Is this sale genuine?

[rachiem]

We really like Celebrity but may start to look at other options as we are finding the value for money not so great.

I do like this itinerary with Ocean (or the 10 day extended version) but wonder if the price is reasonable.

Having never sailed or really looked at Oceania, I have nothing to compare it to?

We do like drinking, so think that the beverage package would be the better option to include too?

Any thought or advice?

We have sailed with X, NCL, Viking, P&O and MSC

TIA

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/mediterranean-cruises/barcelona-to-rome-SIR250506/?sr=%2Fcruise-finder%23time_frame%3D2025-1|2025-2|2025-3|2025-4|2025-5|2025-6|2025-7%26marketing_region%3Dmediterranean%26sort%3Dprice%3Aasc%26page%3D1%26pageSize%3D10

[LGW59]

12 minutes ago, rachiem said:

We really like Celebrity but may start to look at other options as we are finding the value for money not so great.

I do like this itinerary with Ocean (or the 10 day extended version) but wonder if the price is reasonable.

Having never sailed or really looked at Oceania, I have nothing to compare it to?

We do like drinking, so think that the beverage package would be the better option to include too?

Any thought or advice?

We have sailed with X, NCL, Viking, P&O and MSC

TIA

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/mediterranean-cruises/barcelona-to-rome-SIR250506/?sr=%2Fcruise-finder%23time_frame%3D2025-1|2025-2|2025-3|2025-4|2025-5|2025-6|2025-7%26marketing_region%3Dmediterranean%26sort%3Dprice%3Aasc%26page%3D1%26pageSize%3D10

These are costs for 2025, so IMO, if anything they will only increase in the next 2+ years.  Bottom line, if it's a cost that is comfortable for you, book it.

[ORV]

I'm not sure I understand your question. Yes it's genuine. BUT, the $1699 per person is the cheapest category with no air and no Olife. If you want a balcony with air included and a drink package(wine & beer at lunch and dinner) it jumps up to about $4400 per person. 

[LHT28]

The ship is   smaller than probably what you are used  to

Look at the size of the cabins  before you decide   the PH may be equal to main stream lines

 

The beverage package with O Life  is  Beer  Wine by the glass  with Lunch & dinner ONLY

you can upgrade once onboard  for $20 PP PD  that will include most drinks on the menus

 

You can take wine  onboard   & if you choose to take it to a dining vene pay the corkage fee of $25 

you can drink it in your cabin  no charge

you can take spirits to drink in your cabin if you choose

No fee  for the Specalties

 

You need to compare  the airfare with what you can get  diy 

the included air is economy  flying in/out same day as the cruise  I would opt to fly in earlier  either do your own air or pay the deviation fee & choose the flights/routing  that suit you

value  is subjective

if you are thinking of 2025  you have lots of time to do the research

do the math & read the fine print

JMO

[rachiem]

Thank you for the replies and I wasn't aware that the drinks package was limited.

Some helpful tips and I will have to delve deeper. I don't find the website very transparent so will also engage a TA too

 

[MEFIowa]

Keep in mind that the least expensive "cruise only" cabin, a G, is still $1699 per person for just 7 days. Or $243 per person per day. ($486 per couple per day.) No "sale" here.

 

For SALE, see O's periodic sales for President's Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc.

[rachiem]

19 minutes ago, ORV said:

I'm not sure I understand your question. Yes it's genuine. BUT, the $1699 per person is the cheapest category with no air and no Olife. If you want a balcony with air included and a drink package(wine & beer at lunch and dinner) it jumps up to about $4400 per person. 

On the UK site, it allows you to add the beverage package to an inside and window cabin too?

[rachiem]

2 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

Keep in mind that the least expensive "cruise only" cabin, a G, is still $1699 per person for just 7 days. Or $243 per person per day. ($486 per couple per day.) No "sale" here.

 

For SALE, see O's periodic sales for President's Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc.

I'm booking from a UK site and it doesn't seem to allow a cruise only fare option.

[ORV]

5 minutes ago, rachiem said:

On the UK site, it allows you to add the beverage package to an inside and window cabin too?

I wasn't saying you had to get a balcony to get it. Sorry if I wasn't clear. I was just pointing out that $1699 is the bare bones rate in the lowest category room. 

 

We have quite a few posters here from the UK so maybe they can chime in on the ins and outs of booking from there. Definitely different from country to country. You are on the right track by seeking out the help of a TA. 

[rachiem]

2 minutes ago, ORV said:

I wasn't saying you had to get a balcony to get it. Sorry if I wasn't clear. I was just pointing out that $1699 is the bare bones rate in the lowest category room. 

 

We have quite a few posters here from the UK so maybe they can chime in on the ins and outs of booking from there. Definitely different from country to country. You are on the right track by seeking out the help of a TA. 

Ok, thank you for the help...thought I was missing some small print.

I do like the different ports on offer with O. Having sailed with some of the larger ships, the ports on offer are mostly ones we've visited at least once now.

[LHT28]

43 minutes ago, rachiem said:

Thank you for the replies and I wasn't aware that the drinks package was limited.

Some helpful tips and I will have to delve deeper. I don't find the website very transparent so will also engage a TA too

 

lots of good info

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/legal/terms-conditions/

[LHT28]

36 minutes ago, rachiem said:

On the UK site, it allows you to add the beverage package to an inside and window cabin too?

The UK  may have different rules  but yes anyone can get the beverage package

 

Maybe someone in the UK will comment on how it works  for UK cruisers

In any case  do the math

[ToxM]

You can add the bev package to any cabin grade. 

 

Make sure you remove airfare to get the cheapest p[rice possible. 

 

Also bear in mind that both guests do not need to get the ben package like most lines, so if you have one non drinker they don’t have to buy the package. Don’t try and game the system though!

[LHT28]

32 minutes ago, ToxM said:

Also bear in mind that both guests do not need to get the ben packag

e like most lines, so if you have one non drinker they don’t have to buy the package. Don’t try and game the system though!

Do you mean the O Life  deal or if you are buying it  yourself?

 I know  in N.A.  bookings if you choose O Like perk boht pax have to choose the same deal

[ToxM]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Do you mean the O Life  deal or if you are buying it  yourself?

 I know  in N.A.  bookings if you choose O Like perk boht pax have to choose the same deal

Ahh I think buying separately. if you did it as part of O life then both have to have the same. I would always take the cash 😉

[Redtravel]

Oceania is more expensive than Celebrity.  It’s worth it.  We are elite plus on Celebrity. Our most recent X cruise was Summit in June.  Crowding was awful. It was impossible to avoid it.  We wore masks, ate at tables for 2, and tried to space ourselves away from people.  Even tables for 2 were very close to next table. My spouse got Covid.  Just off Oceania Marina.  The ship was full, but there was lots of space. The only crowded places were the evening shows and some elevators.  Ate only at tables for 2. We loved it. We booked a future cruise on Oceania.  

[PhD-iva]

Entertainment on the smaller R ship will be much lower key than the production shows on celebrity. You’re heading in the right direction by spending some time on this board to get a feeling for the ins and outs of Oceania. I am a celebrity refugee and I will never go back. Well, maybe I might book on X again to join family, yada yada.

[AMHuntFerry]

Just a couple of thoughts for someone considering their first Oceania cruise...there are essentially two ship sizes, large (Vista, Riviera, and Marina ~1200 pax) and small (Sirena, etc. ~600 pax). The large ships have bigger bathrooms in the non-suite cabins and 4 specialty restaurants (included in fare) vs 2 on smaller ships. There are additional amenities on the larger ships such as a culinary center and art center, both with classes. I found youtube tours of the ships really useful when learning about Oceania.

[MEFIowa]

32 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

Just a couple of thoughts for someone considering their first Oceania cruise...there are essentially two ship sizes, large (Vista, Riviera, and Marina ~1200 pax) and small (Sirena, etc. ~600 pax). The large ships have.... 

Much larger pools, too. The small R-class pool is really mainly good for walking around in. 5' 6" deep and quite small.

[Sthrngary]

5 hours ago, rachiem said:

We really like Celebrity but may start to look at other options as we are finding the value for money not so great.

I do like this itinerary with Ocean (or the 10 day extended version) but wonder if the price is reasonable.

Having never sailed or really looked at Oceania, I have nothing to compare it to?

We do like drinking, so think that the beverage package would be the better option to include too?

Any thought or advice?

We have sailed with X, NCL, Viking, P&O and MSC

TIA

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/mediterranean-cruises/barcelona-to-rome-SIR250506/?sr=%2Fcruise-finder%23time_frame%3D2025-1|2025-2|2025-3|2025-4|2025-5|2025-6|2025-7%26marketing_region%3Dmediterranean%26sort%3Dprice%3Aasc%26page%3D1%26pageSize%3D10

@rachiem I read ALL the replies for your post.  My first time on Oceania (Riviera) will be November 9, 2023.  My friends, wife and I were originally booked for October 2020 but obviously got cancelled. I have followed all the advice from ALL of the frequent Oceania Cruisers here on this blog.  

 

Where I might be able to assist you is with the justification value proposition.  Our friends joining us were on a budget so I was wanting to blend luxury, personalized service, dining experience, drink package with a cruising experience elevated or exceeding what I have been use to receiving.  To do this, I created an excel spread sheet.  I also have cruise in normal staterooms and VIP suites (Haven, Retreat, Yacht Club) on the brands you mentioned above over the years.  My research was very interesting.  

 

Basically we wanted a 10 Day Mediterranean Cruise.  My wife and I are spoiled and enjoy some occasional luxury in service, dining and over all experience on cruises.  Not the way we live our normal lives for sure.  We have gravitated to the VIP sections on the Main Stream Cruise Brands and have been quite satisfied.  So when I did the comparison, it included standard staterooms as well as Haven and the Retreat.  I also had to take into consideration premium items like drink packages, specialty restaurants, ect. to do my best to create as close to an Apple to Apple comparison.  An example might be specialty restaurant's on Oceania are complementary for the most part and on NCL you only get two. To play it fair, I added the cost for 80% of the days with Specialty Restaurants.  Just an example for as fair a comparison as I could make.  

 

The one experience that I have had last year was prior to Crystal Cruise going out of business, I did a week on them.  The difference to me was the entire ship was like one of the "Ship-within-a-Ship" concept similar to the NCL Haven.  That was extremely nice.  Oceania is the same notion, the Haven or Retreat on Steroids.  Yet, when you compare the investments, itineraries, amenities, and reputation for both personalized service as well as dining; Oceania was the clear winner.  Regent Seven Seas was the most expense, NCL Haven, Celebrity Retreat and Viking were on up there from an investment standpoint.

 

The decision seems quite obvious and the icing on the cake was the ship I choose just got out of drydock.  When you take what other ships charge for extra's, and what Oceania provides for any stateroom, it was the hands down best value proposition and as many on this stream have educated me, the best experience. 

 

The Oceania ships are smaller so they can go into ports in Europe without using tenders giving more time for exploring.  The itinerary gives you more time at most ports and every over nights in others. "They Say" the dining in the main dining room (The Grand Dining Room) is better than most specialty restaurants on main stream cruise brands which is a welcome benefit. The evening entertainment is nice but not over the top and most folks don't party all night long.  If you do the perk of the wine/beer package, you can inexpensively upgrade to the full package which includes spirits when you get onboard which is my plan.  

 

Again, I am NO expert on Oceania and don't claim to be.  I did do my due diligence and the decision was quite easy.  I hope my experience in preparing assist you in some way.  It was fun and educational to do. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[rachiem]

11 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@rachiem I read ALL the replies for your post.  My first time on Oceania (Riviera) will be November 9, 2023.  My friends, wife and I were originally booked for October 2020 but obviously got cancelled. I have followed all the advice from ALL of the frequent Oceania Cruisers here on this blog.  

 

Where I might be able to assist you is with the justification value proposition.  Our friends joining us were on a budget so I was wanting to blend luxury, personalized service, dining experience, drink package with a cruising experience elevated or exceeding what I have been use to receiving.  To do this, I created an excel spread sheet.  I also have cruise in normal staterooms and VIP suites (Haven, Retreat, Yacht Club) on the brands you mentioned above over the years.  My research was very interesting.  

 

Basically we wanted a 10 Day Mediterranean Cruise.  My wife and I are spoiled and enjoy some occasional luxury in service, dining and over all experience on cruises.  Not the way we live our normal lives for sure.  We have gravitated to the VIP sections on the Main Stream Cruise Brands and have been quite satisfied.  So when I did the comparison, it included standard staterooms as well as Haven and the Retreat.  I also had to take into consideration premium items like drink packages, specialty restaurants, ect. to do my best to create as close to an Apple to Apple comparison.  An example might be specialty restaurant's on Oceania are complementary for the most part and on NCL you only get two. To play it fair, I added the cost for 80% of the days with Specialty Restaurants.  Just an example for as fair a comparison as I could make.  

 

The one experience that I have had last year was prior to Crystal Cruise going out of business, I did a week on them.  The difference to me was the entire ship was like one of the "Ship-within-a-Ship" concept similar to the NCL Haven.  That was extremely nice.  Oceania is the same notion, the Haven or Retreat on Steroids.  Yet, when you compare the investments, itineraries, amenities, and reputation for both personalized service as well as dining; Oceania was the clear winner.  Regent Seven Seas was the most expense, NCL Haven, Celebrity Retreat and Viking were on up there from an investment standpoint.

 

The decision seems quite obvious and the icing on the cake was the ship I choose just got out of drydock.  When you take what other ships charge for extra's, and what Oceania provides for any stateroom, it was the hands down best value proposition and as many on this stream have educated me, the best experience. 

 

The Oceania ships are smaller so they can go into ports in Europe without using tenders giving more time for exploring.  The itinerary gives you more time at most ports and every over nights in others. "They Say" the dining in the main dining room (The Grand Dining Room) is better than most specialty restaurants on main stream cruise brands which is a welcome benefit. The evening entertainment is nice but not over the top and most folks don't party all night long.  If you do the perk of the wine/beer package, you can inexpensively upgrade to the full package which includes spirits when you get onboard which is my plan.  

 

Again, I am NO expert on Oceania and don't claim to be.  I did do my due diligence and the decision was quite easy.  I hope my experience in preparing assist you in some way.  It was fun and educational to do. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. 

We too have done a few trip in Retreat and Haven and after looking at Haven's 2025 prices on a 9 night cruise, it is almost twice the price. I wasn't blown away with Haven either (but do like Retreat)

We enjoyed Viking as you could access all parts of the ship without the need to upgrade. 

We are Elite in X and that certainly wouldn't make me go back to them for every cruise. We like the brand but with the prices that they are now charging, we are starting to consider alternatives.

With the Oceania UK site, they add free air travel but we like to arrive the day before.

As mentioned in everyone's comments, I like the itinerary's (they seem fresh) and that must be because they have smaller ships.

Now to decide whether to just opt for 7 or 10 nights (they are both on a smaller ship)

[Jules of The Seas]

Hi Rachiem,

We have booked with a TA and with Oceania direct, which is very easy, although the TA may give you extra benefits. You can opt out of Oceania’s flights and receive a generous discount with which you can book your own flights, and most times save enough for your Hotel at the destination. Most airlines fly to Barcelona from the UK but as stated earlier I would fly the day before. Also bear in mind that transfers from Rome to the airport are very expensive (circa €150) but easy to book yourself. From the O Life choice we always take the drinks with lunch and dinner then upgrade when on board. You only need 3 drinks outside of the lunch and dinner benefit to be in pocket. I agree with you that Celebrity is getting rather expensive. We have done six cruises with Oceania but never on the smaller ships. Whatever you decide I am sure you will love Oceania. Go for the 10!!

[ToxM]

Yeah drop the air .. you can do that in a mock booking to see how much they would credit. 

 

We are ex Celeb, and so glad we moved to O

 

We don’t get the same level of perks that US folks get, but if you keep your eyes open you can get a trip with tips paid, we have done a couple of times. 

 

 

[rachiem]

37 minutes ago, ToxM said:

Yeah drop the air .. you can do that in a mock booking to see how much they would credit. 

 

We are ex Celeb, and so glad we moved to O

 

We don’t get the same level of perks that US folks get, but if you keep your eyes open you can get a trip with tips paid, we have done a couple of times. 

 

 

Strangely enough, it won't let me book without the airfare, so may just ask for the help of a TA?

[Sthrngary]

4 hours ago, rachiem said:

Now to decide whether to just opt for 7 or 10 nights (they are both on a smaller ship)

I choose the 10 day because regardless of what we do, the travel  and time change from the US to Europe takes some out of you.  The 10 days gives a cushion to relax and get used to the time change.  

 

I am glad you responded to my post.  We have some of the same experiences and it seems, different itineraries open up different brands.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.