comparison

[fitty]

Has anyone sailed on both the Oceana Marina and the Silversea Spirit ?

I cannot make up my mind for a 50 th wedding anniversary on a Carribean

cruise. :confused:

[Paulchili]

It's always hard to compare apples to oranges, which is what you are doing.

It's not so much the difference between the 2 ships - it's more about the difference between the 2 cruise lines.

Silversea is all inclusive and formal, Oceania is neither. Neither of these 2 ships are my favorites for their respective cruise lines (due to larger size) but as far as the ships go I prefer Marina. Marina also offers more varied and better dining options. Silversea has nicer cabins(in comparable categories), more attentive personal service, included alcohol and more liberal smoking policy.

Again, the distinction for me is between the 2 cruise lines rather than the ships and you should decide what is more important to you - casual vs formal, included alcohol vs only soft drinks included, cabin size, cost, etc.

All of above are just my opinions - YMMV

[fitty]

Thank you very much for your reply. The only thing I hadn't thought of was the formal verses the casual. Still not sure what to do.

[JimandStan]

Thank you very much for your reply. The only thing I hadn't thought of was the formal verses the casual. Still not sure what to do.

 

You might want to add the age group of your fellow passengers into the equation.

 

When we last sailed Silversea, which was admittedly a decade ago, no less than five couples were celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversaries during our cruise.

 

We all laughed about the coincidence of it all, at the time, but in retrospect I wonder if they felt less special because of the repetition.

[wripro]

Howver, the Spirit actively pursues a younger demographic, especially with its seven day itineraries. In the ensuing decade the age range has dropped considerably.

 

I agree with Paul that it's the cruise line as opposed to specific ships which matter. Still the Marina offers many things that the Spirit will not and vice versa. You need to decide which is most important to you.