hamrag

Absolutely spot on, we're definitely with you on that and most everything else you've commented on. Thanks for setting the record straight, your experience and attitude matches ours.

Cunard is very formal, but the entertainment is way better. Oceania food is much better than any other line, in our experience across 16 cruiselines. So what is most important to you will drive the decision you make. Itinerary looks to me like Cunard wins on this occasion....certainly if it were us!

Context....we have 54 cruises across 16 cruiselines. We did that precise cruise 7 nights NYC to Bermuda last month on the Insignia, our only Oceania cruise so far. The ship was refurbed 2018, and given Covid-19 two years out service it still looks brand new and is stunning! The biggest problem is that for 75% of cabins the shower is tiny....if you are anything beyond a little middle age flab, it is not comfortable. Being on that margin, and in our mid-60s, we were fine with it. Entertainment is poor, and any live music is very limited. The show room (not theatre, much smaller) entertainment is poor, the shows are high school final year for end of term parents night standard. It wouldn't put us off going again, but you need to know. SR's, we booked pre-cruise and were able to adjust timings on-board. MDR and buffet food is truly superb, Oceania claim they are 'best at sea' in that regard and we thoroughly agree. Bermuda is amazing, and the way Oceania do it with the two port visits really made it for us.

As they say....'the luck of the Irish'....😂

We had a quick look at an empty CC suite on changeover day on our B2B cruises, and my recollection was the suite is the same size as the YC Deluxe Suite so that's fab for you. The other benefit is 'complimentary' speciality restaurant dining, both of which are superb....no need to go near the MDR! 😉 Do not miss White Night, I'm sure you are aware of it, this is the best night on board and waaaaaaaay better than the apology of same offered on most cruiselines.

Bea, that is an excellent deal....well done. No need to go limbo when you drop soap in the shower! Bon Voyage.

Indeed, just don't. I recall a P&O cruise probably about a decade ago. Those who've sailed them will be aware that at the sailaway of the final port before returning to Southanpton the Union flags are everywhere on the pool deck areas. Those who want them are handed small flags to wave as the Cruise Director does the whole Rule Britannia routine, and the noise really ramps up into a crescendo. It was mayhem, a gorgeous sunny early evening, and the CD announces 'let's sock it to the French with Rule Britannia one more time before we drop the ropes'. Five minutes later he's back on the intercom announcing 'unfortunately sailaway is delayed, the French authorities are now asking that all non-European passport holders on board must report to the theatre, and have the local customs officers check all details'!! Two hours later we sailed. Hope you have a fab cruise Bea, and enjoy Az.

I have no problem listening to the views of others, despite the fact that some Azamites seem unable to cope with contrary views. I have respected your opinions about Az before we sailed them, and still do, and most were accurate. For us, having now sailed 16 cruiselines of which 12 were 'mass' cruiselines across 54 cruises, we stand by our Az experience.....The MDR food we experienced was no better than most mass cruiselines, and not as good as Cunard. We shall probably give Az another try, so it will be interesting to evaluate our culinary experience in such event.

Depending on what you mean by 'more upscale', Az may disappoint. The MDR food is no better than most mass cruiselines, and not as good as Cunard. We recently sailed Oceania which is similar to Az in some regards, but their MDR and buffet culinary experience is vastly superior to Az. So if food is a significant part of your cruise experience, I'd be inclined to pass on Az. 😉

We didn't find the cabin to be a problem per se, but you really don't want to drop your bar of soap whilst in the shower....unless you can do limbo!! We were reminded of this recently on Oceania, where the showers have a perspex door. From memory, Az had a shower curtain which gives a tiny bit of leeway!!

In November, there is only one for us...Eurostars Grand Marina at the World Trade Centre. In high season it is expensive, and we wouldn't book then, off season very reasonably priced.

But what about those who consider khakis to be in the same frame as jeans....is that then OK because it's what you do? Oceania determine what is and what is acceptable, not you, not me, not anyone else! Get over it.

As others have pointed out, the Oceania on ship experience is not marketed as first class. With regard to first-class air travel, the 'first-class' element ceases the moment you leave the aeroplane. At that point you are one of the mass of people exiting the airport. It seems to me you have wrongly thought that 'first-class' status would apply for the airport transfer and cruise also. I see nothing condescending in the Oceania response, rather they have clearly stated that the relevant departments have been informed in order to improve the product offering. Indeed, to be granted a $500 OBC is astonishingly generous IMHO.

Your number (4) is something I didn't touch on, because it honestly makes little difference to us. On both Oceania and Yacht Club there is minimal visibility of senior officers, and on MSC they are often somewhat surly!

That's a good point, and will include aspects other than dining. Our experience with Azamara was pre-Covid, but with Oceania it was 'post-Covid' so perhaps the gap between Az and Oceania food is even greater than we first thought as this seems to be the case according to other posts I've read across various Az threads.

Oceania??

No climbing walls, and YC passengers get escorted off and on the ship as priority. What I am saying is that for those who do not like a 'dead' atmosphere in the evening post-dinner period there is lots to do. YC enclave is totally forward, and the kiddies stuff and any waterfalls etc. are aft. it's a wonderful balance for those who want such, but not for everyone, that's my point! 😉

Great to hear from you Bea, I guess that's why you've been missing from the MSC boards! We sailed YC Nov/Dec 2021, repo on Seaview for 18 nights Barcelona to Caribbean and it was fabulous. Also April past we had our retirement family cruise 7 nights Grandiosa YC, which was same and also the 5 nights we stayed on for after the kids and grandkids headed home! Every cruiseline has cut back, but nothing so far in YC which matters to us. Highly recommend them still, we haven't had any bad experiences in YC.....Virtuosa last September, outwith YC, was another story and the cruise which crystalised our decision never to do MSC outwith YC. Highly recommend Oceania also, have you sailed with them? Hope you are both well, take good care.

Posted identical on Oceania Board. Background....we are a couple mid-60s with 54 cruises on 16 different cruiselines. We have found the 'mass' cruiselines to have declined substantially in the quality of MDR food offerings in the past decade or so, less so with Cunard which has declined only a little.....YMMV. A couple of years pre-Covid we decided to explore potential better experiences on the two so called premium lines, and also began dipping our toes in a couple of luxury lines/experiences also. Most cruisers on these boards recognise that the post-Covid return has and continues to present many challenges, and having cruised now 5 times post-Covid we accord with such opinion. We recently returned from our first Oceania cruise following two Covid cancellations, on Insignia, which we thoroughly enjoyed. We have sailed once on two B2B cruises with Azamara December 2019 on Journey. Both ships we understand to be 'R' class vessels and they are definitely identical in structure and most of layout. Insignia was 're-inspired & refreshed' 2018, and it's decor is stunning and still fresh because it is essentially only 18 months old due to the Covid cruising shutdown. The Oceania food experience is everything they claim, from buffet to MDR and the included specialty restaurants, the 'best culinary experience at sea'. We had 4 superb evening meals in the MDR, and one which was average. We ate once in each of the included Specialty restaurants which were a step up even from the MDR. The menus are extensive, imaginative, and the food exceptionally well presented. The quality of buffet food for breakfast and lunches was the best we have ever experienced at sea. In marketing terms, the food and service are its USP. We did not find the Azamara food experience to be as good as many claim it to be, it wasn't much different from most other cruiselines and not quite as good as Cunard. On each of our 7 night cruises we were fortunate to purchase a 3 meal package (very fairly priced) in the specialty restaurants which were excellent. MDR fare is certainly a notch below Oceania, and it was the specialty restaurants and the White Night which made the overall culinary experience tolerable. Azamara White Night is spectacular, and not to be missed, both in presentation and quality and this is when the senior officers really come to the fore and personally serve a high quality buffet on deck. Most cruiselines have a white night, we have walked through them all and departed after 15 minutes because they are awful. Azamara also have an Azamazing evening off ship on most cruises, not ours unfortunately, and by all accounts that too is a night to remember. In marketing terms White Night and Azamazing evenings are its USP, Everything else is broadly similar e.g. show lounge entertainment is limited and average at best. The pianists rolled out in bar areas are fine, and is done by 10.30 to 10.45pm as are most passengers! Stringed instrumentalists on both lines are good, but have a limited audience. We met an American couple on Oceania who have also sailed with Azamara. They told us that a long serving Hotel Director, who has helped develop and personally lived and breathed the Azamara ethos for the past two decades or thereabouts has recently resigned, having now experienced the post-takeover way ahead for them. We believe this is most certainly the same lady who was HD on our Azamara cruises and, by some distance, she was the most engaging, enthusiastic and highly competent senior officer we ever had the pleasure of sailing with. Apparently other senior officers have already or are seriously considering, moving on for the same reasons which are mainly that the new owners are diminishing on-board authority and opportunity to display initiative and express individual personalities on the product offering. They said they have sailed roughly equal cruises on both lines, and enjoyed both for different reasons, but are now moving solely to Oceania based on their most recent Azamara experience. A final shout to MSC Yacht Club, which we have discovered to be excellent. We have cruised 6 times in Yacht Club ,and our next booked cruise too. It is an enclave of 200-250 passengers, with an exclusive pool deck, huge bar & lounge and restaurant. The YC restaurant is comparable to Oceania MDR, above Azamara, but not quite speciality restaurant quality. The USP, for us at least, is that you have Yacht Club but also the rest of the ship when you want it. Entertainment is waaaay better than both Oceania and Azamara, and there is always live music performers in the 4 deck Atrium areas. The biggest downside is that MSC sail the same old, same old, routes so eventually I'd see us moving away from them for better itineraries. Please note, we would NOT recommend MSC outwith the Yacht Club experience. If Oceania were to do something similar to Azamara in terms of a White Night, they would blow Azamara out of the water....pun intended! We would definitely sail Oceania again, and probably Azamara as it is itinerary that is of principal interest to us. Within reason, the cruiseline is secondary if the itinerary is right for us.

Background....we are a couple mid-60s with 54 cruises on 16 different cruiselines. We have found the 'mass' cruiselines to have declined substantially in the quality of MDR food offerings in the past decade or so, less so with Cunard which has declined only a little.....YMMV. A couple of years pre-Covid we decided to explore potential better experiences on the two so called premium lines, and also began dipping our toes in a couple of luxury lines/experiences also. Most cruisers on these boards recognise that the post-Covid return has and continues to present many challenges, and having cruised now 5 times post-Covid we accord with such opinion. We recently returned from our first Oceania cruise following two Covid cancellations, on Insignia, which we thoroughly enjoyed. We have sailed once on two B2B cruises with Azamara December 2019 on Journey. Both ships we understand to be 'R' class vessels and they are definitely identical in structure and most of layout. Insignia was 're-inspired & refreshed' 2018, and it's decor is stunning and still fresh because it is essentially only 18 months old due to the Covid cruising shutdown. The Oceania food experience is everything they claim, from buffet to MDR and the included specialty restaurants, the 'best culinary experience at sea'. We had 4 superb evening meals in the MDR, and one which was average. We ate once in each of the included Specialty restaurants which were a step up even from the MDR. The menus are extensive, imaginative, and the food exceptionally well presented. The quality of buffet food for breakfast and lunches was the best we have ever experienced at sea. In marketing terms, the food and service are its USP. We did not find the Azamara food experience to be as good as many claim it to be, it wasn't much different from most other cruiselines and not quite as good as Cunard. On each of our 7 night cruises we were fortunate to purchase a 3 meal package (very fairly priced) in the specialty restaurants which were excellent. MDR fare is certainly a notch below Oceania, and it was the specialty restaurants and the White Night which made the overall culinary experience tolerable. Azamara White Night is spectacular, and not to be missed, both in presentation and quality and this is when the senior officers really come to the fore and personally serve a high quality buffet on deck. Most cruiselines have a white night, we have walked through them all and departed after 15 minutes because they are awful. Azamara also have an Azamazing evening off ship on most cruises, not ours unfortunately, and by all accounts that too is a night to remember. In marketing terms White Night and Azamazing evenings are its USP, Everything else is broadly similar e.g. show lounge entertainment is limited and average at best. The pianists rolled out in bar areas are fine, and is done by 10.30 to 10.45pm as are most passengers! Stringed instrumentalists on both lines are good, but have a limited audience. We met an American couple on Oceania who have also sailed with Azamara. They told us that a long serving Hotel Director, who has helped develop and personally lived and breathed the Azamara ethos for the past two decades or thereabouts has recently resigned, having now experienced the post-takeover way ahead for them. We believe this is most certainly the same lady who was HD on our Azamara cruises and, by some distance, she was the most engaging, enthusiastic and highly competent senior officer we ever had the pleasure of sailing with. Apparently other senior officers have already or are seriously considering, moving on for the same reasons which are mainly that the new owners are diminishing on-board authority and opportunity to display initiative and express individual personalities on the product offering. They said they have sailed roughly equal cruises on both lines, and enjoyed both for different reasons, but are now moving solely to Oceania based on their most recent Azamara experience. A final shout to MSC Yacht Club, which we have discovered to be excellent. We have cruised 6 times in Yacht Club ,and our next booked cruise too. It is an enclave of 200-250 passengers, with an exclusive pool deck, huge bar & lounge and restaurant. The YC restaurant is comparable to Oceania MDR, above Azamara, but not quite speciality restaurant quality. The USP, for us at least, is that you have Yacht Club but also the rest of the ship when you want it. Entertainment is waaaay better than both Oceania and Azamara, and there is always live music performers in the 4 deck Atrium areas. The biggest downside is that MSC sail the same old, same old, routes so eventually I'd see us moving away from them for better itineraries. Please note, we would NOT recommend MSC outwith the Yacht Club experience. If Oceania were to do something similar to Azamara in terms of a White Night, they would blow Azamara out of the water....pun intended! We would definitely sail Oceania again, and probably Azamara as it is itinerary that is of principal interest to us. Within reason, the cruiseline is secondary if the itinerary is right for us.

Our attitude also, across 15 different cruise lines, we refuse to stress the small stuff and walk in the opposite direction when we encounter unreasonable complaining! All being well, we board Insignia next week for our first Oceania and we are certain our conclusion will be as yours! 😊 Thanks for posting.

The main difference is MSC is not stuffy in the slightest, and it's clientele are not looking for the Rule Britannia experience. It is so refreshing to have an International mix of passengers, many of whom do not queue properly! 😉

Our experience precisely.

That is absolutely what YC would provide with the crepes.

Simple solution....don't go back again! 😉