Concerns about Nautica

[cruiserchuck]

We are thinking about taking an upcoming 35 day cruise on Oceania on the Nautica. However, we have two concerns. We have read that the bathrooms are small, especially for a long cruise. We are also concerned since the cruise will be the last one before the ship goes in for a major refurbishment. We are worried that the ship may look run down due to deferred maintenance prior to the refurbishment.

 

Additionally, if anyone has recent experience with the gym onboard, we would like to hear your comments. We plan to try to workout a lot if we take the the cruise, to hopefully avoid gaining too much weight.

 

We have never sailed with Oceania before, but have read generally good things. We most recently have been sailing with Celebrity, and really enjoy the Solstice class ships. We had a reservation in 2001 to sail on one of the R ships, but Renaissance went out of business prior to the cruise.

[orchestrapal]

Unfortunately you are already well informed about the "small" bathrooms which can be avoided by taking a cabin in category PH or higher. As for the condition of the ship, we will be on Regatta for the three cruises before the refurbishment and are not at all worried about it. Oceania's ships, in my opinion, are always in excellent condition.

[LHT28]

We are thinking about taking an upcoming 35 day cruise on Oceania on the Nautica. However, we have two concerns. We have read that the bathrooms are small, especially for a long cruise. We are also concerned since the cruise will be the last one before the ship goes in for a major refurbishment. We are worried that the ship may look run down due to deferred maintenance prior to the refurbishment.

 

Not sure what you mean :confused:

they are always doing some maintenence on the ships to keep them looking ship shape

They are refurbished every 2-3 yrs unlike other lines

 

Lyn

[orchestrapal]

Not sure what you mean :confused:

they are always doing some maintenence on the ships to keep them looking ship shape

They are refurbished every 2-3 yrs unlike other lines

 

Lyn

 

They really do a great job keeping the ships new looking at all times.

Edited December 8, 2013 by orchestrapal

[findacruise]

We were on Nautica in June and November. No complaints about maintenance at all. As OP said, they constantly are working on her and they doing some varnishing of wooden areas and of course, washing etc while we were in port.

 

The furniture in the rooms is in good condition. Yes, there may be a bit of a sag in a couch, or a slight scratch upon close inspection, but our cabin was great. Only reason I wish she had already been in dry dock was so she had Baristas and the grill installed!

 

We were fortunate and got an inexpensive upgrade to PH3 in November and the additional space in the cabin and the bathroom was wonderful. But we were satisfied previously with the regular veranda.

 

It's your personal decision, but I IMHO I don't think you need to be concerned about maintenance in deciding.

[no fuss travel]

We were on the Insignia just before she was leased to Hapag and they kept the ship up in great condition. I don't think you have any worries at all.

[robbie21]

Additionally, if anyone has recent experience with the gym onboard, we would like to hear your comments. We plan to try to workout a lot if we take the the cruise, to hopefully avoid gaining too much weight.

 

.

 

I agree with the other comments on the general condition of the ship. The showers are indeed small but not as small as a lot of European hotels :D

 

The gym on the R ships is fairly small but well maintained. There will be some "Universal" type weight machines, a good selection of dumbells, treadmills and bikes. The walking/jogging track is outdoors above the pool and far better than the track on the O ships which is greatly exposed to the wind.

 

Good luck on the weight ;)

[pacheco18]

Nautica is my favorite ship.

She is perfect!!!

[CintiPam]

My first two cruises ever were on Nautica, and she was wonderful.

 

The bathroom functions and "non-svelte" me and spouse have no problems at all with the small shower space. There is more than enough storage space there as well.

 

I use the portable hairdryer in the cabin rather than the bathroom and put on all make-up in the cabin as well rather than the bathroom so its small size does not matter to me.

 

Maybe its was those first 11 years as an adult in a NYC apartment that has conditioned me!:D

[findacruise]

 

I use the portable hairdryer in the cabin rather than the bathroom and put on all make-up in the cabin as well rather than the bathroom so its small size does not matter to me.

:D

 

 

FYI Pam, those, IMO, useless hairdryers in the bathrooms are gone.:)

[suec12]

I have sailed both Azamara and Oceania on the "small ships" and also several times on Celebrity's solstice class. Beyond the cabins, the ships are very different but I certainly enjoy myself on all of the above. Yes, the bathroom will be tight on the Nautica with the clingy shower curtain - I've heard that taking clothes pins to clip to the bottom can help. (I like the comparison to bathrooms found in many European hotels!) IMO it would not be worth it to pay for a PH suite to upgrade the bathroom - for the cost, I'd certainly make do in a regular cabin. But I doubt very much if you end up thinking the days you spend on the Nautica are just "making do" days.

[treasure4two]

I have sailed both Azamara and Oceania on the "small ships" and also several times on Celebrity's solstice class. Beyond the cabins, the ships are very different but I certainly enjoy myself on all of the above. Yes, the bathroom will be tight on the Nautica with the clingy shower curtain - I've heard that taking clothes pins to clip to the bottom can help. (I like the comparison to bathrooms found in many European hotels!) IMO it would not be worth it to pay for a PH suite to upgrade the bathroom - for the cost, I'd certainly make do in a regular cabin. But I doubt very much if you end up thinking the days you spend on the Nautica are just "making do" days.

 

For the clingy shower curtains, I use the big metal clips from our office that we normally use to clip large # of paper together. Work greats on the bottom of the shower curtain.

[beardedshark]

The bathrooms are a little tight, I'm 2 meters tall and 21 stone so I used the showers in the spa, they are excellent and loads of room. The ship is wonderful and in great condition

[orchestrapal]

The bathrooms are a little tight, I'm 2 meters tall and 21 stone so I used the showers in the spa, they are excellent and loads of room. The ship is wonderful and in great condition

 

He is about 6' 5" and 294 pounds for us non Brits! ;)

[TKS]

Just arrived back yesterday from Nautica. The ship is in excellent condition. No complaints about wear and tear. Yes the ship is 13 years old, and yes, it's been 3 years since her last refurbishment, but with regular maintenance and prompt attention to any concerns (we found a screw on the floor one day, and upon examining found it had come loose from the closet door - a note to the room steward and it was replaced within 24 hours - that was our biggest "complaint" and how fast they responded) you should have no concerns.

 

DH enjoyed the gym. There are several step machines, tread mill machines and stationary and recumbent bicycles, as well as pilates balls, yoga mats, dumb bells, etc. There are both sauna and spa pools adjoining, as well as changing/shower rooms. There are several different classes each day aboard, some free, some with an $11 charge for about an hour long class. The staff was reportedly great. DH loved it.

 

We upgraded to a PH this time, but have been twice before in verandah cabins aboard R ships. The PH baths are marble surfaces with a tub/shower, and they are wonderful. But we have also had no issues with the smaller verandah cabin baths. Shower curtains are immaculately clean, so if they're a bit clingy it's not a sanitary issue, and water on the floor of the bath is taken care of via a floor drain.

 

Don't worry about taking the last cruise before Nautica goes in for refurbishment. You will have a wonderful cruise. As we rode away from Nautica for the last time on the way to the airport, I felt a little sad realizing I was seeing her for the last time in her current "clothing". But at the same time I look forward to seeing her after the changes, as we also love the O class ships, and the changes are reportedly to bring the three R class ships closer in feel and "theme" to the O ships.

 

Thanks, O, for another unforgettable vacation!

[cruiserchuck]

Thanks for all the helpful comments. I am convinced that we should go on the cruise. However, my boss and co-worker (who will have to do my work while I am gone) may take some more convincing before I can take a six week vacation. I probably will wait until I retire in a few years before taking such a long cruise.

[beardedshark]

He is about 6' 5" and 294 pounds for us non Brits! ;)

 

6' 6''. the extra inch is all important :p

[orchestrapal]

6' 6''. the extra inch is all important :p

 

So sorry!:D

[LHT28]

Thanks for all the helpful comments. I am convinced that we should go on the cruise. However, my boss and co-worker (who will have to do my work while I am gone) may take some more convincing before I can take a six week vacation. I probably will wait until I retire in a few years before taking such a long cruise.

 

So if you knew you would not be able to take the cruise why worry about the condition of the ship now :confused::confused:

[waterbug123]

When is the refurb scheduled? Just curious

[orchestrapal]

When is the refurb scheduled? Just curious

 

"The transformed Insignia will debut on May 8, 2014 in Barcelona for her 7-day Jewels of Europe cruise. This will be Insignia's first cruise after she returns from her two-year charter. Nautica will debut on May 16, 2014 in Civitavecchia for her 10-day Cliffs & Coves cruise and Regatta on June 7, 2014 in Vancouver for her 10-day Majesty of Alaska cruise."

[waterbug123]

"The transformed Insignia will debut on May 8, 2014 in Barcelona for her 7-day Jewels of Europe cruise. This will be Insignia's first cruise after she returns from her two-year charter. Nautica will debut on May 16, 2014 in Civitavecchia for her 10-day Cliffs & Coves cruise and Regatta on June 7, 2014 in Vancouver for her 10-day Majesty of Alaska cruise."

 

Thank you. We sail on her in June; nice to know the ship will be freshly refurbed. :)

[cruiserchuck]

So if you knew you would not be able to take the cruise why worry about the condition of the ship now :confused::confused:

 

I did not know that I would not be able to go when I initially posted. I first wanted to decide if I wanted to go. Once I decided that I did, I started thinking about the logistical issues of actually going. It was at that stage that I realized it would be too much to try to take such a long trip on relatively short notice. I just checked, and saw that Oceania has a very similar 35 day cruise in April 2015. I am now thinking about booking that one. Maybe they will install less clingy shower curtains before then.

 

On the Celebrity Solstice class ships, they have small, circular showers with rolling glass doors, not curtains. It took some getting used to at first, but after awhile I found them easy to use. A hotel that I stayed at in Italy had a similar shower.

[treasure4two]

I did not know that I would not be able to go when I initially posted. I first wanted to decide if I wanted to go. Once I decided that I did, I started thinking about the logistical issues of actually going. It was at that stage that I realized it would be too much to try to take such a long trip on relatively short notice. I just checked, and saw that Oceania has a very similar 35 day cruise in April 2015. I am now thinking about booking that one. Maybe they will install less clingy shower curtains before then.

 

On the Celebrity Solstice class ships, they have small, circular showers with rolling glass doors, not curtains. It took some getting used to at first, but after awhile I found them easy to use. A hotel that I stayed at in Italy had a similar shower.

 

With so many wonderful things in traveling, I find it interesting that shower curtains/doors are such a concern.

[PaulMCO]

I did not know that I would not be able to go when I initially posted. I first wanted to decide if I wanted to go. Once I decided that I did, I started thinking about the logistical issues of actually going. It was at that stage that I realized it would be too much to try to take such a long trip on relatively short notice. I just checked, and saw that Oceania has a very similar 35 day cruise in April 2015. I am now thinking about booking that one. Maybe they will install less clingy shower curtains before then.

 

On the Celebrity Solstice class ships, they have small, circular showers with rolling glass doors, not curtains. It took some getting used to at first, but after awhile I found them easy to use. A hotel that I stayed at in Italy had a similar shower.

 

Come and join us -- should be a super cruise from Bangkok to Istanbul. Nautica is our favorite ship...