Rare Tak8 Posted December 12, 2020 #1 Share Posted December 12, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arima22 Posted December 12, 2020 #2 Share Posted December 12, 2020 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatbush Flyer Posted December 12, 2020 #3 Share Posted December 12, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted December 12, 2020 #4 Share Posted December 12, 2020 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
106f Posted December 13, 2020 #5 Share Posted December 13, 2020 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Tak8 Posted December 14, 2020 Author #6 Share Posted December 14, 2020 I appreciate all the comments, very helpful. I also found a YouTube video with a tour of Sirena. Ship looks great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Tak8 Posted December 27, 2020 Author #7 Share Posted December 27, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ORV Posted December 27, 2020 #8 Share Posted December 27, 2020 7 minutes ago, Tak8 said: and the Oceania price seems extremely high. That's because it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted December 27, 2020 #9 Share Posted December 27, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted December 28, 2020 #10 Share Posted December 28, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aloha 1 Posted December 28, 2020 #11 Share Posted December 28, 2020 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?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted December 28, 2020 #12 Share Posted December 28, 2020 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 😉 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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