Choosing An Ocean Cruise Line After Only Taking Uniworld River Cruises....

[Caligirl58]

If you have done both ocean and river cruising, I would love to get your thoughts.  My husband was adamantly opposed to the idea of a cruise for many years.  He had no interest in huge mega-ships (like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, etc.) filled with rowdy crowds.  I finally convinced him to try a river cruise on Uniworld - Castles Along the Rhine - in 2016.  It was wonderful, and we both loved it.  We did another in 2018 - Uniworld's Delightful Danube and Prague.  Felt that Uniworld had slipped a bit in value, but still had a great experience.  Now we are considering an ocean cruise, since we'd like to visit some areas not serviced by river cruises, ie Mediterranean and Northern Europe.  But we're wondering which ocean cruise line(s) might be comparable in overall experience to Uniworld.  Especially ones with smaller ships/fewer passengers.  I've been researching by reading CC message boards for several cruise lines, but I'd really appreciate recommendations from those who love river cruising.  Thank you.

[Coral]

I would look at Regent, Azamara, Silversea, Seabourn, Viking Ocean and Oceania.

 

There are probably a few others.

 

I am hesitant to put Viking in there as I do not like their payment policies but they do rank high on their ocean vessels and their passenger count is good.

Edited March 9, 2023 by Coral

[bundtkate]

Viking Ocean will also be a fair bit bigger ships than the rest, FWIW. They're small by comparison to Royal and the like and still don't have a casino or art auctions, but they hold close to 1,000 passengers (930 at double occupancy) compared to Azamara (700ish), Regent (750), or Seabourn (600ish). One can quibble about how much difference 200ish more passengers would make, but if you're accustomed to 200-passenger (tops) river ships, even Viking might feel a bit on the large side.

Another thing you might consider, @Caligirl58, is one of the ship within a ship concepts on the larger lines. We've done NCL's Haven, for example, and found it to be a great product that simulates a small ship experience very well while also allowing you to visit the hustle and bustle when you're up for it. You'll pay as much for Haven as you will for the more premium lines in many cases so it's generally not a savings over a more luxury line, but if you think you might enjoy some of the mega-ship amenities if you have an easy way to escape the crowds, it can be a good option. DH and I enjoyed it enough we're trying the more affordable MSC Yacht Club next January in hopes we can make that kind of cruising a bit more affordable. Celebrity's Retreat is another option that may be calmer than the others due to Celebrity's more premium position in the market, though I hear the Edge class ships tend to bustle a bit more than the older ones.

[Lois R]

1 hour ago, Caligirl58 said:

If you have done both ocean and river cruising, I would love to get your thoughts.  My husband was adamantly opposed to the idea of a cruise for many years.  He had no interest in huge mega-ships (like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, etc.) filled with rowdy crowds.  I finally convinced him to try a river cruise on Uniworld - Castles Along the Rhine - in 2016.  It was wonderful, and we both loved it.  We did another in 2018 - Uniworld's Delightful Danube and Prague.  Felt that Uniworld had slipped a bit in value, but still had a great experience.  Now we are considering an ocean cruise, since we'd like to visit some areas not serviced by river cruises, ie Mediterranean and Northern Europe.  But we're wondering which ocean cruise line(s) might be comparable in overall experience to Uniworld.  Especially ones with smaller ships/fewer passengers.  I've been researching by reading CC message boards for several cruise lines, but I'd really appreciate recommendations from those who love river cruising.  Thank you.

Hi, I have been on 2 river cruises and probably 60 or more ocean cruises. I have been sailing with Silversea since 2017. Prior to that I sailed with Celebrity for nearly 15 years.  A few with Royal and HAL sprinkled in.......

 

I agree with Coral's post and if you want to sail ocean cruises but want smaller ships? Silversea's largest ship holds 600 guests.  I can't speak on Seabourn, Regent or Oceania. I have sailed with Azamara once and it was ok.  I have 11 cruises with Silversea and going again next month. I love their product. 

 

Oh, one of my river cruises was with Uniworld and I loved it too!

 

Good luck with your research-----everyone should love to have this problem😀😀😀

[RobInMN]

Sure, the mega ships are big, and there's a lot of passengers, but when you divide it out, there is more square feet of indoor space (not even including the outside decks here) per person on a "mega ship" than on a river cruise ship. Our favorite ships are the Royal Caribbean Oasis class ships. We love the shows, and amenity options. Sure, there can be 8800 people including passengers and crew, but there are just so many places they can all be spread out at. Will the very popular things have a crowd? Sure. But it's very easy to avoid the crowd if you want.  Take the main theater shows. It's probably less crowded than if you were to go to a theater production on land. We don't go to the parades or the big promenade parties. We are not pool deck people. We've never had a problem finding a quite place to hang out when we've wanted to. The Oasis & Quantum class ships also have Suites only areas (restaurants, sundecks, etc) that can also enhance the crowd-less feel. Wonder (the newest Oasis class), even has the suites arranged in a new suites-only "neighborhood".

We've also spent 24 days on a smaller Radiance class ship (2000-2400 passengers), it was a B2B doing Arctic Circle (Norway), and then Iceland & Ireland, and we have another one booked to do the Panama Canal next spring. These ships go places that the larger ships can't go. And while there are like 1/3 of the passengers, there's fewer venues for people to spread out at, so it honestly felt about the same to us. But again, plenty of space to avoid crowds when we wanted to. These ships are older & smaller and probably skew a bit older in passenger age then the newer, larger ships, so you're not going to get the rowdy crowd.

Where it goes makes a difference also. A 3/4 night "booze cruise" in the Caribbean is going to have a much higher party vibe than a longer cruise. And the 12+ night ones are going to have an even more chill/relaxed and experienced group of passengers. In addition to the B2B I mentioned, we also did 7-night Western Mediterranean on an Oasis class. In no way was this a party cruise or had any rowdiness. To be honest, even when we have done a 3/4 night, while certainly having a higher percentage of partiers, we've never experienced a rowdy crowd on a Royal Caribbean ship.

That all said, I'd still stay clear of Carnival.

But we've also done 3 river cruises, and are leaving on AmaMagna here in a couple weeks. AmaMagna might be a little different, but from the others we have done, the lounge can honestly be just as packed as any bar/lounge we've been in on the larger ships. And while there's obviously far fewer amenities, it's all about ports.

On a river cruise, when you're doing ports all day every day and moving to the next port down the river at night, the ship's not as important. On an ocean cruise, it's inevitable that you will have "sea days", and your port stays may not be as long since the distance from port to port can be significant. So the extra amenities/venues you get on larger ships can be very beneficial if you like to be entertained. If you just want to hang out on a balcony and read, then not so much.

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

I would advise against the Ship Within a Ship concept based on your description of your desires.  The enclave is very nice, but can be boring – and once you leave it you are right in the midst of the mayhem that your husband wants to avoid [even with an MSC Yacht Club butler escorting you to the front of the line – and dirty looks!]

 

We have reduced the size of ocean ships we look at over the years, down from Princess and Celebrity's older ships [<2,000] to the list @Coral gave above.  Also boycotting Viking over their payment policies.  And as we evaluate recent cruises, we continue to go smaller.  Azamara seems to be a sweet spot on intimacy vs. activities, but we are equally happy on Noble Caledonia with only 100 fellow passengers!

 

Thinking about what would be closest to Uniworld, the newest ships from Silversea and Regent have glitzy décor and both those lines include shore excursions in the fare.  But if the Uniworld decor isn't an essential part of your cruise wants, I would recommend Azamara because of their very interesting itineraries and their very warm ambience.

[ljandgb]

I definitely feel a difference on a big ship, even if technically everyone is "more spread out."  I love the cozy feeling of river ships, with smaller groups of people, and in general, I really hate being in crowds. The giant buffet, auditorium, or pool deck full of hundreds (thousands) of people is just not my thing.  Also, some ships are designed to make you walk thru multiple lounges, past the casino or shopping area, etc, to get to the dining room, etc.  That drives me nuts.  

 

We've done Oceania and it was a good experience.  The ships are smaller, and the dining was split among several smaller restaurants.  They have actual hallways so you aren't forced to move Ikea-like thru the ship.

 

We also did the "ship within a ship" concierge on MSC.  It was outstanding, in that while you did have to go thru the ship for some things, much of what we did was confined to a much smaller, quieter, much less populated spaces.  We got an amazing price on it, which more than made up for having to deal with the crowds periodically. We were busy enough for long port days that we really didn't want to leave our enclave at night.  

Edited March 10, 2023 by ljandgb

[Coral]

I would avoid the large mega ships even if they have a ship within a ship experience.  If I am paying - I would prefer to be on a smaller ship.

 

Edited March 10, 2023 by Coral

[tulok]

I agree with the luxury lines that Coral offered. I have been on Regent and Seabourn. Both were excellent cruises but Regent was the closest to a Uniworld experience for me. Regent has smaller ships, great excursions, good food, most if not all cabins are at least balconies and everything is included in the price. We ended the cruise with a zero tab. We also enjoyed Seabourn. And want to try Atlas, which seems to be a line I would enjoy.

[Lois R]

3 hours ago, tulok said:

I agree with the luxury lines that Coral offered. I have been on Regent and Seabourn. Both were excellent cruises but Regent was the closest to a Uniworld experience for me. Regent has smaller ships, great excursions, good food, most if not all cabins are at least balconies and everything is included in the price. We ended the cruise with a zero tab. We also enjoyed Seabourn. And want to try Atlas, which seems to be a line I would enjoy.

I feel the same way about Silversea. I rarely, if ever have a balance to pay at the end of my cruises.

Everything included makes it so nice😀

[Second seating]

Long time Uniworld customer and for ocean sailing we are very happy with the Windstar product.  We tried SeaDream last year but in my opinion food is better on Windstar!

 

Second seating

[Caligirl58]

Thank you all so much for taking time to reply.  Your responses are very helpful.  Some of the cruise lines you have suggested are ones I had wondered about, but others I had not even considered.  So I will make a 'short list' and research each one.  I may have more questions as I do.  

A couple of questions have already come to mind.  For those of you suggesting Silversea -- have you found it to be significantly more formal (in atmosphere/dress code) than Uniworld?  I had read some message board comments that made me wonder if it was.  We did not find Uniworld to be too formal, which we liked.  Of course, we ran into a few 'stuffy' pax, but you are going to find that anywhere.    

Also - I worry a little about seasickness, since we have never done an ocean cruise.  Windstar is one of the lines I had considered, but I wondered if those ships might be more prone to causing seasickness? Maybe that's a silly question.

We did enjoy that Uniworld was all-inclusive.  Not having to pay a balance at the end of the cruise is just a nice way to end the experience.

Again - thank you for helping me to narrow down our options.  

[bubbulz]

Wow, I feel like I could have written your post! We started cruising with Uniworld in 2015 (Castles along the Rhine) followed by a couple of others. I have another one booked for this spring. My husband was adamantly against any type of ocean cruise, but especially in regard to large ships, and I shared the sentiment. I started researching smaller lines when I wanted to visit other places not serviced by river cruises as well, and I wasn't interested in the least in going on one of the behemoth ships. I now have two cruises booked on SilverSea (one ship holds 200 passengers; the other about 600 (and that is about the largest I'd be interested in). Since I haven't been on the cruises yet, I can't comment other than to say that all of my research (including questions asked here) indicates that I will not be disappointed.

 

One of my booked cruises is an expedition cruise, so there are not formal nights and I expect it to be very casual. For the other, there are two 'formal' nights, but there are always restaurant options that do not require formal attire if I don't feel like dressing up. I prefer casual in general, and that was one thing I really liked about the Uniworld cruises. 

 

Lastly, I, too, get seasick but I plan to take meclazine and also go equipped with the patch just in case, particularly at the start of my trips. I'd also suggest booking a cabin as low and mid-ship as possible to limit motion, but from everything I've heard the Silversea ships have excellent stabilization.

[Lois R]

Hi, I  rarely, if ever get sea sick and even though SS ships are on the smaller side, I have always found them quite stable. 

 

As for the attire, I would say river cruises in general (whatever the line) are more casual. SS does have a couple of formal nights, if not more, depending on the length of the cruise. There are venues available if you don't want to dress up though.  It is one of those topics that pops up on every ocean line forum (or so it seems LOL). My "dressy" closes are a nice pair of palazzo pants and pretty top. I have always felt more than welcome. I am not a "formal person" really and the slacks and top are always appropriate. 

[bubbulz]

*Meclizine

[lcand1923]

The first thing I would do is list the places you would like to visit, then look at the cruise lines that go there.  

 

I really enjoy Uniworld.  I’ve been on Celebrity, Princess, Cunard, Regent, Oceania and HAL. HAL has some smaller ships and I find the atmosphere on it to be similar to the atmosphere on Uniworld — friendly crew, outstanding service, casual style.  They are building larger vessels and have casinos, but the atmosphere is similar to Uniworld’s.  Oceania ranks next in my estimation regarding atmosphere comparable to Uniworld’s.  Both of these are not all-inclusive, but you can buy packages that help with the end-of-cruise bill.

 

As far as size, Regent is the smallest of the ones that I have sailed.  They are a more formal than HAL or Oceania, but are all inclusive.

 

I would avoid Celebrity, Princess and Cunard.  I think your husband and you would find them much too big and the atmosphere is VERY different than Uniworld.

[Caligirl58]

47 minutes ago, Lois R said:

 

 

As for the attire, I would say river cruises in general (whatever the line) are more casual. SS does have a couple of formal nights, if not more, depending on the length of the cruise. There are venues available if you don't want to dress up though.  It is one of those topics that pops up on every ocean line forum (or so it seems LOL). My "dressy" closes are a nice pair of palazzo pants and pretty top. I have always felt more than welcome. I am not a "formal person" really and the slacks and top are always appropriate. 

That's interesting -- I always thought of Uniworld as being a little more formal than say Viking or AMA.  I've never cruised with them - just had that assumption.   But I'm very glad to know that dressy slacks/top are appropriate on the ocean lines, as that is what I like to wear.

[Gourmet Gal]

I would compare itineraries between SS, Regent and Seabourn, all with smaller ships but they are also all-inclusive like Uniworld.  Regent and SS have included excursions as well so that is also more similar to the river-cruising experience.  But do consider itinerary first.  The ship within a ship concept is not likely to appeal to your husband and I think SS, Regent and Seabourn will be a better transition to ocean cruising.

 

Enjoy the process of choosing!

[Caligirl58]

1 hour ago, bubbulz said:

Wow, I feel like I could have written your post! We started cruising with Uniworld in 2015 (Castles along the Rhine) followed by a couple of others. I have another one booked for this spring. My husband was adamantly against any type of ocean cruise, but especially in regard to large ships, and I shared the sentiment. I started researching smaller lines when I wanted to visit other places not serviced by river cruises as well, and I wasn't interested in the least in going on one of the behemoth ships. I now have two cruises booked on SilverSea (one ship holds 200 passengers; the other about 600 (and that is about the largest I'd be interested in). Since I haven't been on the cruises yet, I can't comment other than to say that all of my research (including questions asked here) indicates that I will not be disappointed.

 

One of my booked cruises is an expedition cruise, so there are not formal nights and I expect it to be very casual. For the other, there are two 'formal' nights, but there are always restaurant options that do not require formal attire if I don't feel like dressing up. I prefer casual in general, and that was one thing I really liked about the Uniworld cruises. 

 

Lastly, I, too, get seasick but I plan to take meclazine and also go equipped with the patch just in case, particularly at the start of my trips. I'd also suggest booking a cabin as low and mid-ship as possible to limit motion, but from everything I've heard the Silversea ships have excellent stabilization.

I will look forward to hearing your impressions of Silversea after your cruises.  Will definitely give it more consideration, as I had pretty much taken it out of the running based on the comments I had read about it being very formal.

 

[Caligirl58]

26 minutes ago, lcand1923 said:

The first thing I would do is list the places you would like to visit, then look at the cruise lines that go there.  

 

I really enjoy Uniworld.  I’ve been on Celebrity, Princess, Cunard, Regent, Oceania and HAL. HAL has some smaller ships and I find the atmosphere on it to be similar to the atmosphere on Uniworld — friendly crew, outstanding service, casual style.  They are building larger vessels and have casinos, but the atmosphere is similar to Uniworld’s.  Oceania ranks next in my estimation regarding atmosphere comparable to Uniworld’s.  Both of these are not all-inclusive, but you can buy packages that help with the end-of-cruise bill.

 

As far as size, Regent is the smallest of the ones that I have sailed.  They are a more formal than HAL or Oceania, but are all inclusive.

 

I would avoid Celebrity, Princess and Cunard.  I think your husband and you would find them much too big and the atmosphere is VERY different than Uniworld.

I appreciate your insights!  

[Gourmet Gal]

1 minute ago, Caligirl58 said:

I will look forward to hearing your impressions of Silversea after your cruises.  Will definitely give it more consideration, as I had pretty much taken it out of the running based on the comments I had read about it being very formal.

 

I don’t like a formal dress-code either but honestly, it’s not very formal at all.  There are formal nights but there are always dining venues available if you don’t want to get gussied up.  The service aspect makes up for any inconvenience of a couple of formal nights.

[Caligirl58]

7 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

I would compare itineraries between SS, Regent and Seabourn, all with smaller ships but they are also all-inclusive like Uniworld.  Regent and SS have included excursions as well so that is also more similar to the river-cruising experience.  But do consider itinerary first.  The ship within a ship concept is not likely to appeal to your husband and I think SS, Regent and Seabourn will be a better transition to ocean cruising.

 

Enjoy the process of choosing!

Thank you.  I will look closely at those.  I agree -- not sure my husband would like the ship-within-a-ship concept.  At least not for his first ocean cruise.  But we have friends who did the MSC Yacht Club and loved it.

[tulok]

@Lois RGood to know about SS. I haven’t had a chance to try them but dates are our main issue when booking so I always need alternatives.

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, Gourmet Gal said:

I don’t like a formal dress-code either but honestly, it’s not very formal at all.  There are formal nights but there are always dining venues available if you don’t want to get gussied up.  The service aspect makes up for any inconvenience of a couple of formal nights.

Preparing for our first Silversea cruise next January, I am finding that it is indeed VERY formal.  It's not just the formal nights [3 on our cruise] – most other nights are 'informal' which is still formal to me [jacket required] and on formal nights even the buffet restaurant requires a jacket for me.  And after dinner, jacket is still required!  I am already regretting making this booking, and am pretty sure Silversea will be 'one and done' for us!

 

From the Silversea website:

Shipboard attire ranges from casual to formal. Casual wear is appropriate for daytime aboard ship or ashore and consists of standard sports outfits as worn at five-star resorts. Shoes should be flat or low heeled for deck activities. Evening attire falls into three categories: casual, informal and formal. On casual evenings, pants, blouses, skirts and casual dresses for ladies; open-neck shirts and slacks for gentlemen are appropriate. On informal evenings, ladies usually wear dresses or pantsuits; gentlemen wear jackets (tie optional). Appropriate formal evening wear for ladies is an evening gown or cocktail dress; gentlemen wear tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits. Tie is required.

 

On formal nights, guests may dine in La Terrazza and choose to dress informal; dresses or pantsuits for ladies, jackets for gentlemen (tie optional). This option also applies to Seishin on board Silver Spirit, Kaiseki on board Muse, Moon and Dawn. Dining at The Grill and Spaccanapoli is optional casual all nights. Following dinner, all guests are free to take advantage of any or all public spaces, however, jacket is required.

 

Sailings of 9 days or less typically feature 1 formal night, while longer voyages usually have 2-3 formal nights. Details will be provided in your final cruise documents, but the chart below [omitted from quote] provides a basic guideline to assist in packing the proper attire.

Please note: On 7 day [I assume they mean 7 night] sailings in the Baltic, Mediterranean and Alaska, formal night is always optional; guests may choose to dress informal, a jacket is required for gentlemen.

https://www.silversea.com/travel-informations/general-information.html

[Lois R]

Hi Jazz, you probably know I sail SS all the time. Just to make you aware, LaTerrazza is not a buffet for dinner......there is no buffet for dinner on SS.... dinnertime it is a full service Italian Restaurant. 

Can't help you with the jacket portion although I know I have seen men without them plenty of times. 

Sorry you unhappy you booked.....☹️