2013 Summer Cruises

[caroak]

Any idea of when they will be announced? We are interested in a Baltic cruise in June or July, 2013.

[LHT28]

Maybe in March or April 2012

[caroak]

If that's the case, I'm surprised. Crystal has already released their Baltic cruises for summer 2013 although they have not yet released the fares.

[Paulchili]

If that's the case, I'm surprised. Crystal has already released their Baltic cruises for summer 2013 although they have not yet released the fares.

 

It's not that surprising. Azamara has their schedule out for the entire 2013 season, Celebrity has some of it.

This is how Oceania has always done it.

[caroak]

I have to wonder why Oceania would not want to be as early announcing their itineraries as some of their competitors.:confused:

[Paulchili]

I have to wonder why Oceania would not want to be as early announcing their itineraries as some of their competitors.:confused:

 

Because they don't have to?

They have a very loyal following and sell out most sailings easily at status quo.

When things change, they may have to change as well.

JMO.

[LHT28]

I have to wonder why Oceania would not want to be as early announcing their itineraries as some of their competitors.:confused:

JMO

While we love Oceania I do not think they are competitors with Crystal

they may hope to lure some Crystal cruisers but .... it is a different market

[Paulchili]

JMO

While we love Oceania I do not think they are competitors with Crystal

they may hope to lure some Crystal cruisers but .... it is a different market

 

True, but they are definitely competitors with Azamara.

Azamara has to "try harder" a la Avis (#2 syndrome?)

[LHT28]

True, but they are definitely competitors with Azamara.

This is true

[caroak]

We've only taken two cruises -- Crystal and Oceania -- and I agree Crystal is a different market but not a huge difference and they were both competing for our Med cruise. We chose Oceania for our second cruise based on the itinerary but would definitely return to Crystal. Aside from the fare difference, and now that Crystal will include alcohol and wine in 2012 is less than in the past, we would definitely return to Crystal for better service, particularly in the MDR and pool area, food, with the exception of the speciality restaurants, and shipboard activities especially if there were more than one sea day. That being said, we would also definitely return to Oceania and would consider the Marina. We'll look at our options for a Baltic 2013 cruise and see which itinerary would work best for us. We haven't yet reached the stage where we just cruise for the sake of cruising. It's still all about the destinations.

[sailfar]

Because they don't have to?

They have a very loyal following and sell out most sailings easily at status quo.

When things change, they may have to change as well.

JMO.

 

Maybe with the European economy as it is, perhaps they will consider earlier booking dates. They might want more early bookings. We have dates already on our calendar for 2012 and 2013. We are looking for back to back European cruises. As posted on this site, some sailings are already available on other lines. We want to nail things down, but are frustrated that the two cruise lines, Oceania and Regent, that we would like to book have not posted their June/July 2013 intineries.

 

We are hoping that the Oceania or Regent 2013 summer plans come out in January or early February.

[JimandStan]

We've only taken two cruises -- Crystal and Oceania -- and I agree Crystal is a different market but not a huge difference and they were both competing for our Med cruise. We chose Oceania for our second cruise based on the itinerary but would definitely return to Crystal. Aside from the fare difference, and now that Crystal will include alcohol and wine in 2012 is less than in the past, we would definitely return to Crystal for better service, particularly in the MDR and pool area, food, with the exception of the speciality restaurants, and shipboard activities especially if there were more than one sea day. That being said, we would also definitely return to Oceania and would consider the Marina. We'll look at our options for a Baltic 2013 cruise and see which itinerary would work best for us. We haven't yet reached the stage where we just cruise for the sake of cruising. It's still all about the destinations.

 

If we are comparing Standard cabin to Standard cabin, I guess that I would have to agree with you.

In a Suite, however, Oceania has the upper hand. On Crystal, one cannot "order in" from a specialty restaurant, and their entire In Suite dining operation is decidedly room-service-ish.........nothing like the course by course experience on Oceania.

[cruzmaven]

Any idea of when they will be announced? We are interested in a Baltic cruise in June or July, 2013.

 

 

Frankly, I'd be more interested in hearing some assurances from Oceania that when they do post itineraries that they are not going to make significant changes in them prior to sailing:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1501240

 

and that the ships are going to be able to complete the itineraries as advertised and not experience reduced times in port because of scheduled maintenance or other matters that should be anticipated and planned for.

 

I love the Oceania experience once we're on the ship but some of the problems that have been reported this year have given me pause.

[caroak]

We also have concerns regarding Oceania because of all the recent complaints regarding 11th hour port changes. On our May cruise we didn't have any port changes but did arrive in Amalfi later than scheduled. However, there was a docking change of which we were never informed. Instead of docking in Monte Carlo, we docked at the Port of Fontvieille, Monaco, and I doubt many passengers even knew it existed because the other main docking port in the area is Villefranche. We were never informed of the change the night before and if there was an announcement in the morning we never heard it. We didn't find out where we were until we were off the ship. We had a private guide booked and fortunately we had a cell phone and were able to reach her with the change. She is one of the most popular guides in the area and was surprised by the docking situation. Oceania claimed the change was because there were many mega-yachts docked in Monte Carlo because of the pre-Grand Prix weekend and also the Cannes Film Festival. I find it hard to believe that a cruise ship that had a docking booked at least a year in advance would be bumped for even a mega-yacht and with not even enough advance notice to inform its passengers.

[PaulMCO]

Frankly, I'd be more interested in hearing some assurances from Oceania that when they do post itineraries that they are not going to make significant changes in them prior to sailing:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1501240

 

and that the ships are going to be able to complete the itineraries as advertised and not experience reduced times in port because of scheduled maintenance or other matters that should be anticipated and planned for.

 

I love the Oceania experience once we're on the ship but some of the problems that have been reported this year have given me pause.

 

 

We are on the cruise you cited and agree 100%. Also there seems to be a real lack of communication.

 

Also not mentioned in this is our issue with vaccinations required for this cruise. Oceania insisted that Yellow Fever was required. Despite a letter to the fact that the CDC and WHO did not require these, Oceania insisted that they were required. Now after going through the expense and risk of getting these shots, Oceania sent out a letter through our TA 40 days before the cruise saying after doing some investigations Yellow Fever is not required. Dugh -- people at Oceania HQs need to get their act together.

 

If I did not know better I think that they are run by the team of Moe, Larry and Curly.

[Senior Citizen]

It seems as though all these strange situations have been occurring just in the last year. In April/May, we were on a cruise that had us docking in Haifa for 2 days and then Ashdod for 1 day. Then, the itinerary changed because of Jewish holidays. At that point, we were going to spend 1 day in Haifa and 1 day in Ashdod and they added a day in Sharm El Sheikh. You would have thought that the scheduler would have checked Israel's calendar for special holidays, etc. before publishing the original itinerary! Due to the unrest in Egypt, we ended up with 1 day in Haifa and 2 days in Ashdod---which was perfect.

 

In July, at 9 pm on the night before we were to be in Flam/Gudvangen, Norway, the captain came on the PA and announced that we would not be spending the afternoon in Gudvangen---we would be spending the entire day in Flam. We had a private excursion booked in Gudvangen which had to be canceled due to the lateness of the announcement. When did the captain learn that we would not be able to go to Gudvangen? At 8:30 that night???

 

And then there was the itinerary in August for Alaska where O canceled our port call in Victoria. A lot of people became very angry because that was one of the highlights of the itinerary and why people booked with O rather than other lines which ran similar itineraries but did not go to Victoria. In the end, O was able to put Victoria back in but that meant changing the dates for all the other ports of call.

 

This points to poor planning on someone's part. We have taken over 20 cruises, most of them on Oceania, and never had these situations occur before on any cruise line. I can understand when there is a storm or civil unrest but I can't understand when it happens due to a major holiday or a fjord being too narrow or shallow for a ship...shouldn't someone check things out before publishing an itinerary????

[rallydave]

We are on the cruise you cited and agree 100%. Also there seems to be a real lack of communication.

 

 

If I did not know better I think that they are run by the team of Moe, Larry and Curly.

Hey Paul, saw your names on the Amsterdam World Cruise for 2013 and here I see you are on Celebrity at the same time. My DW and I just booked the full world cruise and were hoping to meet you on there.

 

At this point, which cruise are you planning on??

 

Thanks,

 

Dave

[LHT28]

We also have concerns regarding Oceania because of all the recent complaints regarding 11th hour port changes. On our May cruise we didn't have any port changes but did arrive in Amalfi later than scheduled. However, there was a docking change of which we were never informed. Instead of docking in Monte Carlo, we docked at the Port of Fontvieille, Monaco, and I doubt many passengers even knew it existed because the other main docking port in the area is Villefranche. We were never informed of the change the night before and if there was an announcement in the morning we never heard it. We didn't find out where we were until we were off the ship. We had a private guide booked and fortunately we had a cell phone and were able to reach her with the change. She is one of the most popular guides in the area and was surprised by the docking situation. Oceania claimed the change was because there were many mega-yachts docked in Monte Carlo because of the pre-Grand Prix weekend and also the Cannes Film Festival. I find it hard to believe that a cruise ship that had a docking booked at least a year in advance would be bumped for even a mega-yacht and with not even enough advance notice to inform its passengers.

 

The port authority has the final say & things can change quickly if they decide to change the port the Captain has to obey .

This is the case with any cruise ship not just Oceania

 

The mega Yachts may have more pull than a cruise ship....money talks :D

[PaulMCO]

Hey Paul, saw your names on the Amsterdam World Cruise for 2013 and here I see you are on Celebrity at the same time. My DW and I just booked the full world cruise and were hoping to meet you on there.

 

At this point, which cruise are you planning on??

 

Thanks,

 

Dave

 

Sorry Dave -- we changed a month ago. Had to cancel the world cruise because of work issues.

[Kissing Seahorses]

Jim&Stan,

 

FYI-On Crystal, one can order meals from the specialty restaurants if you are in any of the accomodations that have butler service (Penthouse, Penthouse Suite and Crystal Penthouse). The meals are served by the butler and can be served in courses if that is your preference. In the non-butler accomodations, the service is either from the MDR or off-hours the limited room service menu and served by your stewardess (not in courses) which is not the best arrangement as they are also responsible for turn down service, etc in the evenings.

 

The real benefit of Oceania suites over Crystal suites (excepting the Crystal Penthouse) is the relative size and "bang for the buck" of the suites on Oceania (at least on Marina and Riviera)

[JimandStan]

Jim&Stan,

 

FYI-On Crystal, one can order meals from the specialty restaurants if you are in any of the accomodations that have butler service (Penthouse, Penthouse Suite and Crystal Penthouse). The meals are served by the butler and can be served in courses if that is your preference. In the non-butler accomodations, the service is either from the MDR or off-hours the limited room service menu and served by your stewardess (not in courses) which is not the best arrangement as they are also responsible for turn down service, etc in the evenings.

 

The real benefit of Oceania suites over Crystal suites (excepting the Crystal Penthouse) is the relative size and "bang for the buck" of the suites on Oceania (at least on Marina and Riviera)

 

Strange, we were told exactly the opposite -by our butler on Crystal :eek:, although I'll grant you that the cruise in question was three years ago.

 

Upon our return to the States we told the TA that we were using at the time, (who specialized in Crystal) why we would be returning to Oceania, and she confirmed that Crystal was not catering to the Suites from the specialties.

 

If that policy has indeed changed, I'm rather surprised that we have not heard back from her.

[nancygp]

Jimandstan,

 

Kissing Seahorses information is correct and has been for several years.

 

Nancy