First Time Oceania Cruiser; Needs Opinions

[Socal404]

My wife and I are considering a Full Transit Panama Canal cruise, May 2014. We are veteran cruisers, but never on Oceania. The cruise we're thinking about is on the Regatta. We have friends who have sailed on the Marina, and raved about it! I understand that the R class ships are smaller.

 

We would appreciate hearing from those who have experiences on both class ships. We've heard the food is to die for on the Marina. The service as well. Will we be happy with the smaller class ship?

 

Any information is going to be greatly appreciated.:)

 

Thank you.

[LHT28]

We have sailed on both size ships

The O class ships are very nice modern interiors more restaurants & other nice features that the smaller ships do not have

The smaller R-ships are cozy feeling & you seem to meet people more often of course there arre less people 7 smaller spaces

 

I like them both for different reasons

My opinion you cannot go wrong with either size ship it just depends on personal preferences

bigger ship =more amenities

smaller ship=cozy feeling

 

We have done the Panama canal on both size ship ...so go for the itinerary

 

I am not sure about May it could be quite hot & humid ...it was hot enough in March for me

YMMV

[warburg]

We have also sailed on Insignia, Regatta, Marina and Riviera. We enjoyed all of them. Your main focus should be on the itinerary. Our next O cruise is a TransAtlantic in November of 2014. The itinerary is what sold us on this one. We live on Miami Beach, and really like Barcelona. What's not to like? All O ships have the great beds, and the small ships have a yacht feel. The Panama Canal is hot. So what? it is a marvelous thing. We loved it. Bon voyage.

[pacheco18]

I prefer the smaller R class ships - so much so that I avoid itineraries on Marina and Riviera. Each class of ships has its fans.

With only 700 passengers you really get to know almost everyone on board -- it is truly an intimate experience. Food and service are excellent on the R class ships -- and staff has a better to chance to know all the passengers since the ship is smaller.

 

I do not care about the extra dining venues. That is a big factor for some.

 

IMO the two advantages of the O class ships are 1) the fabulous grill in the Terrace, but by the time you cruise the grill may be part of the R ship refurbishment and 2) cooking classes on board (nothing can be done about that).

[orchestrapal]

My wife and I are considering a Full Transit Panama Canal cruise, May 2014. We are veteran cruisers, but never on Oceania. The cruise we're thinking about is on the Regatta. We have friends who have sailed on the Marina, and raved about it! I understand that the R class ships are smaller.

We would appreciate hearing from those who have experiences on both class ships. We've heard the food is to die for on the Marina. The service as well. Will we be happy with the smaller class ship?

Any information is going to be greatly appreciated.:)

Thank you.

 

We did this cruise in 2010 and are doing it again 2014. It was not terribly hot just hot as expected and humid. The R ships are more like a private club, small, elegant and roomy. Regatta never feels crowded the food and the service are wonderful. You did not say which ships you've been on so the only thing that may disappoint might be the lack of big shows. :D

[JimandStan]

The food and service are equally good on all the Oceania ships, but the R Class ships are not just smaller than the Marina, they are literally half the size.

30,500 tons versus 66,100 tons are the actual numbers.

 

As an experienced Cruiser, you probably already realize how much the size of the ship can effect entertainment options.

 

Food budgets are allocated per passenger, so the food has slightly less variety on the smaller ships (to begin with, you lose the option of the French and the Asian Restaurants), yet the quality of the food is uniform throughout the fleet.

 

On a longer cruise, such as yours through the Panama Canal will be (BTW your "Full Transit" comment betrays you as a Holland America &/or Regency Alumn)

the Regatta will likely attract a slightly older (think 50 plus) crowd, which is not very interested in Nightlife, and will mostly be tucked in bed by midnight.

Because of her intimate size, you will make many more acquaintances (friends if you want them to be) than on an average cruise ship.

[JPR]

Comparable suites are significantly more roomy on Marina.

 

As Regent and Silversea cruisers, we would be disappointed in the R ships, due to the reduced size of the suites and quality of food as well as amenities such as the spa.

Riviera and Marina are our favorite cruise ships.

 

However, if you haven't been on any of these ships in the past, you may well enjoy the cozy R ships.

[YoHoHo]

As Regent and Silversea cruisers, we would be disappointed in the R ships, due to the reduced size of the suites and quality of food as well as amenities such as the spa.

Reduced quality of food on the R-ships? Except for the grill station and the additional specialty restaurants I thought they (O and R ship classes) were playing from the same cookbook so to speak. The additional venues have nothing to do with quality of course so I am a somewhat confused.

[Jancruz]

Reduced quality of food on the R-ships? Except for the grill station and the additional specialty restaurants I thought they (O and R ship classes) were playing from the same cookbook so to speak. The additional venues have nothing to do with quality of course so I am a somewhat confused.

 

Glad you said what I was thinking..quality of food is just as good on each ship..I have been through the PC 5 times and the heat has never been a big factor..love everything about the trip..and on O you cant go wrong on any ship!!

Jancruz1

[writer100]

I am fascinated by the adjectives "small" and "initimate" applied to the R class ships. We've been on Seabourn's small and large ships--220 pax, 450 pax--and the "little sisters" really are intimate. Before our first O cruise-Riviera--looking up at 1000+ pax was terrifying. Where could they put all those people? In fact, Riviera doesn'r seem any more "crowded", that do the larger Seabourn ships. That seems like a statistical anomoly, but that's how the O class ships feel. And as noted, anyone who cut their teeth on Seabourn or Silverseas or Regent might well feel slightly claustrophobic in the

R class cabins.Just to refer backj to our SB experiences, we felt that a 7-day cruise on the smaller SB ships was about right. After that, you began to wonder where the other restaurants were. Perhaps the same would be true on the R class. Two fewer restaurants may not seem like a huge deficit, but for some--lie-us--it would make a real difference. As to meeting people more easily on a smaller ship, that doesn't seem logical. If randomness is involved--and it must be--your chances of finding compatible companions would be theoretically better on the larger O's.

[JimandStan]

As to meeting people more easily on a smaller ship, that doesn't seem logical.

 

 

Meeting and/or seeing the same people more often is definitely an advantage on the R ships, but since we typically board with an extended family of Cruise Critics (some of whom we have only cyber met before the cruise), and we are so busy re-connecting with old friends among the staff, we tend to prefer the larger ships.

[LHT28]

As to meeting people more easily on a smaller ship, that doesn't seem logical.

sailing on Marina we found we did not see the same people very often unless by prior arrangements

On the R-ships we saw the same people often

 

We have not sailed on Seabourn so cannot compare cabin sizes

 

we however did not find the cabins claustrophobic on either size ship

everyone has different perspectives on size

 

YMMV

 

Lyn

[TERRIER1]

We prefer the smaller ships but also like the larger ones. We did the Panama Canal on the Regatta. The only negative is that there were privately rented cabanas on the Regatta and they obstructed a full head on view of the canal. The larger ships do not have cabanas but I really don't recall anywhere on board that you can view the canal crossing from the front that wasn't on the inside (ie Horizons) or obstructed on the outside.

[TKS]

You will be warm and humid in May, but since it rains regularly in the Gatun Lake you likely won't have a real problem.

 

We've sailed both O and R class ships, and I agree that both are equal, just different. You will likely have more opportunities to eat in the specialty restaurants on a longer voyage on Regatta, no matter which level of cabin you choose. Also, one of the things Regatta offers, which the O class ships don't, is the cabanas forward on the top deck (that's a mini-golf area on O). We booked a cabana for the entire cruise. Its a great place to have privacy, if you want to close it off (you have a phone in your space to call if you need food/drinks/service), and its a great place to meet new people and have a celebration during your canal crossing by allowing others to enjoy the great forward view too.

 

The cabins on Regatta are smaller and the baths less luxurious than the O class ships, but the storage in the standard rooms is better organized and more easily accessible. We found the service and food to be of equal quality on both O and R ships.

 

From our perspective, we're happy to sail on either class ship. O's service and ambiance, as well as the typically friendly and well traveled fellow passengers who sail aboard, make the time aboard a special treat.

[JimandStan]

The larger ships do not have cabanas but I really don't recall anywhere on board that you can view the canal crossing from the front that wasn't on the inside (ie Horizons) or obstructed on the outside.

 

There are two B1 cabins which have forward facing verandas (8000 and 8001), as do all of the Vista Suites.

Outside Public Areas facing forward include the Canyon Ranch Spa Deck (Deck 14), and Deck 16 forward of the Putting Greens.

[vlthom]

My husband and I have sailed on the Marina and on the Regatta. Both of them are wonderful, but as others have expressed, different from one another as well.

 

We loved the Marina for it's spacious feel, the additional dining options, cooking classes, artwork, and additional buffet amenities.

 

We loved the intimate feeling aboard the Regatta and found the GDR to be superior to that of Marina for some reason. Perhaps when we were aboard the Marina they were still working out the kinks. We loved reading/relaxing in the Library. This space was far superior on the Regatta than the similarly named space aboard Marina. Regatta is also a beautiful ship, but in a more traditional way.

 

No matter which ship that you sail on, I think that you will find your experience on Oceania to be exceptional.

[A Knitter]

I prefer the R Class ships but absolutely loved the Marina during our trip through the Canal. Food was delicious on both classes and although a larger ship, reconnected with several passengers from previous cruises. We had a aft cabin 8006, IMO the only way to see the transit in the comfort of your balcony without volleying for position on the upper decks like in previous trips to the Canal on other ships. You could see ships in the distance preparing to enter the locks. Enjoy your cruise:) Could not upload a photo from our balcony.

[A Knitter]

Apparently photo did load:D

[dorisis]

We prefer the Regatta even tho the bathrooms are small. But if given a choice we still like Regent Navigator for spacious cabins. I saw no real advantage to the extra restaurants on Marina.

[wripro]

Then you must not like to eat.

[Mjflowers]

We prefer the Regatta even tho the bathrooms are small. But if given a choice we still like Regent Navigator for spacious cabins. I saw no real advantage to the extra restaurants on Marina.

 

Though this is Oceania posts not Regent, the cabins on Navigator pretty much through out are the same. Not so on the O ships. Comparing the Rs to Navigator you may have a point. Unless you eat at the buffet every night I can understand your comment on the "extra" restaurants. I like to call them, alternative eating venues. Far and above the MDR or GDR. You do know that the "extra" venues are also included in your cruise cost.