ak1004

The problem with airlines is that the only two choices are to accept higher prices or not to fly. Of course it's different with cruising, but don't forget that everything is more expensive now. I checked a few hotels in Europe that we booked pre Covid, prices are now 50-70% higher. Same for restaurants and pretty much everything. So while in theory you have many choices, practically this is not the case.

Just sent an email to our TA. We sail before you, so will tell you 😁

Do you do it in advance or while on board? If in advance, is it possible to do it online or you have to contact the TA to put a request?

Everything is our opinions and our priorities and preferences. If someone mentions that a line doesn't have enough premium wines and it's unacceptable, and their opinion. I couldn't care less because I don't drink. Same for premium sparkling water. Does it have a major effect on my sailings? No. I will manage. But I think it's matter of principle. Same as a line calling itself all inclusive but charging extra for 2 out of 8 restaurants, "premium" internet etc. Are those things a deal breaker to me? No, but they are part of the overall experience. Anyway, we will be sailing on the Spirit soon, and unless the prices change, this will be probably our last SS cruise for a while. Just cannot justify those prices for what you get. Lack of premium sparkling water is just a symptom.

It's not about sparkly. It's about the taste. Not having premium sparkling water on a luxury line is unacceptable and speaks volume.

Agree, but this is directly related to the service. Also, if they have clear instructions and guidelines from the corporate that dictate cutbacks, sometimes the best crew cannot save the day. Also, age and condition of the ship. Crystal fans will always point out to the crew, but just read some of the reviews. The best crew will have a hard time to resolve some of the issues on a 25 years old ship.

Exactly. On our recent cruise on the Dawn it took them forever to get Perrier or Pellegrino, and around mid cruise our butler informed us that they ran out of both, and also most diet drinks. For some people having good wine is a big issue. For others it’s sparkling water.

Agree 100% with your assessment of entertainment and activities. Except for those areas, what is not the same as 5 years ago?

And yet the future cruise office was always packed with long lines. The only crowded place on the whole ship. Btw this was not the case on our recent SS cruise..

Completely agree. Looks like 99% of the whiners are on CC. We rarely met unhappy guests on board O.

Lets see: 1. Food (quality, variety). 2. Service. 3. Crowds (or lack of them). We sailed on SS, Old Crystal, Oceania and Azamara in non mass market categories. Except for cabins that were too small on Azamara, didn't see a lot of differences in those areas. And in any case, even if there are differences, I believe that lines like O are much closer to "luxury" lines than to mass market lines, and definitely represent a better value for money.

I agree. The term "suite" is really being misused. It's nice that they put a curtain to separate the bed and the sitting area, but it really doesn't make it a real suite. Agree. 240 sqft on the newer O ships is perfectly fine. I could never understand what people do in their cabins that they need 300-400 sqft or more (unless of course money is really not an issue). We come to a cruise to see the world, not to spend time in the cabin.

They are not missing the point because this is what important (or not) to THEM.

Very true. For people who fly business class and buy cash tickets, Regent is an excellent value. For those who buy on points - not so much because their air credit is significantly less than the current cost of the flights. So it's really what's important to YOU. If I don't drink, I couldn't care less about the alcohol quality - and no, I'm not missing the point because this is what's important (or not) TO ME. If 240 sqft on Vista is more than sufficient to me, then 300+ sqft "suites" on SB or SS are "nice to have", but not something worth paying for. Space ratios are important, but Riviera never felt crowded to me compared to SS ships that have higher ratios.

Matter of attitude I guess. We never had a bad cruise (well, maybe except for Carnival a while ago). Sometimes we don't like some aspects of the cruise, the ships etc. but to leave in the middle of the cruise?? Unless there is some emergency of course. I guess some people are never happy.

In the last 3 years we sailed twice on S and 3 times on O. We found nothing on SS that makes it any more luxury than O and justifies the 40-60% price difference. Maybe the cabins, but that's it. As non drinkers, your example doesn't really mean much to us, but service in most other areas was comparable to O. In fact, we had much longer waits on SS in the morning and afternoon buffet for things like water and coffee. We asked for Perrier, the impression was they are bring it from another ship. After two times we gave up and settled for their sparkling water, which is pretty bad compared to Perrier. If you read SS board, there are a lot of complaints about service and food. I don't know how it was before Covid, but now we just cannot justify their prices and consider them in the same league with O. Maybe SB and Explora are different, but not SS.

I mostly agree with your observations about activities and entertainment. But the difference between you and me is that we sail for destinations, not sea days. This is why O is perfect for us for European port intensive itineraries, where we spend most of the day in ports, come back to the ship to have dinner, spend some time in the lounges, see the show and go to bed. This is why personally I don't think O is good for TA or Caribbean. That said, there are more activities and choices on newer ships, so I always advise first timers to start with the newer ship. As for you comment "The long time Oceania cruisers seemed to like it, the 200+ first timers not so much." - on our Riviera cruise last May we went with friends who sailed exclusively on Celebrity for over 20 years. Guess what? They are not going back to celebrity. Already booked 3 more on Marina and Vista, but won't go on the R ship. btw, we went on 2 SS cruises in the last 2 years, didn't see much food customization - in fact, I think food on O is better, for 40% less. But yes, choice is good. No point to argue really. Celebrity and other lines have their devoted loyalists. For us, it's itinerary and price first, but we are not going back to 3,000+ ships.

Oceania on its worst day is better than Celebrity on its best day. Like comparing Mercedes to Toyota. People come to R ships and are not aware about the shower size?? This shows lack of the most basic homework. But yes, entertainment and activities are not the strongest areas on O. Again, some minimal homework would set expectations right and avoid disappointments. More Oceania for us.

Personally I found Hank's observations and review very objective and balanced. I share his view of Red Ginger, despite this being a favorite restaurant of many O cruisers. I don't think anyone would claim that every meal on O (or any other line) is excellent. Same for most restaurants on land (there are some exceptions of course). But Hank also said the O food is second best only to Explora, which speaks volume.

And think that what they have on the Nova is already a relaxed dress code compared to other ships (they now switch to the new dress code fleet wide). On our recent Dawn cruise it was absolutely ridiculous (3 different types of dress code).

Good for you! How much was it per person? And yes, many people actually claim that O skips ports to save money. Just read some of the topics on this board.

Absolutely! Things might have changed on Oceania in 16 years.. but it's good that not everyone likes it, more Oceania for us!

We didn't do SB yet, but I agree that SS service can be inconsistent. And with the recent price increase, I don't find value in SS anymore. However, we enjoy Oceania very much, and can book it around $400. I find food on O excellent and service very good too. To me there was nothing on SS or Crystal that made them more luxurious than O when we look at things that are important to us. Crystal might feel like family if you did dozens of cruises on their ships, know the crew and they know you. On our cruise on C in 2019 we felt like outsiders. Doesn't mean the service wasn't good, on the contrary. But part of the family? Not really, at least this was not our feeling. To some people it's worth the extra cost. To others it's not. Especially if you sail for destinations and not see the ship as a destination.

Great to hear! Your experience puts our recent experience on SS to shame.

Yes, I'm well aware of it. But for those bigger cabins, the prices are even crazier. I just looked at few sailings for summer 2025. SB has many sailings around $500-550 USD per night. Crystal starts around $600-650 for standard OV room (210 sqft) while AQUAMARINE suites (323 sqft) are around $900. To me, those prices are crazy. I don't mind being in a 210 sqft room, but the price should reflect it. I would try Crystal even if the price was similar to entry level cabin on SB, but paying 20-25% more for a smaller cabin on a much older ship just doesn't make sense to me.