oceania and Princess very different?

[rachel58]

We have been on 2 wonderfull Oceania nautica cruises.We have now booked a panama canal crossing with friends that we would like to go with.will it be very different?We did do a HAL cruise about 10 years ago and enjoyed it.

[capecodder2]

We have done about 11 Princess cruises and are coming up on our 5th Oceania - in addition to other lines. For the mass market type of cruise at a lower price (than O), we like Princess but will not sail on any ship over 1900 passengers. We tried one of their 2600 pax ships and decided that it is too big for our liking. Yes, they are different and they cater to different markets, but that doesn't have to be all bad. On Princess we liked the food in general, especially their souffles, didn't like that cappacino and some other things were extra. Specialty restaurants were extra. Getting on and off the larger ships have to have different logistics than O's smaller ships (the Pacific Princess, Tahitian Princess and Royal Princess are sister ships to Oceania with a few differences depending on what company owned them after Renaissance). I didn't find that much difference between HAL and Princess so that is a good comparison (IMHO). Smoking was permitted in many of the lounges and it was too over-powering for us to enjoy them, not that we would spend much time there anyway. It was hard to get away from the stinky smoke walking through the public areas even though it was permitted on only 1 side of the ship (it does spread easily). I hated walking through the casino. The shows and entertainment on Princess were more and better. I am sure you will enjoy being with your friends and then you can come back to Oceania.

[Bruin Steve]

Let me throw this one out there...

We were on the Sapphire Princess over New Years...and I was definitely NOT impressed...It was our second time with Princess and, actually neither lived up to my standards...

 

The main problem was this: 3,000 people on the ship and it felt overcrowded...The Showroom sat less than 1,000 and some evenings they had only one show. People were sitting on the stairs...

The Dining rooms were a complete mess...They tried to be all things to all people--having the "choice" of Traditional or Open seating...but it doesn't wiork...they don't police it well and people with traditional assignments crashed open seating resulting in too high a demand for those spots...and people beeing given beepers and waiting as long as an hour to be seated!

Overall, it just wasn't a great operation...

 

Now, Princess also has some of the old Ren ships--like Oceania and Azamara and I would hope that operation may be better--though i don't have much faith in the folks that run Princess...

 

Now, I am not one of those who demands only a smaller ship...If a large ship has reasonable space-to-passenger ratios and is well run, it can be a great cruise as well...Celebrity fits that bill...I haven't cruised with HAL but I understand they do a decent job of it as well...

 

There are both positives and negatives of cruising with Oceania and the small ships...but, the positives far outweigh the negatives...On the negative side, if entertainment and activities are important to you, the entertainment is not on par with the big ships and the ships really quiet down at night...On the positive side, the food is outstanding, the service and atmosphere elegant--even without the formal nights (another plus as far as I am concerned)...and the itineraries are outstanding...and the ship is comfortable and uncrowded...quite different from Princess...

[nparmelee]

It might help to specify which Princess ship. Our first cruise was Princess, Coral Princess specifically, up in Alaska. It is a very different experience, not a bad experience (we're taking our 4th cruise in a few weeks), just different. On Princess, we always found something to eat that was OK, but never had a meal I would call memorable, even in the specialty restaurants. Our second cruise was on the Celebrity Summit and we felt that was a step up on food and service, but met some people who preferred the food on Princess, this would be why we have choices, taste is very subjective. Our current preference is O, we would cruise Celebrity or Princess again for the right itinerary, but if O had something very similar for not too much more would go with O. How much is too much is also subjective and I don't know until we hit that situation. I don't think we could do any of the mega-liners, that would have to be one heck of an itinerary, but we've learned not to say never. Any cruise or vacation is what you make of it, so go with an open mind and have a good time no matter what!

[nparmelee]

Hubby said I should add that you will have more entertainment options on Princess, that can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your tastes. Heck, I'm only 44 but am one of those people that does not need to be entertained, I find my own entertainment in just about anything.

[DBSDSS]

We just completed the Panama canal cruise on Coral Princess - and will be be on a Regatta cruise on O in a few weeks. We've been on both Princess and O in the past. Both have positives and some negatives - we've enjoyed cruising on both - and will continue to cruise on both.

 

Re the recent Panama cruise - we had a great time. We were in a mini-suite - cost a few bucks more than a regular balcony cabin - but you get a lot more space - incl a bathtub, which basically means the bathroom is larger than on O, and a larger balcony. No mini-suite option on O - either balcony or suite.

 

Re food - not that big of a deal for me. That said - can't wait to eat at the Polo Grill and Toscana - specialty restaurants for no extra charge. On Princess they charge for their specialty restaurants. On the other hand, on Princess they have something called the Chef's Table - cost $75 extra per person. Probably the best meal, all things considered, that I ever had in my life. They only have one table per night, on 1-3 nights, depending on the length of the cruise - on our Panama canal cruise - there were 3 separate Chef's tables - so a total of about 30 of the passangers got to partake. (Check the Princess threads for details re the Chef's Table.)

 

Believe that Coral holds something south of 2,000 passengers - we never felt crowded. Back to food on Coral - would suggest the "regular" dining room - as opposed to the anytime dining room - that way you avoid waiting for a table.

 

Short answer - think you like the Coral/Princess and the Panama Canal cruise - have a great time.

[meow!]

No mini-suite option on O - either balcony or suite.

The PH category on Oceania is a minisuite, at 1.5x the size of a regular balconied cabin, and physically similar to a Princess minisuite, presumably.

[rachel58]

thank you for replies.Yes we are booked on the Island with a balcony room.How do the 2 buffets compare?

[LHT28]

I do not think you can compare Oceania to Princess larger ships

If you are sailing on the R ships that Princess has then that may be different story.

 

I think "AussieGirl" has done all 3 lines now on the R ships & she would have a better idea of how they compare.

 

Lyn

[pacmom]

Have been on Insignia, Regatta and the Princess Royal. The ambiance on Princess can't match O !!!!! Neither can the food, except for the pizza in the evening in the Bistro on Princess. The cabins are the same, so no problem there. Traditional dining only on the Royal--we dined in the Bistro on formal nites. The Bistro is about 1/4 of Tapas with a small but very good menu. Did not go to the specialty rest. Entertainment about the same. The cd could not compare to David S.--notice the small letters. We will be on the Tahitian P. this summer because O does not yet have the Norway itinerary--have heard it is better than the Royal. Still the bottom line for us is itinerart. Pat

[Veronica13]

When I saw the thread title, I was sure it was someone "funning" us.:p

 

Didn't read the whole thread, but like someone said, just enjoy being with your friends. At least you'll have that.

[Palmetto Lady]

My husband and I did a round trip several years ago - San Francisco to Hawaii to French Polynesia to Vancouver on the Pacific Princess. It was an enjoyable experience. They offered upgrades to balcony cabins on this cruise for a minimal price. The only thing that bothered us was the extra charge for expresso and cappachino. No one at our large table ordered them for the entire trip. Both this ship and the Tahitian Princess are similar in size to Oceania's ships. We found the food "acceptable". At that time it was fixed seating at dinner.

[hondorner]

My son, a confirmed bachelor for his 38 years, just returned with his new bride from their honeymoon cruise on the Emerald Princess. He is a reasonably experienced cruiser, having gone on his first cruise at age 8 and several since then. The last cruise he took was a family cruise with 9 of us, including my daugher and her 3 kids under 8 years old, on Carnival last Summer, but he has been on RCL and NCL as well.

 

He reports that the cabin, an oceanview, was tiny, smaller than a comparable room on the Carnival Triumph. He enjoyed the activities, but said the ship caters to a slightly older crowd than other large ships and folks retired early. The cabaret style entertainment (comedian, magician, etc) was good, but he said the dancers and singers in the production-type shows were second rate, not as good as the Carnival. He also said the Princess food was comparable to Carnival, which I did not take as an outstanding compliment.

 

Overall, however, the ambiance on Princess was nicer, the passengers were a bit older (mid-thirties to mid-fifties with exceptions on both ends) and not many children (possibly because it was a 10 day cruise) and better behaved than the often exuberant younger crowds on some of the other ships.

 

They used the Anytime dining option and were pleased, never having a wait. I asked him about the reports I heard of Traditional diners crashing the Anytime section and causing delays, and he said he didn't see any evidence of that. They didn't have enough room in their cabin to try room service.

 

Overall, they rated the experience as very good, primarily due to the itinerary and the fabulous weather they experienced. They went to St. Kitts, St. Lucie, Antigua, Barbados, St. Thomas and Princess Cay in the Bahamas. They were especially pleased with the Princess-owned site in the Bahamas, as they had not expected much.

 

He has not yet sailed Oceania but has vicariously enjoyed our reports, and combining our opinions, he is trying to reconcile the relative quiet of Oceania and the small casino against the excellent food, service and comfort of the cabins. The price difference is also important to them at this stage in their lives, as neither currently is employed -- they both worked for a large national bank and got caught in the layoffs. They put off serious job hunting until aftger the wedding and honeymoon, but both have good prospects.

[Bruin Steve]

My son...just returned ...from..the Emerald Princess. ...The last cruise he took was ...on Carnival last Summer, but he has been on RCL and NCL as well.

 

Don,

I have no doubt that someone accustomed to Carnival and NCL would find Princess to be very good. IMHO, it IS by far a better line than either of those. But the comparison here was to Oceania. Having cruised both, I don't believe there is a comparison...except maybe to Princess' smaller ships--which are operated quite differently than their large, overcrowded ships.

 

Your son may not have known whether traditional diners are crashing anytime--they don't wear identifying badges--the Princess staff can't even tell that they are crashing...Whether there is a wait or not depends a lot on the time your son eats dinner...Eat early or late, there may have been no wait...but smack in the middle of the dining room hours is wher the wait is. we were in "traditional" and it was obvious to us this was happening--on a ship that was over capacity (with 3rd and 4th berths filled), the traditional dining room was half empty every night...these people were all eating somewhere.

 

But, yes, compared to the train wreck that is Carnival, Princess is quite elegant and refined...

 

But, on the whole, every cruise line has its target market...in terms of demographics , in terms of age, financial status, etc.

 

Carnival clearly aims at the bottom of the market--the folks wanting a fun time at the cheapest possible price. NCL targets the new cruisers who buy into "freestyle" and want an easy, cheap vacation that just happens to be on a ship. Princess targets those wanting a step up from Carnival--a little more elegant service, a little more upscale a crowd--but still in the affordable range. Royal Caribbean targets the younger families willing to spend a little extra cash to get something of value for their money--fun activities and amenities for the kids and people willing to spring some cash to be on the latest, most innovative ships. HAL targets the older folks looking for some quiet and elegance. Celebrity targets those looking for food and service, roominess and elegance, a little more upscale but with a large enough ship to supply lots of activity for adults.

 

Regent, Crystal, Seabourne, Silverseas all target people with loads of expendable cash willing to pay for top level everything and wanting to separate themselves from the masses.

 

Oceania and Azamara both target the same market...above the mass market lines, but a better value than the "premiums"...They are not after families with kids, party fanatics, folks looking for a cheap getaway...What they're doing is sliding into that niche between the mass market big ship lines and the premiums...They need people willing to pay a little more to have a smaller uncrowded ship, quiet elegance, good food and service and upscale ambience...

 

There is actually a thin line between Oceania and HAL or Celebrity on one side...and another thin line between Oceania and the premium lines on the other...They give you a little taste of each...The market for Oceania is to pull away some of the HAL and Celebrity cruisers who may want the great itineraries or the smaller ship experience or the slightly different style and are willing to pay the difference...and they need to pull from the premium lines the customers who will realize they are not giving up much of the elegance or class of those lines but are still getting not that much different a small ship experience at a more reasonable price...

 

Princess is drawing from the Carnival customers tired of the noise, commotion and poor service...but, they are not really competitive with Oceania...

 

And I am saying this having just cruised a Princess ship in January (Okay, we needed to stay local and Oceania, Azamara and Celebrity had no ships in the vicinity and ANY cruise is better than staying home)...

[hondorner]

...But, yes, compared to the train wreck that is Carnival, Princess is quite elegant and refined...

I think I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you on this. True, Carnival would not be our choice for a cruise as a couple. It can be noisier and the crowd can be a bit rougher. But, those folks are in the minority and can be easily avoided.

 

The real value of Carnival for someone like us is when sailing with the family. Our daughter's kids are normal kids, which means that they are exuberant and run around a lot and are sometimes moody and get tired, and there is absolutely nothing better at sea for them than Camp Carnival and FunShip Freddy.

 

But, perhaps you missed the comparisons my son made -- the cabin on Princess was smaller, the entertainment was not as good, and the food was no better. Carnival may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is hardly a "train wreck".

 

To bring this back to Oceania, when we were on the Carnival Triumph last Summer, we found the ocean view cabin more spacious than the concierge cabins on Oceania, we found the entertainment to be as good regarding the cabaret acts (there were also production shows, but we don't care for that form of entertainment), The staff was as friendly and the service was as good as Oceania, the bed was as comfortable, the shower was larger and occasionally the food was as good as Oceania.

[Aussie Gal]

We have cruised on the Pacific (once) and Tahitian Princess (3 times), Oceania's Nautica once, though it was for 35 days and Azamara's Quest just recently for 14 days. We will be on HAL's Prinsendam in November for 24 days so once we have finished that cruise we will really have had a good comparison of the smaller ships other than Silverseas, Seabourn and Regent.

 

After cruising on Princess, Oceania and Azamara, we have to put Oceania on the top of the list, followed by Princess and finally Azamara.

 

Oceania does give a good product, it is well thought out and they do deliver what they say they will We had a wonderful cruise on the Nautica last year and loved the Anytime dining, not having to pay for the two extra restaurants and the wonderful buffet for breakfast and lunch. We also like the way the waiters serve in the Buffet area where the passengers do not touch any food at all which helps to prevent norovirus. Also, we loved being able to bring wine on board and we also enjoyed Happy hour each night where one drink is free. A great idea.

 

The only downside we could find was the entertainment at night which really didn't happen. We do like to go to the Cabaret Lounge after dinner before we go to bed and just relax and watch a show.

 

Princess also delivers a good product on the smaller ships especially for the price. The food is quite good, not as good as Oceania but we have never gone hungry. The Entertainment is excellent and we have always enjoyed this aspect of Princess. The staff have always been courteous and we have enjoyed all our cruises with this line. The downside is that there is only Traditional Dining on these smaller ships and also one has to pay quite a bit to dine in the two alternative restaurants.

 

Azamara lets one believe that they are equal to Oceania but unfortunately they haven't quite reached that standard as yet. The food was excellent in the dining room and the two alternate restaurants but upstairs in the buffet it was absymal.

 

We were on the Quest during the norovirus scare. The ship had been thoroughly cleaned before we boarded and therefore in the buffet the waiters did hand out the food but I believe from reading on C.C. that cruisers are now helping themselves again which I think is a sure way of picking up the virus and repeating what has happened just recently.

 

We did enjoy Anytime dining on this ship but even when dining in the alternate restaurants a charge is made p.p. for this privilege. We found that once on board, a charge was made for most things and drinks are charged a hefty 18% extra. The shops were most expensive with very little too offer, no happy hour, excursions were top dollar and we found some of the staff to be very surly especially in the Buffet area.

 

Of course the price is much lower than Oceania but then the product is not up to expectations. Even though they are all the same ships, there is a difference in how they are run and we found that communication was lacking very much on the Quest other than from the wonderful Captain Carl Smith who is now on leave.

 

We always look at the itinerary first and then the ship. We prefer the smaller ships and we have enjoyed some great cruises on these ex "R" ships.

 

We have never had a bad cruise and we have been cruising for quite a few years now. Oceania has set the standard for the smaller ships but if the price is too high, then you can still have a good experience on one of Princess's smaller ships and on Azamara. I am sure Azamara will eventually creep up to Oceania's standard but at the moment, they still have a fair way to go.

 

Jennie

[ddcruiser]

Hello,

 

We are just back from Ft. L to Panama Canal and return on Island Princess. We had a mini-suite which was lovely and spent most of our time on the large balcony. Why? Because the pool area is noisy, crowded, and not pleasant. The only pleasant space outside is the Sanctuary which costs $20 a day pp or on deck 7 with people walking by every minute. Also, smoking was allowed in many areas (including rooms and balconies) and made those areas absolutely undesirable.

 

As to the food, there is no comparison. We tried the buffet for breakfast and once at dinner. Both times, the food was almost inedible. The dining rooms are ok, but mediocre compared to Oceania. The passengers were very different as well--not as well-traveled at all. We did find one bar, Crooners, that was nice, not smoky, and served terrific margaritas and martinis.

 

The price is right on Princess, but the experience is very different. If we can afford it, we'll keep traveling with Oceania (4 cruises) or Azamara (one cruise). It's worth the $$$ to have a better experience.

[Aussie Gal]

ddcruiser,

 

You are comparing the Island Princess to an Oceania cruise whereas I have been comparing a cruise on one of the smaller ships of Princess eg. the Pacific or Tahitian which is a completely different experience.

 

Oceania is still heads over Princess but on the smaller ships the difference is not so obvious as the ships are exactly the same both outside and inside. The only difference is the food, the service and the entertainment and the service and entertainment on Princess is good. If you had an identical itinerary and the cost was the major factor, then you cannot go wrong with Princess.

 

Jennie

[SunDapple]

I'm going to jump in on this one as I am about to take my first Oceania cruise this summer, and am very much looking forward to making my own comparisons, having already sailed on both Princess and Azamara.

Our Princess experience, twice on the Tahitian Princess (Society Islands & Cook Islands) which was lovely, and once on the Diamond Princess, (Mexican Riviera) which was a disaster. The Diamond was way too large (which we knew going in) and it was during spring break . The spring break factor was also known before we departed, but we had no idea of the possibility that during the evening there would be a gazillion kids between the ages of 6 and 14 running the halls in unsupervised packs. We never would have chosen that cruise to begin with, but found that we had a cruise credit we had to use by a certain date, and that ship and those dates were all we could find, plus we needed to stay on the west coast due to post cruise logistics. Anyway, I have to say that there is a huge difference between the Tahitian Princess (in Polynesian waters) and the Diamond, but not a similar magnitude of difference between the Tahitian Princess and Azamara.

 

We were on the Quest in December 2007 (Panama Canal), it was perhaps the fourth or fifth sailing of the Quest since its acquisition by Celebrity (Azamara) and while it was not a shakedown cruise, it was pretty darn close. I am most happy on this size ship, and am pretty easy to please, so my complaints were minimal, however there were a couple. The entertainment on A was abysmal. The comedian told jokes that managed to offend every racial group on the ship. The magician was decent, but only by contrast to the comedian. The CD was a talented singer, but as a CD.....not so much. We were accompanied our children who are in their early to mid twenties, and they really suffered for lack of activities, especially on sea days, and our bar bill took a beating for that reason. ;) The entertainment on the Tahitian Princess was far superior, and our twenty-somethings were much happier with even the simplest of things to do that were offered on the Tahitian but not by the Quest.

The food on the Quest was better than on the Tahitian, especially in the specialty restaurants. My husband refuses to cruise on Princess again. He is sick of the repetitive menu from one Princess ship to the next, it's all the same, and not very good, just decent. Now the Tahitian Princess has gone off to do their World Cruise. I am glad I was able to sail her in the most perfect of settings.

 

Now I am looking forward to our first Oceania cruise in July in the Med. My ultimate standard of cruising is the old Royal Viking line, which is no more. The standards on Royal Viking were impeccable and it is due to their high quality that my husband and I fell in love with cruising, before children. Like Bruin Steve, we have done a couple of Royal Caribbean cruises when we traveled with kids, but those days, fortunately are over. :) We look forward to Oceania with much anticipation, and we hope it will be a perfect fit.

Jacquie

[Aussie Gal]

Sundapple,

 

I am sure you will love your Oceania cruise. We had the best cruise last year on the Nautica and it is going to be very hard to find a cruise that has all the ingredients put together that we had on that cruise. We had wonderful weather, a long cruise which we love, (35 days) fantastic shipboard companions, the best itinerary and of course a lovely ship with good service and food. What more could anyone ask for!

 

Enjoy.

 

Jennie

[Druke I]

We sailed Pacific Princess Papeete to Sydney, 11-03, and had a wonderful trip.

 

We've been on Regatta twice, and Nautica once.

 

Gross generalizations:

 

Food in all venues much better on Oceania.

 

Entertainment, if you like production style shows, much better on Princess.

 

If you like string quartets, etc, Oceania is better.

 

Quality of lecturers a draw.

 

One huge plus for Oceania (my opinion): dress codes. I no longer have to pack a tux and all its gear.