Refuge From Celebrity/Princess Seeking Asylum

[jonthomas]

yes we found the same thing....and as you said, the C loyalty program amounted to nothing, all the perks they offer as part of loyalty are included in O...

 

escape from  kids, and so much I can say about escaping the C type of clientele but wont...

 

yes we wasted a lot of years hoping C would go back to what it was when we first began sailing on C ships but it only got worse....

 

now we are trying to build our O loyalty and have now done 5 cruises....prices keep going up of course, and with the Canadian dollar being in the trash it has become very expensive for us to get to that magic 10 or 15 when you really begin to see the value of the O loyalty program. I think it is the best in the industry. 

 

johthomas100z at gmail dot com

[Maverick Cruiser]

I was on Riviera for three weeks over the holidays and I have to say that they have changed a bit. I find that the Buffet was very stale and a lot of it was the same every day. Are used to love to make salads and they have different choices every day, but every day now the choices are the same for the salad. They always have the seafood salad but they never have any kind of pasta salads or anything like that like they used to do. They also are not very good where you can get the burgers and hotdogs and the grilled chicken in the Buffet. I ordered a hamburger no cheese  And well done and when the man handed it to me, it had cheese and it was so raw that my whole plate was filled with blood. That same cook on different occasions burnt my omelette for breakfast in the morning. It’s just not as high-quality as it used to be . The specialty restaurants they were good, but I have to say that the quality was not good across-the-board. Polo has gone downhill, a lot of their meats were very tough and they oversalted things. You just have to expect that things might not always be great. It doesn’t mean that we won’t cruise them , but we’re a little more aware that they have cut back. Also, I heard a lot of people comment that they thought that the staff in the Buffet was a little pushy and a little rude. We might’ve found it with one or two but a lot of people were commenting on that . 

[Astro Flyer]

5 hours ago, The Doctor's Lady said:

Like several on this thread, we're looking for that sweet spot Celebrity used to occupy. So it's with a heavy heart We have to agree with others that Celebrity is no longer a line that fits our needs. Maybe Oceania is. Hope springs eternal.

After primarily sailing Princess since 1988 we sailed our first Celebrity cruise on Solstice last month. In my opinion they’re more alike than different & neither line is like decades ago. With the lower prices necessary to fill so many more cabins it’s resulted in a diminished cruise experience & benefits.
 

Like you, I’m hopeful that Oceania will be better & more like the amazing food & service we had with Sitmar in 1988. Based on posts I’ve read all cruise lines including luxury lines are struggling with supplies & having experienced crewmembers to provide a consistent exceptional cruise experience.

[The Doctor's Lady]

5 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

After primarily sailing Princess since 1988 we sailed our first Celebrity cruise on Solstice last month. In my opinion they’re more alike than different & neither line is like decades ago. With the lower prices necessary to fill so many more cabins it’s resulted in a diminished cruise experience & benefits.
 

Like you, I’m hopeful that Oceania will be better & more like the amazing food & service we had with Sitmar in 1988. Based on posts I’ve read all cruise lines including luxury lines are struggling with supplies & having experienced crewmembers to provide a consistent exceptional cruise experience.

Maybe we should just stand down and wait this out until everyone has a better handle on staffing and quality. But hubs is pushing 70; we have a bucket list and don't have an unlimited timetable.

[Astro Flyer]

1 hour ago, The Doctor's Lady said:

Maybe we should just stand down and wait this out until everyone has a better handle on staffing and quality. But hubs is pushing 70; we have a bucket list and don't have an unlimited timetable.

We also considered standing down but we’re glad that we have sailed on 4 weeklong cruises since the restart.
 

Even with the hiccups there have been many more good experiences for us than disappointing ones. However there’s no way to predict when supply & staffing will return to pre pandemic levels. We’re expecting our Regatta cruise in September to be better than on Princess or X but also have a Discovery Princess cruise booked in April 2024 for the total solar eclipse in Mazatlan. And based on good friends’ O experiences they’ve had since the restart we’re considering booking a 2nd O cruise. 😊

Although that’s merely our thoughts & good luck on deciding what works best for you.

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by Astro Flyer

[mnocket]

18 hours ago, The Doctor's Lady said:

hubs is pushing 70; we have a bucket list and don't have an unlimited timetable.

I represent that remark😀  Whenever I cruise I see  many elderly people with serious mobility issues and I swear to myself, and spouse, that I'm going to do my best to avoid that fate.  As a result we are committed to doing our travels now, while we are physically fit.  Given the decline in the Premium cruise lines I've also decided to open my wallet and sail on true Luxury lines (e.g. Regent, Seabourn, etc.) - an expense that heretofore I was unwilling to consider.  I'm up in the air as to whether O provides an acceptable value preposition - that's why I'm following this forum.  

[JeffElizabeth]

On 1/8/2023 at 2:51 PM, LHT28 said:

Changes are happening  on Oceania  as well

What Oceania  will look like in a few months may be different that the O we all know & loved  in the past

 

I for one will not pay premium prices  for shorter port times , inferior food  etc

 

 

YMMV

We had a delightful cruise on Marina in March and April and it was awesome! Great food, boat was half full, long voyage from Miami to Trieste/Venice. Then we took a Princess cruise in September and a Holland cruise in October.  Night and day! Closed restaurants,  small portion sizes, boring food, and excursions were very limited. Hope Oceania doesn't go this way. 

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, JeffElizabeth said:

We had a delightful cruise on Marina in March and April and it was awesome! Great food, boat was half full, long voyage from Miami to Trieste/Venice. Then we took a Princess cruise in September and a Holland cruise in October.  Night and day! Closed restaurants,  small portion sizes, boring food, and excursions were very limited. Hope Oceania doesn't go this way. 

I think  the changes are happening more in the past month or so & more on the way  as I said  will see what Oceania looks like  in the fall

 

I do not think you compare limited capacity controlled cruises  that were in the past  year  with  full ships  now

JMO

[shepherd really]

9 minutes ago, JeffElizabeth said:

We had a delightful cruise on Marina in March and April and it was awesome! Great food, boat was half full, long voyage from Miami to Trieste/Venice. Then we took a Princess cruise in September and a Holland cruise in October.  Night and day! Closed restaurants,  small portion sizes, boring food, and excursions were very limited. Hope Oceania doesn't go this way. 

The boat was half full, so your experience is nothing like the current situation where ships are sailing at or near full capacity while corners are being cut by the debt laden cruise lines.

[MEFIowa]

12 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I think the changes are happening more in the past month or so & more on the way. as I said will see what Oceania looks like in the fall. I do not think you compare limited capacity controlled cruises that were in the past year with full ships now.

Yes, Riviera with just 719 passengers and 780 crew was quite the cruise in 12/2021! Though Sirena with about 630 in 11/2022 came close. Will be interesting to see what Riviera is like Oct-Nov 2023. Can't wait.

[DENIE]

Mnocket  - we too were "refugees" from Celebrity, although our reasons were more based on wanting to try something more upscale after having 2 Celebrity cruises cancelled due to Covid. Absolutely loved our Riviera Mediterranean cruise in June 2022, and booked Vista for 1/2024.  

 

To compare, we sailed on HAL Koningsdam (San Diego to MX  Riviera) in December 2022.  After our experience on Oceania, we sure felt the difference.  Upcharges for dining, dodging photographers, larger and more crowded ship, etc.  Yes, we did enjoy the cruise (largely because we were with friends), but we did miss the Oceania experience.

[JeffElizabeth]

23 hours ago, shepherd really said:

The boat was half full, so your experience is nothing like the current situation where ships are sailing at or near full capacity while corners are being cut by the debt laden cruise lines.

Funny thing, on Princess,  the boat was half empty, but they closed three restaurants for the entire two week cruise. And the food was cheap, lots of pasta choices.

[ak1004]

On 1/23/2023 at 4:52 PM, shepherd really said:

The boat was half full, so your experience is nothing like the current situation where ships are sailing at or near full capacity while corners are being cut by the debt laden cruise lines.

We sailed on the Regatta at almost full capacity in September 2022, and didn't notice any corners being cut. Food and service were as good as before Covid.

 

On 1/22/2023 at 9:05 PM, The Doctor's Lady said:

Maybe we should just stand down and wait this out until everyone has a better handle on staffing and quality. But hubs is pushing 70; we have a bucket list and don't have an unlimited timetable.

Don't believe everything you read. Oceania on its worst day is still better than Celebrity on its best day.

[ak1004]

On 1/23/2023 at 3:45 PM, mnocket said:

I represent that remark😀  Whenever I cruise I see  many elderly people with serious mobility issues and I swear to myself, and spouse, that I'm going to do my best to avoid that fate.  As a result we are committed to doing our travels now, while we are physically fit.  Given the decline in the Premium cruise lines I've also decided to open my wallet and sail on true Luxury lines (e.g. Regent, Seabourn, etc.) - an expense that heretofore I was unwilling to consider.  I'm up in the air as to whether O provides an acceptable value preposition - that's why I'm following this forum.  

After sailing on Crystal and SS, I don't know what makes them more luxury than Oceania. The fact that they are all inclusive? Maybe, but some people actually prefer to pay la carte. Yes, the cabins are larger on SS, and there is a butler in every cabin. But food is better on O in our opinion. Service comparable. I believe the perception is based mostly on those lines being all inclusive.

[LHT28]

We sailed on Crystal  & even though drinks are included  we drank less that on Oceania  & that is saying something

On O we have 1 or 2 drinks  a day

If you drink mixed drinks  (spirits & mix) or pina colada or Grasshoppers you would be fine  but ask for something else   they do not know how to make classic cocktails

One should not have to go print off  a recipe  for other cocktails  to see if they can make the drink

Another lady asked for  a cocktail  same thing  go look on the internet & we will see if we can make it

😄🥤