GeriatricNurse Posted September 23, 2021 #1 Share Posted September 23, 2021 I am thinking of booking the 22-Day 'Isles of Paradise' cruise, November 28 to December 20, 2022, Miami to Bridgetown, onboard the 'SIRENA'; (an older ship built in 1999)! Although I have been on 25+ cruises with five different cruise lines, I have never been on an Oceania cruise! I am seeking information from Oceania cruisers, who have cruised onboard the 'SIRENA', about their cruise experience as well as the pros and cons of their Oceania cruises in general. Thank you very much. Ward 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatbush Flyer Posted September 24, 2021 #2 Share Posted September 24, 2021 5 hours ago, GeriatricNurse said: I am thinking of booking the 22-Day 'Isles of Paradise' cruise, November 28 to December 20, 2022, Miami to Bridgetown, onboard the 'SIRENA'; (an older ship built in 1999)! Although I have been on 25+ cruises with five different cruise lines, I have never been on an Oceania cruise! I am seeking information from Oceania cruisers, who have cruised onboard the 'SIRENA', about their cruise experience as well as the pros and cons of their Oceania cruises in general. Thank you very much. Ward 😀 For starters, why not follow the discussions on the various Oceania CC boards. As for Sirena, what’s your concern about the age of the ships? O takes excellent care of its original four Regatta Class ships. In fact, when the acquired the Ocean Princess (a Princess R ship) about 6 years ago, they spent $40 million to bring it up to O standards. AND they just gave it (and the other Rs) multi-million interior makeovers as part of the Oceania NEXT project. If your previous five cruise lines were mass market ones like Celebrity, you are in for a far far better experience -particularly when it comes to food and service. Oceania is our preferred cruise line and we love Sirena. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted September 24, 2021 #3 Share Posted September 24, 2021 6 hours ago, GeriatricNurse said: I am thinking of booking the 22-Day 'Isles of Paradise' cruise, November 28 to December 20, 2022, Miami to Bridgetown, onboard the 'SIRENA'; (an older ship built in 1999)! Although I have been on 25+ cruises with five different cruise lines, I have never been on an Oceania cruise! I am seeking information from Oceania cruisers, who have cruised onboard the 'SIRENA', about their cruise experience as well as the pros and cons of their Oceania cruises in general. Thank you very much. Ward 😀 Depends on your cabin preferences The lower cat A -G are small with small W/C if you like a larger W/C go to the PH or higher Cat Have not been on Sirena only Regatta & Insignia but the ships are close in decor etc.. Sirena has different Specialty restaurants than the other 3 R ships but the food is good on all the O ships The entertainment is low key & 1 show about 9:30 pm nightly Afternoon tea is not to be missed daily at 4pm except embarkations day ..go at least once if you can CONS for some are the small showers in the lower cabin cat The R ships are well maintained & cozy ..less than 700 pax so you get to meet people more often than on main stream lines Give them a try & judge for yourself Enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcpa1 Posted September 24, 2021 #4 Share Posted September 24, 2021 I have not been on Sirena yet. We will sail on her in February. I have been on the Azamara fleet which are the same R ships, and have another R class ship booked too. The ships are indeed more intimate than any mass market ship you might have sailed. The A - G cabins are on the small size and the bathrooms are indeed challengingly small. The ships were originally built for Renaissance Cruise Lines. It was a niche line catering to those who wanted refinement with the focus on itineraries. As LHT28 said, if you want a more spacious cabin start looking at the PH's and above. I absolutely expect us to have another very good O experience with a culinary forward focus and a staff who has our safety and well being first and foremost. We chose our particular sailing because of the itinerary. I think you found Oceania because of the Isles of Paradise itinerary too. If you want an oceanview do be aware that the deck 6 midships oceanviews are set back from the hull with the lifeboats above. If you like shade then you would be fine. Hopefully, very hopefully, by November of 22 the Caribbean will be open to visitors and just as lovely as ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted September 24, 2021 #5 Share Posted September 24, 2021 deck 6 are more obstructive view cabin due to the lifeboats than the Oceanviews on deck 3 & 4 Also the E cat are smaller than the others Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njhorseman Posted September 24, 2021 #6 Share Posted September 24, 2021 10 hours ago, LHT28 said: Afternoon tea is not to be missed daily at 4pm except embarkations day ..go at least once if you can No...go every day if you can...☺️ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBQ Lover Posted September 25, 2021 #7 Share Posted September 25, 2021 (edited) I notice that you are a Four Star Mariner. We also love HAL, but we far prefer Oceania. The Oceania ships provide more of a premium feel than a Dam Ship. Other notable differences or similarities between Hal and Oceania: Oceania is changing the decor of their R-ships to brighten things up. However, there are still a lot of dark woods that might remind you of HAL, and the traditional cruise experience. There are no formal nights. The dress code is country club casual every day. It is much more relaxed than HAL. There is no traditional dining option. Everything is open seating, and you just roll up whenever you like. However, you do need to make reservations in the specialty dining rooms to assure a spot. There is no extra charge for specialty dining rooms. On Sirena, and the other R-Ships, all food is included in the price of your cruise. On Riviera and Marina, there is a charge for Privee and La Reserve. Privee is a private dining room for 8 people. La Reserve is a wine tasting that is paired with a chef's table experience. At La Reserve, you are really paying for the wine instead of the food. There is no charge for coffee, tea, and other soft drinks. Afternoon tea is also complimentary, as well as other things that are extra on HAL. You will find that you rarely need to show your room card while on board. Your fellow travelers on Oceania will be about the same age as on HAL. The Oceania ships are smaller and provide a much more intimate atmosphere. I'm sure there are other things I could mention, but that is about all I can currently think of. I would much rather sail on Oceania than HAL. It is much more of a premium experience. Edited September 25, 2021 by BBQ Lover 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ronrick1943 Posted September 25, 2021 #8 Share Posted September 25, 2021 Everyone has their own preference’s, but for us we enjoy the smaller ship of “O”. You’ll have a great time on the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeriatricNurse Posted September 25, 2021 Author #9 Share Posted September 25, 2021 On 9/23/2021 at 10:50 PM, Flatbush Flyer said: For starters, why not follow the discussions on the various Oceania CC boards. As for Sirena, what’s your concern about the age of the ships? O takes excellent care of its original four Regatta Class ships. In fact, when the acquired the Ocean Princess (a Princess R ship) about 6 years ago, they spent $40 million to bring it up to O standards. AND they just gave it (and the other Rs) multi-million interior makeovers as part of the Oceania NEXT project. If your previous five cruise lines were mass market ones like Celebrity, you are in for a far far better experience -particularly when it comes to food and service. Oceania is our preferred cruise line and we love Sirena. Flatbush Flyer, thank you very much for your reply and advice. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeriatricNurse Posted September 25, 2021 Author #10 Share Posted September 25, 2021 8 hours ago, BBQ Lover said: I notice that you are a Four Star Mariner. We also love HAL, but we far prefer Oceania. The Oceania ships provide more of a premium feel than a Dam Ship. Other notable differences or similarities between Hal and Oceania: Oceania is changing the decor of their R-ships to brighten things up. However, there are still a lot of dark woods that might remind you of HAL, and the traditional cruise experience. There are no formal nights. The dress code is country club casual every day. It is much more relaxed than HAL. There is no traditional dining option. Everything is open seating, and you just roll up whenever you like. However, you do need to make reservations in the specialty dining rooms to assure a spot. There is no extra charge for specialty dining rooms. On Sirena, and the other R-Ships, all food is included in the price of your cruise. On Riviera and Marina, there is a charge for Privee and La Reserve. Privee is a private dining room for 8 people. La Reserve is a wine tasting that is paired with a chef's table experience. At La Reserve, you are really paying for the wine instead of the food. There is no charge for coffee, tea, and other soft drinks. Afternoon tea is also complimentary, as well as other things that are extra on HAL. You will find that you rarely need to show your room card while on board. Your fellow travelers on Oceania will be about the same age as on HAL. The Oceania ships are smaller and provide a much more intimate atmosphere. I'm sure there are other things I could mention, but that is about all I can currently think of. I would much rather sail on Oceania than HAL. It is much more of a premium experience. BBQ Lover, thank you very much for your reply. I appreciate the comparisons. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgesGal Posted September 27, 2021 #11 Share Posted September 27, 2021 After sailing over the past 30 years or so, I've been on NCL, Dolphin (now defunct), RCCL, HAL, Celebrity and Oceania, my preference is always Oceania. It seems to fit me like a glove. Only problem is that since I enjoy cruising multiple times a year it becomes quite pricey in my retirement. That's why Celebrity is my second choice. But it's good to have options, isn't it? Donna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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