nmeola Posted July 14, 2011 #1 Share Posted July 14, 2011 We have been on many celebrity cruises most recently Equinox. We will be celebrating our 50th anniversary and thinking of Oceania. Can anyone comment who has been on both lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted July 14, 2011 #2 Share Posted July 14, 2011 If you look on the top right there is a "search" feature Just put in Oceania VS Celebrity you should get lots of other threads discussing the differences Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted July 14, 2011 #3 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I enjoy both lines. We tend to alternate (as you can see in my signature). Main differences as I see it - O -- more sophisticated fellow cruisers, more affluent, better educated, well traveled. On the R ships, a more intimate feeling. You get to know almost everyone on board. No formal nights. C -- more diverse crowd, more onboard activities, great entertainment, wonderful music everywhere and lots of opportunities for dancing. Best value at sea IMO. Specialty restaurants outstanding. We enjoy both Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imagineer Posted July 14, 2011 #4 Share Posted July 14, 2011 ...they're both great cruise lines, but the "flavor" of each is quite different, as has been already pointed out, Oceania is a lot more intimate with much smaller ships, and you do get to know your fellow passengers as you bump into them quite a lot during your travels around the ship. We sailed on one of Celebrities smallest ships, the Mercury, and that was too big for our liking when compared to Oceania's R class ships. The Marina class ships are probably closer in feel to what you'll experience with the newer Celebrity ships. Both have great food, but I have to give a definite nod to Oceania in the area of fine cuisine, you are free on Oceania to sit where you wish, when you wish, and you don't need to bring the tux and gowns with you in order to eat in the dining room, can't say that for Celebrity... ...you also get the feeling that you start to "know" the crew on the smaller ship, something we quite enjoyed, and I never felt lost because it was so easier to navigate the smaller ship. On the Mercury, we found ourselves consulting the directory quite often to find our way... ...but if you find a great itinerary at a great price, Celebrity is one of the better ways to go, you'll enjoy yourself, you just may enjoy yourself that much more on an Oceania cruise... cheers, the Imagineer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nparmelee Posted July 14, 2011 #5 Share Posted July 14, 2011 We've done 1 Princess cruise (family trip to Alaska), 1 Celebrity and 2 Oceania. We prefer Oceania over Celebrity for a few reasons Smaller ship size We think the food is better on O, but this is very subjective More individualized service, in our experience More included with cruise fare like specialty coffees, specialty restaurants, etc. For us, itinerary is usually our top priority, O usually has the itineraries that appeal to us the most. If it comes down to nearly identical itins, then a smaller ship would get our first look. At the moment O is definitely our preferred line. Celebrity ships in general will generally have more planned activities and bigger production entertainment, if that is important to you, it should be taken in to account. We tend to do port intensive cruises and those items are not important to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted July 14, 2011 #6 Share Posted July 14, 2011 As you can see in my signature, we cruise a lot on a number of different lines... Our next three cruises coming up are Oceania, then two on Celebrity... The main material differences are easy to note: Oceania has smaller ships, no formal nights, all open seating... Then there are a number of minor differences which are largely immaterial to me--such as Oceania's specialty restaurants have no additional charge (of course, I like at all fees, charges and other costs in the greater scheme of "it's not really free--it's blended into the price"...but, if you don't like that hassle of an additional charge, it may be important to you)... Entertainment is a bit better on Celebrity... I enjoy the food on both lines...but I think Oceania is definitely the best food afloat...and, yes, of course, it's subjective... But, what it really comes down to is that BOTH lines offer an excellent product... As to the things that I value most on a cruise (and others may have different values, criteria, standards and desires)--spacious, uncrowded ships whatever the size, excellent food and service, an elegant feel (and elegance doesn't necessarily mean wearing tuxedos for formal nights--it's the overall atmosphere), excellent itineraries, comfortable accommodations...BOTH lines offer me what I want...Both are different, but both are danged good at delivering me the cruise experience I prefer... Of course, if I want entertainment and excitement or I'm travelling with kids, then Royal Caribbean becomes the top option...and I've cruised other lines for very specific reasons--the right itinerary being offered at the right time and from the right port to fit into my schedule... But, for the cruise that fits ME best, I'm usually deciding between Oceania and Celebrity...and what usually sways me is the itinerary...Oceania's itineraries are quite varied and interesting. The smaller ships are able to utilize some ports big ships cannot fit into... Our Marina itinerary next month is incredible in the unusual and out of the ordinary ports it visits...When we cruised the Mediterranean on Nautica the summer before last, the itinerary was near perfect in doing a very interesting route--including Tunesia, Malta, Egypt, Israel et al. So, if what your looking for for that special 50th anniversary and you've done all of the typical Celebrity itineraries, I'd say, come find an new and unusual itinerary with Oceania...I think you will enjoy it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuAnn Posted July 14, 2011 #7 Share Posted July 14, 2011 cruise both...and Celebrity is our favorite "mass market line" and have cruised on several S class ships.....(BTW..I don't really like that mass market term...but seems to be used here on CC)...having said that...I would agree that you should try O...I think you will fall in love with the product...and it would be perfect for your very special anniversary...and congrats on 50 years..!! That is just awesome!! LuAnn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelmac Posted July 14, 2011 #8 Share Posted July 14, 2011 We huge fans of Celebrity -- perhaps the best "bang for the buck" at sea! If you want to try something different, I think most X fans would really enjoy an Oceania cruise. --smaller ships, with limited entertainment. --over the top excellent cuisine. --country club casual in all venues. --open seating, however, we were able to arrange the same table, with the same wait staff every evening. All of our wait staff was ex-Celebrity people. --port intensive cruises; able to get into smaller ports. --great space ratio and an excellent crew to passenger ratio. --very restrictive smoking policy; even better than Celebrity's policy. --no children (for the most part). Oceania can be expensive, some times twice the cost of a Celebrity cruise. The cabins are pretty small on the R class ships, but well cared for and the cabin stewards are top notch. We are ready to book another Oceania cruise!:) Kel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billie5 Posted July 15, 2011 #9 Share Posted July 15, 2011 I don't really like that mass market term...but seems to be used here on CC I think better terminology would be "mainstream" cruise lines, versus "premium" for the likes of Oceania, Azamara, etc., and "luxury" for the Seaborns, Radisson Seven Seas, Crystals, ..... Frommer's, for example, uses "mainstream." Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted July 15, 2011 #10 Share Posted July 15, 2011 I think better terminology would be "mainstream" cruise lines, Bill Or maybe "meat market" :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted July 15, 2011 #11 Share Posted July 15, 2011 LOLOL Mainstream? I've never been "mainstream" anything. Very misleading IMO I think a better characterization is by price -- because that is ALL that distinguishes them -- and then you get what you pay for. The amenities we are all comparing flow from the pricepoint. Luxury Crystal/Regent Premium O/A Moderate HAL, PRincess/C Budget Carnival/NCL The "meatmarket" comment is pretty offensive. I disagree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted July 15, 2011 #12 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Gee... How about this classification then: Pompous: Seabourn, Crystal, Regent, Silverseas, etc. Moderately snooty: Oceania, Azamara Swanky: Celebrity, HAL Lackluster: Princess Children's Zoo: Royal Caribbean Cheap: NCL, Costa Frat House: Carnival :D Seriously? A lot of the classification comes from cruise lines trying to position and market themselves... To me, you've really got two larger groups: "Small ship lines" and "Large ship lines"...It is not really a matter of cost...You can pay as much for a Carnival cruise as for a Celebrity cruise and you don't nearly get the same experience...You may pay a lot less for an Oceania or Azamara cruise thatm you would for Seabourn or Silverseas and the differences are definitely not in line with the difference in price... All cruise lines differ at some point... But all do a lot of the same basic things: They give you a room, meals, entertainment, service and they take you from port to port...the concept doesn't vary that much... And you really cannot put them into two or three groups for most people...Everyone has a different group of cruise lines that they might consider when booking a cruise--and it may well NOT be restricted to one of those croups people like to throw together...There are a lot of people who may consider a few cruise lines that overlap certain groups...Someone may be a prime customer for Celebrity and HAL--along with Oceania and Azamara --but not willing to consider other "mass market" lines like Carnival, Costa and NCL... So grouping is meaningless... And, even that small/large ship thing is being blurred...It's easy to distinguish cruising on a ship like the 222,000 gross ton Allure of the Seas from cruising on the 30,000 gross ton Nautica...but, where is the major distinction between cruising on a 65,000 gross ton Marina and a 70,000 gross ton Celebrity Century? Yes, I do know the specific distingtions between the lines, but I am talking here about distinguishing between cruise lines on the basis of the size of the ships... I, myself, tend to categorize as "luxury" any cruise line I am unwilling to pay for...but, as we have seen in recent pricing, the price line between Oceania and Regent has narrowed considerably...So, are they really both in the SAME category? Maybe the answer is to just consider each cruise line as its own category... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted July 15, 2011 #13 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Gee...How about this classification then: Pompous: Seabourn, Crystal, Regent, Silverseas, etc. Moderately snooty: Oceania, Azamara Swanky: Celebrity, HAL Lackluster: Princess Children's Zoo: Royal Caribbean Cheap: NCL, Costa Frat House: Carnival :D Seriously? A lot of the classification comes from cruise lines trying to position and market themselves... To me, you've really got two larger groups: "Small ship lines" and "Large ship lines"...It is not really a matter of cost...You can pay as much for a Carnival cruise as for a Celebrity cruise and you don't nearly get the same experience...You may pay a lot less for an Oceania or Azamara cruise thatm you would for Seabourn or Silverseas and the differences are definitely not in line with the difference in price... All cruise lines differ at some point... But all do a lot of the same basic things: They give you a room, meals, entertainment, service and they take you from port to port...the concept doesn't vary that much... And you really cannot put them into two or three groups for most people...Everyone has a different group of cruise lines that they might consider when booking a cruise--and it may well NOT be restricted to one of those croups people like to throw together...There are a lot of people who may consider a few cruise lines that overlap certain groups...Someone may be a prime customer for Celebrity and HAL--along with Oceania and Azamara --but not willing to consider other "mass market" lines like Carnival, Costa and NCL... So grouping is meaningless... And, even that small/large ship thing is being blurred...It's easy to distinguish cruising on a ship like the 222,000 gross ton Allure of the Seas from cruising on the 30,000 gross ton Nautica...but, where is the major distinction between cruising on a 65,000 gross ton Marina and a 70,000 gross ton Celebrity Century? Yes, I do know the specific distingtions between the lines, but I am talking here about distinguishing between cruise lines on the basis of the size of the ships... I, myself, tend to categorize as "luxury" any cruise line I am unwilling to pay for...but, as we have seen in recent pricing, the price line between Oceania and Regent has narrowed considerably...So, are they really both in the SAME category? Maybe the answer is to just consider each cruise line as its own category... I think you are quite correct -- the problem is, many cruisers are obsessed by the categorization -- check out some of the threads on the Regent boards. LOL Like you, if I book it, it's a good thing. I can enjoy myself no matter where I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted July 15, 2011 #14 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Gee...How about this classification then: Pompous: Seabourn, Crystal, Regent, Silverseas, etc. Moderately snooty: Oceania, Azamara Swanky: Celebrity, HAL Lackluster: Princess Children's Zoo: Royal Caribbean Cheap: NCL, Costa Frat House: Carnival :D . Not bad, except that IMO you are too kind to Celebrity/HAL (as compared to the lines above them) :) Definitely agree with the last 3 :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted July 15, 2011 #15 Share Posted July 15, 2011 And I disagree with the first. I am a long time Seabourn and Silversea sailor and have never found them pompous. You'll get the same ratio of pompous people on Carnival as you will on Seabourn. The only difference is they are wearing wet t shirts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuAnn Posted July 15, 2011 #16 Share Posted July 15, 2011 I think better terminology would be "mainstream" cruise lines, versus "premium" for the likes of Oceania, Azamara, etc., and "luxury" for the Seaborns, Radisson Seven Seas, Crystals, ..... Frommer's, for example, uses "mainstream." Bill I really like that term ...and think that "fills the bill" better!!! LuAnn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuAnn Posted July 15, 2011 #17 Share Posted July 15, 2011 didn't mean to "stir the pot" with my comment of "Mass Market Line"...but it did bring out some interesting comments!! ;) LuAnn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted July 15, 2011 #18 Share Posted July 15, 2011 And I disagree with the first. I am a long time Seabourn and Silversea sailor and have never found them pompous. You'll get the same ratio of pompous people on Carnival as you will on Seabourn. The only difference is they are wearing wet t shirts. Ummmmmmmm... Did you miss the "smiley"??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmgmd50 Posted July 16, 2011 #19 Share Posted July 16, 2011 We have never sailed on either but are going on O Marina to Italy in October by ourselves, then taking our children and grandchildren on Celebrity Solstice in March. It is more family friendly than O as far as I understand without being a "zoo" like RCL or Carnival. Can someone tell me if I can get away with just a blue blazer on Celebrity for dinner? I am happy that O is country club casual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted July 16, 2011 #20 Share Posted July 16, 2011 We have never sailed on either but are going on O Marina to Italy in October by ourselves, then taking our children and grandchildren on Celebrity Solstice in March. It is more family friendly than O as far as I understand without being a "zoo" like RCL or Carnival. Can someone tell me if I can get away with just a blue blazer on Celebrity for dinner? I am happy that O is country club casual. On Celebrity, for 5 nights on a 7 night cruise, for 11 on a 14 night cruise, you don't need a jacket of any kind...slacks and a sports shirt are sufficient...The other 2 or 3 nights, depending on the length of the cruise are "formal nights"...What is called for is a tuxedo or a dark suit...but you might be able to get away with a black or dark blue blazer or sports coat and appropriate dark colored slacks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAV Posted July 16, 2011 #21 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Gee...How about this classification then: Pompous: Seabourn, Crystal, Regent, Silverseas, etc. Moderately snooty: Oceania, Azamara Swanky: Celebrity, HAL Lackluster: Princess Children's Zoo: Royal Caribbean Cheap: NCL, Costa Frat House: Carnival :D LOL!!! We generally sail Celebrity or Crystal, however next year are giving Oceania a try. So I guess that makes us moderately swanky pompous?? :D:D:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted July 16, 2011 #22 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Sorry, Steve. I did miss the smiley. I am flogging myself as I write. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billie5 Posted July 17, 2011 #23 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Luxury Crystal/Regent Premium O/A Moderate HAL, PRincess/C Budget Carnival/NCL So you are giving exactly the same alignment, except subdividing the mainstream lines into moderate and budget? Sure, why not. I can think of lots of other ways to subdivide the mainstreams, as well. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare fb0075 Posted July 18, 2011 #24 Share Posted July 18, 2011 So what about entertainment?? We enjoy shows and a good band--not ball room dancing ,etc. after 95 cruises on C and Rccl and also princess and Hal, I have booked the SA crossing to Europe on the Insignia last Voyage (this also concerns me) I enjoyed thr R ships way back when but dont remember the comments about nothing to do at night-- THANKS FRANK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribbeansun Posted July 18, 2011 #25 Share Posted July 18, 2011 Sorry but other than the internet speed/cost I'd say the lack of entertainment ranks at the top of the negatives for the line, at least on the R ships. So what about entertainment?? We enjoy shows and a good band--not ball room dancing ,etc. after 95 cruises on C and Rccl and also princess and Hal, I have booked the SA crossing to Europe on the Insignia last Voyage (this also concerns me) I enjoyed thr R ships way back when but dont remember the comments about nothing to do at night-- THANKS FRANK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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