Trying Oceania?

[jagoffee]

21 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Come over to the River Cruising forum.  There are several 'stickies' at the top with a lot of information about all aspects of river cruising.  This one is especially relevant to your question:  River CRUISE LINE articles on Cruise Critic

 

Viking River is a good middle of the road cruise line.  If your experience starts with Tauck, you will probably be happier with the other top end river cruise lines:  Crystal, Scenic, Uniworld, maybe AMA (for food)

Thank you for the link and info.

[Muushka]

We just came back from our first O cruise.  I will probably at some point give our impressions of O compared to X.  But for now I will address your question regarding ship movement.

My husband is the King of Sea Sickness.  He cannot cruise without the scopolamine patch.  On X he has not had any problems.  But on O he felt the movement much more than X.  Especially in the specialty restaurants on the upper decks.  He did get sick one evening but he put on a fresh patch and felt much better in the AM when we were in port.

 

You should be fine but be sure to have some extra patches with you!

[sakigemcam]

10 minutes ago, Muushka said:

We just came back from our first O cruise.  I will probably at some point give our impressions of O compared to X.  But for now I will address your question regarding ship movement.

My husband is the King of Sea Sickness.  He cannot cruise without the scopolamine patch.  On X he has not had any problems.  But on O he felt the movement much more than X.  Especially in the specialty restaurants on the upper decks.  He did get sick one evening but he put on a fresh patch and felt much better in the AM when we were in port.

 

You should be fine but be sure to have some extra patches with you!

Thank you for the mention - were you on a larger O ship or one of the smaller ones? The patch is a miracle and has allowed us to travel the way we really want to - trains, planes, automobiles, cable cars, ships, etc but after sizing down from 6000 pax on RCCL to 3000 on X I need to be cautious. Was he changing patches every 3 days and on O had to do the change more frequently? 

[ORV]

37 minutes ago, sakigemcam said:

Thank you for the mention - were you on a larger O ship or one of the smaller ones? The patch is a miracle and has allowed us to travel the way we really want to - trains, planes, automobiles, cable cars, ships, etc but after sizing down from 6000 pax on RCCL to 3000 on X I need to be cautious. Was he changing patches every 3 days and on O had to do the change more frequently? 

Pretty sure they would have to be on a larger ship. I think that's all that's sailing right now. The specialty restaurants mentioned are at the very top and extreme rear of the ship. So yes, very much would be susceptible to movement in those locations. 

[JerryAM]

I agree with Muushka's comments regarding motion, based on my Riviera cruise in the Caribbean earlier this month.  It seemed there was more motion (especially in the evening) than on my past cruises (on larger and smaller ships).  It may have had to do with the time of year of the cruise.  However, it did not cause any issues for me or my wife, other than commenting on the motion.

 

Jerry

[Muushka]

49 minutes ago, sakigemcam said:

Thank you for the mention - were you on a larger O ship or one of the smaller ones? The patch is a miracle and has allowed us to travel the way we really want to - trains, planes, automobiles, cable cars, ships, etc but after sizing down from 6000 pax on RCCL to 3000 on X I need to be cautious. Was he changing patches every 3 days and on O had to do the change more frequently? 

Yes, it was the larger Riviera.  I think he waited an extra 1/2 day, which on X was no problem.  So if you do them As Directed, you should be fine.  And I mention about having extra for when one falls off!

[sofietucker]

Agree re: a lot of motion* on the Dec 13 Riviera cruise. As a queen of seasickness, I can't take most motion meds as they contraindicate some of my (many) other meds... So I swear by the seaband bracelets. They have a little plastic button that presses on an acupressure point inside the wrist--and they work!!! And unlike meds, they work immediately. Can't recommend highly enough. 

 

*There are certain passages known to be rocky, all around the world. I try to do my homework on this before booking an itinerary. Straight across the North Sea from Edinburgh to Norway was a roller-coaster sea day; Bass Strait between Melbourne and Tasmania etc. (Not to mention Drake's Passage, lol.) In the Caribbean,  2 rough places are passing around the edges of Cuba (both east and west) and between Roatan and points north. The Yucatan Current is massive; crossing east/west between Mexico and Cuba (or Jamaica, etc.) is always going to be a bumpy ride. Then there's the weather patterns for hurricane season. etc.--which seems to be extending further into December the last few years. Don't forget the Med! There's a reason for all those myths... All that being said, the smoothest, glassiest seas we've encountered are the Gulf of Finland and the lower Caribbean (we went due north from Aruba to Caymans).

Edited December 27, 2021 by sofietucker

[sofietucker]

Having cruised quite a lot on Celebrity and HAL--where we used to be the youngest passengers--we found that the demographic was overwhelmingly 60 and above (or as my DH put it, a blues-concert crowd--Boomers being big blues fans due to the 60s invasion). Saw a couple of younger honeymooners and multigenerational groups; they were the ones populating the dance floor at Horizons. The only 2 young people we saw were each traveling with grandma. 

 That would be fine, but it doesn't mean we have to take to rocking chairs: very, very little to do aboard ship. Maybe a bit more in the evenings, but not much variety. We can entertain ourselves with books or small games, but we do that at home too.

The current issue--which may not have been the norm before but is likely the future: social distancing and masking means we are all paranoid about getting too close, talking or hanging out with people. Unfortunately that means cutting back on sharing tables and making new friends, one of our past great pleasures when cruising.

[sofietucker]

One aspect that sort of contributes to the vibe or personality of a cruise line: clothes. (Calm down, Ralphie, I don't mean formal night.) We started cruising on the cusp of a relaxed dress code, when folks would still present a sharp wardrobe most of the time, before devolving into shorts and tees--just like what's happened with air travel.  Oceania still lives in that mode of, well, classiness. Beige cashmere and pearls, silk slacks, golf shirts, Tommy Bahama, nothing faded, ripped or too splashy.

 

I knew in advance not to bring my wedge-heel beach shoes with the big fuschia flowers, lol--but it's always been fun to see what others are wearing. An opportunity to make conversation in the elevator, etc. On O? Eh, pretty...beige. Not even a sports tee to bond over. 

[sofietucker]

Activities--waited too long to edit above: one of the most fun/silly incidents on our cruise was sitting on the Aquamar Terrace watching a movie, Disney's Moana. Which was being shown on an outdoor screen atop a Disney ship docked next to us. Perfect view, could hear it just fine (probably obnoxiously loud if we'd been on that ship). 

Now, we'd quit cruising Princess when they instituted Movies Under the Stars and there was no outdoor escape. But Celebrity does that outdoor viewing experience really well, with visual and sound barriers.  This episode on Riviera pointed up that, hey, THAT ship has stuff to do, separately from watching a movie while sitting in our stateroom...

Another thing they don't have on Riviera--a place to watch sports. Even the usual cruise ship go-to, the casino bar, had nothing. Fine to sit alone and watch a game, but much more exciting to be with some other folks...

[LHT28]

Sofie  sounds like Oceania is not the best fit  for you

🤔

[sofietucker]

55 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Sofie  sounds like Oceania is not the best fit  for you

🤔

Yep, sadly so. Gorgeous ship (no one mentioned the art!), great food and wine, and...  That's it.

(BTW, La Reserve Wine Bar is tha bomb! Wine flights to die for--brunello, amarone.)

 

Also of note: the shorex had very skimpy offerings for exploring the fabulous reefs of Belize and the Palancar. Can only assume this correlates with pax demographic--some operators won't accept snorkelers over 65, for instance. 

 

We cruise for a variety of reasons and these lines each check boxes in different ways. Or not: we'd considered Viking until we learned that they have NO entertainment; Celebrity and HAL usually do offer small jazz combos of some sort... Onward and upward

[molemaui]

On 12/21/2021 at 8:05 AM, terrydtx said:

We made the move this year to Celebrity from HAL after experiencing the Retreat on Celebrity, and also made Oceania our alternative Ocean cruise line. We choose to cruise with Celebrity only in a Sky Suite and with Oceania in a Concierge level cabin in the two larger Marina and Riviera ships, soon to be a third Vista.

 

Celebrity in Retreat on an Edge Class ship is good as you get a much smaller ship feel until you you decide to go to a show or different bar. Like you, will only sail Celebrity in Retreat. Did our first Oceania cruise in 2019 and truly experiences some of the best dining I've ever had at sea. This includes the Silversea cruise I finished a week ago. We're sailing Oceania again next week and can't wait! 

[AlexCherie]

19 hours ago, sofietucker said:

... and HAL usually do offer small jazz combos of some sort... Onward and upward

We will be making our first O cruise in less than 10 days, and we are excited just to not be home.

At the end of the day I think the strong comparison is going to be with the Pinnacle class of HAL. We absolutely loved BB King venue, and HAL's standard meals + specialty are fine. In the Vista-class room, with 4 nights at a specialty restaurant ... pretty hard to beat combination. 

Unfortunately I'm not a fan of the itinerary of those ships right now.

[AlexCherie]

15 hours ago, molemaui said:

 

 ... We're sailing Oceania again next week and can't wait! 

See you onboard. Riveria, January 4? 

[sofietucker]

21 minutes ago, AlexCherie said:

We will be making our first O cruise in less than 10 days, and we are excited just to not be home.

At the end of the day I think the strong comparison is going to be with the Pinnacle class of HAL. We absolutely loved BB King venue, and HAL's standard meals + specialty are fine. In the Vista-class room, with 4 nights at a specialty restaurant ... pretty hard to beat combination. 

Unfortunately I'm not a fan of the itinerary of those ships right now.

And itinerary is a key criteria for us as well... Oceania--and Azamara--ships can go to smaller ports (just as the late lamented Prinsendam). So it's always a tradeoff in some way, isn't it? Have a great cruise!

[molemaui]

33 minutes ago, AlexCherie said:

See you onboard. Riveria, January 4? 

 

Yes. Getting down late on the 3rd. 

[molemaui]

36 minutes ago, AlexCherie said:

At the end of the day I think the strong comparison is going to be with the Pinnacle class of HAL. We absolutely loved BB King venue, and HAL's standard meals + specialty are fine. In the Vista-class room, with 4 nights at a specialty restaurant ... pretty hard to beat combination. 

Unfortunately I'm not a fan of the itinerary of those ships right now.

BB King venue is fantastic. Sailed HAL a couple of times just before the pandemic.

 

At this point, do not care about itinerary. Just want a nice "floating resort". Will care more about itinerary when we're comfortable traveling beyond the Caribbean. 

 

As you have also sailed HAL, I think you will be blown away by the food on O. HAL was real good but O is outstanding!

[AlexCherie]

2 minutes ago, molemaui said:

BB King venue is fantastic. Sailed HAL a couple of times just before the pandemic.

 

At this point, do not care about itinerary. Just want a nice "floating resort". Will care more about itinerary when we're comfortable traveling beyond the Caribbean. 

 

As you have also sailed HAL, I think you will be blown away by the food on O. HAL was real good but O is outstanding!

I doubt there will be substantial difference between, say, The Polo Grill and Pinnacle. Perhaps at the margin, some minor gains.

But how often can you dine like that? And if you've forked over $100 to eat at the Pinnacle, for me at least there is a hidden pressure to "get my money's worth" ... leading to discomfort the next day. 

We'll see, but it strikes me that what I am going to enjoy a great deal is the consistency of great food. Having surf and turf by the pool, a lamb chop with an egg in the morning, insanely great tea parties in the late afternoon, and smoothies and espresso all day long. There is a liberation there that I'm anticipating will help me enjoy Red Ginger even more. 

So yeah, I am looking forward to being blown away. God I need this time away.

[molemaui]

50 minutes ago, AlexCherie said:

I doubt there will be substantial difference between, say, The Polo Grill and Pinnacle. Perhaps at the margin, some minor gains.

 

While it is of course built into the cruise fare, speciality dining is no extra charge on Oceania. On our last O cruise, we managed to to Jacques'  and Red Ginger twice. 

 

Since you're from Lockport, how about bringing some wings from Bar Bill and Beef on a week from Charlie's!

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, AlexCherie said:

I doubt there will be substantial difference between, say, The Polo Grill and Pinnacle. Perhaps at the margin, some minor gains.

But how often can you dine like that? And if you've forked over $100 to eat at the Pinnacle, for me at least there is a hidden pressure to "get my money's worth" ... leading to discomfort the next day. 

We'll see, but it strikes me that what I am going to enjoy a great deal is the consistency of great food. Having surf and turf by the pool, a lamb chop with an egg in the morning, insanely great tea parties in the late afternoon, and smoothies and espresso all day long. There is a liberation there that I'm anticipating will help me enjoy Red Ginger even more. 

So yeah, I am looking forward to being blown away. God I need this time away.

There is a Huge difference  between Pinnacles on HAL  and Polo....  HUGE   ( menu, presentation and ambiance .... Oh ya  COST).      Just try to order a whole Maine Steamed lobster or Veal Oscar on HAL

[AlexCherie]

1 hour ago, molemaui said:

 

While it is of course built into the cruise fare, speciality dining is no extra charge on Oceania. On our last O cruise, we managed to to Jacques'  and Red Ginger twice. 

 

Since you're from Lockport, how about bringing some wings from Bar Bill and Beef on a week from Charlie's!

 

We were able to get reservations at each of the venues, every other day. Jacques on the 4th. 

 

Don't you know it! Bar Bill's wings are great. Next time you are in town, Schwabl's ... they get nothing wrong, ever. 

Edited December 28, 2021 by AlexCherie

[sofietucker]

Don't forget you can also order from the specialty restaurants' menus for room service! We did that to have a second meal from Jacques; fabulous. And if you are a fan, it offers foie gras as a scallop*--the sliced liver, not simply the pate style (which is offered as an appetizer)--in a couple of different versions, as a hot starter and as an addition to a steak.  

*In some parts of the country, impossible to get due to laws.... But Hudson Valley is the primary source.

Edited December 29, 2021 by sofietucker

[AlexCherie]

2 minutes ago, sofietucker said:

Don't forget you can also order from the specialty restaurants' menus for room service! We did that to have a second meal from Jacques; fabulous. And if you are a fan, it offers foie gras as a scallop--the sliced liver, not simply the pate style (which is offered as an appetizer)--in a couple of different versions, as a hot starter and as an addition to a steak.  

I might be mistaken, but I think the specialty restaurant room service is only at the PH level. We are issued oars before we get to our concierge level room. 🙂

I did consider going all the way to PH for specifically that reason, actually, but my wife would have killed me to spend that much.

You know what, I bet that the ship is so empty we won't have too much trouble getting extra nights if we'd want them.

[molemaui]

4 minutes ago, AlexCherie said:

I did consider going all the way to PH for specifically that reason, actually, but my wife would have killed me to spend that much.
 

 

On my last OI cruise, I was concerned about cabin size (we booked concierge veranda) It was fine on the Riviera so we booked it again. Might be concerned about cabin size on O's smaller ships as all veranda cabins are a third smaller. Have a PH booked for our Baltic cruise in Sept. but at this point doubtful it will happen.