FDR article from "the Street"

[buggins0402]

http://www.thestreet.com/story/13054496/1/how-norwegian-cruise-lines-new-ceo-plans-to-shake-up-the-cruise-industry.html

[LHT28]

Interesting

Thanks for posting

[hypercafe]

I read this on the NCL board. I think it's great as most look at NCL as a low price, low quality line while I think they are really not. IMO their steak house and French Rest are above average for any line.

 

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[Caroldoll]

He mentioned 7 days, but I have noted that MANY of Oceania's cruises are 10 days. This is not enough for me. I consider 10 days a milk run! If he is talking $50 a cruise, that's not bad, but Regent's prices are soooo high, and Oceania is right up there when you consider the extra liquor package, etc.

 

I do hope he takes something from Norwegian and that is shuttles at the ports. Norwegian does that very well. Oceania is seriously lacking.

 

This will be an adventure. Personally, Oceania has lost my business because of really inferior, in my opinion, itineraries and short cruises. The R ships are longer, but I prefer the Marina and Riviera. This is a personal opinion, of course.

 

After 2015 we are not cruising because of the above. Mr. Del Rio probably should rethink some of his ports, in my opinion.

[StanandJim]

most look at NCL as a low price, low quality line while I think they are really not

:confused: Did you just say that NCL is not a low cost Line? :eek:

 

Wh

 

If you factor in the OBC on this Cruise, the Per Diem is $27.71.

 

I'm sure that it's as lovely an experience as thirty bucks a day WILL EVER BUY.......but still.....

[Travelcat2]

It seems that FDR is using the same strategy on NCL as he has used, very successfully, on Oceania and Regent. Most Oceania and Regent passengers would not think of sailing on NCL unless they were traveling with children or grandchildren (IMO). On the other hand, since Oceania is used to different benefits for different stateroom/suite categories, the "class system" on NCL may be acceptable. For Regent passengers, it would be an insult (again, JMO). As a Regent loyalist, we would never stay in suites that are not accessible to all passengers. That would be, IMO once again, too elitist for us.

[Mura]

He mentioned 7 days, but I have noted that MANY of Oceania's cruises are 10 days. This is not enough for me. I consider 10 days a milk run! If he is talking $50 a cruise, that's not bad, but Regent's prices are soooo high, and Oceania is right up there when you consider the extra liquor package, etc. [sNIP]

 

Personally, Oceania has lost my business because of really inferior, in my opinion, itineraries and short cruises. The R ships are longer, but I prefer the Marina and Riviera. This is a personal opinion, of course.

 

 

Carol, maybe we're looking at different cruises. Our three most recent cruises have been on Marina and were TAs (BCN-Rio, NYC-Dover, and an upcoming Lima-NYC) ... but they were in the 16-20 day range. We've never done a 7 or 10 day cruise on O, although our average trips have probably been in the 14 day range. I admit that I haven't searched the new itineraries very well to see what is making you unhappy.

 

I sympathize with your wish for longer cruises, because I prefer them myself (DH would differ). But there are also B2B combinations that should work if you look for them. I agree that if you have a 7 day cruise that just reverses direction, that wouldn't be acceptable (unless you want to repeat the ports which is something else). But these days the line seems to design itineraries to keep on going rather than repeating.

 

When we did our first cruise on Renaissance (Oct '99), the ship did Lisbon-Barcelona and then Barcelona-Lisbon repeatedly. The real benefit to that was that reception really could answer questions about the ports. But I don't think most passengers would want to repeat the ports so quickly.

 

We took our second cruise on Renaissance four months later and they'd changed to really short itineraries (5 day cruises with 3 days in a hotel pre- and post-cruise) but they then continued on to new ports ... and the reception staff new absolutely nothing about the ports!

 

In terms of long trips, we're doing Lima-NYC (I think that is 16 days) in April. The leg before starts in Papeete and the leg after NYC goes to Montreal, and from there to Southampton. That kind of a cruise gives you plenty of opportunities for longer itineraries.

 

Of course, I have no idea of where you want to tour ... but it is often possible to combine legs.

 

And I've found LOTS of offers to add a "before" or "after" leg onto our booked cruise at a reduced price. Your top cabin may not be available in those cases, of course!

 

We just received an offer (for the first time) to downsize to a "B" from a "PH" which I rejected because I'm still hoping for an upsell offer to an "OC" ...

 

Mura

 

 

 

And maybe you don't like TAs ... I've come to be very fond of them.

[PirateShark]

He mentioned 7 days, but I have noted that MANY of Oceania's cruises are 10 days. This is not enough for me. I consider 10 days a milk run! If he is talking $50 a cruise, that's not bad, but Regent's prices are soooo high, and Oceania is right up there when you consider the extra liquor package, etc.

 

I do hope he takes something from Norwegian and that is shuttles at the ports. Norwegian does that very well. Oceania is seriously lacking.

 

This will be an adventure. Personally, Oceania has lost my business because of really inferior, in my opinion, itineraries and short cruises. The R ships are longer, but I prefer the Marina and Riviera. This is a personal opinion, of course.

 

After 2015 we are not cruising because of the above. Mr. Del Rio probably should rethink some of his ports, in my opinion.

 

I understand that 10 day cruises are short. However for those of us still working that works. Just 7 more years and I could go on that longer cruise so maybe we'll bump into each other :)

[Caroldoll]

When we still had our business, we would like 10 days. Now we sold and we like MORE. My DH will not do a TA or any other repositioning cruise as he has motion problems. I would definitely do a World Cruise. We have combined two in October/November as I am sure all the loyal posters have see, and if things don't get worse in the world situation we will stay on them. We are a VERY YOUNG 75 and 80 and we can do almost anything, but we do not feel that we have time to buy. Mura, I know that on the R ships they have longer cruises, and while I like the OS on R, if I want to be "in the sun", it doesn't work as the deck is enclosed. In the meantime we have a lot booked for 2015 and one Caribbean in 2016 and then we will wait to see what happens. We have skipped the last two announcements. Ports are the same old and cruises are shorter...at least for us. Many of you will love it. We sure did when we owned our company.

[LHT28]

There are only so many places ships can port unless the Countries build the infrastructure or the cruise lines do like Carnival did in Turks & Roatan

Oceania went to some newer place & people moaned it was industrial & nothing there

 

some days it does not pay to get out of bed :rolleyes:

Edited February 26, 2015 by LHT28

[LHT28]

He mentioned 7 days, but I have noted that MANY of Oceania's cruises are 10 days.

 

Out of 9 Oceania cruise only one was a 10 day

If you do not like short cruise combine 2 to get longer ones

We did 32 days on the ship with a B2B

[Mura]

When we still had our business, we would like 10 days. Now we sold and we like MORE. My DH will not do a TA or any other repositioning cruise as he has motion problems. I would definitely do a World Cruise. We have combined two in October/November as I am sure all the loyal posters have see, and if things don't get worse in the world situation we will stay on them. We are a VERY YOUNG 75 and 80 and we can do almost anything, but we do not feel that we have time to buy. Mura, I know that on the R ships they have longer cruises, and while I like the OS on R, if I want to be "in the sun", it doesn't work as the deck is enclosed. In the meantime we have a lot booked for 2015 and one Caribbean in 2016 and then we will wait to see what happens. We have skipped the last two announcements. Ports are the same old and cruises are shorter...at least for us. Many of you will love it. We sure did when we owned our company.

 

 

Carol, I'm not trying to get into a war, really! We were on an OS on Regatta 10 years ago and didn't notice that the deck was enclosed. We loved it. Had breakfast out there most mornings. (Then again, we'd never been above a PH on the "R" ships before so the OS was heaven.)

 

Does the OS on the smaller ships compare to an OS or even a VS or OC on the newer ships? Nope. But you want what you want, and that is your right!

 

However, I wasn't advocating that you take the "R" ships if your preference is the "O" ships. As I said, we did three cruises on Marina between Oct '11 and April '15, and one on Regatta to the Black Sea in Aug '12. I certainly wasn't trying to push you to the smaller ships since you like the bigger ships, I was mentioning -- as Lyn did inbetween our comments -- that you *can* create B2B cruises that should satisfy you. Just because we have come to like transatlantics also does not mean that I'm trying to convince you to go that route especially if your DH doesn't want to do one. (You might tell him that I also have motion problems but have found the TAs to be very pleasurable ... I can understand if he doesn't want to take the risk!)

 

If you look carefully, you should be able to find B2Bs in an area you want to visit that will please you. Oceania a year or more ago started putting on more short cruises, I believe because they were trying to attract the "still working" crowd. But that doesn't mean you can't find a B2B or even a B2B2B that would please you.

 

In your place I would ask my TA to do the work ...

 

Mura

[YoHoHo]

We're 10/12 days preferred as well. 14 is too long with a couple of days in port before.

We also are working and I cannot take more than 14 days at a time though I have stretched that envelope.

We have zero interest in 7 day cruises. Too much travel for 7 days. First thing I do when paging through O's brochures is look at the number of days 7?, flip, 7?, flip, 24 read, imagine, scheme, dream

[MVPinBoynton]

One thing that I really like about O is that most itineraries aren't repeated over and over. I have yet to put two together; but since the itineraries for each ship seem to change for each sailing, it would be ideal if we wanted a longer cruise.

[Caroldoll]

The decks on the R ships in OS are not exactly "closed" but they have high sides and you need to stand to see out. On the Marina and Riviera they are glass, and you can lie on the lounge and get a suntan.

 

I do like the R ships for cold or inclement cruises, however, as I find that Martini's where I like to hear the piano is much more cozy and has a fireplace.

 

We always do Caribbean in January. For the last several years they put Mayan Mystique in between each "good" cruise. We do not like Mayan Mystique at all and have done it several times. Hopefully they will have some different cruises next time. I do like B2B, but not with this Mayan Mystique.

 

The European one we are doing in October/November of this year is B2B and the first part is 7 days! Ick. We had to do it though as it goes to Palermo. The second part is longer.

 

Just a personal preference. Not saying it is bad, but we are tired of the same old ports. There are others that other cruise lines go to...one that stands out is Aruba. I do like it there. Why not add that?

[LHT28]

There are others that other cruise lines go to...one that stands out is Aruba. I do like it there. Why not add that?

 

There are cruises that go to Aruba

 

How lucky you are to have been to all those ports many times some people have not

[MVPinBoynton]

There are others that other cruise lines go to...one that stands out is Aruba. I do like it there. Why not add that?

 

We are on the a Riviera cruise in March that goes to Aruba. Unfortunately that isn't in your January cruising time. Perhaps that itinerary will be in January in another year.