For those who have switched from Celebrity to Oceania…

[ak1004]

29 minutes ago, Treasure Hunter said:

I always wanted to try Crystal. So we shall see. Supposedly both ships have been totally renovated and the itinerary is just what we wanted. 

 

That's what they say. Some guests say that it's not entirely correct. And in any case, you cannot redo everything 100%. And the entry level cabins are still small.

[Treasure Hunter]

But the food ( I hope) will be better and for sure the entertainment will. We have an Aquamarine Suite ( we have been staying in the Retreat the last few years and hate the Luminae menu.) we will try it. We love different lines for different reasons. Oceania for itineraries and trivia. Foods good too. NCL Haven because we get great entertainment and big casino with great service. And Princess because it was our first cruise in 1990 and I still get a thrill at the love boat theme. 

[Benthayer Gonbak]

On 1/23/2024 at 12:11 PM, Jim_Iain said:

Enjoying all of the comparisons.    We have booked our first Oceania and working on booking another.

 

I know it is a different smaller experience but I think it may be a fit for us after sailing Celebrity Exclusively in Suites for 23 years.  

Jim I hope you can manage without an app!  Last time we were on Oceania their policy was enjoy not being tethered to an electronic device!  We loved it.  

[Benthayer Gonbak]

On 1/24/2024 at 12:42 PM, Jim_Iain said:

 

I've traveled internationally all my work life and very comfortable shopping air on my own and really don't need transfers or hotels.   I of course compare the price the Oceania prices to what I can book on my own and have not found their pricing advantageous for us.  

 

I'm sure others enjoy one stop shopping and not interested in doing it themselves.   I on the other hand, like control of my travel and enjoy the planning process.  I think I enjoy the planning anticipation as much as the cruise.

A travel agent can have access to consolidator rates even if you research first and pick a couple of flights, they can sometimes beat the airline websites! 

[Jim_Iain]

11 hours ago, maggie.1008 said:

Hi Jim,

 have always followed along with your travels. So glad you are considering Oceania. I light their O class ships. I plan on booking the Vista next year. I am a light sleeper so hopefully the thin walls won’t be a problem. 
I only have one more cruise on Celebrity booked for this summer in Alaska. 
I will also look into the Regent Grandeur. 
I still hold out hope for Celebrity after 35 cruises with them. 
We were in. CS suite las month and had great butler and service. 
Only downside is we don’t care for the menu in Luminae and enjoy Blu more. 
Cheers, Heather 

 

Well I guess we are forging full steam ahead.   I just booked our 2nd Oceania cruise.   Initially I booked Vista from Istanbul to Barcelona but that isn't until late 2025.  

We really wanted to try them out in between a B2B on Celebrity Solstice Sydney to Vancouver in April and a Combination Cunard/Celebrity Silhouette TA in October / November.   

 

After creating a spreadsheet with our current bookings I narrowed it down to either a Oceania Boston to Montreal and a Alaska Vancouver / LAX.    To cut down on any more long haul flights we settled on the Alaska LAX one.     My agent is currently on the Icon OTC but said he is also working from the ship.    Hopefully he will be able to book it tomorrow.  

[cluso]

9 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

After creating a spreadsheet with our current bookings I narrowed it down to either a Oceania Boston to Montreal and a Alaska Vancouver / LAX.    To cut down on any more long haul flights we settled on the Alaska LAX one.     My agent is currently on the Icon OTC but said he is also working from the ship.    Hopefully he will be able to book it tomorrow.  

 

Awesome!  Hoping to finally meet you two on board.  We are doing the 12-day cruise, spending some time in Vancouver first.  We enjoy that city.

Kim

[Sibsie]

We’re currently on Vista. Our first O cruise after being Retreat loyalists. 
 

It’s a very different vibe. A *lot*
more sedate and not as diverse. The bars have been dead after 9pm. At 55 I feel very young compared to the other pax though there are a few children on the ship.  We’re not party people by any means but enjoy a chat with other people but haven’t got talking to anyone so far. I’m English and husband is American. Haven’t heard any accents other than American. 
 

 We’re in a PH1 which is nicer than a sky suite but the butlers aren’t as proactive. On X I couldn’t leave the room without someone asking me if I need something. I do like that you can order room service from any of the restaurants. We did precisely that on Super Bowl night and had a great meal from Ember.  We had dinner at Polo last night which was a very good experience. If you’re a foodie you’ll love it. 
 

The ship is lovely and we’re really enjoying a smaller ship. On the sea day every lounger was taken from early and the pool was packed. We did miss having the retreat deck but have a lovely extended balcony with two loungers and a table and chairs.  The ship is full but the only time you’d notice it is around the pool.  Service is prompt but we’ve noticed quite a few people demonstrating a lack of patience and being outright rude to the staff if they have to wait a few minutes. 
 

Overall we’re really liking the change of pace and don’t want to go back to big ships. We’ve booked a transpac on Nautica which is even smaller. We’re going to try Seabourn next. The days of being loyal to any one brand are done for us. 

Edited February 13 by Sibsie

[Harters]

1 hour ago, Sibsie said:

We’ve booked a transpac on Nautica which is even smaller.

We sailed on Nautica last summer. It was fine, although having previously been on Marina, I think I prefer the larger ships, so am looking forward to Vista in a few weeks. Just a feeling of more space and, of course, there's the extra speciality dining options. 

 

Yes, the customer base is overwhelmingly North American. On the Nautica trip, there were only 66 Britons -  and they were the third largest group on board. And, unsurprisingly, food is geared to American tastes, just as it should be. Even though this was a European cruise, it sort of felt like we were on a trip to the States. 

Edited February 13 by Harters

[Sibsie]

22 minutes ago, Harters said:

We sailed on Nautica last summer. It was fine, although having previously been on Marina, I think I prefer the larger ships, so am looking forward to Vista in a few weeks. Just a feeling of more space and, of course, there's the extra speciality dining options. 

 

Yes, the customer base is overwhelmingly North American. On the Nautica trip, there were only 66 Britons -  and they were the third largest group on board. And, unsurprisingly, food is geared to American tastes, just as it should be. Even though this was a European cruise, it sort of felt like we were on a trip to the States. 

Our only disappointment has been Terraces the buffet. If you like breakfast defo give it a swerve and stick to main dining room or room service. We both agreed that it was the worst breakfast we’ve ever had. 

[jonthomas]

We love the Terrace and breakfast is wonderful. That just shows how different opinions can be.

We left Celeb just before covid after over 50 cruises and have never looked back. Love O.

However next Christmas we are going to be on the Celeb Reflection with our kids. They dont want the mega ships of RCI...so we will be back on C. Will enjoy it because we are with our family but it will be interesting as we have reached level 10 on O in 3 years to be back on a C ship. We are elite plus, but the benefits of loyalty do not compare to O. 

[Oceangoer2]

2 hours ago, Sibsie said:

We’re currently on Vista. Our first O cruise after being Retreat loyalists. 
 

It’s a very different vibe. A *lot*
more sedate and not as diverse. The bars have been dead after 9pm. At 55 I feel very young compared to the other pax though there are a few children on the ship.  We’re not party people by any means but enjoy a chat with other people but haven’t got talking to anyone so far. I’m English and husband is American. Haven’t heard any accents other than American. 
 

 We’re in a PH1 which is nicer than a sky suite but the butlers aren’t as proactive. On X I couldn’t leave the room without someone asking me if I need something. I do like that you can order room service from any of the restaurants. We did precisely that on Super Bowl night and had a great meal from Ember.  We had dinner at Polo last night which was a very good experience. If you’re a foodie you’ll love it. 
 

The ship is lovely and we’re really enjoying a smaller ship. On the sea day every lounger was taken from early and the pool was packed. We did miss having the retreat deck but have a lovely extended balcony with two loungers and a table and chairs.  The ship is full but the only time you’d notice it is around the pool.  Service is prompt but we’ve noticed quite a few people demonstrating a lack of patience and being outright rude to the staff if they have to wait a few minutes. 
 

Overall we’re really liking the change of pace and don’t want to go back to big ships. We’ve booked a transpac on Nautica which is even smaller. We’re going to try Seabourn next. The days of being loyal to any one brand are done for us. 

Thanks for your comments.  We're considering an O cruise, but between O and X we're finding similarities in reviews, good and not so good.  Hard to let go of the familiar being E+ on X.  Our close friends who are dedicated O patrons are on board with you (17 day cruise) but first for them on Vista.  They will love it as they do all their O cruises.  Only downside for (one of) them on a Regatta 28 day last year was different food items they really like ran out. Maybe it's a male species complaint?😉

[Sibsie]

1 hour ago, jonthomas said:

We love the Terrace and breakfast is wonderful. That just shows how different opinions can be.

We left Celeb just before covid after over 50 cruises and have never looked back. Love O.

However next Christmas we are going to be on the Celeb Reflection with our kids. They dont want the mega ships of RCI...so we will be back on C. Will enjoy it because we are with our family but it will be interesting as we have reached level 10 on O in 3 years to be back on a C ship. We are elite plus, but the benefits of loyalty do not compare to O. 

We did a TA on Reflection and it remains our fav vacation. Love that ship and crew. You’ll have a great time. 

[Gracie115]

4 hours ago, Sibsie said:

We’re currently on Vista. Our first O cruise after being Retreat loyalists. 
 

It’s a very different vibe. A *lot*
more sedate and not as diverse. The bars have been dead after 9pm. At 55 I feel very young compared to the other pax though there are a few children on the ship.  We’re not party people by any means but enjoy a chat with other people but haven’t got talking to anyone so far. I’m English and husband is American. Haven’t heard any accents other than American. 
 

 We’re in a PH1 which is nicer than a sky suite but the butlers aren’t as proactive. On X I couldn’t leave the room without someone asking me if I need something. I do like that you can order room service from any of the restaurants. We did precisely that on Super Bowl night and had a great meal from Ember.  We had dinner at Polo last night which was a very good experience. If you’re a foodie you’ll love it. 
 

The ship is lovely and we’re really enjoying a smaller ship. On the sea day every lounger was taken from early and the pool was packed. We did miss having the retreat deck but have a lovely extended balcony with two loungers and a table and chairs.  The ship is full but the only time you’d notice it is around the pool.  Service is prompt but we’ve noticed quite a few people demonstrating a lack of patience and being outright rude to the staff if they have to wait a few minutes. 
 

Overall we’re really liking the change of pace and don’t want to go back to big ships. We’ve booked a transpac on Nautica which is even smaller. We’re going to try Seabourn next. The days of being loyal to any one brand are done for us. 

 

Have you been to the Suites only area (PH and above) that you access through the spa?  It's a lovely area and we never had a problem finding lounge chairs.  Nice whirlpool tube there too.

[MEFIowa]

18 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

Have you been to the Suites only area (PH and above) that you access through the spa?  It's a lovely area and we never had a problem finding lounge chairs.  Nice whirlpool tube there too.

Concierge cabins also have access to the therapy pool and area forward, too. The big therapy pool on Riviera is quite nice. (Others can pay to access.)

[ORV]

3 hours ago, Harters said:

We sailed on Nautica last summer. It was fine, although having previously been on Marina, I think I prefer the larger ships, so am looking forward to Vista in a few weeks. Just a feeling of more space and, of course, there's the extra speciality dining options. 

 

Yes, the customer base is overwhelmingly North American. On the Nautica trip, there were only 66 Britons -  and they were the third largest group on board. And, unsurprisingly, food is geared to American tastes, just as it should be. Even though this was a European cruise, it sort of felt like we were on a trip to the States. 

Oddly enough they announced that there are 66 Britons on board our cruise. Maybe that’s all they allow per cruise. I do think I’ve met 62 of them. 

[Harters]

3 minutes ago, ORV said:

Maybe that’s all they allow per cruise

Probably a good idea. 

[MEFIowa]

17 minutes ago, ORV said:

Oddly enough they announced that there are 66 Britons on board our cruise. Maybe that’s all they allow per cruise. I do think I’ve met 62 of them. 

I felt like an "honorary Brit" reading the Daily Telegraph, The Sun and something else British daily in the Riviera concierge lounge last Nov. (Do any of the papers still have the page 2 women?)

 

There were enough Canadians on Riviera last Nov 2023 in the Med, the #2 nationality, that they get their own edition of the Currents. And I think there was one Canadian newspaper daily in the Concierge Lounge (the National Post?).

 

But obviously, I love newspapers. As do Brits!

[Harters]

12 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

Do any of the papers still have the page 2 women?)

Perhaps surprisingly, it's only in very recent years that the Sun and the Star stopped having photos of scantily dressed women on its pages. 

Edited February 13 by Harters

[EJL2023]

34 minutes ago, ORV said:

Oddly enough they announced that there are 66 Britons on board our cruise. Maybe that’s all they allow per cruise. I do think I’ve met 62 of them. 

This is funny, as 66 was also the number of Brits announced on our recent cruise on Sirena! 🤔

[Sibsie]

2 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

 

Have you been to the Suites only area (PH and above) that you access through the spa?  It's a lovely area and we never had a problem finding lounge chairs.  Nice whirlpool tube there too.

We went there today but the chair hogs had been out in full force. There were only about 6 people there for the hour we spent but every lounger had books or belongings on them. Must be an ongoing issue as the CD has been making announcements for people not to do it. Loved the hot tub and pool. 

[Oceangoer2]

4 hours ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Thanks for your comments.  We're considering an O cruise, but between O and X we're finding similarities in reviews, good and not so good.  Hard to let go of the familiar being E+ on X.  Our close friends who are dedicated O patrons are on board with you (17 day cruise) but first for them on Vista.  They will love it as they do all their O cruises.  Only downside for (one of) them on a Regatta 28 day last year was different food items they really like ran out. Maybe it's a male species complaint?😉

oooops!....I meant they sailed on Riviera not Regatta.

[DENIE]

After several Celebrity cruises pre-Covid, we decided to try something different and booked an Oceania cruise in 2022.  We've not looked back.  Just completed our 2nd cruise (Vista) last month, and booked a 2025 Transatlantic (Also Vista - Barcelona to Miami).  While on-board the Vista last month, we purchased a FCC for a cruise itinerary we are looking for in 2026.  

 

I have to say Celebrity did nothing to "lose" our business, but we have come to really appreciate the smaller, more intimate ships and the amenities they offer.  We sailed on HAL (Koningsdam) a year ago December with friends (they picked the cruise), and we found ourselves preferring Oceania.

[keylimecake]

Thank you for all of the helpful and insightful comments and comparison to Celebrity.  We only book cruises in the Carribean and our last 4 cruises have been with Celebrity.  We were booked on Crystal which was cancelled a few days prior to sailing when they filed for bankruptcy.  

On Celebrity we only dined at Blu or speciality restuarants and loved the intimacy.   We are scheduled to sail on Sirena from the Panama Canal to Miami in March and all of the comments are so helpful as we prepare for a new experience.  Our TA was instrumental in convincing us to try O.  

I have already made some poor decisions not understanding the O culture and customs onboard.  I did not understand that most guests eat in the MDR and we can only schedule 2 reservations for Tuscan Steak prior to sailing.  

We also plan and schedule our own land tours/ plans in each port.  Thank you in advance for any and all suggestions for the O newbies!

[Harters]

20 hours ago, EJL2023 said:

This is funny, as 66 was also the number of Brits announced on our recent cruise on Sirena!

Well, three announcements is surely too many for it to be a co-incidentally accurate. I reckon they've just picked a random number and are sticking with it. Can't tell us apart.😀

 

Reminds me of our early trips to the States in the 80s and 90s, where few Americans would recognise our accents as being British. "You folks from New Zealand?" was most often asked. And no, my accent is nothing like a Kiwi one.  I think Americans now get a wider range of British TV programmes and realise that not everyone speaks with a London or southeast England accent. 

[Sibsie]

2 hours ago, keylimecake said:

Thank you for all of the helpful and insightful comments and comparison to Celebrity.  We only book cruises in the Carribean and our last 4 cruises have been with Celebrity.  We were booked on Crystal which was cancelled a few days prior to sailing when they filed for bankruptcy.  

On Celebrity we only dined at Blu or speciality restuarants and loved the intimacy.   We are scheduled to sail on Sirena from the Panama Canal to Miami in March and all of the comments are so helpful as we prepare for a new experience.  Our TA was instrumental in convincing us to try O.  

I have already made some poor decisions not understanding the O culture and customs onboard.  I did not understand that most guests eat in the MDR and we can only schedule 2 reservations for Tuscan Steak prior to sailing.  

We also plan and schedule our own land tours/ plans in each port.  Thank you in advance for any and all suggestions for the O newbies!

Make your dining reservations as soon as they open. We tried to get additional once onboard via our butler but never heard from him again so next time we’ll just bypass him next time and try and make additional with the restaurants themselves.