I keep hearing Oceania..Why?

[Lioncub]

I have been on Silversea, Seabourn and Azamara. I love each for different reasons. But I keep hearing about Oceania. Primarily because of their food orientation. What I see on the cc forums does not inspire me. Lots of people talking about happy hours and drinking in their suite. Is this a true reflection of an O cruise? I draw a line at carting on gallons of booze and water. I am actually a fan of the R class ship and believe it was a triumph of its time. Though it has been improved upon since. Thanks for any guidance.

 

 

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[pinotlover]

I believe that it’s highly opinionated whether Oceania has better food today 2018 than Seabourn or Silverseas. A lot of votes in every direction on that matter. I believe that issue has changed over the past 5 years significantly. What drives Oceania, other than the food claims is (1) it’s country club casual attire policy, that being no formal nights or ties required, and (2) it’s ala carte pricing. Many non drinkers don’t like paying for others drinks, plus many O cruisers only occasionally leave the ship and don’t like having paid for included tours they won’t take.

 

Most of us do like the ability to bring aboard high quality wines and pay a reasonable corkage fee, and not forced to pay the outlandish ship prices. I never bring aboard any hard liquor however some do.

[Paulchili]

There are hundreds (well, maybe not quite hundreds, but many) of similar threads lately here - people wanting to try Oceania for the first time.

I will say again what I had said before.

Anything you may read in this thread will not help you make up your mind any more than what you have already read. These are opinions of strangers to you and their likes and dislikes may be diametrically opposed to yours.

Just take the plunge, take a short Oceania cruise and decide for yourself.

That will be the only answer and opinion that will actually matter to you - nobody else can decide this for you.

PS - I am currently doing this on a Crystal cruise. Nothing that I have read will matter more than my own experience as to whether I like it or whether I will take another Crystal cruise.

It is really that simple :)

[KS&JW]

There are hundreds (well, maybe not quite hundreds, but many) of similar threads lately here - people wanting to try Oceania for the first time.

I will say again what I had said before.

Anything you may read in this thread will not help you make up your mind any more than what you have already read. These are opinions of strangers to you and their likes and dislikes may be diametrically opposed to yours.

Just take the plunge, take a short Oceania cruise and decide for yourself.

That will be the only answer and opinion that will actually matter to you - nobody else can decide this for you.

PS - I am currently doing this on a Crystal cruise. Nothing that I have read will matter more than my own experience as to whether I like it or whether I will take another Crystal cruise.

It is really that simple :)

 

I cannot agree more

[Lioncub]

Thank you for your response. I’m not sure what to make of it though? In the politest sense. Is the food not a major draw? I am aware of the drinks package situation etc. and your moniker suggests you like a drop of wine, but you have not convinced me that O cruisers like to indulge. I don’t want to go on a deserted ship where people are quietly quaffing their own booze and only appear at happy hour. Connoisseurs I can appreciate, hoards knocking back free booze at open bars is just not me. Or is this a ploy to distract me? [emoji57]

 

 

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[Pet Nit Noy]

I have been on Silversea, Seabourn and Azamara. I love each for different reasons. But I keep hearing about Oceania. Primarily because of their food orientation. What I see on the cc forums does not inspire me. Lots of people talking about happy hours and drinking in their suite. Is this a true reflection of an O cruise? I draw a line at carting on gallons of booze and water. I am actually a fan of the R class ship and believe it was a triumph of its time. Though it has been improved upon since. Thanks for any guidance.

 

Some numbers to give you a sense of perspective. I doubt the percentage of passengers on who belong to Cruise Critic is even as high as 10% on most Oceania cruises. In fact, some years ago, when one of the burning issues was Oceania's refusal to host a meet and greet for CC participants, the general accepted number was fewer than 3% of all cruisers. But even if the numbers have grown from 3% to 10%, you're still missing 90% of the point of view of cruisers.

 

The good part about coming to this board is that the posters are among the most frequent Oceania cruisers, and their answers reflect the most knowledgeable answers on many topics. But wave a red flag, as you did, and the answers tend to be very enthusiastic and protective of Oceania's reputation.

 

Here's the easy answer to your question: In all the Oceania cruises we've taken since its founding, I've never once brought a bottle of water or liquor on board. On a cruise with a port call in Bordeaux, I brought back a half dozen bottles of excellent wine and happily paid the corkage when we drank them in the dining rooms/restaurants. (But I suspect this is not quite what you had in mind.)

 

I know that plenty of people like to bring beverages on board Oceania, and do so with ease. You should take away an important message from what I just wrote: Oceania treats its cruisers like adults. If you choose to bring water/soda/liquor on board, you will not have to behave in sneaky manner . If you choose to bring more bottles on board than the written regulations state, Oceania will not stop you, harass you, or confiscate your property. Bring. Don't bring. You'll find like-minded cruisers in each category.

[Classiccruiser777]

I can tell you why we love Oceania. Great beds, very good food and a luxury “a la carte” experience. We don’t drink much, take few shore excursions, love the R ships and love the food.

 

We have cruised many times on Cunard and a few on HAL. O is far better than either and the buffett is outstanding where you are served and food is made to order or made in small batches. Lobster, chops and prawns are always available at dinner:

 

[Lioncub]

I apologise. I responded too readily. A hazard of this kind of forum. I am really just trying to get down to why I keep being told O is the bees knees? Ps have put a deposit down but having second thoughts.

 

 

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[pattycakes]

Happy Hour rocks -- no matter where you are. But it only works for those of us who don't buy a drink package or play barkeep cabinside. I enjoyed it.

[ORV]

Why is anyone talking about water or soda?

 

It's all supplied.

[cathi]

I have been on CC for many years and really love meeting the people who have been on the roll call once onboard. We've sailed with a bunch of different cruise lines but in the last few years it's been all Oceania. My reasons for going back to O again and again - I love the small ships, the cabins are just what I like, the food is great IMHO, the crew are fantastic, I don't have to pack formal clothes, there's enough to do to keep me interested, and most of the passengers are fun to be with. As someone else mentioned I don't want an all-inclusive that adds drinks and shore ex's to the price. O fits what we are looking for and that's mostly the itineraries. The small ships go where most can't and they are constantly tweaking the most popular itin's.

If you've never done an O cruise try it once and then decide for yourself if it's right for you.

[ABoatNerd]

Concur to the posts above.

 

Each person has to decide what they want for a cruise.

 

Oceania has a really unique niche because of 3 factors - these 3 factors got our business:

 

1) No inclusive pricing - meaning no booze nor shore excursions if you do not want to. Versus Viking or Crystal which requires you to pay for either or both. I will not pay for others booze (Crystal and Azamara) nor excursions I do not want (Viking). Oceania is really about customization, love it.

 

2) Non class segmentation pretty much. Other than lounges for suites etc, the entire ship is available for all guests. We fired Celebrity due to their overt class segmentation focus.

 

3) Casual dress. Oceania is a golf country club - gracious but non formal dress. Right on.

 

In summary - Oceania is a more traditional product versus the mass lines which are into class segmentation and arrogance about that, loud music, cheap food, degraded service and then different than the luxury lines like Crystal which have moved to inclusive pricing.

 

It really does depend upon what the heck you want.

 

Thankfully we have the resources to cruise and the option to cruise with the provider than provides the experience we want.

[Rob the Cruiser]

Concur to the posts above.

 

Each person has to decide what they want for a cruise.

 

Oceania has a really unique niche because of 3 factors - these 3 factors got our business:

 

1) No inclusive pricing - meaning no booze nor shore excursions if you do not want to. Versus Viking or Crystal which requires you to pay for either or both. I will not pay for others booze (Crystal and Azamara) nor excursions I do not want (Viking). Oceania is really about customization, love it.

 

2) Non class segmentation pretty much. Other than lounges for suites etc, the entire ship is available for all guests. We fired Celebrity due to their overt class segmentation focus.

 

3) Casual dress. Oceania is a golf country club - gracious but non formal dress. Right on.

 

In summary - Oceania is a more traditional product versus the mass lines which are into class segmentation and arrogance about that, loud music, cheap food, degraded service and then different than the luxury lines like Crystal which have moved to inclusive pricing.

 

It really does depend upon what the heck you want.

 

Thankfully we have the resources to cruise and the option to cruise with the provider than provides the experience we want.

 

I agree 100%.

 

We seem to have the same management style. We fired Celebrity also. :)

[Mura]

Thank you for your response. I’m not sure what to make of it though? In the politest sense. Is the food not a major draw? I am aware of the drinks package situation etc. and your moniker suggests you like a drop of wine, but you have not convinced me that O cruisers like to indulge. I don’t want to go on a deserted ship where people are quietly quaffing their own booze and only appear at happy hour. Connoisseurs I can appreciate, hoards knocking back free booze at open bars is just not me. Or is this a ploy to distract me? [emoji57]

 

I think you're misunderstanding many of the posts you are reading. From OUR point of view (and of course I only speak for ourselves) food on Oceania is a draw because we've almost always found it excellent -- with a scant few misses her and there. But it isn't the major draw.

 

For us it's the ambiance of the ship. We prefer smaller ships, we prefer conversation to glitzy shows. We like the itineraries but as we've sailed more, some are repetitious for us.

 

Most people as far as I can tell do NOT simply drink in their rooms! I have a cocktail there simply because my husband doesn't drink more than an occasionally glass of wine. If we go to a bar he orders orange juice, no ice. But we've never been in an empty bar at cocktail hour! And while sometimes drunks have been observed -- from our experience that's pretty rare.

 

As has been suggested, take a short cruise and judge for yourself.

 

 

Mura

[Tansy Mews]

Here's what I like about Oceania. "Country club casual" albeit I don't belong to a country club! No suit or tie needed nor evening gown.

Good food. Lovely afternoon tea! Prefer that to happy hour. Interesting itineraries. Well traveled fellow passengers who make great table companions when we ask for a share table at dinner. And few add-on costs - no photographers hounding you, no charge for a water bottle when I leave the ship for the day. I can get a non-alcoholic beverage from the waiter by the pool without an extra fee. The whole thing is just comfortable. Looking forward to this year's cruise - to Norway.

[DaKa2002]

Concur to the posts above.

Each person has to decide what they want for a cruise.

Oceania has a really unique niche because of 3 factors - these 3 factors got our business:

 

1) No inclusive pricing - meaning no booze nor shore excursions if you do not want to. Versus Viking or Crystal which requires you to pay for either or both. I will not pay for others booze (Crystal and Azamara) nor excursions I do not want (Viking). Oceania is really about customization, love it.

 

2) Non class segmentation pretty much. Other than lounges for suites etc, the entire ship is available for all guests. We fired Celebrity due to their overt class segmentation focus.

 

3) Casual dress. Oceania is a golf country club - gracious but non formal dress. Right on.

 

In summary - Oceania is a more traditional product versus the mass lines which are into class segmentation and arrogance about that, loud music, cheap food, degraded service and then different than the luxury lines like Crystal which have moved to inclusive pricing.

It really does depend upon what the heck you want.

Thankfully we have the resources to cruise and the option to cruise with the provider than provides the experience we want.

 

I agree 100% with the above. I like Oceania; the R ships are OK with us, but my favorites are the new "O" ships, Marina and the Riveria.

 

I also have to agree that we have just about 'fired' Celebrity, even though we are almost Elite+. At any rate, we are taking a vacation from Celebrity for a while. We have sailed eight different lines and may be trying a few new ones to see how they fit with us!

[Ken the cruiser]

I have been on Silversea, Seabourn and Azamara. I love each for different reasons. But I keep hearing about Oceania. Primarily because of their food orientation. What I see on the cc forums does not inspire me. Lots of people talking about happy hours and drinking in their suite. Is this a true reflection of an O cruise? I draw a line at carting on gallons of booze and water. I am actually a fan of the R class ship and believe it was a triumph of its time. Though it has been improved upon since. Thanks for any guidance.

 

 

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Seven things attract us to Oceania: food, price, itineraries, dress code and dvd players as well as sports and the Artist Loft on the O class ships.

 

Food: To be honest, even though the specialty restaurants are included in the price, we prefer to eat outside up at the Terrace Cafe whenever possible. The above picture by clasiccruiser 777 looks like what we would see up at the buffet plus their desserts are super tasty. They are the only cruise line we've ever been on where the food is just as good at their buffet as it is their GDR.

 

Price: For what Oceania offers, their price/person/day has always impressed us. Never have been impressed by all inclusive cruise lines as my DW doesn't drink and I may have a glass of wine at dinner and that's about it.

 

Itineraries: Simply put, O with their 6 ships has some pretty cool itineraries of which they change up every year. We also have been impressed with their discounted excursion package options coupled with their OLife offerings.

 

Dress code: Their country club dress code is perfect for us as we don't like to play dress up.

 

DVD players in the cabin: When there isn't much going on, we like to head back to the cabin and put on one of the many Star Trek shows we bring along for relaxing when we're not sitting out on our balcony.

 

Sports and the Artist Loft on their larger O class ships: We can play golf, tennis, croquet or ping pong when we feel like it as there are no children hogging up the courts. O also has great on-hands art classes in their Artist Loft.

 

But mostly we just like being with each other and find O let's us have more fun doing that than most of the other cruise lines we've been on.

[Lioncub]

Thank you all for your great feedback. Sounds like I should be adding O to my options. Customisation seems to be the message that’s coming through. I personally would pay for a drinks package but not be that interested in all inclusive excursions. I also pay to dine in specialty venues on other lines, but I believe this is included with O, so a saving there. So a final request, where is everybody’s favourite place to eat onboard?

 

 

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[janecambridge]

As you are on Oceania thread,you will generally get positive responses.Go on Crystal or Azamara and ask the same questions.😂

 

There are many threads on where to eat and who likes what.The same ‘named’ restaurant can vary from ship to ship.Different ship,different head chef,different food supplier,different Maitre de,different staff,different dining companions etc..Overall the speciality restaurants are liked by all but in different order of preference.The same goes for Terrace and GDR.

(personally we had nothing but very poor service and small portions in Waves,so our choice was to exclude that.Others love it..)

 

We have really enjoyed the ‘feeling’ on our two Oceania cruises.Never seen anyone drunk at any time,just passengers enjoying themselves..No one inappropriately dressed in the restaurants.

We have loved everything on board.The only reservations were poor communication at times and lack of really good entertainment.

We have cruised Cunard,Princess grill once and the food was alot better on Marina.

There are things on other cruise lines,that are not on Oceania lines,but one would not expect a replica cruise eexperience on all lines.

Saga was up there above all the others too.Extremely high standards in all areas.

As I have said before,the last half of our Marina cruise was not the norm and not handled very well,but despite that we would love to use Oceania again if we can.

It’s that feeling you get when you go to view a property,it just ‘feels’ right for us.

[Paulchili]

Thank you all for your great feedback. Sounds like I should be adding O to my options. Customisation seems to be the message that’s coming through. I personally would pay for a drinks package but not be that interested in all inclusive excursions. I also pay to dine in specialty venues on other lines, but I believe this is included with O, so a saving there. So a final request, where is everybody’s favourite place to eat onboard?

 

 

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You ae likely to get as many opinions as there will be posts.

FWIW, mine are Jacques and the Terrace.

[Jay23]

Just try them all. Only you can say what you like. J

 

 

PS we hardly ever drink in the stateroom.

[DaKa2002]

My absolute favorite is the Terrace Cafe, followed by the Waves Grill. Polo Grill and Tuscan are OK; we didn't care for Jacques.

IMHO, the 'specialty' restaurants were too crowded, too noisy, and each more like a mini-MDR, did not have that "special" feel or ambience (or service) of Disney's Palo/Remy or Celebrity's Tuscan Grill/Murano.

However, stick to the recommendations of many posters, try them all and decide for yourself.

[ABoatNerd]

I forgot to add a 4th attribute of Oceania that attracts our business.

 

A ship facilitating views of the ocean.

 

On Oceania, there is at least one upper deck for forward viewing and a glorious inside forward viewing area. Granted the QM2 is the best vessel for viewing the sea par none. Did love the M class ships at Celebrity with their real promenade and inside/outside forward viewing.

 

Being on the ocean and seeing new ports are the 2 reasons we cruise.

 

The mass cruise lines are working on new builds that reduce or totally eliminate most public forward viewing areas and replacing this former ship element with suites. Celebrity is guilty of this in particular. The mass lines are working diligently to remove connection to the ocean.

 

To be frank, I would ask the mass lines, why don't you just tie up your las vegas inspired ship at an island for the week?

 

Moving up to the premium lines gains a smaller ship experience and less on board distractions designed to turn guests away from the sea.

[DaKa2002]

I forgot to add a 4th attribute of Oceania that attracts our business.

 

A ship facilitating views of the ocean.

 

On Oceania, there is at least one upper deck for forward viewing and a glorious inside forward viewing area. Granted the QM2 is the best vessel for viewing the sea par none. Did love the M class ships at Celebrity with their real promenade and inside/outside forward viewing.

 

Being on the ocean and seeing new ports are the 2 reasons we cruise.

 

The mass cruise lines are working on new builds that reduce or totally eliminate most public forward viewing areas and replacing this former ship element with suites. Celebrity is guilty of this in particular. The mass lines are working diligently to remove connection to the ocean.

 

To be frank, I would ask the mass lines, why don't you just tie up your las vegas inspired ship at an island for the week?

 

Moving up to the premium lines gains a smaller ship experience and less on board distractions designed to turn guests away from the sea.

 

Hear! Hear! Bravo.

[happy cruzer]

Is your concern really about the ship being quiet at night? You seem to assume that's because people are drinking in the cabin. It is probably because they rise early and retire early and the itineraries tend to be port intensive. It will vary by cruise but it is generally quiet after the show in the evening. You are wise to ask and read reviews to set your expectations.