Any New Builds for Oceania?

[kitty9]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know if there are plans for new builds for Oceania? Seems like nearly every other line has new ships coming out before 2018.

[RJB]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know if there are plans for new builds for Oceania? Seems like nearly every other line has new ships coming out before 2018.

Great idea. Would be nice to have a new ship. :):):)

[hondorner]

Probably not. The three "R" ships (Regatta, Insignia, Nautica) are in better-than-new condition and the 4th, Sirena (formerly Ocean Princess) will be joining the fleet in even better shape after a $40Million remodeling. Marina was new in 2011 and Riviera in 2012.

 

The founder and chairman of Oceania is now the CEO of NCL Holdings, the parent company for Oceania, Regent and NCL. Regent will be launching a new ship in 2016 (Explorer), and NCL has just today christened Escape, and has 3 more new builds in the works. The NCL ships were planned before Mr. Del Rio took over; it's unlikely there will be any more, as he believes in maximising the value of existing ships rather than building new ones too fast.

 

There is always a possibility of a new Oceania Class vessel (the original plans called for three), but personally I would put a bet on the possibility of purchasing a 5th "R" ship (Pacific Princess?) before constructing another new one.

[kitty9]

I've always admired Mr Del Rio and found his skills at running cruise lines to be amazing. I've read about his plans for running NCL, and if they come to fruition, it could give lines like Princess and Celebrity a run for it's money. Sounds like he wants to upgrade nearly everything on NCL's ships.

[hypercafe]

I've always admired Mr Del Rio and found his skills at running cruise lines to be amazing. I've read about his plans for running NCL, and if they come to fruition, it could give lines like Princess and Celebrity a run for it's money. Sounds like he wants to upgrade nearly everything on NCL's ships.

 

Maybe, however he also wants to charge extra for it all, the a la cart line.

[Jancruz]

Maybe, however he also wants to charge extra for it all, the a la cart line.

 

It definitely is a new concept in cruising..but FDR is innovative and has been successful at all he has tried..Im betting on him..

Jancruz1

[Travelcat2]

Maybe, however he also wants to charge extra for it all, the a la cart line.

 

Pricing things separately isn't such a bad idea for mainstream cruise lines. Their fares for basic cabins are extremely low which enables families to be able to cruise. If they dine in the included restaurant(s) and do not order room service, you can remain within your budget. I would rather see this type of pricing than raising fares beyond the reach of many families.

 

On the other hand, I like Oceania and Regent just as they are:)

[hypercafe]

It definitely is a new concept in cruising..but FDR is innovative and has been successful at all he has tried..Im betting on him..

Jancruz1

 

Yes, paying 21k for your fare and paying extra for OJ and a piece of prime rib. Innovative!

[LHT28]

Yes, paying 21k for your fare and paying extra for OJ and a piece of prime rib. Innovative!

 

It is all about choices ..if you do not like the program then do not book a cruise with that line

[hondorner]

Yes, paying 21k for your fare and paying extra for OJ and a piece of prime rib. Innovative!

I sailed NCL Star for 24 days in a Suite and never came anywhere close to $21K. I did get $500 OBC, which I had a hard time spending. Maybe in a Garden Suite -- but you could take several friends along to help pay for it ;).

[hypercafe]

I sailed NCL Star for 24 days in a Suite and never came anywhere close to $21K. I did get $500 OBC, which I had a hard time spending. Maybe in a Garden Suite -- but you could take several friends along to help pay for it ;).

 

Its the three bedroom garden villa on the Gem, am taking my grandchildren. Its too bad but they are too young to work. You were lucky, NCL gave me 25$ OBC.

[Hawaiidan]

If your an experienced cruiser you should have the reasonable expectation on the ship, line and its quality/focus NCL is an entry level budget cruise line that appeals to the first time limited budget traveler. Its basic cabins are a relative bargain . To offset the cheap price, there are dozens of pay extra options to bolster revenue. The hope NCL has is that it will seduce its passengers with all manner of exciting and ego stroking options. Among these are the suites.

Being a new NCL passenger and returning they are encouraged to "step up" and make your next cruise more luxurious for even more pleasure on what you know. Suites and special sounding cabins are sold to eager passengers wanting to get more. But it is at a price...as cabin cats.go up so do the prices and they do so way out of proportion to the original budget cabin. In fact in many cases NCL passengers who up grade on NCL end up paying and spending more than they would on Oceania ....until they figure out its better to change lines than cabins and save money doing so.

Paying $21 K to NCL for a luxurious experience is like trying to book a presidential suite at Motel6. Any experienced cruiser should be able to realize you cant get luxury no matter how much you pay on a non luxury , budget cruise line.... cant happen

Complaining about it should be focused at oneself.... You knew you were paying for a luxury that was not possible in the ship.

Trying to make a "silk purse from a sows ear"' so to speak. Have realistic expectations based on the line not the hype.

And yes, I would feel ripped off paying $21,000.00 for anything on NCL but if I did I have only myself to blame, to be fair ..it was my choice they did not force me to book. I did it...

[Travelcat2]

Hawaiidan: Much of what you say is true but, IMO, as you move up from Motel 6 to Holiday Inn and up to the Four Seasons, you would find each level so much better than what you are used to that it is a form of "luxury". So, if you are moving up from a tiny suite on NCL (or any other cruise line) and to a large suite, to the person it would be luxury. I guess I'm asking how you can have realistic expectations of luxury on a cruise ship when you have not experienced it?

 

Agree that the suites on mainstream cruise lines can 'seduce' customers into luxury cruising. On the other hand, there are people that cruise on "true" luxury cruise lines and also book top suites on NCL and Royal Caribbean. IMO, it is a complex issue.

Edited November 11, 2015 by Travelcat2

[hondorner]

I did spend about $11K for two in the SJ suite on Star for 24 days. That works out to less than $230 per day, per person, or less than I'd spend on a deluxe ocean view on an Oceania ship. I got a 406 sq ft suite with a luxurious bath, king bed, dining table for 4, sofa and two arm chairs, Lavazza coffee machine, best butler service I've ever had, breakfast and lunch in the specialty steak house (Cagney's), a dedicated concierge who actually accompanied us to priority tendering and disembarkation, reserved seating in the theater, and more that I can't recall. In addition to the $500 OBC, I deliberately paid in about $3,000 more to our onboard account. This covered all excursions, specialty dining, wine and drinks, onboard boutique purchases, spa passes and more. By paying it in advance, I created the exact replica of an all-inclusive cruise like Regent. This was partially psychological, as Betsy is tight-fisted and will deny herself things on board unless it's already included. All in, I spent about $14,000 for 24 days, including a pre-cruise hotel stay in Copenhagen and our flight -- in business class -- paid by miles.

 

The ship (Star) is considered small in the mainstream world, about 50% larger than Marina/Riviera with about double the passengers. That means most of the passengers were crowded into smaller cabins, but that didn't apply to the suite deck where we were located.

 

As we do on Oceania, we ate 90% of our dinners in the Main Dining Room (there are two on Star; we dined in the fancier one at the stern, which has a dress code very similar to Oceania (they do permit jeans). We had a spa pass and used the fabulous indoor Thalassotherapy spa every day.

 

Our cruise was in September and October when kids are in school, went from Copenhagen to Copenhagen for 12 days with stops in Norway, Shetland Islands, Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Sweden before arriving back in Copenhagen, then 12 days from Copenhagen to Miami. There were no kids, few guests other than retirees, most well traveled and well dressed, more like Oceania guests than NCL in the Summer in the Caribbean. The ship was not crowded.

 

In fact, altogether it seemed more like an Oceania cruise. Betsy met a group of fellow "fabric" crafters (knitting, crocheting, quilting, etc.) When their group grew to over 20, NCL opened up a meeting room (called a Board Room) on our suite deck for their use. It was perfect as our crossing to Miami had a lot of sea days.

 

It was certainly luxurious in every way, even more so than our Regent cruises, which were far more expensive in smaller suites. It will go down as one of our favorite cruises. As we seem to do on all our cruises, we made some lifetime friends.

 

I'll do it again in a heartbeat. We're on NCL Pearl for an 11 day cruise starting in about a week, not in a suite because we're traveling with friends who are more thrifty than us and wouldn't go higher than a top-tier balcony. We're now Platinum on NCL (after just 34 days aboard), so will have many, but not all, of the same benefits as a suite.

[hypercafe]

I never felt ripped off by NCL, on the contrary I feel they offer a very luxery experience in the Haven along with the option of enjoying the things that make NCL great. The three bedroom villa is a amazing room only duplicated on the Queen Mary. Service is over the top. What I do not like is even at this level FDR is starting this a la cart business. His very words were you can not cut corners in the luxery market, so then don't. This is not the NCL board, however do not knock it if you never tried it. We are going again in July with the kids and it will be great. Private hot tub, terrace, sun deck, steam room and semi private pool with sliding roof. Frank, if you plan to screw it up more please Waite till August!

[Hawaiidan]

Well I must confess I am bias against NCL.... to me it repredents everything I hate about cruise lines from a paint job to masses of children ( from infant to geriatric ) constant sales pitches, masses of people for whom manners is a word in the dictionary...if only they could spell it. There isn't a suite or a service or such that would be on board those ships that would ever entice me to go back.... even for free.

Its why I love Oceana

Too, you guys love butlers and concieriges ...cool I feel them intrusive and silly..asking some one to do something that you are as good or better at... I was raised around serious money in Hollywood and entertainment folks... who used to get all these things to show off to each other... It made an impression on me... If I I was an invalid or some how diminished... maybe then,.but not now.....but that's me

Enjoy.... your lives............

[Mura]

I find myself somewhere inbetween Hypercafe and Dan on the subject of NCL. Sure, I definitely prefer Oceania! But we had a pleasant enough cruise on GEM five years ago. We were in a suite (but not in the Haven) so we had definite perks and found that it was easy enough to avoid the nickel and diming. It was good value for the money.

 

Notice I said five years ago which shows how often we sail on NCL. We were supposed to sail with friends on DAWN in September but had to cancel so while I imagine it would have been comparable to our 2010 TA, I can't say that for sure. Would go again in the right room and on the right itinerary.

 

Mura

[RJB]

Well I must confess I am bias against NCL.... to me it repredents everything I hate about cruise lines from a paint job to masses of children ( from infant to geriatric ) constant sales pitches, masses of people for whom manners is a word in the dictionary...if only they could spell it. There isn't a suite or a service or such that would be on board those ships that would ever entice me to go back.... even for free.

Its why I love Oceana

Too, you guys love butlers and concieriges ...cool I feel them intrusive and silly..asking some one to do something that you are as good or better at... I was raised around serious money in Hollywood and entertainment folks... who used to get all these things to show off to each other... It made an impression on me... If I I was an invalid or some how diminished... maybe then,.but not now.....but that's me

Enjoy.... your lives............

I don't understand what you like. Seems like you do not like either cruise line. Don't like butlers or not Can't have it both ways. We love all that O does, including the butlers in the suites. Let us know. :):)