Uniworld Fans - Which Ocean Cruise Lines Do You Like?

I'm not quite sure where to post this question, so I'm open to being switched to another board if more appropriate.

My husband and I (ages 60 and 59) had never taken any kind of cruise until last summer, when we cruised Uniworld's Castles Along the Rhine. We loved it and have another Uniworld cruise (Danube) booked for next summer. But we'd also like to consider some ocean cruises and wondered what cruise lines might have a similar 'feel' to Uniworld in terms of service, food, age/activity level of passengers, etc. We wouldn't be comfortable with an 'upper crust' crowd or formal dress code - just good food, good service, and pleasant company. The large, mainstream mega-ships are definitely not what we're looking for, but I'm not sure if we would fall into the 'luxury cruise' category, either. Would really appreciate some suggestions of cruise lines to consider - then I can start researching. Thank you!

We are doing our first Uniworld and first river cruise this Christmas. Have done numerous ocean cruises. We have booked a back-to-back Viking European cruise next spring, first time for Viking. Research them and see if they are what you are looking for.

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Thank you. Yes - Viking Ocean was one that I had wondered about.

I would suggest Azamara. Their ships are upscale but not stuffy – no formal nights! Passengers are well-traveled but friendly. The service is wonderful – and the officers are uniquely visible and eager to interact with passengers [and they implement fixes immediately if you complain or make a reasonable suggestion]. The food is as good as we have had on any ship. And their itineraries are much more varied than Viking Ocean [that may come when they have more ships, but right now Azamara is running rings around them], with lots of time in port and country-intensive sailings that give you more than the typical cruise-ship taste of a culture.

Thank you, Jazzbeau! I am not familiar with Azamara at all but will definitely check them out.

It appears that you would like an all-inclusive suggestion. Having just returned from a 16 day Uniworld cruise, I think I can offer a few options. As the 'Host' suggested, Azamara deserves a look. We enjoyed the one cruise we sailed with them. Loved the overnights in key ports and their friendly atmosphere. But if you want to kick it up a notch, may I suggest in order, Crystal, Regent and Seabourn. Formality has been greatly diminished where you barely need a sport coat. The food....ahh...the food is superb. So many more choices in the dining room and the bar

Be happy to help in anyway.

Dennis

Dennis - Thank you for your suggestions. I will include those in my research. We did like the all-inclusive feature on Uniworld very much. Being our first cruise of any kind, it was one less thing to understand, and no surprises at the end of the cruise. We aren't big drinkers - but it was very nice to have alcohol included. We'd be very happy to find an ocean cruise line that is all-inclusive. But we're open to any that might be a good fit for us.

We really loved our Seabourn cruise. Amazing cabins, fantastic food, wonderful staff and great itinerary. It was liek being on a floating Ritz Carlton. But then we took a Windstar cruise (on one of the former Seabourn ships) and we LOVED that one. Windstar was way more casual which we liked and the other passengers were friendlier. Windstar has a laundry package and would do your laundry every day. And because there was no real reason to "dress up" it made packing very easy. Seabourn is all inclusive so since we like to drink on vacation that was a nice perk. The Seabourn ship was also a bit bigger so they had a better gym and pilates classes. Overall we loved both and would do either again but the laid back atmosphere on Windstar was more our speed. One thing for sure, I would NEVER go on a big ship again.

I'd also look at Oceania. It's less inclusive, but we enjoyed our cruise on Riviera very much. We've also done two cruises on Azamara, but preferred Oceania. You probably can't go wrong on either. My ILs just went on Crystal and would sail with them again.

Like you, our first cruise was a river cruise, Scenic for us. We liked the all inclusive format and casual dress code so we looked for those features when we shopped fo our first ocean cruise.

We settled on Regent, which at the time was the only luxury line with no formal nights. We had a great time on our Alaska cruise this last June. Service was great, food was great, our room was great.

We have cruises booked on both Scenic and Regent next year.

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Have sailed on Uniworld 4 times with another one coming up next month.

I believe your best match will be Oceania which I have likewise sailed numerous times. Great food, well traveled passengers, and a great ambiance.

Twoboys, hiccups, jeb-bud, and pinotlover - Thank you so much for your comments and suggestions. Very helpful! I will put them on my list of cruise lines to research.

We are getting a very late start with regard to cruising. My husband had no interest in cruises, thinking that they would all be crowded megaships filled with rowdy young partiers (ie the old Carnival tv commercials with Kathy Lee....). But now that he has tried and liked a river cruise, he is more open to the idea of ocean cruising - on the right type of ship. And he is now retired, so we have more time available to travel. So we look forward to some new experiences and appreciate your advice!

I have not cruised on Uniworld only Viking but from you are describing it sounds like Oceania.