vakamalua Posted October 9, 2011 #1 Share Posted October 9, 2011 We are thinking of taking our first Oceania cruise on the Nautica in 2012. I see lots of discussion on the board of the other ships but nothing of the Nautica. Can anyone with recent experiences tell us about that ship? Is it in good shape? How is the food and, especially the service? There are a number of sea days on the itinerary we're looking at; is it a comfortable ship for relaxing at sea? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capecodder2 Posted October 9, 2011 #2 Share Posted October 9, 2011 The Nautica, Regatta, and Insignia are identical. We have cruised on all 3 9 times in the past 6 years. As long as you understand what a ship with 680 passengers can offer, you will be fine. I have found that the service, food, and ambiance on all 3 ships to be pretty much the same. Perhaps others will disagree with me. We have also found crew to be some of the same people on all 3 depending on when their contracts are and what is available. We always look forward to seeing who is on board we have had before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted October 10, 2011 #3 Share Posted October 10, 2011 With all the hype about the Marina and Riviera, the R ships are just not the focus of discussion. We were on the Nautica in January and will sail her again in May. We loved the ship, the staff and the service. We had 4 sea days and enjoyed them as well. The Nautica and her sister R ships do not have a lot of bells and whistles but I am sure you will have a wonderful experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cat Posted October 10, 2011 #4 Share Posted October 10, 2011 We have made 6 cruises on the Nautica and obviously like her. She is, as noted, a small ship and often sails into exotic ports of call. Our next trip in February 2012 is to the Far East, stopping in the Philippines and Indonesia to name a few ports. Staff and food are excellent. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmp22 Posted October 10, 2011 #5 Share Posted October 10, 2011 I'm also thinking of sailing the Nautica in Asia probably in 2013 - I know way too early, but one must carefully plan a 25 day cruise :) Can anyone share pros/cons and helpful tips? This will be our first O cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddmel Posted October 10, 2011 #6 Share Posted October 10, 2011 "I'm also thinking of sailing the Nautica in Asia probably in 2013 - I know way too early, but one must carefully plan a 25 day cruise :) Can anyone share pros/cons and helpful tips? This will be our first O cruise." We have taken two O Asia cruises and would recommend a couple of days at a pre-cruise hotel. We did this in Beijing and Singapore. This was great to acclimate to the time changes. Also, consult "weatherbase.com" for the various weather conditions you will encounter on your trip. You may also want to consider bringing a face mask when you visit Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) as the many, many motor bikes there create quite an atmosphehe. We also went into town there on our own and had a great time (and shopping). Overall, we had teriffic and memorable experiences .. and we took the O shore excursions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmp22 Posted October 10, 2011 #7 Share Posted October 10, 2011 We have taken two O Asia cruises and would recommend a couple of days at a pre-cruise hotel. We did this in Beijing and Singapore. This was great to acclimate to the time changes. Also, consult "weatherbase.com" for the various weather conditions you will encounter on your trip. You may also want to consider bringing a face mask when you visit Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) as the many, many motor bikes there create quite an atmosphehe. We also went into town there on our own and had a great time (and shopping). Overall, we had teriffic and memorable experiences .. and we took the O shore excursions. Thanks for the tip! I'll feel silly wearing the mask, but you're right...smog and fumes look terrible in some photos I've seen. The cruise we're looking at leaves Beijing so we'll plan on heading out there a few days early to get in a trip to the Great Wall and a couple of other sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruinbob95 Posted October 11, 2011 #8 Share Posted October 11, 2011 We sailed the Mediterranean on the Nautica in 2009 and Alaska on the Regatta in 2011. I was amazed at how consistent the amenities and the service was between the two ships. We had LOVED our trip on the Nautica and I wondered if we just had a particularly good crew or if the ship had recently been refurbished. Much to my delight, everything was just as "ship-shape" on the Regattta. Oceania gets high marks in my mind for consistency of service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCNslr Posted October 16, 2011 #9 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Hi, Just completed 12 days on Nautica Athens to IST and it was fabulous. Only drawback (that has been mentioned by others) is seating in the GDR if you are under the dome, it is difficult to have a conversation since it is so loud. Crew are as good as Cunard's Queen's grill staf:)f, library is superb, easy to embark, disembark, ship handles well in strong seas, fellow passengers are very sociable, and, yes, wait for it - Oceania's tours were very good! Go and enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katz Posted October 16, 2011 #10 Share Posted October 16, 2011 We have sailed once on Nautica, 12 nights-Venice to Athens. The ship is beautiful and well kept. We felt that the service and food was exceptional. The only cons I can think of is the size of the ship if you have sea sickness issues and the lack of entertainment, if that is something that you are looking for. There wasn't a lot to do on the sea days. But with such port-intensive itineraries, a quiet day is looked forward to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmp22 Posted October 16, 2011 #11 Share Posted October 16, 2011 The size of the ship is what I find a positive for sure. Hate to be herded around like cattle! Entertainment has never been a draw for us either...I think cruising with O will be a good fit for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lahore Posted October 22, 2011 #12 Share Posted October 22, 2011 We've done a 20 day and a 36 day cruise on Nautica and in May next year we have 45 days (Hong Kong to Barcelona). It's a wonderful ship, feels like home, decor is sophisticated and well maintained, food is very good to fabulous (even in the buffet), staff are friendly and service is excellent but unobtrusive, love the country club casual (classy but not pretentious) and there are quiet spots to hang out in private (we don't have balcony cabins). Obviously I love Nautica. What we don't cruise for is the entertainment or the casino. We are there for the ports and the ocean and sunning and swimming. As a fan of ethnic/world/folk music there is very little on any cruise ship in the way of entertainment that I enjoy although Oceania do tend to get some outstanding local performers on board at times (and by that I don't mean 'native dancers in plastic palm fronds :cool:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannaberetired Posted October 25, 2011 #13 Share Posted October 25, 2011 My husband and I just sailed Nautica on 9/17 Athens to Istanbul. Great ship - smaller than the bigger cruise lines but we liked that. True, entertainment is not the priority on Nautica but the crew is wonderful and so nice. The food is out of this world and the ship is run extremely efficiently. One thing - if you want to spend a lot of time at the pool, it is smaller on the Nautica than on their larger ships, however, there are plenty of lounge chairs. The country club casual dress is awesome. You never really have to dress up, though I did wear a nicer dress when eating at Toscana or Polo Grill. Men do not have to wear a suit and tie and really dont' even need a jacket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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