New to Oceania

[-Lew-]

12 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

Hi Judy & George…that would be great! It appears that some of us PCL fans are moving on from the new Princess cruises including Lew & Nan. Hope to hear about your first O cruise in December.

 

We would also like to learn of @Arizona cruisers or any other long time PCL cruisers' thoughts after cruising on Oceania.  Although we're booked through winter 2024 there will be opportunities to try other lines beyond then.

 

For anyone who listens to podcasts, you might be interested in Gary Bembridge's Tips for Travelers.  Check out his July 18th episode, I Keep Cruising On Oceania Despite These Issues.  You can listen on your podcast app after subscribing or simply click on the episode to listen.

[PhD-iva]

On 7/21/2022 at 12:27 PM, Ride-The-Waves said:

Doing our first Oceania cruise in November and looking forward to the ship.  So far the Oceania experience has been less than positive.  It also appears that many things on O are simply designed to "nickel and dime" you from your money.  The incomprehensible shore excursion program being one.  Another the "deviation" fee for air travel.  Third the over the top cost of booking business class air through Oceania.  None of these are passenger friendly.  We have sailed with Azamara and enjoy the "R" class ships - perfect size for our needs.  We have also sailed the larger ships and Celebrity's Solstice class offers a lot for the value.  Despise the behemoths (Oasis) and the Celebrity Edge class abominations.

 

To sail O this Fall have booked air separately from O, international business class at almost half the cost O wanted.  Currently working shore excursions since the alternatives offered by O with convoluted pricing just don't make sense.  I'm sure we will enjoy the cruise itself once embarked and underway.  Great itinerary and what appears to be a wonderful ship.  But in this case, getting there with O is NOT half the fun.  Azamara had (pre-pandemic) a wonderful feeling of "returning home" on embarkation.  Not getting the same sense from O...

This is exactly what I like about Oceania. It’s pricing is alacarte, mix-and-match. You do not pay for business class unless you want that luxury. Many posters here will recommend that you DIY your business class flight. Many cruisers like to organize their own excursions and many itineraries have active roll calls with passengers joining private group excursions. For example, Regent bundles the cost of excursions into their price. So you are paying twice if you prefer a different excursion experience. Also, on Oceania you can customize your drink package with several different options. I prefer to be able to adjust the amount that I drink and/or the quality. I can do this on Oceania, whereas on Regent it is bundled into the price.

Reading and understanding the list of excursions and their pricing is a bit of a headache especially at the beginning, I will agree with you on this.

Enjoy your cruise!

[hamrag]

On 7/22/2022 at 3:28 AM, rbtan said:

Personally, I'm against jeans, period. I've seen too many crappy looking jeans on too many ships.... ....For guys.. is it too hard to at least wear a pair of khakis(not all wrinkled) & a decent collared shirt. This is what we wear on board....

But what about those who consider khakis to be in the same frame as jeans....is that then OK because it's what you do?

 

Oceania determine what is and what is acceptable, not you, not me, not anyone else! Get over it.

[shepherd really]

5 hours ago, -Lew- said:

 

We would also like to learn of @Arizona cruisers or any other long time PCL cruisers' thoughts after cruising on Oceania.  Although we're booked through winter 2024 there will be opportunities to try other lines beyond then.

 

For anyone who listens to podcasts, you might be interested in Gary Bembridge's Tips for Travelers.  Check out his July 18th episode, I Keep Cruising On Oceania Despite These Issues.  You can listen on your podcast app after subscribing or simply click on the episode to listen.

I stopped listening when he said he always chooses the Olife on board credit.  

I just don't get what is so hard to understand about the abject stupidity of giving them your money and then getting it back as a non-refundable credit.  Just do the fare minus Olife.  

[Plainfred]

But do you get air credit for DIY air if you do “cruise only”?  On upcoming cruise I did Olife, declined air, got $1000 air credit plus the 10 excursions (worth maybe $1500).  That $2500 exceeds the difference in fare for Olife vs cruise only ($1700 for PH).  
what am I missing?

[njhorseman]

18 minutes ago, Plainfred said:

But do you get air credit for DIY air if you do “cruise only”?  On upcoming cruise I did Olife, declined air, got $1000 air credit plus the 10 excursions (worth maybe $1500).  That $2500 exceeds the difference in fare for Olife vs cruise only ($1700 for PH).  
what am I missing?

Taking OLife but no air does give you a credit for what O loads into the cruise fare for airfare. If you're going to take at least the number of Oceania excursions that are included in OLife then the best way to book from a financial perspective is the excursion option of OLife without air, as the retail value of your included excursions will far exceed the credit you would have gotten by not taking OLife. The included OLife excursions also count toward the number of excursions needed to qualify for the YWYW excursion discount if you are planning to take more O excursions than the number included in your OLife fare.

The problem is that O's website doesn't tell that you can take OLife without air so inexperienced Oceania cruisers without a good travel agent who will be taking O excursions can easily miss out on the financial benefits of keeping the excursion OLife option but without air.

[mauibabes]

Maybe I just have a GOOD TA but we always compare the “what if’s” and run numbers options. The Oceania Rep /Specialists I have spoken to over the past 15 years have always provided me with answers giving me the best bang for the buck.  Maybe I am just “O” so lucky 👍🤪🤞

Ciao,

Mauibabes

 

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, Plainfred said:

But do you get air credit for DIY air if you do “cruise only”?

The Cruise only fare  is discounted  so in  a way yes  you get an air credit

If you want to add O Life perks to cruise only  then it will cost you  more

 

You can do

cruise with air/Olife perks

Cruise /No Air /O life perks

Cruise with air & no O Life perks

 No air .no O Life perk just cruise only

 

Choices  choices

just do the math & what options works best for YOU

[Guppy99]

On 7/21/2022 at 7:48 PM, Cliff-FLL said:

Oh, goody! The "jeans" discussion!  Per Oceania, "We request that casual jeans, shorts, t-shirts, baseball caps, or tennis shoes not be worn in the restaurants after 6 PM."  It used to say that "dressy" jeans were acceptable but, awhile back, they flipped it to casual jeans were not acceptable.  Subtle change in perspective, but it still allows for "jeans" to be worn in the dining rooms.  My gut is telling me that they'll accept jeans, provided they don't look too much like jeans.  Also, rips, tears, holes, strands, and other signs of mutilation are a clear no-no, which is not unreasonable.

There are some that believe that the appearance of jeans on any Oceania vessel, at any time, is unacceptable - even if Oceania doesn't restrict it.  I remember one poster that lamented people wearing jeans on shore excursions because they weren't keeping up Oceania's image. 🤣  I have several pairs of slacks that have a bit of a "jeans" appearance, but they're not made of cotton/denim, don't have rivets at stress points, etc.  No one has ever given me a problem going into any evening dining venue.🤷‍♂️

Sorry to say. It probably also matters whether a person is "fit" or not, as to whether jeans are "acceptable'.  Seems to me that avoiding any "jeans" in the evenings is such a small thing. Especially if one is 40+

[Arizona cruisers]

On 7/27/2022 at 5:12 AM, -Lew- said:

 

We would also like to learn of @Arizona cruisers or any other long time PCL cruisers' thoughts after cruising on Oceania.  Although we're booked through winter 2024 there will be opportunities to try other lines beyond then.

 

For anyone who listens to podcasts, you might be interested in Gary Bembridge's Tips for Travelers.  Check out his July 18th episode, I Keep Cruising On Oceania Despite These Issues.  You can listen on your podcast app after subscribing or simply click on the episode to listen.

 

[Arizona cruisers]

Hi Lew...

Greetings to you & Nan.  We look forward to our Dec trip on the Marina and hope to see some our PCL friends on future cruises!

xo  Judy & George

[-Lew-]

11 hours ago, Arizona cruisers said:

Hi Lew...

Greetings to you & Nan.  We look forward to our Dec trip on the Marina and hope to see some our PCL friends on future cruises!

xo  Judy & George

 

Hello again Judy and George...

 

If I recall correctly, Nan and I cruised with you fall 2016 on the Royal Princess TA and again in fall 2019 on the Sky Princess TA.  Kinda' sad to leave Princess after 50+ cruises, but they made the decision easy for us.  There's so much more to experience.

 

Enjoy your cruise on the Marina in December.  Looking forward to learning your thoughts post cruise. 

[oskidunker]

1 hour ago, -Lew- said:

 

Hello again Judy and George...

 

If I recall correctly, Nan and I cruised with you fall 2016 on the Royal Princess TA and again in fall 2019 on the Sky Princess TA.  Kinda' sad to leave Princess after 50+ cruises, but they made the decision easy for us.  There's so much more to experience.

 

Enjoy your cruise on the Marina in December.  Looking forward to learning your thoughts post cruise. 

Princess is after people who are looking for a low price. Too many sea days, less time in ports and poor food.

[Cliff-FLL]

8 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Princess is after people who are looking for a low price. Too many sea days, less time in ports and poor food.

Not sure about Princess, but we're on Oceania's 15-day, 2024 trans-Atlantic.  After leaving Rome, it has 2 stops (Valencia & Santa Cruz de Tenerife), then heads across the Atlantic, where it has 2 more stops (San John's, Antigua & San Juan, PR).  We then get a couple more days at sea before embarking in Miami.  Not complaining, as I knew the itinerary when I booked it and love sea days, but it sounds like Princess isn't the only one cutting back on ports of call.

[HiFi43]

Cliff-fill, when you are on a repositioning cruise over a major ocean, as you seem to have been,, you are absolutely going to get fewer ports. We cruise Oceania often and sometimes take the repositioning cruises just relax a bit more.

[oskidunker]

We booked Oceania Oct 1. 17 day cruise because it only had 1 sea day. They also overnight in Bordeaux. Generally stay longer in ports. Most Princess cruises half half sea days. Wife would be bored and would not go. 
 

I would have a hard time selling her on a transatlantic. 

[PhD-iva]

On 7/27/2022 at 7:39 PM, Guppy99 said:

Sorry to say. It probably also matters whether a person is "fit" or not, as to whether jeans are "acceptable'.  Seems to me that avoiding any "jeans" in the evenings is such a small thing. Especially if one is 40+

Hmm. Is that 40+ for age or size! 😜

[hamrag]

On 7/31/2022 at 11:41 PM, Cliff-FLL said:

Not sure about Princess, but we're on Oceania's 15-day, 2024 trans-Atlantic.  After leaving Rome, it has 2 stops (Valencia & Santa Cruz de Tenerife), then heads across the Atlantic, where it has 2 more stops (San John's, Antigua & San Juan, PR).  We then get a couple more days at sea before embarking in Miami.  Not complaining, as I knew the itinerary when I booked it and love sea days, but it sounds like Princess isn't the only one cutting back on ports of call.

Every single cruiseline, for a similar transatlantic would have no more stops along the way.....it's a very wide pond, and takes many days to traverse! 😉