OCEANIA - CRYSTAL

[AtA]

1 hour ago, 1985rz1 said:

Everyone has their own opinions about cruise lines, ship experiences, and food.  That's great, but let's quit the sandbox fights and realize that we all have preferences which may or may not agree with others. 

I agree but she's purposely telling half truths about what is and isn't available on Crystal.

[LHT28]

Just now, AtA said:

I agree but she's purposely telling half truths about what is and isn't available on Crystal.

clarify   what half truths  are you talking about?

 

[AtA]

12 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Well enjoy the SIRENA  cruise

I am sure you will be more bored than on the larger O class ship

watch those sandwiches at tea 😉

 

Edited December 27, 2019 by AtA

[AtA]

1 minute ago, LHT28 said:

clarify   what half truths  are you talking about?

 

Your comment about the only activities being sales pitches.

[LHT28]

4 minutes ago, AtA said:

Your comment about the only activities being sales pitches.

 

Reading  & comprehension is obviously not your strong suit

If you are going to accuse someone of  speaking half truths  get your facts straight

" most of the lectures were spa driven for the purpose of selling you something & we had gone to the same lectures on O  "

[AtA]

Lynn you had confirmation bias even before you began your cruise and your comment above proves it. I’m done with this. I and several others showed your comments were not true. Have a great night

[KS&JW]

This thread is really unbelievable.  

[Paulchili]

Here are my 2 cents’ worth on the topic of Oceania vs Crystal.

In short, overall I prefer Oceania. For those interested in my reasoning for this conclusion you an read all about it here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2508997-oceania-vs-crystal/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-54259294

Of course, this is just MY opinion and as always YMMV 😊

Edited December 27, 2019 by Paulchili

[LHT28]

for those  that would like to see what is available during the day on Crystal  you can check this thread  where they posted the dailies as PDF files

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2704196-live-from-crystal-symphony-new-orleans-to-miami-25th-october/page/5/

Check the Spa lectures  ..one of the days  I counted 7

do not think they made them up 😉

proof is in the pudding as they say

 

[PaulMCO]

4 hours ago, LHT28 said:

yes incredible  lunch buffet !! NOT

Yes Meatloaf  ..unbelievable  that this was on a luxury line

 

We do not cruise to watch movies 

but for those that enjoy that I am sure it was wonderful

 

YMMV

Agree that the meatloaf is excellent on Crystal.  

Then of course you will never find these items on Oceania (Caviar, fresh oysters and fresh (not frozen) lobster. Of course as much as you want.  

 

IMHO the food is better on Crystal (compared to O class) and much much better than R class.  The exceptions are no Jacques (which is my favorite) on O and we like an occasional Terrace type meal on O which is not available on Crystal in the evening.

 

However Waterside versus the GDR -- no contest Crystal by a mile

Umi versus nothing on most R ships and Red Ginger on others -- no contest the distance is from the Earth to the outer rim of the solar system.

 

Food is subjective as is style of dining. 

 

Lectures I have good and bad on both -- but Crystal has been more consistent -- example we had Philippe Cousteau for 4 days on our Amazon cruise.

 

 

Edited December 27, 2019 by PaulMCO

[alaskaca]

I think this is just a shame!  A long time, helpful CC member gives her opinion and observation on aspects of the Oceania and Crystal cruise lines.  Let the nitpicking begin!!!  These are opinions and observation, helpful to some and irritating to others.  Why members can't read what is offered and move on is beyond me.  What is offered in reviews will never sway me one way or another to cruise on a particular line.  I just appreciate their insights and move on.  However,  when it comes to selecting the line I cruise with,  I will go to a well informed travel agent and people I personally know to help make those decisions.  Thank you LHT28 for taking the time to share your thoughts.

[bitob]

She is entitled to her opinion but not to her own facts.  What is shameful is making up "facts" or stating half-truths.

 

I expect posters to be called out for untruthful comments.  These boards are supposed to be helpful.  

Her "observations" must have been made with a blindfold on.  It would be impossible for anyone to truthfully state that activities on Crystal involve only sales pitches.  Her opinions are what they are and she is certainly entitled to them.

 

We have 16 cruises on Oceania and 6 on Crystal (with 5 more booked).  I wish we had found Crystal long ago.

[AtA]

6 hours ago, LHT28 said:

for those  that would like to see what is available during the day on Crystal  you can check this thread  where they posted the dailies as PDF files

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2704196-live-from-crystal-symphony-new-orleans-to-miami-25th-october/page/5/

Check the Spa lectures  ..one of the days  I counted 7

do not think they made them up 😉

proof is in the pudding as they say

 

I just looked and counted up exactly what was included during the day in the Reflections you posted.

There were 5 fitness classes throughout the day.

There were 5 legit lectures throughout the day.

There were 8 combined what I consider spam fitness/spam lectures. (Things like acupuncture, foot analysis, why this watch, which stone to buy, etc. 5 Definitely were spa driven)

There were 14 other activities during the day. (Bridge and Golf being given morning and afternoon) They did not include get togethers for singles, or friends of Bill W. They included:
Bridge 

Golf

Mah Jong

Dance lessons

Needlepoint

Paddle Tennis

Table Tennis

Movie in the theater

Computer learning class

Art class

Trivia

 

So while you technically may be somewhat correct in that 5 of the lectures were spa driven, I don't see where 14 activities plus 5 legit lectures equals up to there being nothing to do on the ship.

 

BTW: I haven't seen any daily schedule from O. Sure would like to see one to do a comparison.

[bitob]

It is not just quantity of activities -- it is quality of activities.

The question is not whether there is anything scheduled  . . . . . .

 

Even the cooking classes on O have diminished in quality since they first began.

Trivia used to be great when they had great cruise directors -- many of the new cruise directors have no idea how to conduct trivia.  I did not enjoy trivia on Crystal either but there were so many other options I did not care -- BTW Seabourn is the place for trivia!!

 

 

[LHT28]

26 minutes ago, alaskaca said:

I think this is just a shame!  A long time, helpful CC member gives her opinion and observation on aspects of the Oceania and Crystal cruise lines.  Let the nitpicking begin!!!  These are opinions and observation, helpful to some and irritating to others.  Why members can't read what is offered and move on is beyond me.  What is offered in reviews will never sway me one way or another to cruise on a particular line.  I just appreciate their insights and move on.  However,  when it comes to selecting the line I cruise with,  I will go to a well informed travel agent and people I personally know to help make those decisions.  Thank you LHT28 for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Thank you for your observation

 Mild comments here compared to the Crystal forum 😉

 

 

[LHT28]

20 minutes ago, AtA said:

So while you technically may be somewhat correct in that 5 of the lectures were spa driven, I don't see where 14 activities plus 5 legit lectures equals up to there being nothing to do on the ship.

 

BTW: I haven't seen any daily schedule from O. Sure would like to see one to do a comparison.

again

reading & comprehension 🙄

 

 

[LHT28]

5 hours ago, PaulMCO said:

Agree that the meatloaf is excellent on Crystal.  

Then of course you will never find these items on Oceania (Caviar, fresh oysters and fresh (not frozen) lobster. Of course as much as you want.  

 

IMHO the food is better on Crystal (compared to O class) and much much better than R class.  The exceptions are no Jacques (which is my favorite) on O and we like an occasional Terrace type meal on O which is not available on Crystal in the evening.

 

However Waterside versus the GDR -- no contest Crystal by a mile

 

 

Paul

that is your opinion  &  I would  never diminish  your opinion by nasty comments

 I will borrow a quote from your Keith 1010

"In the end only one opinion matters and it is our own.

 

Thank goodness for choice and that each line is not a clone of one another."

[LHT28]

34 minutes ago, bitob said:

She is entitled to her opinion but not to her own facts.  What is shameful is making up "facts" or stating half-truths.

 

 

Again

what half truths are you on about

 

Then again  never mind 

moving on !!

[PaulMCO]

41 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

 

Paul

that is your opinion  &  I would  never diminish  your opinion by nasty comments

 I will borrow a quote from your Keith 1010

"In the end only one opinion matters and it is our own.

 

Thank goodness for choice and that each line is not a clone of one another."

Agree 100%.  We certainly are not married to Crystal and our next cruise in on Oceania and then Regent.

Unfortunately our last two O cruises left a sour taste in our mouths.

Edited December 27, 2019 by PaulMCO

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, PaulMCO said:

Agree 100%.  We certainly are not married to Crystal and our next cruise in on Oceania and then Regent.

Unfortunately our last two O cruises left a sour taste in our mouths.

 

Everyone has to do what works best for them

We have had some not so good cruises  in our time  but  you just have to make the best of it at the time  😉

 

Enjoy whatever cruise you  choose

 

73's

 

 

 

 

[ToxM]

Thank goodness there are different cruise lines for different tastes!

 

The no brainer for me with Oceania is the dress code, I don’t want to do formal nights. Entertainment isn’t a big issue for me as I am happy to keep myself occupied. 

 

I am not a big drinker, so wouldn’t want to subsidise alcohol drinkers, but I enjoy soft drinks and good coffee. 

 

It’s great that people are loyal to different lines, and we all have reasons why they like one line over another. 

 

Maybe the one thing we all have in common is that we are lucky enough to be in a position to be able to cruise at all!

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

“In the end only one opinion matters and it is our own.

 

Thank goodness for choice and that each line is not a clone of one another."

Well said Lyn and very true. We can only see things through our own eyes.

We have cruised on all of the premium and luxury lines - including the likes of Ponant - and for US O ticks the most boxes of what we like on a cruise.

Each of those lines had some excellent features that individually were better than corresponding features on O (and I wish O would include them) but when everything is added up, so far O comes out on top. Things have been changing on O over the years and perhaps in the future this may not be the case but I am living in the present.

Lyn - thanks for your comments about Crystal vs Oceania.

Edited December 27, 2019 by Paulchili

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Paulchili said:

Well said Lyn and very true. We can only see things through our own eyes.

We have cruised on all of the premium and luxury lines - including the likes of Ponant - and for US O ticks the most boxes of what we like on a cruise.

Each of those lines had some excellent features that individually were better than corresponding features on O (and I wish O would include them) but when everything is added up, so far O comes out on top. Things have been changing on O over the years and perhaps in the future this may not be the case but I am living in the present.

Lyn - thanks for your comments about Crystal vs Oceania.

 I agree  Paul

Crystal has some nice features  that O does not  but then O has some  nice features that C does not

I prefer the non self serve buffet option on O

It is  a personal thing 😉

 

[ak1004]

Choice is always good. I believe you cannot go wrong with either O or Crystal. Both are few steps above the mass market lines. Personally I would put O somewhere between Celebrity and Crystal, but MUCH MUCH closer to Crystal. And if you don't drink, I think O provides a better value for money. 

[Petoonya]

On 12/26/2019 at 11:07 PM, Paulchili said:

Here are my 2 cents’ worth on the topic of Oceania vs Crystal.

In short, overall I prefer Oceania. For those interested in my reasoning for this conclusion you an read all about it here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2508997-oceania-vs-crystal/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-54259294

Of course, this is just MY opinion and as always YMMV 😊

I missed this first time around but maybe it was because I hadn't considered Crystal. Now that I have you made the decision for me. On the items that count to me O wins hands down, but again it's just the items that count to me. For someone else can see why Crystal might be a no brainer. We can only afford one cruise a year and that makes taking a "taste" of another line a considerable risk. Thanks for the well stated and beautifully organized comparison.

Edited December 28, 2019 by Petoonya