Why do you cruise with Oceania?

I'm a longtime Princess cruiser who is exploring Oceania for an upcoming cruise.

 

Would you O veterans please share your top three (or more) reasons for choosing Oceania? (Advice about the individual ships is also appreciated.)

 

Thanks!

Good points:

1. itinerary

2. food

3. service

4. mid-size ship

5. casual atmosphere

6. generally no smoking no children

 

So so points

1. cabin

2. entertainment

3. price - with new discounts (used to be too high)

Would you O veterans please share your top three (or more) reasons for choosing Oceania? (Advice about the individual ships is also appreciated.)

 

I suppose our top three reasons for preferring O would be (in this order):

• Size of Ship
  
• Fantastic Food (Dining Room as well as Specialty Restaurants)
  
• Outstanding Service
  

Until the new Marina is completed in 2010, all of the ships in the R fleet are identical in layout. Only the fabrics and art are different from ship to ship.

It's hard to limit the reasons we like Oceania to three:

Size of the ships

Excellent food

Open seating dining

Free specialty restaurants

Port intensive itineraries

Tourist information rep on board at each port

No formal nights

Wonderful staff

We are going on our 10th Oceania cruise in 3 weeks. As well as those listed above we have other reasons - no children, no formal nights, can bring as much liquor/wine on board and have it in stateroom or bring wine to any dining venue and pay a 20$ corkage fee which is not subject to the 18% gratuity. Another important reason is the staff; after 2 cruises on Regatta, a waitress in Polo called me by name and welcomed me back. This has happened to us over and over. Of course the itinerarys are a big part of the reason but similar itinerarys can be found on other lines with ships of similar sizes.

We are booked for a May cruise with Oceania - our first. We have cruised Celebrity several times and like that line alot. I am actually not very happy about the price of our upcoming cruise and it was not one of the discounted ones! but it ends in Istanbul. I definately wanted more than 24 hours there and very few cruise ships depart or end there. So after our cruise, we will stay there several more nights- so much to see! So while I am cringing at the price, I am very excited about the itinerary, the size of the ship and it sounds like the food will be outstanding. I'm probably going to end up liking it toooo much and being spoiled for any other crusie line in the future.

My top 3

Limitied smoking

limited children

good food

 

other reasons

open dining

great staff, (they remember you after a couple of cruises)

port intensive

no formal nights

no hairy leg contests etc

more mature cruisers

no lines (well hardly any)

We are booked for a May cruise with Oceania - our first. We have cruised Celebrity several times and like that line alot.

 

Don't feel bad a lot of the cruises are not discounted. we booked ours last April ..it was not on the list but we are still going

 

Do not expect things to be like Celebrity ...nothing like it

 

Enjoy the cruise

Good points:

1. itinerary

2. food

3. service

4. mid-size ship

5. casual atmosphere

6. generally no smoking no children

 

So so points

1. cabin

2. entertainment

3. price - with new discounts (used to be too high)

 

Can you elaborate on the cabins.....what is you do/don't like about them?

It's hard to limit the reasons we like Oceania to three:

Size of the ships

Excellent food

Open seating dining

Free specialty restaurants

Port intensive itineraries

Tourist information rep on board at each port

No formal nights

Wonderful staff

 

I didn't know that O doesn't have formal nights....I like that! Also didn't know specialty restaurants were free....like that too!:)

 

Curious regarding staff, is the ship's staff primarily from one country or are they multinational like Princess?

 

Can you explain more about the "tourist information rep".....is that a member of the ship's staff or is it someone from the port?

 

Thanks for your feedback. Keep it coming......I'm alllllmmost there!;)

Which cruise are you booked on? and how so different from Celebrity? is the food ALOT better? we were always very pleased with our Celebrity crusie - decent food, pleasant service but their new ship is sooo big - I am looking forward to a smaller ship.

Can you elaborate on the cabins.....what is you do/don't like about them?

I classified the cabins as so so, i.e. average. The standard balconied cabin is like a category 2 on Celebrity, and a PH minisuite is like a "sky suite" minisuite with standard (not enlarged) balcony. In other words they are "plain functional". Other than the nice bed, it is not better than mass market lines, but still good enough.

 

P.S. The category B on Oceania does not even have a mini-fridge!

We are going on our 10th Oceania cruise in 3 weeks.

Congratulations, on your upcoming cruise, you will be awarded the silver pin. On our voyage last October, only one couple (of the 340) had reached this level, honoured at the Oceania Club meeting. Half a dozen had reached the bronze (5 voyages) or more.

For me, the primary motivation, far and away, is itinerary. When one has traveled extensively, one always looks for new and different places to visit...and Oceania always seems to have intriguing itineraries offered at convenient (for us--my wife works for the school district so our vacation windows are small) dates...

 

That's not to say there aren't other great qualities, but the itinerary always seems to be the most important to us.

 

Second to that, I'd say it's the food--which is excellent...

 

Third would be the lack of formal nights--important when cruising Europe for long vacations with limited luggage space and weight.

 

I, for one, put little value in the size of the ship...There are good and bad points to this. More important is the "space-per-passenger" ratio. One can have a smaller overcrowded ship or a large spacious ship. Oceania's ships do have a large space ratio and a very spacious feel. But so do Celebrity's M-class. Having just returned from the Sapphire Princess--which has one of the better space ratios among Princess' fleet--all I can say is that it wasn't evident--the ship felt fairly crowded at times.

 

The drawbacks of the smaller ship are that, with little staging area, the entertainment tends to be fairly limited. And there are far fewer amenities and activities than on big ships. The nightlife seems to die down early.

 

One benefit of the small ships is evident in many of the itineraries. Oceania can include a lot of different smaller ports that cannot accommodate the large megaships...

 

I, personally, thought the cabins were just fine...ALLEGEDLY 25-30 square feet smaller than we just had on Sapphire Princess--but I certainly didn't feel I had any more space. Of course, being in the commercial real estate field myself, I'm fairly suspect as to how each cruise line measures the square footage. Before the Sapphire, we were recently on the Celebrity Constellation and the Vision of the Seas before that and both cabins had supposedly around the same area as the Princess cabin but both had sitting areas with small sofas and tables --and our Princess cabuin did not--and actually felt quite crowded. Our Oceania cabin, though supposedly smaller in area, had a loveseat and small table and was comfortably laid out.

 

Another point that I find to be a great contrast from Princess is the dining arrangements. Oceania has two "specialty restaurants" which require reservations but have no additional fee. There is one main dining room which is open seating. The open seating works well with the oddball hours of port visits. But it also works well because it is only one room and everyone onboard is "in the same boat" so to speak...and it's a small ship...

 

The big problem I saw with Princess' system is that they tried to be all things to all people. We had five seperate dining rooms on the Sapphire--two were traditional, the other three open seating...But with 3,000 passengers on board, it was administered poorly. People with traditional assignments were crashing "Anytime" seating and no one checked IDs...There were empty tables inthe traditional rooms though there had been a waiting list for those assignments...and people were waiting for up to an hour in the Anytime rooms...Oceania's system runs far more smoothly...

 

As to individual ships, the Nautica, Regatta and Insignia are all pretty much identical...along with the two Azamara ships and a couple of Princess' small ships--they were all sisters originally built for the now-defunct Renaissance Cruise Line...

Which cruise are you booked on? and how so different from Celebrity? is the food ALOT better? we were always very pleased with our Celebrity crusie - decent food, pleasant service but their new ship is sooo big - I am looking forward to a smaller ship.

 

I have not sailed on Celebrity ..my point is they do a lot of things that O does not do...

If you like vegas style shows, O is not for you

A lot want compare O to mass market lines it is just not the same ambiance

a more relaxed atmosphere on O

Of course, being in the commercial real estate field myself, I'm fairly suspect as to how each cruise line measures the square footage.

We are not real estate lawyers, just cabin measurement hobbyists. However, you likely will have read our other postings on various measurements on this board. The way we measure cabin area is to take in all space within the inside cabin perimeter (including inside washroom and closet partition walls). I guess that is the same way those professionals (we are not, we are only cats) measure condominium "sellable areas".

 

We found the claim of Oceania accurate, the claim of Silversea a little generous (reality slightly larger than claim), and Celebrity a little tight (we have to take in the sliding balcony door railings, which can be 6"x9') to barely make the claim. Of course, this only apply to the cabins we have actually measured, and cannot be deemed a generalization.

 

As for the size of the ship, we understand your point, though as cats, it is not our nature to congregate in huge crowds. We prefer both fewer people and more space per person. The trouble is that wish is usually far too expensive for us .. meow!

At each port, first thing in the morning, someone from the TO in that port came aboard. S/he could answer questions and provide maps and brochures. Although I like to do a lot of research in advance, I always had one more little question to ask, or could benefit from a better map than what I had been able to find at home or online.

...The way we measure cabin area is to take in all space within the inside cabin perimeter (including inside washroom and closet partition walls). I guess that is the same way those professionals (we are not, we are only cats) measure condominium "sellable areas".

 

We found the claim of Oceania accurate, the claim of Silversea a little generous (reality slightly larger than claim), and Celebrity a little tight (we have to take in the sliding balcony door railings, which can be 6"x9') to barely make the claim. Of course, this only apply to the cabins we have actually measured, and cannot be deemed a generalization.

 

Well, there are different standards for how one measures square footage...and they typically apply differently to residential single family units, residential multi-family, commercial stand-alone, commercial center, office and industrial uses.

 

And there are different standards of measurement put forth by different organizations within the industry (Imagine how generous the measurement of some folks would be if they get paid rent based on square footage). We also talk a lot about "usable" square footage and "rentable" square footage--and they vary quite a bit.

 

Some measurements are taken to the interior wall, others to the EXTERIOR wall, some to the centerline...Some methods include interior walls, others all associated dead space, including space in the walls taken up by electrical, air conditioning ducts, pipes and pillars that either service or are supporting the usable area.

 

We had an argument with one landlord who wanted to measure space "to the edge of the roof overhang"--believe it or not, that is allowable under some systems...

 

We generally write a specific year and version of the BOMA standards into our leases and only trust them to be measured by a licensed architect. Trust me, however well you think your measurements are, they are likely off.

 

Interesting though, that when Princess displays its cabin sizes in brochures and websites, they INCLUDE balcony area without breaking it down...Celebrity and Royal Caribbean list these separately...Oceania gives just one number and does not make it clear what they include.

At each port, first thing in the morning, someone from the TO in that port came aboard. S/he could answer questions and provide maps and brochures. Although I like to do a lot of research in advance, I always had one more little question to ask, or could benefit from a better map than what I had been able to find at home or online.

 

I like that idea. Princess' idea of a port talk is all about shopping.:rolleyes:

I have not sailed on Celebrity ..my point is they do a lot of things that O does not do...

If you like vegas style shows, O is not for you

A lot want compare O to mass market lines it is just not the same ambiance

a more relaxed atmosphere on O

 

Can you give me an idea of what some typical evening entertainment would be? Comedian? String quartet? Lecture?

We will join Nautica Jan 22nd for back to back cruises, our 5th & 6th with Oceania. We have sailed with most of the other popular lines for over 500 sea days. While we will still go with others Oceania is now our favorite by far. Here are some of the reasons.

1. Peaceful classy atmosphere on board. Few interruptions hustling revenue producing activities. No hairy chest competitions or the like. No unruly children or teens running out of control.

2. Wonderful well traveled fellow passengers, very friendly & non pretentious. Haven't met an obnoxious one yet.

3. Food, really first class with not a hint of the bean counters cutting corners!. The quality of deserts go way beyond the other lines where we see the standard now so poor we are seldom tempted. The steak in the dining room of Oceania is continually better than the pay extra specialty restaurants on the major lines.

4. The crew gives the impression that they are happy in their job, they seem to leave no stone unturned in sincerely trying to please the guest. This starts at the top with the attitude of the boss MR FDR, I believe he has got it right.

5. Smaller ships, no waiting in line, fast tender service.

6. The great 8 piece orchestra & a reasonable sized dance floor, only one line is better for dancing but Oceania beats them hands down at every other turn.

8. The limited smoking policy

 

I could go on & on but I need to start packing, cant wait to get out of here!! Happy New Year to all, see you on board.

Thanks everyone!

 

Your insights sound wonderful. My wife and I are experienced cruisers and travelers -- we just booked our first Oceania cruise. We've cruised 30 times on many different lines, including Azamara, which is Celebrity's answer to Oceania.

The things that appeal to us:

--upscale cuisine

--port intensive cruises

--limited smoking policy

--limited children onboard

 

My question:

--can you request a specific table in the dining room if you agree to show up at the same time each evening? (we prefer a table for two -- not anitsocial, just enjoy that time together to focus on the food and each other).

 

Thanks!

Kel:)

Can you give me an idea of what some typical evening entertainment would be? Comedian? String quartet? Lecture?

 

As lazy as I someimes get, I've cut and pasted a couple of paragraphs from my review and from an older thread:

 

>>Entertainment: This is DEFINITELY NOT one of Oceania's strong points. We were prepared for a lack of "production shows", but it goes beyond that. I'm sure a lot of it is basic economics, but here's the rundown:

In some order or another, the nightly "shows" consisted of:

1) The amateur Turkish dancers and Belly dancer

2), 3), 4) and 5) The four assistant cruise directors singing boring, unimaginative medleys of 80 songs in 45 minutes, trying to fit in a bland version of something for everyone (Note: Some of these kids were talented, for sure, but the productions lacked staging, style and variation)

6) and 7) A magician and his assistant--actually quite good. I'd say the best shows onboard

8) and 9) Oceania's Entertainment Director, Mark Friedman and his wife Rodi. Decent enough and professional enough for one good show

10) and 11) A singer who apparently sang somewhere in the background of the original pilot of the "Love Boat" -- Okay I guess, but I've seen a lot better.

12) The Piano Bar piano player moving his act to the "big room". He's not bad--but, on most ships, this is what you go to the piano bar for.

13) The "lecturer" giving a "prime time" talk with slides on the subject of.----Benny Hill (I guess you have to have been a Benny Hill fan)--and

14) The "finals" of the Karaoke contest (the "winner" being a 12 year old kid doing show tunes in a key other than his own).

 

The bottom line is that it seems MOST passengers certainly don't sail Oceania for the entertainment.<<

***************************************88

Our cruise (Istanbul to Venice) started with an "overnight" in Istanbul...

So...For entertainment the first night, they brought "local talent" onto the ship...

 

I happen to have a copy of the "Currents" in my file...I'll copy from there:

 

"M/S Nautica proudly presents

A Local Folkloric Performance from Istanbul

Turkish Folk dances have different characteristics based on region and location and are generally engaged in during weddings, journeys to the mountains in the summer, when sending sons off to military service and during religious and national holidays.

Belly Dance is one of the oldest art forms. It originated in the Middle East, Ancient Greece, India and Africa and evolved from rituals of birth and fertility.

Enjoy the Enchanting Belly Dancers!

9:00 p.m. Nautica Lounge, Deck 5"

 

To my recollection, there were a group of young Turkish girls--extremely amateurish--doing some local folk dances, followed by a more professional belly dancer.

 

Overall, one of our disappointments with Nautica was that the entertainment was fairly disappointing. I know the smaller ship without full stage facilities makes the big production shows one sees on other larger ships impossible, however, it would not be that difficult to have a decent comedian or professional singer.

 

There were not shows every night. One night, the show time slot was taken up with a slide presentation on the subject of "Benny Hill"...Seriously... Another night it was a karaoke contest--mostly performed by the kids onboard...entertaining for their parents but for few others...Yet another night, they merely moved the Piano Bar guy into the bigger room...He put on a decent show...but, of course, that also took away the other entertainment option for the night...Singing shows were put on by the Assistant Cruise Directors...and were at about the level of what I myself performed in back in high school when I sang in the Chorus (Yeah, my parents enjoyed it but I don't think many people other than family would pay to see those shows)...About the one really decent entertainer they had on board was the Magician--who did two shows...

Can you give me an idea of what some typical evening entertainment would be? Comedian? String quartet? Lecture?

 

In the evening they have a Quartet in the Grand staircase area on Deck 5 they also play at afternoon tea at 4 pm

Dance band before the show & in Horizons after the show

Piano man in Martinis

We have had a magican, juggler, fiddle player, classical guitarists, the 4 people that sing & dance from the ship (some good some no so good) "Black Tie" an Australian family of many talents, If the CD is Leslie Jon he also does singing

Probably other I cannot remember

 

Lecturers are usually in the daytime hours & can be seen on tv later

As already noted most people don go on O from the Entertainment some are goo some are not so good.

We are usually so tired at night we turn in by 11pm to get ready for the day day of touring.

People older than us (60's) seem to be up in the casino or Horizons well past me;)

 

Lyn

For me, the primary motivation, far and away, is itinerary....

 

Steve,

I am surprised that this reason made it to the top of your list of likes on O.

We love O for most of the reasons already listed here (it started with NO FORMAL nights, the other reasons followed), but if I have a pet peeve, it would be that they are doing the "same old, same old" itineraries.

I know we are (and I gathers others are as well) ready for some new destinations, as it has been discussed here before. The best example of this is the fact that their essentially only new itinerary (British Isles) sold out soon after it opened and has a huge waiting list. I think people are ready for new destinations while enjoying the other wonderful things O has to offer.