Sirena - Dublin to Dublin June 25 '22 itinerary

[Tak8]

Thinking about trying Oceania Cruises and by my title the Sirena Dublin to Dublin route.  A little background: I've done 15 cruises mainly the Caribbean with one British Isles cruise. My preferred line is Princess, but I've been on Holland, Royal, Celebrity and others.  I'm excited about this itinerary because of the emphasis on Ireland and leaving/returning to Dublin. It would make it easier to add on a few days pre or post cruise in Dublin.  

 

What are the pros/cons of Oceania?  I looked at '21 and '22 and the Dublin to Dublin route seems unique to '22.  Is it a semi-regular itinerary?  Hoping by summer '22 it will be easier to travel again.  

[arima22]

Nautica had been doing this cruise in past years.  We selected this for the same reasons of your interest.  We did basically the same ports in June 2019, with only difference being Londonderry instead of Killybegs.  Stayed in Dublin 4 days prior and took day tours to areas that the ship did not visit- or we could have more time to visit than the port call would allow- like the complete Ring of Kerry by train and bus from Dublin instead of only a partial tour from a port of call.  Had great weather for all except at Galway where it rained all day.  Used the Oceania included tours for a couple of ports- Derry and Belfast, but private tours for most of the ports.

 

I'll let the others speak of the pros of Oceania as we do not have much experience with other lines (1 NCL and 1 Celebrity).  We have no reason to look at others once we started with Oceania in 2014- it fits us perfectly- number of passengers, atmosphere, dining, etc. Especially like bringing our own wine on board.

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

19 minutes ago, Tak8 said:

Thinking about trying Oceania Cruises and by my title the Sirena Dublin to Dublin route.  A little background: I've done 15 cruises mainly the Caribbean with one British Isles cruise. My preferred line is Princess, but I've been on Holland, Royal, Celebrity and others.  I'm excited about this itinerary because of the emphasis on Ireland and leaving/returning to Dublin. It would make it easier to add on a few days pre or post cruise in Dublin.  

 

What are the pros/cons of Oceania?  I looked at '21 and '22 and the Dublin to Dublin route seems unique to '22.  Is it a semi-regular itinerary?  Hoping by summer '22 it will be easier to travel again.  

Princess fan in the past? Ever been in the Ocean Princess? If so, wait until you see Sirena and what Oceania's original $40 million makeover (plus a recent second multi-million "Oceania NEXT" redecoration) accomplished in bringing a former Princess ship up to Oceania standards.

 

As for comparison, there is none. Ambiance, service and especially food are far superior on Oceania as are the many unusual itineraries. 

 

As for the itinerary, Dublin to Dublin is often offered on Oceania. We did it in summer 2019 as a second segment of an "extended journey" that started with Southampton to Dublin. The whole trip was delicious! 

 

One caveat is to keep your eye on Dublin politics (as well as the Pandemic's future effects). The Dublin Port Authority has been in a bit of a war (for several years) with the local government and there have been threats of limiting Dublin to a cruise stop but no embarkation.

[LHT28]

If you are used to bigger main stream lines  then the con for some  is the cabins & W/C in the lower cat (A to G)are  small by main stream ship standards

 We love the R ships 

Also there is only 1 show per night  & may not be  as flamboyant  as the main stream lines  you are used to

 The pro's  IMO  are all non alcoholic drinks are included

less people/lines

Food is very good   a few hits & misses 

Afternoon tea  daily  unlike some where it is  once  a week

 

Oceania spends more time in the ports 

they are more into ports & food  

 

Give them a try & decide for yourself

 

 

[106f]

Sirena is like new in every way.  I highly recommend the PH  cabin.  No bath tub but the best shower I've ever had on a cruise.  O is a quiet understated elegance.  No photographer, no art auctions,  no sales pitch to get you to spend on board.  We prefer a table for two and O excels there also.  Mass market lines crowd tables for two into the worst locations.  O puts them along the windows with plenty of space.  I never saw a line at the front desk and it was always easy to leave the ship even in tender ports.  We enjoyed jazz and classical music in the various lounges more than we did the shows. It's not for everyone but I suspect you'll be spoiled as I am.

[Tak8]

I appreciate all the comments, very helpful.  I also found a YouTube video with a tour of Sirena.  Ship looks great.

[Tak8]

Is it fairly easy to get a taxi from the Dublin pier to a downtown hotel?  I'm thinking of spending a few days post cruise in Dublin and the Oceania price seems extremely high.

[ORV]

7 minutes ago, Tak8 said:

and the Oceania price seems extremely high.

That's because it is. 

[Mura]

We took a cab from the port (back in July 2006) downtown and it was a relatively quick ride.  We shared the cab with a single passenger, so there were three of us.  The ship had issued dire warnings about NOT taking a cab so the line wasn't long ... maybe four groups ahead of us and perhaps a 5-10 minute wait.

[CintiPam]

7 hours ago, Tak8 said:

Is it fairly easy to get a taxi from the Dublin pier to a downtown hotel?  I'm thinking of spending a few days post cruise in Dublin and the Oceania price seems extremely high.

Only a few miles distance. No reason at all to pay Oceania and wait for it to fill its bus.

[Aloha 1]

On 12/27/2020 at 1:00 PM, Mura said:

We took a cab from the port (back in July 2006) downtown and it was a relatively quick ride.  We shared the cab with a single passenger, so there were three of us.  The ship had issued dire warnings about NOT taking a cab so the line wasn't long ... maybe four groups ahead of us and perhaps a 5-10 minute wait.

Curious. Why did they issue a dire warning??

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Aloha 1 said:

Curious. Why did they issue a dire warning??

it is what cruise lines do to get you to pay for their transfers 😉