If not Oceania, which cruiseline?

[sofietucker]

Apologies for the hijack to transport issues, and you all probably are familiar, but I just found this, #576 under "Oceania's free Shuttles" at top of the O board. A massive somewhat current list of ports and their situations.

[LHT28]

6 minutes ago, sofietucker said:

Apologies for the hijack to transport issues, and you all probably are familiar, but I just found this, #576 under "Oceania's free Shuttles" at top of the O board. A massive somewhat current list of ports and their situations.

Post #616 is the most  current  list

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1401115-oceanias-free-shuttles-list/page/25/#comments

 

[mexicobob]

11 hours ago, SSFrance69 said:

I am actually looking to escape to Oceana from Celebrity. We have been loyal to Celebrity for a long time but were curious to try Oceana for their food reputation. Now it seems Celebrity is implementing some major cut backs, mainly on food which is a deal breaker for me. Other than Oceana, I'd be curious to try Viking. As far as Oceana cut backs to port times, that is not a big deal for me, but I realize it is for others. If they want to save money, they ought to look at cutting back on marketing. I get more brochures than I know what to do with. Our cruise documents for March are beautiful, but I can tell that the printing and materials must have been costly. I mean that's fine and it's a nice touch but I'd rather have them cut spending on printed materials than port times or food.

If you call or contact Oceana and request the brochures be stopped, they will do so. I have not received a single brochure since I contacted them. 

[PhD-iva]

19 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@PhD-iva Please clarify how Oceania is struggling?  I know they changed some times at port but was wondering where else there is a issue.  Thank you for your post. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

The value that the stock market places on this company (NCLH) has plummeted. That will give you a monetary amount to back up my statement that O is struggling. 

[loriva]

Thanks @PhD-ivafor starting this thread and all the interesting contributions.  We are auditioning cruise lines to replace our long-time loyalty to Princess as, like others posting here, we prefer to sail on smaller ships.  We have our first cruise with Oceania next month, another first with Viking Ocean in May, and our third with Regent in October.  I've started a spreadsheet to compare costs and experiences.  We sail primarily for the itinerary, so may never have loyalty to a single line.  Thanks to all for thoughts and tips on Oceania.

 

[oskidunker]

1 hour ago, loriva said:

Thanks @PhD-ivafor starting this thread and all the interesting contributions.  We are auditioning cruise lines to replace our long-time loyalty to Princess as, like others posting here, we prefer to sail on smaller ships.  We have our first cruise with Oceania next month, another first with Viking Ocean in May, and our third with Regent in October.  I've started a spreadsheet to compare costs and experiences.  We sail primarily for the itinerary, so may never have loyalty to a single line.  Thanks to all for thoughts and tips on Oceania.

 

Let us know how you like Regent. We are also looking for a replacement for Princess. We did one Oceania cruise. You will like it. Princess used to be like this 10 years ago.

[loriva]

1 hour ago, oskidunker said:

Let us know how you like Regent. We are also looking for a replacement for Princess. We did one Oceania cruise. You will like it. Princess used to be like this 10 years ago.

 

We have enjoyed our two cruises with Regent--one Caribbean on Explorer and a British Isles on Splendor.  But they are very expensive.  Which is why I'm doing a spreadsheet to compare actual costs of Oceania (no drinks package, gratuities, or shorex included--depending on OLife selection or cruise only), Viking (wine and beer included at lunch and dinner, no gratuities, shorex but usually panoramic), and Regent (all inclusive, including air and hotel if desired).

[GeezerCouple]

I suspect that for a reasonably fair comparison, one should be cautious comparing the on-ship experiences now with "before COVID".

The costs are an easier comparison.

 

But supply chain problems and staffing problems will be showing their effects in many places, sometimes more obviously than others.

 

Things are not yet back to normal.

 

GC

 

[ak1004]

2 minutes ago, loriva said:

 

We have enjoyed our two cruises with Regent--one Caribbean on Explorer and a British Isles on Splendor.  But they are very expensive.  Which is why I'm doing a spreadsheet to compare actual costs of Oceania (no drinks package, gratuities, or shorex included--depending on OLife selection or cruise only), Viking (wine and beer included at lunch and dinner, no gratuities, shorex but usually panoramic), and Regent (all inclusive, including air and hotel if desired).

I would be very interested to see your findings. We would love to try Regent, but it is more expensive even when compared to SS and SB each time I check, and I'm not sure if I can justify their pricing. This is for 9-12 nights sailings, the math might be different for longer sailings.

[susiesan]

4 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

The value that the stock market places on this company (NCLH) has plummeted. That will give you a monetary amount to back up my statement that O is struggling. 

15.22 USD-5.42 (-26.27%)past year

Jan 25, 12:21 PM EST • Disclaimer

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, loriva said:

 

We have enjoyed our two cruises with Regent--one Caribbean on Explorer and a British Isles on Splendor.  But they are very expensive.  Which is why I'm doing a spreadsheet to compare actual costs of Oceania (no drinks package, gratuities, or shorex included--depending on OLife selection or cruise only), Viking (wine and beer included at lunch and dinner, no gratuities, shorex but usually panoramic), and Regent (all inclusive, including air and hotel if desired).

@loriva  I also did a Excel.  I am going to attach it here.  I looked at lots of brands including Mainstream.  In Mainstream I did the better suites and the VIP sections.  My Excel has two pages.  The First is the financial page.  On that page Regent is last and it is the category below the Penthouse.  Note that does include the pre-hotel stay but does not include the butler.  The second page is the amenities. I hope my work helps anyone that wants the same information.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Regent_Excel_01252023.xlsx

[sofietucker]

Sthrngary--Brilliant spreadsheet!  very useful. Thanks!!!

[cruiseluvva]

We are Cunard Queen’s Grill loyalists. Having taken only one Oceania voyage, we are booked for Christmas on Vista.

[jonthomas]

we are trying to build up loyalty to O to benefit from their loyalty program...there is no other line that has a better loyalty program...

 

we have now done 5 cruises..after many years on Celeb with nothing to show for it...

 

we do not drink any alcohol, so lines that include it, do not interest us....

 

we will be doing our last Viking this march, to use up covid credits....it is our third viking...for us it does not compare to how we feel on O....O suits us to a T.....we love the activities and how they are run, with big O points....the food is wonderful, even though I have criticized the too many sea food dishes....I am very picky...

 

this last cruise on Riviera, always something for me to eat..wonderful staff and service....cant say enough about what a great time we had...very friendly clientele....

 

 

[Sthrngary]

11 minutes ago, sofietucker said:

Sthrngary--Brilliant spreadsheet!  very useful. Thanks!!!

@sofietucker Thank you so much.  Side story.  I traveled for 40 plus years.  Not occasionally, every week with three weeks off per year. I went to Europe every other year for business where my airfare, hotel and food were all paid for by my clients.  On the short weekends, they would take me to interesting places like Amsterdam, Brussels, Germany and Paris.  I made a agreement with myself that I would go back to Europe to do an "All Inclusive" 10-day, Mediterranean Cruise. When I finally retired, it was time to look at those cruises. 

 

My first choice was Regent and Ritz-Carlton.  As you can see from my excel, I drill down deep.  I delete Ritz-Carton because at the time (Three Years Ago), they did not have their act together.  I knew one day they would be a force in the Ultra-Luxury Category.  My research on Regent was much more positive.  It became my first choice with the exception of the Facebook group for Regent which was extremely disrespectful to potential new guests with serious inquiries.  

 

Then my best friends wanted to do the same itinerary with us.  We knew we wanted to go with them because these kinds of cruises seem to be much better with friends and family.  However they could not budget the much higher amount for Regent.  That led to the expansion of the excel.  Oceania checked all the boxes by giving options for things like drink packages, air fare and excursions.  

 

When you do the math, knowing you get what you pay for.  Oceania got the nod.  The spreadsheet clearly showed that especially since our friends could not even consider the higher cost options.  

 

That is the history of this spread sheet.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[redraider1966]

4 hours ago, susiesan said:

15.22 USD-5.42 (-26.27%)past year

Jan 25, 12:21 PM EST • Disclaimer

As NCLH shareholders, having bought 100 shares in March 2020 to take advantage of the OBC benefit at 10.50/share, we're still ahead as of today's closing price.  With three more cruises on the books, we'll have paid ourselves back . . . .

[oskidunker]

1 hour ago, cruiseluvva said:

We are Cunard Queen’s Grill loyalists. Having taken only one Oceania voyage, we are booked for Christmas on Vista.

Lots of bad reviews about Cunard. Had two booked during covid. Both cancelled. Gave up. Now  I hear the dresscode is not enforced.verydissapointing news. 

[ak1004]

We sailed on Cunard twice. Mediocre food and service, but excellent entertainment and enrichment program. If I book it again, would probably book a suite which is supposed to be much better.

[PhD-iva]

7 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Let us know how you like Regent. We are also looking for a replacement for Princess. We did one Oceania cruise. You will like it. Princess used to be like this 10 years ago.

I think I should have quoted a different post in my response, but anyway ……

I really enjoyed my Regent cruise last November. I highly recommend Regent, with the one caveat that I was not very impressed with their included wines. I was able to find a white wine and a red wine that I was perfectly content to drink for two weeks. Everything else was fabulous, just great. I think you will really like Regent.
The pricing worked well for me because I cruise solo and fly business class. So comparing O’s 50% single supplement to 25% single supplement on the Regent itinerary I booked, when including the cost of business class airfare, the pricing was competitive for me.
The passengers were fabulous! As a solo traveler. Regent went all out for the solo travelers. We had an evening cocktail hour every day and several scheduled solo breakfasts. There were 15 or more solos at every gathering in the evening, a really interesting group of people. Has made some forever friends!

[NMTraveller]

I am chuckling at the posts of people saying that they may cruise on Celebrity.

 

The Celebrity board currently has a bunch of people saying that they may move to O.  I am one of those.

 

Anyways Celebrity has a bunch of deep cuts and fee increases that I am not fond of.

 

 

[ORV]

13 hours ago, loriva said:

Thanks @PhD-ivafor starting this thread and all the interesting contributions.  We are auditioning cruise lines to replace our long-time loyalty to Princess as, like others posting here, we prefer to sail on smaller ships.  We have our first cruise with Oceania next month, another first with Viking Ocean in May, and our third with Regent in October.  I've started a spreadsheet to compare costs and experiences.  We sail primarily for the itinerary, so may never have loyalty to a single line.  Thanks to all for thoughts and tips on Oceania.

 

 

9 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@loriva  I also did a Excel.  I am going to attach it here.  I looked at lots of brands including Mainstream.  In Mainstream I did the better suites and the VIP sections.  My Excel has two pages.  The First is the financial page.  On that page Regent is last and it is the category below the Penthouse.  Note that does include the pre-hotel stay but does not include the butler.  The second page is the amenities. I hope my work helps anyone that wants the same information.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Regent_Excel_01252023.xlsx 34.57 kB · 29 downloads

As I'm sure you both know, there are simply some intangible factors that can't be quantified on a spreadsheet. Fortunately all of the higher end cruise lines will have those, maybe not the same, that will probably vary by a cruisers needs and wants and how they react to what each line offers. 

 

One example, do you have a category for comfort of the bed? There is no comparison with a Celebrity or Princess bed to an Oceania bed. There are many little things like this that only reveal themselves once you start actually going on the lines. 

[sofietucker]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

I am chuckling at the posts of people saying that they may cruise on Celebrity.

 

The Celebrity board currently has a bunch of people saying that they may move to O.  I am one of those.

 

Anyways Celebrity has a bunch of deep cuts and fee increases that I am not fond of.

 

 

Yep. We'd been loyal to X but this last cruise, they had cut SO MUCH, even in suites, in terms of amenities. And the food, OMG. No more "always" items (steak, chicken, salmon).  Hefty surcharges, for steaks and a plain  SHRIMP COCKTAIL, plus a whole bunch of other menu items, in MDR, specialty restaurants and Luminae. And shipboard activities that you have to pay for now.  Very very disappointing.

Edited January 26, 2023 by sofietucker

[ABoatNerd]

10 hours ago, sofietucker said:

Yep. We'd been loyal to X but this last cruise, they had cut SO MUCH, even in suites, in terms of amenities. And the food, OMG. No more "always" items (steak, chicken, salmon).  Hefty surcharges, for steaks and a plain  SHRIMP COCKTAIL, plus a whole bunch of other menu items, in MDR, specialty restaurants and Luminae. And shipboard activities that you have to pay for now.  Very very disappointing.

Thanks for your post. It does appear that idiots are degrading Celebrity indeed. I started sailing Celebrity in 2000 until 2016 when the cutbacks started. Celebrity was in fact the Oceania of that time, it has gone downhill from then. 

[terrydtx]

We are new to Oceania, we recently booked our first cruise on the Marina in January 2025. For the past 12 years we sailed on both Celebrity and HAL primarily in upper end cabins and suites. The last 2 years we sailed with Celebrity in their Retreat class suites for a more premium experience which they delivered. Celebrity has raised their future pricing to the point that many like me are looking at the more premium lines for the future. Celebrity is cutting back on so much and charging more fees for what was included in the past and the drinks packages have gone insane in pricing, $89-$109pp per day plus 20% gratuity. 

 

We booked the Marina for an 18 night cruise of South America after looking at the Celebrity 14 night SA cruise. The 18 nights on the Marina in a Concierge Verandah was $200pp less than the 14 nights on the Equinox in a Sky Suite so we took the plunge to try Oceania. We are also looking at 2 more Oceania itineraries for 2024 and may book soon.  IMO, anyone who has sailed on Oceania and is looking to change to Celebrity is making a huge mistake and will be disappointed, Celebrity is no longer anything like the old Celebrity.

[terrydtx]

1 minute ago, ABoatNerd said:

Thanks for your post. It does appear that idiots are degrading Celebrity indeed. I started sailing Celebrity in 2000 until 2016 when the cutbacks started. Celebrity was in fact the Oceania of that time, it has gone downhill from then. 

The running joke among loyal Celebrity customers is that the bean counters are Carnivalizing Celebrity. Their new marketing slogan should be "Celebrity where Luxury is downgraded."