Want to try..

[Denisern2]

I have wanted to try Oceania for some time. Quick Question what is the main difference for the higher price between Oceania and Celebrity. What is the main Perk/Perks for the Price.

[cathi]

Off the top of my head - the main difference may be that Oceania usually includes air in their advertised pricing where Celebrity does not. Depending on where in the world you are looking at it can add quite a bit to the price.

 

Perk/perks - is harder to answer. Oceania has smaller ships than Celebrity which some like and others not. Having just come from being on Marina and being a Coke addict, not having to pay for it was nice but not a deal breaker.

 

It all really comes down to what you are looking for and what's really important to you.

[LHT28]

I have never sailed on X

There are some things on Oceania that are included that are not on the mainstream lines

 

Sodas, specialty coffees, bottled water, specialty restaurants just to name a few

No formal nights, No children's programs, limited smoking areas ( only 2 small areas) & the relaxed dress code ( not sloppy) are the reasons we like O

Food is subjective but most people find the food on O superior to the mainstream lines

I do not know how to explain the feeling of an Oceania cruise experience in words but it is worth the extra $$ for us

YMMV

 

Just nice people & crew

 

Lyn

[eddmel]

Difficult to precisely quantify the factors for the price differential as individual preferences enter in to it. But, having been on X I can offer some opinion.

 

X seemed more crowded especially at breakfast ... thought I might be near a subway at rush hour. IMHO the food on O can't be beat ... was not impressed with the deserts on X. Cabin steward on X tried hard but was not near our experience on O.

 

In sum, we tried X and now only book O.

[no fuss travel]

Better service on Oceania. The room stewards have more rooms to clean on X then the room stewards do on Oceania. I felt the food was better on Oceania. No formal nights which I really enjoyed. No one taking pictures all the time. I would sail X again but hopefully will not have a cabin on the same floor as their cigar bar. It was supposed to have been a no smoking cabin but the stench from the cigar bar permeated the entire deck.

[Denisern2]

Thank you, I am taking my Mom on a med cruise. I have an Aqua balcony on Celeb at present. Even with counting in airfare O is about 1,600 more per person with two less days. I want her to have an amazing time, so I really appreciate the feedback. I think I will watch the fares for a bit as I can Cancel X up to 90 days prior to sailing.

[Paulchili]

FWIW,

BruinSteve has done several comparisons specifically between these two lines as he seems to sail on these two most often.

Of hand I do not remember which thread, but perhaps a search for this would help.

[neepawa]

Although it has been some time since we sailed on Celebrity, we enjoyed the experience but now prefer Oceania for the food, the country club casual dress code, the limited smoking, the no charge alternate dining and the outstanding service throughout the ship.

 

If you want a port intensive Med cruise, we highly recommend Oceania.

 

Don

[cruzmaven]

In general the differences are Oceania has smaller ships (less passengers), better service, and better food. The Oceania R class ships have approximately 600 passengers, the Marina approximately 1,200. The Celebrity S Class ships have approximately 2,800 passengers. If your mother has mobility issues she will probably find getting around the Oceania ships (especially the R class ships) easier. On Oceania your meals in the specialty restaurants do not cost extra, and you'll get at least one dinner in each of the specialty restaurants.

 

Celebrity has better entertainment.

 

Aqua class on Celebrity is as close to an Oceania experience as you can get on a mainstream line, imo.

 

For a Med cruise, where you're going to be off the ship a lot, having less passengers competing with you to get on and off the ship is an advantage. If you're looking at an Oceania cruise on one of the smaller ships, they will possibly dock near the center of town.

 

In comparing prices, if you're not going to use O's included air, remember to deduct the air credit they will give you.

[ORV]

Better service on Oceania. The room stewards have more rooms to clean on X then the room stewards do on Oceania. I felt the food was better on Oceania. No formal nights which I really enjoyed. No one taking pictures all the time. I would sail X again but hopefully will not have a cabin on the same floor as their cigar bar. It was supposed to have been a no smoking cabin but the stench from the cigar bar permeated the entire deck.

 

I don't know when or which ship you sailed on with Celebrity but there are no longer any cigars bars on any of their ships. (I wish there were). The current arrangement is not right for cigar smokers or the people that don't want to smell it.

 

The M class originally had a cigar bar in Michael's Club, which is on deck 4, which has no cabins. The new S class ships never had a cigar bar. Maybe you were on an older ship. I don't know about them.

 

Celebrity also has limited smoking.

 

Having only been on Oceania once I've yet to be convinced about their superior cuisine. Maybe they'll change my mind on our upcoming cruise with them. I hope so. The main reason we're going with them again is the itinerary.

 

Personally I like them both. As the other poster mentioned, try to find Bruin Steve's comparison.

[canuck.qc]

Thank you, I am taking my Mom on a med cruise. I have an Aqua balcony on Celeb at present. Even with counting in airfare O is about 1,600 more per person with two less days. I want her to have an amazing time, so I really appreciate the feedback. I think I will watch the fares for a bit as I can Cancel X up to 90 days prior to sailing.

If I were taking my mom on a Med Cruise I would definitely choose O. Great itineraries to choose from, smaller ships, easy getting on + off, great dining at no extra cost. The shows are nothing special but the string musicians who play in the salon are fabulous...the casual dress and atmosphere also makes it a more restful experience for the more mature passenger. If you + Mom are into the organized activities and flashy shows that the larger main stream companies offer... you may be disappointed...the majority of O passengers are all tucked in by midnite!!!!!

[Mura]

My experience is limited here since we've mostly sailed on Oceania in recent years (with one NCL T/A in April 2010) but we did take my Mom with us on an Oceania cruise in 2004 and she just loved it. When she went up for breakfast, if she beat us there (and she usually did) the wait staff were falling over themselves to help her. This was important because she was diagnosed with Alzheimers shortly after we got home and sometimes she couldn't come up with the word for what she wanted. She also always found friends to talk to when she went up to tea or the spa.

 

She didn't bother leaving the ship the whole time.

 

I think you Mom would like the atmosphere on O based on my Mom's experience.

[pacheco18]

I sail both lines and continue to do so. They are completely different.

 

You will get more for your money on Celebrity (a far bigger cabin for less money -- a suite is often less than an Outside on O) and if cost matters you will not regret it. i think Celebrity is the best value at sea. Food is excellent (specialty restaurants are better than anything I have experience on O), the S class ships are gorgeous, entertainment is great and if you like the itinerary you can't go wrong.

 

O will cost you more but you will have a more upscale experience and a different demographic -- more affluent, better educated, well traveled. It is a more sophisticated experience as a whole. No formal nights is a bonus and the smaller size is very appealing.

[trina2]

[...]...the majority of O passengers are all tucked in by midnite!!!!!

And I thought that was because of the extremely comfy beds!! I would have bought mine if I could have.

[BillPizzaiolo]

I sail both lines and continue to do so. They are completely different.

O will cost you more but you will have a more upscale experience and a different demographic -- more affluent, better educated, well traveled. It is a more sophisticated experience as a whole. No formal nights is a bonus and the smaller size is very appealing.

 

Getting on and off is a big plus on the smaller ships in port intensive cruises. Meeting up with other like minded passengers on CC roll calls to book private tours are another big plus.

[nparmelee]

We've done both as well and prefer O when the itinerary is right, for us it usually is. Trying to decide our next trip now but have a few issues to work out first. O = smaller ships, we think better food (always subjective), better service (also subjective), much easier on/off for ports. X = better entertainment, more onboard amenities some of which cost such as specialty coffees. So, bottle water, non-alcoholic specialty coffees, alternate restaurants are no charge for O for the most part. Since the Med is typically very port intensive, find the itinerary you like best at the price you like and just go for it.

[cathi]

And I thought that was because of the extremely comfy beds!! I would have bought mine if I could have.

 

Of course it was the bed!!!! Never had such a comfy bed on a cruise ship!!!

 

One of the reasons we're in bed by midnight is simple. With port intensive itin's and having excursions booked for 8 am I need my sleep to see all that I can during the day!!!!!

[Bruin Steve]

I have wanted to try Oceania for some time. Quick Question what is the main difference for the higher price between Oceania and Celebrity. What is the main Perk/Perks for the Price.

 

Denise,

I think you've got a lot of good opinions so far so I am not sure what I can add...I'll just throw in a few notes...

 

First, if I catch the gist of your question, you're really looking most at the economics...

For this, it's most important to compare "apples and apples"...So, what you really want is a "bottom line" price on the basic cruise package...Oceania's fares include the air, Celebrity's don't--as has been pointed out...

So, get quotes based on...or put together a spread sheet...all of the same items: Cruise fare, air, fees and taxes...make sure you are not including things like transfers or insurance on one quote and not the other...So, yopu are either looking a the "cruise only" fare or the "cruise plus air total cost" the same with both...

 

Past this point, the things that are different in terms of basic cost are, for the most part, specialty restaurants and soft drinks/bottled water et al.--included on Oceania, extra on Celebrity...the difference in cost here may or may not be a factor depending on your frequency of use...If you go on Celebrity and eat several times in Specialty restaurants, those charges will mount...same if you order a lot of Cokes (of course, on Celebrity, you can also pre-pay for an non-alcoholic or alcoholic drink "package")...

 

That is really it in terms of basic cost items...though there may be some other hidden cost items--If you purchase pre- or post-cruise hotel packages, those tend to be a bit costlier on Oceania--though you can avoid the issue and save money either way if you book your own hotels independently. Also, Oceania's shore excursions tend to be slightly pricier than Celebrity's--again, depends on your usage. Book private tours and it is not a factor.

 

And that really is the entirety of difference cost-wise.

 

The other differences are with the cruise experience itself.

Oceania ships are a bit smaller...but, really neither is really more crowded than the other (It's just that people's perceptions are different)...For example, the Celebrity M-Class ships and the Oceania R-Ships both have space-per-passenger ratios right around 45...

 

Food is fairly subjective. IMHO, the food on Oceania is superior to the food on Celebrity--but BOTH are pretty good...It's like choosing between your favorite restaurant and another restaurant that you also like...

 

Service is pretty good on both lines--elegant, upscale...done right...One edge Celebrity has in dinner service is that, with traditional assigned tables, your waiters know you well--but some folks mirror that by requesting the same table and waiter for each dinner in the GDR on Oceania...

 

As has also been noted, there is a style difference in "traditional seating" ("X") versus "open seating" ("O") and formal nights (X) versus Casual dress every night (O)...but, that's not a cost thing, more of a preference thing...I do believe that Open seating, which does NOT work well on large ships like Princess or NCL, works extremely well on Oceania--largely due to the ample size of the GDR and the smaller number of passengers...You are less likely, actually highly unlikely, to ever wait for a table on O...and, with odd port times, you can always fit dinner into your schedule with ample time to get ready after returning from port.

 

Entertainment, if that is an important factor to you, is better on Celebrity--though Oceania is improving on the newer larger ships, they still lag in this department.

 

Celebrity tends to have a bit more nightlife and activity with Oceania being much quieter in the post-dinner hours.

 

Each line has its own little extras (Love the milk shakes and Malts on the pool deck on Oceania or the sorbet passed around on deck on sea days on X)...

 

IMHO, BOTH lines give you an excellent cruise experience--though different...Both are class acts...great people, top to bottom...We have had very personal atrtention from the crew on both lines--though, obviously, the larger the ship, the more difficult that is (It helps, I guess, with us on Celebrity that we are Elite Captains Club members)...

 

If you take this next cruise with Celebrity, I'd suggest, perhaps, you look for an attractive Oceania cruise for the following year...I have no problem going back and forth...as I said, they are both quality, enjoyable cruise products...

 

Good luck...