Celebrity Loyalists on their First Oceania Cruise, Vista July 23- Aug 02

[NCHPcruiser]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

I also plan on doing comparisons of Celebrity, Cunard and Oceania.  

I’m looking forward with great anticipation to reading your take with respect to O & X.   We are among the many Celebrity (Retreat) refugees trying other lines and taking our first O cruise (Riviera) in late September.  

Edited August 1 by NCHPcruiser
Grammatical error

[willidc]

Welcome to Oceania!

 

Riviera was also our first O cruise in 2012 on her third voyage.  Beautiful then and beautiful when we completed our 21st O cruise in Feb 2024.

 

Enjoy your cruise on Riviera!

[flviking]

Jim I am looking forward to your brand of reviews and comparisons. Your views and opinions often align with ours.  We are not double Zenith but we are Elite plus Retreat refugees with our first O cruise on Vista in December in PH.

[asnaleah]

@flviking, we too are elite plus/Retreat refugees sailing Vista in a PH in January. I would sure appreciate a quick review from you!

[Beagle5]

Thanks for taking the time to write this review. It looks like you had a wonderful cruise.

 

We have actually just gone in the other direction and have just returned from our first Celebrity cruise on the Equinox out of Barcelona.

We have loved Oceania and done 41 nights over 3 cruises on Riviera and Marina, but I'm afraid the Simply More pricing is a bit much for us, as one of us doesn't drink at all, and we avoid ship excursions. The current Oceania prices seem to be much higher than what we have previously paid.

 

Having not sailed Celebrity before we went on with an open mind, although I have read a lot of the disgruntled reports from long time Celebrity cruisers. Overall, we thought it was great and in some ways a better fit for our age group (54 and 59). Of course it has that mass market vibe and I wouldn't for a minute suggest the experience is comparable to Oceania. We sailed Aqua class and I would give the food a 7/10 (compared to 8.5 or 9 out of 10 for our Oceania cruises).

 

But the difference we can't ignore is price. Once I pre-paid for internet, one excursion, a dinner in Murano (first night half price offer!), the total cost for 2 people for our 9 night cruise was A$5,598. Celebrity cruises are sold inclusive of gratuities in Australia. Our shipboard account at the end was A$161 reflecting a bottle of wine and a few drinks I bought. That works out at A$5,759 or $640 per night ($320 per person per night).

 

By comparison Vista was sailing out of Barcelona on the same day, similar itinerary. A B4 on Vista for that 12 night cruise was priced at A$10,000 per person ($20,000 for the cabin). So that is A$833 per night per person. So the price difference in this case was overwhelming.

 

Whilst it was our first cruise on Celebrity we did get the Elite benefits because we are Diamond on RCCL (which we achieved after only 32 nights on RCCL, but that's another story). So the Elite benefits of happy hour drinks, laundry and proper coffee in the morning softened the blow at losing some of the Oceania inclusions.

 

I notice most of the Celebrity refugees are coming from the Retreat class and I totally understand that . The Retreat pricing is ridiculous, and I would much sooner stay in a B4 on Oceania that a suite on Celebrity. But if you are 'standard balcony' people like us then the current Celebrity pricing is pretty sharp.

 

We hope to sail Oceania again and perhaps in a few years when we are both retired and more flexible we can take advantage of the sales and offers more. But for the moment we are trying a few other lines (we also just did a fjords cruise on the Queen Anne in Club Balcony which was great but a different vibe again). We have another Celebrity cruise booked for Japan next year.

 

[dock]

We’re in Cappadoccia for 2 nights with a jam packed itinerary. 
Just got back from out Balloon flight - indescribable. I was terrified and had contemplated cancelling many times. 
 

Soo glad I didn’t .

But I digress lol. 
 

Dinner on Bozcaada day: We skipped Ember in favour of Terrace Cafe as we just wanted a simple meal. Who knew I’d get tired of fine dining lol.

Options were great. Indian Buffet was actually very good. Spice level was what I’d call mild but they have red chilli flakes available. Flavours were good fortunately lol, else I would’ve complained vociferously, considering executive chef is East Indian. 
 

Istanbul Overnight: 

Up early , light breakfast. We met our tour guide at 9am.

I booked a Private Tour through Ephesus Shuttle. 7- 7.5 hrs was the approximate timelime given.

We planned on using the Tram and Walking as I didn’t want to deal with the traffic. 
Our 3rd time in Istanbul so we wanted to see the main sights in the Old City.

Hippodrome, Topkapi( including Harem Section additional ticket needed to enter) Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia, Grand Bazaar ( indicated from the get go - just a cursory walk through as we’re not shopping).

 

Also was very firm in all communications , no carpets , ceramics, weaving, jewelry etc. Intimated that any deviation would impact tip. 
 

Also chose our lunch stop and cleared with guide that it was doable. Again I didn’t want to be taken to a relatives restaurant etc. 

Once Bitten twice shy is the adage we travel by in some countries. Turkey being one !

 

Guide was  on time, spoke good English, personable, pleasant  and very amenable. 
 

We started at Hippodrome then into Blue Mosque, followed by Topkapi , Harem section First - really interesting,rest of palace , Aya Sofia, lunch - Shezade Cag Kabab( on Luke Martin’s Vlog). Divine. 
C$25 . Highly recommend. 
We had to backtrack 3 tram stops from Old City but he didn’t mind as he had eaten there before. 
Therafter Grand Bazaar. 

Guide was informative without being too verbose.Sometimes I find guides tend to ramble on as it’s their passion, but we don’t necessarily need a history lesson or a dissertation on the sights. Our guide had just the right balance. 

 

After the Grand Bazaar , which he just did a 20 min walk through with us, providing some detail about its beginnings and architecture,  he did offer to show us traditional carpet weaving and ceramics. 
Red flag 😂. 
We politely declined. I said it was too hot and my feet were puffy. Ok lol TMI, but it was a valid reason. He was a nice guy and you can’t blame a guide for trying. I’m sure he and his company, get a cut of the sale. 

Total Time on tour : 6.5 hours ( the extra time they had allocated was probly becos of the carpet stop) 

 

Cost of tour US$137 pp.

Included Tram Tickets, entry into Aya Sofia and Topkapi with the Harem section.

We didn’t wait anywhere as crowds at both Blue Mosque ( free) and Topkapi were minimal by the time we got there and it seems guides had their own entrance. 
Aya Sofia as well only had a 3 min lineup to enter as had already pre purchased all  the entry tickets. The hold up was those people who didn’t have scarfs or shawls and needed to be handed one. 
 

Lunch not included.
 

He accompanied us back via tram to Galataport. We ambled the shopping complex.

Popped into Hafiz Mustafa for a coffee and then headed onboard. 
 

I highly recommend Ephesus Shuttle for Istanbul, but you need to be firm but polite and thereby not put yourself in a stressful situation with vendors. 

 

We saw many O Excursions and honestly I would not enjoy this city in a big group. 
Furthermore their tours were outrageously priced imo for Istanbul and did not include the Harem section, which should not be missed. 
 

Supper: pre dinner- Horizons. 
Then Terrace Cafe for dinner. 

Imo in ports like Istanbul and Santorini ( HK as well), one should eat Al fresco. How often would I get the chance to see the city go from dusk to dark. Magical. 

it’s been a tiring day in Cappadoccia so I’ll finish off with disembarkation and final thoughts in a few days.

 

We fly back to Istanbul tomorrow for 4 days, which I anticipate will be busy, but as we’ve done the major sites already, I’m hoping to just amble and soak in the sights and smells of the city. 

 

 

[ronrick1943]

Thank for taking the time, enjoyed reading your post.  Safe travels home.

[JoePDX]

Very nice review.  Thank you for taking the time to do it.  We will be on Vista for 24 nights in November and December.

 

Your photo of the sticky buns made me very happy.   They looked delicious!   🥰

 

Joe

[Jim_Iain]

On 8/1/2024 at 12:46 PM, flviking said:

Jim I am looking forward to your brand of reviews and comparisons. Your views and opinions often align with ours.  We are not double Zenith but we are Elite plus Retreat refugees with our first O cruise on Vista in December in PH.

Thanks -- in the next 3 months we will be doing an Ocania, Cunard and a Celebrity.   Should be interesting.    Cunard will be in Queens Grill and not an Upper Suite as they were sold out but I understand it could compare to a Sky Suite.

[flviking]

42 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks -- in the next 3 months we will be doing an Ocania, Cunard and a Celebrity.   Should be interesting.    Cunard will be in Queens Grill and not an Upper Suite as they were sold out but I understand it could compare to a Sky Suite.

Queens Grill is the top dining room I believe. Can't be too bad. Not really a Cunard candidate as I swore off the"uniform" after 30+ years in a coat and tie.  Now living in a small old Florida beach community the best I can do is my formal flip flops. Probably not a Cunard standard.  You've said you and Iain enjoy formal wear so you should have some very smart looking company.  I'll try the Oceania "country club casual".

[Jim_Iain]

14 minutes ago, flviking said:

Queens Grill is the top dining room I believe. Can't be too bad. Not really a Cunard candidate as I swore off the"uniform" after 30+ years in a coat and tie.  Now living in a small old Florida beach community the best I can do is my formal flip flops. Probably not a Cunard standard.  You've said you and Iain enjoy formal wear so you should have some very smart looking company.  I'll try the Oceania "country club casual".

I can understand.  

 

We  enjoy dressing up in Black Tie and Tux so not really a problem for us.   The main reason we chose Cunard was that the price during a sale came in pretty close to Business Class Airfare from SFO to Europe.   We figured we could enjoy a new experience and try Cunard for our first cruise with them.  

 

We ended up booking for 2025 also to Join Oceania Vista which will then match up with a Celebrity Lisbon to Buenos Aires.   This one may be an unfair comparison as we were able to book the Owner's Suite on Vista.  

[mauibabes]

@Jim_Iain

 Vista and the Owners Suite, OMG as that is an AMAZING Suite. We met some guests who were booked in it a year ago after FDR Jr vacated it and we “toured” their suite. My guess is whether Cunard or Celebrity, it will not be a fair comparison, that Suite is AWESOME.

ENJOY!!!!
Mauibabes

[NJ Gal]

Thank you all for your comments about Oceania. We are in the process of booking our first Oeania cruise on the New Allura.  Like so many of you, we are elite plus refugees of Celebrity retreat class having been on over 30 Celebrity cruises with a few more booked.  The cost of this cruise for two weeks is almost the same as our one week to Bermuda on Celebrity ( might be cancelling before final payment). 

In June, we took our whole family on a Royal Cabribbean cruise.  As we needed 4 cabins, we all had balconies.  The food in the main dining room was not good with limited poor selections.

There were lots of activities for our teen-age grandchildren and the crew tried very hard, but......🤥  

It is very helpful hearing about your experiences and comments about Oceania.   We do have a cabin being held and are thinking about giving a deposit later this week.  Any other thoughts or comments would be appreciated.  

 

 

[terrydtx]

15 minutes ago, NJ Gal said:

Thank you all for your comments about Oceania. We are in the process of booking our first Oeania cruise on the New Allura.  Like so many of you, we are elite plus refugees of Celebrity retreat class having been on over 30 Celebrity cruises with a few more booked.  The cost of this cruise for two weeks is almost the same as our one week to Bermuda on Celebrity ( might be cancelling before final payment). 

In June, we took our whole family on a Royal Cabribbean cruise.  As we needed 4 cabins, we all had balconies.  The food in the main dining room was not good with limited poor selections.

There were lots of activities for our teen-age grandchildren and the crew tried very hard, but......🤥  

It is very helpful hearing about your experiences and comments about Oceania.   We do have a cabin being held and are thinking about giving a deposit later this week.  Any other thoughts or comments would be appreciated.  

 

 

When you see Captains Club members who are Double Zenith like @Jim_Iain jumping ship, you know Celebrity has been in a one-way slide downhill with no relief in sight. 

[osandomir]

28 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

When you see Captains Club members who are Double Zenith like @Jim_Iain jumping ship, you know Celebrity has been in a one-way slide downhill with no relief in sight. 

But then it comes to the question why bookings on X and all other big ships cruise lines are at all times high. We don’t cruise that lines but maybe they know what they’re doing.

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, osandomir said:

But then it comes to the question why bookings on X and all other big ships cruise lines are at all times high. We don’t cruise that lines but maybe they know what they’re doing.

@osandomir AND Bingo!!!  I was super loyal to the NCL Haven.  When I say SUPER, not kidding.  From op-eds, to advice to friends to having emails to the key executives when things were both good and bad.  When I felt the price was going up and the quality/service was going down, I jumped ship.  Others jumped ship from other brands and ways of cruising.  Their reviews of the NCL Haven were as vibrant as my first ones.  It was new to them, it was different to them and they don't know what has been discontinued or delete.  My leaving did not effect the brand at all. 

 

Now I cruise on Oceania, Explora Journey and Crystal Cruises.  In the future, something tells me I will be open minded to cruise other brands maybe, just maybe Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection or Regents Seven Seas Cruises.  Who knows, but the days of being super loyal to one and only one brand is over.  The concept of raise the price but don't drop the quality seems so obvious.  The notion of raise the price and also DROP the quality simply does not make sense unless you are the brand and want more profit. I choose to be very selective where I spend my money.  My kids need to retire early with their inheritance i guess. Just my two cents.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment regardless of the cruise, brand or stateroom you choose.

[Jim_Iain]

6 hours ago, terrydtx said:

When you see Captains Club members who are Double Zenith like @Jim_Iain jumping ship, you know Celebrity has been in a one-way slide downhill with no relief in sight. 

That is kind of you Terry.   Reality is I believe that we have just grown apart.   Even as a Double Zenith I just no longer see the benefits of continuing to sail with Celebrity.   We are looking for changes in Food, Activities but more than anything else new destinations. 

 

Over the past couple years Celebrity has moved away from many of their exotic cruises to things like their private Island.    We absolutely would never do that cruise and after 26 years the Caribbean just isn't something we enjoy doing.

[Jim_Iain]

6 hours ago, osandomir said:

But then it comes to the question why bookings on X and all other big ships cruise lines are at all times high. We don’t cruise that lines but maybe they know what they’re doing.

 

I agree that RCL, Celebrity and many lines are booking solid and I'm happy for those that are enjoying these lines with Big Ships.  I've been a long time investor in RCL and love the return I've made on their stock.   They have to be doing something right.  

 

It is a personal opinion and I'm sure a perfect selection for a particular demographics.    I guess we are no longer that demographics.   We still have 2 bookings with them but no new bookings for 2025 and 2026.  

 

If we are wrong with our decision I'll honestly admit to it.  

[jonthomas]

17 hours ago, terrydtx said:

When you see Captains Club members who are Double Zenith like @Jim_Iain jumping ship, you know Celebrity has been in a one-way slide downhill with no relief in sight. 

Except that it offers kid programs. We take our grandkids on royal Carib and celeb. Would not think of taking them on O. Past celeb and royal cruisers should do the same.

We are diamond plus with RC and elite plus with celeb. Now have 10 cruises with O and not looking back, unless travelling with kids.

We also don't miss the hoopla, noise and party atmosphere of celeb. Recently it has been reported that there were loud, rude passengers affecting the enjoyment of others on O ships. Could it be that they brought that atmosphere from other cruiselines? 

Edited August 7 by jonthomas

[terrydtx]

16 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Except that it offers kid programs. We take our grandkids on royal Carib and celeb. Would not think of taking them on O. Past celeb and royal cruisers should do the same.

We are diamond plus with RC and elite plus with celeb. Now have 10 cruises with O and not looking back, unless travelling with kids.

We also don't miss the hoopla, noise and party atmosphere of celeb. Recently it has been reported that there were loud, rude passengers affecting the enjoyment of others on O ships. Could it be that they brought that atmosphere from other cruiselines? 

We would not take our Grandkids on Oceania and they all have cruised in the past with us on Celebrity and Holland and loved them. As our GKs are getting older, we are now doing land trips with them. Next summer we are taking our youngest grandson to the Big Island in Hawaii as he wants to see an active volcano. In 2026 we are taking all 3 of our GKs to Italy for a 14 day land trip to see all the places we love in Italy. Our 13-year-old granddaughter is already taking an online course to learn Italian before we go. Our 15 year old grandson loves art history and can't wait to see the renaissance art museums in Florence.

Edited August 7 by terrydtx

[Eloise4Ever]

18 hours ago, NJ Gal said:

Thank you all for your comments about Oceania. We are in the process of booking our first Oeania cruise on the New Allura.  Like so many of you, we are elite plus refugees of Celebrity retreat class having been on over 30 Celebrity cruises with a few more booked.  The cost of this cruise for two weeks is almost the same as our one week to Bermuda on Celebrity ( might be cancelling before final payment). 

In June, we took our whole family on a Royal Cabribbean cruise.  As we needed 4 cabins, we all had balconies.  The food in the main dining room was not good with limited poor selections.

There were lots of activities for our teen-age grandchildren and the crew tried very hard, but......🤥  

It is very helpful hearing about your experiences and comments about Oceania.   We do have a cabin being held and are thinking about giving a deposit later this week.  Any other thoughts or comments would be appreciated.  

 

We have enjoyed Celebrity Retreat but for us, Oceania feels like we are having the Retreat experience on the whole ship. We think the food on O is fantastic and love being able to dine in the specialty restaurants. The O class ships are beautiful and a perfect size.

 

The only thing you may miss from Celebrity is the nightlife. We have found it hard to adjust to the lack of late night entertainment on O but we're getting there.

 

As other posters have mentioned, children or teens would find O boring and many other lines cater for that cohort. But if you are party of adults, I think you will love O.

[dock]

Hi all, thought I’d give you our final thoughts on O.

 

Disembarking in Istanbul was one of the easiest we’ve ever had. 
Sure, it’s quite a walk through the port to get landside but passport control at 715am was a breeze. ( off course people could leave from 2am).No one in line. We booked a private transfer to IST with Istanbul Port Shuttle. 
 

We had to meet them outside the port but that was easy enough. 
Pick up your bags and go across the garage where all O buses are ms take the elevator up. 
 

Drivers and vehicles, both times were clean and drive excellently and did not use their cell phones while driving. ( a very common practice in Istanbul with some transfer drivers). When booking online in the comments section I also ensure to request Non Smoking Vehicle, Safe Driver who does not use cell while driving amd English speaking preferable.

 

We’ve had a couple traumatic experiences in Istanbul and Italy before, so lesson learned lol. 
 

We had a fabulous cruise on Vista. 
Food was great . Imo the same standard as SD on X. 
The food in all venues was far superior to Luminae. 
 

We do prefer the Luminae concept of a sit down breakfast, but adjusting to Terrace Cafe was fine and Aquamar does sit down service so we did that a couple mornings. 
 

Our Butler was great. More visible than our Retreat Butler( who did do what we requested of him, but didn’t check in everyday). 
 

Many of the crew seemed very new and lacked a bit of polish as opposed to the old guard we encountered  on Ascent.

Nitpicking now, but examples:

Room attendant - a bit tardy ie on day 1, I opened garbage bin to discover previous occupants garbage hadn’t been emptied. 
 

Later that evening when we were heading out, I said “ Hi , how are you”

 

Her answer : Eyeroll , I have two more cabins to clean and then I’m outta here”

🤣. Not rude , just inappropriate especially as ours was one of the two! 
There were various comments through the week that were a bit over familiar. 
She just didn’t seem to know there should be a boundary. 
Not rude, just needed more training. 
 

Excursions: no complaints. 
We may have lucked out that the ones we chose had very few participants and we had great guides. 
 

Entertainment: X is superior,but we knees that going in and we’re not that into production shows. Full disclosure though I missed Silent Disco lol.

Horizons was hopping at night past 1130 so it was not the quiet vibe others had mentioned. 
 

The band  and all singers were really talented. Comedian - okay. 
 

CD was a no for us. Julie was MIA. Saw her  twice. Didn’t find her personable. Did not create a vibe or camaraderie as  other CD’s I’m used to . Maybe I’m being overly critical and  don’t comprehend the role of an O CD as opposed to X, but  I prefer a Luigi type of CD. 
 

This cruise Im told was an aberration in terms of demographics. 
Personally, we would not take our grands on O( have Royal booked for July ‘25 with the entire family), but I had no issue with the numerous kids onboard ( most were kids being kids). 
I did however find it a problem when a little girl still in diapers was allowed into the pool. 

Pool attendants did not  ask parents to take her out. 

 

If the price, itinerary and time works for us, we will definitely book O, probably the larger,newer ships.

 

We are booked on Regent for a Panama Canal cruise and I am a bit concerned that we would get bored, but for now we will keep that reservation.
 

We haven’t totally eliminated Celebrity from our options but moving forward it will not be our go to cruise line.
 

Thank you to all who answered my numerous questions, it made for an unforgettable cruise and helped us manage our expectations.

 

Next on the horizon , 5 day QM2 in the fall.

Figured I’d dip my toe into Cunard with a 5 day a it was soo easy travelling without formal clothes on O.
Safe travels all.  
 

 

[terrydtx]

Thank you again for your review. I remember that long walk to the terminal entrance from our ship in Istanbul when we stooped there overnight in 2023. It was almost 100 degrees the two days we were there and it was so hot. There were people with walking issues and Celebrity had no wheelchairs or shuttles for that long walk and many on our cruise after doing it once wouldn't do it twice. At that time, I was having issues with my hip, and I had to stop a couple of times and sit for a few minutes.

Edited August 8 by terrydtx

[Redtravel]

We are elite plus on Celebrity.  After many cruises we got bored. Looking at same menus for years was dull.  It felt like been there, done that. We tried Oceania in 2018 and loved it. We took a few more Oceania cruises. In 2022, we opted to take Summit to Bermuda. During pandemic, it made sense. We could drive to Bayonne. Celebrity advertised reduced capacity, social distancing, etc.  Sadly, ship was packed, food was bland, shows were old, and my spouse came home with Covid.  That was the end to sailing on Celebrity.  We now sail on Oceania, Windstar,and  Viking,   2024 we are back to our before pandemic vacationing mode.  2 cruises on Oceania, 2 Viking, and 2 Windstar.  We enjoy different features on different cruise lines.  It avoids boredom.  We also prefer going to new places. 

[MEFIowa]

3 hours ago, dock said:

... This cruise I'm told was an aberration in terms of demographics....I had no issue with the numerous kids onboard (most were kids being kids). I did however find it a problem when a little girl still in diapers was allowed into the pool. Pool attendants did not ask parents to take her out....

Always fascinates me how O crew apparently aren't given the authority or support to enforce O's own rules and policies. Though, in general, O seems to disregard so many of her own rules and policies.

 

Was looking over the contract for our upcoming 22-night B2B on Sirena. Love this line:

 

"We do not provide services for the care, entertainment or supervision of children." (It also points out how those 15 and under cannot use the fitness center at all.)

 

O warns people up front (see the "Welcome Aboard" book) not to reserve chaise lounges by the pool and explicitly says staff will clear them of personal items. But from the reports here for some time, that isn't being done and some claim they can tip staff to reserve in violation of O's own guidance.