Oceania Cruise Line Question - vs Celebrity.

[Longboysfan]

My friend is thinking of an Oceania cruise in the Med.

Anyone here have info on them - aside from the other boards.

 

How they compare to other lines - not just Celebrity.

 

 

Thanks.....

[Danno]

I seriously looked at them until I figured out that they have "freestyle" dining...that about put an end to my interest.

[hotspur]

Oceania sails two of the former Renaissance line ships, that are about five years old and refurbished for Oceania. They carry about 660 passengers. Oceania allows you to dine when, where, and with whom you would like--a truly adult concept to which some here find it difficult to adapt. Your meal is prepared for and served to you, not 1,000 en masse. They emphasize casual elegance, not pretention: "Aboard Regatta and Insignia, you will be surrounded by elegance and a level of sophistication reminiscent of an upscale, private country club - yours to enjoy in a relaxed, comfortable and unpretentious manner that is never stuffy and void of formality. Enjoy the good life on your terms, leave the tuxedos and evening gowns at home and have a great time."

 

Oceania stresses destinations and enrichment, not bingo, art auctions, phony formality, and photos with the captain. But they are not a budget-priced cruise line like Celebrity, so expect to pay more for similar accommodations and cruise duration. Not having sailed Oceania, I can't comment on whether the higher price is worth it. A comprehensive review of one of the Oceania cruises is here:

 

http://www.ruderhaus.de/oceania-regatta-cruise/index.htm

[Tatka]

I was searching for Med cruise for my mother-in-law and found Regatta itinerary for September to be very interesting :) . (She already visited Rome and Florence/Pisa and was looking for something more of Rivire experience)

 

This is how it looks:

 

9/15/04 for 10 nights:

 

Rome - Sorrento - Tyrrhenian Sea - Sardinia - Livorno - Portofino - Monte Carlo - Marseille - Bealearic Sea - Palma de Mallorca - Barcelona

 

If I hadn't completed Med cruise on Splendour of the Seas recently I would definitely choose this itenirary! I would really like to see Palma de Mallorca (have some real nice pictures from my granddads trip there), Sorrento is probably much better choice of a port than Naples etc.

 

They ships also look really nice...And open seating? Well..from the info I found that dining on RSSC and Seabourn also open seating.;) I guesss this can't be very bad.

[TWOFERTWO]

Oceania sails two of the former Renaissance line ships, that are about five years old and refurbished for Oceania. They carry about 660 passengers. Oceania allows you to dine when, where, and with whom you would like--a truly adult concept to which some here find it difficult to adapt. Your meal is prepared for and served to you, not 1,000 en masse. They emphasize casual elegance, not pretention: "Aboard Regatta and Insignia, you will be surrounded by elegance and a level of sophistication reminiscent of an upscale, private country club - yours to enjoy in a relaxed, comfortable and unpretentious manner that is never stuffy and void of formality. Enjoy the good life on your terms, leave the tuxedos and evening gowns at home and have a great time."

Oceania stresses destinations and enrichment, not bingo, art auctions, phony formality, and photos with the captain. But they are not a budget-priced cruise line like Celebrity, so expect to pay more for similar accommodations and cruise duration. Not having sailed Oceania, I can't comment on whether the higher price is worth it. A comprehensive review of one of the Oceania cruises is here:

I guess that you don't like us? :eek: :p

[StephenJohnson]

Ya think? Pretty funny send-up of mass market cruising, I thought.

 

But, to answer the original question, I tend to think that other ultra-luxe lines may be a better choice than Oceania, based on their rather fierce prices.

[ABSCruiseLuvers]

We are watching this line and are interested in them...but we like the big ship feel and would go with Crystal I think if we were to change...

[Danno]

--a truly adult concept to which some here find it difficult to adapt.

Funny...I subcribe to that concept in dining EVERY time I eat out while back home. It's not difficult.

 

I really would have no trouble adapting...I chose not to adapt. Actually it was a thought out, well considered decision. Like you would expect an ADULT to make.

[jezzdogg]

Thought that for next summer they were offering some incredible deals for the med, including airfares.....For me having been on the Empress of the Sea (small ship) and the Mariner of the Sea (LARGE ship), I would pick the larger ship everytime, (however I like the M class, radiance class best)..I felt very confined in the smaller ship, and for me, I did not weather the trip well (both my DIL, DH and myself) were extremely seasick...if that had been my first cruise, I would never have cruised again.

[Tatka]

Thought that for next summer they were offering some incredible deals for the med, including airfares.....For me having been on the Empress of the Sea (small ship) and the Mariner of the Sea (LARGE ship), I would pick the larger ship everytime, (however I like the M class, radiance class best)..I felt very confined in the smaller ship, and for me, I did not weather the trip well (both my DIL, DH and myself) were extremely seasick...if that had been my first cruise, I would never have cruised again.

Well, Med isn't exactly as stormy as Atlantic ocean..so you shouldn't expect to get seasick.:)

[tuggers]

I'd definitely not book the ship they just put a hole in and had to evacuate all passengers from! Kind of puts a crimp in your vacation! :)

 

 

tried to be a smart a_s and just proved how dumb I am! It seems it's the olympic or oceanic and not the oceania that hit the rocks! Sorry, folks! :o

[narob]

We have the cruise to the Black Sea booked on the Insignia, which departs Athens next month on the 14th, so we will be able to compare with Celebrity after we get back. It's a 12 nighter and will visit Romania, Bulgaria, the Ukraine and Russia. We just got off the Constellation the 31st of July doing the Norwegian fjords. This is the year of the 25th wedding anniversary, so we are doing it up big.

[sailorbill]

Have sailed on Renaissance R6, Celebrity's Galaxy and Constellation and on Holland America's Volendam. Am booked on HAL's Westerdam for the fall transatlantic. I have followed the development of Oceania closely and plan to sail on them in the next year or two. Oceania is operating the former R1 and R2 in much the same manner as Renaissance. Although Oceania does not prohibit children, there are no special provisions for them so it is pretty much an adults only cruise line. Smoking is permitted only in very restricted areas. Dress is country club casual which means no announced formal or informal nights. Even so, most men on my cruise occasionally wore jacket and tie and some dressed up every evening as a matter of habit. Dining in the alternative restaurants seemed to be the opportunity to wear the glad rags.

 

Oceania's Regatta and Insignia are small ships of 30,000 tons but they have nearly all of the features of larger ships. The small size allows visiting and docking in smaller ports that larger ships cannot manage. For example, to visit Nice in France, Oceania ships can dock at the entrance the old harbor. Larger ships like Constellation must anchor in the neighboring cove of Villefranche and tender to shore. With one half to one third the number of passengers as larger ships, it is easier on the Oceania ships for passengers to leave and reboard when in port. With the smaller number of passengers, it is easier to get to know others since you are running into the same people more often at dinner or on tours (this is mostly good and only rarely bad).

 

Decor on Regatta and Insignia is very traditional and in the style of a fine English country hotel. There is plenty of glamour but no glitz - no WOW factor. I found it welcoming and comfortable. Chairs and sofas are simple and traditional without any need to impress with strange shapes and fabrics. The oversize, overstuffed chairs in the main dining room are the most comfortable you will find on any ship. Art works are also very traditional. The best room on these ships is the library which is more like a very nice living room. The external appearance of these ships is also very pleasing. They look like cruise ships should; no bumpouts, no weird protruberances, no spacey flying saucers, no faux jet engines.

 

Standard staterooms - inside, outside and balcony - are a bit on the small size, but I found that my inside stateroom on R6 lived larger than my inside category 9 stateroom on Galaxy. The bathrooms in the standard staterooms are, in kindly terms, compact. Celebrity and HAL bathrooms are much larger but that eats into the living space of the stateroom. Personally, I prefer less bathroom space in favor of more living space. The misnamed Penthouse staterooms on Regatta and Insignia are nice sized mini-suites with decent sized bathrooms. Oceania has made much of their upgrades to the bedding, linens and toiletries in all staterooms.

 

Personally, I enjoyed open dining very much. On a port intensive cruise with lots of shore excursions, it was nice not to have to worry about getting back to the ship to clean up before a specific dinner time. And I enjoyed getting to meet and talk to many passengers. Open dining also allows for long conversations around the table. Several nights on my R6 cruise we had a good group at the table, and we sat with coffee for an extra hour or two until the dining room was closed. One cannot do this with two (or four) sittings. Even with open dining I noticed that some passengers sat at the same table at the same time almost every night. Their choice. Oceania has been heavily promoting their food quality and menus. I cannot really comment on their claims other than to observe that they probably have a higher grocery budget on a per passenger basis.

 

Oceania's pricing has been interesting so far. I get endless brochures and e-mails from them promoting their two-for-one cruise fares. It is to the point that the two-for-one fare IS the standard fare. I have not found any further discounts below that price, even from the discount websites. For most cruises Oceania also offers free economy air. For european cruises the free airfare brings Oceania prices down to competitive levels with HAL and Celebrity prices with air included.

 

As soon as I find an itinerary that I simply must take, I will be booking on Oceania.

 

Bill

 

Renaissance R6 Dec 2000

Galaxy Aug 2001

Volendam Nov 2002

Volendam Jun 2003

Constellation Oct 2003

 

Westerdam Nov 2004

[socrmom]

Hostpur,

I guess with all the two for one deals and economy air, Oceania is just a "budget" cruise line like Celebrity.

[wv4891]

Hello neighbor. :D

 

 

 

Hostpur,

I guess with all the two for one deals and economy air, Oceania is just a "budget" cruise line like Celebrity.

[TnTWalter]

I was 'dreaming', I mean doing research for a trip and it seemed Oceania had mixed reviews, especially in terms of food quality. Seabourn seemed to be more often positive than Oceania when comparing apples to apples.

Trish

[sueclark]

We watched the development of Oceania with real interest and were looking forward to sailing them until we read some fine print that indicated that for the most part, the ships are almost non-smoking. There is no smoking allowed in any indoor area including the cabins and balconies and from what friends tell me, there is one small outdoor area for smokers.

 

For those of you that are looking for a non-smoking cruise, this might be perfect! For us, it doesn't work.

[trvlnliz]

We were on Oceania's ship the Regatta last Aug/Sept. for the Baltic Cruise. We loved it! It is not considered a luxury cruiseline but a premier Cruiseline. The itineraries are very port extensive and the ships arrive early and leave late. The service and food are 5 star. Not to say there isn't room for improvement. The decor is lovely and you feel like you are in a fine Manor home, not on a ship. No glitz or neon lights. Entertainment is not the highpoint here but after a long day most cruisers are looking forward to a nice hot bath and wonderful diner and jumping in the most comfortable beds at sea. I'm not kidding, the beds are great! ;) If you like lots of shipboard activities and big Broadway-type show, this is not the cruiseline for you.

 

I think about 95% of the feed back has been positive. We're booked on the Venice-Barcelona sailing in October and can't wait to be back onboard. We've also just booked the TA sailing in Sept 2005 on the Constellation and it will be our 1st TA.

[cujosmom]

We did two sailings on the former Renaissance Cruise Line. Tahiti and Turkey/Greek Isles. LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Renaissance. If they had not gone under due to 9/11, we would still be sailing on them. Will try Oceania at some point I'm sure. Quite frankly, we love open seating and non-formal nights, no children under 18 and the non-smoking format. Oceania is trying to follow the same model that Renaissance had so I think you should try them. If they are like Renaissance, you will love it.

[Petoonya]

Trying Oceania for the first time for next April, Barcelona- Venice. Did Millennium a year ago same route and it was superb...but have done a lotta Celebrity and want something different for a change. Love smaller ships and no smoking- we never use the casino or go to the shows. When not in port we like to read- we're boring. Oceania just seems like it's going to be a good fit even tho we still love Celebrity and will continue to be boring on X ships as well.

[Andee]

We're booked on the Oceania Insignia in October, and I thought the price was pretty reasonable. The agent we found online was $300 pp less than the cruise line.

 

The open seating dinig was one of the things that appealed to us. Celebrity's traditional two seating dining is what has kept us from going back to them.

 

To each his own!

[tuggers]

How true! The lack of traditional dining keeps me from trying them! Everything else sounds great!