Oceania since merger? Plus or minus?

[Travelcat2]

There will always be people that look for things that may be different on Oceania. The odds are great that the changes were in place prior to the merger. IMO, there are no significant changes on Oceania or Regent. If a few passengers want to change cruise lines - let's wish them farewell and be done with it. Most people will not find that the grass is greener elsewhere. Just my opinion!

[Westchester_Gal]

Just returned from 10 wonderful days on the Marina. Our third cruise on Oceania and first since merger. Could not have been happier. No difference in quality. Future cruises will include some excursions, maybe Internet and gratuities.

 

 

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[Hawaiidan]

LOL! This threw me for a sec too, until I remembered that they'd been talking about the villas on NCL earlier in this thread:

 

 

 

The largest villa on NCL Gem has three separate bedrooms in it.

 

Just to add my agreement to Hypercafe's comment - before we selected our upcoming Oceania cruise, we were booked on an NCL cruise. But one of the reasons we switched (besides the ridiculous extra charges for everything) was that I just couldn't stand the look of the NCL suites - even the nicest ones. We were booked in a Haven villa of some kind on Gem, can't remember which...it was a pretty large suite. But the decor is just horrific! It looks like the decor in a children's daycare. Definitely NOT my cup of tea.

 

 

 

 

Once I saw the photos of the Riviera, I was hooked!

 

 

I am with you.... I cant get past the hideous paint job on the ship... then there is the design of the "epic" with a square high-rise thing on top....the whole thing just reeks total lack of taste and class....

 

Its like Coco the Clown and Barney got together to design a ship....

 

If you are hooked on Riveria...wait till you see or try Regatta!!!!

[findacruise]

We were on Marina in May and experienced no decline. We have booked Sirena for 2017 RT Sydney and really looking forward to experiencing the refurbished R ship with restaurant changes etc.

[Hambagahle]

We noticed the production shows were better on the Riviera with the in house production team than the shows were with Jean Ryan. The music is more up to date, less of the 40's and 50's.

 

I find the above comment interesting because in April when we were on Riviera for the TA crossing GM Damien LaCroix explained to us that from then on, all the entertainment/production shows etc would be done at the Norwegian "stage" facility in Florida (near Tampa I think) which is purpose built and huge. And that there would be more singers/dancers etc coming on board on the Oceania and I assume Regent ships than there had been in the past with the Jean Ryan Singers and Dancers.

 

So it looks as though at least one "centralisation" move has paid off...:)

[DaisyUK]

We noticed the production shows were better on the Riviera with the in house production team than the shows were with Jean Ryan. The music is more up to date, less of the 40's and 50's.

 

I, too, find this interesting. We were at an Oceania presentation yesterday, and a question was asked about potential changes. We were told that the only area in which a change is planned is that of entertainment and that changes for the better were already happening, with more improvements on the way.

[hondorner]

Many folks feel the entertainment on Oceania has been lacking, and the entertainment on NCL has been better. I've never sailed on NCL's mega ships where they have broadway-style entertainment, but frankly, on NCL's smaller ships (we've been on Jewel and Star), the entertainment has been almost exactly like Oceania -- same types of cabaret acts plus a troupe of singers and dancers -- with the obvious difference that there are a few more singers and dancers on the larger stage.

 

Of course, I might be biased because I don't really care for the so-called Production shows. I like the comedians, vocalists, magicians, ventriloquists and instrumentalists who make up the majority of the variety on board -- and they're pretty much the same on all cruise ships.

[cbb]

we, too, will be blogging our experiences cruising around the world 2016.

 

Should be interesting; he was a computer engineer and i was a history teacher so it should be obvious which of us is writing the blog entry for that day!

[roothy123]

Just curious about a couple comments, as I took a year off from cruising O to go on the new Viking Ocean line. (Yes, they copied a lot from Oceania, and yes, it's fabulous.) My last O cruise was a little over a year ago, but it was just as good as the ones before. I guess that was after the merger, but I don't really know.

 

Anyway, I'm curious about a couple comments: What is bad about O Life? Did they raise the prices when they implemented that, or what? I did notice that was the case for one cruise next year that I looked at. Also, what was the initial/temporary change related to port times? Were they shortened?

 

Thanks.

[no fuss travel]

Just for your information, 4 singers, 8 dancers. The dancing was great. Very high energy. I have had dance training and could not fault the production shows at all. I was impressed with what they did with the space available to them. The songs have been updated and for some of the passengers, the shows were a bit too risqué. Some did walk out of one show, but I was quite impressed with it. Different strokes for different folks. I felt the weakest part of the entertainment was the individual entertainers brought on and the show the CD did. The CD's show was simply not my cup of tea and I found him to be a little ?????. I can't quite find a word that is suitable. I found his style of CD would be acceptable on a large cruise ship but it just didn't seem to fit the clientele with Oceania. Again though some people really enjoyed his show, I didn't.

[TERRIER1]

Just curious about a couple comments, as I took a year off from cruising O to go on the new Viking Ocean line. (Yes, they copied a lot from Oceania, and yes, it's fabulous.) My last O cruise was a little over a year ago, but it was just as good as the ones before. I guess that was after the merger, but I don't really know.

 

Anyway, I'm curious about a couple comments: What is bad about O Life? Did they raise the prices when they implemented that, or what? I did notice that was the case for one cruise next year that I looked at. Also, what was the initial/temporary change related to port times? Were they shortened?

 

Thanks.

 

They added the Olife program to our cruise and we opted in. For our cruise you had the option to participate or not. I don't know if the program is now included on all cruises or still optional. Basically you receive gratuities, internet and a set number of tours based on the the cruise length but it is not "free". There was an additional fee and this upcharge is included in the cruise cost for future cruises. For those who receive free gratuities from their TA, don't care about the internet and do not like large bus type tours then this becomes an added expense that they will not avail themselves.

 

Oceania also shortened cruise port times for many cruises after final payment. For those in the "know" it has been said that they stopped this practice but they didn't put back the times yet for my cruise next April. I don't check other cruises only my own. It has been mentioned that this was a cost cutting measure on Oceania's part.

[Mura]

Oceania also shortened cruise port times for many cruises after final payment. For those in the "know" it has been said that they stopped this practice but they didn't put back the times yet for my cruise next April. I don't check other cruises only my own. It has been mentioned that this was a cost cutting measure on Oceania's part.

 

 

I think you should have said it has been "alleged" rather than "mentioned" that reducing port times was a cost cutting measure. A number of posts have come to that conclusion but I haven't seen anything definitive to that effect.

 

I'm not defending Oceania here since I don't know why the reduction in times took place. It seems a reasonable conclusion as to why they did it, but again, I haven't seen anything definitive.

 

So for me it remains an allegation.

[roothy123]

Thank you, Terrier and Mura, as I was scratching my head about those possible changes. I booked a cruise quite a while in advance and then later the O Life perks were shown as being part of the cruise price at that later date. There was no mention of it being optional. I think the price went up, at least for my cabin category, so it didn't sound worthwhile to ask if my TA could rebook it. For some people, though, especially those trying O for the first time or those without goodies from their TA, it might be a good deal.

 

As to times in port, those can change at any time for a variety of reasons, so I'm thinking that has nothing to do with the merger. Sometimes port times change, sometimes port locations change, and sometimes excursions are changed or dropped. It happens.

[Hawaiidan]

Thank you, Terrier and Mura, as I was scratching my head about those possible changes. I booked a cruise quite a while in advance and then later the O Life perks were shown as being part of the cruise price at that later date. There was no mention of it being optional. I think the price went up, at least for my cabin category, so it didn't sound worthwhile to ask if my TA could rebook it. For some people, though, especially those trying O for the first time or those without goodies from their TA, it might be a good deal.

 

As to times in port, those can change at any time for a variety of reasons, so I'm thinking that has nothing to do with the merger. Sometimes port times change, sometimes port locations change, and sometimes excursions are changed or dropped. It happens.

 

Well on the cruises I am taking in 2016-2017 that include full O life ( grats, internet, shore ex) the prices seem to real bargains for the cruises..... I mean I always compare prices at cost per day per person.. To tell you the truth they are at or lower than I paid some years back.... You can take some cruises that are $200 a day or some at $395 a day....all depends on where and when... I just see O lifeas an added value to the whole cruise experience.

 

I ,personally love the O life program and don't see a darn thing wrong with it. I used to plan ally shore tours.... but hey the ones offered are pretty darn good.

[BlewWater]

We don't drink alcohol, and the room attendant would always exchange our welcome bottle of champagne for sparkling cider. On our recent (October 2015) New England cruise, the attendant said that Oceania no longer do this. It is a small thing, but those small details add up to make Oceania stand out above so many other cruise lines, so it immediately had me concerned that we would run into other issues also. Thankfully, we did not notice any other differences from our prior cruises.

[roothy123]

I think someone posted that she/he was on the September New England cruise. I'm seriously considering booking that. If that person wouldn't mind, I'd love to hear what you thought of the cruise. I'm looking at Montreal to NYC next year. My email is howardruthalliejoey@gmail.com

[Paulchili]

Thank you, Terrier and Mura, as I was scratching my head about those possible changes. I booked a cruise quite a while in advance and then later the O Life perks were shown as being part of the cruise price at that later date. There was no mention of it being optional. I think the price went up, at least for my cabin category, so it didn't sound worthwhile to ask if my TA could rebook it. For some people, though, especially those trying O for the first time or those without goodies from their TA, it might be a good deal.

 

If you wish to add O LIfe to your already booked cruise, you do not have to rebook it - only add the price of O Life to your existing booking (usually around $200-$400/pp).

FWIW, the pros & cons of O Life have been discussed in another thread. IMO, they are always a good deal financially except for those that absolutely refuse to take O's excursions. The value of added benefits (PPG, Internet +excursions) always surpass the added cost - sometimes by two or three times as much.

[roothy123]

If you wish to add O LIfe to your already booked cruise, you do not have to rebook it - only add the price of O Life to your existing booking (usually around $200-$400/pp).

FWIW, the pros & cons of O Life have been discussed in another thread. IMO, they are always a good deal financially except for those that absolutely refuse to take O's excursions. The value of added benefits (PPG, Internet +excursions) always surpass the added cost - sometimes by two or three times as much.

 

Thanks. I'll look at it again. I thought it just came, with no option to pass on it. If I didn't already have goodies from my past pax status and a generous TA, it would definitely be worth it. I don't mind O's excursions, but sometimes we like to just do something totally different like rent a car, plus we use most of our on-board credit for excursions, so I'm not sure we'd benefit that much from included excursions.

Edited November 6, 2015 by roothy123

[newbie60]

I think someone posted that she/he was on the September New England cruise. I'm seriously considering booking that. If that person wouldn't mind, I'd love to hear what you thought of the cruise. I'm looking at Montreal to NYC next year. My email is howardruthalliejoey@gmail.com

 

We did NY to Montreal this past September and it was wonderful! The weather was unseasonably warm, making for very pleasant days for excursions but the "Colors of Fall" didn't happen. There were folks on board asking the staff "when do they turn on the colors?"

 

Spent three days in Montreal post-cruise and loved that city! Highly recommend spending some time there.

[ronrick1943]

We did New York to Montreal about a year and half ago, great cruise---then we when on to London making it even better. You should enjoy the cruise---a bit cold!

Rick

[deercottage]

We had the same issue, could not exchange a bottle of champagne for wine. We were booked in a PH, the head butler came to us to explain the change of policy. The cost to Oceania is the same, so why take this away? We were also on the Regatta October 17th. Last year we were on the Marina and we did noticed some changes on the Regatta. The choice of menu items was less and quality was sometimes not as good. Polo luck warm food and Toscana not what you expect from the best cuisine at sea. Terraces and the Main Dining room in general very good. We ordered tea in our suite one afternoon and it was served very plain with no cookies etc. For a PH suite you should expect better. No fresh fruit or flowers in the suite, not a big issue but when you pay top dollar you expect more. The crew was fantastic! Can say enough about them. CD Julie James the best! Very personable and loving person. The Regatta is a very elegant ship, well maintained and spotless.

[Paulchili]

We had the same issue, could not exchange a bottle of champagne for wine. We were booked in a PH, the head butler came to us to explain the change of policy. The cost to Oceania is the same, so why take this away? We were also on the Regatta October 17th. Last year we were on the Marina and we did noticed some changes on the Regatta. The choice of menu items was less and quality was sometimes not as good. Polo luck warm food and Toscana not what you expect from the best cuisine at sea. Terraces and the Main Dining room in general very good. We ordered tea in our suite one afternoon and it was served very plain with no cookies etc. For a PH suite you should expect better. No fresh fruit or flowers in the suite, not a big issue but when you pay top dollar you expect more. The crew was fantastic! Can say enough about them. CD Julie James the best! Very personable and loving person. The Regatta is a very elegant ship, well maintained and spotless.

 

I am surprised - no, shocked - that you had no flowers in your PH. We have ALWAYS had potted orchids in a PH. Fresh fruits are available on request, just as it should be; otherwise they just sit there rotting if not desired or requested.

Edited November 8, 2015 by Paulchili

[wally_bushy]

I am surprised - no, shocked - that you had no flowers in your PH. We have ALWAYS had potted orchids in a PH. Fresh fruits are available on request, just as it should be; otherwise they just sit there rotting if not desired or requested.

 

+1

My DW loved the changing orchids in our PH and fruit is readily available - just ask for your preferences:)

[newbie60]

I am surprised - no, shocked - that you had no flowers in your PH. We have ALWAYS had potted orchids in a PH. Fresh fruits are available on request, just as it should be; otherwise they just sit there rotting if not desired or requested.

 

We departed Regatta on September 30 (PH) and never opened the champagne nor asked for it to be replaced. It was still sitting on the desk when we disembarked. In the past, we had successfully had it replaced with a white wine, just didn't do it this time.

 

BUT, we had the lovely potted orchid from day one forward and returned from dinner one evening to find a wrapped basket of fruit. Our butler indicated that he would refresh the fruit daily but we asked him not to as we'd never eat that much. Kept some items in the fridge and eventually he removed the basket.

 

Finally, we found the menu in the GDR to be similar to all other cruises on Oceania and the Specialty restaurant menus were identical to other cruises. Food was terrific in every venue.

Edited November 9, 2015 by newbie60
added comment

[roothy123]

Well, it might just be a fluke, and it's just a little thing, but then so is (in my opinion, anyway) being able to exchange champagne for wine. We just got our personalized cruise booklet from Oceania, two months pre-cruise. That seems earlier than usual to me.