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[bitob]

9 minutes ago, May B said:

The ship somebody reported having “no” entertainment on was Viking, not Oceania.

 

That having been said, though, I must tell you I remember ZERO about the entertainment on the one Oceania cruise we took. I remember plenty about the food and about the ports we visited (Mediterranean, so of course very port-intensive), and even about the bridge game we enjoyed. That was 2014. We had a fun post-cruise trip to Cappadocia.

That’s because entertainment on Oceania is utterly forgettable. Awful is a good adjective

[Leejnd4]

46 minutes ago, May B said:

The ship somebody reported having “no” entertainment on was Viking, not Oceania.

 

That having been said, though, I must tell you I remember ZERO about the entertainment on the one Oceania cruise we took. I remember plenty about the food and about the ports we visited (Mediterranean, so of course very port-intensive), and even about the bridge game we enjoyed. That was 2014. We had a fun post-cruise trip to Cappadocia.

Oh...oops! I misread and thought you meant Oceania.

 

I enjoyed the entertainment when I cruised the Oceania Regatta. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was worth seeing.

[Leejnd4]

36 minutes ago, bitob said:

That’s because entertainment on Oceania is utterly forgettable. Awful is a good adjective

I didn't find it to be awful. It wasn't as fabulous as some other cruise lines, but I enjoyed it.

[FlyerTalker]

12 hours ago, bitob said:

That’s because entertainment on Oceania is utterly forgettable. Awful is a good adjective

 

Inconsistent might be a better adjective - for many of the cruiselines, be they luxury, premium, mass market or whatever.

 

There have even been the occasional duds on OC.  Of course, they were never booked again, but no line is 100% anything.

 

 

[vistaman]

For myself  : I have to search for "low single sup "  ,  then cruises maximum 9 days in view of a medical condition ,  then not too complicated  flights and for sure not changing in the US as a European  and SB is out of the question.🤑

Still doing Hapag Lloyd  - not all in and  no casino ,   I did several  SS and one Regent  , several othersbooked  and 2 cruises on Explora . Wait and see if it is real luxury (  and the hefty extra for the gastro restaurant ) house Champagne Moet and welcome Veuve C   announced so Explora must have a good agreement with LVMH 

All those companies have a few  aspects of  not so luxurious items : ranging from  cheap and sour  complimentary Champagne , no fresh orange juice ,  late embarkation , extremely early disembarkation   , poor choice of mineral waters aside 20 wodka's 😄  , poor canapes  

as a single i cannot afford Ritz C and Scenic ... 

a one week on new C is booked for 2024     also wait and see ...  

i think i will not repeat my annual "cheap cruise" on the better part of mega ships  Retreat Yacht Club or similar. 

 

 

[bitob]

2 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Inconsistent might be a better adjective - for many of the cruiselines, be they luxury, premium, mass market or whatever.

 

There have even been the occasional duds on OC.  Of course, they were never booked again, but no line is 100% anything.

 

 

15 cruises on Oceania. Imo consistently awful 😞 

 

in fact that’s why we were wowed on oc. 
entertainment

i could have lived without the ventriloquist but the rest was good to great 

Edited May 12, 2023 by bitob

[Keith1010]

So I have to ask.....

 

Why after three cruises if it was consistently awful did you cruise 15 times??????????  

 

[bitob]

29 minutes ago, Keith1010 said:

So I have to ask.....

 

Why after three cruises if it was consistently awful did you cruise 15 times??????????  

 

We were a group of friends who cruised together )we met on Oceania)

great food. Great port intensive itineraries. Up early every day for private tours. We did not care about entertainment then. 

 

now we are older. Sea days appealing. Lectures and entertainment more important. We can stay up late and sleep in. No more 8 hour tours 

only entertainment was awful. Oceania cruises were fine 

oceania now however has declined. Ask Paul mco who is with us on seabourn now and recently took his free cruise (number 21). Btw paul never goes to a show on any ship. Lol

 

btw. Entertainment on seabourn is fabulous. Never used to be. This is a cruise without sea days (21 days ) and we will not miss a show. Producer is belinda king enterprises. Wow

I will add this is 21 days of cruising small islands in Greece and Turkey. Today we are in kas.yesterday Bodrum. Tomorrow paphos. 

itinerary is off the charts fabulous. Only seabourn does it. Not same old same old ports 

Edited May 12, 2023 by bitob

[Keith1010]

So a reminder

13 minutes ago, bitob said:

 

now we are older. Sea days appealing. Lectures and entertainment more important. We can stay up late and sleep in. No more 8 hour tours 

 

So a reminder why each person might have a different take on what is appealing about a cruise line. Even a person might change overtime not only based on age but on a range of factors.

 

So what one person hates another person might love. Port days versus sea days is just one of many examples. Even entertainment is one.  What some liked in their teens and twenties today they might hate if they were much older. Of course other than The Beatles.

 

 

[bitob]

3 minutes ago, Keith1010 said:

So a reminder

So a reminder why each person might have a different take on what is appealing about a cruise line. Even a person might change overtime not only based on age but on a range of factors.

 

So what one person hates another person might love. Port days versus sea days is just one of many examples. Even entertainment is one.  What some liked in their teens and twenties today they might hate if they were much older. Of course other than The Beatles.

 

 

Exactly. When I was younger and less well travelled seeing as much as I could at every stop was the priority. Now I am happy to survive a 4 hour private tour. We almost never book a cruise without sea days. This one had such an irresistible itinerary that we booked anyway. I want to play bridge attend good lectures and see good shows. That’s what sea days offer. At some ports we might stay on the ship 

 

we were docked next to one of the virgin ships the other day. Annoying rock music blasting from top deck. I’m sure their younger crowd loves it. We can’t stand the racket

 

[ChatKat in Ca.]

On 5/11/2023 at 11:39 AM, bitob said:

That’s because entertainment on Oceania is utterly forgettable. Awful is a good adjective

I had a few Oceania Cruises back before OC.  One night there was a comic that was so bad.  He kept turning his  back to the audience and every time he did, the people would quickly leave.  Everyone was outside the theater watching the people leave.  That was the most fun awful show ever.

There were a few winners but with the heavy port itineraries and the group private tours we took, earlier to bed.

[Cruiseswithfamilyornot]

I have been on two Oceania cruises and I have to agree with others here that their entertainment is not as good as others.  I found it to be subpar as well.  That said, I am going on Oceania Vista in a few months and they have made a big deal about their improved entertainment for that ship and curious to see if that is the case.

 

Back to OP question, with old Crystal's demise I have been trying other lines out again.  Regent would be my favorite one thus far.  I was shocked that I liked the service as much as I did on old Crystal and the food was very good, entertainment and most things relatively comparable.  The only big negative for me on Regent was the included excursions were sub par(some, not most) and based on pricing that should not be.  I am excited to try Explora Journeys based on all I read.  

[bitob]

15 hours ago, Cruiseswithfamilyornot said:

I have been on two Oceania cruises and I have to agree with others here that their entertainment is not as good as others.  I found it to be subpar as well.  That said, I am going on Oceania Vista in a few months and they have made a big deal about their improved entertainment for that ship and curious to see if that is the case.

 

Back to OP question, with old Crystal's demise I have been trying other lines out again.  Regent would be my favorite one thus far.  I was shocked that I liked the service as much as I did on old Crystal and the food was very good, entertainment and most things relatively comparable.  The only big negative for me on Regent was the included excursions were sub par(some, not most) and based on pricing that should not be.  I am excited to try Explora Journeys based on all I read.  

Agree

excursions are awful but the rest is great

we will do private tours going forward

 

we also booked an explora cruise —for 2025. Looks incredible 

[AtA]

On 5/11/2023 at 2:39 PM, bitob said:

That’s because entertainment on Oceania is utterly forgettable. Awful is a good adjective

I'm sorry but it's false advertising calling it entertainment on Oceania.

[Leejnd4]

14 hours ago, AtA said:

I'm sorry but it's false advertising calling it entertainment on Oceania.

I'll be sure to tell my dear friend's son, who was a singer/dancer on Regatta, what you thought about his efforts to entertain people. All the months of learning the routines, rehearsals, and then shows...turns out they weren't entertaining at all. I know he THOUGHT he was doing a good job! But I guess the fact that he was one of the actors in the movie Pitch Perfect doesn't at all mean he has any talent.

 

I enjoyed the shows on Oceania. While admittedly not as professional as some other lines, they were still fun to watch. But apparently I don't really know what entertainment is.

[bitob]

23 minutes ago, Leejnd4 said:

I'll be sure to tell my dear friend's son, who was a singer/dancer on Regatta, what you thought about his efforts to entertain people. All the months of learning the routines, rehearsals, and then shows...turns out they weren't entertaining at all. I know he THOUGHT he was doing a good job! But I guess the fact that he was one of the actors in the movie Pitch Perfect doesn't at all mean he has any talent.

 

I enjoyed the shows on Oceania. While admittedly not as professional as some other lines, they were still fun to watch. But apparently I don't really know what entertainment is.

It is not personal about individuals. There were some very talented cast members from time to time. But one talented person cannot compensate for an overall unspectacular cast and an awful production from concept to choreography to costumes 

 

on crystal, silversea and now on seabourn there has been extraordinary talent plus great professional productions. Huge difference 

[Leejnd4]

2 minutes ago, bitob said:

It is not personal about individuals. There were some very talented cast members from time to time. But one talented person cannot compensate for an overall unspectacular cast and an awful production from concept to choreography to costumes 

 

on crystal, silversea and now on seabourn there has been extraordinary talent plus great professional productions. Huge difference 

You make a good point. It's not just about the performers, it's about the whole production. And I admit I've only been on one Oceania cruise. And I admit to feeling a bit of motherly defensiveness over my friend's son. And now I have to ruefully admit that I did exactly what I talked about in another thread - I made a snarky comment. BAD LeeAnne! 

 

Honestly tho, I do not recall the entertainment on Oceania being so awful. In my recollection the production shows were no worse than ones I've seen on many other lines. The magician was horrific, but the production shows were great, IMO.

[AtA]

On 5/18/2023 at 1:17 PM, Leejnd4 said:

I'll be sure to tell my dear friend's son, who was a singer/dancer on Regatta, what you thought about his efforts to entertain people. All the months of learning the routines, rehearsals, and then shows...turns out they weren't entertaining at all. I know he THOUGHT he was doing a good job! But I guess the fact that he was one of the actors in the movie Pitch Perfect doesn't at all mean he has any talent.

 

I enjoyed the shows on Oceania. While admittedly not as professional as some other lines, they were still fun to watch. But apparently I don't really know what entertainment is.

While your dear friend's son may be talented, the productions were no better than high school performances. No matter how talented he is, he can't make up for awful productions.

[Keith1010]

Always interesting about people's views about luxury.

 

For the long timers do you remember when on Crystal you had to pay for not only wine and spirits but for sodas, and bottled water.  I remember some asked is that Luxury yet we found it to be a luxurious product.  While by 2003 soda and bottled water was included it took many years for wine and spirits to be included and gratuities.  So I know some said it's not a luxury product.

 

Some say Viking is luxury. Some say high end premium.  In the end, if some think it's luxury and some don't so it goes.

 

Interesting that the OP asked about luxury lines and now there is a debate about the quality of entertainment on Oceana.

 

Some love sailing Seabourn and some hate it.  Have a friend who just came off Seabourn and it was not to their liking.  Someone else who was on it not too long ago from this board really likes it. Who is right. They both are. It's their opinion.

 

Yes, welcome to CC.  When it comes to subjective items in the end the only opinion that matters is your own no different than.

 

Which phone is better Apple or Android?

 

Which car is more luxurious BMW, Mercedes or Lexus?

 

Which brand is better Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons?

 

Which cruise line is more luxurious Seabourn, Silversea or former Crystal?

 

It's all opinion.

 

What is fact is most of the crew is coming back. LOL.  I had to stick that in somewhere.

 

Bottom line we all view luxury a bit differently and we all have our own opinions about the products that we like better than others. Is anyone wrong in their opinion.  I think not.

 

Keith

[Mr Luxury]

1 hour ago, Keith1010 said:

Always interesting about people's views about luxury.

 

For the long timers do you remember when on Crystal you had to pay for not only wine and spirits but for sodas, and bottled water.  I remember some asked is that Luxury yet we found it to be a luxurious product.  While by 2003 soda and bottled water was included it took many years for wine and spirits to be included and gratuities.  So I know some said it's not a luxury product.

 

Some say Viking is luxury. Some say high end premium.  In the end, if some think it's luxury and some don't so it goes.

 

Interesting that the OP asked about luxury lines and now there is a debate about the quality of entertainment on Oceana.

 

Some love sailing Seabourn and some hate it.  Have a friend who just came off Seabourn and it was not to their liking.  Someone else who was on it not too long ago from this board really likes it. Who is right. They both are. It's their opinion.

 

Yes, welcome to CC.  When it comes to subjective items in the end the only opinion that matters is your own no different than.

 

Which phone is better Apple or Android?

 

Which car is more luxurious BMW, Mercedes or Lexus?

 

Which brand is better Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons?

 

Which cruise line is more luxurious Seabourn, Silversea or former Crystal?

 

It's all opinion.

 

What is fact is most of the crew is coming back. LOL.  I had to stick that in somewhere.

 

Bottom line we all view luxury a bit differently and we all have our own opinions about the products that we like better than others. Is anyone wrong in their opinion.  I think not.

 

Keith

I remember seeing this post many times before Keith.

Still using the same three cars for comparison.😁

As you say we are all right on these boards.

It's the great thing about choice and that we are all different.

Not long to wait now. 

Happy sailing.

[Keith1010]

Just now, Mr Luxury said:

I remember seeing this post many times before Keith.

Still using the same three cars for comparison.😁

As you say we are all right on these boards.

It's the great thing about choice and that we are all different.

Not long to wait now. 

Happy sailing.

Yes, but you mean the analogy many times. Post is new.  

 

Analogy is good example of the only opinion that matters is our own.

 

As to being right depends on whether it is fact base or opinion but we've been through this one many times recently.

 

[Mr Luxury]

Just now, Keith1010 said:

Yes, but you mean the analogy many times. Post is new.  

 

Analogy is good example of the only opinion that matters is our own.

 

As to being right depends on whether it is fact base or opinion but we've been through this one many times recently.

 

Fact or opinion doesn't matter as you say the only thing that matters is our own opinion.

Have a great weekend at home.

[Keith1010]

2 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

Fact or opinion doesn't matter as you say the only thing that matters is our own opinion.

Have a great weekend at home.

Facts matter. Words matter.

Quite different than which ice cream you like better or which cruise line you "think" is luxurious".

 

Cheers

[lincslady]

Sadly we haven't all got terribly rich friends, so these lines are our next best thing.

[Texas Tillie]

Last night when I couldn't sleep I was looking around the internet. Decided to check Heritage Group. I had no idea that Manfredi was involved in so many different businesses not travel related. One of his businesses is a "luxury" lingerie company. I guess a $500 bra and $250 panties that don't even cover the possibilities handmade from silk and lace could be considered luxury. I'd find them downright uncomfortable! And with at least those ladies here I know personally, all would look hilarious in them!

So, I guess Keith is right, luxury is in the eye of the beholder!

 

Patty