Question for Oceania Lovers

[E Heffa]

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your posts! I have been contemplating a cruise on one of the more luxurious cruise lines and Oceania has really stood out to me.

 

Just so I understand the vernacular, is an "R" ship an Oceania ship that starts with the letter "R" or are you referring to a different cruise line altogether?

 

My friend and I have reserved an interior stateroom on the Marina for the Sydney - Papeete next March. She still needs to make sure she can take the time off of work. When I told my boss that I was thinking about this trip, he offered to return to the office early (he spends the winter in Ft. Lauderdale) so I could make this journey!

 

Should we bite the bullet and go for a balcony cabin? Is it worth the extra cost to go for the Concierge Level balcony? This will be an early 40th birthday present to myself, so I'm inclined to go for the gusto and get the balcony...just need some input on concierge v. regular.

 

Regarding airfare, when I've cruised in the past, I've booked my own airfare, but then I haven't cruised out of Sydney or Papeete before. Would you recommend a deviation (a term I read on another thread) before cruise?

 

I was very glad to read that the alternative dining restaurants are included in the price. I couldn't decipher that in other threads or the literature.

 

Thank you for the input already and any additional input you can offer!

 

- Elaine

[spook1]

R ships are Renaissance Cruises which went under after 9/11 They were named R1 thru R8. Oceania bougtht two of them. All were nearly identicle but the lines which bought them have made modifications. These are small ships with approx. 680/700 guests. Marina and Riviera are new ships designed for Oceania.

Once you have had a balcony (veranda) you find it hard to settle for less. Your Sydney to Papette trip is perfect for veranda cruising in the tropics. That said and ocean view can be satisfactory if budget is a corncern depending on location and vista and window size.

Have a great cruise. You have earned it.

 

P.S. I saw R2 and R4 (or R3) tied up in Papette where they were siezed after going broke. Sad sight. I think Princess bought both plus R8.:cool:

[LHT28]

R ships are Renaissance Cruises which went under after 9/11 They were named R1 thru R8. Oceania bougtht two of them. All were nearly identicle but the lines which bought them have made modifications. These are small ships with approx. 680/700 guests

Actually they bought 3 of the ships Insignia is on lease to Haplag

Princess had 3 now 2 ..1 went to P & O

Azamara has 2

[LHT28]

Just so I understand the vernacular, is an "R" ship an Oceania ship that starts with the letter "R" or are you referring to a different cruise line altogether?

 

 

- Elaine

The R ships as explained above are the smaller ships (684 pax) of the Oceania fleet now Regatta & Nautica ..the "O Class" ships are the new ships Marina & Riveira (1250 PAX)

 

Confused yet ;)

 

Lyn

[E Heffa]

the r ships as explained above are the smaller ships (684 pax) of the oceania fleet now regatta & nautica ..the "o class" ships are the new ships marina & riveira (1250 pax)

 

confused yet ;)

 

lyn

lol

[JimandStan]

R1 Built by Renaissance Cruises in 1998, After the bankruptcy of that company she was sold to Cruiseinvest but laid up until 2003, when she was chartered to Oceania Cruises and renamed MS Insignia. In 2006 Oceania Cruises purchased the vessel. In April 2012 she was chartered to Hapag-Lloyd, and is now sailing as their Columbus 2.

 

R2 - Built for Renaissance Cruises in 1998. After the bankruptcy of that company she was sold to Cruiseinvest but laid up until 2002, when she was chartered to Oceania Cruises and renamed Insignia. She was renamed Regatta the following year. In 2006 Oceania Cruises purchased the vessel.

 

R3 - Built for Renaissance Cruises in 1999. After the bankruptcy of that company she was laid up until late 2002, when she was sold to Princess Cruises and renamed Pacific Princess.

 

R4 - Built for Renaissance Cruises in 1999. After the bankruptcy of that company she was laid up until late 2002, when she was sold to Princess Cruises and renamed Tahitian Princess The ship was renamed again to Ocean Princess in November 2009.

 

R5 - Built for Renaissance Cruises in 2000. After the bankruptcy of that company she was sold to Cruiseinvest but laid up until 2002, when she was chartered to Pullmantur Cruises under the marketing name Blue Dream. In 2005 the vessel was bought by Oceania Cruises and renamed Nautica.

 

R6 - Built for Renaissance Cruises in 2000. After the bankruptcy of that company she was sold to Cruiseinvest but laid up until 2003, when she was chartered to Pullmantur Cruises under the marketing name Blue Star. In 2005 she was renamed Blue Dream, and was sold to Pullmatur the following year. In 2007 she was transferred to the fleet of Azamara Cruises and renamed Azamara Journey.

 

R7 - Built for Renaissance Cruises in 2000. After the bankruptcy of that company she was sold to Cruiseinvest but laid up until 2003, when she was chartered to Delphin Seereisen under the name Delphin Renaissance. In 2006 she was sold to Pullmantur Cruises and was renamed Blue Moon. In 2007 she was transferred to the fleet of Azamara Cruises and renamed Azamara Quest.

 

R8 - Built for Renaissance Cruises in 2000. After the bankruptcy of that company she was sold to Cruiseinvest but laid up until 2003, when she was chartered to Swan Hellenic Cruises and renamed Minerva II. In 2006 she was sold to Princess Cruises but remained in Swan Hellenic service until April 2007, when she was transferred to Princess and renamed Royal Princess. In May 2011 she transferred to P&O Cruises and has been renamed Adonia.

[no fuss travel]

Wow, I am impressed with all this information. Where do you research it all from. I really enjoyed the Insignia this past February and we will probably sail the Nautica and Regatta sometime in the future when they sail into ports we wish to visit. Next cruise for us is the Marina again as we travel from Papeete to Sydney next February. Work is still a problem until December when we will be able to cruise at any time of the year and no longer have to worry about not having time off from work.:D

[Paulchili]

E Heffa,

You will be on an O class ship (larger than R class) - the beautiful Marina with the best food at sea (bar none, IMO).

She has relatively few Oceanview cabins and they are much desired as the window is huge (like a sliding balcony door without it opening) - if one of those is still available, get it.

Otherwise I would suggest a veranda cabin - no need for concierge class, IMO. Again, IMO, the extra benefits of Concierge class are not worth the extra money to us - they are worth it to others. Read about the extra benefits of Concierge vs non Concierge veranda and decide for yourself.

Air deviation would allow you to arrive several days before a cruise and leave several days after (highly recommended); it also may give you more control over which flights/airlines you fly - often at only minimal extra expense. You have to discuss this with your TA (who should be very familiar with Oceania - if they are not, find one who is).

Enjoy your cruise - you may never cruise on another line again.

[potterhill]

One of the benefits of Concierge class is free, err, complimentary shoe polish.

 

I wanted some brown shoe polish on our Regatta cruise is March to touch up Tonga the Turtle. Long story. Anyway I bought a huge carving in Tonga and then we realized we may not get him into Australia and thence to Canada.

 

Took him off the ship in New Caledonia in an effort to ship him home, to no avail. Got caught in a tremendous downpour, and he was looking sorely. I wanted to touch him up and make him spiffy for customs so tried to buy some polish on board. None to be had in the shop. I was told to ask the room steward. "Only for Concierge" I was told.

 

Fortunately some mucky muck Canadians who befriended us were sailing in Concierge Class so I asked them to get me some. (Hi Brudy & Juce!) Literally in two minutes they had it in hand. Painted Tonga up and we sailed through customs and he is resting in the Living Room.

 

So the moral of the story is that if you want shoe polish on board the ship, it cannot be had for any price unless you are in Concierge, or above!

 

If you choose to sail in a lower category, make sure you are all spit and polished before leaving home.....:D

 

Mo

[gillianrose]

Wow, I am impressed with all this information. Where do you research it all from.

 

It's on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Cruises

[E Heffa]

E Heffa,

You will be on an O class ship (larger than R class) - the beautiful Marina with the best food at sea (bar none, IMO).

She has relatively few Oceanview cabins and they are much desired as the window is huge (like a sliding balcony door without it opening) - if one of those is still available, get it.

Otherwise I would suggest a veranda cabin - no need for concierge class, IMO. Again, IMO, the extra benefits of Concierge class are not worth the extra money to us - they are worth it to others. Read about the extra benefits of Concierge vs non Concierge veranda and decide for yourself.

Air deviation would allow you to arrive several days before a cruise and leave several days after (highly recommended); it also may give you more control over which flights/airlines you fly - often at only minimal extra expense. You have to discuss this with your TA (who should be very familiar with Oceania - if they are not, find one who is).

Enjoy your cruise - you may never cruise on another line again.

Thank you so much for the information!

 

Question - I've never been big on TA's...always just booked direct after researching prices via the different sites (but then those were for Carnival level cruises). I called Oceania today and made the reservation through the cruise line. Would you recommend using a TA?

[Mura]

Renaissance discouraged TAs, so to begin with we booked direct. For our last Renaissance cruise (May 2001) we booked through a TA who specialized in Renaissance because she sent us a great deal. We've stuck with her ever since.

 

The thing is that some TAs give perks that the cruiseline doesn't -- on board credit, paid gratuities, that kind of thing. For the first cruise, it's questionable if you'd get a big benefit here ... but once you've used a TA for a while they can become pretty impressive.

 

Unfortunately CC won't let us recommend a particular TA to you, so you would have to try to find one yourself.

 

Good luck!

 

Mura

[Paulchili]

I would recommend a GOOD TA - a bad TA is not much help.

If you do not know a TA who is familiar with Oceania (Air deviations, etc) than booking with Oceania is better than with a poor TA.

You'll love the cruise either way and you'll learn as you go along - maybe if you make friends on the cruise, you can ask them for a TA suggestion.

[E Heffa]

Thanks again for the input!!!

 

Has anyone done the Bon Appetit cooking classes? I can't remember if I read that they were complimentary or for a nominal fee. I think on a 25 day cruise, I could find some time for a little culinary lesson. :)

[Mura]

I didn't, because our one cruise on Marina last fall was port intensive and I knew I wouldn't have the strength (or time) for a class! There is a charge but from everything I've heard, if you are interested in cooking it's well worth the expense.

 

Go to "already booked" for your cruise and you can see which classes are being offered.

 

You can also audit for free ... but that's not the same as really doing it yourself!

 

 

Mura

[findacruise]

Thanks again for the input!!!

 

Has anyone done the Bon Appetit cooking classes? I can't remember if I read that they were complimentary or for a nominal fee. I think on a 25 day cruise, I could find some time for a little culinary lesson. :)

 

I have done several of them and really enjoyed the experience. A lot of fun and I learned a couple of techniques. Probably too basic for a really excellent cook (not me) but you can choose ones that suit you. You get to eat what you cook and get the recipes. There are now new classes on some cruises that involve actually visits to the market to purchase the ingredients and then return to the ship to use them in what you prepare. I say go fot it. Most classes are $69 dollars for 2 hours, if I recall. The ones involving the market may be more. AS Mura stated, check the already booked. Enjoy your cruise.

[JimandStan]

Thanks again for the input!!!

 

Has anyone done the Bon Appetit cooking classes? I can't remember if I read that they were complimentary or for a nominal fee. I think on a 25 day cruise, I could find some time for a little culinary lesson. :)

 

Classes in the Culinary Center involve a fee, classes in the Artist Loft (Watercolor, Photography, Graphic Manipulation) are complimentary.