Switching from Celebrity to O

[LHT28]

We like to eat dinner at 8:30 or 8:45 pm' date=' similar to the traditional late dining time on X[b']. Lounge entertainment was done by the time we went for drinks at 7:30 to 8:00 pm[/b],

No problem

I have rarely seen lounge entertainment on Oceania at those hours but maybe I am at dinner still

 

Since Oceania does not have a sheltered deck with views we just make the most of what they do have...the pool deck

 

 

just my experience

Edited January 26, 2016 by LHT28

[kruznkanuk]

We, like the OP, are frequent X cruises, along with 5 or 6 other lines and a total of around 100 cruises. On X we prefer the Millennium class ships. We sailed on O for the first time this month. We normally splurge on a big suite if we can get it, but had a Penthouse on O. Their Penthouses are smaller than an X Sky Suite. Our cruise, though heavily discounted, cost more per day for the 380ish square feet cabin than our cruise last year in a 1200+ sq ft Celebrity penthouse. The ship was lovely and well maintained.

 

O needs to look at their shore-side service. Embarkation was a joke with no guidance, no drinks, cold cloths, or help, even for 'priority suite' passengers. We stood in the hot sun with no chairs and no O staff for 40 minutes waiting for a shuttle to the ship from the terminal, and when we got on board were herded to the lounge and treated without courtesy. One person asked if lunch was being served and the answer was 'I don't know, we are just doing the paperwork'. One poor lady on crutches was trying to carry her carry-on up a steep gangway and the O staff just stood at the top and the bottom and watched as she set the bag down, moved her crutches, took a step, picked the bag up, swung it a foot, dropped a crutch, picked up a crutch, and repeated that painful progress. My husband finally crowded past the other people trying to go up the same ramp and carried her bag aboard for her. At each port, there was a shortage of crew on the pier, no one to help people up steep gangways, no cold towels, no drinks, no shade. The tender crews were great and safely got us all on and off in quite rough conditions.

 

Our favourite thing about the cruise was the other passengers (friendly, interesting, avid travellers, no 'discouraging words overheard' , no abuse of the staff). The service staff were wonderful--they obviously do a great job recruiting and training the stewards, waiters, etc. However, the management was hopeless and no-one was given authority to solve a passenger's problems. Rules and policies were supreme and there was no effort to find solutions that made people happy. We had personal experience with this where it would have been very easy to solve our concerns, but also heard from lots of other people. Some sections of the main dining room service was poor, very slow, no water refills, etc. Our butler was very nice but not empowered to do much, unlike the X butlers.

 

The library is great, the lounge where shows are held has terrible sight lines and isn't suitable for the purpose, even if the show is fine. No big productions but the crowds were appreciative which made the 'ordinary' entertainers more fun.

 

The buffet restaurant food quality is great (better than X) and they serve everything, not stinting on portions, which is a hygienic practice we appreciate. However, selection could be improved (much worse than X). One lunch everything (including the pizza) was seafood except for a hamburger. Seafood salad, fish soup, etc. I like fish but had had it the previous 3 meals and was looking for options. We found Polo Grill wonderful, on a par with the best specialty restaurants at sea, but Toscana was just OK. O's desserts, pastries and bread are all made the way your great-grandmother made them, real butter, real cream, no vegetable shortening or soy meal or palm oil, and they taste great. The main dining room food was a bit better than X, but the service often not as good.

 

And O is NOT 'all inclusive'. We paid our own airfare, tips (about 50%higher than X), shore excursions (again, very expensive) and all alcoholic beverages (about 20% higher than other lines). And internet, which doesn't work any better than any other ship's, in spite of smaller passenger loads. The only thing I am aware of that O includes is soda pop and specialty coffees, though I felt the quality of their coffee on Insignia, even the espresso, etc, was not near that of X's coffee bar.

 

It was good to try a small ship and the itinerary was interesting, but in our view the management was disappointing and the value wasn't there.

Edited January 26, 2016 by kruznkanuk
type

[LHT28]

One lunch everything (including the pizza) was seafood except for a hamburger. Seafood salad, fish soup, etc. I like fish but had had it the previous 3 meals and was looking for options.

 

Did you try WAVES at lunch the menu there is mostly meat options

Did you try the new Grill in the Terrace ?

Have not been on the small ships since this new addition just wondered what the menu was like there

on the larger ships they usually have a selection of Lamb, steak, pork chop & shrimp, lobster etc.. cooked to order

 

 

If you shop around you can get PPG from some TA's

[kruznkanuk]

Yes, we tried Waves and the food was very good, though they couldn't get an order right most of the time, brought mine or my hubby's but not both. I waited 40 minutes one day for a grilled sandwich, ordered with my husband's burger which was out in less than 10--and only ended up with something to eat after flagging down one of the maitre d's. The Wave Grill lines were often long. Didn't see any grill options at the Terrace other than the burgers--just the omelettes at breakfast, the pizza window-- perhaps Insignia isn't adopting that?

The Terrace lunches were heavy on 'theme food'... Seafood day, Middle Eastern day (kebabs were only lamb I saw there), Asian day etc. But nothing cooked to order.

[LHT28]

. Didn't see any grill options at the Terrace other than the burgers--just the omelettes at breakfast, the pizza window-- perhaps Insignia isn't adopting that?

.

Thanks

Sorry I thought the Insignia had the new grill in the Terrace already guess I was mistaken

[melmergil]

I just got off my first Oceania and am disappointed. I must blame myself in part, because I had expectations from reading reviews. I believed Oceania was between Celebrity and Silversea. I was sadly mistaken. Oceania does not come close to Silversea, so I will not attempt to make a comparison. Oceania is best compared to Celebrity. I love Celebrity Aqua class. I have cruised on various X ships. The difference between O and X is the size of the ship. Oceania is smaller. The food in Aqua class and on the Nautica is the same. They both have to prepare the food for a large amount of people. I will say that the buffet on the Oceania was visually appealing, but the small area was crowded. And the food choices were limited. Some of the food was excellent, but for the most part, it was good cruise food like you would find in Blue and the specialty restaurants. The cabins were very small. The bathrooms were similar to a low-end cruise ship. The water did not work well nor did the air conditioner. But the room staff was great and kept the room clean. On X Aqua class, you get the small ship experience with the large ship amenities and price. If you have a choice, stick with X.

[ILgirl]

We are AQUA class cruisers on Celebrity. We love BLU. We just booked the same 7 night cruise on the Reflection in 11/16 that we took in 11/15. The ports are not really important to us - we love the sea. Due to Celebrity's price increases, the cruise is currently about $400 more per person than we paid in 11/15 which is troublesome. I received some emails from Oceania that are intriguing. One is for a 12 night cruise on the Regatta. Even upgrading the beverage package to a Prestige Select results in a lower per day cost than our Celebrity Cruise. Perhaps it is time for a change. One problem, though. We do not have the money to sail in a suite or a veranda on Oceania - I am comparing an inside on Oceania to Celebrity Aqua class. We have never sailed without a balcony in our past 12 cruises. While I know this is personal preference, do you think the new and perhaps superior experience with Oceania would outweigh the loss of a Veranda? Thanks for any opinions you may share.

[buggins0402]

Thanks

Sorry I thought the Insignia had the new grill in the Terrace already guess I was mistaken

 

My recollection, it does. :confused: Terrace usually has a carving at lunch also if my memory is correct.

[maggie.1008]

We have always had a verandah on our 48 cruises. I would not cruise without one on any line. Love being at sea and we use our verandah a lot.

[ORV]

Thanks

Sorry I thought the Insignia had the new grill in the Terrace already guess I was mistaken

 

It's had it for over a year, it was on there before the fire.

 

We are AQUA class cruisers on Celebrity. We love BLU. We just booked the same 7 night cruise on the Reflection in 11/16 that we took in 11/15. The ports are not really important to us - we love the sea. Due to Celebrity's price increases, the cruise is currently about $400 more per person than we paid in 11/15 which is troublesome. I received some emails from Oceania that are intriguing. One is for a 12 night cruise on the Regatta. Even upgrading the beverage package to a Prestige Select results in a lower per day cost than our Celebrity Cruise. Perhaps it is time for a change. One problem, though. We do not have the money to sail in a suite or a veranda on Oceania - I am comparing an inside on Oceania to Celebrity Aqua class. We have never sailed without a balcony in our past 12 cruises. While I know this is personal preference, do you think the new and perhaps superior experience with Oceania would outweigh the loss of a Veranda? Thanks for any opinions you may share.

 

I think you will be quite unhappy going from an AQ on X to an inside on a smaller O ship.

 

If I were you I would only look at the Marina and Riviera.

 

Having said that I love the Regatta, some of my favorite cruises have been on it, but I would book at least an Oceanview, and the bathrooms are small, up to the PH level.

 

For us there is room for both cruise lines(and others) in our vacation experiences.

[LHT28]

My recollection, it does. :confused: Terrace usually has a carving at lunch also if my memory is correct.

Yes usually the carving station has some meat related item

Maybe if it was a seafood buffet theme there was no meat option

 

Possible the person from X did not realize it was a grill station :confused:

[LHT28]

One is for a 12 night cruise on the Regatta. Even upgrading the beverage package to a Prestige Select results in a lower per day cost than our Celebrity Cruise. Perhaps it is time for a change. One problem, though. We do not have the money to sail in a suite or a veranda on Oceania - I am comparing an inside on Oceania to Celebrity Aqua class. We have never sailed without a balcony in our past 12 cruises. While I know this is personal preference, do you think the new and perhaps superior experience with Oceania would outweigh the loss of a Veranda? Thanks for any opinions you may share.

Not sure what an Aqua class is but if you are used to a balcony & cannot live without one then I would either bite the bullet & get a B cat or wait to try Oceania

You will probably be unhappy in an inside

[kruznkanuk]

Yes usually the carving station has some meat related item

Maybe if it was a seafood buffet theme there was no meat option

 

Possible the person from X did not realize it was a grill station :confused:

 

The carving station on 'fish day' was a whole salmon. I am not sure how I would have missed a grill station--especially for many days in a row, as I was prowling the options and am almost as good at finding all the food choices as our puppy dogs are ;)--but that is possible. There was a grill plate at the back of the buffet where they re-warmed food like Salisbury Steak or Cornish Pasties but I never saw things like freshly grilled shrimp or lobster or steak or chops... either at the buffet or on people's tables. Maybe it is just at dinner time?

 

And just to clarify, I am not a 'person from X'-- we have done more X cruises than other lines but have also sailed Princess, Cunard, HAL, RSS, various River lines, RCL, the old P & O when it was headquartered in England, and some others I have probably forgotten. And generally loved them as we we love ships and the sea.

 

I'll second the advice on moving from Aqua on X to inside on O--- I don't see enough benefits from O to offset the loss of an outside balcony accommodation. If you do it, go for a very short cruise. But then, as with everything on CC... these are only opinions!

[JVNYC]

The carving station on 'fish day' was a whole salmon. I am not sure how I would have missed a grill station--especially for many days in a row, as I was prowling the options and am almost as good at finding all the food choices as our puppy dogs are ;)--but that is possible. There was a grill plate at the back of the buffet where they re-warmed food like Salisbury Steak or Cornish Pasties but I never saw things like freshly grilled shrimp or lobster or steak or chops... either at the buffet or on people's tables. Maybe it is just at dinner time?

 

And just to clarify, I am not a 'person from X'-- we have done more X cruises than other lines but have also sailed Princess, Cunard, HAL, RSS, various River lines, RCL, the old P & O when it was headquartered in England, and some others I have probably forgotten. And generally loved them as we we love ships and the sea.

 

I'll second the advice on moving from Aqua on X to inside on O--- I don't see enough benefits from O to offset the loss of an outside balcony accommodation. If you do it, go for a very short cruise. But then, as with everything on CC... these are only opinions!

 

 

Fish day? Salisbury Steak? No grill station? Are you sure you sailed on Oceania?

[LHT28]

Maybe someone will have a photo of the grill station on the R-ships

[buggins0402]

What are the usual offerings in the grill area in Terrace at lunch? It has occurred to me we've had so few lunches on the ships, that I've never checked it out. I know at dinner, they have the wok/pasta on one side and the grill right beside it with steaks, chops, lobster etc...but have no idea what is offered during lunch there.

[newbie60]

pretty much the same thing :)

[ILgirl]

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I think we will stay with our Aqua balcony on X and try O when we can afford a balcony.

[kruznkanuk]

Fish day? Salisbury Steak? No grill station? Are you sure you sailed on Oceania?

 

Gosh, I forgot to mention that the Carnival Pirates had taken over Insignia somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle. Perhaps they plundered the grill station too?

:D

Edited January 29, 2016 by kruznkanuk
typo

[LHT28]

Gosh, I forgot to mention that the Carnival Pirates had taken over Insignia somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle. Perhaps they plundered the grill station too?

:D

Thanks to Cynthia on the RTW cruise she posted a photo of the grill station on their blog in case someone does not know what it looks like

http://drdavebradley.blogspot.ca/

 

[Lancer1568]

Thanks

Sorry I thought the Insignia had the new grill in the Terrace already guess I was mistaken

They do have grill station in the Terrace on Insignia. At dinner they had some LARGE shrimp, lobster tails, ny strip, chicken and fish. Was grilled to order on request. This was on the Cape Town to Miami cruise ending January 4

[Islandattorney]

We are AQUA class cruisers on Celebrity. We love BLU. We just booked the same 7 night cruise on the Reflection in 11/16 that we took in 11/15. The ports are not really important to us - we love the sea. Due to Celebrity's price increases, the cruise is currently about $400 more per person than we paid in 11/15 which is troublesome. I received some emails from Oceania that are intriguing. One is for a 12 night cruise on the Regatta. Even upgrading the beverage package to a Prestige Select results in a lower per day cost than our Celebrity Cruise. Perhaps it is time for a change. One problem, though. We do not have the money to sail in a suite or a veranda on Oceania - I am comparing an inside on Oceania to Celebrity Aqua class. We have never sailed without a balcony in our past 12 cruises. While I know this is personal preference, do you think the new and perhaps superior experience with Oceania would outweigh the loss of a Veranda? Thanks for any opinions you may share.

 

We have cruised a number of times with O ...big & small ships...and recently had a first sail with X. We really enjoyed X. The one thing I would say to you is you will be very disappointed if you give up your balcony to try O, particularly since your love of cruising is tied to the sea, as is ours. You would surely be unhappy in an inside cabin.

[HopeEverlasting]

Islandattorney- Would you be able to share more details about what made your Celebrity cruise so enjoyable? (Was it the dining, your fellow passengers, the atmosphere, the stateroom, etc.?) And, were there things that you really missed from Oceania? Do you plan to sail again with Celebrity in the future? With O?

 

I realize that there have been many threads in the past comparing/contrasting Celebrity to Oceania; but, always helpful to have more recent feedback.

 

On some of the Celebrity threads as of late, the cleanliness of some of Celebrity's ships, including staterooms, has come up with some rather negative comments. Any feedback re: the cleanliness of the ship/stateroom that you were on with Celebrity? (When it comes to threads re: Oceania and the condition of ship and staterooms- most seem to indicate that excellent condition/cleanliness.)

 

Thanks in advance for this additional info. My husband and I find ourselves in same situation as ILgirl re: Veranda or Aqua Class on Celebrity, vs. inside on Oceania. We had planned a trip a few years back; but, had to cancel. :( Planning again for this summer or next. :)

Edited January 30, 2016 by HopeEverlasting

[Hawaiidan]

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I think we will stay with our Aqua balcony on X and try O when we can afford a balcony.

 

On a 12 day on Regatta... the best 2 cabins are Penthouse or An Inside

Yes we have sailed in all levels on Oceania from Penthouse to Inside.

 

The astounding difference between quality

of Oceania and Celebrity will more than compensate... no nickel dime, nosilly photos, more important everything is included... no pay extra for second rate specialties, No having to wait in line, truing to grab a chair with 3000 others

Fresh seafood...lobster, crab,mussels ,oysters, giant shrimp , Jumbo scallops. every day.... Have a lobster or Kobe beef sandwich by the pool...

 

The insides are actulay larger than the outside balcony.... on the R ships. Plus they are on premium decks like 7 and 8. perfect access to everything

 

I would seriously re consider..... We love insides on any Oceania ship the balcony is more hype than function.... getout and about

[bar_20]

 

As for the private dining room, luminae, we felt food and service were truly outstanding, on par with anything we have experienced on Oceania

 

Yes but to enjoy the Luminae you have to purchase a suite which you do not with Oceania. From what I have been told there are no extra cost restaurants on Oceania. Celebrity is trying it's hardest to become a two class ship and that is why my next cruise will be with another cruise line.