NCL Reports It Has Agreed to Purchase PCH

[LHT28]

I have heard the Hawaiian cruise ship is staffed by American crew the other NCL ships have a more diverse crew

 

That may be the difference in service

 

Only time will tell if there is crew swapping with NCL & PCH

[pacheco18]

How do u know crew will be shared ?

 

I am utterly astounded at the assumptions being promulgated in response to this sale. Based on no information other than speculation

 

 

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[Jancruz]

How do u know crew will be shared ?

 

I am utterly astounded at the assumptions being promulgated in response to this sale. Based on no information other than speculation

 

 

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Oh my gosh +1

Jancruz1

[wannaberetired]

We don't know what will happen yet, but purchases usually mean change - good or bad. I am booked with a group for Sept 2015 Greek Isles and plan to keep the booking. I don't think much will change through the end of 2015 as FDR will still be in charge. Once he leaves, all bets are off. I do think all recognize that Oceania's success is due to the loyal customer base who expect a certain sailing experience. I hope they remember this and keep things relatively the same. However, I have decided NOT to book any cruises with them after 2015 until I see how things go. Time will tell.

[njhorseman]

I have heard the Hawaiian cruise ship is staffed by American crew the other NCL ships have a more diverse crew

 

That may be the difference in service

 

Only time will tell if there is crew swapping with NCL & PCH

 

Pride of America, the ship based in Hawaii, is US-flagged so by law has to have a crew of US citizens and US lawful permanent residents.

 

All other NCL ships are foreign flagged (just as the PCH ships are) and have a very diverse crew that comes from all over the world, with relatively few Americans.

[LHT28]

Pride of America, the ship based in Hawaii, is US-flagged so by law has to have a crew of US citizens and US lawful permanent residents.

 

All other NCL ships are foreign flagged (just as the PCH ships are) and have a very diverse crew that comes from all over the world, with relatively few Americans.

 

Exactly my point;)

Edited September 7, 2014 by LHT28

[njhorseman]

Exactly my point;)

 

Yes, you said you "heard" it. I'm explaining why it's true...it's a matter of the law governing US-flagged ships.

[Travelcat2]

Since neither Regent, NCL or Oceania "employ" most of the crew, of course there could be some switching. However, the training for NCL, Oceania and Regent is totally different. It is in Oceania and Regent's best interest to continue contracts with the same crew that have been there for years. Training is expensive and I doubt if anyone wants to spend the $$$.

[Paulchili]

Since neither Regent, NCL or Oceania "employ" most of the crew, of course there could be some switching. However, the training for NCL, Oceania and Regent is totally different. It is in Oceania and Regent's best interest to continue contracts with the same crew that have been there for years. Training is expensive and I doubt if anyone wants to spend the $$$.

 

Nor do we know about contracts and salaries on either line (Oceania and NCL). They could be quite different, at least at present, making simple switching back and forth difficult.

Edited September 7, 2014 by Paulchili

[Travelcat2]

Nor do we know about contracts and salaries on either line (Oceania and NCL). They could be quite different, at least at present, making simple switching back and forth difficult.

 

Agree. I'm not quite certain what was meant by Mr. Sheehan's comment in Seatrade Insider "While expressing admiration for the Prestige team, Sheehan indicated during the investors' call there also may be opportunities in shoreside staffing."

[Arusha]

Agree. I'm not quite certain what was meant by Mr. Sheehan's comment in Seatrade Insider "While expressing admiration for the Prestige team, Sheehan indicated during the investors' call there also may be opportunities in shoreside staffing."

 

This means that office departments common to both companies will most likely be consolidated with adjustments to the size of the workforce: Accounting, Human Resources, Provisioning, ...

[Travelcat2]

This means that office departments common to both companies will most likely be consolidated with adjustments to the size of the workforce: Accounting, Human Resources, Provisioning, ...

 

Thanks -- I should have thought of that:-)

[vulcan1971]

While this 'merger' maybe a fiscally sound one for O, I am doubtful that it will enhance the cruising experience of past loyal O passengers. NCL tends to cater to a younger demographic and thus comes a bit close to the Carnival brand! [ Not my cup of tea :( ] My daughter just came back from a NCL Hawaiian cruise and confirmed that the passenger make up tended to be 'partyers'..possibly this was due to the destination?

 

Regardless if now O will be transferring crew and staff back and forth between both lines, I suspect that this will result in a drop of service on the O ships.

NCL staff tend not to be as 'service oriented' as the O staff.

 

I guess time will tell. We go on a sailing on the Marina in December..hope that the O staff and crew that is on board now remains for our sailing and that they don't 'intermingle' staff from NCL!

 

Comments, thoughts?

 

J

My first question is "Have you ever been on an NCL cruise?" I see you're relying on your daughter's report, so it sounds like you haven't. If that's the case, how do you know that NCL's crew is not as service oriented as Oceania's?

 

In general we've been satisfied with the service we receive on NCL. I won't speculate on how it compares to Oceania because I haven't cruised on Oceania.

 

In 2013, I had been contemplating (and even put down a deposit) on an O cruise. Due to other circumstances, that trip was cancelled and ultimately changed to a Celebrity cruise going to nearly the same locations and the same general time frame. I do hope to take an Oceania cruise in the future but won't ever know how it may be different once the sale goes through.

 

However, the reason I even comment today is to say that I have sailed twice on NCL, but only in a suite in their Haven on board the Pearl and the Epic. Both ships were sailing Caribbean itineraries at the time and people were probably younger and more in a "party" mode than other types of cruises I have been on. That said, it doesn't mean that the whole ship is that way, maybe just periods of time during the course of the day. The experiences I have had while on board (both inside and outside the Haven) and the level of service provided with our past butlers far exceeds my experiences on Celebrity. Don't get me wrong, on the whole I prefer Celebrity over NCL, but the suite experience on Celebrity has not measured up to my experiences on NCL. Celebrity is raising the bar on that standard and my opinion may change in the future.

 

I would have no hesitation to book another Haven suite on NCL and I look forward to sailing on Oceania someday soon.

[StanandJim]

I would have no hesitation to book another Haven suite on NCL

It will be interesting to see how the class divisions on NCL play out with the Oceania and Regent clientel.

[vulcan1971]

It will be interesting to see how the class divisions on NCL play out with the Oceania and Regent clientel.

 

Do you care to elaborate further on this?

 

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[Mura]

We did a NY-Venice TA on NCL in April 2010. It was a last minute sale that was hard to pass up. We had a Family Penthouse (2 bedroom, 2 bath) suite on GEM and were considered VIPs even though we weren't in the Haven class. (Actually, my investigation of higher suites seemed to show that only our category had the second bathroom, but that may have changed. And I'm specifically talking about the "Jewel" class ships which carry 2300 passengers.)

 

We did have the same perks as the Haven class except that on GEM the Haven class was on Deck 12 which only can be accessed by people staying there. We were on Deck 11.

 

I wouldn't want to travel on NCL in "lower classes" -- how else do I describe it? I'm not trying to be elitist but I suppose I am. The experience wasn't equal to Oceania in our eyes (and we haven't been on Regent) but the extra benefits did make it a more enjoyable experience. And we paid less for that suite than we would have paid for an inside cabin on the Miami-BCN TA we'd taken the previous spring on Regatta.

 

Didn't like all the nickel and diming, banning of bringing on our own hard liquor (we weren't aware that we could have brought on our own wine for $15/bottle which is less than O's corkage fee), constant sales of bingo and lottery tickets, etc., but it wasn't that difficult to ignore these things. There were many children on this cruise but we rarely saw them because NCL does have an excellent childrens' program.

 

We had a concierge to handle all reservations and breakfast and lunch were served in a private dining room.

 

We avoided the paid restaurants but if we were to take another NCL cruise, we probably would try some dinners in the specialty restaurants since the two standard restaurants are no better than okay. And at least on the cruise we took, "freestyle" meant waiting for half an hour in the bar in order to get a table. Having a table booked by the concierge allowed us to avoid that waiting time, but that meant we mostly dined alone ... and we would have preferred to share a table.

 

It's not the end of the world but I do think that most Oceania/Regent passengers if traveling on NCL would want to book a higher-end cabin.

 

Mura

 

P.S. We also did a January 2002 cruise on NCL from BA to Valpo (the ship is no longer in NCL's fleet) which carried 1750 passengers and while it was a better cruise in general than our 2010 cruise, there were many things that had us saying, "But Renaissance did it better". Of course, Ren had just bellied up only a few months earlier and we were replacing a planned Ren cruise in the Far East at the same time. That cruise had many, MANY Ren cruisers who were in the same boat.

 

On that cruise we did not have the waiting time for "free style" dining that we found on the 2010 cruise. Also, the food in the dining rooms was much better than on the 2010 cruise. For what that is worth ...

Edited September 9, 2014 by Mura
Last Minute Thought

[Paulchili]

Disclaimer - I have never sailed in an NCL Haven suite.

I am sure that the suite (and the perks, food, etc) are very nice and priced well compared to Oceania's suites. However, unless you stay locked in your suite or within the haven space, you have to deal with the remainder of the ship good part of the time during your cruise, I would imagine.

It would that that part of the cruising experience that would not appeal to me, no matter how nice my Haven suite was.

JMO - maybe I will try it one day and see for myself ;).

[njhorseman]

Disclaimer - I have never sailed in an NCL Haven suite.

I am sure that the suite (and the perks, food, etc) are very nice and priced well compared to Oceania's suites. However, unless you stay locked in your suite or within the haven space, you have to deal with the remainder of the ship good part of the time during your cruise, I would imagine.

It would that that part of the cruising experience that would not appeal to me, no matter how nice my Haven suite was.

JMO - maybe I will try it one day and see for myself ;).

 

We have stayed in NCL Haven and IMO it largely makes up for whatever shortcomings you might encounter.

 

To me those shortcomings were very noticeable on a mega ship due to overcrowded public spaces (in our case it was the Breakaway, and I would assume the Getaway would be the same as it is a twin) and as a result we would not sail on those ships unless we had Haven privileges. On the Jewel class ships we don't perceive those problems at all, and in fact we're satisfied and can save a few (actually more than a few) $$ by staying in a non-Haven suite. (On the mega ships all suites have Haven access...not so on the other ships.)

 

I'm not a fan of the R class ships (note my experience is on Azamara, not Oceania)...I find the public facilities too limited, and the non-suite cabins too small...in particular the bathrooms are way too small IMO, so I'm willing to trade off for the better cabin and public facilities of the NCL ships. In particular I really like their entertainment selection. We almost never go to main showroom shows and on NCL every night we have a choice of several "lounge" acts...singers, pianists, guitar players, etc. Smaller ships don't have the physical space to make that amount of choice possible.

 

Obviously everyone has their own idea of what's important to them, so what I'm looking for isn't necessarily what you're looking for.

Edited September 10, 2014 by njhorseman

[Caroldoll]

or whatever the ship calls it (can't remember). I do remember a really good experience..always wonderful butlers...private diningroom for breakfast and lunch...really reasonable fees for the alternative restaurants (you save more than that by not doing O) and we have had a really great time. The world is NOT going to come to an end and perhaps both NCL and O will benefit by the combined thinking. For me, it is really irritating that on O with all the cruises I have had I can't have free internet. Call it little...but it matters to me. Just like Celebrity where we have had close to 20 cruises..paying for water matters. Everyone has something that bothers them. The internet irritates me with Oceania. I don't care or want anything else.

[Paulchili]

Caroldoll,

Problem solved (for you :D). Free internet for OS starting winter 2015/16. Can you wait? :)

See here:

http://www.oceaniacruises.com/internetpackages/

Edited September 10, 2014 by Paulchili

[Caroldoll]

Sure I can wait. I only have two cruises in 2015 the last being May, but I am about to book one for January 2016. It will be a good thing for me. Sometimes they include it on cruises that have not sold well, but it is something that bothers me...!

[vulcan1971]

Disclaimer - I have never sailed in an NCL Haven suite.

I am sure that the suite (and the perks, food, etc) are very nice and priced well compared to Oceania's suites. However, unless you stay locked in your suite or within the haven space, you have to deal with the remainder of the ship good part of the time during your cruise, I would imagine.

It would that that part of the cruising experience that would not appeal to me, no matter how nice my Haven suite was.

JMO - maybe I will try it one day and see for myself ;).

We have stayed in NCL Haven and IMO it largely makes up for whatever shortcomings you might encounter.

 

To me those shortcomings were very noticeable on a mega ship due to overcrowded public spaces (in our case it was the Breakaway, and I would assume the Getaway would be the same as it is a twin) and as a result we would not sail on those ships unless we had Haven privileges. On the Jewel class ships we don't perceive those problems at all, and in fact we're satisfied and can save a few (actually more than a few) $$ by staying in a non-Haven suite. (On the mega ships all suites have Haven access...not so on the other ships.)

 

I'm not a fan of the R class ships (note my experience is on Azamara, not Oceania)...I find the public facilities too limited, and the non-suite cabins too small...in particular the bathrooms are way too small IMO, so I'm willing to trade off for the better cabin and public facilities of the NCL ships. In particular I really like their entertainment selection. We almost never go to main showroom shows and on NCL every night we have a choice of several "lounge" acts...singers, pianists, guitar players, etc. Smaller ships don't have the physical space to make that amount of choice possible.

 

Obviously everyone has their own idea of what's important to them, so what I'm looking for isn't necessarily what you're looking for.

 

Paulchili & Njhorseman -

 

Disclaimer... i have never sailed on Oceania. However, I have done a lot of research and reading here on Cruise Critic about the different O ships and the amenities offered at the different levels of staterooms. I have also heard many comments from regular or frequent O cruisers about what they like or don't like while on board. This is a brief summary of what I learned.

 

Pros: Food, decor, stateroom enhancements for higher stateroom categories, staff/passenger ratio, casual dress, few kids.

 

Cons: Minimal/lackluster entertainment options, uber expensive shore excursions, no nightlife while on board, expensive itineraries.

 

I'm not hear to convince you that you should try NCL, but I suspect that many/most of your needs could be easily met while staying in the Haven. Here is some random information to give you an idea of what you could expect.

 

Whether you are on a Jewel class or larger ship, the Haven is nicely appointed. When you are out and about the ship, it really depends on the time of day as to whether it will feel crowded. I was hesitant when booking the Epic for my 2014 Spring cruise to the Western Caribbean, but found my experiences around the ship to (at all times of day) to be very enjoyable.

 

While staying in the Haven, I have booked what is referred to a 2 bedroom garden villa. These suites typically have a footprint of around 540 square feet, a small balcony, combined living room/dining room, a master bath (separate tub/shower) off the master bedroom, and a second bedroom with a full bath (shower only). This is more than plenty for two adults, and works well for families with 1 or 2 children.

 

Depending on the time of year and itinerary, and because of the larger suites, it does mean you are likely to see some families traveling with children, which is dependent on the itinerary and time of year. I also enjoyed the many entertainment options on board the Epic

 

The Haven has a concierge staff that is available to you for all sorts of information and will take your requests from making specialty dining reservations, to shore excursions, and more. Your suite butler takes care of your stateroom requests, food deliveries/serving meals in suite, maintaining your beverage supplies and upkeep/restocking of your in suite espresso machine.

 

On Jewel class ships, there is no dedicated suite dining room, but the ship makes up for it with food service from Cagney's for breakfast (served in the Haven courtyard area) and lunch (served in Cagney's). The entertainment was spectacular and there is a reserved seating area in the theatre that Haven guests are invited to view the entertainment from.

 

On Breakaway class ships and the Epic, there is a private Haven lounge and suite dining room, along with many other public areas within the Haven that make for quite an upscale cruise experience. The larger ships mean more types of entertainment and specialty dining around the ship. The ships do have "entertainment" for all ages, including children... and "young at heart" adults.

 

Being in my early 40s, I'm older than the typical NCL cruiser and younger than the typical Oceania cruiser. I seem to fit in well where ever I go, so I understand that my needs and interests do not represent what other cruisers are looking for.

 

 

Walter

[pacheco18]

Personally I would love to try The HAVEN -- especially for a TA -- where I crave more activities and good entertainment.

I have heard fabulous things about it.

 

I will keep looking for the right opportunity.

[Travelcat2]

vulcan1971 - thank you so much for taking the time to describe the experience in a Haven suite on the different NCL ships. I am interested in knowing as much about NCL as possible - although we probably will not be sailing on any of their ships. We usually sail on Regent but enjoy Oceania's ship, the Riviera (one of the larger, newer Oceania ships).

 

In terms of age, you would find that the age skews much lower on Oceania (or Regent) on short (7 night- 10 night) cruises in the Mediterranean or Alaska. There are also more families onboard during school holidays. To be honest, this is the time of the year that those of us with grown children tend to avoid sailing as we have "been there - done that" in terms of vacationing with children.

 

Your "cons" are "pros" for some of us. We are not interested in the entertainment (except in the lounges) and are not interested in an abundance of activities on board. On port intensive itineraries, there is not much need for extra entertainment (IMO).

 

Agree totally regarding the excursions. If you check out some of the Roll Calls you will find lots of passengers getting together to share excursions at a much more reasonable price. Plus, the excursions they book on their own are usually wonderful. On our only Oceania cruise, we got together with 3 other couples and had a great time in Tuscany!

 

In terms of the cost of sailing on Oceania. Obviously there are some itineraries that are less costly than others. When you make a comparison between NCL and Oceania, consider the included airfare, included soft drinks, the fact that you can take some alcohol onboard with no fee (but you need to drink it in your stateroom) and deduct those amounts.

 

When you compare NCL with Regent's least expensive cruise in Alaska - 7 nights there are even more items to deduct. The least expensive Regent cruise I could find was $3,800/person. For this cruise you would be in a 301 sq. ft. suite (this one has no balcony but a large picture window). Airfare is included, tips are included, alcohol (top brands) transfers to and from the ship are included and many shore excursions are included.

 

Last, the one reason we would not sail on NCL is the separation between passengers that sail in the Haven suites and the rest of the passengers. NCL ships are huge compared to Regent. While we are fine being in Business Class on an airplane for 12 hours, we would not want to be in a confined area of a ship for any length of time. I understand that this is not jail but it is probably a more quiet and serene area while the rest of the ship is not:) Our preference is to be on a ship where everyone is treated the same and there are not areas where passengers in lower category suites cannot go. Regent meets that criteria 100% while Oceania meets it about 98%.

Edited September 10, 2014 by Travelcat2

[hypercafe]

I really think there is little comparison between the lines do to the size of the ship and number of people on it. The common thing is resort casual and lots of restaurant choices. I was on the Breakaway and it is really crowded, Haven or not. IMO the difference is their is lots to do on NCL. If you are bored you must be dead. On Oceania we felt bored lots of times. Food is good on both but better on O in some places. I feel the best food at sea is just hype. If you are under 50 or have kids Oceania is not for you. If you want to take ship shore trips Oceania is not for you. Oceania is also two class. I think it is a good fit because NCL people would feel at home on O, I do not think the reverse expect for family trips.

 

 

 

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