Beagle5

We attended the LGBT gatherings on our last cruise on Riviera (2 years ago now). They were hosted by the entertainment team who made up about half the attendees. It was a lot of fun and it was a good opportunity to hear a bit more about ship board life for the crew and entertainment team.

We recently did a week on QA in club. You get the flexibility of my time dining, but you get the certainty of the same table and the same waitstaff that you might get with fixed dining. We had a lunch in the Main dining room just to experience it, and we found the service there to be more perfunctory and the atmosphere more hectic. Also note that the 2 tops in Club were about 60cm apart whereas in the Britannia our table was only 10-20cm from the adjacent! bottled water in the cabin was nice, but I only used the coffee machine once. Priority boarding was useful for us as we have low status and there was still a big crowd when we arrived at 2pm. So we will probably pay the premium to go club again. Edited to add. We also really enjoyed the a la carte rack of lamb and the flambé deserts (especially the peaches!)

Thanks for taking the time to write this review. It looks like you had a wonderful cruise. We have actually just gone in the other direction and have just returned from our first Celebrity cruise on the Equinox out of Barcelona. We have loved Oceania and done 41 nights over 3 cruises on Riviera and Marina, but I'm afraid the Simply More pricing is a bit much for us, as one of us doesn't drink at all, and we avoid ship excursions. The current Oceania prices seem to be much higher than what we have previously paid. Having not sailed Celebrity before we went on with an open mind, although I have read a lot of the disgruntled reports from long time Celebrity cruisers. Overall, we thought it was great and in some ways a better fit for our age group (54 and 59). Of course it has that mass market vibe and I wouldn't for a minute suggest the experience is comparable to Oceania. We sailed Aqua class and I would give the food a 7/10 (compared to 8.5 or 9 out of 10 for our Oceania cruises). But the difference we can't ignore is price. Once I pre-paid for internet, one excursion, a dinner in Murano (first night half price offer!), the total cost for 2 people for our 9 night cruise was A$5,598. Celebrity cruises are sold inclusive of gratuities in Australia. Our shipboard account at the end was A$161 reflecting a bottle of wine and a few drinks I bought. That works out at A$5,759 or $640 per night ($320 per person per night). By comparison Vista was sailing out of Barcelona on the same day, similar itinerary. A B4 on Vista for that 12 night cruise was priced at A$10,000 per person ($20,000 for the cabin). So that is A$833 per night per person. So the price difference in this case was overwhelming. Whilst it was our first cruise on Celebrity we did get the Elite benefits because we are Diamond on RCCL (which we achieved after only 32 nights on RCCL, but that's another story). So the Elite benefits of happy hour drinks, laundry and proper coffee in the morning softened the blow at losing some of the Oceania inclusions. I notice most of the Celebrity refugees are coming from the Retreat class and I totally understand that . The Retreat pricing is ridiculous, and I would much sooner stay in a B4 on Oceania that a suite on Celebrity. But if you are 'standard balcony' people like us then the current Celebrity pricing is pretty sharp. We hope to sail Oceania again and perhaps in a few years when we are both retired and more flexible we can take advantage of the sales and offers more. But for the moment we are trying a few other lines (we also just did a fjords cruise on the Queen Anne in Club Balcony which was great but a different vibe again). We have another Celebrity cruise booked for Japan next year.

Read Harter’s comment that I quoted: We have grossed the US price up for gratuities to get to $6,465 for the purposes of making a comparison. Including gratuities the Brits are paying roughly $300 more and Australians $400 more for the same cruise.

Out of interest I looked up the Australian price for the same cruise. It's A$10,300 which converts to US$6,850. So we pay about $400 more than US customers. I don't think we get the same sort of consumer protections that UK customers get either (though I'm not sure). No wonder I feel like I have been priced out of Oceania post SM... sigh...

You've got the wrong pair. I just watched Ben and David's Queen Anne videos and neither is wearing a baseball cap. (You are referring to a couple called Cruise Monkeys - a much more amateur outfit than Ben and David) Well, they paid full price for this crossing - $5,400, so I think they are entitled to make observations and their criticism seems pretty valid. You can actually hear the neighbours from the adjacent cabin talking in the background when they do their cabin tour. The ship looks grand but tired in places, and I think for them it would be accentuated having just come of the brand new Queen Anne. They make a lot of positive comments though, so I think it is a fair and balanced review I think it is very unfortunate that they encountered such rudeness from some fellow passengers, and such lacklustre service in the Britannia dining room. Having said that, their continual reference to 'fourth class' is ridiculous. I can't see the difference between the Cunard system and Celebrity for example where there is Suite class, Aqua class, Concierge/Veranda class all which have separate dining facilities.

Everyone seems to be comparing Queens/Princess Grill to Oceania which is not what the OP has asked about. Given the prices charged for the Grills you would want it to better/comparable to Oceania. OP has asked for a comparison of a Britannia Club to Oceania. We have done 3 cruises on Oceania Marina/Riviera in a standard balcony and 3 on Cunard, 2 in a standard balcony, 1 in Club. We love them both for different reasons. - Everyone eats the same food on Oceania, whether you are staying on an inside cabin or the Owners Suite. Those two groups could easily share a table for dinner and be none the wiser. There are no separate dining areas for higher grade cabins. - We have found the food on Oceania to be good to excellent with the occasional miss. We enjoy all the specialty restaurants (Polo/Toscana/Jacques/Red Ginger). The food on Oceania is much better than anything you will be offered in the Britannia Dining room on Cunard. That goes for the buffet (Terrace Cafe) as well, where they will grill to order lamb chops, lobster etc. - Having said that we find the food on Cunard Britannia/Club to be quite acceptable for the price paid. Britannia Club offers a couple of extra dishes and tableside desert preparation, but the menu is largely the same as the main dining room. (We have booked B Club for our Queen Anne cruise in June, although I am not sure it is worth the premium over Britannia.) The food comes across a bit more 'hotel banquet room/institutional' than Oceania which is more restaurant grade. But I've had some very enjoyable meals on Cunard. - Cunard has the best scones at sea. No question. - Oceania's afternoon tea is excellent. You never have to worry about getting table like you do in the Queens Room on Cunard. - the staff on Oceania don't know how to make a hot cup of tea. - entertainment and lectures much better on Cunard - pool deck area much more nicely fitted out on Oceania where you have proper padded loungers that the deck hands cover them in towels every morning. If you want that experience on Cunard you have to pay up for the Grills and their exclusive Terrace. The standard pool deck experience on Cunard is no different to any other mass market line. - always been happy with the staff/service on both lines - Not much life on either line after 10pm. - We like dressing up on Cunard, but are equally happy with the more relaxed County Club casual on Oceania. I don't bother too much with observing/getting upset with what other people wear on either line (well, maybe I do a bit on Cunard where the dress code is such an intrinsic part of the experience). - There are more inclusions on Oceania. The coffee in particular. You can't compare the swill they offer in Kings Court with the barista coffee that is available on Oceania. Once again, what is available in the Grills is irrelevant to OP. - everyone has access to sauna/steam room/ heated tile loungers in the spa on Oceania. I think you have to pay extra for those on Cunard. - your room steward will stock your fridge on Oceania with any soft drink you prefer be it coke or mixers for the bottle of Gin/Scotch you have brought on board with you. You will pay for that on Cunard. In summary we love both lines. If price were equal we would always go with Oceania, but its not. We are finding it harder to justify the Oceania price premium for standard balcony cabins. Moreso since they became more inclusive (you now get beer/wine with meals and an excursion allowance you can't refuse). One of us doesn't drink and we much prefer to do our own thing in port - so the Oceania deal has become less attractive to us. But the fact that everyone on this board jumped to using the Grills as the benchmark against which to compare Oceania to, actually tells you a little bit about the standard Britannia experience on Cunard. Oceania is a premium/luxury light line (and priced accordingly), Cunard Britannia/Club is a mass market line. But a very pleasant mass market line.

Thank you.

Is Heineken Zero included in the CC Happy Hour from 5-7? (I have seen Heineken on the menu when I searched, but wondered if that extended to the non alcoholic version).

Just to clarify -the increase appears to be about $3.50 per passenger per day to arrive at a new cost of $35 pp/d (or $32 depending on which article you read). As the Port of Melbourne argues, it is the first increase in 2 years and lower than the inflation rate over the period. https://cruisepassenger.com.au/news/passengers-likely-to-pay-for-port-fee-hikes-that-drove-melbourne-mutiny/ I doubt that it had any real impact on the Carnival decision to ditch Melbourne which I suspect was for broader fleet positioning and strategic reasons. But a corporate will always point to increased taxes/charges to justify (locally) unpopular decisions.

There is a gap in her schedule from April 23rd until May 16th 2024 when she will be in Lisbon Portugal. Hope there is a refurb - we board on July 11th.

We have certainly enjoyed late dinners in the Specialties on Marina/Riviera starting at 8.30pm. Never felt rushed and we enjoyed every course and the bread! I do recall being the last to leave the restaurant on one or two occasions though. But someone has to be.

Just curious- do you book through a Travel Agent? This happened on our two previous O cruises (big drops 2 weeks after final payment). In each case our Melbourne TA was able to get O to offer us a choice of either cabin upgrade, OBC, and in one case a FCC. still annoying, but it kept us loyal (for now).

Vista is appearing on the Port of Darwin cruise ship schedule for April 2026. Possibly lines up with the ATW2026 theory? Interestingly Riviera is also on the schedule to make three stops in Darwin as well in February and April 2026. More visits by the bigger ships potentially planned for Australia it would seem.

Ship - Ovation of the Seas Deck - 8 Stateroom # - 8632 Stateroom Category – Junior Suite with Large Balcony Starboard or Port Side -Port Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) –No noise from other cabins. But quite a lot of 'creaking' form the cabinetry and window surrounds Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - Not directly . But there is an entry space before you enter the cabin that is shared with a single cabin. If booked together could work as a family suite. Balcony View - View is oriented a little forward as the cabin is on the side of the hump Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Very large balcony with padded loungers Was wind a problem? - On sea days, balcony could be windy If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - N/A Any specific problems with this cabin? - Any other comments? - See my full review at:

Yes, it was for cruises departing up to 1May this year booked prior to April 2021 (or 2022, I can’t remember). We just did an 18 night transpacific in a Junior suite. Got our 72 points this week which bumps us from gold to diamond. Mind you I did have to email them three times to get them to honour the double points promo.

I'll throw in my 2 cents worth. We have done 3 cruises on O (40 nights total) and we love it - it is our preferred line. But we are also finding it increasingly expensive. We came to O early in our cruising life after one each on Royal, Princess & Cunard. We still sail all these lines as we are primarily itinerary driven. I am writing this from the balcony of our Junior Suite on the Ovation of the Seas as we sail into Honolulu after an 18 day Transpacific from Sydney. For about 60% of the cost per day of a balcony on O we have had a cabin and balcony about 50% bigger than a Marina/Riviera standard cabin. Food has obviously been of lower quality, but acceptable. Coastal Kitchen (the Suites restaurant) though has been on par with Oceania food. We ate there 7 out of 17 nights. Activities and entertainment have been much better than what is offered on O. The big negative is the crowds getting off and on the ship, so we probably wouldn't choose a mega ship for a port intensive cruise, but for trans-oceanics they are great. We love Oceania but have tired a bit of the menus in the Specialties. Our future cruise plans are to continue to 'mix it up' between the mass market lines (grabbing suites where the price is right) and O, largely based on itinerary. We are fortunate that we are glass half full people and have never had a bad day at sea. The ocean looks the same whatever ship you are on.

I have done 3 cruises on Cunard. One in Europe and 2 in Australia/NZ. All pre-pandemic in a standard balcony cabin. I have another one booked on the new ship (Queen Anne) for next year in Norway. Here are my thoughts. - the ships have a nice classy feel. Beautifully fitted out - Food was pretty good. I would rate it better than RCCL and Princess, but not by much. - Best scones at sea. - I like the buffet lay out on QV and QE. (I hated the buffet layout on Majestic Princess). - the dress code was dumbed down a bit in Australian waters and there is less compliance. It is generally a more casual ambience (That's good or bad depending on your outlook). Notwithstanding that, people will be dressed up a bit more than on P&O, RCCL etc. - the crowd was a bit older in Australia, and seemed to have a preference for dining early in the buffet relative to the Europe sailing. In fact the main dining room always seemed half empty in the evening which I found a bit disappointing. I would encourage you to take a jacket (if male) and and eat in the dining room. You're missing out on the main event otherwise. - shows in the theatre were great, and so were the guest lecturers. - excellent fitness centre at the front of the ship. I'd give it a crack. if choosing between Cunard and Princess, I would choose Cunard, but you wont know until you try it. I book direct with Cunard rather than using my TA. I find that TAs are more useful on the more expensive lines, when they seem to be able to swing extra OBC.

We are 53/57 and took our first O cruise 5 years ago. The demographic can depend a bit on the cruise length, time of year, and destinations. Our first O cruise was 17 days in South America in January 2017. That group was much older than our more recent 12 day cruises in the Baltic (2019)and the Med (2022) which were in July. There were plenty of 30/40/50 somethings on our Med cruise last year. A few seemed to be travelling with their parents. I suspect transatlantic's might trend a bit older. However, we enjoyed the company equally on all three cruises. But we are also self contained and don't require much in the way of activities (just the table tennis table and the gym).

Yeah, your right. I meant 23 June.

I just booked a Britannia Club Balcony for the 23/7/24 sailing on Queen Anne to the Norwegian Fjords. Curiously, I have booked Stateroom 7150 which is shown on the (April 22) deck plan as a BB, but has been sold to me as an A2. It's one of those odd ones with the trapezoidal shape and angled balcony. Will be interesting to see if the ship is ready by June 24.

My partner and I (54 and 57 y.o. guys) will be on board. We did another RCCL cruise out of Sydney a few years and the LGBT gatherings were quite well attended. looking forward to it. James

Thanks for the tip. Have been able to lock in some dinner reservations at Solarium Bistro via the planner. Pity you can't do the same for Coastal Kitchen. We are in a Junior Suite so apparently get the crumbs after the full suite guests are satisfied.

Yeah, that's the dilemma. Its certainly cheaper to book before, but you are still paying a lot for what you get. Its been a few years since we were on RC, but last time we did 4 nights in the specialties (on a 7 day cruise) and we bought that package on board. But I am sure we didn't pay anything like $70pp per meal.

Can anyone advise if the the three night dining package at $206.26 per adult is reasonable value? We are on Ovation for an18 night Transpacific next April, so would expect to go to the specialties three times (probably Chops x 2, Jamie's Italian by 1). Wonderland of no interest to us. We wont be taking the drinks package, but the 40% discount on bottles whilst at the specialty is quite attractive (there will be four of us dining together). Also in the T&Cs it says: For restaurants with a la carte pricing, you’ll receive a $20 food credit, which can only be used once a day. What are the restaurants on Ovation that are a la carte, and does this mean we get a credit of $20 at each of them in addition to the 3 nights specialty dining? Or have I completely misunderstood (not for the first time).