Concierge vs. Veranda

[tampadee]

Is the concierge cabin worth it?

[basenji56]

1 minute ago, tampadee said:

Is the concierge cabin worth it?

What is the price difference?  What is included in concierge that is not included in a veranda?

[MEFIowa]

Since there is no Concierge Lounge in the smaller R-class ships, the issue is really mainly for Marina & Riviera. And only you can decide if the price difference is worth it for what you get (e.g., access to the concierge lounge, a bottle of champagne, access to the outside spa deck with therapy pool). We stayed in an A4 Concierge on Riviera in 12/21 but we booked it on the Presidents' Day sale 2021 for only $2099. There was little price difference so that made it a simple "Yes". But since then have booked Sirena twice (in 2022 & 2024, so a No there) and Riviera twice (2023, a No now as the price differential wasn't worth it for us). I'd rather stay in a B veranda and use the savings for other things. But that's just me.

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, tampadee said:

Is the concierge cabin worth it?

personal choice

 If you want the extra perks that the A cabins provide then it may be "worth it" for you

 The cabins are the same size as the B & C Cabins  

JMO

[ORV]

1 hour ago, MEFIowa said:

Since there is no Concierge Lounge in the smaller R-class ships, the issue is really mainly for Marina & Riviera.

Well, no, for some people the laundry perk, the Spa Terrace perk and the earlier restaurant booking makes it worth it, not to me, but to some people. To me the lounge is one of the least of the perks. So it is an issue for all of the ships. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

Agree with “personal choice.”

Worthless for US.

In fact, on Marina and Riviera, Concierge cabins don’t have any extended balcony choices like the B cabins. Also, we don’t need more than continental breakfast nor do we need some “free?” laundry or a bottle of $15 bubbly. Spa Terrace and Concierge lounge? Why?

For the often significant price difference, only the possibility of an earlier specialty restaurant reservation window is attractive to us. However, once onboard, we’ve seldom had issues moving (or adding to) our reservations.

 

But, that’s the beauty of Oceania. You can customize your cruise options specifics before you board the ship.

[mauibabes]

Our personal experiences in a Concierge Veranda has made it always a YES. It just isn’t that much 💵 in the grand scheme of the trip, a few hundred vs. thousands, IMHO. the Concierge Lounge does provide additional food and drink, there are a couple of Computers for use as needed with access to a printer and most importantly, the Concierge is on duty to assist you as needed, even dinner reservations. 
We have enjoyed all the amenities offered with the A Verandas but the real clincher was the time we were sailing to Sorrento/Positano and we had a private tour booked to go to Amalfi/Ravello. The Captain notified everyone we were NOT going to be able to tender to the port, rough seas, and we would be proceeding to Naples.  Everyone immediately starting heading to the Destinations desk and the line was long. We just walked into the Concierge Lounge and there were 3 people in line. The Concierge called our private tour company, advised them of the ships changes and arranged for us and our friends to be picked up for our tour in Naples at 9:00 a.m.  In 5-10 minutes we were done, no angst, and proceeded on for drinks at Happy Hour.  Just our experience but it was an important lesson to have learned because there are always issues when traveling.  We are YES on Concierge level bookings. 
 

Good luck,

Mauibabes. 

[alcpa1]

Can't remember when it started but for our Feb. 1, 2022 sailing every cabin was receiving the full breakfast room service, not just the A's and suites.

I agree the benefits are better for the two larger ships and certainly for the Vista starting next year.

 

 

[bbqoug]

I have always wanted to try an aft cabin, so we booked an aft A1 for our upcoming cruise on Insignia.

In addition to the location of the cabin, we were able to get our preferred times for specialty restaurants by being able to reserve earlier.

So far I am happy we paid the extra money for the concierge cabin.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, alcpa1 said:

Can't remember when it started but for our Feb. 1, 2022 sailing every cabin was receiving the full breakfast room service, not just the A's and suites.

I agree the benefits are better for the two larger ships and certainly for the Vista starting next year.

 

 

Pretty sure that was temporary due to reduced capacity. We had the breakfast option in a B cabin in January. Also received two internet accounts.

[ORV]

12 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Pretty sure that was temporary due to reduced capacity. We had the breakfast option in a B cabin in January. Also received two internet accounts.

I'm pretty sure it was a permanent change they announced sometime shortly before covid or sometime during the shutdown. 

 

Have you been in a cabin below concierge recently and been denied the hot breakfast? 

 

I am more curious about what people perceive as better Concierge benefits on the O class and especially Vista other than the lounge. I realized you didn't say that, just throwing it in here for economy. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

29 minutes ago, ORV said:

I'm pretty sure it was a permanent change they announced sometime shortly before covid or sometime during the shutdown. 

 

Have you been in a cabin below concierge recently and been denied the hot breakfast? 

 

I am more curious about what people perceive as better Concierge benefits on the O class and especially Vista other than the lounge. I realized you didn't say that, just throwing it in here for economy. 

Recently finished the last two ATW segments on Insignia in a B cabin. No hot breakfast choice - only the normal continental selections.

[AMHuntFerry]

Here is my comparison chart if you find it useful:

	Cost if not included	B	A	PH
Sq. ft.	N/A	291 (240 w/o balcony)	291 (240 w/o balcony)	440 (~363? w/o balcony)
Room service	N/A	Room service menu	+GDR menu	+specialty menus
Lounge (O and A only)	N/A		Concierge lounge	Executive lounge
Spa Terrace	$25/day		Spa Terrace access	Spa Terrace access
Laundry	Varies		Laundry (3 bags = 20 garments w/ up to 3 day wait)	Laundry (3 bags = 20 garments w/ up to 3 day wait)
Butler	N/A			Butler
Embarkation	N/A	1 pm embarkation (N/A currently)	Noon embarkation (N/A currently)	Noon embarkation (N/A currently) +priority baggage delivery
Champagne	$$ for something better		Welcome champagne (low end, not actually champagne if I recall)	Welcome champagne (quality?)
Specialty res at (# varies by cruise length and ship)	N/A	45 days	60 days	75 days
Misc			iPad® upon request for your enjoyment on board++ Complimentary Oceania Cruises logo tote bag Cashmere lap blankets Complimentary pressing of garment upon embarkation++ Complimentary shoeshine service	iPad® upon request for your enjoyment on board Cashmere lap blankets Complimentary shoeshine service Complimentary pressing of garments upon embarkation++ Walk in closet (Tote bag not on website but it's there!)

We took a low-cost Carribean cruise in December 2021 to try out cruising (never been), Oceania, and the A-cat perks. I really though we'd spend a lot of time on the spa deck since we are introverts, but we got there once and only on an unplanned sea day (couldn't tender). You can always pay the $25 for each day you want to use it.

I was surprised to find the Concierge Lounge so useful. We could pop down for a quick drink/snack for our room or when doing laundry. I hate taking electronics on vacation (phones go in the safe first thing and stay there!), so using the computer was handy for the not quite daily checks on the house/petsitter for emergencies. The Concierge was also helpful with getting an extra Red Ginger reservation in advance, plus he answered all of my silly questions about sailing on O and some unexpected events (ship circling around near Cuba to check a boat, stairs closed for plumbing issues, medical evacuation detour to near Key West, etc.).

We only had room service once during non meal time (spouse claims twice), so ordering from the GDR menu is not a huge perk to us. However, if you like to eat in the room the GDR menu (when they are open) will have more selection.

Most of the other topics have been covered so I'll leave my opinions for the next time this topic shows up 😉

 

Edited July 16, 2022 by AMHuntFerry
the all important tote bag!

[LHT28]

In addition, the most important meal of the day has been enhanced with the addition of a full hot breakfast for all staterooms and suites. Guests can choose from an array of options including eggs prepared to one’s liking (scrambled, over easy, hard-boiled, etc.), omelets, avocado toast, pancakes or French toast along with sides including bacon, sausage, and hash browns. The in-room dining remains complimentary to all guests.

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/media/2021/OCEANIA+CRUISES+REVEALS+NEXT+PHASE+OF+OCEANIANEXT+ENHANCEMENTS+Culinary+Expansions+Include+New+In+Room+Dining+Menus+Wine+Tasting+Programs+and+More/

 

Big question

did they remove this  improved menu already ??

It started Nov 2021

[Host Jazzbeau]

Reminder:  you can't quote more than a small snippet of copyrighted material.  Let the link do the walking...

[AMHuntFerry]

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Reminder:  you can't quote more than a small snippet of copyrighted material.  Let the link do the walking...

@Host Jazzbeau Oh eek! I completely forgot that Cruise Critic is not covered by fair use. I did a "how to" series of screenshot images in another topic. If you can delete my images while keeping the text in the Free Shore Excursions? topic (and then delete this), I'd sure appreciate it (it's too late to edit). Sorry!!

 

[ORV]

18 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Recently finished the last two ATW segments on Insignia in a B cabin. No hot breakfast choice - only the normal continental selections.

Let's try this again. Maybe you should have pointed this out to them. This was last Nov. 

 

OceaniaNEXT expands in-room dining, wine tastings and more | seatrade-cruise.com

 

Did this get scrapped? Maybe you could check with your informed Oceania contacts on this and report back. We anxiously await your reply.  See the link Lyn posted above also. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

16 minutes ago, ORV said:

Let's try this again. Maybe you should have pointed this out to them. This was last Nov. 

 

OceaniaNEXT expands in-room dining, wine tastings and more | seatrade-cruise.com

 

Did this get scrapped? Maybe you could check with your informed Oceania contacts on this and report back. We anxiously await your reply.  See the link Lyn posted above also. 

I posted a reply yesterday but it disappeared.

We had the hot breakfast choice on Riviera in January but not on Insignia a few weeks ago. Doesn’t matter to us. We don’t do full breakfast in the cabin.

Perhaps it wasn’t rolled out on Insignia because it was still the ATW cruise that started in December.

I really don’t care about this.

 

[ORV]

19 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

I posted a reply yesterday but it disappeared.

We had the hot breakfast choice on Riviera in January but not on Insignia a few weeks ago. Doesn’t matter to us. We don’t do full breakfast in the cabin.

Perhaps it wasn’t rolled out on Insignia because it was still the ATW cruise that started in December.

I really don’t care about this.

 

I agree with you on not doing breakfast in the room. It's rare when we do that and only when we've been in a PH or above with room to spread out and eat comfortably. BUT, there are some that do care about having the hot option in the lower rooms and can get passionate about it as I've seen in discussions here over the years. 

I feel it's a legitimate concern for many when comparing the perks of the Concierge vs the Veranda. There are some people that look to you as a source of information here on the Oceania board so they might mistakenly think the hot breakfast is not a perk below Concierge. 

 

As you also have, we've cruised enough to know that policies and practices vary from ship to ship and what is supposed to be a policy isn't always what occurs onboard. 

It's hard to argue with what a person's actual experience is in any given situation. Sounds like Miami might need to communicate a little better with Insignia's management team. 

 

Bottom line is, since last November all staterooms are supposed to have a hot breakfast. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

14 minutes ago, ORV said:

I agree with you on not doing breakfast in the room. It's rare when we do that and only when we've been in a PH or above with room to spread out and eat comfortably. BUT, there are some that do care about having the hot option in the lower rooms and can get passionate about it as I've seen in discussions here over the years. 

I feel it's a legitimate concern for many when comparing the perks of the Concierge vs the Veranda. There are some people that look to you as a source of information here on the Oceania board so they might mistakenly think the hot breakfast is not a perk below Concierge. 

 

As you also have, we've cruised enough to know that policies and practices vary from ship to ship and what is supposed to be a policy isn't always what occurs onboard. 

It's hard to argue with what a person's actual experience is in any given situation. Sounds like Miami might need to communicate a little better with Insignia's management team. 

 

Bottom line is, since last November all staterooms are supposed to have a hot breakfast. 

No- bottom line is: what’s published may not be practiced.

For example: the “fine print” says ANY tour with abbreviation after the title (not just OS and OE) are NOT eligible for O life pick. But, if they’re under $200 and you select a non-OS/OE abbreviated one like “Go Local” (GL) that’s under $200, it’ll work as an O Life selection!

Calling Miami is worthless. Two different people often gets two different answers and, of course, once on the ship, you may get a third different answer.

Perhaps the worst of the FUBARs are the itinerary/rules/etc change notice emails that come from Carlos Ortega. So often contradictory, wrong, whatever. 
 

My rant for this morning.

[Host Jazzbeau]

23 hours ago, AMHuntFerry said:

@Host Jazzbeau Oh eek! I completely forgot that Cruise Critic is not covered by fair use. I did a "how to" series of screenshot images in another topic. If you can delete my images while keeping the text in the Free Shore Excursions? topic (and then delete this), I'd sure appreciate it (it's too late to edit). Sorry!!

Your post is OK.  Quoting from cruise line websites is not the issue.  Quoting from news websites is not allowed.

[Guppy99]

On 7/16/2022 at 4:22 PM, AMHuntFerry said:

Here is my comparison chart if you find it useful:

	Cost if not included	B	A	PH
Sq. ft.	N/A	291 (240 w/o balcony)	291 (240 w/o balcony)	440 (~363? w/o balcony)
Room service	N/A	Room service menu	+GDR menu	+specialty menus
Lounge (O and A only)	N/A		Concierge lounge	Executive lounge
Spa Terrace	$25/day		Spa Terrace access	Spa Terrace access
Laundry	Varies		Laundry (3 bags = 20 garments w/ up to 3 day wait)	Laundry (3 bags = 20 garments w/ up to 3 day wait)
Butler	N/A			Butler
Embarkation	N/A	1 pm embarkation (N/A currently)	Noon embarkation (N/A currently)	Noon embarkation (N/A currently) +priority baggage delivery
Champagne	$$ for something better		Welcome champagne (low end, not actually champagne if I recall)	Welcome champagne (quality?)
Specialty res at (# varies by cruise length and ship)	N/A	45 days	60 days	75 days
Misc			iPad® upon request for your enjoyment on board++ Complimentary Oceania Cruises logo tote bag Cashmere lap blankets Complimentary pressing of garment upon embarkation++ Complimentary shoeshine service	iPad® upon request for your enjoyment on board Cashmere lap blankets Complimentary shoeshine service Complimentary pressing of garments upon embarkation++ Walk in closet (Tote bag not on website but it's there!)

We took a low-cost Carribean cruise in December 2021 to try out cruising (never been), Oceania, and the A-cat perks. I really though we'd spend a lot of time on the spa deck since we are introverts, but we got there once and only on an unplanned sea day (couldn't tender). You can always pay the $25 for each day you want to use it.

I was surprised to find the Concierge Lounge so useful. We could pop down for a quick drink/snack for our room or when doing laundry. I hate taking electronics on vacation (phones go in the safe first thing and stay there!), so using the computer was handy for the not quite daily checks on the house/petsitter for emergencies. The Concierge was also helpful with getting an extra Red Ginger reservation in advance, plus he answered all of my silly questions about sailing on O and some unexpected events (ship circling around near Cuba to check a boat, stairs closed for plumbing issues, medical evacuation detour to near Key West, etc.).

We only had room service once during non meal time (spouse claims twice), so ordering from the GDR menu is not a huge perk to us. However, if you like to eat in the room the GDR menu (when they are open) will have more selection.

Most of the other topics have been covered so I'll leave my opinions for the next time this topic shows up 😉

 

Thank you. This is extremely helpful to us since we will be taking our first Oceania cruise in Dec. We are in Concierge, so I'll be keeping in mind how much we use the extra amenities. If I recall, the cos difference on the deal we got was minimal

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Guppy99 said:

Thank you. This is extremely helpful to us since we will be taking our first Oceania cruise in Dec. We are in Concierge, so I'll be keeping in mind how much we use the extra amenities. If I recall, the cos difference on the deal we got was minimal

One important correction: At least as the extra  pre-cruise online check-in continues, it’s “first come” on selecting embarkation times.

Also, remember that there’s no Concierge Lounge on “R” ships. 

[LHT28]

54 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

One important correction: At least as the extra  pre-cruise online check-in continues, it’s “first come” on selecting embarkation times.

Also, remember that there’s no Concierge Lounge on “R” ships. 

Probably not an issue as I believe they are  on the Riviera 

[AMHuntFerry]

3 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

One important correction: At least as the extra  pre-cruise online check-in continues, it’s “first come” on selecting embarkation times.

Also, remember that there’s no Concierge Lounge on “R” ships. 

Yes, I could have been clearer, "Lounge (O and A only)" means O-class (Marina and Riviera) and A-class (Vista when it exists) ships.

The "N/A currently" for embarkation times will hopefully get deleted in the not so distant future...sigh.