Celebrity at a crossroads

[Ken the cruiser]

18 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

My friends agree with you....I didn't see a pic of that, only a windowed area off the buffet...so that wouldn't be the Terrace Cafe? 

The Terrace Cafe is the buffet.

[Oceangoer2]

7 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

The Terrace Cafe is the buffet.

Just watched YouTube Riviera full ship (less the cabins).  Looks lovely in every area.  Did see the open air dining off the buffet. 

[jonthomas]

Reasons why we will be sailing on O....

 

We left Celebrity after they divided the main dining room in half....those in suites and everyone else...for us in a regular balcony, the food in main dining room and buffet became very low quality and taste. Prices for suites are higher than a balcony on O. 

 

O has very few kids,  there is nothing for them to do.

The food is so much better than Viking, Celebrity or Azamara...all lines we have tried.

Lectures on O were wonderful...

To be continued...

[Ken the cruiser]

23 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Reasons why we will be sailing on O....

 

We left Celebrity after they divided the main dining room in half....those in suites and everyone else...for us in a regular balcony, the food in main dining room and buffet became very low quality and taste. Prices for suites are higher than a balcony on O. 

 

O has very few kids,  there is nothing for them to do.

The food is so much better than Viking, Celebrity or Azamara...all lines we have tried.

Lectures on O were wonderful...

To be continued...

We stopped cruising with O back in 2018 due to a variety of mishandled issues by the Oceania HQ staff on 9 out of the cruises we sailed with them. But I will say their food onboard was always quite tasty. 😁

[jonthomas]

Participating in activities is highly encouraged on O, you get to meet people, and form connections...

 

Usually there is an excellent Brunch and on some sailings we even experienced a Carnival on deck.

 

We have experienced none of these on V.

 

Os loyalty program is the best at sea. With over 50 cruises on Celeb, we have nothing to show for it. With 5 on O, you get OBC, with 10, prep gratuities and more Obcs, with 15, included deviation and more obcs and your 20th  cruise if free. 

I didn't mention how grand our stateroom was on the refitted Riviera, in January....

And didn't mention so much more.

Just hope that things stay the same on O and that the world stays safe enough for those of us that enjoy travel, to be able to continue to do so.

[jonthomas]

1 minute ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We stopped cruising with O back in 2018 due to a variety of mishandled issues by the Oceania HQ staff on 9 out of the cruises we sailed with them. But I will say their food onboard was always quite tasty. 😁

 

Food is the most important issue for us. This sailing on Viking has reaffirmed for us that O is our line of choice.

[Ken the cruiser]

9 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

 

Food is the most important issue for us. This sailing on Viking has reaffirmed for us that O is our line of choice.

How’s the internet now when trying to stay connected while in your cabin? In 2018 after they gave every stateroom one free internet account without upgrading the veranda cabin area routers, we would get disconnected every 2-3 minutes, which was quite annoying on our 45-day Riviera cruise when my DW was trying to send emails with attachments.

[chamima]

15 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

 

Food is the most important issue for us. This sailing on Viking has reaffirmed for us that O is our line of choice.

 

 

Question for all of those who have switched to O or other more upscale cruise lines. My husband is a vegan and I am a vegetarian who eats fish but not shellfish. So fabulous cuts of beef or large lobster tails don't do anything for us.

We cruise in Aqua on Celebrity and find that in Blu our needs are always taken care of.

Does anyone know how O accommodates special diets like ours?

[markeb]

41 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

 

Food is the most important issue for us. This sailing on Viking has reaffirmed for us that O is our line of choice.

 

Question for you and others on this thread. We're seriously interested in Oceania and similar lines. We never sailed them in the past because they weren't necessarily convenient, and we didn't have time for their longer cruises. But I'd like to understand the food comments. And I'm not saying Celebrity is perfect; that's not the question.

 

What is better about the food? I keep reading that, but there's never any context. There are foods on Celebrity that are very important to other people that are "meh" to me. Is the food on O more adventurous, more variety, or is it something else that makes it better? 

 

Thanks!

[catgirl411]

5 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

Question for you and others on this thread. We're seriously interested in Oceania and similar lines. We never sailed them in the past because they weren't necessarily convenient, and we didn't have time for their longer cruises. But I'd like to understand the food comments. And I'm not saying Celebrity is perfect; that's not the question.

 

What is better about the food? I keep reading that, but there's never any context. There are foods on Celebrity that are very important to other people that are "meh" to me. Is the food on O more adventurous, more variety, or is it something else that makes it better? 

 

Thanks!

 

6 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

Question for you and others on this thread. We're seriously interested in Oceania and similar lines. We never sailed them in the past because they weren't necessarily convenient, and we didn't have time for their longer cruises. But I'd like to understand the food comments. And I'm not saying Celebrity is perfect; that's not the question.

 

What is better about the food? I keep reading that, but there's never any context. There are foods on Celebrity that are very important to other people that are "meh" to me. Is the food on O more adventurous, more variety, or is it something else that makes it better? 

 

Thanks!

Better quality ingredients, better preparation, better selection, perhaps more adventurous in some ways (Red Ginger is amazing). MDRs in Princess and Celebrity sometimes feel like wedding or convention dinners. O dining is more like restaurant dining.  But of course dining is an individual preference. We don’t view prime rib and lobster tails as our measure of good food but lots of people do.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Oceanic 15 night TA Rome to Miami Nov 2023  basic rate balcony is $346 CAD per night for one person , no alcohol 

Constellation 16 night TA Rome to FLL Nov 2023 , Always included  balcony , is $136 CAD per night for one person , we are booked on this one 

Is Oceanic $200 a night better ? 

 

[catgirl411]

3 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Oceanic 15 night TA Rome to Miami Nov 2023  basic rate balcony is $346 CAD per night for one person , no alcohol 

Constellation 16 night TA Rome to FLL Nov 2023 , Always included  balcony , is $136 CAD per night for one person , we are booked on this one 

Is Oceanic $200 a night better ? 

 

And there’s the rub…it is more expensive for sure. That’s why we do more Celebrity than Oceania.but the better comparator is probably Aqua Class or even the Retreat..

[basenji56]

3 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Oceanic 15 night TA Rome to Miami Nov 2023  basic rate balcony is $346 CAD per night for one person , no alcohol 

Constellation 16 night TA Rome to FLL Nov 2023 , Always included  balcony , is $136 CAD per night for one person , we are booked on this one 

Is Oceanic $200 a night better ? 

 

Only you can make that choice. You are approaching it analytically. 
 

Assuming price is the same, Oceania is the clear choice 

 

For twice the price, it’s your choice of what matters most. 

[C4HCG]

7 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

Only you can make that choice. You are approaching it analytically. 
 

Assuming price is the same, Oceania is the clear choice 

 

For twice the price, it’s your choice of what matters most. 

For those of us who’ve not sailed Oceania impossible to say. What does Oceania offer that would justify twice the price. Seen the comments on food, we are not foodies so find celebrity fine, anything else?

Edited April 1, 2023 by C4HCG

[basenji56]

1 minute ago, C4HCG said:

For those of us who’ve not sailed Oceania impossible to say. What does Oceania offer that would justify twice the price. Seen the comments on food, we are not foodies so find celebrity fine, anything else?

Smaller ships. More intimate experience. Beautiful ships. Fewer passengers. Less crowds. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

34 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Oceanic 15 night TA Rome to Miami Nov 2023  basic rate balcony is $346 CAD per night for one person , no alcohol 

Constellation 16 night TA Rome to FLL Nov 2023 , Always included  balcony , is $136 CAD per night for one person , we are booked on this one 

Is Oceanic $200 a night better ? 

 

 

The other dynamic is you can purchase specialty dining which is at most $64.90/person (includes the 18%) and it gets cheaper if you purchase the package.  To expand on that concept you could book a RCL/Carnival sailing and have the MDR steakhouse selection of the petite Filet and Maine lobster tail for around $25/person and not worry about reservations

[Ken the cruiser]

IMHO if you’re interested in what Oceania has to offer, book a 10 day cruise on one of their O class ships and see how you like it. We had a great time on our first cruise on the Riviera in the Caribbean in a Concierge veranda cabin!

[goofysmom99]

When I was researching O, Silversea, Regent, and Seabourn, I went to those sites here on Cruise Critic and searched menus, then gluten.  You could do the same for vegetarian, or whatever.  I didn't ask many questions there because, just like here on X, there are a lot of cheerleaders without direct knowledge of diet specifics, who "think" the cruiseline handles it perfectly and have never heard of anything negative.  I found enough negative feedback by drilling down which made it easier to eliminate a couple.  I expect to try out at least two of the premium lines since they have low/no solo supplements.  My main objective is to try new, different menus (X's have been the same old, same old for forever, even in Luminae).

[NutsAboutGolf]

3 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

When I was researching O, Silversea, Regent, and Seabourn, I went to those sites here on Cruise Critic and searched menus, then gluten.  You could do the same for vegetarian, or whatever.  I didn't ask many questions there because, just like here on X, there are a lot of cheerleaders without direct knowledge of diet specifics, who "think" the cruiseline handles it perfectly and have never heard of anything negative.  I found enough negative feedback by drilling down which made it easier to eliminate a couple.  I expect to try out at least two of the premium lines since they have low/no solo supplements.  My main objective is to try new, different menus (X's have been the same old, same old for forever, even in Luminae).

 

I believe you're wanting to see menus for those with dietary restrictions such as gluten free, you could start a travel blog listing this very info

[tserface]

We haven’t been on an X cruise since last year and we were very surprised at how much the specialty restaurant prices have gone up for our May cruise.  When we did Le Petit last time it was $45.  In May it will be $70.  I know there’s been some inflation, but… I miss some of the little things like bingo, and welcome champagne, and great room service for free, and a lot of selection in the buffet.  I know they are trying to recover from the downtime, but Princess is seeming like a better deal these days.

[basenji56]

2 minutes ago, tserface said:

 but Princess is seeming like a better deal these days.

Read some Princess boards.  I see no comparison between Celebrity and Princess.  

[basenji56]

I am interested in hearing from people who have sailed on Virgin Voyages and how the food compares to Celebrity and Oceania.

 

[goofysmom99]

3 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

I believe you're wanting to see menus for those with dietary restrictions such as gluten free, you could start a travel blog listing this very info

Sounds like a great plan but it'd be a whole lotta work.  I don't really need to see menus showing specific dietary restrictions.  Whenever I scan any menu, it's easy to tell which items I should avoid (breadcrumbs, pasta) or at least ask about (soy sauce - I bring my own).  On the premium lines, it was evident they source higher quality ingredients, rarely using wheat as a filler.  Same is true in Murano on X where nearly everything on the menu is gluten free or can be tweaked on-the-spot.  If X still had a Murano-type restaurant on all their ships, I'd stay cruising with X and buy specialty every night (plan to do that very thing on Equinox later this year).

[tserface]

1 minute ago, basenji56 said:

Read some Princess boards.  I see no comparison between Celebrity and Princess.  

We really like Princess, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean depending on itinerary or ships available.  So far, we’ve found Princess and Celebrity pretty similar in the last couple of years.  Princess hasn’t jacked onboard prices as much.   I know it’s all a matter of opinion based on taste and preferences.

[Ken the cruiser]

10 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

Read some Princess boards.  I see no comparison between Celebrity and Princess.  

When we compare Celebrity with Princess, it comes down to itineraries with Princess coming out ahead every time when we’re looking for longer more unique 3-5+ week itineraries. Celebrity wins most of the time with transoceanic and shorter B2B Caribbean cruises.

 

But entertainment onboard is pretty much the same with quality productions shows, fun interactive game shows, multiple trivias, good food, and affordable cabins, except for maybe Celebrity’s suite prices, which have recently gotten a little pricey.