Salf777

13 hours ago, Floridiana said:

This thread still going on?

 

I haven't been on an Oceania ship in a while but on Azamara. No idea why people think Azamara is warm and fuzzy. They weren't on our Japan cruise; servers were competent, but the ones on HAL ships are warmer and fuzzier to stay with this image. I don't think I saw an officer engage with passengers on the Azamara ship. The enrichment speaker was incredibly incompetent with factual errors. The excursion team was not much  better. The balcony was cluttered with a huge table. And that bathroom! The special evening ashore was mediocre. The price for the cruise was in the luxury segment range. What was good? The itinerary and the food. 

 

Obviously we did not experience Azamara's finest cruise.  I just know that I won't return to a shower curtain at that price point.

Well I guess that’s the beauty of this board it shows us no line is perfect and we all have different experiences even on the same sailings. I’m sure people who were on my sailing loved it. Good open communication so we all get to do read others experience and decide for ourselves. There really is no right and wrong. 

So I just returned from my first Oceania cruise after sailing Azamara and loving Azamara. Now I was told a comparison of an Azamara cruise in Europe to an Oceania is not an apples to apples comparison and I get that. We were so excited to try Oceania because of all the good things we heard. Well from boarding to disembarkation it was a mess. We sailed the Oceania Riviera the ship itself is beautiful 
first the good. Oceania has about the most comfortable beds and linens you will find in my opinion. Hands down the best we have ever slept in. The food on Oceania is also amazing even down to the Waves out on the deck. You order a surf and turf sandwich and you get filet and lobster sliced so thin in a beautiful sandwich! Jacques is a French restaurant that will compete with any of the best in a major city. The olive oil and balsamic tasting at the Italian restaurant is a nice touch. Red Ginger is excellent as well. 
sadly that’s where it ends. Ask a restaurant to add 2 people to your table you have reserved for 2 and make it a 4! REQUEST DENIED! yes that’s what they will tell you. 
Ask for a diet coke at pool side and was brought a coke light. I politely said I prefer Diet Coke and the waitress says we don’t have it. I had about 10 cans in my room and I walked over to the nearest bar and asked for and was immediately given a Diet Coke. That was the general attitude of just about the entire staff. We actually were eating at Red Ginger and the Miso Sea Bass was amazing. My wife has a dietary restriction and we explain to the waitress that we were eating in the main dining room the next evening and would it be possible to get a piece of their sea bass in the MDR. She says hold on and comes back and says the chef says it’s ok this is what you tell them when you go in. Great thank you. So my wife had to fill out a menu every morning due to her dietary requirements and writes this down. Later in the day we get a message REQUEST DENIED! So we go and explain that we spoke with someone at Red Ginger who told us what to do. No apologies or explanations that we were mis informed just NO! Their solution was we had to eat in Red Ginger again. Look I understand why they wouldn’t move food from one restaurant to another but we asked. Even so a simple explanation like “we apologize you were given wrong information and we don’t move food, how can we assist you in your dinner plans” would have been fine. It’s the attitude, even when the desk called the chef when we were standing there we heard the conversation and let’s just say it was rude. 
We talked to 2 people upon embarking asking to speak with the F&B or restaurant manager regarding my wife’s dietary issues which are very easy actually. Told go to Privee where they are taking reservations for all the specialty restaurants and ask again for a manager. Told he’s busy can’t speak with us will call us. After the 4th evening and having this Red Ginger issue I mention something to the concierge. They next day I get a call from the manager and he says I didn’t get any message. “Well you got all the food you wanted so what’s the problem?” Again that’s the attitude of the staff. I could site multiple more examples. I thought maybe we were being difficult but in speaking to other passengers they all felt the same. 
As a matter of fact we spoke with 3 couples who were regulars on Oceania and had canceled future sailings on Oceania while onboard because service was so bad, lifts were slow, and everyone was told the same thing, we have trouble on these 7 day sailings because a lot of passengers stay onboard and they are too busy”. 
one last story, upon embarking we went to our room and my wife went to unpack and the drawers in the closet were filthy. Called housekeeping and she came and cleaned them and told us. Go have lunch they are wet inside and have to dry out?? Couldn’t she dry the drawers out? We did as soon as she left. 
 

One other bright spot. A hostess named Ana in Jacques walked by and I asked her what we were trying to get accomplished. She picked up a tablet and sent an email she saw us the next morning at breakfast and Viola she got done in 5 minutes what a discussion with reception, restaurant reservations, and the concierge couldn’t accomplish!

Ok so the last day ship docks in Miami, our butler didn’t bring our breakfast and the I asked him what terminal are we docked so I can call our ride. He says “A”, I confirm “A” as in Apple or E because he had an accent. He says “A”! So I don’t have any faith in anyone by this time and I call the front and as guessed we are at terminal “E”. Just everything was wrong. 
Now I will say a penthouse on this Oceania sailing was very reasonable. We had sailed Norwegian in The Haven and loved it but we wanted to try this “luxury “ line. Norwegian was just about 100% more expensive than Oceania so it was a very good bargain. 
Yes maybe we didn’t do everything right by notifying them 2 weeks in advance of dietary requirements, we didn’t go directly to our concierge, whom we didn’t even know existed, she never sent a note, made a call, or anything to let us know she was there. Even on RCL the concierge sends suite guests a personal email weeks before the trip asking if we had any special requirements or was there anything he could do for us. 
 

Azamara almost anticipates your needs and doesn’t know the word “denied “

18 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

Having just disembarked Oceania Insignia 3 days ago, comparisons to our time on Azamara ships are fresh in mind.

First off, someone said Oceania is "less than the mass lines" which I couldn't disagree with more.  Maybe for a 7 day jaunt in the Caribbean, but nowhere else in the world is Oceania any less than 2-3x the price of a MS line like Celebrity, for example.

 

Some things we really liked about O.  The food in the MDR and the specialty restaurants is absolutely top notch and above anything we've had on Azamara or any other premium or main stream line.  Waves (the Porch on Azamara) is superior in menu options (like a killer surf and turf of filet mignon and lobster) but is NOT open for dinner.  The buffet is pretty much equal although really dislike having to be served everything there which creates long lines with people waiting to be served.

 

Cabins on the refurbished O ships (Insignia is the first) are superior.  They completely gutted the cabins and redid everything rather than the "refresh (nice but not to the same level) on Azamara.  Loved the fact that they were able to add glass doors in the regular cabins rather than the shower curtains.

 

From there, the comparisons go downhill.  Fast.

 

The most important factor is that, with a VERY few exceptions, we never got the friendly and helpful service that we treasure on Azamara.  Even just getting a cup of coffee in Waves in the morning was a production, as staff, walked to and fro past us while we sat with empty coffee cups.  You know when you can see an unhappy ship?  This was an unhappy ship.  

Entertainment was mixed.  Production shows (cast of 6) were great.  Fly on entertainers mixed from pretty good to pretty average, at best.  Every guest entertainer did 2-3 shows so lots of repetition.  The show band was the orchestra, the band at the pool and the band in Horizons (the Living Room) at night.  No trios or other bands.  String quartet was quite visible every day but just not our cup of tea.  Felt stilted.  

Passenger mix was the oldest and most challenged in our 85 cruises. And this was on a 25 day Amazon roundtrip with lots of active excursions (you are in the Rain forest).  Have no idea what the scooter/walker/wheelchair/cane pax did in those ports. Think it is great that they are traveling but thought it a strange cruise to take.

Pricing with Azamara can be pretty close, but you need to take into account that on O you need to add for gratuities and drinks.  For us, that was an over $2000 advantage for Azamara.

 

In summary, on Azamara we truly feel like a treasured guest.  From officers to virtually every staff member we meet.  We frankly never got that feeling on O.  Maybe it was the ship, maybe it was this particular sailing, but this was our 6th O cruise and on about day 3 we agreed that it would be our last.  Not that Azamara is perfect (we think lots of the pricing, frankly, is insane) but it when talking about this particular comparison, is just a better fit for us.  And happy that we have about 80 days booked on Azamara in the next 18 months or so.

you expressed what I was trying to say much better. You hit the nail on the head, it’s an unhappy ship. That translates to the entire experience. Virtually none of the staff will look you in the eye much less smile at you. 
I did say that “O” was on par or less than main stream lines IN THE CARIBBEAN. We like to sail in December and live in south Florida. A comparable sized suite in the Haven on NCL is really 75% more than Oceania on this 7 day Caribbean sailing. Really I looked. Celebrity is about the same so I was saying that for the quality of food and beauty of the ship O is a very reasonable choice to sail from Miami in December. You are correct elsewhere it’s much more than mainstream. We had a sailing booked in April of next year on deposit on O that was significantly more expensive. After the first day on this sailing we canceled that future cruise on O. But I will say for a Caribbean sailing in December it’s about the best value around. I wish Azamara came here more

16 hours ago, BBMacLaird said:

An interesting comparison, Salf777.

Thank you for taking the time. We look forward to welcoming you back aboard Azamara soon.

Happy Holidays!

Bonnie

We will be back in August for a Baltic Sailing. After now sailing on Oceania it’s only Azamara for me going forward. 
we were told prior to going on this sailing that Oceania in the Caribbean is not a great experience but ours was a comedy of errors. According to what I have experienced the Haven on NCL is a far superior experience than Oceania and Azamara is above them all. Just a few things. Our balcony was held together with a dirty towel (we were in a penthouse suite), asked to speak to food & beverage or restaurant manager at reception was told to go to Privee and ask there. Both told us he would contact us. After speaking with the concierge on the 4th night the restaurant manager called us on the second to last night. “Apparently there was a miscommunication and no one told him, ok we got the food issue straightened out on the 4th day ok so what’s the problem “ that was his attitude. Had a nice meal in Red Ginger. Asked the waitress if it would be possible to have a piece of their Sea Bass sent to the dining room one night so we could eat in main dining and the sea bass was a perfect food for my wife’s allergy. She went and spoke to the chef and came back and said sure just when you sit in the dining room tell them. My wife had to fill out a form each day picking out her food (that’s a whole other story) so she writes down the sea bass from Red Ginger. We get a phone message the next day that says “your request has been denied” no kidding that’s what they said. So I walk down and explain we had it okayed at Red Ginger. He made a call and said “denied”. So we had to eat at Red Ginger again. Not only unhelpful but rude. We had better help with special diets on both RCL and NCL. Told one person at boarding and the whole ship knew, no prefiilling menus etc. 

the average age of guests was older and a lot of scooters and canes and wheel chairs. Well by the pool you have older people looking for chairs as there was none and the staff is standing around just watching them! Not going over to help. We were late to the white night on Azamara and there was no table to sit at. We looked around for about a minute and three guys appeared with a table and chairs, set us up and even went and got my wife’s food for her. They anticipate how they could help

boarding was a nightmare. Just everything was a project to get the simplest thing. Even down to the last day they leave a beautiful letter on our bed welcoming us to the Oceania Club and accept these luggage tags and pin. Nice gesture but there was no pin. Not that I wanted it but no attention to detail. Then finally about 5 minutes before I was going to disembark I asked our butler what terminal the ship was docked in so I could advise our ride. He tells me terminal A. Naturally we were in terminal E, but by this time I didn’t expect a proper answer so I double checked and gave our ride the proper info. 
in my opinion if this Oceania sailing is known to be less than a luxury experience, which is what the staff tells you because it’s only a 7 day cruise all the restaurants are full this is the excuse they use for being rude, this really damages the brand. To me this was a mass market line sailing, in no way near a luxury brand. Three couples we spoke to on board also were first time Oceania cruisers and had other sailings booked with Oceania and cancelled the future sailings while on board based on this experience. 
I will say that after all these complaints I have laid out the sailing is cheap. Seriously I priced Oceania out against the mass lines and you can sail Oceania for less than the mass lines. I think it hurts Oceania’s brand but I am glad they offer it. 

We sailed in Azamara Pursuit in Europe and it was amazing. Everything was easy and the staff couldn’t do enough for you. My wife has a food allergy issue we boarded mentioned it to one person and it was handled everywhere we ate. 
we are currently on Oceania Riviera in the Caribbean (I know it’s not the same comparison) but boarding was a nightmare, lines everywhere. We asked about my wife’s food allergy and were sent all over the ship, asked to speak to food and beverage manager was told he was busy and would call us never did! Finally he 4th day we were speaking with a hostess in Jacques and she immediately took care of what no one else could or wanted to. Always a wait at the lifts people who are very loyal Oceania cruisers are saying this is the worst they have experienced. Specialty restaurants are full, luckily we made our reservations a long time ago, but they are not helpful at all. Asked to make a 2 person reservation a 4 and were told no. It seems they can’t handle this sailing.

now the food on Oceania is far better than any you will find on any ship. I didn’t have a good meal in Polo, the steak house but that was my fault I ordered wrong. Jacques was just amazing! The grill, which is their version of the buffet go order as many lobster tails as you wish, they wil keep feeding you. The crowd here is much older and that tends to slow things down at the lines so expect a wait. 
It’s a different feeling between the two. Azamara seems very friendly and they anticipate your needs. Oceania for example, I asked the cabin attendant for an extra hand lotion, that’s what I received 1 small bottle, when we asked for extra amenities on Azamara, they loaded up our bathroom. 
oceania WiFi is free a very nice perk. I can’t understand how any better line charges for WiFi I find it insulting. Oceania though if you want a glass of wine with dinner your paying for it. 
we didn’t do the cooking and art classes on board but they looked fun and crowded. 
one thing I will say also about Oceania is we did an excursion. Even though it was a large group we were broken up into smaller groups and very comfortable manageable size. We did an excursion on Azamara and were put on a public ferry with hundreds of others. 
the 2 are definitely different and like many said it’s what’s important to you. For me it’s Azamara all the way, more laid back and service seems far superior. Food is very good but Oceania takes the cake on food quality

So I found business class air on Choice Air. I called and the tickets are refundable up until the date I make the final payment for my cruise. For that matter they didn’t even bill me and just added the tickets to my cruise reservations. They told me I can continue to look on their website and others. Should I find something on their site and want to change routes etc no charge or fee up until the final payment of the cruise. I was pleasantly surprised as the rate was significantly lower than I have found by looking at all the travel sites like Expedia, google flights, etc.  I am talking a big discount. I even went directly to the airlines and tried to price it there and still couldn’t come close to the price. I called my travel agent and asked if this was legit and she said she has had very good experiences with Choice Air. There is a $200 cancellation fee that I believe is applicable if I cancel the full reservation and don’t do anything with them I need to get clarification on that. However the rates are about $1000 per ticket cheaper than anywhere else I have found honestly! 
I was so skeptical that I immediately went to the airlines website and entered in my confirmation numbers and they let me pick my business class seats on 3 of the 4 segments already. 
I don’t know if it’s because the trip isn’t until August 2020 and I booked early or what but I couldn’t be happier with the prices. I have also been told these routes are generally more expensive as I’m flying MIAMI to Stockholm (British Airways Club World) and than return Amsterdam to Miami (United Polaris Business Class). 
All seems legit but still a feeling like if it sounds to good to be true! I usually do all my air with AMX and get some type of deal but even they could get close. 
Anyone see any holes here something I’m missing or did I just happen to get a good deal for once! LOL

thank you all All good points Im just going to call them.

Good point on the cancellation insurance I have to look into that as well

This might be late but we were in the Azamara Pursuit and booked the August Baltic sailing on the Quest. We were so impressed with Azamara we booked onboard. We were frequent RCL cruisers and a few years ago we had some poor experiences and have been sailing NCL Haven. We felt Azamara is a whole different feel. Upscale but not pretentious, friendly and super helpful staff.  Perhaps more experienced deluxe/luxury cruisers can weigh in and our view may be a little short sighted coming from a more mainstream cruise line. However, we have found that NCL Haven was exceptional, in our opinion, and the Azamara experience was far better. Also, we have kind of had our share of the large ships so that can be a factor. Anyway I’m rambling. We just loved Azamara but our travel agent is a big Oceania fan. After much of my questioning her on the board I have concluded that each has their own positives and each its own fan base which can be very firm in defending their choice. We are planning a big trip in 2021 and I have been trying to figure out Azamara vs Oceania by asking questions here. The itinerary is basically the same on both for what we are looking at best I can figure is it’s personal preference. We are doing Oceania in December to try it out and get a feel for both. 
As I read this I realize that it did nothing to answer your question so I apologize for that but wanted to basically say Azamara is a great choice if you go that way in my op

Hi

I always book my own flight for our cruises when we travel overseas as I always seem to get a "deal" with American Express or using some other cards miles. However, I find things getting more difficult with all these new miles transfer programs etc.?

I was just playing with a reservation I have for an August 2020 sailing on Azamara

A Choice Air option was there so I clicked and was surprised.

The fares are extremely reasonable we are looking at business class

They say refundable with fee

So I always try and book a refundable flight because I have an elderly father and I need refundable in case there is an issue with his health and I have to cancel. The fares on Choice air seem very cheap to be refundable, almost to good to be true but it seems to be letting me book it.

Has anyone used this and is it truly refundable?

How has anyone experience been with them?

Thank in advance 

WOW! Thank you all so much! Were going to try them all

We are in a PH category and it says we can make reservations 75 days in advance.

I have seen some topics about getting on at midnight exactly to get reservations, is that necessary to wait up the night before?

Do the fill up so quickly?

3 minutes ago, JoePDX said:

Might help to say which ship you are sailing, as the restaurants are different between the Regatta and Oceania class of ships, and Sirena has different restaurants over the other Regatta class ships.

 

As I have only sailed on the Regatta class ships, I really like Toscana.   That said, the Main Dining Room will not disappoint either!

 

Joe

Edited this to say Riviera

Thanks for catching my error!

Oh my sorry 

Sailing the Riviera!

Hi,

I will be sailing Oceania for the first time soon. The ability to make dining reservations opens up to me soon. What restaurants are the best I should make a reservation for ASAP? I like all kinds of food and welcome any suggestions. To all you seasoned Oceania cruisers, If you could only eat in one restaurant whats your go to?

Thanks in advance!

Sailing on the Riviera!

3 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

If you do BUS class  just take the air credit & book your own air 

the cost of BUS class with O is more $  than to DIY

JMO

Thanks for the advice. This is why I ask for educated answers

16 minutes ago, Mrs f. said:

We did the 30 day cape town to singapore cruise last jan/Feb.  Fantastic!

Ahhh I wish I could do the 30 days! My business wont allow me to be gone so long at this time.

Im trying to figure out the costs with the "O Life" as compared to Azamara as O includes airfare (although we would want to upgrade to business class air, its a long flight from Florida). My initial brief look seems to look like O is the better value once I price in business class air to Azamara.

We loved Azamara but we are going to try O in December to get a feel to make a more informed decision. Im sure both are wonderful so in reading all this I think its going to come down to the itinerary in the end.

You have all been so helpful and I still welcome any helpful comments 

8 minutes ago, LuAnn said:

I have been lucky enough to sail on AZ and O...a number of times... and I like them both...they are "similar but different"...and they "ARE different" in my eyes". TBH...I"m just thrilled that I can go on either one...aren't we blessed?  I think that everyone should maybe try EACH one...and then decide for themselves...no one can decide for you...IMO...what you will like...but any day at sea is a day I will never forget!

 

 

Probably the nicest most honest answer I have seen so thank you!

i agree any day at sea is a good day. 

Sailing Oceania in December 

9 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

I hope that you got the information you needed to help you make your decision. If so, maybe I should lock the topic.

I did get a lot of useful information from some very fine people here on this board. Unfortunately it turned into a social issues topic rather than people trying to be helpful.

I guess some people will never be happy. While these boards are very helpful there are always a handful of people who feel they know more than everyone else and other opinions dont matter because they differ from theirs Theres a difference between someone being experienced and sharing their experiences than people voicing their views and commenting negatively on others. These boards are not a place to put people down but to gather information and share experiences. 

6 minutes ago, marinaro44 said:

Strange that some here can't seem to understand the difference between paying more to get more space or liquor or whatever and a ship having segregated areas where only certain people are allowed to go while others are forbidden from going.  Seems simple to me..and uktog, and Phil, maybe others.  Has nothing to do with putting someone down for how they choose to sail.  Sigh.

Exactly my point. If you dont like a ship that has segregated areas dont sail on it. However, if you look at the posts in this thread there are people who called others who choose to sail in these segregated areas snobs and arrogant. To me thats being a snob by classifying a whole group of people who choose to vacation one way as a snob or arrogant. Dont get me wrong there are people like that there, but I have seen people act like that in non-segregated areas as well. Look its life, wether we like it or not its a business and if you dont like the way a company runs that business dont patronize that business.  If I go to a concert or a sporting event and pay for the least expensive ticket do I have the right to complain that I cant go into the front row, heck were all in the same stadium. Strange that some people here cant seem to understand that difference. SIGH

3 hours ago, uktog said:

This debate has run its course.

 

There is so much confusion here - friendship and class is getting wrongly confused, loyalty is being pilloried as buying privilege when “extras” happen for a number of reasons.

 

Changes to an upgrade scheme is being claimed to be about improving fairness when it’s all about increasing revenue, upgrades were always available to first timers through targeted marketing etc. 

 

Having been on many Azamara cruises I can say I have witnessed first hand how egalitarian it is, no one wears badges to try and differentiate themselves, we’ve watched officers engage with anyone and everyone, we’ve had dinners with officers and some cruises with no dinners, at these dinners we’ve met many people on first cruises and not in suites. 

 

If cruisers have a perception of being less worthy, it’s their perception, but sometimes in our own eyes we have to remember that to us we may believe as Orwell wrote “all animals are equal but some might be more equal than others”. So step back, is it reality? Or just how we are seeing things? 

 

And let’s move on and be grateful we can even enjoy cruising and travel when so many still cannot.  

I agree. As the starter of this discussion I wanted input as to the differences in each line while trying to make a decision on which to sail on a future voyage. 

Isnt life a class system? Aren’t we all guilty of paying more for something in our lives and expecting more? If you pay more for a child’s private education aren’t you doing it because you expect more? If you pay more for a car, even a brand of coffee don’t you usually do it because you expect more? 

So I don’t agree with posters calling people snobs or arrogant because they pay more for a product.  

In my opinion on Azamara weather your in an inside cabin or the biggest suite we are all on the same vacation. We go to the same places, eat in the same restaurants, have access to the same gym. So if people want to pay more for a larger space more power to them. We don’t know everyone’s situation as I mentioned in an earlier post I have friends who for medical reasons require a large room. They pay more and as a result have to travel less. 

Dont get me wrong there are arrogant people and snobs there too but I would guess those same people are arrogant snobs off the ship too. 

Its a business and if people want to pay more to maybe feel a little special I don’t begrudge the business. Heck in any business if it were ours I think we all would want those people willing to pay more. 

Again I didn’t mean to start this whole thing I was just curious as to the differences so I could try and make a decision on a future sailing. Wanted to know about the ships, food, entertainment, gym, spa etc. not a discussion where people are put down because of how they choose to sail wether it be in a large suite or small cabin

17 hours ago, stevenr597 said:

It is a matter numbers.  If the cruise line can accommodate one with a separate table they will do it.  If they find that they do not have a sufficient number of smaller tables, than they will ask individuals to share a table.  In addition, those individuals that pay more for the cruise will always have preference.

When we were on Azamara we had a private dinner with the Captain in the Ships Library, as well as several private functions with the Captain and Crew.  We had these "perks" because we were in one of the larger corner suites.

We have decided to try Oceania this time, because their newer ships have more space, especially in respect to cabin size.  I am sure that there will be some things which are nicer than Azamara, and some others in which we would have preferred Azamara. 

 

Quite honestly as the original poster of this discussion, I find nothing wrong with this comment. I dont see it as bragging. I was looking for everyones experience on both lines. If people who stay in suites dont post about their experience one is not getting a full view of life onboard. So whats the point if everyone doent relay their experience, should I only get the comments of people who only stay in inside cabins. I welcome comments from all experiences in all cabins. I find it unfair to belittle someones comments on boards like this. Its a place for everyone to post their experiences. Someone may find these perks important and therefore decide from the comments to stay in a larger suite and pay more while someone else may not feel these experiences as important and therefore not pay for the suite. Thats the whole point of this board isnt it? To get all the information one can and use that information to make an informed decision on what I am comfortable spending and what experiences are important to me? We dont know everyones situation, I have friends who will only stay in a suite because one is in an electric wheelchair and the smaller rooms are not comfortable for them to move around, so they choose and pay for a larger suite so they can enjoy their vacation. However, they go on fewer cruises as a result because to travel like that more often is beyond their means so they take that one vacation every few years and pay more for it. Does that mean they shouldn't post their experiences in a suite?

I am sure I will receive a lot of negative comments from this post but as I said I was looking for everyones experiences onboard. So all comments about the ship and everyones experience are welcome to me as the person who asked.

3 minutes ago, the mice said:

I posted my comparision  of our Azamara Journey and Oceania Nautica cruises over on the Azamara board, since you posted on both.    

We like both cruise lines.   I will say that our more recent Azamara Journey was not as good as our first, and was lacking in some of the areas that people rave about.   But service was excellent.   Our Nautica cruise was terrific all the way around.   

We would sail both again.

 

 

Thank you I read all your informative posts.

Always amazed at how helpful everyone is here

4 minutes ago, Belfastman said:

No the Riviera is an O class which is bigger than the R class ships . It carries 1200 people compared to approx 700 on the R class but is more than double the size.

Thanks for the help in clarifying this for me!

I didnt know the difference

First

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE INPUT!

The Oceania cruise we are taking in December is on the Riveria (Is that an R Class? I dont know the difference)

The Africa sailings are on the Nautica which I believe is smaller than the Riviera.

We got a really good deal for the Caribbean Oceania, a penthouse suite for $2000 a person. We live in Ft Lauderdale so its an easy drive to Miami port.

WOW!
Thank you all for the input!

A lot to consider here.

I would love to do the 31 day cruise but unfortunately I cant get away that long.

The 4 days in Cape Town on the Azamara cruise is bothering me a bit as we have been there before. 

What I like about Azamara is that you can take a land tour and stay in a safari camp while the ship is at sea for a day or then fly to meet the ship at the next stop so all you miss is a sea day. I dont know if Oceania does that.

Someone hit the nail on the head about the Azamara staff. Thats what we really liked. We enjoy talking with the staff and learning about their life at sea. Plus they have great insight as to places to go and things to do in ports

Hi All

We recently returned from an Italy Intensive Voyage on the Azamara Pursuit. It was our first Azamara cruise and we loved it. In our opinion the whole experience was fantastic. We loved the white party, Amazing evening, and we were at the Best of the Best dinner which was just fantastic.

We want to do an Africa sailing in 2021 and we were pretty set on booking Azamara. Our travel agent loves Oceania and Oceania has basically the same itinerary as the Azamara sailing. We have never sailed Oceania.

So my question to the more experienced cruisers which do you like better? Why? Pros and cons of each?

We are doing a sailing on Oceania in December in the Caribbean just to try it out as we live right in Ft Lauderdale. Some have said you can't judge Oceania by a Caribbean sailing as it the full experience but we figured we could get a feel for a bigger ship (we are sailing on the Rivera) and Oceania

Any input appreciated