Oceania Vs Celebrity - Comparisons

[Gustavas]

As a long time veteran of the the Celebrity Cruises brand, my comparisons were unavoidable. I offer this rather lengthy in depth review to those considering Oceania Cruises. This was especially in light of the powerful marketing that Oceania so beautifully creates. Oceania, like Celebrity is invariably a cruise line in a class by itself.

 

OCEANIA INSIGNIA/AN IN DEPTH REVIEWMed Cruise - July 1-11 2008

(If you want to read the full version of my journey, it is posted on the Oceania page of Cruise Critic.)

 

After returning from a lengthy journey which started in Barcelona and ended with almost a week in Rome afterwards, we’ve just returned from Oceania Insignia’s ten day Med voyage (July 1st - July 11th) from Barcelona, Spain to Rome via Civitivecchia, Italy.

 

 

My review of this ship is a mixed one as you will see. It is a fine ship but not what I expected. Passengers are permitted to board as early as 11:00 AM but don’t expect to go to your stateroom. The terminal has a dedicated check-in desk for suites. However, neither suites nor staterooms are ready when boarding.

 

Luncheon is served but rooms are not ready until 2:00 PM.. Suites came first, then others second. Also, don’t expect champagne or Mimosa flutes on silver trays held by white gloved stewards as on Celebrity, its not there. No stewards to show you to your room. Carry your own carry-on when the announcement comes that your room is ready. Different. Also, shops onboard are very, very minimal.

 

Also, there is no ship’s photographer whatsoever. Don’t expect to pose for boarding photos or any other photos because this venue is non-existent. At hot summer ports, no cold towels unless you’re on a tour from Oceania; in which case the ship’s band, staff and a red carpet welcome you back. I found this strange considering I booked a suite. Their penthouse suite is a generous 322 square feet with a better bathroom than most in its class. Closet space is ample but other storage is not well situated. There is a safe but no ice water pitchers, just an ice bucket, glasses and mini bar bottled water with a price. They did offer two complimentary small bottles of water upon embarkation but that was it.

 

Our two average size bags which normally fit under the beds of most ships, did not on Insignia but had to be forced. The mattress, pillows and bed linens are divine and extremely comfortable. The balcony of decent size although not huge for a penthouse suite. Hi-tech enough although not in the same class as some ships. The decor and appointments, while classic and traditional tend to be slightly nostalgic. Brass wall lamps and shades on dark wood paneling reminded me of a turn of the century liner.

Suite was tasteful with a hint of modern but not overdone. This classic vintage was apparent throughout the ship. Sometimes heavier in areas than others but never overdone. It is a beautiful and clean ship, well policed and maintained.

 

She is so easy to get around that it is second nature in less than 48 hours. It indeed reminds one of a very fine English manor house or an overgrown private luxury yacht laden with dark woods, gold leaf furnishings, inlay paneling, polished brass, oriental carpeting and fine tapestry at sea. The ship has a truly beautiful library, card room and internet café. The decor is almost royal and amenities are numerous but not overblown. In our suite, champagne on ice with two flutes on the dining table welcomed our first view of our home away from home for the next ten days. The compulsory lifeboat drill was painless and over before we knew it at 5:30PM. We quietly slipped out of the port of Barcelona at 8:00 PM as scheduled on a smooth Med sea and clear weather.

 

BUTLERS MAIDS AND STEWARDS

We met our butler, our stewardess and her assistant. Butler was average and tried to please but little more than a costumed novelty in my opinion. Our maid/stewardess was fair. We’ve had better. She didn’t get it. A passenger has the right, the absolute right, to leave their suite as late in the day as they see fit without any comments from a maid.

 

She was a regular investigator about our travel plans being late in the morning. Often there was uncomfortable, feigned smiling and conversation from a maid about how glad she is that we "left the room earlier" today than yesterday. Some of these people need retraining and a reminder of who’s the passenger and who’s the maid.

 

When we first entered the suite I noticed that the sofa seat cushion was out of place, as though someone had lifted it to look for something and then failed to properly replace it. This was an omen to me of first impressions. Several times during the voyage, our bed was turned down in late afternoon, often before 6PM.

 

Ice buckets were always an issue because the room would be made up at usually 12 noon or so, then again turned down before 6PM and then by 8PM when I wanted to make a drink with some ice, there was nothing but water in the bucket and I’d have to ring and wait and explain etc..a little annoying daily.

 

The plush bathrobes that come with the use of the suite were missing and I again had to make a telephone call to get what was suppose to be there in the first place. One expected better on a small ship. Once again, attention to detail.

 

 

The Oceania Insignia is truly in a class of its own. It is not a small ship as in Silversea; nor is it a large ship. The term mid-sized is also deceiving because it is smaller than say, the Celebrity Century. I will say that the caliber of passengers on this voyage was wonderful. Passengers were a friendly international mix of wealthy Americans, English, Canadians, Norwegians, Australians, Turks, South Americans and French. Ages varied between 50-75 with a mix of 30-40's as well. In this modern age of cruise ships that fall short and fail to deliver as advertised, I noticed several old school cruisers who found their niche with Oceania.

 

With a little over 600, it was not difficult to be sociable and remain so with the same people. Most were successful professionals, gourmets, artists, musicians or retired business owners with a few honeymooners as well. All were well seasoned travelers who knew how to enjoy life and played hard while retaining refinement and decency at all times. The social atmosphere on Insignia was one of the best I’ve known.

 

Since the smoking policy is so strict on Oceania ships, (two locations only) most smokers were all best of friends by day two. The deck nine starboard pool crowd was the "in" crowd. It was the place where smokers (and drinkers) met hourly.

 

Oceania’s "Country Club Casual" dress code is something that I could do without however. While it is pleasurable to be comfortable on a Med cruise, several took the "casual" portion of "Country Club Casual" just a bit too far. Dressing for dinner has always been something we’ve looked forward to, however, tuxedos and gowns were really not in vogue on Insignia.

 

Ladies dressed a cut above the men in the evenings and generally looked great, many men wore sport jackets. While the majority of passengers dressed properly, a limited few took casual to mean tee-shirts and jeans at dinner. I would have preferred the old traditions of formal nights.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

Jerry Blaine at the piano in the lounges and Sasha’s band in other lounges along with the four lovely girls on strings were all great. Jerry is also a wonderful and interesting person with many years in show business. I enjoyed meeting and chatting with him daily. The evening shows were always at one set time. There was only one show and no early/late seating shows, so if you missed it, you missed it. Dinner in the Grand Dining Room is a ceremonial event and the larger the table, the longer the event.

 

These dinners that began at 8:30 PM consisting of multiple courses usually caused us to miss the evening shows even when we had a table for two. Although we didn’t wind missing the shows, we did catch the final show and it was enjoyable with the exception of the singer and the cruise director who truly lack talent.

 

On an ship like this, I fail to see the need for a cruise director, in the traditional sense. Most passengers were well seasoned cruisers with scores of cruises under their belts like myself and had no need of a cruise director. In my early days of cruising, cruise directors were like silver haired stars on game shows. Nowadays, you’ll see these young borderline social hosts or hostesses who lack real people skills or a sincere personality.

 

The very American cruise director on Insignia seemed nervous, insecure and out of place on a ship like this with a passenger list like this. He was inadequate to the task in disposition, demeanor and stature. I think he made a poor first impression and really served no purpose other than announcements and MC work which anyone else with a good voice could do.

 

CASINO, GYM & SPA

There might as well not be a casino on this ship as it is so tiny that it is not exciting but then I’m not a major gambler. Roulette, blackjack and slot machines with a bar and a cashier. As for the spa, while beautiful to visit, I did not use the spa as we prefer masseuses on land and masseuses that we know personally. We also have no use for treadmills or weight lifting on vacation. It was also annoying to see joggers running around deck ten as the lap was so small that it was pointless.

 

SHIPS EXCURSION AND LAND TOURS

We never booked one and had no intentions of booking one. In a word, extremely overpriced. We don’t care for bus tours or crowds with tour guides. We had, long in advance, arranged all our own private cars with drivers at almost every port for a fraction of Oceania’s listed price for private cars. Ironically, Insignia offers private Ford vans with drivers for almost three times the price of a private Mercedes sedan with a driver, which we took advantage of. We found this funny especially when we saw people booking these Ford vans like they had something special at a special ship price.

 

 

ART AUCTIONS BE GONE !!!

I really, really wish that Park West and all the rest out there would all disappear from the sea. Like the often annoying photographers of mass market cruise lines, this art auction nonsense has gotten out of hand at sea with almost every cruise line. It’s all such a con. A con of major proportions (I wont go into it right now) and such a waste of time. Why not sell AVON or Florida Time Shares onboard too ?? Let’s be realistic, if you want to buy serious art you know where to go and it’s not to sea. I also failed to appreciate a special announcement in the late afternoon over the entire ships’s PA system combined with constant flyers in my daily program to tell me about raffles and an auction. I found this to be in poor taste on a ship like Insignia. A ship that is apparently trying to rise above the rest.

 

BARS AND LOUNGES

Bar prices are fair and unlike many lines, Oceania does not push sales of drinks or any other sales. The drinks are generous enough and the bar staff friendly. Some bar staff is fantastic. Hors d’ oeuvres are fair to average during cocktail hour but there was nothing extraordinary. The wine list aboard Insignia is relatively decent and like most ships, noticeably marked up. As for bottles of spirits, I ordered a liter of Chopin vodka for my suite from Special Services of Oceania several months before the cruise and it was not there upon arrival. I had to enquire at the reception desk and finally it arrived. They charged $110.00 for this bottle which goes for $42.00 at a local liquor store. I usually stay far away from mini-bars so I can not comment there.

 

SPECIAL SERVICES

Besides the missing liter of vodka in my suite, I also ordered two ounces of Russian caviar, also missing in my suite, but the front reception desk knew nothing about either when I enquired. This was later remedied by the head of food and beverage who made a personal visit to my suite to explain the details and apologize. However, toward the end of the voyage there was also a billing mistake on these items significantly overcharging me. Once again, a visit to the reception. Going down to this desk on deck four was an inconvenience and the staff there suffers from a mild language/nuance barrier, (one felt like they were not to be bothered, they were politely busy.)

 

Ironically, once again, the food and beverage head called me, apologized and remedied the situation. At premium prices, attention to detail is a hallmark of luxury. Most luxury vessels could have handled this simple request in a blink. High value for the high dollar gets high marks. Not evident with these events.

 

FOOD, SERVICE AND DINING VENUES

The Grand Dining Room.

To look at this room, it’s a jewel of old world charm and turn of the century civility. Classic ocean liner decor from the early 1900s. The table linens, lamps, stemware, flatware and cutlery were all outstanding and make a most memorable impression. It’s a great room. Sitting with whom you choose and dining whenever you wish is a definite plus. You may not establish a long term relationship with your waiter, but that can also be a blessing if they’re not up to snuff. I was disappointed never to see or hear the advertised orchestra in the dining room however. Perhaps they played before 8:00 PM

 

Service in the Grand Dining Room is formal and gracious but not particularly friendly, consistent or welcoming. There was almost never an attendant at the desk station when diners entered the room and one had to inevitably wait for him to return, in order to again wait to be seated. In some cases at lunch we were almost the only ones in the room and still orders were incorrect and service was lacking. One evening at dinner, a female assistant waiter toppled a sorbet, spilling the syrupy juice on my wife’s oriental gown. The diningroom captain offered apologies as well as free onboard cleaning, which we accepted.

 

Main courses were very good but not outstanding or legendary by any means. The advertised "finest cuisine at sea" is total boardroom marketing. I was expecting so much more from the line’s strong marketing of their cuisine. This food and presentations will not exceed your expectations, unless you’re accustomed to dining on discount Caribbean cruise lines.

 

However, if fine gourmet dining is a major part of your cruise enjoyment, then I’m afraid that you’ll be left in the same conundrum as we were.. Jacques Pepin is, I am certain, a fine French chef, but his work is not evident from Insignia’s kitchen. Michele Roux, however, the celebrated former chef of Celebrity Cruises, always exceeded my expectations each and every voyage.

 

Even still, Celebrity ships not withstanding, I’ve enjoyed far better cuisine on ships that carry four times as many passengers, which is backwards. Again, food was very good but not great. Desserts were nice but nothing that made you smile brightly. Although the after dinner cheese platters were excellent.

 

Sometimes I had to ask for my water glass to be refilled at lunch in the grand dining room. At no time did I feel that the chef was doing anything above the norm. One night I asked for Roquefort sauce for my NY strip and I was informed by the waiter and his superior from the kitchen that it was not possible. Ridiculous. That never happened on Celebrity. The presentations were satisfactory but not unusual, dramatic or exciting. One night, caviar was offered on the menu as an appetizer and we were pleasantly surprised. Soups and salads were all good to very good, but sadly not awe inspiring.

 

I want to make it clear here that the food is very good but don’t look for spectacular cuisine or stellar presentations. On the last night in the Grand Dining Room, the wife of a dinner mate of mine was apparently insulted by a waiter who told her that she was rude for claiming that she simply did not order a decaf cappuccino. She was most definitely not rude. She merely informed him of his mistake. This caused a major event but the waiter finally admitted to her husband who was furious that he did in fact say this to his wife. He later apologized but he should have been terminated. Unheard of in my many years of cruising and crossing.

 

The Toscana Restaurant was a treat and was superb is all ways. Toscana’s Italian cuisine was excellent. Well prepared sauces, seafood and pastas. Unlike the other restaurants in terms of food and service, Toscana’s service was crisper, warmer and friendlier. Excellent manager. The staff more attentive than other locations and the ambiance was beautiful. No cover charge as with some lines.

 

The Polo Grill is a steakhouse. It is good; but not exceptional by any means. You can enjoy finer steaks at the Capital Grille or Chophouse 47. Lobster was decent here as it is in all Insignia restaurants. It was nice to see a whole Maine lobster and not just tails. Polo Grill, while not particularly impressive in a culinary light, is a welcomed change during the cruise. The food is delicious and the service is good, just not spectacular. The restaurant manager is very friendly and warm there as well. Also, no cover charge.

 

The Buffets are probably Oceania’s weakest dining venue. Due to the fact that the ship is smaller than many, the space is limited and the entire aft section of deck nine serves as many restaurants with many names. In short, cafeterias with a theme. They were all singularly unimpressive with limited selections. Breakfasts and luncheons shut down too early. The daily buffets, regardless of time, were totally uninspiring each day with little to no flair and certainly no creativity. The "bosses" of this area were usually rather hardcore females when it came to bossing the other workers around. When she said it was time to shut down, that was it. Total robotic shut down.

 

I like gourmet cheeses but the cheese platters need to be covered by glass as they suffered greatly from a barrage of tiny flying insects on the attack. As I do not do hamburgers and hot dogs on cruises, I can’t comment on these. Smokers who want coffee in the AM can’t get coffee in the designated smoking section unless they walk the length of the deck aft and then walk back. When I once asked for coffee, I was directed aft. This is not service. However, there is no charge for cappuccino.

 

DINING IN SUITE

We twice dined in our suite via our butler. Butlers will serve course by course from all three restaurants. This is a welcome luxury. As a strange rule with Oceania, only suites can enjoy hot breakfasts and full menus delivered.

 

TEA-BAG TIME

Horizons on deck ten at 4:00PM. This is a pleasant tradition although not executed properly. One day there are greeters, English girls, the next day, no one at the door and seat yourself. Insignia has a wonderful, live stringed orchestra playing the classics. Cakes, little sandwiches, tarts etc. I liked the scones with jam and clotted cream. However, unfortunately, once again, Oceania lacks here and does not impress. The tea service is less than traditional and certainly not classic.

 

In England, using ordinary Twinning tea-bags that you can buy at any grocery store at a formal tea, is as much of a faux pas as lighting a cigarette in church. Nevertheless, Oceania proudly offers tea-bags on Insignia. The staff makes a serious effort to convey this very British tradition but it is clearly more of a play than a reality. A delicious afternoon snack and a cute novelty but not a serious tea.

 

SMOKING:

Deck nine forward /starboard pool

Deck ten forward /rear of Horizons lounge

That’s it period. Don’t be foolish enough to do it anywhere else.

 

THE PORTS OF THE RIVIERA

The port of Marseilles had a fisherman’s strike and they were blocking the harbor so our Captain cancelled Marseilles and we sailed for Toulon, France. Toulon was wonderfully charming and smaller than Marseilles and reportedly easier to get around. Spain, France and Italy are beautiful. So many picture postcard harbors that were all phenomenal.

 

All excellent ports with fantastic views from our balcony. Each place breathtaking with its own unique flavor, history and culture. These places are truly glorious and speak volumes.

 

From the Rolls Royce limousines and boutiques of St Tropez to the monster yachts, casinos and Ferrari’s of Monte Carlo, my attempt to describe these locations would be inadequate and have already been done many times. Oceania’s itinerary is excellent to say the least. I only wish they would remain in some longer than others.

 

DISEMBARKATION

Insignia’s disembarkation is by far, the easiest of them all. Simple, clean and no fuss or crowds whatsoever. Simply get off after breakfast when you’re ready. No big lines or announcements of color cards etc...The terminal in Civitavecchia is small and without any payphones or seating. The security in the terminal want you out of the building and waiting for your rides on the sidewalk outside.

 

They are quick to clear this building in anticipation of the next cruise. It was a bit rushed, "get your bags and get out". Our driver took us into Rome where we stayed an additional five days to rest before returning to the US. We again enjoyed Rome’s wonderful restaurants and familiar sights.

 

SUMMARY CONCLUSION

I am again looking into another Celebrity voyage. Oceania is now on my long list of ships tried. It is difficult for me to criticize any luxury liner or cruise ship as I deeply love ships and realize, more than most, how difficult and monumental a task it is to have a successful ship. It is equally difficult for me to criticize such a fine ship as Insignia or such a celebrated line as Oceania. However, speaking from considerable experience in this arena, I must tell it like it is and offer this mixed review.

 

I wish my review could be a rave review but for me, Insignia was a ship constantly trying to decide whether it was ultra-deluxe or just premium. She exhibited daily, if not hourly fluctuations back and forth in all venues and service departments. At no time did this ship or its services exceed my expectations as I had hoped it would. Although I would indeed sail with Oceania again without hesitation, it would not be my first choice.

[cruzmaven]

Thank you very much for a well written and what appears to be a well thought out review of this ship. I haven't looked yet but I hope you posted it on the Oceania board as well. From the many reviews and comments I've read on CC it seems that service, attitude and attention to detail are the traits which are vanishing from current cruise lines.

[swigso]

A really well documented review, it almost seems like We were on board.

I have not sailed with Oceania but with Celebrity many times and have also sailed on the Azamara Quest.

Thee Quest I believe to be the same as the Regetta, I must say that the Service we had during our Quest adventure was first rate. Everything we have become accustomed to from =X= and more.

[fPetrarca]

Celebrity has its own version of Oceania called Azamara, which I recently sailed. I have not been on Oceania and cannot offer a direct comparison. But based on the OP's review I would say Azamara beats Oceania in several areas, particularly dining in all venues.

[ECCruise]

It definitely is a truism when one says "your experience may differ..."

We've sailed Celebrity a dozen times and Oceania 3 times. Although we love Celebrity, our experience with Oceania was completely different than the OP.

 

We find Oceania a large notch above Celebrity in all areas except entertainment. We've always found the service on X very good, but found a whole new dimension on our Oceania cruises. I can honestly say that there was never a situation that they could not do enough for us, from cabin stewards to the concierge and all in between.

 

We love Celebrity's food but after 100 days of menu repeats it gets dated (hopefully we will like the menu enhancements on our next Celebrity cruises). We found the food on Oceania, in all venues, to be considerably above Celebrity in just about every way: portions, presentation, taste, variety. Polo and Toscana specialty restaurants, which are no cost on Oceania, are, in our opinion, every bit the equal of the speciality restaurants on the M class ships and Century. Service was the best in the speciality restaurants but more than adequate in the Grand Dining Room. In many cases, the executive chef of each dining room visited our table to check our satisfaction.

 

As for staterooms, the standard balcony staterooms on Celebrity are a bit larger. Storage is fairly similar. Bathrooms are larger on Celebrity. There is no comparison in bedding...Oceania's Tranquility bedding is miles ahead of other cruise lines including Celebrity and virtually every hotel we've ever visited.

 

As for some of the other touches, Celebrity's welcome "champagne" is nice but not a big factor for us. Oceania's staterooms have always been ready for us at 1:00 PM, exactly the same situation as we have had on every one of our Celebrity cruises.

 

Pricing, though, is generally an issue. Oceania is almost always quite a bit more expensive than Celebrity, which is a definite factor. We've been very creative in our choices of Oceania cruises and have actually sailed for less on them than Celebrity cruises, same category, at similar times. In general, though, there is a fairly hefty premium for Oceania.

 

Depending on price and itinerary we would--and will--sail both. We currently do not have any Oceania cruises booked but have 3 Celebrity cruises booked so sailing on Oceania has not hurt our desire to continue to experience Celebrity.

[PurpleCow]

I'm mostly of the same mind as EECruise. We've recently been on 2 Oceania cruises, once on Insignia and once on Regatta, and only one Celebrity cruise on the Century. I, personally, liked the dining room food on Celebrity a bit better, but I thought the buffet was far superior on Oceania. I liked all the small stations so I could pop in and get what I wanted and I liked not having to push a tray along as if I were in a cafeteria. A waiter would take our plates to our table and take our drink orders. That took a lot of the sting out of eating at a buffet. (Don't like buffets . . .) The alternative restaurants on Oceania are wonderful. We like the Polo Grill best. Our standard veranda cabin on Insignia was larger than our CC on Century. We had a PH on Regatta and our butler was very attentive. I wanted to take him home with us! The library on Oceania was much nicer than the library on Century. The evening entertainment isn't a factor for us. I usually have to drag Bill along if I want to attend, or go alone. The bathroom in the standard Oceania cabin is okay, but the shower is miniscule. I do like both lines. We have on upcoming cruise on Oceania, this time in an outside because of the cost, and 2 B2Bs booked on Celebrity. I'm looking forward to all of them!

[cpgrneyes]

We've just booked an Azamara Mediterranean cruise, but contemplated Oceania. Having recently had a great experience on Celebrity (Millennium), decided to go with A over O, partially for the itinerary, but also the familiarity.

 

Great review, thanks.

[Steph27]

Very interesting review. Some of things mentioned as disappointments I am actually pleased with on Oceania.

• Boarding at 11:00am is a little early on any ship for cabins to be ready. As this may not be the case, we wait until 1:00pm to board.
  
• Champagne looks nice when you get on Celebrity but it is not important to me.
  
• Getting my carryon luggage to my room has never been the responsibility of the crew on Celebrity or Oceania.
  
• Shopping on board both lines is not great but I like the Oceania shops better.
  
• It is a plus that Oceania does not hound you for photos getting on or off the ship. It is really shameful the way Celebrity does this.
  
• Not being able to store luggage under the bed, (in a suite) doesn't sound like a huge negative. We always store ours in the closet.
  
• Ice is hard to come by on Oceania. I remember one of the guests kept paging our butler / steward constantly for ice.
  
• The Oceania smoking policy is great! I am excited that Celebrity with larger ships will be modifying (if not almost eliminating) smoking. I could hardly use the balcony on Celebrity. On Oceania it is terrific to be able to not worry about someone smoking!
  
• Love the Oceania country club casual concept. Do not care for mandated formal nights on Celebrity but always dress cc casual or better every night regardless on both Oceania and Celebrity.
  
• I prefer the way the treadmills are positioned on Oceania. You feel like you are running directly into the waves especially in rough seas.
  
• Agree 100% about the tea service on Oceania. It was abysmal. Horrible tea and the mystery sandwiches and what not were terrible.
  
• The Celebrity specialty restaurants are better than some of the food on Oceania. For overall consistency I prefer the food on Oceania. Don't particulary care for Toscana or Chops. The main Oceania dining room was a delight.

In summary, I love the atmosphere and medium cruise ship size on Oceania. The dress code, smoking policy, cabins and the food are very appealing. I am thrilled about Celebrity's new smoking policy. I am booked on the Solstice and look forward to the food upgrades and design of the new ships. I have noticed that Oceania's itineraries can be very port intensive and do not allow enough days at sea. Therefore, as much as I like Oceania, the higher cost as well as the aggressive itineraries will have me traveling other lines as well.

[ECCruise]

We've just booked an Azamara Mediterranean cruise, but contemplated Oceania. Having recently had a great experience on Celebrity (Millennium), decided to go with A over O, partially for the itinerary, but also the familiarity.

 

Great review, thanks.

 

I think you will find that Azamara is much, much closer to Oceania than it is with Celebrity (it is designed, after all, to be a clone :) )

[Dowunder]

To me the most significant difference is the price. I mean it is almost double on Oceania. That of course is to pay for the "free" air fares. Travelling from Sydney the airfares are not included, so Oceania is a hefty 3 grand more for a similar cruise. For that I would definitely want a subserviant maid (staff are so hard to get these days!) Russian caviar delivered to my suite and definitely Roquefort sauce with my NY strip!!

[Napi's Mom]

We've just booked an Azamara Mediterranean cruise, but contemplated Oceania. Having recently had a great experience on Celebrity (Millennium), decided to go with A over O, partially for the itinerary, but also the familiarity.

 

Great review, thanks.

I loved both the Nautica and the Quest....we were on Quest early on...last Dec. Some bugs still ,in wait staff that WERE NOT really ready to do the open dining...(their fault NOT the fault of the open dining) They were used to the other and really didn't want to change. I Feel Quest is just a bit friendlier than Oceania was...you get more "perks"...CC type treatment in ALL staterooms...(slightly better butler service in Suites), on "O" only CC and above get toiletries, special other items. BUT that said other poster was correct A is more like O than Celebrity....wish my next cruise was with one of them, But X's price to NZ/Aust. was the best deal around (Why you are getting so many of us who aren't into the "X" way ...things are changing...get used to it!) The OP seemed to want extra special treatment...better than the "general service" ,they sure did their share of complaining about every little thing.

[mdmourges]

We were on Regatta this past March in a penthouse suite. We were on deck 6 which has the largest balcony due to the shape of the ship. The balcony was very large, not as large as the Penhouse suite balcony on Constellation, but as large, if not larger than the balcony in the RS on Mariner and the balcony in Owners suite on Silversea. Our experience with the butler was quite good. You could call George at any time and he would take care of our needs quickly. He was very professional. It is true the casino was small but it was the right size for the amount of people. We do use the casino and had fun there. I thought the food was great and I really like the buffet (Tapas). Great choices, very fresh, etc. What I also liked is that you could bring liquor on the ship with you, no questions asked. We brought 2 case of champagne and George would have 2 bottles iced every evening. We had a very nice time. Not sure I would do it again because I like to try different things. We are booked in the PH suite on Constellation this coming March, so it will be interesting to compare the two.

[PurpleCow]

' . . . on "O" only CC and above get toiletries' date=' special other items. . . [/quote']I liked the toiletries better in our standard veranda than the ones in our PH. I had the stewardess remove them and replace them with the "standard" toiletries.

[Napi's Mom]

I liked the toiletries better in our standard veranda than the ones in our PH. I had the stewardess remove them and replace them with the "standard" toiletries.

When we were on Oceania the "Standard balcony" didn't get much at all in the toiletry line...CC got 4oz bottles of their special English ones, but the Suites got the Spa logo ones. Perhaps that changed. We actually didn't pay for CC...were upgraded from inside for $200pp extra...about 1200$pp less than reg price (no not "brochure price" but their 2/1 price) We'd never have paid for their CC extra, except for that deal...never had a balcony before. Spoiled us...so on Azamara we took a balcony also...not nearly as much more expensive as on "O"..and on Millennium next Jan. I actually splurged on CC...at the time it was only $50 more pp because of the airfare deal now all balconies have special air price IF you could get it, right now waitlisted. For My Dh 70th BD I was willing to spend a bit (lot) more, but in the 100's$ not 1000's$ !

[Ruthk]

I am another cruiser of both the Oceania and Celebrity. We absolutely loved Oceania, we were on the Regatta for 2 weeks, and found the staff to be exceptional. The food was fabulous, you could almost have lobster every day. One evening I couldn't make up my mind if I should take the macedamian encrusted mahi-mahi or have the lobster tails. I settled for the lobster but our waitress surprised us and also brought the mahi-mahi. I found a very professional staff on Regatta. Upon entering the ship we were escorted to our cabin, minus the champagne, and our cabin was ready when we boarded around noon. As I am a business woman, I loved the country club casual for dinner and certainly did not miss the formal nights - I'd rather be doing anything else than putting on jewels, more makeup, and spanx to get that gown to look good!!! The minus for us was the lack of good entertainment, a very small casino, and the evenings were a bit too quiet.

We also love Celebrity. We have enjoy all the 2 weeks sailings with them that we have done. There was one little flaw on our last sailing last Fall on the Summit to Hawaii, our waiter, almost every evening seemed to talk about how import tipping is to the staff and how so many people don't show up for the final evening thus avoiding the tip. It was fine to listen to him and show some empathy, but after a couple of nights of this - enough was enough! I didn't complain, I didn't want him fired - these jobs mean a lot for these fellows from impoverished islands.

Another plus for Oceania is the time in port is nice and long and maybe because of that I didn't see one chair hog incident. On every Celebrity cruise that I have sailed I have witnessed arguments over loungers. Our next sailing is again a 2 wk. Panama cruise on the Infinity, we have an aft CC and are very much looking foward to it.

They are both great cruise lines - both have kept me happy.

Ruthk,

St. Catharines, Ontario,

Canada.

[Napi's Mom]

Another reason Chair hogs are not so prevalent on Oceania is the age of the cruisers, and the small size of the pool. But you hit the nail on the head with the fact that both Azamara and "O" have less of these problems because so much time is in port....people are not aboard to sunbathe. We also never got that "tip speech", because of the open dining all tips are shared. You do not have to fill out any evaluation cards either...but are given cards to put down names of people who were particularly helpful for you. I find those evaluations unfair pressure put on passengers...and lead to those speeches too! They are archaic!