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Some information I learned about Oceania today

DrivesLikeMario

By DrivesLikeMario,
in Oceania Cruises

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DrivesLikeMario

DrivesLikeMario

Posted
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I'm new to Oceania and did a training class today. I thought other newbies to the line might be interested to read some facts that I learned:

 

The 3 Oceania ships are regularly dry-docked every 12-14 months. This is quite unusual. Most cruise lines wait quite a bit longer than that.

 

Dining is what Oceania considers to be it's hallmark.

 

There are no surcharges for any of the 4 restaurants onboard.

 

Oceania spends much more on food costs (buying higher quality foods) than the other cruise lines.

 

They place themselves a step above Princess, HAL and Celebrity, but not quite at the luxury level.

 

There is no formal attire required, but passengers can dress up if they so chose. The majority of passengers chose to dress in resort-casual attire for dinner.

 

They schedule at least 3 lecturers per sailing.

 

They have 12-piece orchestras, but no broadway-type shows. (more caberet-type instead).

 

They are on their 5th generation of memory foam mattresses since the company began 5 years ago.

 

On most cruises, the average passenger age is 68-69 years old. Overall, the average passenger age range is 55+ yrs. old.

 

The average passenger income is $150,000+ and most are urban dwellers.

 

The average passenger is well-educated, has traveled the world and been on many cruises including those on HAL, Princess, Celebrity and Crystal.

 

Lately, Oceania has been getting a lot of Princess suite passengers switching over to Oceania. (I thought this was very accurate of what I've seen too.)

 

Oceania says their ships are not kid-friendly. There are no dedicated children's programs, no dedicated childrens or teens areas.

 

The Marina is still due out in Sept. of 2010 and will start it's itineraries in Europe, then will likely be sent to the Caribbean for the winter of 2010-2011. It will have 6 main restaurants, a culinary school, 1252 pasengers and a staff of 780.

 

New schedules come out on April 1st.

 

:)

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LHT28 Holiday Sharing Rare

LHT28

Posted
Posted

The average passenger income is $150,000+ and most are urban dwellers.

:)

 

WOW!!

We are not even in the same ball park guess we better stop cruising on O :rolleyes:

 

Lyn

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meow!

meow!

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ANY cruise line has no verified information on passengers' incomes. It is likely their imagination, or based on some (magazine?) questionaire for which those with high (real or imagined) incomes are more likely to answer. Just ignore that item!

 

P.S. Averages work in strange ways. If one of those receiving millions in bonuses from one of the bailed out banks happens to be on board, the average will be way skewed up!

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Bruin Steve

Bruin Steve

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I know it's new to you, but it's a whole lot of stating the obvious to a lot of us...And, of course, it is the "company line"...doesn't meant it's not mostly true, just it's what they want you to repeat to folks...it's the image they want to convey...I'll just add some of my own comments...

 

The 3 Oceania ships are regularly dry-docked every 12-14 months. This is quite unusual. Most cruise lines wait quite a bit longer than that.

I am not sure the exact schedule with other lines...I assume they all differ a little...and then again, a lot depends on WHAT they do during each drydock...

 

Dining is what Oceania considers to be it's hallmark.

I would say that is right on the money...The food is pretty much excellent across the bord

 

There are no surcharges for any of the 4 restaurants onboard.

Again correct...though another way to look at it is that with some lines with traditional dining, your tip goes to your regular table staff, so the specialty restaurant fees are really to create a separate pool for the specialty restaurant wait staff...With all open seating, the tips are all pooled in the same pot...and the tips on Oceania are higher than on most of those other lines...as are the cruise fares...IOW, you pay for everything one way or another...nothing's really free--except though that there is no disincentive to dining in the specialty restaurants this way...

 

Oceania spends much more on food costs (buying higher quality foods) than the other cruise lines.

Well...I'm guessing they do spend more than most...but, having spent some portion of my career in the hospitality/restaurant business, I will tell you that amount spent on food is NOT the perfect measure of quality...Some folks with bigger numbers and better buying power may be able to spend LESS for the SAME quality food...It depends on a lot of factors...Of course, again, the food is pretty danged good...

 

They place themselves a step above Princess, HAL and Celebrity, but not quite at the luxury level.

Well...I agree they are above Princess...and I've never cruised with HAL...but I would have some disagreement to their being a step above Celebrity...I think there are some trade-offs there...the products are different and a lot depends on your criteria and standards...But, of course, this is where THEY see THEMSELVES...

 

There is no formal attire required, but passengers can dress up if they so chose. The majority of passengers chose to dress in resort-casual attire for dinner.

Their marketing materials require evening dress to be "Country Club Casual"...but there is no great guideline as to what that means--except no jeans, no shorts, no tank tops and no sandals...Past there, it seems to be an area of great debate here...But (hooray) at least I don't have to pack and schlepp the tux to Europe...

 

They schedule at least 3 lecturers per sailing.

I seem to recall only two on our last Oceania cruise...and just because they have them doesn't mean they are any good--one of ours was a woman who had been a "regular" on the old Benny Hill Show (a sense of humor not shared by many of us)...and a couple of times, the "lectures"--like the slide show and reminiscenses of Benny Hill--were IN PLACE of regular evening entertinment...So, this is not necessarily a "plus"...

 

They have 12-piece orchestras, but no broadway-type shows. (more caberet-type instead).

This is really a function of the limitations of the ships...There is no "Big Showroom" with stage, backstage and lighting facilities...which pretty much keep the entertainment on a smaller scale...On the negative side, we found most of the entertainment to be extremely amateurish...This is NOT Oceania's strong point...

 

They are on their 5th generation of memory foam mattresses since the company began 5 years ago.

And the mattresses are pretty danged comfortable...The extreme opposite of the "hard as a rock" mattress we had on our last Princess cruise in January...

 

On most cruises, the average passenger age is 68-69 years old. Overall, the average passenger age range is 55+ yrs. old.

Well, I guess 68-69 IS in the 55+ range, huh? I think it's an older demogrphic for a number of reasons: 1) No kids programs... 2) Longer itineraries...and 3) Higher prices...Put those together and you steer your target market away from young families, those still working with limited vacation time, those still saving up for expenses like kids' college educations, paying off mortgages, etc.

 

The average passenger income is $150,000+ and most are urban dwellers.

Some folks seem to find this hard to believe...I don't...I often joke that I cannot believe that there are people who make LESS than $150,000!! In all seriousness, income is relative...Here in Southern California, it would be really hard to live off what a lot of folks seem to make in other parts of the country...In the town I live in, the AVERAGE home costs around $1.8 million...We are currently paying almost $2.50 for a gallon of gas--and we drive a lot...Everything costs more here...

 

The other thing to figure into this is that every cruise line targets a slightly different demographic..."Poor" people tend not to cruise at all...Folks who are out of work, working from paycheck to paycheck, deep in debt, etc...don't tend to cruise at all...

 

So, you start with the decently employed working folks...who can scrape together just enough to cruise once in a while...and really need to find a deal...they are not on Oceania...That's Carnival's target market--they market to the "low price" seekers...As you go up from there, you get to people with a little bit more disposable income as you move up the ladder...Oceania really caters to people for whom other issues are more important than low price...and those folks tend to be in higher income brackets...I, for one, am NOT shocked at the $150,000 claim...and, remeber, that's an average, not a minimum...

 

The average passenger is well-educated, has traveled the world and been on many cruises including those on HAL, Princess, Celebrity and Crystal.

Yeah...pretty much goes with the reported income demographic.

 

Lately, Oceania has been getting a lot of Princess suite passengers switching over to Oceania. (I thought this was very accurate of what I've seen too.)

Probably because of those Flintstone rock mattresses!!!

 

Oceania says their ships are not kid-friendly. There are no dedicated children's programs, no dedicated childrens or teens areas.

They are not...Remember, again, the limitations of the size and design of the ship--no room for kids' facilities...and they are not in the target demographic anyway...Doesn't mean zero kids however...and the ones that ARE on the cruise with you have little to keep them occupied...

 

The Marina is still due out in Sept. of 2010 and will start it's itineraries in Europe, then will likely be sent to the Caribbean for the winter of 2010-2011. It will have 6 main restaurants, a culinary school, 1252 pasengers and a staff of 780.

But will they lose some of what makes the smaller ships attractive to the typical Oceania passenger? We'll see...For me, I won't worry...I'm sure I'd like it...Maybe the entertainment will be upgraded?

 

New schedules come out on April 1st.

I've got to get through this summer's cruise first...

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DrivesLikeMario

DrivesLikeMario

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Steve, please re-read my first line. And, I agree about the income. I'm sure it is self-reported and yes, I'd say $150,000+ isn't that unusual in So. Cal. I thought it was interesting that they came right out and said that. I guess we have been cruising on the wrong lines up to now.

 

My disclaimer :D - This is information I was given directly from Oceania. I haven't made it up - it's what they said. I don't know where they got their information, I am only passing it on to newbies to the cruise line because I thought it was interesting.

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LHT28 Holiday Sharing Rare

LHT28

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Some folks seem to find this hard to believe...I don't...I often joke that I cannot believe that there are people who make LESS than $150,000!! In all seriousness, income is relative...Here in Southern California, it would be really hard to live off what a lot of folks seem to make in other parts of the country...In the town I live in, the AVERAGE home costs around $1.8 million...We are currently paying almost $2.50 for a gallon of gas--and we drive a lot...Everything costs more here...

 

 

I have to disagree

I do not think most of the cruisers on O are from SO CAL

There are parts of the country where housing prices do cost more, doesn't mean people make that kind of money.......

 

Many people we met on O are just ordinary folk maybe middle class or better but have regular jobs or are retired.

Wow only $2.50 a gal

We are paying $3.21 for regular & that is low compared to a few months ago when it was over $5.

My car takes premium at $3.31:eek:

Food is going up as well as everything else

 

 

I wonder where O gets it figures on Income levels :confused: ...I certainly do not disclose mine to anyone

 

Lyn

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DrivesLikeMario

DrivesLikeMario

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I wonder where O gets it figures on Income levels :confused: ...I certainly do not disclose mine to anyone

 

Lyn

 

They must have gotten those numbers from the passengers themselves. Must be self-reported. ?? Not really sure, but I don't know how else they could get them.

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hondorner

hondorner

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Lecturers -- I've been on three cruises with a total of four lecturers, more accurately, 3.5. One on the 26 day Amazon cruise -- one was all that was needed. He was fantastic, with a lecture nearly every day and one full evening. Next was a transAtlantic to South America -- one lecturer -- same one as on the Amazon cruise, and again, one was all that was needed. Last was also South American, and this time there were two -- or perhaps, as I said, only 1-1/2, because one was excellent and the other was poor. I have never seen three on one cruise.

 

I agree with all the rest of the information you were given, with the exception of the income level as it applies to us -- we would be among those dragging down the average. :rolleyes:

 

I wouldn't mind those rock-hard beds on Princess, would do almost anything for a super firm pillow, and hate the duvets because we don't like too much AC and keep the room too warm for a duvet. I wish they would install Sleep Number mattresses so we could dial our comfort, as we do at home.

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ORV "Live from...." Rare

ORV

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I personally don't really care about surveys one way or the other and will mark anything. Especially when the information is not really necessary to them. It's not like I'm getting a grade on it. Most of this information is collected when you register online to access your information.

 

I always put down the highest income bracket no matter what it is. I'm sure others do the same.

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ORV "Live from...." Rare

ORV

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"I always put down the highest income bracket no matter what it is."

Why would you do that?

 

 

Why not? Is there a benefit for me to correctly fill out their demographic surveys?

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Bruin Steve

Bruin Steve

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For the most part, I will answer the "income question" and any other valid survey question (and truthfully) in any survey where:

1) There are VALID statitical reasons for the request and

2) Where I know who is asking the question and have an idea that it won't be misused.

 

Of course, asking only someone's annual income really doesn't tell them that much...

 

One guy might have an annual income of a million dollars a year but be $20 million in debt with high expenses and little "extra cash"...

 

Another guy might be retired and earning a net "zero" with stock market losses balancing any pension or interest earnings but with $10 million in liquid reserves sitting in the bank, no debt, no mortgage, no dependents...

 

Which of those two could easier afford a cruise--the guy making a million a year or the guy making zero?

 

So, I really don't think the question really tells them that much--not even who to send the brochure to...

 

Now there are situations where I flat-out refuse to answer the question. I am on enough lists where people know what I do for a living and my position in the company and they can figure out for themelves what my income is (Heck, it's even available on the internet if someone knows where to look--My corporation is required to publically post the earnings of its top executives). I also own my home in a fairly exclusive neighborhood--so people can guess based on that as well...

 

In any event, I get lots of unsolicited mailings and phone calls from stockbrokers, investment "advisors", investment "opportunities", etc.

 

Occasionally I get this one: Unsolicited telephone survey...after a couple of casual benign questions, "What is your annual income?"--often mutiple choice with high ranges only...

 

I tell them goodbye and hang up...

 

Could be an investment group of some kind "marketing" (I, of course, won't deal with someone calling on that basis)...or...

 

Could be criminals or scam artists casing for potential targets...

 

With the cruise lines, though, I think they just want to brag that THEIR customers earn better than $150,000 per year...

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CintiPam

CintiPam

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They schedule at least 3 lecturers per sailing. :)

 

Perhaps it was three lectures per cruise, not three lecturers?? On our September Istanbul to Athens 12-day cruise, we had one lecturer, precisely your image of the dry-witted British academic, who gave three excellent lectures (Ancient Ephesus, Olympia, and the Golden Age of Athens).

 

Looking forward to more this June going Athens to Rome!!:D

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hondorner

hondorner

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I believe that Oceania's latest brochures/ads now state there is an (8) pc orchestra. We noticed that on our recent sailing.

Generally, there is an 8 piece show band and a 4 piece string quartet. On all of our cruises, they have combined 2 or 3 times to form a 12 piece orchestra.

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Veronica13

Veronica13

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Steve, please re-read my first line. And, I agree about the income. I'm sure it is self-reported and yes, I'd say $150,000+ isn't that unusual in So. Cal. I thought it was interesting that they came right out and said that. I guess we have been cruising on the wrong lines up to now.

 

My disclaimer :D - This is information I was given directly from Oceania. I haven't made it up - it's what they said. I don't know where they got their information, I am only passing it on to newbies to the cruise line because I thought it was interesting.

 

Lady Jag, I for one APPRECIATE your taking the time to try to help newbies on Oceania like myself. Thank you.

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