or FV on Vista). We also booked SS 3 times with the same TA, no air, got ~12-13% rebate. Of course they don't work for free. Who said they do? If they get 15% commission from the cruise line, they pass 10% to the customers. Sorry, but I'm done with this too.

I believe you are correct. They have an "all inclusive" package for $89/day which includes internet, gratuities and drinks, and sometimes they have a promotion that all inclusive price is the same as cruise only.

Thank you Hank, all excellent points! Comparisons are never easy. Inclusions are useful only if you use them (we don't drink, so included drinks are not important to us). Also, larger cabin size is definitely a plus, but standard cabin on Vista, Marina or Riviera is more than sufficient for us. That said, $400 is a steal for SB. It would be difficult to find those rates now.

You are missing the point. O sales are great. But if you used a TA, you would still get all the perks that TA offers ON TOP of O sales.

We consider them too. Their larger ships (Star) have very nice cabins, around 280 sqft, and are fully renovated. But in many cases they are more expensive than O with less inclusions.

You can laugh, but Toga night on our Costa cruise was one of the most memorable and special events in all our cruising history. It was almost 20 years ago, our first cruise ever, still remember it as very special. I'm pretty sure I would see things differently today, but maybe O should introduce some of those special events. Could be chocolate extravaganza, a special event like White night, etc. Crystal still does white nights I believe?

I don’t really understand your comment. In all our years of cruising we were never delayed to arrive on the last port. The cruise lines themselves say that booking anytime after noon is safe.

I agree. But that’s not me. I still enjoy cruising very much, on different lines.

Doesn’t really matter how you call it. But if this decline or devolution exists in all cruise lines, where would you go? Don't compare to what it was 10 years go. Compare to what other lines offer now.

Well, maybe both? Non stop is better obviously but direct still good enough for many people. But if you change last minute as many people will have to, you might not be able to get either of them. This is not just bad optics. This was a really stupid decision.

I disagree. Booking a noon or 1pm flight is completely normal. Plenty of time. And for those who fly to Europe there might be only one direct flight. And with 11am arrival, they have to rebook it.

And Silversea is not the same under RCI, and Seabourn not the same under Carnival. Those are very common statements on different boards and social media. But do they reflect the reality? We sailed on O in 2018, and then 3 times post Covid. Didn't notice much difference. RCI brought back the unlimited black caviar to Silversea. Most cruise lines are under the umbrella of the big 3. If you believe that they are destroying the luxury lines, not too many places to go.. Look at the recent Silver Nova fiasco and see that there are not many places to hide from the cruise lines corporate stupidity.

Oceania on its worst day is still better Celebrity on its best day. It’s like comparing Lexus to Fiat.