shellsrus

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Just returned from the Haven on the Joy.  Overall, it was great, food, service, facility, etc.  A few nits, but an excellent product.  The problem with the Haven is, the whole ship is not the Haven.  The rest of the ship had very little appeal for us.  It all depends on what you're looking for in a cruise as many have said.  I think, generally, if you're going to spend that much (and you don't care about go-carts, water-slides, video arcades, etc.) you're better off on Seabourn, Regent, Crystal, etc. 

We were on this cruise last year and our favorite excursion was the Ventures excursion in Illulisat to see the icebergs.  Amazing icebergs and we also saw whales.  If we did this cruise again we would bring a hat with bug screening attached.

So, the bathrooms/shower aren't any bigger or better? Have only been on Marina, been scared away from R ships due to all the negativity about the tiny bathrooms.

We took two of our grand-kids (9 and 11) on NCL last year, the Breakaway. They had a ball, the kid program was very good, well run and very safety conscious. We had fun too.

When we were younger, we took our kids on HAL several times, Very good kids program, although not all the whiz-bang stuff of the newer mega ships (climbing walls, ropes courses, go karts, water slides, skating rinks, etc).

We like Viking Ocean, we also like Oceania and Azamara. Each have their strengths, and we would not hesitate to cruise with any of these companies. We enjoyed cruising with them all (although granted, though they are all excellent, no single cruise line is "perfect").

 

But what is curious is, Viking's fleet expansion at the moment while Oceania's fleet size seems to remain "stagnant", reminds me of the time when Oceania was expanding fast but Azamara seemed to remain "stagnant " when it came to fleet size increase.

 

Then, as most of us know, Oceania started to grow, and grow, and grow. And Azamara's size remained the same with just two "R" ships.

 

Only recently, has Azamara has finally started to grow, with an added a third "R" ship, but the company is still much smaller in total capacity offered compared to Oceania.

 

And then in comes Viking - its Ocean voyages started with only a couple years back, and to date, they already have 6 ships (all with same design with size between that of the "O" ships and "R" ships, big enough to offer more facilities, but small enough to offer intimacy and to dock in places which large ships are not allowed. ).

 

What is more, by 2027, Viking will have at least 16 ships, all of the same size. Meanwhile, Oceania has not announced any new ships to be added to its fleet of 6. Just what is happening to Oceania?

 

Why is Oceania not expanding and thus "allowing" Viking Ocean to surpass it in terms of fleet size? What Oceania seems to be doing (or not doing) is like what Azamara was doing (or was not doing) when Oceania overtook it.

 

Of course, one cannot be absolutely certain of the future. Is Viking right to expand its fleet so quickly. Is it smart and brave, or is it "foolish"? Will there not be a "glut" in the market in the near future? Will cruise fares come down because of increase competition? Is Oceania right (and "smart") to remain at the same size as it is in terms of its fleet? Will the "R" ships remain in service for the next 25 years, or so, or will they be replaced much earlier by newer models? Does Oceania has any plans in the pipeline for any more orders to increase or renew its fleet? So many answers, but who can answer them with any certainty?

 

I am not any wiser what is happening behind the scenes. But still, it is interesting to witness history almost being repeated when Viking Ocean overtakes Oceania (at least in fleet size), like when Oceania overtook Azamara. And it is equally interesting to observe the continual changes in the ocean cruise market. Maybe in the future, there may be another newcomer which will overtake Viking Ocean. Who knows?

 

Meanwhile, my partner and I, we'd just sit and wait for any special cruise offer(s) that comes along from any of these three cruise companies. And if the price and schedule/routing is right, we would happily take it/them. We are not bias towards any single cruise company. We'd certainly not behave like "fanboys" to any of them. We feel these cruise companies should serve the clients, not the other way around !

Great post, and very much in keeping with the intent of this thread. I am the OP of this now lengthy thread. I have a lot of the same the questions you do. I've only cruised once so far on Oceania (Marina). I liked it, but was hesitant to try an R ship given all the mixed reviews. If what I read on the ship building posts are correct, there is no possibility for Oceania to have a new ship for at least 8+ years, all the yards are fully booked and they have no orders in and none, apparently, planned. Their only option for adding to the fleet in the short term seems to be refurbishing older ships (like the R ships).

I think the aggressive Viking expansion is a good comparison here given the similar ship sizes on the two lines (have not cruised on Viking) and the similar, adult, more premium demographic they seem to be going after. If Viking is offering comparable rates on newer, more advanced ships, and their food/service levels are comparable, why would I, or anybody, want to go on a much older ship with fewer features, tiny bathrooms and clingy shower curtains?

If Viking is as successful with the many new ships they have coming on line as they have been so far with their existing fleet, this is bad news for Oceania, and maybe Regent/Seabourn/Silversea too, although their niche is a little different. All the new capacity Viking is planning to bring on line has to come from somewhere. They will no doubt expand itineraries offered and cover pretty much everywhere there is to cruise, except perhaps hard core expedition cruising. Can't see how Oceania can survive and prosper long term without somehow responding to the very aggressive competition they'll be facing.

There was a thread recently on Cruise Critic (don't remember where) about new ship build's. Lots of cruise lines had orders at the major shipyards. I think the thread indicated that the shipyards are booked at least 6 to 8 years out. No orders from Oceania for a new ship. Is Oceania's plan to just use their existing fleet indefinitely? The only "new-ish" ships they have are the Marina and Riviera, and I think they're 6+ years old now. The smaller R ships are much older. We recently cruised on the Marina (1st time on Oceania) and enjoyed it very much. We're hesitant to try an R ship due to all the feedback on the small cabins/bathrooms and overall age and condition of the ships.

Any Oceania experts here have any insight into what Oceania is thinking long term?

I have cruised Seabourn 3 times. I'm one who would like a 6 pm dining option and would happily give up something else if staffing had to be re-allocated. Anecdotally, I've talked to several guests on the cruises (mostly Americans) who feel the same way. I do think Seabourn is out of sync with the preferences of most north Americans on this, and most other cruise lines who offer earlier dining options. It won't stop me cruising with Seabourn, we can all adapt, but I'll keep putting it on the feedback form in hopes of change in the future. Ultimately, it's their cruise line and they will determine what they think most of their customers want and what resources they're willing to allocate to meet their needs.

We all have different preferences/habits on when we like to dine. There's no right answer, but there is a problem with Seabourn. Seabourn is an American company with a large north American clientele. The fact is most Americans tend to eat dinner between 5 - 7. Seabourn should provide at least one dining venue (not room service) that's available at 6:00. This should be as simple as recognizing who a larger percentage of your customers are and meeting their needs. I'ts one of the few negatives we've found cruising with Seabourn.

Hoopster: Really enjoyed your recap of this cruise, excellent. Question: does anybody find the photobucket app a big annoyance when accessing posted photos? I'm constantly closing a barrage of ads trying to see the photos.

Why do dress code threads never die? They proliferate on all the boards. New ones replace old ones. They go on and on and on.....then reproduce again.

Is it more complicated than: 1) read the cruise lines stated dress code, if you have questions, clarify with them, 2) Comply, 3) if someone is violating the established dress code on board and it bothers you, report it to the management on board (it's not you job to police this), if they do nothing and it still bothers you, choose another cruise line or stay home, or, (more likely) vent and pontificate on threads like this one, or, better yet....start a new thread and we can do it all over again!

Can you only bring wine on board (for cabin consumption) at embarkation, or, can you also bring bottles on board at various port stops?

Chase United Plus Club card provides unlimited medical evacuation, 20K trip interruption/cancellation and other benefits. If you travel at least 2 to 3 times a year on United (which we do) this is a great card.

:)

I appreciate one's desire to eat early and keep to the same schedule one has at home. But isn't the point of travel to experience different cultures, different times to eat, different foods??? When you go to Spain you have dinner after 9PM and that's early. Am I going to skip Spain because I can't have dinner at 5:30? Anyone can adjust his schedule for a while in order to accommodate a local culture. Have a later lunch. Have a late afternoon snack. If that is impossible for someone then travel in the U.S. where you can have that early dinner. jmo.

I agree in principle about modifying your routine to fully experience different cultures. But, a cruise ship is not a "different culture." It's a means or platform to transport you to different cultures. As such, a cruise line should be in sync with it's primary clientele and their customs and routines, in Seabourn's case, north Americans. They do not change their dining hours to 9 pm when cruising in Spain, nor should they.

On the Quest and Sojourn we were on, the observation lounge opened at 5:00, piano player started around 5:30. The Club opened at 6:00, no entertainment before 6:30. If the weather was nice, I believe you could get a drink at the patio bar before 6:00. Otherwise, one option at 5:00, the observation lounge.

If seabourn opened the Club at 5:00, and at least the colonnade at 6:00 for dinner, I think that would go a long way towards mitigating the late hours problem,

Agree with the OP on this. We have done two Seabourn cruises and the dining/lounge/show hours just don't work for us. Seabourn draws a big north American clientele, many of whom dine a lot closer to 6:00 than 8:00. You would think (hope) that a luxury cruise line would be more accommodating and flexible (room service doesn't count). My other pet peeve, the Club, the largest lounge on the ship, doesn't open until 6:00. If you want t drink at 5:00 and the weather is bad, you only have one option. And the 9:45 shows....I only made it to one on a 23 day cruise. For folks that rise early every day and keep certain hours (in bed by 10/10:30), Seabourn 's schedule is a big negative. There are lots of us, I wish Seabourn would recognize this.

i have cruised as a vegetarian many times on HAL. from the special vegetarian menu I really enjoy the pasta fagioli, the spring rolls. and the lentil garbanzo salad. I sometimes mix these in with the regular menu vegetarian offering. At Canaleto I order the papardalle without the shrimp. Some nights i request a plate of vegetables that are served with the meat offerings.

Just got back from the Bermuda cruise. Was advised by several local tour operators not to rent a scooter. Death/injury statistics are very scary. I chose not to roll the dice.

Dress code discussions are like death and taxes.....they're going to happen, recently posted on another thread:

Dress code threads go on forever and constantly re-generate, on all cruise line boards. There are probably sociological, cultural and psychological reasons for this. Personally, I do not enjoy "dressing up," (40 yeas of suit and tie wear cured me). What people are wearing does not effect my enjoyment of the cruise experience. I do the minimum, i.e. adhere to the cruise line guidelines, no more, no less. Packing less stuff and being more comfortable are priorities for me. I do wish the cruise lines would enforce their own guidelines more than they do, I think that would go a long way towards placating everyone. I have no sympathy for the contingent that constantly complain because the old dress code standards are dying (or already dead). Read the cruise line guidelines and policies and don't be surprised and upset when people follow them.

QUOTE

Dress code threads go on forever and constantly re-generate, on all cruise line boards. There are probably a sociological, cultural and psychological reasons for this. Personally, I do not enjoy "dressing up," (40 yeas of suit and tie wear cured me). What people are wearing does not effect my enjoyment of the cruise experience. I do the minimum, i.e. adhere to the cruise line guidelines, no more, no less. Packing less stuff and being more comfortable are priorities for me. I do wish the cruise lines would enforce there own guidelines more than they do, I think that would go a long way towards placating everyone. I have no sympathy for the contingent that constantly complain because the old dress code standards are dying (or already dead). Read the cruise line guidelines and policies and don't be surprised and upset when people follow them.

We were on the Quest a few months ago on a Canada itinerary, first time on Seabourn. The service was terrible. We are long time cruisers and not complainers. But, there were mistakes almost daily (order one thing, get another), frequent long waits for drinks/hors doerves (up to one hour once) and being completely ignored 3 times in the dining room and colonnade (no waiter comes). Service was well below what we've experienced on HAL and other cruise lines. I was shocked based on the Seabourn reputation. Met with the customer service manager towards the end of the cruise and down loaded all the problems. She actually acknowledged that this was a sub par sailing for them.

Loved the ship, cabin and overall quality of the food, but, with a few exceptions, the service was almost a complete fail.

From a recent cruise on the Zuiderdam.......have never seen this before, not sure what to make of it.

Just got off this cruise, great trip, Prince Christian Sund was incredible. Seas and winds were pretty rough on Monday morning. Saw a verandah table flying off the ship, hopefully into the ocean. We were in the aft section, flying furniture may have come from an aft wrap around cabin, no dividers on those. Winds were near hurricane force for a time.

If you don't bring your allowed 1 bottle of wine per person on at embarkation, can you do it at a later port? Does HAL monitor the two bottle rule and give you one time (any time) to do it?

Use the credit in the ship stores to buy a gift you will need for an upcoming birthday or holiday