Oceania seems overpriced

[Glenndale]

Been a few years...thanks for the up date.

 

Glendale...I almost bought a House in UK, on the river Lune in Halton On Lune ( off the A63) called Glendale house.... had fishing rights the whole bit just down stream from Devils Bridge... I was born in Glendale.... hence the attachment.

I appreciate you feelings for your pleasure derived from the staff, It just dosent work for me the same way.

 

O is the fit for my taste, like an old shoe..... fits me great but may not others....cheers chum

 

Hi,

I enjoy both lines, but Oceania just edges it for me if faced with identical itineraries.

Wouldn't turn down a free cruise on either line.

My screen name is slightly different, with nn not single n :)

We are just so lucky to have the choices and wherewithal to indulge ourselves aren't we?

[Paulchili]

Wouldn't turn down a free cruise on either line.

 

Except Azamara doesn't offer a free cruise but Oceania does (sort of) :D :D

After 19 cruises on O you can have a "free" 14 day cruise - on A you would spend about the same on 19 cruises (more or less) than on O but you would not get a free one :(

[Lottie A]

Except Azamara doesn't offer a free cruise but Oceania does (sort of) :D :D

After 19 cruises on O you can have a "free" 14 day cruise - on A you would spend about the same on 19 cruises (more or less) than on O but you would not get a free one :(

 

Paulchili, Azamara do offer free nights as you rise through their loyalty tiers. On my next tier up I will receive 6 free nights and these can be taken on any cruise booked within a year of me moving to the next tier up. I will be able to book a 12 night cruise and just pay for 6 nights for example. It would be much quicker for anyone to get this benefit and much less expensive than having a free cruise after paying for 19 cruises on O.

[Mura]

As much as I am biased towards Oceania (without ever having sailed on Azamara), I prefer Az's system. It's easier to get a benefit even if it's not a "free" cruise. I'd be very happy to be getting some free nights now that we are silver on Oceania. Besides, the way things are going we may not make it to #20.

 

Mura

[Paulchili]

It would be much quicker for anyone to get this benefit and much less expensive than having a free cruise after paying for 19 cruises on O.

 

I was not familiar with the new awards with Le Club Voyage - they are new since we last cruised with them.

The advantage seems to be that you get these free nights over and over with each cruise once you achieve a certain level unlike with O you get free nights only once every 19 cruises.

Thank you for pointing it out, though it seems too late for me to start with Azamara now (have only 2 cruises with them) :)

Edited April 18, 2016 by Paulchili

[ShopperfiendTO]

As you said recently:

 

When did you experience the Azamara food? Just askin'...

 

Not Flatbush Flyer, but I think it's fairly accepted that overall O has better cuisine that Az.

 

We were just on Az this past fall and on an O R ship this past spring and had no doubt that O was superior to Az in every respect at every venue, except maybe Aqualina vs. Toscana. In addition to food quality, there is just more selection in the MDR/GDR. Further, we have never been impressed with any of the dessert offerings on Az's MDR/GDR.

 

Yes, the drink prices hurt (O's wine prices are a bit on the high side and we don't drink enough to justify a drink package so that part of Az we miss) and drinks are part of the meal experience, so it's not perfect, but certainly the meal itself was great on O.

 

This spring cruise was a bit of a relief because on our last O cruise (on an O ship) the food was only good, with some distinctly underwhelming meals. O is safely back on our list of preferred cruise lines.:)

[Travelcat2]

Dan, Azamara includes wine, beer, mixed drinks as well as various liquors that are available whenever the bars are open. They do have packages for more expensive liquors and beers but, what is all included is just fine for most people as well as us.

 

 

Perhaps you should post your experience on Azamara vs. Oceania. We will not try Azamara due to the ships and also prefer the beverages available on Oceania when you purchase the Premium Alcohol Package.

[Hawaiidan]

One thing I truly like, whether it be Azamar or Oceania is the size of the ship.

In this day and age of monster ships larger than the navy's largest aricraft carriers, with rock climbing, lawns, rollercoasters, zip lines, shopping malls, mega gala shows, 12 to 20 speciality places ( most all ) extra.

Blaring rock bands, sleazy lounge lizards , screaming shoving buffet bunnies, Scooter racers, Circus acts, Ropes courses, Water slides, throngs of kids+ kids+Kids, lines, sales, of EVERYTHING , photographers, blaring gotta buy announcements .

All in the company of a cross section of humanity that could occupy Sigmund Freud and Jung with a decade of material...

 

 

I am happy to be in the company of laid back, well mannered fellow passengers who add to the ambiance and sense of cadre on a beautiful and classy design ship with cuisine to match as it glides quietly from port to port in celebration of the joy of travel by sea.

 

bigger is not always better. quality is more enjoyable than quantity.

[JVNYC]

One thing I truly like, whether it be Azamar or Oceania is the size of the ship.

In this day and age of monster ships larger than the navy's largest aricraft carriers, with rock climbing, lawns, rollercoasters, zip lines, shopping malls, mega gala shows, 12 to 20 speciality places ( most all ) extra.

Blaring rock bands, sleazy lounge lizards , screaming shoving buffet bunnies, Scooter racers, Circus acts, Ropes courses, Water slides, throngs of kids+ kids+Kids, lines, sales, of EVERYTHING , photographers, blaring gotta buy announcements .

All in the company of a cross section of humanity that could occupy Sigmund Freud and Jung with a decade of material...

 

 

I am happy to be in the company of laid back, well mannered fellow passengers who add to the ambiance and sense of cadre on a beautiful and classy design ship with cuisine to match as it glides quietly from port to port in celebration of the joy of travel by sea.

 

bigger is not always better. quality is more enjoyable than quantity.

 

 

+1 Well said. Completely agree.

[Lottie A]

One thing I truly like, whether it be Azamar or Oceania is the size of the ship.

In this day and age of monster ships larger than the navy's largest aricraft carriers, with rock climbing, lawns, rollercoasters, zip lines, shopping malls, mega gala shows, 12 to 20 speciality places ( most all ) extra.

Blaring rock bands, sleazy lounge lizards , screaming shoving buffet bunnies, Scooter racers, Circus acts, Ropes courses, Water slides, throngs of kids+ kids+Kids, lines, sales, of EVERYTHING , photographers, blaring gotta buy announcements .

All in the company of a cross section of humanity that could occupy Sigmund Freud and Jung with a decade of material...

 

 

I am happy to be in the company of laid back, well mannered fellow passengers who add to the ambiance and sense of cadre on a beautiful and classy design ship with cuisine to match as it glides quietly from port to port in celebration of the joy of travel by sea.

 

bigger is not always better. quality is more enjoyable than quantity.[/quote

 

+2. I love the size of all the R class ships.

[hypercafe]

One thing I truly like, whether it be Azamar or Oceania is the size of the ship.

In this day and age of monster ships larger than the navy's largest aricraft carriers, with rock climbing, lawns, rollercoasters, zip lines, shopping malls, mega gala shows, 12 to 20 speciality places ( most all ) extra.

Blaring rock bands, sleazy lounge lizards , screaming shoving buffet bunnies, Scooter racers, Circus acts, Ropes courses, Water slides, throngs of kids+ kids+Kids, lines, sales, of EVERYTHING , photographers, blaring gotta buy announcements .

All in the company of a cross section of humanity that could occupy Sigmund Freud and Jung with a decade of material...

 

 

I am happy to be in the company of laid back, well mannered fellow passengers who add to the ambiance and sense of cadre on a beautiful and classy design ship with cuisine to match as it glides quietly from port to port in celebration of the joy of travel by sea.

 

bigger is not always better. quality is more enjoyable than quantity.

 

We are all very lucky we can pick from different types of ships that cater to different age groups and different types of cruise experience. However when I read your frequent disparaging remarks about people who do not like your style of cruising and the many likes to your outlook I find it disconcerting that Oceania seems to attract bigotry.

[Lottie A]

Just to be very clear...I love the size of the R class ships....they are just perfect for me. That is what I was referring to.

 

However I do go on Cunard, Celebrity Oceania and even sometimes the larger P&O and Royal Caribbean ships. Also frequently the smaller Silversea ships and I enjoy each and every cruise on them. I also enjoy meeting many different people of all age ranges and cultures. That would also include cruising with children on ships that have the right environment for them. I don't see passengers on the larger ships as having psychological problems that Freud and Jung could potentially psychoanalyse either....though I'm sure that Hawaiidan was joking there. :)

 

Hypercafe is quite correct in saying we are all very lucky to have such choices for our vacations. There is no need to disrespect other people's preferences if they don't match with our own. I think I would get very bored if I was always on the same ship or cruise line and despite Azamara being my preferred cruise line, I will always appreciate other cruise lines as well.

[TrulyBlonde]

As to the ambience on board, the interaction does make a difference, it is hard to quantify and has to be experienced.:)

None of us are deluded enough to believe "that their entire focus in life to meet me" :D

 

Quite right Glenndale....and Yes, the unique social interaction with the officers/crew on Azamara IS a big deal for us. May not be so for others....and that's one of the reasons that you may prefer Oceania and me Azamara.

 

That's apart from the included drinks which are all day long and not just at meal times. No-one on Azamara has to buy a drinks package unless they really want the top shelf drinks all the time. If I want a Mango Martini made with Mango Vodka then I just buy one.

 

My email inbox has been littered with Oceania deals in the last few days....some of which are truly exceptional prices. I wish the same deals were coming from Azamara but sadly, they aren't. I guess O might be having more trouble filling their multiple ships ....of course Azamara only has Quest and Journey and their prices are certainly going up since the "reimagining" upgrade. I love the more modern look and can't wait to try it out, but as I do about five cruises a year with Silversea, Azamara and now Oceania, as well as land holidays, then I'm also looking for a good deal.

 

Spursgirl and I will have a wonderful time on our Nautica cruise because we always do, no matter what cruise line we are on. As we often say, what could be better than eating, drinking and shopping our way around The Med? :)

 

Hi Lottie A,

Well, never say never. I had to inform you that I actually booked an AZ cruise today for Adriatic due to the itinerary and timing on the Quest. I was very upset that Silversea dropped a port, shortened another, and completely changed embarkation port on my B2B on Whisper next Spring. This whole mess they created had me cancel 2 cruises with SS, one with Windstar, and a Crystal river cruise. Our whole trip to Europe had 3 cruises for our time frame and this was very aggravating, to say the least. No airfare booked,thank goodness.

At least, I was able to get a N1 Suite on AZ and a Suite on Tauck for the river cruise. Completely different, but like you, will surely have a good time.

We have a month on O Insignia for S. America coming up this October and I do like the R ships. Maybe we will meet on my Venice to Venice May 2017 on Quest?

Looking forward to the refurb (especially under the bed ;-))

[Lottie A]

Quite right Glenndale....and Yes, the unique social interaction with the officers/crew on Azamara IS a big deal for us. May not be so for others....and that's one of the reasons that you may prefer Oceania and me Azamara.

 

That's apart from the included drinks which are all day long and not just at meal times. No-one on Azamara has to buy a drinks package unless they really want the top shelf drinks all the time. If I want a Mango Martini made with Mango Vodka then I just buy one.

 

My email inbox has been littered with Oceania deals in the last few days....some of which are truly exceptional prices. I wish the same deals were coming from Azamara but sadly, they aren't. I guess O might be having more trouble filling their multiple ships ....of course Azamara only has Quest and Journey and their prices are certainly going up since the "reimagining" upgrade. I love the more modern look and can't wait to try it out, but as I do about five cruises a year with Silversea, Azamara and now Oceania, as well as land holidays, then I'm also looking for a good deal.

 

Spursgirl and I will have a wonderful time on our Nautica cruise because we always do, no matter what cruise line we are on. As we often say, what could be better than eating, drinking and shopping our way around The Med? :)

 

Hi Lottie A,

Well, never say never. I had to inform you that I actually booked an AZ cruise today for Adriatic due to the itinerary and timing on the Quest. I was very upset that Silversea dropped a port, shortened another, and completely changed embarkation port on my B2B on Whisper next Spring. This whole mess they created had me cancel 2 cruises with SS, one with Windstar, and a Crystal river cruise. Our whole trip to Europe had 3 cruises for our time frame and this was very aggravating, to say the least. No airfare booked,thank goodness.

At least, I was able to get a N1 Suite on AZ and a Suite on Tauck for the river cruise. Completely different, but like you, will surely have a good time.

We have a month on O Insignia for S. America coming up this October and I do like the R ships. Maybe we will meet on my Venice to Venice May 2017 on Quest?

Looking forward to the refurb (especially under the bed ;-))

 

Hi Portofino....I'm so sorry to hear your SS cruises are cancelled.....but very glad indeed that your giving Az another chance. I hear good things about Tauck river cruises too. You have a very interesting itinerary on your May 2017 cruise and the sail into and out of Kotor is just magnificent. If you have Captain Carl as Master on your voyage then Kotor is his favourite port in the world and he always leads a group of fit passengers up the mountain to St John's Fort. You should think about going....its strenuous but the views are incredible.

I love little Hvar and Korcula too. Croatia is a lovely country.....you never know, we might meet up on Quest for that glass of wine after all.

I think I may contact Philip H or Ryszard G, depending who is the HD, just before your cruise....and tell him to be sure to look under the bed of your suite!!! :D

Quest refurb is finished now and the ship is looking very modern with clean cut lines and sophisticated decor.

We are looking forward to our Nautica cruise in October....and we are visiting Portofino on the cruise. :) I am also going on a land holiday in two weeks...lovely Lake Garda in Italy and have a couple of holidays to The States with my partner and a couple of SS cruises in the pipeline. Also hoping to squeeze in an Azamara cruise in the summer. Life is tough....aren't we all so lucky to have the choices that we do?

Xx

Lottie.

[Cahpek]

From past cruises with Oceania, unless you are have a drinks package, alcoholic drinks are not included in the cruise fare. Am I not right to say that?

 

However, if you want a cruises which includes drinks, try Azamara - they are the closest "rival" cruise company to Oceania. I think Viking, Crystal, Regent, etc also have drinks being complimentary on their cruises but their prices are generally higher, unless you get a good discounted deal.

[Mura]

That is pretty much true, except passengers in the top suites receive a liquor set-up in their suites: 6 bottles of hard liquor and/or wine, your choice. These are people in the top three suites on the "O" ships (Marina and Riviera), people in the top two suites on the "R" ships (Regatta, Insignia, Nautica and Sirena).

 

Admittedly, not many people on the "R" ships although a fair number on the "O" ships.

 

But there are still many people who prefer to pay for the services they want rather than having free included tours or liquor. It's up to individuals to decide what is important to them. For us, the liquor package isn't of much value because while I have a glass or two of wine with dinner, my husband rarely does. So I prefer to bring on a bottle of the hard stuff for use in the room, and a few bottles of wine for which I will pay the corkage fee in a restaurant.

 

For now we are using some of the oLife ship's tours available to us, but we still prefer booking private tours.

 

Mura

 

P.S. We were on a Viking river boat cruise in France in the spring of 2012 which was the first time Viking had free wine with meals (we'd previously sailed with them in October 2003 in Europe and May 2008 in China).

 

However, it was only one brand of red and the same brand of white. I also found the quality of the bottles wildly variable -- one bottle would be quite good, the next would be barely drinkable. I can't generalize too much on the basis of a 14 day cruise three years ago, however.

 

At that time Viking DID have a liquor package but both people in the cabin had to take it, and from our perspective it was priced too high. (That was OUR perspective, I'm sure not everyone on board felt that way!)

 

Mura

[Travelcat2]

For a moment I thought that this was an Azamara thread rather than a thread discussing Oceania pricing. Getting back to Oceania, IMO, you generally get what you pay for. Whether you pay for the top suite or the least expensive cabin, Oceania is worth every penny. It is understandable that everyone cannot afford Oceania. However, if you can (or if you can save up for it), you will have a great experience.

[TrulyBlonde]

For a moment I thought that this was an Azamara thread rather than a thread discussing Oceania pricing. Getting back to Oceania, IMO, you generally get what you pay for. Whether you pay for the top suite or the least expensive cabin, Oceania is worth every penny. It is understandable that everyone cannot afford Oceania. However, if you can (or if you can save up for it), you will have a great experience.

 

Some of us actually make friends on CC after discussing pro and cons of each cruise line, without ever meeting in person.

I was happy to see a friend of mine from AZ coming over to O and I am sure she was happy to see me going on an AZ cruise.

As a regular O cruiser, I hope I help her and vice versa.

[Hawaiidan]

discussing Oceania pricing. Getting back to Oceania, IMO, you generally get what you pay for. Whether you pay for the top suite or the least expensive cabin, Oceania is worth every penny. It is understandable that everyone cannot afford Oceania. However, if you can (or if you can save up for it), you will have a great experience.

 

Exactly, and if you can afford Oceania, you will be very value oriented , that is oriented to what you consider valuable to you. Being selective , discerning as was said and it is well suited to persons seeking what they perceive as value.

 

To spend money in order to achieve your personal value desires is what it is all about. is is not a function of ego but of personal aesthetics.

[morpheus4356]

Based on the level of service received, I would agree that Oceania is indeed overpriced. I stayed in a PH1 and if I had paid anywhere near what the brochure price was, I would not have been a happy camper. For $5500 pp for a 7 day cruise there should have been someone available to wipe my butt 24/7.

[ORV]

Based on the level of service received, I would agree that Oceania is indeed overpriced. I stayed in a PH1 and if I had paid anywhere near what the brochure price was, I would not have been a happy camper. For $5500 pp for a 7 day cruise there should have been someone available to wipe my butt 24/7.

 

But you didn't pay brochure price did you?

[LAexNY]

Based on the level of service received, I would agree that Oceania is indeed overpriced. I stayed in a PH1 and if I had paid anywhere near what the brochure price was, I would not have been a happy camper. For $5500 pp for a 7 day cruise there should have been someone available to wipe my butt 24/7.

 

Oh, and by the way, how was your cruise?

[bitob]

"Overpriced" is in the eye of the beholder.

Some would say a Mercedes is "overpriced."

 

We all want and expect different things from a cruise.

One size will never fit all.

If you do not like what a particular cruise line has to offer, just spend your money elsewhere. What is "overpriced" to one person may be "on the money" to another.

 

For us, Oceania is perfect.

[Paulchili]

For $5500 pp for a 7 day cruise there should have been someone available to wipe my butt 24/7.

 

Which is a service, as we all know, readily available at that price on any other cruise line but Oceania :D :D

[kamfan]

We are about to embark on an 18 day South Pacific itinerary on the Insignia, and we have upgraded to a veranda suite. We are paying roughly the same as we did for an outside view cabin on a 15 day similar itinerary with Holland Amercia. With Holland America, there was no airfare, and we were in a substantially lower level of cabin for the trip.

 

Without having sailed on the Insignia yet, I find it hard to compare, but strictly from the price perspective, I would say that we have wonderful value on Oceania so far.