Oceania compared to HAL?

[travelingteacher2010]

I'm interested in hearing from cruisers who have experienced both cruise lines and can tell me how they are different and why you prefer Oceania. I'm booked on a HAL cruise for March but Oceania is offering what appears to be a fabulous deal on the Riviera leaving the same day.

Thanks!

[pacheco18]

If you do a search you will find many threads on this same issue. Here is just one

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1604485&highlight=hal

[JimandStan]

I'm interested in hearing from cruisers who have experienced both cruise lines and can tell me how they are different and why you prefer Oceania. I'm booked on a HAL cruise for March but Oceania is offering what appears to be a fabulous deal on the Riviera leaving the same day.

Thanks!

 

We bailed on HAL in 2004, after cruising with them for many many years , and the simple answer is that Oceania IS what HAL WAS before the Carnival takeover compromised their standards beyond recognition.

 

Oceania's ships (even the larger ones) are more intimate than any HAL ship except the Prinsendam

 

On Oceania, the service is far better and much more sophisticated.

 

The food is so much better on Oceania that it is ridiculous. These days, HAL is not even in the same league.

 

The Entertainment on Oceania is decidedly, some say deliberately, VERY low key. Don't look for huge splashy extravaganzas in the showroom.

By 1AM the Lounges are deserted.

 

HAL is able to offer a larger variety of Shore Excursions at a lesser price point than does Oceania, by virtue of the number of clients served.

Both the size of HAL'S fleet and the number of passengers on their ships give them a market advantage that Oceania just does not have.

[Baby Hughy]

We first started cruising wirh Hal and it was wonderful but on each successive cruise we noticed a lessening of the quality and an increase in extra onboard functions to rause revenue. eg: art auctions etc. My mother had done 5 world cruises with Hal and she complained about the same direction the line was headding in to. We are now set to do our 5th cruise on Oceania and I can't say enough in praise for the quality of the whole Oceania experience. If what you are looking for in a cruise is great service, food and ports of call with congenial fellow passengers, limited smoking and a more than pleasant crew then you will find it on this cruise line.

Bill

[esther e]

We cruise both and like HAL. The suites can't be beat and the bathrooms are fabulous. We think the food and entertainment are fine. But different strokes.... Actually, we have 4 favorite lines, in no particular order: HAL, X, O and Regent, although Regent is at the bottom of the list now.

 

We've never had a problem with food on HAL, by the way.

[ricki]

Having sailed HAL, Oceania and Crystal, our feeling is that HAL is being left in the dust. The ships look tired, the decor is dated (think 70's velour), the food bland and unexciting. Their strongest point is a pleasant and helpful crew and good itineraries.

 

Oceania Marina is the most beautiful ship we have sailed. Dramatic decor, many comfortable and conversation-friendly public areas, very good food with many, many options, extremely comfortable beds in attractive cabins. Their weakest point--crew that just do their job, nothing more (with a few positive exceptions)

 

Crystal offers quietly stated elegance, superb and intuitive service, excellent food and two outstanding specialty restaurants Prego and Silk Road, a wonderful enrichment program with interesting and thought-provoking lecturers. The weakest point--uncomfortable beds.

 

We would sail HAL only for the itinerary. We would be happy to sail Oceania or Crystal any time, any place!

 

Ricki

[orchestrapal]

And don't forget you won't be smoked out of existence on Oceania, almost NO smoke.:)

[Darrell6t]

We like HAL, but it isn't as nice as Oceania in most aspects. But they also aren't as expensive. The older, smaller ships in their fleet offer the best experience. While the food isn't up to the standards of O, it can be quite good. But I think it depends on the ship. The menus may be nearly the same, but what comes out of the kitchen varies a lot. The Eurodam a few years ago was bland. The Veendam earlier this year was excellent. And the worst Thanksgiving dinner I ever had was on the Oceania Insignia. But usually O's food is wonderful.

 

The biggest difference I have seen is the staff. The homogenous staffing of HAL makes for a very different experience than the from all over the world staff on O. And I really love HAL for that.

 

We usually pick the cruise for the itinerary, so we'll be on both in the next year.

[Marebear]

I agree with Stan and Jim! We have sailed on the Prinsendam, the Maasdam and the Westerdam and we like Oceania so much better! We had a big problem with smokers on all the HAL ships and none on Oceania. We enjoy the dining on Oceania as compared to the fixed style dining on HAL and we certainly enjoy the staff on O along with the other passengers on O. We found there is a great difference in the two lines.

[Love.II.Cruise]

And don't forget you won't be smoked out of existence on Oceania, almost NO smoke.:)

 

Agree. We haven't sailed HAL and we were considering doing one until we read their smoking policy. It was a deal breaker for us.

[Paulchili]

Let's not forget the country club casual dress code of O vs formal nights on HAL - a deal breaker by itself for us.

While I might consider formal for Silversea, I wouldn't do it for HAL unless it was the most unique itinerary, not offered by anyone else.

[esther e]

Did you post this on the HAL board? I'd be curious to see what would be said. In defense of HAL, I am a total PITA when it comes to smoking and can honestly say the only time I've been bothered is going through the casino.

 

Also, you have a choice of fixed or anytime dining.

 

And the dress code is more formal than O, but no tuxes are required if you don't want to wear them. My husband would not feel comfortable going into any cruise ship restaurant without a blazer, so that's not a problem for us.

 

I will agree there is a difference, but the fare is considerably less on HAL (and X) .

[Benita]

Apples and oranges, due to the price differential. On a typical sailing,the price of a standard balcony on Oceania is more than in a superior suite on HAL, which is absolutely luxurious. The entertainment is better on HAL, too. That said, the food on Oceania is phenomenal and you never need to get dressed up. The smoking issue is not too bad on HAL - as long as you avoid the casino, but is better on the larger Oceania ships and not too good on the smaller ships, as Horizons has a smoking section.

We are about to go on our fifth Oceania Cruise and have booked a HAL ship for Thanksgiving week - this is our 15th HAL cruise. I would much prefer Oceania, but obviously like HAL (and Celebrity) as well. Sometimes we splurge and other times we realize we have to provide for our senior years and go on HAL. Not a bad compromise.

[Hawaiidan]

We bailed on HAL in 2004, after cruising with them for many many years , and the simple answer is that Oceania IS what HAL WAS before the Carnival takeover compromised their standards beyond recognition.

 

Oceania's ships (even the larger ones) are more intimate than any HAL ship except the Prinsendam

 

On Oceania, the service is far better and much more sophisticated.

 

The food is so much better on Oceania that it is ridiculous. These days, HAL is not even in the same league.

 

The Entertainment on Oceania is decidedly, some say deliberately, VERY low key. Don't look for huge splashy extravaganzas in the showroom.

By 1AM the Lounges are deserted.

 

Right on the money !

 

If they were hotels, Holland America would be a Marriott CourtYard and Oceania a Ritz Carlton

 

I find the fares on Oceania to be very close to that of Holland America. If you had to step down a notch from Oceania Holland America is the one I would go to

[Floridiana]

I can only compare one b2b cruise on the Statendam (28 days) to one cruise of the same length on the Regatta. For me the major difference is the food, Oceania's is so MUCH better. The Statendam's food was bland. The menu sounded great on paper, but what came out of her kitchen was so boring I could cry. You would never think that the Dutch had had a strong colonial presence on the spice islands.

 

We are booked on the Riviera next and then on the Veendam (itinerary!) Regatta does a similar itinerary as the Veendam but at the wrong time for us.

 

Apart from the food, there were many things I liked on both ships. The entertainment was equally ok, nothing great. But I don't choose ships for their entertainment.

[travelingteacher2010]

Did you post this on the HAL board? I'd be curious to see what would be said.

 

Not yet, but it's a good idea Esther. It's always good to see things from a different perspective.

 

Thanks to all of you for your thoughtful and informative responses!

[Love.II.Cruise]

To clarify our response... We won't do HAL since they allow smoking on their balconies. Oceania does not. We spend a lot of our time on our balcony, and it has ruined our enjoyment on our balcony being next to a smoker.

 

Now we make sure to only go on cruise lines that do not permit smoking on their balconies or in their staterooms.

[no fuss travel]

We have sailed both. HAL tended to be more tired looking and worn whereas on Oceania we did not see the torn carpets and dings in the walls. We sailed the Insignia just before it was being turned over to another cruise line and the ships furnishings were in far better shape than HAL's. I have sailed on HAL probably over the last 30 years off and on and I definitely noticed that the quality has gone down. Carnival does not keep the ships in the same shape as they were before.

[cbb]

travelingteacher2010--

after reading all of the comments I think the conclusion is obvious... there is no comparison between Oceania and HAL!! c

[JimandStan]

travelingteacher2010--

after reading all of the comments I think the conclusion is obvious... there is no comparison between Oceania and HAL!! c

 

Well......there IS a comparison, it is just not favorable to HAL.

 

--Even on the HAL Board, Esther!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1328022&highlight=hal+vs+oceania

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1509525&highlight=hal+vs+oceania

 

A recurring theme in those threads is that the bargain fares that Hal is offering are attracting people who don't seem to respect the ships as they should. :eek:

[Hawaiidan]

Well......there IS a comparison, it is just not favorable to HAL.

 

--Even on the HAL Board, Esther!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1328022&highlight=hal+vs+oceania

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1509525&highlight=hal+vs+oceania

 

A recurring theme in those threads is that the bargain fares that Hal is offering are attracting people who don't seem to respect the ships as they should. :eek:

 

On my last Holland America cruise, people were prying things off the wall, stealing books from the libiary and one day they stole the door prizes for trivial Pursuit.... The price seem to have brought aboard a very low class type people

[ricki]

We bailed on HAL in 2004, after cruising with them for many many years , and the simple answer is that Oceania IS what HAL WAS before the Carnival takeover compromised their standards beyond recognition.

 

Oceania's ships (even the larger ones) are more intimate than any HAL ship except the Prinsendam

 

On Oceania, the service is far better and much more sophisticated.

 

The food is so much better on Oceania that it is ridiculous. These days, HAL is not even in the same league.

 

The Entertainment on Oceania is decidedly, some say deliberately, VERY low key. Don't look for huge splashy extravaganzas in the showroom.

By 1AM the Lounges are deserted.

 

Right on the money !

 

If they were hotels, Holland America would be a Marriott CourtYard and Oceania a Ritz Carlton

 

I find the fares on Oceania to be very close to that of Holland America. If you had to step down a notch from Oceania Holland America is the one I would go to

I think you might be kind in comparing HAL to a Marriott Courtyard--more like a Comfort Inn. Oceania, IMO, would be comparable to a Hyatt Regency and Crystal to the Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons.

 

Ricki

[Miata6]

Had we never cruised with Regent (Radisson) and Oceania, HAL would be pretty cool. Even having had those experiences, a day cruising with HAL is better than a lot of alternatives. Our observations would be that you get what you pay for and the differential between HAL and Oceania is palpable but not a deal-breaker.

HAL does, however, draw an older clientele and goes out of their way to treat them well, particularly those who are less mobile. We cruised to Hawaii with HAL and, given that there were 10 sea days, I felt I was in the younger third on board and I was 68! Have never had a bad cruise on any of the three lines and wish we could do even more. :D

[dorisis]

I have sailed Regent, Oceania, Cunard, Princess, Celebrity,HAL, RC, NCL, Disney and many that no longer exist. I have been cruising for 45 years. All lines are in some ways unique and in many ways alike. I have found cruising on any ship enjoyable, But I admit I like Regent and Oceania best. I think it is the size and the casually elegant ambience. I do not like their pricing policies with "Free Air and 2 for 1".

 

I think the only way to find the best fit is to try them all. ~Doris~

[Hawaiidan]

The adage you get what you pay for may not always be correct

 

Today I rceived 2 adverts. both for cruises of about 56 days. One on Holland America's Amsterdam and the other on Oceainas Marina.

Both ships about the same size of about 1300 Cabins about the same size.. Both requiring round trip travel from Hawaii and return.

Holland America had a fare of $435 per day including all tips taxes. It did not include air or dining or any onboard credit. The ship offered 2 formal nights per week, a childrens program, fixed seating dining and a pay restauraunt for reservations.

 

Oceania has a fare of $433 per day including all tips port and taxes. It included Rt air from Hawaii to Tahita and return from London. It included 5 different Restauraunts all included, All casual, A dedicated art program/center, open seating dining.and no childrens programs. and a $250 cabin credit.

 

About the same? Well, the air fare and extras on Holland America would have cost me $4800, without drinks or other purchases. for 56 days thats about $86 a day less on Oceania compares to Holland America.

 

THis factors to the Holland America cruise costing in reality $521 a day for a mass market ship/experience while the Oceania cruise factored to $347 net net for a Luxury experience :eek: