Trying to compare value for Celebrity, Azamara and Oceania

[bob278]

Having what for us has been an unusual cruising year where we managed to sail on four different cruise lines (Azamara, Celebrity, Oceania and Royal Caribbean), I thought I would take the opportunity to do a comparative review on three of them. I am not going to try to compare RCL because they are too different, not bad but simply not similar enough to be able to make reasonable comparisons.

 

The comparisons will be based on this cruiser's evaluation of overall value for the money and I have tried to base them on as close to equal situations as possible. Keep in mind that each person places different priority on what constitutes value to them. For me, I am willing to pay more for a similar product/experience if it is clear to me that it is worth the difference. I adjusted the base fares paid to add items such as a drink package or laundry that were not included to make each cruise line's package roughly equivalent. It isn't a perfect total, but it is fairly close and more comprehensive than anything I have seen on Cruise Critic.

 

THE CRUISES USED FOR COMPARISON

 

The Azamara cruises I am using for cost comparison are a 29-day back-to-back itinerary from Amsterdam to the North Cape in Norway followed by a European Capitals cruise ending in Southampton in a Club Continent Suite.

 

Our Oceania cruise was 23 days on Insignia from Montreal to Southampton in a Penthouse Suite (same cabin as Azamara as the two ships are the same size known as R-class).

 

The Celebrity cruises are a back-to-back-to back itinerary from Singapore to Sydney to Honolulu to Vancouver for a total of 45 days in a Celebrity Suite (second-tier suite was used to level the playing field a little) on an M-class ship.

 

This is a long review so I will split it into three posts.

 

This post will include what I consider hard facts (observations about cost and what was included in the cruises). The second post will be about the subjective things like food and service. The final post will be a summary of my conclusions/opinions.

 

THE HARD FACTS

 

COST Per Person Per Day adjusted to match included items as close as possible

• Celebrity (full M-class suite) - $346

• Azamara - $397 (lowest level suite)

• Oceania - $466 (lowest level suite) Without Oceania's included airfare as we did not use it

 

CABINS

• Celebrity - Celebrity Suite which is a second-tier suite and measures 467 square foot with an 85 sq ft balcony (M-class ships)

• Azamara - Club Continent Suite which is an entry-level suite and measures 266 sq ft with a 60 sq ft balcony

• Oceania - Penthouse Suite which is an entry-level suite and is defined on the website as a 322 sq ft cabin. But since it is a sister to the Azamara ships that has to include the balcony so I am confident the dimensions are the same as the Azamara cabin.

 

WHAT's INCLUDED WITH FARE WE PAID USING A VARIETY OF SALES/PROMOTIONS/MY MANUAL ADDITIONS

There are other inclusions, but I am listing only those with material impact

• All three have butlers and included gratuities in the base price or promotion package

• Celebrity

o Access to suite-only restaurant (Luminae) with scaled up menus and service

o Access to Michael's Club with dedicated concierge, alcohol available afternoons and evenings

o Two nights in specialty restaurants

o Unlimited alcohol for low-end beer/wine/mixed drinks

• Azamara

o Beer/wine all day

o Access to spa

o Unlimited access to specialty restaurants

o One bag of laundry per week

• Oceania

o Beer/wine in dining venues during lunch/dinner (but you have to buy the package)

o Unlimited access to specialty restaurants (space available - there is a limit to number of guaranteed visits)

[bob278]

Here are my opinions on various aspects of the cruises.

 

SUBJECTIVE OBSERVATIONS/EVALUATIONS

It should be noted that nothing is ALWAYS the same and there can be hits and misses between events on the same ship and between ships of the same cruise line. Many of these observations are averages based on our experience across multiple cruises on Celebrity and Azamara and one cruise on Oceania.

 

CABINS

• Celebrity

The cabins are very spacious and have excellent storage and shelf space. The M-class (older) ships have a large dining table where 4 people can have dinner en suite. Beds are just OK, but with a requested foam pad, they are pretty comfortable. The tub/shower has Jacuzzi-type jets that makes it extra deep and it is hard to get into and out of. There was a full sofa and a large, comfortable chair with a footstool in the cabin. A nice dressing table was inside the large walk-in closet. The balcony had two chairs with adjustable backs and a table large enough for two people to dine on.

• Azamara

The cabin is large enough for two people to be very comfortable for a long time. Beds are just OK, but with a requested foam pad, they are pretty comfortable. Table could be used for dining for two people. There was a sofa bed and a comfortable chair w/footstool. The dressing table was adequate as was shelf/drawer space and the closet storage consisted of 4 doors that were smoked glass - 3 were hanging clothes [doors 1 & 2 was one double closet and door 3 a single) and one was a shelf and drawers. The safe was on the large shelf behind the 4th door and under that was drawers) The balcony had 2 chairs and a square table. The bathroom was nicely laid out with adequate storage but nothing special. Tub/shower is nice but, like any of these, you need to be careful getting in and out.

• Oceania

The cabins should be identical to Azamara but the layout made it feel a little more open. There was a sofa bed and two chairs. Sofa was fine but the chairs were only marginally comfortable. The beds were, hands down, the best we have ever had on a cruise ship but the duvets were extremely heavy. The dressing table was adequate and there was a double closet and a half-width wardrobe with shelving that limited hanging items to short ones. Plenty of room for two people for a 3 - 4 week cruise. The table would be a bit cramped for dining for two people but certainly doable. The balcony had a small table and two chairs that had a little recline and attached foot rest. We had the most sensitive thermostat I've ever seen and it was a challenge to keep the cabin at a comfortable temperature. On the other hand, both the heat and cooling worked VERY well. The bathroom was very nice with two drawers and a full shelf beneath the vanity plus open metal shelves on either side of a large lavatory. The tub/shower was typical for a cruise ship with the normal warning to be careful getting in and out. There is a glass panel from the front covering about half of the tub but no curtain. There is a mirror in the shower (WHY???).

 

FOOD

• Celebrity

Food in the main dining room and elsewhere is typical of a good cruise line in that it was almost always at least good and frequently very good. Celebrity tends to try to be too "continental" and adds a lot of sauces to many dishes. Ask for it on the side and it becomes a non-issue (or leave it as is if you like that sort of thing). Specialty restaurants are generally a step up in quality and service from the main dining room but carry an up charge of approximately $45-50 per person. Not worth it to me and my wife most of the time but we do go with friends. The suite restaurant (Luminae) is outstanding and if you are in a suite, you really don't need to go to a specialty restaurant. The menus tend to be a little fancy for my taste (and understanding of just what is being served) but the service is impeccable and they will translate "culinary speak" to English if you ask.

• Azamara

My wife and I felt that the food on Azamara was a definite step up from Celebrity in all venues. Still a little too much sauce on many dishes but they are very accommodating and will adjust to your taste. There are two specialty restaurants. Aqualina is a Continental/Italian restaurant and Prime C is a steak house. Both are quite good. For those who are not in suites, I think the up charge is $25. Much more reasonable than Celebrity.

• Oceania

Despite all the hype on Cruise Critic, we found the food to be somewhere between Celebrity and Azamara in quality. Portions were a little smaller (a good thing in my opinion as they seemed more "right-sized") and they were not awash in sauces. The menu had more choices than either Celebrity or Azamara but if something you wanted was not on the menu, you were out of luck. For example, most cruise lines have shrimp cocktail available every night. Not so on Oceania and if it wasn't on the menu, too bad. On both Celebrity and Azamara, I have witnessed first-hand that if you ask for something that is not available, you will get an apology and an assurance that it will be available the next night (and often every night thereafter). The specialty restaurants were the same as Azamara and a little more spotty in quality than I expected. The pool grill (Waves) had excellent hamburgers and even served milkshakes (but they were always way to thin - either not enough ice cream or blended to death).

 

SHIPS

• Celebrity

The M-class ships that I am using for this comparison are a good bit larger than those of Azamara and Oceania. That gives them some obvious advantages of providing more space for facilities such as an indoor pool, more common area facilities such as lounges and a larger entertainment venue. I have heard that Celebrity described them as understated elegance in the past. I consider them to be more plain, but functional. Traffic flow works well and there is seldom a feeling of being crowded. They are well maintained and, even though they are about 15 years old, they still have an overall pleasing appearance and have no real signs of being worn out. The buffet is a weak spot as it is designed as a long-running cafeteria line rather than different stations for various food items.

• Azamara

These ships are much more elegant than anything Celebrity has and they provide a feeling that brings to mind what I think sailing the luxury liners of old must have been. The layout is logical and easy to learn. Of course, being small helps in that there is not as much to explore. The size and capacity are well matched and the feeling is more intimate without feeling constricted. The show lounge is more like a cabaret and has only two seating levels (the higher one is only about 6 - 8 inches above the other so sight lines are not great if you are not on the front row. They do not show the age much but some features definitely need to be spruced up. Both of the ships are scheduled for major upgrades within the next year.

• Oceania

The Insignia is the newest looking of the ships we have been on recently. I wonder if some of that is due to a forced refurb following the fire and smoke damage several months ago. There are few physical differences between Azamara and Oceania's R-class ships but the appearance on Insignia was noticeably nicer.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

• Celebrity

There is a clear advantage for Celebrity here as there is a true theater on board where full production shows can be held. Celebrity has a full-time production staff consisting usually of four singers and five or six dancers that usually have 2 or 3 shows that they rotate depending on length of a cruise. These are supplemented by guest entertainers. With rare exceptions, there are two shows per night.

• Azamara

The show venue is more of a cabaret than a theater which limits the size and scope of shows. The production staff is usually four singers (who are also pretty fair dancers) and two dancers. As with Celebrity, there are usually two shows per night. Azamara also has a special pool party called White Night that involves decorating the pool deck and having a buffet (where the food is served by the officers). On most cruises one of the overnight ports includes an evening excursion called Azamazing evenings. On one of our cruises, we were bussed to a really lovely amphitheater in Haifa and the Ashdod symphony performed.

• Oceania

The impression my wife and I (and some friends who were with us) is that entertainment is not a priority with Oceania. There is only one show per night. While the guest entertainers were good, on our 23-day cruise, there were two movies shown, the cruise director and his wife performed once, the assistant cruise director performed, the lounge piano player had one show and one of the lecturers had two shows. While they were not bad, it just seemed that they were thrown in as "fillers". There was no full-time production staff on board. But I do think that is not the standard for Oceania. We were on one segment of a World Cruise and I can see that repeating production shows every 2 - 3 weeks would not work well so I can only assume that there is a small staff on other ships.

 

SERVICE

This topic is extremely hard to pin down (even more than food in my opinion) as it is so subjective and there are so many variables. I have never been on a cruise where there was not a corporate policy to provide excellent service and generally that is achieved across the board. Everyone can run into someone who is having a bad moment or day and that may leave a bad impression but should not cast a shadow over all the other hard-working employees.

 

All three companies provide very good service most of the times with moments of excellence. Of the three, I heard "no" more often on Oceania than on Celebrity and Azamara combined. It was never presented in an unprofessional manner, it was just a reflection of policy or capability. My opinion (and my wife's) is that the overall service on Azamara stands above all other cruiselines we have sailed with.

 

I have often been asked why I think the service on Azamara is superior and I have struggled to come up with an explanation. I ask you to consider, if you will, going to a family reunion for the first time. You don't know many (or any) of the folks there, but when they greet you with a smile and say they're glad to see you, you believe it. And you interact with them differently than someone who is simply being paid to be nice to you. That's how it feels to me on Azamara.

[bob278]

SUMMARY

 

All three will provide you with a wonderful experience. But unless there is a unique itinerary or some other compelling reason to spend the extra money, I think Celebrity provides the best value by a good margin. We have three cruises booked with them and expect to do the majority of our future cruises with them. I should mention that the cost for this comparison included a second-tier suite and dropping to the lowest level suite (sky suite) loses only access to Michael's Club and still provides a cabin that is essentially the same size as the ones in this comparison at a cost of around $50-60 less per day, making it an even better value.

 

If you are looking for more elegance and an upscale feeling, Azamara provides that at a cost significantly less than Oceania with a better overall experience. In our case, that desire coupled with some really nice itineraries led us to book five more cruises with them.

 

We enjoyed our Oceania cruise but did not feel that it was worth the cost and, while I would not consciously avoid them, it would take an unusual set of circumstances to get us back on board.

[TSC]

really enjoyed this review/overview - lots of clearly stated facts. Thanks very much for taking the time - and can I just say that when I grow up I want to cruise like you do! :p

[TrulyBlonde]

Nice review and I have been on all 3. We actually have a B2B on Soltice for Oz and NZ this Oct. My expectations are that it will be a lovely cruise, we are in a CS and an SS, and the difference I see will be in the number of Passengers but the itinerary and timing prevailed

My number one choice of the 3 I have experienced so far is that Oceania is by far the closest to luxury and it is my cruise line of choice. Their R ships are similar in size to AZ, but everything else is a huge step above. On the other hand, Oceania O ships, 1200 pp are my favorite ship ever. Have you experienced the Riviera?

That is where the real difference prevails. If you have not tried it, you may reconsider.

[takemewithyou]

Great Review and having sailed all three lines, most recently being Oceania, I think you nailed it!!

 

We feel Celebrity is the best value right now, also!

 

Oceania disappointed us both in food quality and for the service.......and we paid a lot more!

[josumello]

Wonderful review. Very thoughtful. Have sailed X and Azsmara. I would concur with your thoughts. We have been skeptical of Oceana because of cost.

[Texed]

Bob,

 

Thanks for posting. :)

[Ma Bell]

Good job Bob and knowing you as I do, the folks should believe you.:)

[need2cruisesoon]

Bob, excellent review.

Please come back with an S Class ship to include in the review if your vacation time permits in the near future. That would be an interesting read.

[dabear]

We've also cruised on all 3 lines but only occasionally in a suite on Celebrity. Thus my comments are for for traveling in concierge class (or equivalent) balcony cabins. We thought the main dining room food in A or O was far better than in X. All of them have very good food in the specialty restaurants. The service , in general, was better in O & A recognizing that the ships have far fewer pax than X . Entertainment was better on X but was not great. Traveling on smaller ships (690 pax) is a different, more intimate experience than on a ship with 1800+ pax.

From a pure value standpoint A or X are better than O.

Edited August 21, 2015 by dabear

[ChucktownSteve]

Bob,

 

I appreciate your thoughtful and well written comparisons. From my limited experience, so far I tend to mostly agree with you. As background, thus far I have only experienced inside cabins but am booked on an upcoming Celebrity AQ and just booked an Azamara veranda today.

 

I did experience the "no" of Oceania when in a specialty restaurant. There was a menu item with caviar as a garnish. On Celebrity, if I requested something on the menu as side, it was always happily brought. This time the Oceania waiter said, I'd have to charge you. I was taken aback.

 

On my way through the common area, I mentioned to the concierge that I was disappointed in the response of a charge. Within an hour, the F&B Manager called me to apologize. During the discussion he learned that two days later I was to eat in the main dining area where they had caviar on the menu as an appetizer.

 

When I showed up, I was led to the best table overlooking the wake in the center of the room. I ordered the small caviar boat. Shortly after receiving it, I requested another small portion. The waiter then brought me a third serving saying compliments of the chief.

 

I didn't expect nor request any special treatment when I expressed to the concierge that I was taken aback by the waiter. It was more his tone than anything else. I was used to Celebrity's attitude I suppose. :)

 

I was impressed with the way the Marina senior staff responded even though our cabin was in the "low rent" district. However I do agree with your overall assessment of comparisons based upon my experience.

 

I am looking forward to my future Azamara cruise to see how they live up to what I've read.

 

Thank you for sharing your observations and opinions.

Edited August 21, 2015 by ChucktownSteve

[Welland]

Having what for us has been an unusual cruising year where we managed to sail on four different cruise lines (Azamara, Celebrity, Oceania and Royal Caribbean), I thought I would take the opportunity to do a comparative review on three of them. I am not going to try to compare RCL because they are too different, not bad but simply not similar enough to be able to make reasonable comparisons.

 

We too have cruised all 3 lines. The majority of our cruises have been with X, followed by AZ and a few with Oceania. In all fairness our Oceania cruises were all on the Marina which is not an "R" ship so we thank you for your comparison of the "R" class ships to AZ.

 

Your review is balanced, detailed and you made many valid points. Your emphasis on value is excellent as that is what we seek as well. For us, given current price structure of all three lines, X represents the best value for us. However you are definitely correct in stating that you "just can't beat the AZ staff and crew".

 

Thank you for your excellent review.

[maggie.1008]

I agree that X is the best value. The times that Azamara shines is when you can go to smaller ports. In St. Petersburg ( Baltic Cruise ) We docked right in town. All the large cruise ships, X included where miles away.

[4774Papa]

Excellent comparison. We never do suites and would never spend $346 per day per person on a cruise. For a 14 day cruise that is almost $10000. I would be interested in a similar comparison with balcony cabins.

[cluso]

I agree that X is the best value. The times that Azamara shines is when you can go to smaller ports. In St. Petersburg ( Baltic Cruise ) We docked right in town. All the large cruise ships, X included where miles away.

 

But...you never know. We did The Baltics on Azamara and our "in-town docking" in St Petersburg was preempted by a local festival. We ended up on the docks with the big ships, miles away. :rolleyes:

[maggie.1008]

Kim, so sorry you had bad luck. I don`t think that happens often.

[alcpa1]

Thank you so much for your comparisons. We are awaiting the X and O schedules for the summer of '17 to plan a very special voyage. We have a love affair with Azamara so it's going to be difficult to look seriously at O but we will. Again, thank you.

[cluso]

Kim, so sorry you had bad luck. I don`t think that happens often.

It was a minor inconvenience. What we really loved about this trip, was the three full days and 2 nights in St Petersburg. We got to see so many fantastic things. :D

[1982CruzStart]

Thank you for the balanced and well thought out review. We haven't been on any of the 3 cruise lines but are booked to take our first Celebrity one in a couple of months in a CS. I have looked at Oceania and Azamara a number of times when looking at options for specific itineraries but they always came out more expensive than a similar cruise on a luxury line in an equivalent cabin size. Size matters to us.

 

I do like the smaller ships so our upcoming trip on Celebrity will be different at 3 times the # of passengers of the ships we have been sailing on.

[hypercafe]

Hi Bob, thanks for the review. We also feel Celebrity is the best bang for the buck and love the M class ships

 

Sent from my SM-T320 using Forums mobile app

[cedarpoint]

Loved your review and comparisons. We were looking forward to what we thought would be a "luxury" cruise on Oceana and it fell far short of our expectations in every way. We will stick with Celebrity.

[Compass Rose Monica]

Hi Bob! Nice to see your posting. I really appreciated your comments. I'm still cruising on Celebrity but thinking of trying other lines. Celebrity seems to be the best value but with their recent changes, I may need to start cruising on other lines (RCL? Princess?, etc.).

Hope you and Garry are doing well. Say hello to her for me.

Monica

[TeaBag]

Thank you Bob for your interesting post. We have only sailed X out of the three you compared. We are thinking of trying AZ. We look forward to meeting you on the Millennium next March.

[smtcan]

Excellent comparison. We never do suites and would never spend $346 per day per person on a cruise. For a 14 day cruise that is almost $10000. I would be interested in a similar comparison with balcony cabins.

 

I agree. Our cruising pattern takes us to as many interesting places as possible, and travelling in suites would severely reduce our number of cruises. We have been considering Azamara as a change from our usual Celebrity cruises so still find your comparison interesting. Thank you for expressing your ideas so thoughtfully.