ak1004

we were on the Spirit last year and on the Dawn now. Don’t see too many differences. Slight changes to the restaurant locations, La Dame much larger, that’s it. Very similar layout. Overall I still find it a great experience, but not necessarily better than Oceania.

it used to be more important a few years ago, less important now. Still I like to stay in touch with the family, and also browse the news etc. so no, we won’t be upgrading, but SS prices are fairly high, so I would expect them to provide good internet, especially now when they have the infrastructure.

We boarded the Dawn on Dec.11, and I was pleased to find out that they upgraded to StarLink. However, when I measured the speed, I was getting a pathetic 1.5M, and it does feel slow. I expected much more from StarLink. Turns out that what you get is what they call basic internet, but you can upgrade and experience the full advantage of the StarLink for $29 a day. Feels a bit strange that an ultra luxury cruise line dimes and nickels like this.

We will be on a cruise after yours (Dec.11) and find those posts extremely helpful. This will be our second SS cruise, the first one was on the Spirit last December. While we did have a great cruise, some of the issues you describe definitely sound familiar. We were a group of 10 people, so this might explain some of the service flaws. This time it's only us, so no excuses. I hope they do better this time, otherwise I'm not convinced that I can justify the premium price compared to Oceania. As for people finding SS boring compared to HAL - I can definitely understand it, and I think this would be the case with most premium/luxury lines (maybe except for Crystal). Personally I don't come to SS or O for entertainment or activities, but mostly for service, food and the small ship experience. It's important to have realistic expectations.

We did some research, based on this thread and online reviews. Some of the hotels mentioned here are simply way above our budget. St. Regis, St. Regis, Monaco Grand Canal etc seem like fantastic places, I just cannot justify spending that kind of money for a place where we basically will only sleep and shower. Moresco looks like a good option at decent price, but they have only non refundable rates, and we don't book non refundable rates as a matter of principle. We ended up booking Novecento, a small boutique hotel in a quiet area of San Marco. You can book only directly with the hotel, not on booking sites like expedia. We will share our experience, but based on the reviews, it looks like a good value for money.

And I'm not questioning the OP experience. I'm just saying that ours was completely different. Could be a matter of expectations, or some challenges specific to this particular sailing. And whoever claims that food on small ships is no better than on large ships, consider this: There is no charge for specialty restaurants on O and most other small ships (there are some exceptions). Specialty restaurants on lines like Celebrity typically cost $100-150 per couple. Now, if they serve good food in the MDR, what incentive would people have to pay for specialty restaurants? For that reason only, the MDR or buffet food on large ships can never be really good, otherwise they would cannibalize their specialty restaurants business.

TC on its worst day is still better than Celebrity buffet on its best day. And the food on C buffet varies between mediocre and inedible. Every buffet can become crowded if the ship is full and most guests return from excursions at the same time and all other venues are closed. Including buffet on Silversea and Crystal. The difference is that you usually can still find a table without doing 5 circles.

I never said that "inconsistent dining service and highly chaotic buffet service" are acceptable simply because we never experienced anything like it. On Celebrity we really had a problem finding a table in the buffet - was never an issue on O. The couple we travelled with were in shock how quickly the drinks and the coffee arrived in the morning. They were in shock how quickly the dirty dishes were evacuated from the table. One of the big positive surprises for them was the way they serve food in the buffet (compared to self service on C where everyone touches the food and the dishes). Service in the MDR was between very good and excellent most of the time, with some very rare exceptions. But service on Celebrity MDR was also pretty good, what made the difference is the quality of the food. Huge difference. To me, it IS the best food at sea, better than SS or Crystal. So our experience was very different from yours - maybe your experience was impacted by some of groups that you mentioned, not sure. That said, not everything on O is better than C or Princess. The entertainment and activities are consistently mediocre, something you can expect on most small ships (except Crystal). The excursions on O are overpriced and overcrowded (this is why we are not very happy with SM). To us, O is not "profoundly special". It's just significantly better than the large ships, but so are all small ships that we sailed on (Crystal, Azamara and Silversea). They are better by definition being small ships, with no crowds, no lines, almost no children etc. I would gladly sail on any small ship in 300-1,200 passengers range and not likely to return to any of the big ships. But some people don't care, and that's fine. We are all different. But then again, if O was only a hair better than its mid-range competitors, people probably wouldn't pay significant premium compared to those mid-range competitors (although C prices are now not too far behind, especially when you consider all the inclusions).

I think this is what we'll do. Check out is at 11, so we can always storage the luggage, have lunch and go to the ship around 1:30. Speaking of hotel - anyone stayed at Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa? Do they have nice dining options or better to take Uber and have a nice dinner on Las Olas?

As long as there is enough black caviar, we are good.. don’t care much about wine.

thanks! Just trying to decide if it’s worth to arrive around 1pm and risk spending an hour in the terminal? Or just relax by the pool in the hotel, eat something light and arrive at 2?

We are sailing on the Dawn next Monday and staying in a hotel in Fort Lauderdale for one night. The hotel is 15 minutes drive from the port. My understanding is that check in is at 2pm. Do they allow to board early? What would be the best course of action? Stay at the hotel after check out, have lunch around noon, relax by the pool and then head to the port around 1:30-2:00? Or arrive early and hope they let us board early and have lunch on the ship?

Maybe this was the issue? No product will be better than other product across ALL aspects of the onboard experience. As for the price, it is unrealistic to expect O to cost the same as Celebrity. Sometimes it might happen, most of the time it will not. Arguing that O is in the same category as Celebrity is like arguing that Mercedes is in the same category as Honda. There is really no point.

We were on the Regatta last September and found it in a great shape. No air conditioning issues, and everything was spotless. We prefer the O ships, mostly due to larger cabins, more dining options etc. But the overall condition of the Regatta was very good.

To me, the size of the ships alone puts Oceania/Azamara/Viking in a separate league. Plus more inclusions, no dime and nickel, better passenger/crew ratios etc. Can you really compare a ship with 1.6 guests per crew member with a ship with 2.5 guests per crew member? Last year we took our first cruise on Silversea. Cabins are much nicer, there is a butler in each cabin and it's all inclusive, but overall we found the service and food comparable to Oceania. We made many special requests on Oceania, they rarely said "no". Never considered a buffet on Oceania a zoo (it is on Celebrity), and food is definitely in a different league. Our last cruise on O we travelled with a couple who traveled exclusively on Celebrity for the last 30 years. They agreed there is no comparison, and booked 2 more cruises while on board. O is usually more expensive than Celebrity/HAL/Princess, I'm pretty sure people would not be paying those prices if the lies were comparable. But of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Exactly our thoughts. People forget how much prices have increased in the last few years. Look at flights, hotels, land vacations, you name it. To me, comparing O prices to 5 years ago is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is how O compares to other cruise lines. Like you, we are done with the large ships, so for 2025 European cruises, we looked at Oceania, Azamara, Viking, Seabourn and Silversea. We booked 2 cruises with O because we concluded they still offer the best value for money, even considering we don't drink and rarely take ship excursions. Viking prices are comparable to SB and SS, which to me is absurd. Azamara prices are comparable to O for entry level veranda, and paying the same price for 240 sqft cabin and 170 sqft cabin doesn't make sense to me - so again, O wins.

And this is true for most if not all cruise lines. And the higher the cruise fare, the higher the expectations. Just look at SS reviews.

We sailed on Celebrity, HAL, Princess, Oceania, Silversea and 12 other lines. I consider Oceania to be much closer to the luxury lines like Silversea, and in a different league from Celebrity. Definitely not mid range. How long do you have to wait in line just to reach reception or destination services on Celebrity compared to Oceania? How about the pool or the theatre? But of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Oceania is not perfect, but comparing it to Celebrity/HAL/Princess is like comparing Four Seasons to Holiday Inn (unless you are in a suite on Celebrity/HAL/Princess). But of course everyone is entitled to their opinion. Food and service is in a different league most of the time (of course there are always exceptions).

This was probably one of the best threads I have read on CC EVER. So full of life, energy, optimistic and realistic at the same time. What a contrast to all the whining of 80% of the other threads! And what a wonderful review! Thank you @Sthrngary Makes you wonder about some of the other reviews. Why some people are so negative instead of just enjoying life?

Especially considering that several members posted corrections, including direct links to Oceania website and screenshots from the website and their reservations. Why people cannot just admit when they are wrong?

Yes we booked last month. Final payment 150 prior to sailing, penalties start 180 days (except for the $150).

The last line of the cancellation policy mentions Final payment of 150 days. This whole topic started when some posters claimed that final payment is 180, which is incorrect.

The only way to know is to try. Start with a short one, maybe 7-10 days. Then decide. Don’t let the reviews to impact your decision. Some of the reviews are just ridiculous and some people are just never happy. This is true for all lines.

Once again. It is NOT 181 days. It is 150 days. I posted this on post #20, not sure why the discussion still goes on and people repeat the same false information.