Solo treatment on Oceania

[elycelynne]

Hello!  From a couple of different sources it was indicated that Oceania isn’t very welcoming to solos in general (one of the examples was not wanting to seat a solo at their own table in a specialty restaurant).  Can anyone who has sailed solo with them give feedback either confirming or refuting this?  I was looking for a step up from Princess and was considering Oceania, but not if they treat solos as “less than”.  

[Jamietravelstheworld]

2 minutes ago, elycelynne said:

Hello!  From a couple of different sources it was indicated that Oceania isn’t very welcoming to solos in general (one of the examples was not wanting to seat a solo at their own table in a specialty restaurant).  Can anyone who has sailed solo with them give feedback either confirming or refuting this?  I was looking for a step up from Princess and was considering Oceania, but not if they treat solos as “less than”.  

I had my own table in Polo and know several solo women who always had their own table. Personally, I prefer sharing so I only had my own table once. I think the challenge is that the tables for 2 (which also are the tables for one) in the speciality restaurants may go quickly in the reservations so if you want a table for one, you need to make those reservations as soon as your reservation availability opens up.

 

I've only been on the Regatta (but boarding the Marina this coming week), and the cruise I was on was 3 legs. On the first day of each leg, there was a solos get-together and a lot of people came to it. On the first leg, the social hostess also did a solos luncheon. On the 2nd she said she was going to do a dinner, but never did. On the 3rd leg, we probably had 25 or 30 solo women. Many of them had traveled solo before on O's Insignia on the world cruise. O seemed welcoming to me of solos, but didn't do a lot to get the solos together, that had to be done on our own initiative.

[elycelynne]

4 minutes ago, Jamietravelstheworld said:

I had my own table in Polo and know several solo women who always had their own table. Personally, I prefer sharing so I only had my own table once. I think the challenge is that the tables for 2 (which also are the tables for one) in the speciality restaurants may go quickly in the reservations so if you want a table for one, you need to make those reservations as soon as your reservation availability opens up.

 

I've only been on the Regatta (but boarding the Marina this coming week), and the cruise I was on was 3 legs. On the first day of each leg, there was a solos get-together and a lot of people came to it. On the first leg, the social hostess also did a solos luncheon. On the 2nd she said she was going to do a dinner, but never did. On the 3rd leg, we probably had 25 or 30 solo women. Many of them had traveled solo before on O's Insignia on the world cruise. O seemed welcoming to me of solos, but didn't do a lot to get the solos together, that had to be done on our own initiative.

Thanks for the feedback.  It’s good to know that they don’t treat solos like lepers, which was the impression I had come away with.  

[Lois R]

I was trying to find a last minute cruise on Oceania for either next month or April but everything I look at (that I would want) is wait listed. I was looking at Princess too but the ships are so big.......

Elyce, have you sailed on the the new Discovery? Are you happy with Princess?

[elycelynne]

7 minutes ago, Lois R said:

I was trying for find a last minute cruise on Oceania for either next month or April but everything I look at (that I would want) is wait listed. I was looking at Princess too but the ships are so big.......

Elyce, have you sailed on the the new Discovery? Are you happy with Princess?

Hi Lois.  I have been on the Discovery and it’s a nice ship, just like all of the Royal-class ships of Princess.  Yes, the ships are big, but they’re not behemoths.  I generally like Princess but I felt that the food quality has dropped off a bit (it was never fantastic in the first place, but reasonably good).  

 

I haven’t been on Cruise Critic for awhile, but I do recall that you were sailing with Silverseas a lot.  You may be disappointed with Princess if you compare the two, which maybe might not be good to do!  I know you used to be a Celebrity regular, but since I’ve never sailed with them I wouldn’t know how Princess stacks up against them either.  But if you’re looking for a cruise that’s not too long, it might be okay to try the Discovery to see if you like Princess.  

[Lois R]

46 minutes ago, elycelynne said:

Hi Lois.  I have been on the Discovery and it’s a nice ship, just like all of the Royal-class ships of Princess.  Yes, the ships are big, but they’re not behemoths.  I generally like Princess but I felt that the food quality has dropped off a bit (it was never fantastic in the first place, but reasonably good).  

 

I haven’t been on Cruise Critic for awhile, but I do recall that you were sailing with Silverseas a lot.  You may be disappointed with Princess if you compare the two, which maybe might not be good to do!  I know you used to be a Celebrity regular, but since I’ve never sailed with them I wouldn’t know how Princess stacks up against them either.  But if you’re looking for a cruise that’s not too long, it might be okay to try the Discovery to see if you like Princess.  

Hi Elyce, thanks for the reply. I appreciate it.

[cruisemom42]

Hi Elyce, I've cruised twice with Oceania in the past year as a solo, and I felt very well taken care of. The staff are good at remembering you and your preferences and -- at least to me -- it seems like they take extra time to "chat up" solo passengers and ensure they are satisfied.

 

Additionally, I have found fellow passengers very friendly. I actually like to share tables with others, so to me that is one of the things I appreciate about Oceania. People are very open to sharing in the MDR and there is the option of sharing tables in the specialties, which I much prefer to dining on my own.

 

As mentioned above, the thing about the specialties is the limited availability of two-tops for ANY passengers booking. Since all pax are entitled to eat at least once in each specialty for free, they book up very quickly in the most popular times. Being willing to dine with others is sort of a short-cut to getting a desired time and one that is fine with me. I know from reading the O boards that passengers wanting a two-top to dine by themselves do face a harder time, so I don't think it has anything to do with being discriminated against as a solo.

 

Feel free to ask if you have any other questions about cruising O as a solo. I really enjoyed the food and the smaller ship. Entertainment is considerably less evident than on the big ships, but trivia is a big daily activity and lots of fun (they will match you up with a team on the first day and it's a good way to meet others). Afternoon tea is also fabulous and much like I remember from ships 25 years ago. They have it in a beautiful lounge with a string quartet playing.

 

There were some solo meet-ups on both of the cruises I was on, but I'm not big on joining them so I didn't participate. (I have a weird thing about being 'segregated' only with other solos!). There were at least a couple of meet-up/happy hour events and at least one group dinner, possibly more, on each cruise.

 

[Straughn]

I cruised on the Vista, my first Oceania cruise, as a solo in December. I had absolutely no issues sailing as a solo. In fact, I only have positive comments on the program. They have events for solo passengers. I attended two solo cocktail events and one of two solo dinners. Sara, the ship’s hostess, did an excellent job or organizing them. Yes, most of the attendees were women, but we had good conversation.