Oceania Cruises vs. Holland America?

[Cahpek]

I noticed OP has cruised Princess. Try searching CC for Princess vs HAL. I think the consensus is they are similar. Perhaps a more "apples to apples" comparison instead of "apples to pears" a someone said.

 

We have also cruised with P&O, the sister company to Princess. However, comparing the food on Princess with P&O, especially in the buffets, Princess was superior. So , really, we could not even compare P&O with Princess eventhough they are sister companies, so why would we be confident that comparing Princess with Holland America would be like comparing "Apples with Apples"? We realise that no two cruise lines are identical, but it is the difference we are seeking, thus we asked about comparing Oceania with HAL.

 

Talking about P&O, on our last cruise with P&O on the Ventura, the quality of the cooking was so poor that sometimes, we could not bear to eat them. (If interested, see the discussions on the P&O thread with regards to the Ventura for more details!). That is probably why we asked this question initially on this thread in the first place, because we would not like to go on Holland America and find that the food to be as mediocre as our cruise on the P&O Ventura, that it would affect our enjoyment of the cruise. It (the Ventura) was the only cruise ship which we were GLAD to get off and pleased that the cruise was finally over !!! (Having said that, there were still some exceptions to their mediocre cooking standards and offerings, even on the Ventura).

 

Oceania is not perfect , it has had its issues too (sorry, we are not one of those Oceania "cheerleaders") but comparing to some other cruise companies, we believe it has ticked most of the boxes to make cruising with them reliable. On the whole, they are good. What seems to be a strong point in favour of Oceania is that their product is reasonably consistent, especially the quality of their cuisine. You know what you will be getting when you book with Oceania, and you will most probably get what you expect, especially when you have cruised with them before.

Edited April 1, 2017 by Cahpek

[Bowie MeMe]

I have cruised Holland America last year (2016 Rotterdam to Boston) and Oceania (boarding April 14, 2017) for Singapore to Abu Dhabi segment of WC. In addition have cruised Azamara (Bali to Osaka 2015) which is very similar and same ship design as Oceania. If you like any one of these three, you probably will like the other 2. All feature good food, OK cabins, passengers tending to the older, well educated, and well traveled passenger. Lectures are better attended than entertainment shows. All had nice areas to converse and play games and HAL had the NY Times newspaper on-line for free (yeah!). All have limited entertainment though HAL had more than Azamara or Oceania. Lower Key piano lounge, classical quartet type entertainment. I personally love this style of cruising. I go at least once a year on Monster of the sea type cruises with family as a way of getting everyone together for a few days -- the only reason to even go that way. We have looked at Seaborne and Crystal lines but really can't justify paying more when we are satisfied and happy at the lower priced small ships lines. I do like the included specialty restaurants on O but generally prefer the faster and just as good food on Main DR. Love the virgin drinks for free -- watch it though they are not calorie free. These lines are sort of like we are -- not showy but hopefully well turned out and reliable. Good value for the money. Superior itineraries.

[Bowie MeMe]

We have also cruised with P&O, the sister company to Princess. However, comparing the food on Princess with P&O, especially in the buffets, Princess was superior. So , really, we could not even compare P&O with Princess eventhough they are sister companies, so why would we be confident that comparing Princess with Holland America would be like comparing "Apples with Apples"? We realise that no two cruise lines are identical, but it is the difference we are seeking, thus we asked about comparing Oceania with HAL.

 

Talking about P&O, on our last cruise with P&O on the Ventura, the quality of the cooking was so poor that sometimes, we could not bear to eat them. (If interested, see the discussions on the P&O thread with regards to the Ventura for more details!). That is probably why we asked this question initially on this thread in the first place, because we would not like to go on Holland America and find that the food to be as mediocre as our cruise on the P&O Ventura, that it would affect our enjoyment of the cruise. It (the Ventura) was the only cruise ship which we were GLAD to get off and pleased that the cruise was finally over !!! (Having said that, there were still some exceptions to their mediocre cooking standards and offerings, even on the Ventura).

 

Oceania is not perfect , it has had its issues too (sorry, we are not one of those Oceania "cheerleaders") but comparing to some other cruise companies, we believe it has ticked most of the boxes to make cruising with them reliable. On the whole, they are good. What seems to be a strong point in favour of Oceania is that their product is reasonably consistent, especially the quality of their cuisine. You know what you will be getting when you book with Oceania, and you will most probably get what you expect, especially when you have cruised with them before.

 

I was well pleased with the food selection on HAL. Never went to specialty restaurant but found good buffet selection, fine main dining room with some variety (18 day cruise so that was important) and service was good. I was pleased as I have not been so pleased on my last 3 or 4 cruises on RCCL (over the last 3 years). The chocolate buffet was really great -- be sure to have an empty tummy for this special treat.

[Floridiana]

But, more importantly, would it pass muster with good old Sam? :D

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_chocolate_cake

 

No.

[Host Jazzbeau]

There is a way you to combine the desirable itinerary from HAL with the luxury of Oceania: Azamara offers at least one Norwegian Fjords-intensive cruise every year. This year they have the

14 NIGHT BEYOND THE ARCTIC CIRCLE VOYAGE

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/voyage/1498190400/14-night-beyond-the-arctic-circle-voyage

 

This is very similar to the Azamara cruise we took last year [details in the link in my signature]. IMHO it would be much better in every way than the cruise on Koningsdam [much smaller number of passengers, food, service, ability to get into smaller ports and narrow fjords].

[bitob]

Passenger mix is very important to us These lines are not at all similar in that respect imo

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[mancunian]

HAL is no way comparable to Pando which has got worse and worse over years. Food is the worst we have had. We have not been on Princess but think HAL and Princess probably similar except that what we have seen on TV Princess is much more glitzy which is definitely not us.

 

I can only say we are going on Oceania in 12 days from Singapore to Bali. Really looking forward to it, but again if the same cruise had appeared with HAL we would have looked forward just as much and would have been happy with the savings. We have found food on HAL to be more than acceptable. Pinnacle grill is good, Tamarind excellent in our view. Tamarind however, is only on the three largest ships, Nieuw Amsterdam, Eurodam and Koningsdam. Salads are definitely better on HAL. Breakfasts in the dining room have an amazing choice of menu and comparing different dishes seemed to me to match or exceed Riviera's.

 

Bottom line is, if HAL is going to the places we want to go that is our first choice. Love the ambience and choices and price. If they are not Oceania is our choice. We have not found a cruiseline we like as much as these two except perhaps the defunct Orient Lines.

[NIX70]

I sailed on both HAL and Oceania for the first time last year, after only having sailed on Crystal. I would not sail on HAL again. The cabin was nice, live music was good and the itinerary was excellent (South Pacific) but. The food was DIRE. We gave up on the MDR after having several inedible meals (hugely salty, dry, chewy, you name it). We therefore spent most evenings on a 3 week cruise eating in the buffet which tended to serve the same things every night so got incredibly boring. It was quite some time before I could look at another bowl of pasta. Put it this way - I weighed the same at the end of the three week cruise as I did at the beginning, which is a first for me. The other main issue I had with the ship (Noordam), was that HAL had scrapped the library. Only reference books remained. Thankfully I had a fully loaded Kindle with me or sea days would have been a challenge (foam battles in the pool are really not my thing).

Oceania in the Med in July was lovely. Not perfect - I struggle with the miniscule bathroom - but I found the food absolutely comparable with Crystal and the library (I was on Sirena) was hands down the best I have seen on a ship. I can't comment on the entertainment; it was a very trip-intensive itinerary and I was normally comatose by 9pm! Still I enjoyed the experience enough that we have two Oceania cruises booked this year.

 

Hope this helps

Nix

[Floridiana]

No library any more? Horrible, it was one of the nice features of HAL ships. Are all the book shelves filled with reference books?

[Ken the cruiser]

Here are my thoughts on the 2 cruise lines:

 

Oceania - We love eating breakfast, lunch and dinner up at the Terrace Café outside in the back, especially once we found out they serve the same food there as they do in the MDR. You can also have steak and lobster every night there if you would like. And for desserts, they are fantastic!! You also get to eat free at least one time in each of their specialty restaurants on the cruise. For outdoor entertainment, the Riviera and Marina have a 18 hole putting course and netting driving area, netted paddle tennis court, croquet and shuffleboard along with ping pong tables. They have an artist loft where they offer free classes on sea days. They have evening shows that may not be great, but are worth going to see. They also offer lectures during sea days conducted by professional speakers. As far as excursions go, if you buy a minimum number depending on the length of the cruise, you get 25% off. As far as prices go for a veranda, many times they are roughly the same price if not cheaper than HAL. For example we are looking to take the cruise around Australia and the cost per day the last time I checked on the Oceania cruise is $357 pp/day while the HAL price is $415 pp/day. Oh, did I mention, there are no kids to speak of! Well, maybe 1 or 2. You're the kids when you're on an Oceania cruise.

 

HAL - I'm trying to think of things that stand out and I'm coming up blank. There is no outside "al fresco" dining available unless you call eating out by the pool "al fresco". Their desserts are OK and they may offer one good one on the menu, but that's it, and you have to pay extra to eat in their specialty restaurants. As far as outside entertainment, on some ships they have a big tennis court and/or basketball court and they have ping pong tables and shuffleboard. Their evening shows are usually pretty good I have to give them that. Lectures conducted by professional speakers are only provided on 15+ day cruises unless you consider port lectures an event you enjoy going to. They do offer Windows 10 computer classes, but they are repetitive across all their ships. There is no discount for buying multiple excursions on a cruise and they are no cheaper than the ones you find on other cruise lines. As far as veranda prices go as I noted above, theirs seem to be slowly creeping up. However, if you like ocean view room, HAL does offer some pretty reasonable prices.

 

Bottom line - Give HAL a try and see how you like it. After all, the only opinion that really matters is yours. Happy sailing!!

[Cahpek]

There is a way you to combine the desirable itinerary from HAL with the luxury of Oceania: Azamara offers at least one Norwegian Fjords-intensive cruise every year. This year they have the

14 NIGHT BEYOND THE ARCTIC CIRCLE VOYAGE

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/voyage/1498190400/14-night-beyond-the-arctic-circle-voyage

 

This is very similar to the Azamara cruise we took last year [details in the link in my signature]. IMHO it would be much better in every way than the cruise on Koningsdam [much smaller number of passengers, food, service, ability to get into smaller ports and narrow fjords].

 

Thanks for the information. However, when we looked at the cruise fares Azamara is charging for that cruise, we nearly fell off our chairs! Does Azamara think they are Regent or Crystal or something? Do they not realize they still operate the same two "old" ships they had from the very beginning? We know, they refurbish them regularly.

 

We used like Azamara as much as Oceania- until we find that Azamara seem not to have improve much while other cruise lines are coming up with more "goodies". Are they (Azamara) perhaps taking their loyal customers a little for granted thinking custpmers will not move to cruise with anyone else by with them? They are good (and their Azamazing evenings are great, and their captains are some of the friendliests ever, beating the captains on Oceania who are seldom accessible) , but let's be honest, their food is just "one notch" (ok, it's a very small notch) below Oceania.(they might have changed since our last cruise with them). Azamara's standard of afternoon tea, for example, is way below that of Oceania's. And Azamara still charges for their specialty restaurants, don't they?. Still, they just put their prices up and up. We could only cruise with Oceania or Azamara when there was a good offer deal. Oceania has had good deals recently but Azamara did not seem to have any these days. We are not like some fortunate people who travel where money is no object. If we did, we will always travel with Ocenia and Azamara. We appreciate going on luxury cruises but we have to work hard to earn the money for them - and we'd be lucky to have one every two years - the rest of the time, we have to go on with less luxurious cruise lines, with the likes of Princess, etc. That is why Regent, or Crystal or Seabourn is out of our reach - and we just about manage with Oceania, and only when they have some special offers. We have more or less taken Azamara off our radar now, until they offer some really good deals.

Edited April 2, 2017 by Cahpek

[CruiserTarheel]

We’ve been on 7 HAL cruises and 2 on Riviera. We’re booked on the Koningsdam cruise to Norway in June and on the Riviera again next January.

If Oceania had the exact same itineraries as HAL we’d pick O every time.

The food on O is much better in every venue and, of course, there is no surcharge in the specialty restaurants. The downside is they are extremely popular. We like to dine alone at a table for two so it is virtually impossible to eat at the specialty restaurants more than one time each for us. Also, when we were able to make our dining reservation for our last Riviera cruise {we were in a Concierge Veranda), we had to settle for times that were later than we preferred.

We like it that there is no self-service in the O buffet…much more sanitary. The Waves Grill is a great place to have breakfast or lunch on O.

The cruise experience is much more relaxing on O. By that I mean NO photographers, fewer announcements, softer music, and no constant shilling like there is on HAL.

The cabins and beds are good on both lines.

O has a saltwater pool…HAL doesn’t. Advantage O.

On both Oceania and HAL the ship excursions are ridiculously overpriced, especially on O, so we book independent excursions whenever possible.

A couple of things that I like about HAL are that I can buy a bottle of scotch for my cabin at a reasonable price and I can enjoy walking around and napping on the Prominade Deck. Oceania has neither of these things.

We’ve loved all our cruises except the one on Maasdam which was marred by several screw-ups by management and skipped stops due to a hurricane.

 

(Sorry for the poor spacing)

Edited April 2, 2017 by CruiserTarheel
spacing

[My & Mau]

Hope this answers your questions:), given we have cruised on Oceania Riviera twice, and the Koningsdam 11/16 and will again on 12/17 Here goes:

1) What we are particularly interested in is the quality of cuisine on HAL vs Oceania, especially in the buffet restaurants and main dining rooms. (HAL) Lido has a more commercial feel, but salad's are nice with staff serving you (Similar to Oceania), which goes a long way. There is a nice variety of foods with an international flair - again one is served. Their is attention to gluten-free, and special needs; each section has a dedicated serving team so there is no need to carry drinks, rather good I thought! In the MDR, there are great options, especially a dedicated vegetarian menu, and an authentic Indian menu as well - I'm not a vegetarian, but loved the opportunity to choose something different. Honestly, I found the MDR to be as good as Oceania's. One more thought about the MDR, the morning breakfast menu was wonderful...with international specialities from all over the world! Though you didn't ask, we ate at all the specialty restaurants - Canelleto had extraordinary lamb, The French restaurant, Sel de Mer, excelled at seafood, the Tamarind was wonderful for Asian fare, and the new concept Culinary Kitchen unique. We had a lot of fun enjoying them all! (OCEANIA) The Terrace is a pleasure - nothing like dining "Al Fresco." The grill, especially at lunch was unique...the MDR, was very nice.

2) Are the desserts in the buffet on HAL ships way below the standard of Oceania's? In one word - No! Note on Koningsdam there is also a Dutch Cafe, which has specialty nice desserts, and there are other venues where you can get delicious gelato as well. Please let me add that fruit was in abundance!

3) Do we get less feeling of being overly crowded on HAL ships compared to Oceania ships? Are there any quiet places on HAL ships apart from hiding in your own state room? I found the feeling of spaciousness to be the same on both ships...on the Riviera, there are many assistive devices, which sometimes created a log jam when we left the Terrace...but this is life, and a expectation given the age cohort of the ships. We walked freely about on the "K" and had no issues, and there certainly were many different types of chairs and support vehicles. We found our way to the upper decks, where it was quiet! Seek and ye shall find!!!

4) Are the libraries on Oceania better than HAL's, or is that the other way around? I believe this Q has been answered, but I'll add...Riviera had a lovely library, and I remember taking books to our cabin for reading...but, though the "K" has a minimal library at best...there is a lot of activity there, the New York Times is available without charge on the open laptops, games of chess are being played, puzzles are being played, and the feeling is a positive one...but nowhere near as elegant as the "R."

5)Which cruise company offer better activities and entertainment (we do realize entertainment on Oceania is not always one of their strongest points!) We found the activities to be quite nice on the "K" yes, there is also Trivia, but there are also flower-arrangement classes and cooking demos (free) as well, which we attended and enjoyed. But, I will say the entertainment on the "K" was very special...the musical concept of the "Music Walk" is unique...one can stroll along the way and have the opportunity to listen to an excellent 5-piece string quintet that plays classical music divinely; an excellent rhythm and blues group, a piano player extraordinaire, and a beautiful (new concept) round theatre that integrates technology with its various shows, as well as a BBC production...we loved the entertainment on the Koningsdam, and the many choices of theater times. The Riviera was a little too quiet for us in the entertainment department, and had only one show ay 9:30.

**I also wanted to add that we would go again on an Oceania cruise...the two have become our favorites; the deal-breaker being the itinerary - for example, HAL currently does not stop at Cuba, whereas Oceania does...thus you can see what our choice might be.

***One more thought, though you didn't ask specifically...the overall warmth of HAL's staff is highly appreciated - in other words, they will seek you out to make sure you are happy. We found Riviera to have some very worldly and customer-oriented staff, but HAL is superior in the service arena.

[LHT28]

A couple of things that I like about HAL are that I can buy a bottle of scotch for my cabin at a reasonable price

On O you can always bring your favourite bottle of scotch to enjoy in your cabin

 

I am sure people find places to nap on O ;)

[CruiserTarheel]

Sure you can. But it's also nice to order a bottle at a reasonable price and have it waiting for you in your cabin when you arrive.

 

I've not found anywhere on Riviera as nice to nap as the Promenade deck on HAL.

 

All in all, I prefer Oceania for the reasons I stated.

[ORV]

Interesting a couple of posts up the poster mentioned the Indian buffet on Hal. Hands down the worst food I've ever had on Oceania was the Indian buffet on Marina one night. I try to be open to different flavors and experiences, but this stuff was next to inedible. I tried quite a few different dishes trying to find something I'd like. It looked good but the taste, ugh! I sure hope that like the Mexican buffet they put on it's not authentic. If so I never want Indian food.

[CruiserTarheel]

HAL has Oprah :')

[mancunian]

I am fascinated by some of the cost statements made on this thread. Just checked and a three week cruise in a balcony cabin on one of the smaller Oceania ships to Norway is £8000. A two week cruise to Norway in a balcony cabin on Koningsdam is £3049. The price differences for the cruise in the US as opposed to UK must be very different if HAL comes out the same or dearer. Even with the extras there is no comparison.

[Tansy Mews]

Thanks for the information. However, when we looked at the cruise fares Azamara is charging for that cruise, we nearly fell off our chairs! Does Azamara think they are Regent or Crystal or something? Do they not realize they still operate the same two "old" ships they had from the very beginning? We know, they refurbish them regularly. <snip>

 

Yes I just compared O's Dublin to Oslo that covers the coast of Norway with Azamara's Eninburgh departure. Azamara costs more per day! It is possible that the Norwegian coast part of Azamara's itinerary is better but I prefer the inclusion of Dublin, the Orkneys, and Oslo.

 

I do appreciate the suggestion though.

[Ken the cruiser]

I am fascinated by some of the cost statements made on this thread. Just checked and a three week cruise in a balcony cabin on one of the smaller Oceania ships to Norway is £8000. A two week cruise to Norway in a balcony cabin on Koningsdam is £3049. The price differences for the cruise in the US as opposed to UK must be very different if HAL comes out the same or dearer. Even with the extras there is no comparison.

 

Norway and Iceland cruises are always more expensive. We're booked on a 32 day Baltic, Iceland and Greenland cruise in an A1 balcony and are paying $568 pp/day. It all depends on where the cruise is. HAL wants $480 pp/day for a VS on their 20 day cruise on the Prinsendam to the Polar Ice Cap.

[Tansy Mews]

Yes I just compared O's Dublin to Oslo that covers the coast of Norway with Azamara's Eninburgh departure. Azamara costs more per day! It is possible that the Norwegian coast part of Azamara's itinerary is better but I prefer the inclusion of Dublin, the Orkneys, and Oslo.

 

I do appreciate the suggestion though.

 

Hi

Just realized there was another reasonably large cost - gratuities. Free on Azamara. Not an issue for me since I get them free. But if someone doesn't (based on their O status or from their TA), that could make the price more similar.

Just thought I should mention this.

 

Frances

[LHT28]

so many things to consider when comparing prices between lines

Are you comparing the bottom line with Oceania with air included or without

HAL I do not think they include air in the prices shown

Azamara includes drinks & gratuities ..again not sure on air with them

 

If it is about the $$ then choose the one that fits your budget

 

jmo

[Ilex]

1. We will be taking our 21st cruise next year - our 1st on Oceania.  We have sailed on Celebrity and Holland America primarily with 2 on Princess.  We have been to all continents and over 70 countries.  There is no comparison from our 1st cruise in 2001 on Celebrity which was extraordinary and the cruises we take now.  However, we have never NOT enjoyed a cruise as we book Most Importantly on itinerary.  We love to experience the World and consider the ships a pleasant and easy floating Hotel to enjoy all the World has to offer.  What is not to like.  You wake up everyday for a new adventure in a different place, a different experience, and the ability to make memories of a lifetime.  We always enjoy getting to know the staff and their stories of home and family and even keep in touch.  We will be visiting a past Guest Relations Manager from Celebrity when we visit Cape Town next year.  The food seems to continually decline in quality but again it is not our priority.  To each their own.    The only cruise lines we would not sail on is Norweigan because of it's safety record and Carnival because of the "Party Atmosphere" which is not our thing.  I hope everyone, regardless of their interests, enjoys their journeys.  Happy & Safe travels to all!

[edgee]

On 4/2/2017 at 12:11 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

Here are my thoughts on the 2 cruise lines:

 

Oceania - We love eating breakfast, lunch and dinner up at the Terrace Café outside in the back, especially once we found out they serve the same food there as they do in the MDR. You can also have steak and lobster every night there if you would like. And for desserts, they are fantastic!! You also get to eat free at least one time in each of their specialty restaurants on the cruise. For outdoor entertainment, the Riviera and Marina have a 18 hole putting course and netting driving area, netted paddle tennis court, croquet and shuffleboard along with ping pong tables. They have an artist loft where they offer free classes on sea days. They have evening shows that may not be great, but are worth going to see. They also offer lectures during sea days conducted by professional speakers. As far as excursions go, if you buy a minimum number depending on the length of the cruise, you get 25% off. As far as prices go for a veranda, many times they are roughly the same price if not cheaper than HAL. For example we are looking to take the cruise around Australia and the cost per day the last time I checked on the Oceania cruise is $357 pp/day while the HAL price is $415 pp/day. Oh, did I mention, there are no kids to speak of! Well, maybe 1 or 2. You're the kids when you're on an Oceania cruise.

 

HAL - I'm trying to think of things that stand out and I'm coming up blank. There is no outside "al fresco" dining available unless you call eating out by the pool "al fresco". Their desserts are OK and they may offer one good one on the menu, but that's it, and you have to pay extra to eat in their specialty restaurants. As far as outside entertainment, on some ships they have a big tennis court and/or basketball court and they have ping pong tables and shuffleboard. Their evening shows are usually pretty good I have to give them that. Lectures conducted by professional speakers are only provided on 15+ day cruises unless you consider port lectures an event you enjoy going to. They do offer Windows 10 computer classes, but they are repetitive across all their ships. There is no discount for buying multiple excursions on a cruise and they are no cheaper than the ones you find on other cruise lines. As far as veranda prices go as I noted above, theirs seem to be slowly creeping up. However, if you like ocean view room, HAL does offer some pretty reasonable prices.

 

Bottom line - Give HAL a try and see how you like it. After all, the only opinion that really matters is yours. Happy sailing!!

Generally agree with your analysis. Couple of points I would add: Re: Pricing of shore excursions. Having to buy more than I want in order to get 25% off on Oceania does not work for us and regular pricing is really very high. Also on HAL, their larger ships have very good entertainment options with Billboard on Board piano duos, Lincoln Center classical music, BBC earth film showings and House of Blues music venue. Food, condition of ship less crowding and generally luxurious ambience are big winners for Oceania.

[LHT28]

31 minutes ago, edgee said:

 Also on HAL, their larger ships have very good entertainment options with Billboard on Board piano duos, Lincoln Center classical music, BBC earth film showings and House of Blues music venue. Food, condition of ship less crowding and generally luxurious ambience are big winners for Oceania.

ED

I think the key words are larger ships 😎

of course there is more entertainment  they have more space

We never do ship's tours  ..I know  it does take time to suss out  private tours  but worth it for us

 

it is  a trade off  more entertainment  more people  or Oceania 😁