Oceania or Silversea

[cinbeach]

My husband and I are looking to book the December 22nd Miami to Miami cruise. We have sailed on Silversea 2 times and Seabourn 1 time last year.

We of course realize there is a huge difference in price because of the all inclusive policies of Silversea and Seabourn. We are in our 30's and like to socialize and are very active on shore excursions (Snorkeling and Scuba).

For those that have taken these other cruise lines - how does Oceania compare. We like the itinerary and the fact that they do offer Scuba (which Silversea does not)

Based on the price alone - Oceania seems the better deal - just wondering if we have been too spoiled on SS and SB?

Thanks

[Zimmy]

We have never sailed Seabourn, but we were on Oceania last summer, and Silversea this January. I don't feel that Silversea has "spoiled" me for Oceania. We found the dining to be fairly comparable on the two lines. And while the average cabin on Oceania does not measure up to the cheapest cabin on Silversea, there are larger cabins available on Oceania. But you will not be able to match the bathroom, I'm afraid - that is a spoiler. Oceania is still a small ship - you don't encounter lines, at least we didn't. We were always able to get a pool lounge. And yes, you have to sign for things when you order them, but it's really not that much of an inconvenience. And we found the service on Oceania to be wonderful, and the staff to be always pleasant. However, if the only reason you're choosing Oceania is for the shore excursions, then I don't know. We were in Europe, not the Caribbean, so there were no snorkeling/scuba excursions and I can't speculate on how they would be. But we found Oceania's shore excursions to be the one area in which this line does not excel.

[ARTGRL]

oNE cannot compare Oceania to Silversea. I think that if one were to indulge on Oceania the same way as one does on Silversea, Oceania would end up more expensive. I don't care for the way they nickel and dime either............although the product is good, the overall experience is not the same. If Oceania were to be more "inclusive" it would give Silversea a run for their money.

[stebul]

We are in our 30's/40's and had a great time on the 12 day itinerary in December, 2004. The small ship and open seating dining facilitate meeting lots of people. Since you are booked so far in advance, I would recommend doing more research on local dive operators independent of the cruise line. You should find better prices, and you should be able to find recommendations for good operators. Our best tours were the ones I booked independently based off recommendations on the CC boards.

[SeaCCruiser]

Oceania is a wonderful cruise line, and their itineraries are great. I prefer to sail on Silversea, Radisson, or Seabourn simply because of their single supplement policies.

[meow!]

If you are single (which we are not), Silversea offers many voyages at 110% single supplement, and in those cases, Silversea's fares will likely be cheaper than Oceania's PH minisuite (similar size), and sometimes cheaper than Oceania's regular cabin (when Silversea offers discounted "silver sailings")! Take a look at both cruise lines' websites and compare, and in any case, it will be nice to have experienced both.

As I have mentioned before on other threads, Oceania excels on itinerary and jovial service, it has a good bed and great food (the "software"), though its basic cabins are "standard fare". Silversea's cabins (even the lowest category) have separate tub and shower, double sinks, walk-in closet, separated (by fully drawable curtain) bed/sitting sections and a (wall mounted) make-up module. They are compact luxury hotel rooms with more trappings than a standard room in an average five-star hotel on land (the "hardware"). It also has refined food (perhaps less in variety, but with free-flowing caviar and foie gras, not to mention drinks) and courteous service (a little reserved), and its itineraries are usually shorter. So, it is up to the individual consumer to consider all the relevant factors (including price). In any case, both are very good lines and worth a try to find out on your own. Hope this helps.

[Jancruz]

If you take a Penthouse or Owners Suite on Oceania it is still much less pricey that Silverseas and Seabourne and you will love the accommodations..it is much more caual and friendly that both of the all inclusive lines..and I find the service and food equal..but I have enjoyed cruising on all three lines...I go for the itinerary and since Oceaniaz has longer cruises I am most often on them..

Jan
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[Jancruz]

If you take a Penthouse or Owners Suite on Oceania it is still much less pricey that Silverseas and Seabourne and you will love the accommodations..it is much more caual and friendly that both of the all inclusive lines..and I find the service and food equal..but I have enjoyed cruising on all three lines...I go for the itinerary and since Oceania has longer cruises I cruise most often on them..

Jan:)
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[meow!]

I have obtained the following data from the Oceania and Silversea websites. Just for convenience, I have only compiled voyages for this month April, for cruises in the Mediterranean. This is by no means a complete picture, since different cruise lines have different pricing policies in regard to different seasons and different geographic locations.

In the case of Oceania, I arbitrarily allowed (subtracted) $1,000 for free air, and $500 for half air, before making adjusted per diem calculations, after which I have added $13 for tips (including butler tips), and $30 (a number often cited on the internet) for drinks etc. The PH2 minisuite (322 sq.ft.) has been chosen for comparison:

15 April 12 days $5099 free air adjusted per diem $385
25 April 14 days $5799 half air adjusted per diem $422
27 April 10 days $4799 no air adjusted per diem $524

In the case of Silversea, I chose the (standard) verandah suite (295-345 sq.ft.) for comparison. In all cases, all tips and drinks are included but no airfare. The "asterisked" voyages are special sale "silver sailings":

11 April 7 days $3117* per diem $445*
12 April 10 days $6201 per diem $620
12 April 12 days $6956 per diem $580
23 April 10 days $6201 per diem $620
23 April 6 days $2637* per diem $440*
25 April 10 days $3648* per diem $365*
28 April 7 days $3117* per diem $445*

From the above, it appears that for those non-silver sailings, Silversea is substantially more expensive than Oceania, but for the specially discounted silver sailings, Silversea is about on par to Oceania in pricing. Of course, there are more factors than pricing alone (which I repeat depends heavily on season and location especially in the case of Silversea, from $250 to $900 per diem; while it varies less by season and location for Oceania). You have also to consider the itinerary, the atmosphere, the ports you visit, and personal preferences, etc. The above is just a "snapshot" summary for this month, which some readers may find interesting!

Since Silversea offers short itineraries which Oceania does not, the "entry fare" for taking any of the above cruises is lower for Silversea. Also, the "single supplement" (not applicable to us) for Silversea can potentially be from 110 to 200% (especially if you book early). I don't know what the "single supplement" is for Oceania. Perhaps Jancruz can kindly fill in this information. Thank you.

[Jancruz]

Hi Meow,

That was a great comparison..I really enjoyed seeing it..
SS on Oceania is 175% from G through A1 and 200% for PH, Vista and Owners suite..sometimes on sailings that are not full I can negotiate these rates on the lower cabins..upper categories always sell out first on Oceania..
Jan:)
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[Jancruz]

I just found out while I have been busy going to the hospital to be with my husband..Oceania changed their SS to 200% across the board..sorry for the misinformation..

Jan:)
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[meow!]

Thank you, Jan, for the information. That means whether you are a couple or just alone, you have to pay the same. In effect, that means Oceania is not interested in single passengers. At 200% fare, singles (which do not include us) can easily look elsewhere!

[Jancruz]

Yes Meow you are correct..
Jan
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[jimgib]

i have sailed silversea many times and love it, however tried insignia for first time in march said barbados to barcelona.
we were concerned as both my wife and myself drink more than we should and reading about oceanias drinks prices wondered if it was a good idea, like suggested before we had an owners suite which was super, far better than a normal silverseas.
for costings we worked out what a penthouse cabin would have cost on oceania and a mid cabin on silverseas. for my trip 18 days the price diff was around $3700 which ment if our charges for tips and drinks were less than this then oceania wins.
we drank what we wanted were generous with tips and my bill was around $2600.
we really enjoyed our cruise and will be with oceania later this year and next!
the staff are excellent and the captin Pietro Espinosa is a great guy we dined with him and chatted with him around the ship.
we both thought with silversea we had found the best, we now know there is better Oceania. cant knock silversea as also a great product, but found the people on oceania so much friendlier.
regards
JimGib