Azamara vs Oceania - Looking for input

[SNEEGLE]

We cruised the Meditteranean on Azamara last year and loved it. We are planning on going to the Amazon and are debating between Azamara and the Oceania Regatta and would really appreciate input.

The food in the main dining room on Azamara was incredible. My son would often have one entree for his appetizer and then another for his dinner. How is the food in Oceania's main dining room? Do you get lots of choices? Do you have to eat at the specialty restaurants to get really good food? Some of my favorite memories from our trip are enjoying a long, leisurely dinner with with my husband, my mom, and my son.

We would be staying in a veranda room but not at the concierge level. Does Oceania offer the same sort of amenities as Azamara? Fridge in the room, free bottled water, room service breakfast that includes items like pancakes and waffles?

I realize there are trade offs between the two lines such free air fare vs free wine and no gratuities. Oceania's itinerary is way more appealing so I just want to do my research so I can make the right choice. Any info on the differences or similarities would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for any thoughts or help, Kris

[Mura]

Since this is an Oceania board, you're likely to find more people advocating Oceania than Azamara ... but by no means 100%. There are some posting here who prefer Azamara although in my reading it would seem to me that they are a minority. I haven't been on Azamara yet so I'm not going to comment either way!

 

My answer would be, though, that you should go by the itinerary you like best. I doubt you will go wrong. It seemed to me that in the beginning Azamara was a lot less expensive than Oceania, but also not quite as enjoyable an experience. My reading here gives me the idea that this has changed and both are pretty interchangeable these days. Each one will have some things that most people prefer, but I doubt anyone here is going to try to discourage you from Azamara. (I myself wouldn't mind not having to pay for my wine at mealtime!)

 

The GDR has a larger selection of food choices on any given day as opposed to the specialty restaurants' set menus. Many people prefer the specialty restaurants, but we actually prefer the GDR. There have been many cruises where we didn't dine in the specialty restaurants at all. We find the quality in the GDR is excellent and we like the wider variety of entrees.

 

As I said, I doubt you can go wrong whatever you decide.

[LHT28]

How is the food in Oceania's main dining room?

Food is subjective but most people find it excellent

Do you get lots of choices? YES

Do you have to eat at the specialty restaurants to get really good food? NO ... it will be good in all the dining venues of course that is subjective to your personal tastes

 

We would be staying in a veranda room but not at the concierge level. Does Oceania offer the same sort of amenities as Azamara? Fridge in the room,YES free bottled water,YES room service breakfast that includes items like pancakes and waffles? only in concierge & above do you get hot entrees

I realize there are trade offs between the two lines such free air fare vs free wine and no gratuities. Oceania's itinerary is way more appealing so I just want to do my research so I can make the right choice. Any info on the differences or similarities would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for any thoughts or help, Kris

 

I would read the reviews on both lines & decide which one works best for you

I do not think you can go wrong with either one

 

Lyn

[Paulchili]

Kris,

Welcome to CC. You are obviously a "newbie" on CC, relatively speaking.

There have been several long threads, both here and on Azamara boards, comparing the 2 cruise lines. There is a lot of valuable information posted there.

Use you search buttom (on both boards separately) and put in Azamara vs Oceania - or v.v. You will get all the relevant threads on the subject.

If you have trouble finding or using your search button, please re-post here and we'll tell you how.

Enjoy your search and reading :)

[cruisecountess]

Hi Kris,

My DH and I have been fortunate to have sailed AZ for 3 cruises and O for 2, with 2 more coming up. Up front, you can't go wrong; both offer wonderful experiences. Granted, what I am about to say is subjective, and not everyone will agree with my assessment. In our experience, the food, coffee and service were better on O. Both lines offer in-room service, but we never availed ourselves of it, so I can't address the menu concern for you. AZ was better with regard to entertainment, although neither line offers Vegas or B'way style entertainment. AZ also hosted CC parties, with free-flowing wine. The officers were more approachable on AZ, but that is not to say that you will be ignored on O. For us, the bottom line is the itinerary, and you've given the nod to O on that count. I don't think you will be sorry if you give O a try. Enjoy whichever you decide on.

Harriet

[wripro]

One point to remember is that on O unless you are in a concierge cabin or higher you cannot get hot food for breakfast served in your cabin.

[TERRIER1]

One point to remember is that on O unless you are in a concierge cabin or higher you cannot get hot food for breakfast served in your cabin.

 

But your can order from the 24 hour menu and get a steak for breakfast. Very strange.

[baldercash]

,

For us, the bottom line is the itinerary, and you've given the nod to O on that count. I don't think you will be sorry if you give O a try. Enjoy whichever you decide on.

 

I agree with Cruisecountess, I would sail on a tramp steamer for the itineray but if were it is going doesn't matter it comes down to price or the ship as the destination. It gets tougher to decide when it is a combination of all three!

[pratzert]

You asked about the food on "O".

 

Of course, this is just "MY" opinion....

 

But the food on the Insignia was UNBELIEVABLY GREAT !

 

The one and only problem I had was one morning, I could not get fried egg without a broken yolk to save my soul. It provided the entertaiment of the morning. We all laughed about it the rest of the day.

 

Can you imagine... that the ONLY, and I mean ONLY food problem I had during 14 days was a broken yolk ? :p

 

The food was truly outstanding and I can't wait to go on another "O" cruise.:D

 

If Azamara lowers their pricing, I would consider giving them a try. But when we were getting ready to book and compared "O" & "A", Oceania was actually cheaper than "A". "A" had just raised all of their prices by a huge amount. I hear they have since lowered them a bit.

 

We also felt the itineraries offered by Oceania were much better and fit the profile we wanted as opposed to what Azamara offered.

 

I can't speak from experience about "A" nor compare them to "O", but I can say I don't think you can go wrong with Oceania.

[LittleRedJohn]

I just returned from Regatta's Amazon cruise. My review is posted on Cruise Critic. In many ways, it was a great cruise. But there were significant problems, mostly stemming from bad planning by Oceania. If I had to do it all over again, I'm not sure I would take Oceania. I have a feeling that they are slipping. LittleRedJohn.

[SNEEGLE]

Thank you to all who responded. Somehow we have gone from three weeks in the Amazon to 10 days Orlando and 10 day in the Caribbean on Regent. My family keeps asking me "Where are we going now?" because our original discussion was going to China and we have gone through several destinations since then. I guess we could go to 'It's a Small World' in Disney World but I think I'll pass.

Snorkeling at Discovery Cove in Orlando will give my son (and me) some snorkeling practice in a controlled environment which we will be able to put to good use at most of our ports.

Once again, thank you for your kelp.