Oceania vs Holland or Celebrity

[LHT28]

20 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Not sure if it was mentioned in this thread. Our 2020 cancelled cruise we were booked on Princess Caribbean. I heard some negative comments about Caribbean and so looked at other options for that Itinerary. So perhaps better to look at other Oceania opportunities as well.

Do you mean the ship Carribbean Princess ?

 I know ORV can speak for himself  but  I think he was maybe thinking ship size  when he said  go on the O class ships

Even they are half the size of Princess

The R ships are a lot smaller  but maybe that is what you are looking for   less pax 680  compared to 3000 +

[Tedferg]

26 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Do you mean the ship Carribbean Princess ?

 I know ORV can speak for himself  but  I think he was maybe thinking ship size  when he said  go on the O class ships

Even they are half the size of Princess

The R ships are a lot smaller  but maybe that is what you are looking for   less pax 680  compared to 3000 +

Yes Princess Caribbean ship.

I did randomly pick another Oceania itinerary - 18 days. Regatta, Papeete to San Francisco, B2 veranda for consistency, $9,798 or $544 per day, cruise only. !

 

In both trial bookings I did not see taxes or port fees added in the final review ???

[1985rz1]

7 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

In both trial bookings I did not see taxes or port fees added in the final review ???

Those are included in the cruise only fare,  not add-ons like on other lines.

 

Edited June 8, 2020 by 1985rz1

[1985rz1]

23 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Yes Princess Caribbean ship.

I did randomly pick another Oceania itinerary - 18 days. Regatta, Papeete to San Francisco, B2 veranda for consistency, $9,798 or $544 per day, cruise only. !

For meaningful comparisons, you need to compare comparable cabins, including cabin and balcony sizes, number of seas days and the number of port days, and similar, if not same ports, in the same regions, as these all impact the cost of the cruise., as well as the total number of cruise days (some lines quote days, meaning the number of nights on board, others mean number of days with feet on the ship, meaning one less night on board).  Perhaps you are taking these all into account, but I can't tell from your posts.  But I do admire your focus on finding out what you get for your money.

 

Also, again, perhaps you've done this, but you should include  the perks from a TA...prepaid gratuities and /or non-trivial OBC, in the case of Oceania....especially if your comparison prices include these items. 

Edited June 8, 2020 by 1985rz1

[LHT28]

39 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Yes Princess Caribbean ship.

I did randomly pick another Oceania itinerary - 18 days. Regatta, Papeete to San Francisco, B2 veranda for consistency, $9,798 or $544 per day, cruise only. !

 

In both trial bookings I did not see taxes or port fees added in the final review ???

 I agree with 1985   compare cabin size  to those you would book on the Caribbean Princess

 The R ships  have small cabins 173 sq ft  plus balcony  43 sq ft  or PH  is 260 sq ft plus Balcony 62 sq ft  approx

 

[KirkNC]

And at the end of the day I almost guarantee O will be more but thats ok.  Smaller ships, better food, higher staff to guest ratio.  Sometimes you get what you pay for.

[Tedferg]

37 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

For meaningful comparisons, you need to compare comparable cabins, including cabin and balcony sizes, number of seas days and the number of port days, and similar, if not same ports, in the same regions, as these all impact the cost of the cruise.

Also, again, perhaps you've done this, but you should include  the perks from a TA...prepaid gratuities and /or non-trivial OBC, in the case of Oceania....especially if your comparison prices include these items. 

Agree with your points, however I was looking for ball park, to see if Oceania is in consideration. As someone said a Mercedes and a Chevy are very different. I know without entering the showroom that I would not spend the money for a Mercedes. Chevy meets all the functionality I need in a car - but how about Ford / Chevy / Buick --- maybe a Subaru. My quest was to see if Oceania is priced like a Mercedes, to stretch the analogy. 

 

Looking at South Pacific itineraries, I see Celebrity for $512 / Day and Oceania for $544 / Day. Different itineraries / ports, number of days, Very different ship sizes. But OK, ball park prices look interesting so phase 2 would be to look at the details you listed. Ship ambience, quality of Food etc.

[1985rz1]

7 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Agree with your points, however I was looking for ball park, to see if Oceania is in consideration. As someone said a Mercedes and a Chevy are very different. I know without entering the showroom that I would not spend the money for a Mercedes. Chevy meets all the functionality I need in a car - but how about Ford / Chevy / Buick --- maybe a Subaru. My quest was to see if Oceania is priced like a Mercedes, to stretch the analogy. 

 

Looking at South Pacific itineraries, I see Celebrity for $512 / Day and Oceania for $544 / Day. Different itineraries / ports, number of days, Very different ship sizes. But OK, ball park prices look interesting so phase 2 would be to look at the details you listed. Ship ambience, quality of Food etc.

My care of choice is the Subaru, especially the Forester.🚗 

 

Keep us in the loop as you delve into the finer details of your comparisons.  My guess is you would find Regent, Silversea, etc to be Mercedes-like in price, but that Oceania somewhere between a  Ford and a Lexus or Audi.  But like in the car showroom, you can find out what perks the salesman can include to sweeten the pot.  I haven't tried a mainstream line, so I don't know if the TA's that represent them can give as good a deal as a TA that represents  Oceania.  It depends on the contract between the TA and the cruise lines. 

[kazu]

23 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

And at the end of the day I almost guarantee O will be more but thats ok.  Smaller ships, better food, higher staff to guest ratio.  Sometimes you get what you pay for.

 

For us, O was not great.  The “food” was not great at all.  We did one cruise on O and for once, were glad to get off a ship.  We were not alone.  A lot of O regulars had cancelled all their upcoming cruises.

 

I was kicking myself for not going on the Prinsendam which was only a couple of days off of our itinerary.  I thought I was moving up.  Big, big mistake.

 

1 hour ago, 1985rz1 said:

For meaningful comparisons, you need to compare comparable cabins, including cabin and balcony sizes, number of seas days and the number of port days, and similar, if not same ports, in the same regions, as these all impact the cost of the cruise., as well as the total number of cruise days (some lines quote days, meaning the number of nights on board, others mean number of days with feet on the ship, meaning one less night on board).  Perhaps you are taking these all into account, but I can't tell from your posts.  But I do admire your focus on finding out what you get for your money.

 

Also, again, perhaps you've done this, but you should include  the perks from a TA...prepaid gratuities and /or non-trivial OBC, in the case of Oceania....especially if your comparison prices include these items. 

 

I will say that the rooms on O are very nice.  Especially in a PS.  Extremely well laid out and very comfortable.

All the other public spaces IME were crowded a lot of the time.

I would have loved to have put our cabin and it’s layout on a blue hulled beauty.

 

[KirkNC]

5 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

For us, O was not great.  The “food” was not great at all.  We did one cruise on O and for once, were glad to get off a ship.  We were not alone.  A lot of O regulars had cancelled all their upcoming cruises.

 

I was kicking myself for not going on the Prinsendam which was only a couple of days off of our itinerary.  I thought I was moving up.  Big, big mistake.

 

 

I will say that the rooms on O are very nice.  Especially in a PS.  Extremely well laid out and very comfortable.

All the other public spaces IME were crowded a lot of the time.

I would have loved to have put our cabin and it’s layout on a blue hulled beauty.

 

I knew you were not a fan which is too bad l. We have found the food to be much better then the current HAL food, of course food as you know is super subjective.  We have throughly enjoyed our O cruise and have made them our primary line due to what we view as the demise of HAL.  We tell our HAL friends, we did not leave HAL, they left us.  The other big positive for us is ship size.  Their itineraries can go to places HAL can no longer go.  The one advantage I still see in HAL is the crew.  O’s is efficient but distant not like the warmth of HAL.  But with any line there are compromises. 

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, Tedferg said:

Yes Princess Caribbean ship.

I did randomly pick another Oceania itinerary - 18 days. Regatta, Papeete to San Francisco, B2 veranda for consistency, $9,798 or $544 per day, cruise only. !

 

In both trial bookings I did not see taxes or port fees added in the final review ???

If you want to have some fun, since part of the cruising experience is searching for  the right cruise, check out what a balcony cabin runs on an "all-inclusive" Canadian cruise with Crystal. You might be surprised.

[Paulchili]

16 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

on "all-inclusive" Canadian cruise with Crystal.

AFAIK, the only truly "all inclusive" line is Regent. Crystal charges for excursions.

[kazu]

1 hour ago, KirkNC said:

I knew you were not a fan which is too bad l. We have found the food to be much better then the current HAL food, of course food as you know is super subjective.  We have throughly enjoyed our O cruise and have made them our primary line due to what we view as the demise of HAL.  We tell our HAL friends, we did not leave HAL, they left us.  The other big positive for us is ship size.  Their itineraries can go to places HAL can no longer go.  The one advantage I still see in HAL is the crew.  O’s is efficient but distant not like the warmth of HAL.  But with any line there are compromises. 

 

If we had a good experience, I’d be a fan in nano second.  We didn’t and the reaction from the head office and the HD was one that left a bad taste in our mouths.

I’m glad you are happy there and the Prinsendam (HAL) offered really good service, good food and fabulous itineraries.  Sadly she is sold now so we will be searching, I’m sure but O will not be on the list.  Once bitten, twice shy as they say.

[Ken the cruiser]

31 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

AFAIK, the only truly "all inclusive" line is Regent. Crystal charges for excursions.

Good point. But I imagine the cost for those "free" excursions are included in their base cruise fare. But, hey, @Tedfergcheck out Regent's Canadian cruise fares as well to get an even more complete cruise fare comparison.

[LHT28]

3 hours ago, Tedferg said:

Agree with your points, however I was looking for ball park, to see if Oceania is in consideration. As someone said a Mercedes and a Chevy are very different. I know without entering the showroom that I would not spend the money for a Mercedes. Chevy meets all the functionality I need in a car - but how about Ford / Chevy / Buick --- maybe a Subaru. My quest was to see if Oceania is priced like a Mercedes, to stretch the analogy. 

 

Well if you have tried a Ford & Chevy  why not give  a Subaru or Volvo  a test?

Maybe not as much as  a Mercedes but still have lots of comfortable things 😉

 

[DeeniEncinitas]

4 hours ago, KirkNC said:

I knew you were not a fan which is too bad l. We have found the food to be much better then the current HAL food, of course food as you know is super subjective.  We have throughly enjoyed our O cruise and have made them our primary line due to what we view as the demise of HAL.  We tell our HAL friends, we did not leave HAL, they left us.  The other big positive for us is ship size.  Their itineraries can go to places HAL can no longer go.  The one advantage I still see in HAL is the crew.  O’s is efficient but distant not like the warmth of HAL.  But with any line there are compromises. 

We were on Rotterdam doing Panama Canal 3/11-3/27! Was connecting with Riviera out of Miami doing our TA and then doing another b2b on her from Monte Carlo to Barcelona!  Never made it😩 we were disembarking off of Rotterdam in PV heading home on 3/15! Due to COVID! 3 month cruise vacation out! Love O we have rebooked for 2022! Your quote “ we did not leave HAL, HAL left us” so true!

Denise😊

[clo]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Well if you have tried a Ford & Chevy  why not give  a Subaru or Volvo  a test?

Maybe not as much as  a Mercedes but still have lots of comfortable things 😉

 

I have a '97 Subaru, named Rose, that is just wonderful 🙂

[Moby Jones]

8 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Well if you have tried a Ford & Chevy  why not give  a Subaru or Volvo  a test?

Maybe not as much as  a Mercedes but still have lots of comfortable things 😉

 

 

Volvo build quality is every bit as poor as Ford and Chevy IMHO. 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Moby Jones said:

 

Volvo build quality is every bit as poor as Ford and Chevy IMHO. 

ok You pick some brand  that is  better

 The point was  if you want to try something that may be better  than Princess/HAL/ Carnival

Just do it  & judge for yourself

 

For us  Oceania  is worth the extra $$   but may not be for everyone

I pick a cruise I want  I do not pick one based on the price pd 

JMO

 

PS I like my Volvo & have not had any issues compared to people with Fords

Like my old Audi better  but they were more than I want to spend for  another car

 

Personal choices 😉

 

[Tedferg]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

For us  Oceania  is worth the extra $$   but may not be for everyone

I pick a cruise I want  I do not pick one based on the price pd 

JMO

PS I like my Volvo & have not had any issues compared to people with Fords

Like my old Audi better  but they were more than I want to spend for  another car

Interesting, staying with cars but the analogy is apt for cruise decisions. We had a Subaru Forester for years and loved it. We changed to two Fords on a 'Buy American' basis. One was great the other a lemon until they finally replaced the clutch.

 

We had two Audis and loved them but now Audi is priced as a luxury car and too expensive for me.

Edited June 9, 2020 by Tedferg

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Tedferg said:

Interesting, staying with cars but the analogy is apt for cruise decisions. We had a Subaru Forester for years and loved it. We changed to two Fords on a 'Buy American' basis. One was great the other a lemon until they finally replaced the clutch.

 

We had two Audis and loved them but now Audi is priced as a luxury car and too expensive for me.

Sorry to still be off Topic

DH had 2 Subarus  back in the  early years  1 in the 80's  it lasted almost 10  yrs  then another one in the 90's 

I had Mazadas over the same time frame   they each lasted about 12 yrs   then I  got an Audi  Loved it   but hated the service  centre 

 so when time for  a new car switched to a Volvo  & DH has a Venza

so far  both are still running  no issues at all

 People should test  drive different brands until they find one that suits them best ..same as cruise lines  😉

 

Funny story  DH always want a Jag  when we finally could afford one he took one for a test  drive ..we hated it  bought the Audi

 

Back to the cruise decisions LOL

[ORV]

We shared a tour one time in PEI with a couple from our Roll Call where the husband spent pretty much the whole time talking about what a great car his Subaru is. I was about ready to tell him we get the point. That wasn't some of you guys was it? I don't know how he got started on that but beat it to death. 

[Paulchili]

17 minutes ago, ORV said:

I don't know how he got started on that but beat it to death. 

Somehow I am thinking you were not sold 😀

[Moby Jones]

3 hours ago, LHT28 said:

ok You pick some brand  that is  better

 The point was  if you want to try something that may be better  than Princess/HAL/ Carnival

Just do it  & judge for yourself

 

For us  Oceania  is worth the extra $$   but may not be for everyone

I pick a cruise I want  I do not pick one based on the price pd 

JMO

 

PS I like my Volvo & have not had any issues compared to people with Fords

Like my old Audi better  but they were more than I want to spend for  another car

 

Personal choices 😉

 

 

Better in regards to price, performance, economy, desirability, reliability or just plain fun to drive? 

Yes I get the analogy. Ford and Volvo could be P&O and HAL. 

[Tedferg]

25 minutes ago, Moby Jones said:

 

Better in regards to price, performance, economy, desirability, reliability or just plain fun to drive? 

Yes I get the analogy. Ford and Volvo could be P&O and HAL. 

I found Audi to be fun to drive, handled well, felt like a bit of luxury - Oceania ??? I bought Honda CRV ~ $24 K - Audi Q3 ~ $34K Princess - Oceania ???? Q3 did not justify $10 K premium. 

OK we've beat the car analogy to death 🙂