Considering alternatives to Oceania. Who should I be looking at?

[mauibabes]

If you book enough to meet the Your World 25% Discount minimum, you may find the overall price of excursions on O not to be excessive.  Personally we try to meet the Discount quality and add private tours for the rest of the port calls, that way we bring the overall cost way down. We did a 30 day TA from Southampton to Iceland to NYC and toured every port and had the cost per excursion down under an average of $80 each. I have to admit, it was Pre Covid so everything has changed since then. Discount minimums still work though and we will see what comes October 1. 
Mauibabes

[durberville]

6 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Also WS gives a credit for B2B cruises, ours was about a 12% discount. They have free unlimited laundry on longer cruises ….16 days if I recall correctly…for all cabin levels regardless of packages. I like to pack light and this is very nice. 
 

Oceania gives you the next level loyalty benefits on the cruise you earn them but WS doesn’t let them kick in until the next cruise after you earn them. And O gives you the onboard booking bonuses for cruises you book 30 days before boarding. WS only gives those bonuses while on board and for (I think) 60 days after. 

Thank you so much for this very thorough and useful comparison! I’m interested in a South Pacific itinerary and looking at Oceania, Windstar and Paul Gauguin. 🙂

[cruisingsfun]

Durberville, For French Polynesia, I’d choose Paul Gauguin without a doubt. We did a bucket list trip on them several years ago. We’ve been back 5 more times. It is really my happy place.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

9 hours ago, durberville said:

Thank you so much for this very thorough and useful comparison! I’m interested in a South Pacific itinerary and looking at Oceania, Windstar and Paul Gauguin. 🙂

You’re very welcome. I like both O and WS and they each have pros and cons.  So my decision on Greenland/Iceland has been pretty difficult.  

You’ve got all good choices for South Pacific so I’m sure you will find a great sailing to suit your needs. I hope your decision is easier than mine for Iceland!  When I booked our 2026 Tahiti 17 day sailing I really didn’t look around too much. I just went with WS. I liked the itinerary , the ship and felt I got a very fair price so I just booked it. I picked the twice the Tahiti with Tuomoto islands. But I’m eyeballing the sailing they have with the Marquesas.   

Another difference between WS and O is WS has a very modest $50 pp early (121 days or more out) cancelation fee compared to O’s $150 pp fee (181 days or more out). I just spoke to WS guy and he said he can request the $50 pp fee be waived but he can’t guarantee it. I have a 12 day Montreal to NYC in October that we might not take now that we are taking the Iceland voyage.  I’ll be asking my TA about the O fee soon as the total Iceland trip is inching up there in price and I might sacrifice my O western Caribbean for it. 

[Vineyard View]

I’ve looked at WS off and on over the years. We haven’t booked them primarily because they do not have balconies, except for the couple of suites. I fully understand and accept that this is not important to some, but we thoroughly enjoy ours. A French balcony just isn’t quite the same - again, for us.
I saw an announcement that their upcoming two new ships will have balconies though! 

[basenji56]

2 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

I’ve looked at WS off and on over the years. We haven’t booked them primarily because they do not have balconies, except for the couple of suites. I fully understand and accept that this is not important to some, but we thoroughly enjoy ours. A French balcony just isn’t quite the same - again, for us.
I saw an announcement that their upcoming two new ships will have balconies though! 

Real balconies are a big deal to me too. I spend many hours on my balcony whenever I cruise. 

[clo]

On 9/8/2024 at 4:53 AM, mlmdaisy said:

My perspective seems to be so different from most of the others posting here.  My cruise experience is based mostly on itineraries and the people we meet, rather than luxury amenities onboard. I don't need the same size bathroom as I have at home, or marble finishes.

 

I target off-peak dates when fewer tourists are at ports, and we avoid the most populated ones whenever possible.  If we have sea days, I like scheduled activities, and hope for something to gather with others in the evening, without being totally bored.

 

I've been on all the "regular" cruise lines, and have eaten well, at least some of the time, on all of them.  I spend little time in our cabins, so believe it or not, we're usually inside, in steerage.  On Atlas, we were located adjacent to the locker room, where parkas and boots are kept for Antarctic expeditions.  Inside we had the same bed, linens, toiletries, giant TV, etc.. that most others, spending thousands more, enjoyed up above.  Being prudent with cabin class allows us to take more vacations per year.  It's occurred to me that unless you have a butler, everything spent above the inside fare is profit for the cruise line.  We sometimes wonder if they break even on us, especially with generous perks.

 

This will probably alienate me from others, but I would just as soon be on a small Celebrity or NCL ship (if they still had those with <1000 passengers) sailing to the Grenadines or Roses, Spain, than be on a luxury vessel visiting St. Martin in January or Barcelona in July.  

When we were stlil working we lived below our means. And now we still do. Get to do more that way.

 

[clo]

17 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

Real balconies are a big deal to me too. I spend many hours on my balcony whenever I cruise. 

And I never do. That's what makes life interesting, doesn't it?

[kirtihk]

26 minutes ago, clo said:

And I never do. That's what makes life interesting, doesn't it?

Yes, an exterior area of a ship is a balcony, and 've always been able to find a private spot on a ship of any size.

[clo]

13 minutes ago, kirtihk said:

Yes, an exterior area of a ship is a balcony, and 've always been able to find a private spot on a ship of any size.

Absolutely. And more comfortable than the kind of chairs on cabin balconies. Ah well.

[goletans]

14 hours ago, cruisingsfun said:

For French Polynesia, I’d choose Paul Gauguin without a doubt.

Goes for us, too.

[Vineyard View]

Yes, it does make life interesting. And how very welcome to have the choices. 

[Hlitner]

On 9/5/2024 at 9:45 PM, jonthomas said:

 I have to go by what the majority say, the majority say the food is NOT better...read posts by AK...but of course very subjective...

Am currently on the Seabourn Encore, finishing up a 21 day cruise in Europe.  A few months ago we cruised on the O Vista for 35 days.  Overall, the food on both lines is quite good but we would give the edge to the Vista because it has more venues and menu options.  And, no question, that the included wine options on O were better than what we have experienced on this Seabourn cruise.  In fact, the issue of the included Seabourn wines, is often discussed on various blogs.

 

As to children, we have about 600 passengers here (which is a near-full ship) and I believe there are fewer than 5 children on the ship.  Seabourn does not have a real children's program, so this does seem to limit the number of folks who want to bring children onto this line.

 

Hank

[Vallesan]

53 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Am currently on the Seabourn Encore, finishing up a 21 day cruise in Europe.  A few months ago we cruised on the O Vista for 35 days.  Overall, the food on both lines is quite good but we would give the edge to the Vista because it has more venues and menu options.  And, no question, that the included wine options on O were better than what we have experienced on this Seabourn cruise.  In fact, the issue of the included Seabourn wines, is often discussed on various blogs.

 

As to children, we have about 600 passengers here (which is a near-full ship) and I believe there are fewer than 5 children on the ship.  Seabourn does not have a real children's program, so this does seem to limit the number of folks who want to bring children onto this line.

 

Hank

I agree with you about the food. We’ve not sailed on the Vista but do prefer the food venues on the Riviera and Marina to those on the Encore. As you say the food is much of a muchness.

 

When it comes to the wine offerings do you ask for alternatives that are more to you palate. We’ve  found on all the ‘premium/luxury’ lines that they will always ‘find’  alternatives if you ask. In fact back in 2018 we sailed on the Encore from Singapore to Dubai. The first lunch time we asked if they had Albariño but they didn't. The very next day at some port in the Andaman sea they took on board Albarinho  and we had it for the rest of the trip. Not sure that would happen now😄

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

 

 

[jonthomas]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Am currently on the Seabourn Encore, finishing up a 21 day cruise in Europe.  A few months ago we cruised on the O Vista for 35 days.  Overall, the food on both lines is quite good but we would give the edge to the Vista because it has more venues and menu options.  And, no question, that the included wine options on O were better than what we have experienced on this Seabourn cruise.  In fact, the issue of the included Seabourn wines, is often discussed on various blogs.

 

As to children, we have about 600 passengers here (which is a near-full ship) and I believe there are fewer than 5 children on the ship.  Seabourn does not have a real children's program, so this does seem to limit the number of folks who want to bring children onto this line.

 

Hank

Thank you for this.

[ak1004]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Am currently on the Seabourn Encore, finishing up a 21 day cruise in Europe.  A few months ago we cruised on the O Vista for 35 days.  Overall, the food on both lines is quite good but we would give the edge to the Vista because it has more venues and menu options.  And, no question, that the included wine options on O were better than what we have experienced on this Seabourn cruise.  In fact, the issue of the included Seabourn wines, is often discussed on various blogs.

 

As to children, we have about 600 passengers here (which is a near-full ship) and I believe there are fewer than 5 children on the ship.  Seabourn does not have a real children's program, so this does seem to limit the number of folks who want to bring children onto this line.

 

Hank

Except for food and wines, how would you compare SB and O in terms of overall experience?

 

We are boarding today our first SB cruise, will share my experience.

[Vineyard View]

44 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

When it comes to the wine offerings do you ask for alternatives that are more to you palate. We’ve  found on all the ‘premium/luxury’ lines that they will always ‘find’  alternatives if you ask. In fact back in 2018 we sailed on the Encore from Singapore to Dubai. The first lunch time we asked if they had Albariño but they didn't. The very next day at some port in the Andaman sea they took on board Albarinho  and we had it for the rest of the trip. Not sure that would happen now😄

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

 

 

You bring up a good point I had forgotten. When we sailed on Quest last year, we had asked about full bodies red wines at the beginning of the cruise when in the MDR. Two days later, we were approached by the server that they had brought on some lovely wines in one of our Croatia ports and, I believe it was 3 new red options he showed us, with one that stood out. They remembered we liked that red when we returned to the MDR, and made sure to have it available. They did bring on additional local wines at a couple more ports, so it was an interesting tasting journey. it was impressive. 
 

Currently there is some dissatisfaction on some of the ships with the wine selections. I am hoping that the input being sent to them,  helps that situation soon. 

Edited September 12 by Vineyard View

[Hlitner]

35 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:
 

Currently there is some dissatisfaction on some of the ships with the wine selections. I am hoping that the input being sent to them,  helps that situation soon. 

Of that we are too aware since we are now on the Encore.  I have watched DW reject two offered wines, which is a very rare thing.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Vallesan said:

I agree with you about the food. We’ve not sailed on the Vista but do prefer the food venues on the Riviera and Marina to those on the Encore. As you say the food is much of a muchness.

 

When it comes to the wine offerings do you ask for alternatives that are more to you palate. We’ve  found on all the ‘premium/luxury’ lines that they will always ‘find’  alternatives if you ask. In fact back in 2018 we sailed on the Encore from Singapore to Dubai. The first lunch time we asked if they had Albariño but they didn't. The very next day at some port in the Andaman sea they took on board Albarinho  and we had it for the rest of the trip. Not sure that would happen now😄

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

 

 

Yes, we do ask for alternatives which takes us from one vin ordinaries to another, with most being drinkable.  Such is life on luxury lines these days.  Unlike on O it is nearly impossible to get a list of what’s available.

[Vallesan]

38 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

You bring up a good point I had forgotten. When we sailed on Quest last year, we had asked about full bodies red wines at the beginning of the cruise when in the MDR. Two days later, we were approached by the server that they had brought on some lovely wines in one of our Croatia ports and, I believe it was 3 new red options he showed us, with one that stood out. They remembered we liked that red when we returned to the MDR, and made sure to have it available. They did bring on additional local wines at a couple more ports, so it was an interesting tasting journey. it was impressive. 
 

Currently there is some dissatisfaction on some of the ships with the wine selections. I am hoping that the input being sent to them,  helps that situation soon. 

I do think that often people ‘just put up with’ what is offered and don’t think to ‘ask’ for alternatives. My suggestion is if you are not happy with the ‘offered’ wines PLEASE SPEAK UP. If you don’t ask you won’t get!

[Vallesan]

3 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Yes, we do ask for alternatives which takes us from one vin ordinaries to another, with most being drinkable.  Such is life on luxury lines these days.  Unlike on O it is nearly impossible to get a list of what’s available.

Oh dear!  
 

Yes, ‘life on a luxury cruise line’ may, or may not be what it used to be but it’s still a damned site better than not cruising at all!!!

[FeliciaLee]

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

Except for food and wines, how would you compare SB and O in terms of overall experience?

 

We are boarding today our first SB cruise, will share my experience.

Not Hank, but we have 2 relatively recent Oceania & 1 Seabourn cruise.

 

Overall: Oceania

 

Seabourn doesn't have any casual options for dinner and starts much later than we would like. Seabourn has few onboard activities (makes O look like a plethora of non-stop fun).

 

The very best things we loved about Seabourn were: day at the beach (not to be missed), caviar (if that is your thing), warm passengers and crew (much like O), Earth and Ocean venue, fried chicken night at the buffet, nice cabins, tough trivia.

 

Have a great cruise!!!!

[Hlitner]

15 minutes ago, FeliciaLee said:

Not Hank, but we have 2 relatively recent Oceania & 1 Seabourn cruise.

 

Overall: Oceania

 

Seabourn doesn't have any casual options for dinner and starts much later than we would like. Seabourn has few onboard activities (makes O look like a plethora of non-stop fun).

 

The very best things we loved about Seabourn were: day at the beach (not to be missed), caviar (if that is your thing), warm passengers and crew (much like O), Earth and Ocean venue, fried chicken night at the buffet, nice cabins, tough trivia.

 

Have a great cruise!!!!

At dinner on Seabourn, the Colonnade, Solis and Earth Ocean at the Patio,  are always smart casual.  It is only The Restaurant that has formal nights and a somewhat stricter smart casual vibe on other nights.  That being said, folks on SB are normally somewhat better dressed than what we experienced on O.

 

Hank

 

Hank

[FeliciaLee]

12 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

At dinner on Seabourn, the Colonnade, Solis and Earth Ocean at the Patio,  are always smart casual.  It is only The Restaurant that has formal nights and a somewhat stricter smart casual vibe on other nights.

Sorry, I meant to say a more express option similar to the TC (buffet) on Oceania.

[Vineyard View]

10 hours ago, Vallesan said:

I do think that often people ‘just put up with’ what is offered and don’t think to ‘ask’ for alternatives. My suggestion is if you are not happy with the ‘offered’ wines PLEASE SPEAK UP. If you don’t ask you won’t get!

We always do, and we did. I am not one who is afraid to ask! 😉 They truly wanted to please. For the most part, we were happy with what they came up with. 
I have read that Encore is having an issue with included wines, more so than some of the other ships. I wouldn’t be happy if we were on her and experiencing that like Hank is. He is an experienced SB customer, so he knows what he speaks of.