Princess compared to Oceania

[stevenr597]

Princess is generally known as a mainstream cruise line, while Oceania has a reputation of being much more expensive and upscale.

 

But when one books on a Princess Ship and add on the costs of Air-Fare, off the ship cruise tours, club class, and drink packages; is Oceania really all that more expensive.

 

With that being said, how does one compare both lines, is one a better bargain than the other.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Good question. After adding in all the extras you get with Oceania included in the price, I'd next move on to service. What is the passenger to crew ratio? What is the space ratio on the ships? How spacious is the cabin category you'd book? To us, service is a huge factor and that is hard to quantify.

[susiesan]

I just came off of a 12 day Mediterranean cruise on Oceania Riviera in November and will embark on the Emerald Princess Feb. 14 for a 14 day Cape Horn cruise. I have cruised with Princess before, most recently Jan. 2015 to the Caribbean on the Emerald.I am expecting to be disappointed with Princess as compared to Oceania mainly in the area of food. Yes, O is more expensive then Princess but you have to decide what is your priority in a cruise. I could have done Cape Horn with O for more money but I decided that having excellent food on this itinerary was not a priority, having a balcony cabin was. A veranda on an Oceania ship is way more expensive than on Princess. I am willing to give up the better food for this upcoming cruise in exchange for better scenic cruising in a balcony cabin.

[Thrak]

I just came off of a 12 day Mediterranean cruise on Oceania Riviera in November and will embark on the Emerald Princess Feb. 14 for a 14 day Cape Horn cruise. I have cruised with Princess before, most recently Jan. 2015 to the Caribbean on the Emerald.I am expecting to be disappointed with Princess as compared to Oceania mainly in the area of food. Yes, O is more expensive then Princess but you have to decide what is your priority in a cruise. I could have done Cape Horn with O for more money but I decided that having excellent food on this itinerary was not a priority, having a balcony cabin was. A veranda on an Oceania ship is way more expensive than on Princess. I am willing to give up the better food for this upcoming cruise in exchange for better scenic cruising in a balcony cabin.

 

I have always wondered about the passenger attitude on more upscale lines. On Princess I've seen passengers who I had no problem with but who I figured might not "fit in" very well on a more upscale line. Is there more "snobbishness" for lack of a better word? I have know people who looked down on others for not being of "the same class" and who also thought some pretty unpleasant people were fine because they were of a "higher class".

 

I'm in no way trying to be sarcastic, disruptive, hijack the thread, etc. I truly have wondered about the social aspect of cruising on the "more elite" lines.

[geoherb]

I've never tried a cruise on Oceania. If you're paying for Club Class or a suite, I can see how O could be worth looking at. For us, though, nothing on O is approaching affordable. I see a 10-day Caribbean cruise next month that starts at $2,299 per person for an inside cabin. The O-Life fare with airfare and excursions and drinks package starts at $2,999 per person. We paid less than that for the two of us including our airfare, hotel for two nights in Fort Lauderdale, precruise meals, rental car, excursions, and onboard expenses on our 10-day cruise last month on the Royal Princess.

[GUT2407]

A few lines I’d like to try but struggle to justify the cost.

[WarEagle76]

We’ve been on 20 Princess cruises (have also cruises on multiple RCCL, NCL) and recently completed our first cruise on Oceania in December. We cruised from Miami to Key West, Havana, Cozumel and Great Stirrup Cay, and sailed in a Concierge Veranda on Insignia. We chose the cruise based on the itinerary and the dates of the cruise, specifically Havana and returning prior to Christmas, along with the price and included benefits.

We loved the ship size and smaller passenger count. The ship layout was easily navigable and decor was rich and upscale. Our cabin was on the smaller side but comfortable. We found the crew to be fantastic and the food outstanding. Embarkation was a disaster compared to Princess (which is usually seamless) and we found the sommeliers in the dining venues to be obnoxious.

The passengers on our sailing tended to be well traveled and anything but obnoxious. We compared them as being very similar (well travelled) to those we’ve cruised with on Viking River (7 cruises) in the past.

 

We had been looking for awhile at alternatives to Princess as have not been pleased with a number of changes made over the years. For us, Club Class was a huge positive for Princess, and we are booked on a Princess Mediterranean cruise in May. That said, with the right itinerary and price (Tahiti comes to mind), we’d definitely consider Oceania again and also want to try Viking Ocean whose itineraries/dates just haven’t lined up for us yet.

[pthjudy]

We are elite with Princess and have sailed Oceania three times. Two of the three were repositioning and priced competitively when adding in what is standard with O Life. The other was a Caribbean and was high. The food on Oceania is unlike any we have encountered at sea. Just looking at the menus shows the breadth. The quality is indescribable. I believe service on Princess is wonderful. It is equally as good on O and perhaps better in that they really get to know your name and thank you for letting them serve you. We have found different cruise lines offer certain pluses. When we cruise with our extended family it’s Disney or Royal Caribbean. When I want to feel the most “at home”, it’s Princess. And when I am lucky to find a good price on Oceania, I grab it and start my diet immediately.

[Steelers36]

Thanks, WarEagle. (Sorry you had a tough end to the season after knocking off Alabama - they had to lose one I suppose, but two strong teams go at it Monday night). I appreciate your perspective. I wonder how different Regent Seven Seas is from O?

 

Thrak, I doubt Regent and O are snobbish. Two friends of mine have sailed with wives a number of times on both and they wouldn't go back if it was like that. They can afford to do it, but they are relaxed and are not pretentious at all. You probably don't have any shorts in the DT issues there. They like having excursions covered and packaging up with airfare. I don't know too many details, as these lines are just not in the cards for us right now.

[neverbeenhere]

I have always wondered about the passenger attitude on more upscale lines. On Princess I've seen passengers who I had no problem with but who I figured might not "fit in" very well on a more upscale line. Is there more "snobbishness" for lack of a better word? I have know people who looked down on others for not being of "the same class" and who also thought some pretty unpleasant people were fine because they were of a "higher class".

 

Now we have only done Oceania twice, but the people are a bit snobbish. I am not saying that people are telling false stories, but much more talk of private yacht cruises that people have experienced. Talk about trips to every part of the world, all with first class accomodations. And many mentions of fine wines, liquor and cigars that individuals "frequently" enjoy.

However, we did meet some very nice, genuine people on these cruises as well.

 

BTW there are plenty of folks on Princess and Celebrity that will try to brag about these same things, but it seemed to be quite prevalent on Oceania.

 

 

 

BTW 2: I wrote this while our servants were massaging my toes and peeling me grapes to enjoy.

[ccruzer123]

I'm an Elite on Princess and have also cruises on Oceania Riveria and Regent Explorer. Each line has its positives and negatives. We tend to cruise Princess because we feel most comfortable with the line and expense. We tend to like the smaller ships.

 

Having said that I really enjoyed my cruise on Explorer, the room and ship was amazing. But we found the food and service very inconsistent. We did like the all-inclusive idea, everything from business air, excursions, drinks, gratuities, etc. included in the price. Will probably sail them again.

 

We have friends who love Oceania but our experience on Oceania was not a good one. The ship was nice and less crowded but unfortunately we cruised on the "Sick Ship" and it was a disaster. The Noro virus pretty much ruined the experience, missed ports, food tasted like disinfectant, everything on the ship was washed in disinfectant, ship venues closed, service/staff stressed and overworked. We understand the need for trying to control the situation but it was the response during and after the cruise that really upset people.

 

Both Oceania and Regent do have a different group of people that cruise them. They are paying more so they expect more and are a little more demanding, which I can understand. We have met some really nice down to earth people on all 3 cruise lines.

[pthjudy]

I'm an Elite on Princess and have also cruises on Oceania Riveria and Regent Explorer. Each line has its positives and negatives. We tend to cruise Princess because we feel most comfortable with the line and expense. We tend to like the smaller ships.

 

Having said that I really enjoyed my cruise on Explorer, the room and ship was amazing. But we found the food and service very inconsistent. We did like the all-inclusive idea, everything from business air, excursions, drinks, gratuities, etc. included in the price. Will probably sail them again.

 

We have friends who love Oceania but our experience on Oceania was not a good one. The ship was nice and less crowded but unfortunately we cruised on the "Sick Ship" and it was a disaster. The Noro virus pretty much ruined the experience, missed ports, food tasted like disinfectant, everything on the ship was washed in disinfectant, ship venues closed, service/staff stressed and overworked. We understand the need for trying to control the situation but it was the response during and after the cruise that really upset people.

 

Both Oceania and Regent do have a different group of people that cruise them. They are paying more so they expect more and are a little more demanding, which I can understand. We have met some really nice down to earth people on all 3 cruise lines.

The “sick” ship I believe was Riviera about 2 years ago. I followed that very closely because of the reoccurring problems with noro and the fact that we were booked on the Miami to Barcelona repositioning and noro rears it’s ugly head on ocean crossings. I bought the special wipes from Amazon. I avoided touching elevator buttons and bannisters. The crew members were wiping down tables with special cleansers, and I could see what conditions were like in the throes of the problem. Noro is a big problem on cruises. Though sick passengers depart, the crew remains and although they are supposed to isolate themselves when sick, contagion occurs before symptoms. It’s too bad O did not have a positive response. We were on Princess during Sandy and they couldn’t have been more accommodating. Maybe the food on Princess is not as five star or the cabins with granite bathrooms and maybe they don’t get to know you by name, but they are IMHO first rate in service and make every passenger feel welcome.

[LSGDRG]

I have also compared Oceania to Princess. What keeos me from cruising Oceania are the cabin/bathroom sizes on the majority of their ships (R class). My husband and I spend a lot of time in our cabin and on the balcony, relaxing during a cruise. I can get a much larger suite/balcony on Princess for less $. With the money we save by choosing Princess, we can dine more often at the speciality restaurants. With that said, Oceania might be a good choice if food is your top priority. Also, if you generally fly economy class and flights are expensive from your home airport, Oceania might be a good choice. I believe economy airfare is included in their quoted prices.

[Go-Bucks!]

I have always wondered about the passenger attitude on more upscale lines....Is there more "snobbishness" for lack of a better word?....I truly have wondered about the social aspect of cruising on the "more elite" lines.

I've taken 15 cruises on mainstream cruiselines and just 1 on Oceania so admittedly I'm not an expert on upscale lines but I wondered the same thing before sailing on O last month. What I found was that the vast majority of the people were very down to earth and interesting to talk to. Most had traveled quite a bit. To be honest, they didn't seem much different than folks I meet on Princess and many of them sail on mainstream lines too.

 

The snobbiest person I ever met was on the Coral Princess in 2008. This older woman traveled with a son and had her "own" table in the Anytime dining room where others would be seated with her. She special ordered her own food each night and proudly told us that. She spent the entire dinner time bragging about her wealth, her special "privileges" that Princess granted her and how high class she was! I was so sickened and couldn't get done with dinner fast enough. Luckily that was a rare experience. I'm sure there are people on all cruiselines who like to brag but that won't deter me from enjoying that line.

 

Oceania has it's pros and cons, just like Princess. The food, in general, was much better than Princess' but I did have a few things I didn't like. The buffet really shined (fresh grilled steaks and lobster tails all the time). The cabins on most Princess ships are larger (except Pacific) and I'm used to a full suite, so the verandah cabin felt very small, especially the bathroom. On my next O cruise I'm in a PH suite - about the size of a minisuite on a Grand class ship - which should feel better.

 

Someone mentioned the cost difference - and yes, there definitely is one. But....O includes things that you need to pay separately for on Princess. Airfare; choice of shore excursions, beverage pkg or OBC; prepaid gratuities; all non-alcoholic drinks including unlimited bottled water; mini fridge stocked daily with any non-alcoholic drinks you choose; and no charge for specialty restaurants. Those things help to equalize the cost. I'll still plan to cruise both lines depending on itinerary and value.

[workstocruise]

Oceania also includes free internet which I just had to pay $10 a day on the Regal Princess. We have sailed 3 times on Oceania and 5 times on Princess. I won’t be back on Princess. Yes it is cheaper but not sure it’s worth it. The chair hogs alone on the Regal totally turned me off. Plus the food just wasn’t that good. However the entertainment was first class. I would say service is about the same with maybe an edge to Oceania. We’ve always had either a veranda cabin or a penthouse suite on Oceania and the veranda cabin is bigger than the Princess veranda but only on the bigger O ships.

[RMMariner]

I have only cruised on Oceania once. It was a positive experience. I found that Oceania's food is much better. The service was also better. Partly because the Insignia had only about 600 passengers. The fellow passengers felt like they were, on the average, considerably wealthier than Princess cruise passengers. A couple of people were a little snobby, but overall I really enjoyed meeting my fellow passengers.

 

Oceania is generally considerably more expensive.

 

I would consider Princess my line of choice. Laid back, good service, food, while not up to Oceania's standards, still quite enjoyable. I would say that the price difference was not worth it to me.

[Steelers36]

I have not had the "O Experience" personally, but as has been mentioned, it is likely that the passenger mix is generally more well off and so talk of travel and other "world experiences" might sound snobbish to some, but it is just normal life for some. I imagine there are some folks might travel on Princess and think the general passenger mix is well traveled and more well off and might seem snobbish. I think we can run into snobs and boors anywhere - and nice people everywhere.

[awhcruiser]