First time cruiser: Seabourn vs. Oceania

[funnygirl28]

Hi there,

 

I am planning to take a Mediterranean cruise with my parents next year, both in their 70s. None of us have been on a cruise before and picking something out is overwhelming to say the least!

 

We have narrowed down our choices to the Oceania "Enchanted Escapade" cruise from Athens to Rome on the Insignia and the Seabourn "Grand Athens to Malaga" on their new ship, Odyssey.

 

I am really stumped about which cruise to choose, however, and I could really use your help and expertise! Ideally, we'd like to do Seabourn -- seems like they're top notch and the "casual luxury" vibe appeals to us. But the Oceania itinerary delivers more of the destinations we're looking for.

 

My questions:

* Is Seabourn so much better than Oceania that we should choose the cruise line over the better itinerary?

* How does Oceania compare to Seabourn overall? What are the pros and cons?

* What do you recommend we do? This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for all of us and we likely won't do something like this again, so the decision is weighing heavily on me and I want to make the right choice!

 

Many thanks in advance for your help and advice! (BTW, I posted this thread on the Oceania forum, too -- wanted to get both sides of the story.)

[Keith1010]

In the end, you will have to make the decision that makes the most sense.

 

If it was me I would consider both the cruise line and the itinerary. If I found itineraries to be fairly closet than to me the deciding factor would be the cruise line.

 

I have not sailed on Oceania but I do know several people who have.

 

Please keep in mind that when you ask about Seabourn you are talking about a Luxury Cruise Line; with most items inclusive from the normal items to other items such as alcohol and and gratuities and you do not get the nickel and diming for other items such as specialty coffees and the like that you will ikely get on Oceania. If this was a Hotel think of Seabourn say a Ritz Carlton or a Four Seasons of Hotels. And think of the experience as a 5 star+ experience from service, to ambience, to cuisine to the entire cruise experience.

 

Now, the Seabourn Odyssey is a new ship coming out next year and its size and entire look of the ship is different than the existing three ships. So, it is hard for anyone to say exactly what the atmosphere will be like as compared to the existing three Seabourn ships. But assuming its attributes are similar, you will find this to be an extremely luxurious cruising experience. The space to passenger ratio is impressive allowing for more space and a less crowded feeling than say with Oceania.

 

Oceania is a Premium Cruise Line. It gets very high marks in this category.

A premium cruise line is certainly extremely nice but it is not a luxury cruise line. The cruise fare does not include gratuities and wine/spirits and the level of service, food, etc. will be say more at the four star level with some individual compenents being more like 4 star+

 

From what I have been told unless you go with say some of the suites on Oceania that the standard rooms are on the small side so be sure to keep that in mind.

 

Comparisons are very diifficult. Even if someone has gone on both cruise lines it is sometimes hard to compare.

 

If this is me, this is what I would do.

 

1. Read through a brochure of each cruise line. While a brochure is away that the cruise lines market themselves, it does give you a feel for the cruise line.

 

2. Read some of the reviews on the boards. What I look for is consensus. If say 80% of the posts are either positive or negative on an item I take that as fact until I experience it for myself.

 

3. Finally, pick up a copy of the Guide to Ocean Cruising. It is published yearly by Berlitz and written by Douglas Ward. Yes, it ranks the various cruise ships based on a variety of categories but more importantly it provides a nice wirteup on each cruise ship (about two to three pages) and will give you a feel for the ship, and all of its amenities.

 

Good luck with your decision.

 

Keith

[jdc]

funnygirl:

 

I've been on both Oceania and Seabourn and feel that Seabourn would be my first choice. A question though: what level of cabin were you planning to stay in if you chose Oceania? Do you need/want a refrigerator in your room? Ask Oceania if all room have them. Pay for water/soda/wine/spirits? Not on Seabourn...

 

Because this is a "once in a lifetime" trip AND you do have your 70 y/o parents with you service is an important factor. For example on our trip Bruge was a stop. We docked at Zeebruge about 30 miles from Bruge. If you didn't purchase the Oceania bus service ($59 p/p) you were stuck. The cruiseline made no arrangement for cab service, etc. People who took the bus indicated that it parked 2 miles from the center of town and people walked. With Seabourn they have generally provided free shuttle service with someone to answer questions about the port. Granted, you generally pay more for Seabourn, but as a first time cruiser you really don't have a lot of basis for comparisons or know that there will be different levels of service built in. Other issues such as tender versus docking, where does the ship dock?...how do you get to the port?

 

Another example: we took my mother on a Seabourn Carribean trip. Someone called my mother each night and asked her if she need an escort to the dining room or would the children be providing that service? Staff were addressing her by name by the second day. She felt that people were "taking care of her" which put her at ease and allowed her to enjoy the trip more. I could go on, but I think you probably read the subthread on the Oceania posting regarding shipping ports and management response.

 

I did look at the responses on the Oceania Board and the ones that said food and service were comparable were (in my opinion) not accurate. I've never waited in line for a table on Seabourn and it was pretty common on Oceania. And yes there are 4 speciality restaurants on Oceania, but you are limited to dining there a certain number of times per trip (based on availability).

 

Hopefully you'll not think this is a rant against Oceania. I'm trying to let you know from the perspective of someone whose been on both that there is a difference and if I was making a choice for my wife and myself that difference is less than if I was making a decision for myself and my mother.

[wripro]

Funnygirl28,

 

With my tongue in my cheek I would offer this analogy to your question and post the following:

 

First time flyer: First Class versus Business Class.

 

This pretty much sums up the difference between SB and O. And I have sailed both.