Planning first luxury cruise. Uncertain as to which line to choose.

I've been on dozens of cruises in the past 35 years and am finally stepping up to the luxury segment (I know...shame on me for not doing it sooner, lol!).

Needless to say, we're excited, but we're also unsure as to which line to choose. We know for certain that we want a 12 to 14-night British Isles cruise in 2016, and our travel agent has made some excellent recommendations. Right now, we've narrowed it down to Crystal and Oceania. Both lines offer exactly the itinerary we want.

Since $20,000 is a significant amount of money for us, we want to leave as little to chance as possible. That's why I'm turning to you for additional counsel.

We love any age group and food of all kinds. Our sailing history has had us on Celebrity mostly, with Cunard a close second.

Thank you for any insight you might be willing to offer. I appreciate it very much.

All the best,

Charles

Have you considered Hapag-Lloyd's Europa 2?

If 18 days is not too long, they have two nine day back to back cruises, Hamburg-Dublin then Dublin-Hamburg.

This website does not allow a direct link to the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises website.

The two cruises are:

EUX 1622 departing Hamburg 20 July 2016.

EUX 1623 departing Dublin 29 July 2016.

Because of the poor rate of exchange used by Hapag-Lloyd on their website, payment can be made in Euros.

The specific thread on the Europa 2 in the 'Luxury Cruising' section will provide a good overview of the ship, and it's amenities.

Besides Crystal & Oceania, have you considered Silversea Cruises?

I'd say the ships are much smaller, more of an intimate setting, but it's certainly a luxury cruise line, with all rooms being suites with person butlers, etc.

Tha

Of the two, I cruised on Oceania and are very happy with it. I was told that it is less formal than Crystal when the two ships were docked next to each other in Manhattan. Doesn't Crystal include alcohol? Oceania does not which is good for me because I drink very little alcohol. We had a butler on one Oceania cruise and did not need him at all, not quite ready for luxury. ;-) Oceania is a premium line, "luxury lite". I liked their Riviera better than their smaller ships.

I would love to try the Europa 2 as long as the Euro is down. The ship sounds very luxurious and has an airy Scandinavian style that I like. You need to be comfortable with the presence of lots of German speaking passengers (which we are). I imagine that the cuisine will reflect their tastes, for example a large variety of cold cuts and cheeses for breakfast, not only of course. On our last cruise on the French Ponant line, the one lonely German passenger noticed the lack of variety in that department. He was a regular on Hapag-Lloyd.

It really depends on what you are looking for in the cruise

I have not been on Crystal but I am sure others here will comment

Oceania suits our needs just fine

we are not big drinkers so no need for the included alcohol & we can always take a bottle of something for our cabin if we choose

No jackets or ties required so suits DH & my luggage space

Food is good enough for us we are not gourmet diners but I hear some people are & still like the food ;)

Some do not ..personal choice

We get PPG from our TA so do not have that added expense

we book the balcony or outside cabins so no worries about the butler but if you like insuite dining ...course by course a butler would work for you

Only you can decide what your needs & wants are & which line will fit your lifestyle

I do not think you can go wrong with either line

Lyn

Here is what I suggest.

First don't ask for input on CC. I really mean that because most people are just going to tell you the lines they enjoy.

This is what I did when I made my first luxury cruise line decision and then when I decided on another luxury line.

First, get a TA who specializes in Luxury Lines and who has sailed them all. This should include Crystal, Seabourn, Silversea, Regent and Sea Dream

Sorry but Oceania is not Luxury.

You should review with the TA what you are looking for and what you like in cruising and have an interactive conversation with them.

Second, purchase a copy of the Ocean Cruising Book that is updated yearly and written by Douglas Ward and published by Berlitz. It is a fantastic resource.

Third, Get brochures of reach line. Study the ships and the deck plans. And read what they highlight about themselves.

Fourth, visit the web sites for the cruise lines as they also provide a lot of information.

Fifth, narrow down your list of cruise lines and ships. Then read review on Cruise Critic and read the boards. Go with the 80/20 rule. I used this in business and that is until I experience something myself if 80& of the people like or dislike something I accept it as fact until I experience it myself.

Sixth. Ask fact based questions on CC where the feedback you get is fact based and not opinion.

Again, we don't know you. You don't know us. Most people have not sailed on all the luxury lines and even if they did what one person likes you might not and the reverse is true.

Keith

I must say that I have cruised on many lines although the only 2 that are classified as luxury that we have been on are Seadream and PG. I seem to always drift back to Oceania because it is luxurious enough for us. We live quite luxuriously and what they offer suits us just fine. I prefer the Riviera (O) ship over the ® ships but both are fabulous. For us it is itinerary vs cost and we also prefer an open dining experience vs set dining schedule. Other "luxury" lines also have smoking and set dining schedules which we prefer to not experience. Therefore, do your due diligence because "luxury" is in the eye of the beholder.

Right now, we've narrowed it down to Crystal and Oceania. Both lines offer exactly the itinerary we want.

 

Since $20,000 is a significant amount of money for us, we want to leave as little to chance as possible. That's why I'm turning to you for additional counsel.

What's important to you, and why are you changing cruise lines? What are you looking for in a "luxury" cruise, which means different things to different people?

I chose Crystal because of their low single supplement, fixed (traditional) dining, and the all-inclusive atmosphere (which is about the feeling of all inclusive, not the financials of all inclusive). What's important to you will vary.

Charles, if you go through the approach that I laid out (except that you've already spoken to an agent) I do think you can figure out which one works best for you of the two lines I mentioned.

Do focus in on which ship you will be on for Oceania as they have two different distinctly different size ships (two of each kind).

Also, there will be certain items that are inclusive on Crystal that will not be inclusive on Oceania such as alcohol.

Keith

What are your preferences?

Alcohol, included or not

Dining, fixed or open

Dress code. formal or casual

Those are the things we like about Oceania. And of course the food.

We drink very little alcohol.

We have cruised on fixed dining Princess ships and disliked it.

We don't own tuxedos and ball gowns, truly dislike their formality. We often combine cruises with land trips where formal clothing is unusable additional weight in the suitcase.

Do focus in on which ship you will be on for Oceania as they have two different distinctly different size ships (two of each kind).

 

Keith

I agree with you here

UPDATE

Oceania has 3 R-ships soon to be 4 684 pax

2 O class ships 1250 pax

Not sure what is included on Crystal other than liquor so cannot compare

I agree with you here

UPDATE

Oceania has 3 R-ships soon to be 4 684 pax

2 O class ships 1250 pax

 

Not sure what is included on Crystal other than liquor so cannot compare

Yes, I will be sailing on the new Sirena May 2016 from Venice and have free PPG,

4 pp free tours, free internet, and OBC from my TA and because I am in a PH I think I get some vino thrown in ;-). Luxury? I think so.

Now, I must say that when Crystal comes out with their new ship and open dining, I will be taking a strong look at it and their itineraries.

Not sure what is included on Crystal other than liquor so cannot compare

Crystal is almost all inclusive (no one is truly all inclusive)......

Included are gratuities, virtually all drinks (alcoholic or otherwise), self-serve laundry facilities, limited visits to the specialty restaurants (limit depends on the length of the cruise), any activities and group classes (exercise, dance, golf, etc), specialty treats and desserts (including afternoon tea, and special request desserts), and - for returning cruisers only - free internet access (up to 1 hr for each day of the cruise).

By "virtually all drinks" I mean that there are some very special wines and alcohols that cost extra if you are a real oenophile or aficionado, but every premium brand I can think of is included.

Crystal is almost all inclusive (no one is truly all inclusive)......

 

Included are gratuities, virtually all drinks (alcoholic or otherwise), self-serve laundry facilities, limited visits to the specialty restaurants (limit depends on the length of the cruise), any activities and group classes (exercise, dance, golf, etc), specialty treats and desserts (including afternoon tea, and special request desserts), and - for returning cruisers only - free internet access (up to 1 hr for each day of the cruise).

 

Bold included on Oceania, some cruises include internet

A few items not included on Oceania as FLORIDANA has posted

Some itineraries the gratuities & unlimited internet

If you shop around you can get the Gratuities included from a TA

You can purchase a beverage package for Alcohol includes most except the Top Brandy/cognacs & bottles of wine

the sample list is here for anyone interested

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/experience/value/beverage-packages/

No free laundry but they do have self serve facilities at $2 per load

The Wine pairing dinner in La Reserve & culinary classes are extra (on O class ships)

One must compare the prices & what you get & what works best for you

Choose the itinerary then the ship & your budget ;)

Some say they want luxury but then are intimidated by the butler :D

I think Crystal has a better single supplement & maybe a program for them

I've been on dozens of cruises in the past 35 years and am finally stepping up to the luxury segment (I know...shame on me for not doing it sooner, lol!).

 

Needless to say, we're excited, but we're also unsure as to which line to choose. We know for certain that we want a 12 to 14-night British Isles cruise in 2016, and our travel agent has made some excellent recommendations. Right now, we've narrowed it down to Crystal and Oceania. Both lines offer exactly the itinerary we want.

 

Since $20,000 is a significant amount of money for us, we want to leave as little to chance as possible. That's why I'm turning to you for additional counsel.

 

We love any age group and food of all kinds. Our sailing history has had us on Celebrity mostly, with Cunard a close second.

 

Thank you for any insight you might be willing to offer. I appreciate it very much.

 

All the best,

Charles

For luxury UK consider

http://www.hebridean.co.uk

What are your preferences?

 

Alcohol, included or not

Dining, fixed or open

Dress code. formal or casual

 

Those are the things we like about Oceania. And of course the food.

 

We drink very little alcohol.

We have cruised on fixed dining Princess ships and disliked it.

We don't own tuxedos and ball gowns, truly dislike their formality. We often combine cruises with land trips where formal clothing is unusable additional weight in the suitcase.

What about shore excursions, included or not? Oceania is now including excursions on many sailings at a highly inflated price which you are paying whether you want to take them or not.

Shore excursions were not included when we sailed with Oceania. There is a new program, but I haven't looked at the details because we will do an extensive land trip with a river cruise next. Who knows what will be offered when we are interested again.

On Oceania which class of ship is it. The R ships have very small rooms and are really not luxury. The O class are very nice with really nice standard rooms. Ships are resort casual with very nice food and open dinning. Crystal also has very small rooms and IMO a very poor arrangement for dinner. Food is nice but the Dinning is very noisy and crowded, not a luxury experence IMO. I have been on both, I would put the O ships on Oceania a step above Crystal however you will have a nice trip on both.

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Thank you very much, everyone, for taking the time to share your valuable experience and insight. We booked Crystal Symphony's 14-night Grand Britannia Voyage (V6219) and are over the moon with excitement.

In the end, it came down to service. Overwhelmingly, we were advised by past passengers of multiple luxury cruise lines, along with our travel agent, that Crystal offers the most consistently high service. A second, yet equally important factor was food. I've repeatedly heard terrific feedback about Crystal's food.

We also love the nearly all-inclusive nature of Crystal's offering.

Thank you, all, once again.

Appreciatively,

Charles

Enjoy the cruise

You will have a great cruise. Enjoy!

You'll have a great time. Since service and food seem important to you, you chose wisely, IMHO. We found the service on Crystal to be virtually perfect, and we found the food quality & variety to be among the best of the 8 or 9 lines we have sailed. Happy travels!

I see that you live in the U.S. As you probably know, the major luxury cruise lines are (in alphabetical order - not to show preference):

Crystal

Regent

Seabourn

Silversea

Sea Dream Yacht Club

Oceania is not considered a luxury cruise line by its CEO. We have sailed Oceania and while it is a lovely experience, it is not luxury (IMO). Their older ships have very small cabins.

The possible issues with the above cruise lines are:

1. Crystal - Not open seating - you need to make a reservation for open seating. They have small regular cabins.

2. Regent - They tend to be more expensive because they are the most all-inclusive cruise line of the bunch. However, their included excursions are a turn off to many Regent passengers. IMO, they are not luxury in any way. Regent does have large cabins.

3. Seabourn - Great reviews of this cruise line except that smoking is allowed on balconies and at least one lounge is half smoking. There have been long threads from customers of Seabourn complaining about their smoking policy.

4. Silversea - Does not include airfare. They are testing out included excursions. We like Silversea but only their mid-size ships (Shadow and Whisper). Their older ships look old and their newest ship has too many issues to go into.

5. Sea Dream Yacht Club - Very small ships - very small cabins.

Single supplements were mentioned on this thread. Typically, good single supplements are offered when there is an issue filling ships. After all, what company would sell a cabin at a discount if they did not need to do so? Regent occasionally lowers the single supplement but not often as their ships were running full (may not be the case this year as there are many sales going on).