brucecar Posted April 25, 2011 #1 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Im looking at Med cruises in Apr-May 2012, specifically "Pearls of the Aegean". Marina has Apr 22 sailing for about $1,000 less ($500/pp) vs Riviera May 16 sailing just a few wks later for $1k more. Thinking about the pros/cons of each ship... Marina is $1k cheaper, it has a (presumably) experienced crew, all the kinks are worked out, basically a known and proven luxury experience. Riviera is brand spanking new (maiden voyage on Apr 14) ... but should I expect some of that newness to be evident in possible mech issues, service glitches, etc ? Is brand new really worth $1k more ? What do you think ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted April 25, 2011 #2 Share Posted April 25, 2011 IMHO, basically, no... The two ships will be virtually identical... And it's not like Marina will be THAT old... There is typically a premium for being on one of the first voyages of a brand new ship... Laws of supply and demand...a lot of people just want to go on a ship that has just been launched... So, by doing an identical cruise on Riviera rather than Marina, that is what you are paying for...The experience should, otherwise, be virtually the same... So, unless the exact dates are important to you...or you just really want to be on the absolute newest ship, take the Marina... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meow! Posted April 25, 2011 #3 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Marina has Apr 22 sailing for about $1,000 less ($500/pp) vs Riviera May 16 sailing just a few wks later for $1k more.A more intersting point is that Oceania is still actively pursuing fare increases despite being unable to fill all its berths (most voyages for the rest of this year have vacant cabins in most categories, unlike previouus years). History will tell how long this "price increases as desired" magic will last! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKS Posted April 25, 2011 #4 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Possibly part of the fee difference is the time of year too. The Riviera sailing is in May, a month later in spring than the Marina cruise, but still before tourist season. I've noticed that fares slowly increase until the height of the summer season and then slowly decline into the fall. We took the last Nautica cruise in the Med two years ago, mid-November, and got the best rate of the season, absolutely now crowds, and the weather was really good (60's and 70's), except for one day's rain. I prefer Spring and Fall in the Med anyway. July and August are too hot and humid there for this western mountain dweller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted April 25, 2011 #5 Share Posted April 25, 2011 And do not assume that Marina's more experienced crew will remain on the Marina. Many will be transferred to the Riviera to get her going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted April 25, 2011 #6 Share Posted April 25, 2011 TKS is correct that the Riviera sailing is more expensive because it is more "in season" than the Marina trip. Weather is weather. but you are more likely to have a string of nicer days in June. As far as crew training is concerned, the Riviera is going to be almost identical to the Marina. Wallpaper, upholstery and art may differ, but that won't matter to the crew. Every Riviera staff member won't have had experience on the Marina, but the supervisors will. I anticipate a much smoother maiden season for the Riviera than the Marina had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucecar Posted April 26, 2011 Author #7 Share Posted April 26, 2011 thanks everyone ... Im leaning toward Marina voyage a few weeks earlier and use the $1k savings for shore excursions ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted April 26, 2011 #8 Share Posted April 26, 2011 Your thousand dollars will go further if you book your own excursions instead of the ship's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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