Thinking of Oceania for the Mediterranean for the first time

[nednrom]

Hi everyone,

 

We have been cruising for some time now and are looking at cruising with Oceania in 2018. Since we've never cruised with Oceania, I'd be ever grateful for some answers:

 

1. We have been Royal/NCL cruisers along with a couple of Carnival and one Cunard cruise. As we have gotten older and as times have changed, we have become more casual and don't carry suits and evening gowns but more like khaki pants and casual dresses. Will we be underdressed? If we didn't want to get dressed but want to grab something, is there a venue to eat in shorts or similar informal dresswear?

2. We are thinking of taking advantage of olife choice. Do you fly the day of or a couple of days prior? Do you actually get the benefits they list on the website or is it by cabin category especially the $600 OBC and free excursions?

3. Since it's the Med and port intensive, we are thinking of getting an OV cabin - and have not done that for a while. Are the cabins too small?

4. Nautica, Marinar and Riviera are listed as the ones doing the itineraries - is one better than the other?

5. Anything else about Oceania you can tell me.

 

Thank you for the information.

 

Gail

[LHT28]

1. We have been Royal/NCL cruisers along with a couple of Carnival and one Cunard cruise. As we have gotten older and as times have changed, we have become more casual and don't carry suits and evening gowns but more like khaki pants and casual dresses. Will we be underdressed? If we didn't want to get dressed but want to grab something, is there a venue to eat in shorts or similar informal dresswear?

I would spring for a pr of Dockers for him & dress slacks or skirt for you for dinner

shorts can be worn in the Terrace for dinner if you choose

 

 

2. We are thinking of taking advantage of olife choice. Do you fly the day of or a couple of days prior? Do you actually get the benefits they list on the website or is it by cabin category especially the $600 OBC and free excursions?

O Life has nothing to do with the airfare

You can book the cruise without the air & still get the O Life perks (there is another thread on this )

If you want to use the included air you pay a deviation fee to fly in/out on days other than the cruise start & end

 

 

3. Since it's the Med and port intensive, we are thinking of getting an OV cabin - and have not done that for a while. Are the cabins too small?

Subjective

 

4. Nautica, Marinar and Riviera are listed as the ones doing the itineraries - is one better than the other?

Marina & Riviera are larger & the cabins have larger bathrooms with tubs in most cabins

 

5. Anything else about Oceania you can tell me.

 

Thank you for the information.

 

Gail

5) I would look at the website under FAQ's & look at the descriptions of the dining/ cabins etc..

then if you have questions people will be happy to answer

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/experience/

 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/value/

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/faq/

[ORV]

What I do when thinking about a new cruise line is read the forum for them, and go back 5-10 pages and read the threads that interest me. That way I get a pretty good feel for it.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Have never brought tie or jacket on an O ship. Just dress "preppy" and you'll be fine.

 

 

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[nednrom]

Thank you everyone!

[ShopperfiendTO]

Re your Q#1: Country club casual is the standard but in practice you can be a wee bit more casual than that and still be fine for seated service (i.e., the Grand (main) Dining Room). People tend to dress up a bit more for the specialty restaurants but it's just an observation.

 

Re your Q#2: With included air, you will land the day of embarking the cruise and fly out the day of disembarking the cruise. The OLife offer is currently internet access for one device (at any given time) for the length of cruise plus one of three choices: 1) beer/wine with meals, 2) excursions or 3) OBC. The number of excursions and amount of OBC is is fixed per cruise and not dependent on cabin category (but these numbers could change for future promotions).

 

Re your Q#4: Marina and Riviera are basically the same ship (often referred to as "O class" as they were built by Oceania) with a passenger capacity of about 1250 and has four no-fee specialty restaurants on board (Polo steak house, Toscana Italian cuisine, Red Ginger pan-Asian cuisine, and Jacques classic French cuisine). Nautica is a smaller ship (often referred to as "R-Class" as it was one of 8 ships in the Renaissance fleet) with a passenger capacity of about 690 and has two no-fee specialty restaurants on board (Polo steak house and Toscana Italian cuisine).

 

Which ship is better depends on your priorities; we like smaller ships but acknowledge that the O ships have a much more diverse dining experience and feel newer even though the R ships might have been more recently in dry dock or refurbished.

[ChucktownSteve]

We were on the Marina for our first Med cruise from Rome to Lisbon. When we sailed, there were a lot of sport coats in the specialty restaurants. But you won't be out of place without it.

 

There is a difference between the O & R class ships regarding free specialty restaurants. There are four on the Marina & Riviera you'll get one reservation in each. On the R class Nautica, there are only two specialty restaurants, you'll only get one reservation in each since you'll be in an OV cabin.

 

Concierge cabins on R class get two in each but still only one each on O class.

 

To extend your flights to other than day of embarkation/debarkation, you must pay an additional $175 pp deviation fee.

 

Based on the previous lines you've sailed, I suspect you will have a most enjoyable cruise. We were in an inside at that time it it was the best cruise we had up to that date.

 

Happy Sailing

Edited October 24, 2017 by ChucktownSteve

[nednrom]

Re your Q#1: Country club casual is the standard but in practice you can be a wee bit more casual than that and still be fine for seated service (i.e., the Grand (main) Dining Room). People tend to dress up a bit more for the specialty restaurants but it's just an observation.

 

Re your Q#2: With included air, you will land the day of embarking the cruise and fly out the day of disembarking the cruise. The OLife offer is currently internet access for one device (at any given time) for the length of cruise plus one of three choices: 1) beer/wine with meals, 2) excursions or 3) OBC. The number of excursions and amount of OBC is is fixed per cruise and not dependent on cabin category (but these numbers could change for future promotions).

 

Re your Q#4: Marina and Riviera are basically the same ship (often referred to as "O class" as they were built by Oceania) with a passenger capacity of about 1250 and has four no-fee specialty restaurants on board (Polo steak house, Toscana Italian cuisine, Red Ginger pan-Asian cuisine, and Jacques classic French cuisine). Nautica is a smaller ship (often referred to as "R-Class" as it was one of 8 ships in the Renaissance fleet) with a passenger capacity of about 690 and has two no-fee specialty restaurants on board (Polo steak house and Toscana Italian cuisine).

 

Which ship is better depends on your priorities; we like smaller ships but acknowledge that the O ships have a much more diverse dining experience and feel newer even though the R ships might have been more recently in dry dock or refurbished.

 

Thank you, this is very good information. Interesting that Renaissance ships still exist - My first Med cruise was on a Renaissance and that was very memorable! We visited ports in Greece and Turkey that I dont see in any itinerary anymore.

Edited October 24, 2017 by nednrom

[nednrom]

We were on the Marina for our first Med cruise from Rome to Lisbon. When we sailed, there were a lot of sport coats in the specialty restaurants. But you won't be out of place without it.

 

There is a difference between the O & R class ships regarding free specialty restaurants. There are four on the Marina & Riviera you'll get one reservation in each. On the R class Nautica, there are only two specialty restaurants, you'll only get one reservation in each since you'll be in an OV cabin.

 

Concierge cabins on R class get two in each but still only one each on O class.

 

To extend your flights to other than day of embarkation/debarkation, you must pay an additional $175 pp deviation fee.

 

Based on the previous lines you've sailed, I suspect you will have a most enjoyable cruise. We were in an inside at that time it it was the best cruise we had up to that date.

 

Happy Sailing

 

Good to know that I can deviate from the flight schedule, thanks!

[Flatbush Flyer]

Good to know that I can deviate from the flight schedule, thanks!

 

 

 

If you prefer to fly biz class, there will be few if any decent deals from O. Take the air credit and DIY.

 

 

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[J80crew]

I’ve just returned from a med cruise on Riviera. What we observed is that about half the women dressed for the evening in dresses and heels, and about 20% of the men wore jackets, no ties. The majority of men were in button down dress shirts and pressed pants. This applies to those who were in the main dining room and specialty restaurants; we didn’t see those in the buffet.