Europe 2012 Very dissapointing

What has O done to all the 14 day cruises we all so much liked. Almost all 10 and 12 day cruises. Have been looking for 2 days and can't find any that we love. We may just have to look at other upscale lines even though we love O very much. Hope they know what they are doing. :confused:

What has O done to all the 14 day cruises we all so much liked. Almost all 10 and 12 day cruises. Have been looking for 2 days and can't find any that we love. We may just have to look at other upscale lines even though we love O very much. Hope they know what they are doing. :confused:

 

Agreed, very sad!:(

Caused me to book my first Regent cruise!

I agree. It's almost not worthwhile to fly to Europe for a ten day cruise. By the time you're over jet lag and settled in, it's time to return home. I really dislike those short cruises, however, we will be on the Riviera for its Maiden voyage.:p

What has O done to all the 14 day cruises we all so much liked. Almost all 10 and 12 day cruises. Have been looking for 2 days and can't find any that we love. We may just have to look at other upscale lines even though we love O very much. Hope they know what they are doing. :confused:

 

Full agreement here. I used to get O brochure and there were several I'd immediately want to do. Then I'd go back a second time and usually find another. When I got the e-brochure nothing grabbed my attention initially and still hasn't. Think we'll hold on to our money for ahwile and just enjoy our upcoming TA on Marina.

Oceania seems to be following in the footsteps of all the luxury lines by scheduling shorter cruises in order to attract a younger demographic. They will now have two large ships in addition to the R ships to fill and need to draw on a wider base. Shorter cruises bring in that base.

I really don't think it's for the younger demographic...

I believe it's in order to squeeze in more cruises per year per ship, therefore bringing in extra $...

Think about it:...if you do all 14 night cruises, you have 26 cruises per year...

If you cut back to 10 night cruises, you have 36.5 cruises per year...

 

Basically, you have 10 extra cruises per ship...

 

Psychologically, a lot of people don't think "I'm going on a 14 night cruise to the Mediterranean"...they just think "I'm going on a cruise to the Med"...(We all seem to think differently, but the people who run the cruise lines take the gamble that enough people don't)...

 

You still price your cruises about the same, you just make it a shorter product...and you just increaded your "supply" by 38%...

 

It's sort of like the ice cream manufacturers cutting back the cartons from a half gallon down to 1.75 quarts a few years back...They figured the customer won't pay that much attention...they just want the ice cream...

 

At some point, you don't say "I need to find a 14 night cruise to the Baltic", you just look for cruises to the Baltic and book whatever you think the best one is...You don't say "I demand 14 nights", you just look at the 12 night itinerary and ask "Does it go to St. Petersburg? Does it go to Tallinn? Does it go to Stockholm?"...and you book it...

 

Personally, I don't like it...14 nights, to me, is an optimal cruise length...I did a 10 nighter to the Baltic ten years ago on Princess and it left me woefully wanting longer...even though we did 4 nights in Copenhagen pre cruise and 8 nights in the UK post-cruise...We still got a 24 night vacation, but I would really have preferred my cruise to be more than half of it!!

Inexplicably they seem to be following Azamara's lead -- shorter cruises.

 

I think SteveBruin's analysis is on the money (no pun intended).

wripro - your explanation makes sense.

 

The only temptation for us is the TA on the Marina "Rome to Rio de Janeiro". Sounds good to us. It features the embarkation point my husband is looking for. And I've been dying to see Bucios. Supposed to have the most beautiful beaches in the world. Never having been on a TA, I'm a bit concerned about seasickness, though. :confused:

doubledobles, since you are on the Maiden, go over to our roll calls and add yourself. We have a good start.

 

Yes, I have to agree about the length of cruises as well, and I also wish they would pick a different area to do the Reunion cruise-such as the Baltic or South Pacific. Their Reunion cruises are sooo much fun and they do so much for you as well, but we haven't booked the last one nor the upcoming one as there are so many repeats. The one down the French coast last year was very nice.

Steve is exactly right, by having 10 day cruises, the prices posted look attractive, but in essence, you are getting less for your money. I hate 10 day cruises and I don't want to do 20 or 24 day cruises either right now. Another advantage of a 14 day cruise is the sea time when one can relax, read, go to the spa, play bingo, etc.

 

But, we are very loyal Oceania customers we will be doing the Maiden and the Reunion cruises both sceduled for 10 days. We've been to most of the ports on the itinerary, so we will not take some of the tours and stay on board and relax. :mad:

I've been reading on another Oceania/Cruise Critic thread that Oceania is doing some "intense marketing" in Europe. The post went on to say that someone on Nautica's Bangkok/Beijing cruise recently emailed, "there were 200 guests on board from all over" not just North America, so Oceania's appeal is definitely becoming more global.

 

As for the 2012 summer cruises, Europeans probably prefer 10 days since they don't have far to travel to embark, but 14 days suits us perfectly.

 

I'm still dreaming of a cruise on Oceania which would include England, Scotland, Ireland and France. Then if it rains everyday while cruising the British Isles, we could look forward to sunny days exploring the west coast of France, and with an overnight in Honfleur, we would even have time to visit the Normandy beaches.

I've been reading on another Oceania/Cruise Critic thread that Oceania is doing some "intense marketing" in Europe. The post went on to say that someone on Nautica's Bangkok/Beijing cruise recently emailed, "there were 200 guests on board from all over" not just North America, so Oceania's appeal is definitely becoming more global.

 

As for the 2012 summer cruises, Europeans probably prefer 10 days since they don't have far to travel to embark, but 14 days suits us perfectly.

 

I'm still dreaming of a cruise on Oceania which would include England, Scotland, Ireland and France. Then if it rains everyday while cruising the British Isles, we could look forward to sunny days exploring the west coast of France, and with an overnight in Honfleur, we would even have time to visit the Normandy beaches.

I hope for their sake they will get enough european's, as they sure will get less Americans. I gess we will look at other things to do. :confused:

I agree. It's almost not worthwhile to fly to Europe for a ten day cruise. By the time you're over jet lag and settled in, it's time to return home. I really dislike those short cruises, however, we will be on the Riviera for its Maiden voyage.:p

 

A 10-day trip is indeed short for such a long way to go, but we don't go just for the cruise. We like to add a few days on the front end as well as a few days on the back end (assuming different ports) during which we explore the region on our own or with local guides. So a 10- or 12-day cruise translates into about three weeks of travel for us. And we get some in-depth cultural experiences that a cruise often can't provide as a bonus.

They are facing huge competition from Celebrity, P & O and Cunard ALL of whom have megaships departing from Southampton throughout the Summer.

 

We in fact switched from O to Celeb as we actually preferred the 16 night itinerary. Also departing from Southampton and returning there for us is a bonus.

 

We could not face for the fifth time going to Barcelona, Marseilles, Monte Carlo, Livorno and Civi again.

 

As I have said elsewhere going to the same old Ports just becomes boring.

 

Brian

Based on what is being advertised for Summer 2012, DW & I will take a pass. Maybe something in the Autumn.

What has O done to all the 14 day cruises we all so much liked. Almost all 10 and 12 day cruises. :

Besides the fact that Oceania is in the process of tripling its number of berths and have to find new customers, there is also the problem of its price. In 2004, the good old days, for a balconied cabin in the Mediterranean, it was $3,200 for 14 days including airfare. Then in 2008, it had become $4,200 for 12 days including airfare. Now it looks like $5,200 for 10 days including airfare. Not everyone is as well off as some of the posters on this board. With the economy in the doldrums for years with no end in sight, there may not be that many people who can afford 2 x $7,200 + sundry + shoreside = $20,000 for a 14+ days trip, and that is just being realistic.

 

With the Middle East turmoil and oil prices soaring, the Japanese record breaking earthquake and leaking radiation, what do you think the future is going to be? Cruise lines have so overbuilt (not just Oceania) through the years, so the future does not look good. Quite soon, it may be the shipyards' turn to learn the meaning of recession. Well, hope for the best and be prepared for the worst. Only time will tell !

Based on what is being advertised for Summer 2012, DW & I will take a pass. Maybe something in the Autumn.

 

We too have taken a pass and if the demographics change Oceania will no longer be of any interest to us. They don't seem to know how unique their product is (was)! Sad!:(

Disappointed in the 2012 itineraries. Probably look for another line.

 

We could not face for the fifth time going to Barcelona, Marseilles, Monte Carlo, Livorno and Civi again.

 

As I have said elsewhere going to the same old Ports just becomes boring.

 

Brian

 

I could not have said it better! That is exactly how we feel.

We have also passed on the latest 2012 offerings. Would have liked to see 'Lands of the Midnight Sun' or 'Vineyards and Vignettes'. Maybe next year to the South Pacific or maybe Regent. May go back to land vacations on our own.

Here is our problem with the shorter itineraries: No Sea Days! We will be on Marina April 16 for Pearls of the Riviera. I am already conflicted and feeling guilty for being able to go on such a wonderful vacation but bemoaning the lack of sea days to enjoy the beautiful new ship. It would seem to me that Canyon Ranch would not have as many bookings. On the other hand there are more passengers, so maybe this isn't an issue for Oceania. But it is for us!

Oceania seems to be following in the footsteps of all the luxury lines by scheduling shorter cruises in order to attract a younger demographic. They will now have two large ships in addition to the R ships to fill and need to draw on a wider base. Shorter cruises bring in that base.

 

I heartily concur with your opinion on the reason for this change! (Guess us Lucca lovers have to hang together!:))

Personally I cannot see a younger demographic choosing Oceania -- the younger crowd wants to party and O ships are not party ships.

Computer disconnected me, so double post; sorry!