Celebrity refugee with questions

[koolforkatz]

Hi - as long time cruisers (30 plus) who have sailed mainly on Celebrity but also Princess and HAL, we made the jump yesterday and booked our first Oceania cruise on the beautiful looking new Vista. It is a bit of a bucket list for me because I have always wanted to do a transatlantic, although I have done a transpacific.

 

I just have a few questions. For the drink package, we chose that as our option and I realize we have to pay $30 pp per day to upgrade. I assume we can only do this on board? Also, I haven't been able to find how the upgrade works? Is there a maximum dollar amount per drink, i.e., anything over that amount and you pay the difference? 

 

I understand the entertainment will be less than that of other lines, but is there anything going on at all? Is there live music, even an accoustic guitar? Are there any type of bands that perform that you can dance to? And I'm not referring just to ballroom. We are 66 and 74 and like to stay up a bit after dinner, have a drink or two. Maybe dance, etc. Will we find Oceania boring at night? Some nights we might just want to relax and have an early night. Others we might want to socialize or dance a bit.

 

For those who have done transatlantics with Oceania do they offer much in the way of activities during the day? We can amuse ourselves with books and stuff but just wondered whether they had lecturers, movies, daytime shows/activities, etc.

 

So many questions! I appreciate anyone's input on this. We had originally booked Celebrity Beyond for the crossing (we sailed on her last year and she is beautiful) but realized for not much more at all we could finally try Oceania and enjoy some really good food. Something the other lines sadly seem to be cutting back on.

[MEFIowa]

39 minutes ago, koolforkatz said:

...I just have a few questions. ... I understand the entertainment will be less than that of other lines, but is there anything going on at all? Is there live music, even an accoustic guitar? Are there any type of bands that perform that you can dance to? And I'm not referring just to ballroom. We are 66 and 74 and like to stay up a bit after dinner, have a drink or two. Maybe dance, etc. Will we find Oceania boring at night? Some nights we might just want to relax and have an early night. Others we might want to socialize or dance a bit.

 

For those who have done transatlantics with Oceania do they offer much in the way of activities during the day? We can amuse ourselves with books and stuff but just wondered whether they had lecturers, movies, daytime shows/activities, etc. ...

Study your Currents, the newspaper you'll receive every evening the night before. It will list all of the activities and entertainment for the following day.

 

The main evening show--song & dance routine, comic, etc.--is at 9:30 pm. There usually is a string quartet or something similar playing at various times. And usually a piano player at Martinis, too. The ship band may have a performance out by the pool. And there can be musical events at Horizons. There are often trivia events or name that tune and such.

 

The daytime activity is what it is. Whether bean-bag toss, needlepoint, lectures, bridge, bingo, etc. I put together a Veterans Get Together on a sea day at Martinis (about 25 attended), so if you can think of something like that, you, too, can do it.

 

(We've done 20 nights on O. 10 on Riviera 12/2021 and 10 on Sirena 11/2022.)

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, koolforkatz said:

I just have a few questions. For the drink package, we chose that as our option and I realize we have to pay $30 pp per day to upgrade. I assume we can only do this on board? Also, I haven't been able to find how the upgrade works? Is there a maximum dollar amount per drink, i.e., anything over that amount and you pay the difference? 

 

 

No cap on the  amount you pay but some restriction apply

some of the op shelf Cognacs & scotch   are not included as well as some drinks in the specialties like Sake

Just ask before your order if included when in the Specialties

 Crossings  they have many activities the usual  plus cooking classes  book early  they do fill up

Bridge  games if you are into that 

you will not be bored unless you choose  to

Enjoy

[jonthomas]

Im sure everyone will answer all your questions, I just wanted to add, that after over 50 cruises and being Elite plus with Celebrity, we finally said NO MORE....in the past 2 years we have done 4 O cruises and now are doing our best to reach those significant loyalty levels. 

 

all that elite plus stuff on C are all included on O....and O is less expensive than a suite on C....

 

with a suite on C, you still have the bratty kids, the steel bands by the pool, etc....

 

we love everything on O.....

[Nashna]

1 hour ago, jonthomas said:

Im sure everyone will answer all your questions, I just wanted to add, that after over 50 cruises and being Elite plus with Celebrity, we finally said NO MORE....in the past 2 years we have done 4 O cruises and now are doing our best to reach those significant loyalty levels. 

 

all that elite plus stuff on C are all included on O....and O is less expensive than a suite on C....

 

with a suite on C, you still have the bratty kids, the steel bands by the pool, etc....

 

we love everything on O.....

We are also jumping away from Celebrity as well.  After sailing on various cruise lines, we thought we had a home on X.  We sailed on Regent, Seabourn, and all the major lines.  Regent's pricing has become way too high for us, and Seabourn didn't give us the warm fuzzies.  Listening to our friend's advice, we are taking our first Oceania cruise in January.  

[jackdeb]

Hello Katz

Most of your questions have been answered,  the house band is often playing in Horizons at night or possibly Karaoke for the adventurous. My best advice is to join the roll call for the cruise, or start one.The outdoor daytime activities are always weather dependent, putting, shuffleboard, etc. Enjoy and happy sailing.

 

[JoePDX]

1 hour ago, jackdeb said:

Hello Katz

Most of your questions have been answered,  the house band is often playing in Horizons at night or possibly Karaoke for the adventurous. My best advice is to join the roll call for the cruise, or start one.The outdoor daytime activities are always weather dependent, putting, shuffleboard, etc. Enjoy and happy sailing.

 

Depending on the cruise - Jack might sing too.   🙂

 

On our last Oceania Cruise there was a great band that played nightly in Horizons.   You could call them a tribute band, but that is not right, as the lead singer could seemingly sing anything.   80's, 90's, Gaga, Divas.   And most nights she had the dance floor full too.

 

We too are Elite Celebrity Cruisers...we still wouldn't rule out Celebrity.  Or as you can see in my Signature an upcoming RCCL cruise that was a rock bottom price. But for us Oceania fits just so well.

 

Joe

Edited February 28, 2023 by JoePDX

[jackdeb]

I am not sure if you could call what I did singing 😂 . But it was fun, Deb is still laughing 😆.

[koolforkatz]

Thank you so much for all your responses. Sounds like Oceania might be a good fit for us, especially if we luck out and get a band on our cruise like @JoePDX mentioned. And my husband will be all over the putting!

 

We've had many great Celebrity cruises over the years starting with the Mercury but things have changed over time especially over the last year. Sadly, I don't really feel their price justifies what they deliver anymore. However, we haven't given up on them entirely either. Just branching out a bit and have wanted to try Oceania for a long time.

 

[alcpa1]

Another X wit a + here. 

Oceania reminds me of the gracious early years of Celebrity. I hope you enjoy every moment.

[DrKoob]

17 hours ago, jonthomas said:

Im sure everyone will answer all your questions, I just wanted to add, that after over 50 cruises and being Elite plus with Celebrity, we finally said NO MORE....in the past 2 years we have done 4 O cruises and now are doing our best to reach those significant loyalty levels. 

 

all that elite plus stuff on C are all included on O....and O is less expensive than a suite on C....

 

with a suite on C, you still have the bratty kids, the steel bands by the pool, etc....

 

we love everything on O.....

You and KoolforKatz sound like us. After 30+ cruises with X we are done. Trying Visa in the fall, did Viking Ocean last September. Celebrity is just not the same anymore. Can't wait to try O.

[jondfk]

Sailed only once with Celebrity about 20 years ago on Mercury.

We migrated to O from Princess last year for the usual reasons.

 

Very satisfied with O though comparisons to Mercury are difficult given the haze of time, but I do regard our 3 sailings on Regatta in 2022 as in our top 5.  Perfect, no, we had issues particularly on our first sailing from Papeete, but still we are booked on two more with O and looking at a third.

Happy to take on any specific questions.

[mauibabes]

Ah Refugee’s, so glad to welcome you to the land of O. I am sure you will hear from many Xers who have taken the plunge. It was years ago when X brought out Blue and we were not impressed in comparison with O and certainly not happy with their nickel and diming. A one and done as we already had a few Oceania trips under our belt and knew we had found a home and new cruise family. All the advertising hype about smaller ships, outstanding staff and food, well it is ALL real.
We are looking forward to a May cruise on Vista to test the new Alurra Class ships but we can say, whether the smaller R Class or O Class, you will find the ships and experience more than inviting. Welcome to O and I’ll let the rest of the more recent refugees take over and answer your questions. 
Enjoy, Mauibabes
 

[jonthomas]

exactly how we feel....

 

yes from time to time, I question Os sales tactics, the internet issues....

 

but over all we are very happy...

 

someone recently tried to convince me to try Silverseas, that their prices are better than O....

 

not doing it....

 

I am after the loyalty with O....

 

 

[mauibabes]

When we left Princess, our travel buddies had Elite or something status with them, it was an easy decision.  Like PHDiva (hi Robin) has said, it is the people and the lack of a Class system that help make the difference. We have dined with guests from the Owners Suites on an ATW to guests in Inside Deck 4 Staterooms, ALL great people who did not have to “impress” anyone. We don’t need a big ship or private dining, unless it is a special evening in La Reserve or Privee.  
Over the years we have racked up enough credits to achieve Platinum Status, which means a  Two Week Free Cruise, and that Xers is a REAL Loyalty Club perk. 
We recently tried a Tauck tour which included sailing on another cruise line as a part of the trip. While a lovely ship, we found we could not stop comparing the experience to Oceania and the cuisine was barely C+, B-.  We had high expectations and that was our fault but the truth be told, if you expect Oceania like cuisine and service, sail Oceania. Perfect, not a chance but a far sight better than the others. 
Enjoy, 

Mauibabes

[sofietucker]

We're Elite Plus on Celebrity but have run out of joy on the X ships (ditto as 4 star Mariners on Hal, which has completely lost its way). While O is more laid back, there are fun activities--art classes for one, and a spectacular library for two, plus trivia).The shows were great, a very talented group compared to much of what we've seen on the high seas in recent years.

 

We most enjoyed the house band and caught them in Horizons late every night. Also a fun thing was the pickup band there before dinner: it was a subset of the show band! They did jazz standards and even if the singers (also instrumentalists) from time to time really didn't seem to know English, they were all crack musicians.

[terrydtx]

We are joining the list of Celebrity refugees in this forum too. We are Elite with X and for the last few years only booked Sky Suites as we fell in love with the Retreat product. However X is now pricing their suites as if they were on Regent or Silver Seas.  Our current 4 upcoming Sky Suite cruises are currently 20-30% higher than when we booked over a year ago. The final straw was when we looked at a Sky Suite on the Equinox for a 14 night cruise from Santiago to Buenos Aires in 2025. The Sky Suite would cost about the same as an A2 Concierge class cabin on the Marina for 18 nights. It was a no brainer, we are now booked on our first O cruise and looking forward to a more premium experience. My sister and brother in law are also joining us on this cruise and another couple we met in our roll call for our September Apex cruise decided to join us as well. 

[LuAnn]

7 hours ago, terrydtx said:

We are joining the list of Celebrity refugees in this forum too. We are Elite with X and for the last few years only booked Sky Suites as we fell in love with the Retreat product. However X is now pricing their suites as if they were on Regent or Silver Seas.  Our current 4 upcoming Sky Suite cruises are currently 20-30% higher than when we booked over a year ago. The final straw was when we looked at a Sky Suite on the Equinox for a 14 night cruise from Santiago to Buenos Aires in 2025. The Sky Suite would cost about the same as an A2 Concierge class cabin on the Marina for 18 nights. It was a no brainer, we are now booked on our first O cruise and looking forward to a more premium experience. My sister and brother in law are also joining us on this cruise and another couple we met in our roll call for our September Apex cruise decided to join us as well. 

I've thought for quite a while that X cruisers were paying too much for the "suite experience" and would be getting more value for their $$ with O. I'm sure you'll be glad you made the switch! 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

8 hours ago, terrydtx said:

We are joining the list of Celebrity refugees in this forum too. We are Elite with X and for the last few years only booked Sky Suites as we fell in love with the Retreat product. However X is now pricing their suites as if they were on Regent or Silver Seas.  Our current 4 upcoming Sky Suite cruises are currently 20-30% higher than when we booked over a year ago. The final straw was when we looked at a Sky Suite on the Equinox for a 14 night cruise from Santiago to Buenos Aires in 2025. The Sky Suite would cost about the same as an A2 Concierge class cabin on the Marina for 18 nights. It was a no brainer, we are now booked on our first O cruise and looking forward to a more premium experience. My sister and brother in law are also joining us on this cruise and another couple we met in our roll call for our September Apex cruise decided to join us as well. 

Might as well chime in.  I remember seeing you on the X boards!  We were more dissatisfied than pleased with Celebrity on our last few cruises (Elite, like many of you).  Tried one HAL cruise, lulled by memories of a good one long ago, and ran away from that mistake.  Have now done two Regent and found our happy place, but also soon trying O after years of thinking we should.  Nice to have options.  I personally think the folks at Celebrity have lost their marbles with what they are trying to price their cruises.  🧐🫣🤪

 

Joanie

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

Might as well chime in.  I remember seeing you on the X boards!  We were more dissatisfied than pleased with Celebrity on our last few cruises (Elite, like many of you).  Tried one HAL cruise, lulled by memories of a good one long ago, and ran away from that mistake.  Have now done two Regent and found our happy place, but also soon trying O after years of thinking we should.  Nice to have options.  I personally think the folks at Celebrity have lost their marbles with what they are trying to price their cruises.  🧐🫣🤪

 

Joanie

I am still happy with Celebrity suites, but the current pricing for future cruises have driven us to look elsewhere when a premium line like Oceania is now more than competitive with a Sky Suite on Celebrity. The 4 Celebrity cruises we still have booked were a very good bargain compared to what they want currently for the same cruises, so we will go on them and most likely be done.

[DENIE]

We've made the switch from Celebrity as well, after thinking we found a home.  After a couple cruises were cancelled due to Covid, we decided to try Oceania (1st cruise 6/2022 on Riviera), and loved the smaller ship experience.  I am 58 and my wife is 63, and we found plenty to do on board.  True, many were older than we were, but we enjoy that demographic! We met lots of fascinating, wonderful people.  Service and food were just outstanding!

 

For a reality check, some friends booked a HAL cruise to the Mexican Riviera in 12/2022, so there were 12 of us.  It wasn't awful, but we couldn't stop comparing to Oceania. The experience just wasn't the same.

[cluso]

Hello to All,

Looks like we are in the "same boat"--about to be X refugees even though we are Elite+.  One more Celebrity cruise on the books and two more Star Clippers (which we really like for the experience/ports/sailing).  About 14 cruises on Star Clippers--a totally different type of cruise.

We actually did sail on the R ships during Renaissance's time in the 90's.  Such a bummer they went out of business with the 8 R ships.

So, looking at O now.  Did Azamara (R ship) about 8 years ago, and the Tahitian Princess (R ship) before Princess bailed out of Tahiti.

Without going to the high, high end is anyone looking at other lines.  Any words on Ponant?  We are pretty laid back, don't like large crowds, well-traveled, self-sufficient, and like small boats.  No casinos, shopping, etc.  We like to feel like we are really at sea--views, smells, wind through our hair.

[LHT28]

2 minutes ago, cluso said:

Hello to All,

Looks like we are in the "same boat"--about to be X refugees even though we are Elite+.  One more Celebrity cruise on the books and two more Star Clippers (which we really like for the experience/ports/sailing).  About 14 cruises on Star Clippers--a totally different type of cruise.

We actually did sail on the R ships during Renaissance's time in the 90's.  Such a bummer they went out of business with the 8 R ships.

So, looking at O now.  Did Azamara (R ship) about 8 years ago, and the Tahitian Princess (R ship) before Princess bailed out of Tahiti.

Without going to the high, high end is anyone looking at other lines.  Any words on Ponant?  We are pretty laid back, don't like large crowds, well-traveled, self-sufficient, and like small boats.  No casinos, shopping, etc.  We like to feel like we are really at sea--views, smells, wind through our hair.

Check in the "Other cruiseline forum " for some newcomers

[jonthomas]

We were elite plus on C...once they introduced the class system, we could no longer tolerate the food for those in regular balconies...tried Viking, then O, love O...

Right now we are on a Viking ship, doing a transatlantic,using up covid credits.... does not compare to Oceania, will now only do O...

We can't understand how V got first place for ocean cruising...

O is far superior in every way..

If you want more details , just ask...

We are on an O ship in Sept, Regatta to Alaska and pacific coast, 20 days, can't wait.

[Orator]

I'm a Zenith on Celebrity with over 100 X cruises. I took Oceania Riviera and Viking Neptune for comparison and found the food and entertainment on Viking. The theater in Oceania was subpar and there were very few speakers. The lectures on Viking were excellent.  Both are beautiful ships with great crew.The officers were not as visible as Celebrity. There is more to do on Celebrity, but the cost, IMHO, has risen to the point where other lines are a resonable alternative.