Oceania v Celebrity Thoughts

[PhD-iva]

2 hours ago, AlexCherie said:

It’s Celebrity’s sweet spot. 

Caribbean based, non-Retreat priced. There’s no way to add value, so it will always win that contest. 

Unless food quality is considered…….IMO.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, PhD-iva said:

Unless food quality is considered…….IMO.

True and we would add that there are many other factors that can impact the cruise experience.  When DW and I consider the pros/cons of smaller ship luxury cruises vs mass market X cruises we immediately give consideration to lines/queues that are found on all mass market vessels.  Spending 2 weeks on a ship without ever having to wait in line for anything (including tender tickets and tenders) is a nice experience.  

 

Hank

[ORV]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

True and we would add that there are many other factors that can impact the cruise experience.  When DW and I consider the pros/cons of smaller ship luxury cruises vs mass market X cruises we immediately give consideration to lines/queues that are found on all mass market vessels.  Spending 2 weeks on a ship without ever having to wait in line for anything (including tender tickets and tenders) is a nice experience.  

 

Hank

Absolutely, there is also an unquantifiable value in the overall feel of a smaller ship that you just can’t put on a spreadsheet and compare, as many people try to do. 

[susiesan]

Food quality is important but not so much to be paying $2000 more for 2 people for Oceania's food. I am sure I won't starve on Millennium.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Different people have different 'deal breakers.'

[lj77346]

Although we're looking forward to our Riviera cruise in December, we wanted to get back to sea, so we cruised to Alaska on the Celebrity Millennium on September 10.  It was a very enjoyable cruise.

 

We're pretty sure that this was the first cruise we took where the crew outnumbered the passengers - there were 780 passengers on the cruise with a crew of 820.  So, we had a small ship experience on a mid-size ship.  The food was good, the service was great and it was nice to not have to contend with any crowds.

 

Check in was a breeze - we presented our vaccine cards and negative Covid test results, they were photographed on an iPad and we were welcomed aboard.  From our arrival at the pier to getting to our cabin took less than 20 minutes.  The embarkation procedure was contactless - most was done online and our key card were waiting for us on the cabin door.  The muster drill involved watching a short video and then going to our muster station where we were checked off the list.

 

Although the cruise was not on Oceania, it was great to be back on a cruise ship.

[ak1004]

Value is objective. 

 

To us, Oceania is in a different league than Celebrity. It's not only about food. it's about the overall experience and the service (by definition, 1:2.5 passengers/crew ratio cannot provide the same level of service as 1:1.5 ratio). It's about not waiting in lines. It's about no need to come to shows 30 minutes early to get good seats. It's about coming to a dinner whenever you want and never wait more than 5 minutes. It's about smaller groups on excursions. Etc. etc.

 

How much is it worth to you is a different matter. But when considering the price, make sure to account for all the extras you get on Oceania compared to Celebrity. I still remember paying $4 for a small bottle of water and $6 for a cappuccino on Celebrity. Not to mention $100 for a dinner for two in a specialty restaurant and $300 for the internet. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

56 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Value is objective. 

 

To us, Oceania is in a different league than Celebrity. It's not only about food. it's about the overall experience and the service (by definition, 1:2.5 passengers/crew ratio cannot provide the same level of service as 1:1.5 ratio). It's about not waiting in lines. It's about no need to come to shows 30 minutes early to get good seats. It's about coming to a dinner whenever you want and never wait more than 5 minutes. It's about smaller groups on excursions. Etc. etc.

 

How much is it worth to you is a different matter. But when considering the price, make sure to account for all the extras you get on Oceania compared to Celebrity. I still remember paying $4 for a small bottle of water and $6 for a cappuccino on Celebrity. Not to mention $100 for a dinner for two in a specialty restaurant and $300 for the internet. 

Exactly. 
When comparing the “net daily rate” (all costs required and optionally chosen) instead of only the cabin cost, the truth comes out. 

[Hlitner]

43 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Value is objective. 

 

To us, Oceania is in a different league than Celebrity. It's not only about food. it's about the overall experience and the service (by definition, 1:2.5 passengers/crew ratio cannot provide the same level of service as 1:1.5 ratio). It's about not waiting in lines. It's about no need to come to shows 30 minutes early to get good seats. It's about coming to a dinner whenever you want and never wait more than 5 minutes. It's about smaller groups on excursions. Etc. etc.

 

How much is it worth to you is a different matter. But when considering the price, make sure to account for all the extras you get on Oceania compared to Celebrity. I still remember paying $4 for a small bottle of water and $6 for a cappuccino on Celebrity. Not to mention $100 for a dinner for two in a specialty restaurant and $300 for the internet. 

Ok, so forgive this "O" newbie but some thoughts from a guy that is not a big fan of Celebrity (we are Elite Plus with that line).   Celebrity has changed in the last 3 years and is now essentially an all-inclusive mass market line.  Unlike "O" Celebrity now includes drink packages and Internet with nearly all bookings.  With "O" I must deal with "O Life" decisions, upgrade a drink package once aboard if we want mixed drinks included, book alternative restaurants well in advance of our cruise at a specific date/time or likely lose out on the best times, etc.   And paying $100 for dinner for two in a Celebrity alternative restaurant seems to be a bargain when compared to the price of some of the special dinners on "O" that can run hundreds of dollars per person!  I am not saying this to criticize "O" but just saying there are pros and cons to every cruise line.   One can choose to enjoy a particular cruise line (lately we have become very fond of Seabourn) without degrading the competition.  

 

One big criticism I have of "O" is their air program....especially when it comes to Business Class.  In fact, with the exception of MSC, I am not aware of any other cruise line that has such an awful air program.  If I book with Seabourn, Princess, HAL, etc.  I can simply go online and access their air booking engine, price out all kinds of options (in any class) and book with Flex Air (no payment necessary and no extra charges).   And on those lines we can usually get some amazing Business Class fares (sometimes about 1/2 the normal Bus Class price) or excellent Premium Economy fares.   So, even before we get to board the Marina we see a lot of room for improvement with "O" Air.

 

Hank

 

We are looking forward to our first "O" cruise and will then be able to evaluate if we think "O" is a good value when compared to their competition.  

 

 

[LGW59]

5 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Ok, so forgive this "O" newbie but some thoughts from a guy that is not a big fan of Celebrity (we are Elite Plus with that line).   Celebrity has changed in the last 3 years and is now essentially an all-inclusive mass market line.  Unlike "O" Celebrity now includes drink packages and Internet with nearly all bookings.  With "O" I must deal with "O Life" decisions, upgrade a drink package once aboard if we want mixed drinks included, book alternative restaurants well in advance of our cruise at a specific date/time or likely lose out on the best times, etc.   And paying $100 for dinner for two in a Celebrity alternative restaurant seems to be a bargain when compared to the price of some of the special dinners on "O" that can run hundreds of dollars per person!  I am not saying this to criticize "O" but just saying there are pros and cons to every cruise line.   One can choose to enjoy a particular cruise line (lately we have become very fond of Seabourn) without degrading the competition.  

 

One big criticism I have of "O" is their air program....especially when it comes to Business Class.  In fact, with the exception of MSC, I am not aware of any other cruise line that has such an awful air program.  If I book with Seabourn, Princess, HAL, etc.  I can simply go online and access their air booking engine, price out all kinds of options (in any class) and book with Flex Air (no payment necessary and no extra charges).   And on those lines we can usually get some amazing Business Class fares (sometimes about 1/2 the normal Bus Class price) or excellent Premium Economy fares.   So, even before we get to board the Marina we see a lot of room for improvement with "O" Air.

 

Hank

 

We are looking forward to our first "O" cruise and will then be able to evaluate if we think "O" is a good value when compared to their competition.  

 

 

Same boat as you, booked an O TA so I can decide for myself.

[ak1004]

16 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Ok, so forgive this "O" newbie but some thoughts from a guy that is not a big fan of Celebrity (we are Elite Plus with that line).   Celebrity has changed in the last 3 years and is now essentially an all-inclusive mass market line.  Unlike "O" Celebrity now includes drink packages and Internet with nearly all bookings.  With "O" I must deal with "O Life" decisions, upgrade a drink package once aboard if we want mixed drinks included, book alternative restaurants well in advance of our cruise at a specific date/time or likely lose out on the best times, etc.   And paying $100 for dinner for two in a Celebrity alternative restaurant seems to be a bargain when compared to the price of some of the special dinners on "O" that can run hundreds of dollars per person!  I am not saying this to criticize "O" but just saying there are pros and cons to every cruise line.   One can choose to enjoy a particular cruise line (lately we have become very fond of Seabourn) without degrading the competition.  

 

One big criticism I have of "O" is their air program....especially when it comes to Business Class.  In fact, with the exception of MSC, I am not aware of any other cruise line that has such an awful air program.  If I book with Seabourn, Princess, HAL, etc.  I can simply go online and access their air booking engine, price out all kinds of options (in any class) and book with Flex Air (no payment necessary and no extra charges).   And on those lines we can usually get some amazing Business Class fares (sometimes about 1/2 the normal Bus Class price) or excellent Premium Economy fares.   So, even before we get to board the Marina we see a lot of room for improvement with "O" Air.

 

Hank

 

We are looking forward to our first "O" cruise and will then be able to evaluate if we think "O" is a good value when compared to their competition.  

 

 

 

I agree.. each line has its pros and cons. We enjoyed all our cruises, including Celebrity and Princess. But you need to come with correct expectations. Don't expect a Honda to be a Mercedes.

 

Celebrity is now all inclusive, but their prices are also much higher, especially on a newer ships. 12 nights European cruise on Apex or Edge starts around $4k USD for veranda and $6-7k USD for the retreat? Really?

 

Completely agree regarding O air program.

Edited September 20, 2021 by ak1004

[Hlitner]

Just now, LGW59 said:

Same boat as you, booked an O TA so I can decide for myself.

So we are going to hang this thing onto Flatbush Flyer who has been part of the reason why we finally decided to book a cruise on "O."  In the past I have not been convinced that "O" was a good value and just could not see paying $300 per person day for a cabin on an old "R" ship which has very ordinary cabins.  But the Marina did get our interest and a good opportunity came along (now we just have to hope that our cruise is not canceled by "O").   But we remain "equal opportunity cruisers" and just today booked another MSC Cruise (Yacht Club) which we have really enjoyed in the past.  The big negative for MSC is their cuisine but the Yacht Club makes up for this shortfall with many other advantages.  I only mention this to again emphasize that we have found that each cruise line has their pros/cons and DW and I love the variety.  So in one year, COVID permitting, we have bookings  on "O,"  Seabourn, HAL, and MSC.  And perhaps we can toss in a few more voyages :).   But now the pressure is on "O" to prove Flatbush Flyer right.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

3 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

I agree.. each line has its pros and cons. We enjoyed all our cruises, including Celebrity and Princess. But you need to come with correct expectations. Don't expect a Honda to be a Mercedes.

 

Celebrity is now all inclusive, but their prices are also much higher, especially on a newer ships. 12 nights European cruise on Apex or Edge starts around $4k USD for veranda and $6-7k USD for the retreat? Really?

 

Completely agree regarding O air program.

You are right about X pricing.  Just this morning we priced out a small Sky Suite on one of the newer Edge Class ships and the cost was in the $450 per person/day range.  This is actually more money then an upcoming (next month) Seabourn cruise and Celebrity on its best day is no Seabourn.  That is why we (and quite a few others) have recently posted a lot about seeking "value" with our cruising and travel as opposed to just saving money.  The entire cruise industry seems to be out of whack (for lack of a better term) with pricing.  I think much of this has to do with the tremendous amount of Future Cruise Credits that were issued because of COVID cancellations.  The cruise lines have effectively devalued the FCCs with big price increases.  A smart strategy if they can fill their empty berths.

 

Hank

[Flatbush Flyer]

14 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Ok, so forgive this "O" newbie but some thoughts from a guy that is not a big fan of Celebrity (we are Elite Plus with that line).   Celebrity has changed in the last 3 years and is now essentially an all-inclusive mass market line.  Unlike "O" Celebrity now includes drink packages and Internet with nearly all bookings.  With "O" I must deal with "O Life" decisions, upgrade a drink package once aboard if we want mixed drinks included, book alternative restaurants well in advance of our cruise at a specific date/time or likely lose out on the best times, etc.   And paying $100 for dinner for two in a Celebrity alternative restaurant seems to be a bargain when compared to the price of some of the special dinners on "O" that can run hundreds of dollars per person!  I am not saying this to criticize "O" but just saying there are pros and cons to every cruise line.   One can choose to enjoy a particular cruise line (lately we have become very fond of Seabourn) without degrading the competition.  

 

One big criticism I have of "O" is their air program....especially when it comes to Business Class.  In fact, with the exception of MSC, I am not aware of any other cruise line that has such an awful air program.  If I book with Seabourn, Princess, HAL, etc.  I can simply go online and access their air booking engine, price out all kinds of options (in any class) and book with Flex Air (no payment necessary and no extra charges).   And on those lines we can usually get some amazing Business Class fares (sometimes about 1/2 the normal Bus Class price) or excellent Premium Economy fares.   So, even before we get to board the Marina we see a lot of room for improvement with "O" Air.

 

Hank

 

We are looking forward to our first "O" cruise and will then be able to evaluate if we think "O" is a good value when compared to their competition.  

 

 

Even O’s air department will tell you not to buy bizclass from them. You must buy the initial “w/air” cruise fare to get a bizclass quote and you get no credit for it if you buy the bizclass. In essence, you buy two tix per person.

On the plus side - O works for folks who want convenience and economy fares (plus occasional “premium economy” discounts). BTW: Air deviation fees are eliminated for certain O Club levels (gold? And higher).

Nonetheless, many O regulars just take the air credit available in the cruise fare.

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

 

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

So we are going to hang this thing onto Flatbush Flyer who has been part of the reason why we finally decided to book a cruise on "O."  In the past I have not been convinced that "O" was a good value and just could not see paying $300 per person day for a cabin on an old "R" ship which has very ordinary cabins. 

 

Hank

N.B.: we are yacht sailors. So cabin size is pretty much irrelevant to us. All we need is excellent bed/linens, balcony, etc. and responsive engineering should something break. 
As for the menu of optional inclusions and available extras, O Life gives folks a choice upfront, which minimizes YOUR nickel/diming once onboard. And the pre-Cruise dining reservations can be added to daily (space available) with never an extra charge. 
As I have often posted, FDR aimed O at a very specific travel demographic. And the formula works well for those folks.

 

Edited September 20, 2021 by Flatbush Flyer

[ak1004]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

You are right about X pricing.  Just this morning we priced out a small Sky Suite on one of the newer Edge Class ships and the cost was in the $450 per person/day range.  This is actually more money then an upcoming (next month) Seabourn cruise and Celebrity on its best day is no Seabourn.  That is why we (and quite a few others) have recently posted a lot about seeking "value" with our cruising and travel as opposed to just saving money.  The entire cruise industry seems to be out of whack (for lack of a better term) with pricing.  I think much of this has to do with the tremendous amount of Future Cruise Credits that were issued because of COVID cancellations.  The cruise lines have effectively devalued the FCCs with big price increases.  A smart strategy if they can fill their empty berths.

 

Hank

Hank, wanted to ask you couple question without hijacking the topic - could you please email me at ak100467@gmail.com?

 

Thanks!

Kim 

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

 

N.B.: we are yacht sailors. So cabin size is pretty much irrelevant to us. All we need is excellent bed/linens, balcony, etc. and responsive engineering should something break. 
As for the menu of optional inclusions and available extras, O Life gives folks a choice upfront, which minimizes YOUR nickel/diming once onboard. And the pre-Cruise dining reservations can be added to daily (space available) with never an extra charge. 
As I have often posted, FDR aimed O at a very specific travel demographic. And the formula works well for those folks.

 

We shall see :).  I can live with smaller cabins (when we were young and poor we booked the smallest inside cabins and have also cruised in a small yacht) and we do not hold that against any cruise line since it is our choice to book those cabins.  But the pricing of "Os" R ships does cause me to question the value of the product.  The newer ships like the Marina seem to be more in line with what one would expect (cabin size wise) for the pricing.  

 

I have a lot of respect for FDR who we know was an important cog in the old Renaissance organization (broke my heart when that company failed).  If we ever get on that darn cruise (December) we will find out of you are a hero or goat 🙂

 

Hank

[TFree]

We have done all our ocean cruises on Celebrity, and we are looking forward to our sailing on Marina to check it out!

 

I agree with many of the recent comments.  Celebrity's "always included" program does change the nature of that line (although recently we have been sailing in Sky Suites and thus got all the perks anyway).  But if you are pricing out a new Celebrity cruise now, and haven't looked at their prices in awhile, you might be in for quite a surprise.  We are still winding down other Celebrity cruises where we have, for the most part, been able to "Lift and Shift" cancelled cruises, preserving the initial pricing.

 

It really becomes tricky when you try to analyze it in pure dollars and cents.  We learned in booking our first O cruise that, as Flatbush Flyer says, their air department is not a good option if you want to go business class.  So we booked our own.  With X, on the other hand, we have sometimes gotten outstanding business class fares, way below what we could have booked ourselves.  All of our X cruises have had gratuities included, so that the only thing we needed to figure out was whether we wanted to tip anyone beyond the included gratuities, and if so, how much.  Whereas I understand that with O, the basic gratuities will be added to our account and paid at the end of the cruise.  Not a huge item, but still an additional cost beyond what we have experienced with Celebrity.  We have always had some kind of beverage package with Celebrity, so we really never had to pay for drinks when on X (and the beverage package included bottles of water, etc., for excursions).  On O, the water bottles and various other things are free, but all alcoholic drinks are extra.  We are not big drinkers, so it would never make sense for us to use O Life for a beverage package, but still, that wine or beer with dinner is always going to be extra.

For newbies like us, I think you just have to give it a try and see how you like it, which is what we intend to do.  I assume that we will love the smaller ships, especially with reduced capacity in October.

 

Tom & Judy

[Redtravel]

16 hours ago, TFree said:

We have done all our ocean cruises on Celebrity, and we are looking forward to our sailing on Marina to check it out!

 

I agree with many of the recent comments.  Celebrity's "always included" program does change the nature of that line (although recently we have been sailing in Sky Suites and thus got all the perks anyway).  But if you are pricing out a new Celebrity cruise now, and haven't looked at their prices in awhile, you might be in for quite a surprise.  We are still winding down other Celebrity cruises where we have, for the most part, been able to "Lift and Shift" cancelled cruises, preserving the initial pricing.

 

It really becomes tricky when you try to analyze it in pure dollars and cents.  We learned in booking our first O cruise that, as Flatbush Flyer says, their air department is not a good option if you want to go business class.  So we booked our own.  With X, on the other hand, we have sometimes gotten outstanding business class fares, way below what we could have booked ourselves.  All of our X cruises have had gratuities included, so that the only thing we needed to figure out was whether we wanted to tip anyone beyond the included gratuities, and if so, how much.  Whereas I understand that with O, the basic gratuities will be added to our account and paid at the end of the cruise.  Not a huge item, but still an additional cost beyond what we have experienced with Celebrity.  We have always had some kind of beverage package with Celebrity, so we really never had to pay for drinks when on X (and the beverage package included bottles of water, etc., for excursions).  On O, the water bottles and various other things are free, but all alcoholic drinks are extra.  We are not big drinkers, so it would never make sense for us to use O Life for a beverage package, but still, that wine or beer with dinner is always going to be extra.

For newbies like us, I think you just have to give it a try and see how you like it, which is what we intend to do.  I assume that we will love the smaller ships, especially with reduced capacity in October.

 

Tom & Judy

Have a great time. Oceania is an amazing difference compared with Celebrity.  It costs more and is worth it.  After many cruises, we opted to try something different. Celebrity changed. We needed a change from Celebrity. We moved on. Tried Oceania, Windstar, and Viking.  All are better fit for us.  

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Itinerary is extremely important to me, and unlike many people, my ideal cruise has a new port every day, especially if there are numerous ports I haven't been to.  I really like that there's so much choice on Oceania to begin with, that they add new ports every year, go to the smaller, lesser-known ports, and mix up and re-do their list of cruises every year.  

[cruisingxpert]

On 9/20/2021 at 12:09 PM, Hlitner said:

And paying $100 for dinner for two in a Celebrity alternative restaurant seems to be a bargain when compared to the price of some of the special dinners on "O" that can run hundreds of dollars per person!  I

I just was on the Edge and went to the $199 Daniel Boulud Chef's Table.  The food was okay except for the bones in the sea bass.  The wine pairings were not special and worse, they were optional so half took the wine pairing and half didn't. 

Two of the La Reserve dinners are $112.00 pp with grats included. I believe they are better value than the one on the Edge.

Enjoyed the Edge but Oceania is still my favourite line.

[Flatbush Flyer]

24 minutes ago, cruisingxpert said:

I just was on the Edge and went to the $199 Daniel Boulud Chef's Table.  The food was okay except for the bones in the sea bass.  The wine pairings were not special and worse, they were optional so half took the wine pairing and half didn't. 

Two of the La Reserve dinners are $112.00 pp with grats included. I believe they are better value than the one on the Edge.

Enjoyed the Edge but Oceania is still my favourite line.

Yes- only the Dom Perignon LaReserve dinner challenges the wallet. The $112 (tip included) charge for the other two menu choices is “chump change” in the world of fine dining with wine included.

[Hlitner]

25 minutes ago, cruisingxpert said:

I just was on the Edge and went to the $199 Daniel Boulud Chef's Table.  The food was okay except for the bones in the sea bass.  The wine pairings were not special and worse, they were optional so half took the wine pairing and half didn't. 

Two of the La Reserve dinners are $112.00 pp with grats included. I believe they are better value than the one on the Edge.

Enjoyed the Edge but Oceania is still my favourite line.

Appreciate your post :).  We have yet to cruise on any the Edge Class ships (we think that X has been overpricing many of the voyages) but do have our eye on the La Reserve Dinners.  DW has questioned the idea of us doing any of the La Reserve Dinners because it is our first O cruise, is only 18 days long, and she thinks we will have more then enough on our plate (good pun) experiencing the MDR and the various alternative restaurants.   But we are open to everyone's suggestions.

 

Hank

[cruisingxpert]

20 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

DW has questioned the idea of us doing any of the La Reserve Dinners because it is our first O cruise, is only 18 days long, and she thinks we will have more then enough on our plate (good pun) experiencing the MDR and the various alternative restaurants.   But we are open to everyone's suggestions.

I have done all of them, even some that are no longer on the list.  My favourite is the Odyssey menu.  Just my opinion but I think the Bourgeoisie is too much food and much as I love Champagne, I only liked the Dom Rose on that menu- the food was very close to the old Connoisseur menu which I loved.

It is a wonderful way to meet people and usually a lot of fun.

[Flatbush Flyer]

25 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Appreciate your post :).  We have yet to cruise on any the Edge Class ships (we think that X has been overpricing many of the voyages) but do have our eye on the La Reserve Dinners.  DW has questioned the idea of us doing any of the La Reserve Dinners because it is our first O cruise, is only 18 days long, and she thinks we will have more then enough on our plate (good pun) experiencing the MDR and the various alternative restaurants.   But we are open to everyone's suggestions.

 

Hank

If you do LaReserve, I suggest the Bourgeois menu which takes care of most folks’ desires at a reasonable price. In all honesty, I just can’t see the Dom Perignon being worth it (especially since there are so many far better NorCal sparkling alternatives at much better pricing).