Sad Day

Hey Kar,

Bon Voyage.

Let us know how it went.

Ira

You obviously didn't welcome the "fresh air" that the Oceania cruise brought to your cruising experience - is it then so hard to imagine that most Oceania's cruisers would not welcome NCL's "fresh air"? They cruise on Oceania for a reason - just like you do on RCI for your own reason.

Paul, very well said and right to the point!!! Arlene

Unless your concern is that the riff-raff might be getting on the same ship with you in future. In that case, you do need to be concerned. Because the O pax are almost universally white, old and affluent. Sadly for you, not a sustainable market, going forward.

Fortunately for Oceania the line gets "new blood" all the time from unhappy and disappointed HAL, Princess, Cunard and other line's cruisers (RCI?) - and now maybe from NCL as well.

If they just keep doing what they are doing now and don't slip, they will always be fully booked :)

There are always changes. From R class to O class was a big change.

LHT28,

There was nothing at all "disparaging" in my post. I merely said that we had an entirely different experience than you did on the January cruise, and that in any event whatever happened was 7 months ago and entirely unrelated to the NCL transaction.

By the way, we have had undercooked, overlooked or otherwise problematic food from time to time on many different cruiselines, including Oceania. No one is perfect, particularly when making hundreds of meals a night. The time-honored response is to send it back.

No one is perfect, particularly when making hundreds of meals a night. The time-honored response is to send it back.

Agree with that strategy.

Our group of 4 sent back plenty of steaks from Polo on our last cruise. Did not bother to post about each episode (could have included photos LOL) and it did not upset me. We just sent the steaks back, waited for ones that were properly cooked or ordered something different. Others found Polo to be "perfect." Go figure.

I've sailed on O and I've sailed on RCI. Paid almost twice as much on O two years ago, and did not find twice the value. I sailed with a devotee of O - she could not bear to try another line - she just loved the luxury, the quality, the outstanding service too much to ever consider something else. I wanted to travel with her, so paid twice as much to do so.

 

Honestly, many things were the same. The Room Steward was about the same. Guest Services was a little better on RCI. Room Service, about the same. Dining room staff, about equally well-trained and more than capable. Pool staff about the same. On-board activities and entertainment, about the same but different - RCI was more fun, O a tad classier.

 

The food, well, the food was entirely different. O was over-the-top rich sauces, and heavy on the starches. Delicious but too much for me as a steady diet on a ten-day cruise. RCI did a lot better on the fresh veg, salads, and simple small servings of meat. It's my personal preference to eat more simply, so let's call the food a tie.

 

Don't quiver in your docksiders. There is pleasurable cruising on other lines, and NCL is not the devil. You might actually welcome some of what they can bring to O. Could be a breath of fresh air.

 

On the other hand, maybe you're concerned about what kinds of fellow passengers this might introduce to the rather homogeneous O passenger lists. Relax. Most of the time they can figure out what fork to use in the dining room. Most won't have much use for a butler, I daresay. Because they don't have one at home - do you?

I sailed on Oceania (Marina) for the first time last May. I loved it. However, with the passage of time providing a little more perspective, I've come to the same conclusion as wassup4565: I did not find twice the value as compared to the mass market line I usually cruise (Princess). However, I hear that Princess is continuing to cut back on services, so I may change my tune after our next cruise with them. And I'm certainly not going to sail on either of the two behemoth ships they've recently cranked out.

I sailed on Oceania (Marina) for the first time last May. I loved it. However, with the passage of time providing a little more perspective, I've come to the same conclusion as wassup4565: I did not find twice the value as compared to the mass market line I usually cruise (Princess). However, I hear that Princess is continuing to cut back on services, so I may change my tune after our next cruise with them. And I'm certainly not going to sail on either of the two behemoth ships they've recently cranked out.

Then O is not for you. If you do not find value in it, you have many choices.

I mix it up. I love O but I am willing to sail on a variety of lines depending on the situation.

No one should sail O who doesn't feel the extra cost is worth it. I happen to think it is.

Then O is not for you. If you do not find value in it, you have many choices.

 

I mix it up. I love O but I am willing to sail on a variety of lines depending on the situation.

 

No one should sail O who doesn't feel the extra cost is worth it. I happen to think it is.

Oh, please don't get me wrong, I did think there was value there, just not double the value. Although, I certainly think it's worth crunching the numbers each and every time, because the airfare offered by Oceania can make a difference (I'm not going to call it "free," because it's not, but it's quite reasonable -- at least on the cruise I took).

John McNeill was Captain on an Oceania ship? I didn't think Captains were moved around between Regent and Oceania.

John McNeill is an exception (in many ways). Regent customers are hoping that he is being trained on different ships in preparation for him to do the maiden voyage of Regent's Explorer. Also, Capt. McNeill is reaching retirement age. I cannot think of a better way to enter retirement than being the Captain of the most beautiful ship at sea:)

We are booked on our first Oceania cruise next April-owners suite, 12 day. We are very much looking forward to it! We are also on Regent in November for 17 days so I believe we will find out lots during that cruise. If we feel that the service is headed South, then I have no problem moving to Crystal or SilverSeas. For us the cruise is the destination-I HATE to fly and the Florida ports are two hours or less away from us.

We used to love HAL but after the last cruise where we ate in the specialty restaurant every night (and loved it!) we added up the costs and the price difference is negligible between HAL and Regent (Neptune Suite -penthouse suite). We don't want running children, loud first time cruisers and signing for everything. Hopefully NCL won't make the same mistakes with these lines as Carnival did with HAL.

Having the Butler is worth every dime to me--they keep my pitchers of decaf ice tea full and cold! And after the first Regent cruise when we had one--I'm not going back.

Happy cruising!

Debi

I sailed on Oceania (Marina) for the first time last May. I loved it. However, with the passage of time providing a little more perspective, I've come to the same conclusion as wassup4565: I did not find twice the value as compared to the mass market line I usually cruise (Princess). However, I hear that Princess is continuing to cut back on services, so I may change my tune after our next cruise with them. And I'm certainly not going to sail on either of the two behemoth ships they've recently cranked out.

I found the value to be around 2 to 3 times more than mass market ships... minimum

Just from the perspective of being on a ship will 800-1200 as opposed to one with 3000-4000 that twice the size of an aircraft carrier. No lines, no sales pitches, subtle decor and class ambiance.

Food not only quality, but variety and presentation. I am amused to see people on other lines excited to get a shrimp cocktail and the once a cruise "lobster" night. ( no scallops calamari oysters, clams, mussel, Mahi, Sea Bass, swordfish scampi,) no banquet food No fix seating rigid schedule....

Every restaurant all inclusive, smooth subtitle service and best of all well mannered and well spoken fellow passengers with which interaction was outstanding.

And value? Are you kidding? using the included air and everything I used, in a basic outside cabin came out at about $338 a day pp The same on a Holland America doing the same would have been $490pp per day on a ship

3x the size

Guess some cant see that...or have different values than mine....that's ok too

John McNeill is an exception (in many ways). Regent customers are hoping that he is being trained on different ships in preparation for him to do the maiden voyage of Regent's Explorer. Also, Capt. McNeill is reaching retirement age. I cannot think of a better way to enter retirement than being the Captain of the most beautiful ship at sea:)

No way can Captain McNeill be close to retirement! He is absolutely the BEST ship's Captain we have ever had the pleasure to sail with! Ever present, ever jolly. The man doesn't look a day over 50.

Oh, please don't get me wrong, I did think there was value there, just not double the value. Although, I certainly think it's worth crunching the numbers each and every time, because the airfare offered by Oceania can make a difference (I'm not going to call it "free," because it's not, but it's quite reasonable -- at least on the cruise I took).

For us it is the intangible.

What dollar value can you place on being on a ship with 700 passengers vs one with 2500 or 3000? I do not think there is any number crunching that can account for that.

We have had enjoyable cruises on Celebrity -- where we get a much better cabin for half the money and we now have elite benefits -- and we think the food is just fine (especially in their specialty restaurants). But every time we sailed on Celebrity we would say, "It's not Oceania." IMO NOTHING compensates for the size of the R ships and the number of passengers. Probably worth a multiple of any other priced cruise for that reason alone.

Oddly, despite what I just said about the pricelessness of a small ship, we are giving Allure of the Seas a whirl -- a 7 night cruise -- to see what the hoopla is all about. We have a top suite for a fraction of the cost of an inside on O -- and then we are going on Seabourn -- which is even smaller than an Oceania R ship. I really try not to do comparisons because I fully expect every one of those cruises to be different from Oceania. I want the differences. Doing the same thing all the time is boring.

We are booked on our first Oceania cruise next April-owners suite, 12 day. We are very much looking forward to it! We are also on Regent in November for 17 days so I believe we will find out lots during that cruise. If we feel that the service is headed South, then I have no problem moving to Crystal or SilverSeas. For us the cruise is the destination-I HATE to fly and the Florida ports are two hours or less away from us.

 

We used to love HAL but after the last cruise where we ate in the specialty restaurant every night (and loved it!) we added up the costs and the price difference is negligible between HAL and Regent (Neptune Suite -penthouse suite). We don't want running children, loud first time cruisers and signing for everything. Hopefully NCL won't make the same mistakes with these lines as Carnival did with HAL.

 

Having the Butler is worth every dime to me--they keep my pitchers of decaf ice tea full and cold! And after the first Regent cruise when we had one--I'm not going back.

 

Happy cruising!

Debi

I like Crystal , Regent, Oceania..but I would stay away from SS...we also like Celebrity with the new suite perks. Seabourn too!

No way can Captain McNeill be close to retirement! He is absolutely the BEST ship's Captain we have ever had the pleasure to sail with! Ever present, ever jolly. The man doesn't look a day over 50.

Agree that he looks young and also agree that he is the best ship's Captain that we ever sailed with (Regent passengers miss him). We were quite surprised to learn that he is (or will be) 60.

Merriem: The cruise lines you listed are fine but Silversea is also quite good (so far). The service is equal to Oceania or Regent -- the food is also quite good. The only issue with Silversea is that some of their ships need refurbishment. Two out of three of our Silversea cruises have been excellent. the other one was fine -- just do not care for their new ship.

Agree that he looks young and also agree that he is the best ship's Captain that we ever sailed with (Regent passengers miss him). We were quite surprised to learn that he is (or will be) 60.

 

Merriem: The cruise lines you listed are fine but Silversea is also quite good (so far). The service is equal to Oceania or Regent -- the food is also quite good. The only issue with Silversea is that some of their ships need refurbishment. Two out of three of our Silversea cruises have been excellent. the other one was fine -- just do not care for their new ship.

We had a really disappointing experience on SS in Asia. Poor food, bad attitude, etc, etc. it was a waste of money and not as they advertise. We were on the Shadow and had brown water in the bathroom sinks, and were told it was just fine to drink. We are looking forward to our Oceania trip in November. Birthdays! The big 70! I would like to see Oceanias New Zealand trips for 2016, but they do not seem to go there historically...I have booked a Royal Suite on Celebrity, which will be fine with the new suite perks. Oh it is all an adventure!

We had a really disappointing experience on SS in Asia. Poor food, bad attitude, etc, etc. it was a waste of money and not as they advertise. We were on the Shadow and had brown water in the bathroom sinks, and were told it was just fine to drink. We are looking forward to our Oceania trip in November. Birthdays! The big 70! I would like to see Oceanias New Zealand trips for 2016, but they do not seem to go there historically...I have booked a Royal Suite on Celebrity, which will be fine with the new suite perks. Oh it is all an adventure!

Feb 23 2016 - New Zealand

Sydney, Australia; Eden, Australia; Geelong, Australia; Melbourne, Australia; Hobart (Tasmania), Australia;

Cruising the Fjords of Milford Sound; Dunedin, New Zealand; Akaroa, New Zealand; Picton, New Zealand;

Gisborne, New Zealand; Rotorua (Tauranga), New Zealand; Bay of Islands, New Zealand; Auckland, New Zealand

WI would like to see Oceanias New Zealand trips for 2016, but they do not seem to go there historically...I have booked a Royal Suite on Celebrity, which will be fine with the new suite perks. Oh it is all an adventure!

Where did you get that info? Pacheco is right. We did Auckland to Sydney on Nautica in Jan '08 and they've been there every year since. The next of our cruise went to Bangkok. We were originally booked for the B2B but ended up just doing the Auckland-Sydney leg. It was fabulous.

Mura

Where did you get that info? Pacheco is right. We did Auckland to Sydney on Nautica in Jan '08 and they've been there every year since. The next of our cruise went to Bangkok. We were originally booked for the B2B but ended up just doing the Auckland-Sydney leg. It was fabulous.

 

Mura

And we did it in January '10 as the second leg of a b2b and yes, it was just fabulous. We spent 34 days on Nautica. O has been going AZ/OZ for several years now. Arlene

Feb 23 2016 - New Zealand

Sydney, Australia; Eden, Australia; Geelong, Australia; Melbourne, Australia; Hobart (Tasmania), Australia;

Cruising the Fjords of Milford Sound; Dunedin, New Zealand; Akaroa, New Zealand; Picton, New Zealand;

Gisborne, New Zealand; Rotorua (Tauranga), New Zealand; Bay of Islands, New Zealand; Auckland, New Zealand

Yes, where did you get that? Thanks, I will look I to this ASAP!

I see that as part of the world cruise, but in may.

I see that as part of the world cruise, but in may.

It's one of the new itineraries just released. Bookings open on the 17 th Your ta should have it. If u send me an email I will send brochure to you

Pacheco18@comcast.net

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

You can check the link in post #27

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2077233