Caribbean cruise on Oceania Riviera/Regatta or Celebrity Eclipse

[hypercafe]

It is free. Check the promotion. Not like included air. If is like when o includes gratuities from time to time

The wine cellar on x is fabulous

Not all of us are cruise snobs lol

I cannot imagine you on any line but o

The rest of us have choices

 

 

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I agree 100%

[Travelcat2]

I agree with JimandStan:-)

[caviargal]

Agree. There is much more to do on the s class ships. If the ship is ur destination as it is for some in the Caribbean then the s class ships are a better choice

 

 

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It is precisely when the ship is the destination that we would choose O actually. When we want to enjoy what the Caribbean has to offer, we get on a plane.

[pacheco18]

It is precisely when the ship is the destination that we would choose O actually. When we want to enjoy what the Caribbean has to offer, we get on a plane.

 

Different strokes

I found the Riviera boring on my Caribbean cruise -- the ports I found uninteresting

I would have liked to have more to do on the ship each day. Activities were repetitive and not very interesting IMO. I certainly don't sunbathe all day (anymore LOL)

 

When I am in more interesting parts of the world, I choose O first -- but then I am not spending nearly full days on the ship day after day.

 

The bottom line is that we all have choices and lots of good ones. I prefer O, but I don't stick to one line or one ship. Each cruise line has aspects that I find appealing. I don't denigrate any line or any person for choosing that line. That is unnecessary.

 

Itinerary generally rules, but sometimes $$$ rules. I would sail on the S class Celebrity ships again if the itinerary and the price were right. Right now the itineraries I am choosing are mostly found on O and Azamara -- and thus my list of upcoming cruises.

[Travelcat2]

Different strokes

I found the Riviera boring on my Caribbean cruise -- the ports I found uninteresting

I would have liked to have more to do on the ship each day. Activities were repetitive and not very interesting IMO. I certainly don't sunbathe all day (anymore LOL)

 

When I am in more interesting parts of the world, I choose O first -- but then I am not spending nearly full days on the ship day after day.

 

The bottom line is that we all have choices and lots of good ones. I prefer O, but I don't stick to one line or one ship. Each cruise line has aspects that I find appealing. I don't denigrate any line or any person for choosing that line. That is unnecessary.

 

Itinerary generally rules, but sometimes $$$ rules. I would sail on the S class Celebrity ships again if the itinerary and the price were right. Right now the itineraries I am choosing are mostly found on O and Azamara -- and thus my list of upcoming cruises.

 

We also find Caribbean ports boring but will sail on the Riviera with the ship being the destination.

 

Also agree about not necessarily sticking to one cruise line. We sail Oceania, Regent and Silversea. I would not put anyone down for wanting to sail on any other cruise line but do wonder why there are comparisons done between dissimilar cruise lines. I suppose I could compare an apple to an orange (they are both round -- they are both a fruit - they both have seeds, etc) but the point of doing this escapes me.

 

Lastly, and I know that my repeating this occasionally gets tiresome, many of us do not know what the letter designations mean. I suppose I could look up an "S" class Crystal ship but it would be so much easier if it were explained at least once on a thread. So many posters (and lurkers) are really interested in the differences between what I believe is the "class" of ships but, at least for me, calling them by letters makes is confusing. Thanks for listening:-)

[pacheco18]

S class is solstice class on x

Solstice equinox reflection eclipse

All 4 ships are similar with a few tweaks

The amenities are so popular that x solsticized the older ships to add some newer features

 

Could be a 5 th ship

 

Not sure

 

The ships are gorgeous

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

S class is solstice class on x

Solstice equinox reflection eclipse

All 4 ships are similar with a few tweaks

The amenities are so popular that x solsticized the older ships to add some newer features

 

Could be a 5 th ship

 

Not sure

 

The ships are gorgeous

 

 

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Thanks - really appreciate the explanation!

[travellerin1984]

Interesting discussion. We are still considering Oceania for our coming cruises but just for this one we booked Celebrity. It was mainly because of the cost. We pay 1000$ per person for our flights and stay three nights in Miami/Fort Lauderdale pre-cruise. So it really adds upp. For us in Europe (especially in Scandinavia in the colder climate) the Caribbean ports are exotic. I know you guys are not that excited about the Caribbean ports but for us it is really interesting to discover another part of the world. I think Caribbean for you is like Mediterranean for us in Europe. Cheap travel, nice beaches etc...

 

We are still "young" and we looked the broschures we got home. It seems like Oceania wants to attract older passengers. I am 29 and my boyfriend is 36. He thinks we are too young for Oceania so far. We do really enjoy good meals so thats why we are still considering Oceania for coming cruises. We like Celebrity but I think soon we are going to change cruise line to a one with better food. Maybe Oceania or Azamara on Mediterranean. We do enjoy drinks at the bar after the dinner and have enjoyed both Molecular bar and Martini bar on Celebrity.

[pacheco18]

The photos of passengers in the brochures are deceptive. The demographic on o is older. Lol

 

Considering your youth I think u will love celebrity in the Caribbean

 

 

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[LHT28]

We have found the age demographics on O are changing ..more 20 &30 somethings than before

Especially on a Caribbean cruise but we did have some youngins on our Norway cruise back in 2010

Not as many as you find on the mass market lines

 

There seem to be many more younger people that have good jobs, no kids & enjoy some of the things Oceania or luxury lines have to offer

Not all younger people are party animals ;)

 

People have to choose what is best for them & what they are looking for

You cannot judge the demographic by the pictures in the brochures ;)

 

YMMV

 

Lyn

Edited February 16, 2014 by LHT28

[pacheco18]

Maybe changing a little, but not significantly IMO

On our Caribbean cruise in December there were a FEW more young couples, but the crowd was still fairly typical O -- 60's - 90's (and I met some fabulous folks in their 90's!!!).

 

Unless a couple in their 20's/30's is content with fine food and relative quiet evenings I would not think O would be a good fit. Certainly when I was that age, I would have wanted a lot more to do and a lot more night life. Even at our "advanced" age we love the nightlife on Celebrity -- wonderful shows -- and we force ourselves to stay awake. LOL There is certainly good food available on X (the specialities are great) and the Wine Cellar is stellar (huge selection/expert advice) if food and wine are important. On my last X cruise (Australia) the MDR was excellent (far better than any experience I have had in O's GDR).

 

There are no bad choices here IMO. Personally, I can have a good time on any ship. Barring some true disaster, a cruise is what you make of it.

[Travelcat2]

Maybe changing a little, but not significantly IMO

On our Caribbean cruise in December there were a FEW more young couples, but the crowd was still fairly typical O -- 60's - 90's (and I met some fabulous folks in their 90's!!!).

 

Unless a couple in their 20's/30's is content with fine food and relative quiet evenings I would not think O would be a good fit. Certainly when I was that age, I would have wanted a lot more to do and a lot more night life. Even at our "advanced" age we love the nightlife on Celebrity -- wonderful shows -- and we force ourselves to stay awake. LOL There is certainly good food available on X (the specialities are great) and the Wine Cellar is stellar (huge selection/expert advice) if food and wine are important. On my last X cruise (Australia) the MDR was excellent (far better than any experience I have had in O's GDR).

 

There are no bad choices here IMO. Personally, I can have a good time on any ship. Barring some true disaster, a cruise is what you make of it.

 

 

Was your December Caribbean cruise during the holidays? The reason I ask is that there are definitely more children and young people cruising during that time of the year. A server at a local restaurant was onboard the Riviera for a Christmas cruise (paid by her grandparents - lucky girl)..... there is no way she would have been sailing Oceania if had to pay for it. BTW, she did have an incredible time..... I would guess her age to be 22-23.

[pacheco18]

Was your December Caribbean cruise during the holidays? The reason I ask is that there are definitely more children and young people cruising during that time of the year. A server at a local restaurant was onboard the Riviera for a Christmas cruise (paid by her grandparents - lucky girl)..... there is no way she would have been sailing Oceania if had to pay for it. BTW, she did have an incredible time..... I would guess her age to be 22-23.

 

NO -- Dec 12 -22 -- right before. I avoid holiday cruises to avoid the kids.

[pacheco18]

Just to follow up

 

Another poster posted a survey from USA Today on the 10 best wine bars at sea.

La Reserve was number 1 -- except none of us think you can go there just to get a glass of wine.

 

Cellar Masters (which I erroneously called the Wine Cellar) on the Celebrity S class ships is number 2. It is a fabulous venue.

[Hawaiidan]

Speaking of snobs, I'm actually surprised that the class division on the Celebrity Ships hasn't received more of a negative reaction in a side by side comparison between the two Lines.

Where is the righteous indignation from those who are denied entrance to Blu?

 

Celebrity is a mass market ship for thousands... 3 to 6 times larger than any in Oceana. They are ships or rather floating resorts akin to Vegas with everything from tacky lawns and trees ( I remember Mr Roberts and the palm tree) and aloof sounding cabins and elite sounding names.

From experience I find it draws people who want to king or queen for a day...and actively promotes one-upmanship for people to flaunt to each other.... "exclusive, Private, reserved, and elite are common adjectives in their lexicon as well as ME, Myself and I.

Their ships are packed with diversions to distract you from the concept of actualy being on a cruise. I seriously think they designed the ships to be ships for people who really don't want to be on a ship...

With such a huge passenger load the demographics are going to be wild and all over the map with huge potential for culture clash. The Refelection is 50% larger than the US Navy's largest Aircraft carrier !

 

Ok, Oceana is the exact opposite.... it for people who enjoy low key conversation, to linger over a drink on a deserted deck, to share with and learn from others of the same ilk. It is a cruise for those who can entertain themselves in short, and LIKE being on a ship.

 

In short one must decide what it is they seek to derive from a cruise....non-stop 24/7 go-go to Screne and relaxing.... It is up to you..its Your life

[Travelcat2]

Speaking of snobs, I'm actually surprised that the class division on the Celebrity Ships hasn't received more of a negative reaction in a side by side comparison between the two Lines.

Where is the righteous indignation from those who are denied entrance to Blu?

 

 

IMO, it is expected on Celebrity but not on Oceania:)

[hypercafe]

Celebrity is getting really slammed here. They are not an Oceania but they provide a really nice trip and people that chose them are not a lower class. In fact many people who post here think it is important to say what cabin class they are in. I know some feel Berlitz is BS but all of the Celebrity large ships are in the top ten of their class. Some of the lines people here prefer are not even listed. Some that post here never talk about their personal trip, I wonder when the last time was they were on Oceania?

Edited February 17, 2014 by hypercafe

[buggins0402]

What's interesting is Aqua class is more of a "spa" class, rather than a higher suite class. No butlers, just a dedicated restaurant ("Blu") serving healthier, lighter meals. Generally the cabins that they assigned to Aqua class are in less desirable locations then many of the regular balcony cabins - but with the dedicated restaurant, Celebrity manged to increase their relative value.

[CintiPam]

Celebrity is getting really slammed here. They are not an Oceania but they provide a really nice trip and people that chose them are not a lower class. In fact many people who post here think it is important to say what cabin class they are in. I know some feel Berlitz is BS but all of the Celebrity large ships are in the top ten of their class. Some of the lines people here prefer are not even listed. Some that post here never talk about their personal trip, I wonder when the last time was they were on Oceania?

 

I have not posted previously on this thread because I never have sailed on Celebrity. However, I assure you that once onboard Oceania (five times beginning in 2008) I never felt that anyone I met - either at roll call events, enjoying private shore excursions, playing Trivia, sitting in Martinis for a drink before dinner or sharing a table at any of the restaurants -have felt the need to discuss what cabin class they are inhabiting for the cruise unless asked about their accomodations. Note that the "highest" class cabin we have inhabited on any Oceania cruise is a B1.:)

 

That has been one of the things I have enjoyed the most about our Oceania cruises: my fellow passengers, including many who are very active on this board.

[LHT28]

I have not posted previously on this thread because I never have sailed on Celebrity. However, I assure you that once onboard Oceania (five times beginning in 2008) I never felt that anyone I met - either at roll call events, enjoying private shore excursions, playing Trivia, sitting in Martinis for a drink before dinner or sharing a table at any of the restaurants -have felt the need to discuss what cabin class they are inhabiting for the cruise unless asked about their accomodations. Note that the "highest" class cabin we have inhabited on any Oceania cruise is a B1.:)

 

That has been one of the things I have enjoyed the most about our Oceania cruises: my fellow passengers, including many who are very active on this board.

 

I agree ..we never had anyone discussing their cabin selection

 

We do not go around looking at people's room keys either to see what colour they are :cool:

 

We enjoy people for who they are & their personalities not for their cabin status on the ship

 

On some other lines we have had people ask how much we pay for our cruise ...can you spell T A C K Y

 

 

Lyn

Edited February 17, 2014 by LHT28

[Travelcat2]

Celebrity is getting really slammed here. They are not an Oceania but they provide a really nice trip and people that chose them are not a lower class. In fact many people who post here think it is important to say what cabin class they are in. I know some feel Berlitz is BS but all of the Celebrity large ships are in the top ten of their class. Some of the lines people here prefer are not even listed. Some that post here never talk about their personal trip, I wonder when the last time was they were on Oceania?

 

For clarification...... I was not slamming Celebrity. Celebrity passengers do talk more about their "cabin/suite" on the ship because ....... well, they sort of have to!? If I meet you and you suggest we have dinner at "Blu", I'd have to tell you that we aren't in a suite that permits us to dine there. This was just an example (probably a lame one:-) My friend used to sail Celebrity a lot. They have separate entrances for people in certain suites..... they got to sit in the front of the bus (they always booked top suites on Celebrity), etc. It sounds as if the amenities you receive (or do not receive) are more noticeable on Celebrity than on Oceania (and are even less noticeable on Regent). Not trying to offend anyone:o

[Hawaiidan]

Why does Celebrity have such high approval?

Well do the raw numbers... they have twice the ships and 3 to 6 times the passengers. Oceana can not compete on a number to number basis.

 

If you factored the sheer mass and the demographics they draw from it is a totally different pools of people.

 

On that basis motel 6 and mc donalds would get better numbers than their competitors. THe people that like them are totally different than any other. Priorities, value system all different yet the out number the people wh stay at Hilton, Ritz, and Four Seasons....

[roothy123]

I've cruised Celebrity (Summit) once, and Oceania many more times. I haven't noticed any snobbiness on either cruise line. Celebrity provides a decent experience for the money, and I didn't find the passengers ALL that different from the ones we've sailed with on Oceania, except perhaps that as a group, they drank more! Of course, I do believe that some cruises (Caribbean versus non-Caribbean, and shorter vs longer cruises) attract slightly different demographics, especially when it comes to age, so it really IS hard to compare the two lines. Maybe if I had taken one of Celebrity's European cruises instead of a Caribbean one, I would have encountered fewer drinkers.

 

My husband and I greatly prefer Oceania, but we DID have a good time on the Summit last year. The food wasn't very good, we hated paying $3 for a bottle of water to take out in each port, there were just too many people on the ship, the ports were kind of boring, and yep, the ship wasn't very clean. However, our stateroom was nice, our cabin steward was great, and the price of the shore excursions was a little less than they would have been on Oceania. And the overall price of the cruise was about 1/3 less than Oceania's closest cruise, after adding in all the nickel and dime stuff that comes once you're on the Summit. Best of all, we saw parts of the Caribbean we had not seen before - and I DO believe that while Caribbean ports/islands are not world class, each island is just a little bit different and has at least one nice thing to explore! Besides, certainly an OK Caribbean cruise beats staying home and cooking, cleaning, and shoveling snow!

 

One thing I've never really understood, though - what do people consider "mass marketing" anyway? Are we talking about the cruise lines that operate big ships, or what? It's not like Oceania doesn't do marketing...and I assume to the widest audience they can get!!

 

Travelcat, I didn't interpret your comments about Celebrity as "slamming."

Edited February 18, 2014 by roothy123

[hypercafe]

For clarification...... I was not slamming Celebrity. Celebrity passengers do talk more about their "cabin/suite" on the ship because ....... well, they sort of have to!? If I meet you and you suggest we have dinner at "Blu", I'd have to tell you that we aren't in a suite that permits us to dine there. This was just an example (probably a lame one:-) My friend used to sail Celebrity a lot. They have separate entrances for people in certain suites..... they got to sit in the front of the bus (they always booked top suites on Celebrity), etc. It sounds as if the amenities you receive (or do not receive) are more noticeable on Celebrity than on Oceania (and are even less noticeable on Regent). Not trying to offend anyone:o

 

You speak of Regent lots however if you book a Concierge cabin you get priority dinner and shore trip reversions so you see all lines are the same when it comes to selling the same cabin for more dollars.

[Travelcat2]

You speak of Regent lots however if you book a Concierge cabin you get priority dinner and shore trip reversions so you see all lines are the same when it comes to selling the same cabin for more dollars.

 

Yes - you are absolutely right! People who book upper suites (the word "concierge" isn't used much by Regent regulars) get to book dining reservations and shore excursions early and even get 5% off of excursions that have a cost associated with them and we get a free pre-cruise hotel with transportation to and from the ship. There is a big "BUT" here....... once you step outside of your suite, you are all treated the same. No special lounge for anyone -- not if you are in a Master Suite (Owner's Suite equivalent on Oceania). No one knows or cares who booked dining reservations early -- who booked excursions early (by the way, I am against even this small level of preferential treatment) or who gets any other amenities. Since we do not present our room keys for anything (other to get off of or onto the ship), other passengers cannot even identify us by how many nights we have sailed on Regent (this is the only indicator on our cards - the color indicates whether we are Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum or Titanium).

 

In terms of what you posted, you are correct. There are benefits associated with booking upper suites which does give Regent more $$$. Things on Regent seem a bit more discreet. I mention Regent a lot because we have sailed with them for 10 years. We are new to Oceania and do appreciate many, many things about them. In addition to our November, 2014 sailing on the Riviera, we hope to do more Oceania cruises in the future. We do miss our free laundry and internet when we are on Oceania so we need to take shorter cruises (okay -- we are spoiled but it took many years to reach the "free laundry" status).:)