First Oceania Cruise...21 Days on Regatta...No Thanks...Back to Celebrity

[TRLD]

48 minutes ago, sunlover12 said:

It’s all about expectations.  Oceania does not attempt to compete with the entertainment on the big mainstream cruise lines. It’s not who they are. We’ve found Oceania’s show band, production shows and string quartet to be fine. The guest bands and entertainers have been very good. 
 

I haven’t been on HAL, Celebrity, or Princess. I’ve been on Royal Caribbean though. I’m very reluctant to go on another mega ship because I’d like to stay healthy. I got sick on my last 2 RC cruises. I was perfectly healthy when I embarked and quite sick when I got off. The last one which was January of this year, I was so sick it required a doctor’s attention when I returned home. No doubt it’s from all the time I spent in crowded elevators which is hard to avoid when there are 17 decks.  On the other hand, I have never gotten sick from being on an Oceania cruise and I’ve been on 7. Far fewer people and easier to just take the stairs. 
 

Oceania is about the itinerary and a subdued (not boring) atmosphere. 
 

Considering the various definitions of subdued one can certainly find one that fits.

 

We have done over 70 cruises with various lines.

 

We really wanted to like Oceania because there is a lack of premium lines with unique itineraries. Only Azamara left in the NA facing premium category and  while we have liked them in the past not sure how they will do under their new owners

 

Even in the luxury lines the itineraries tend to be very repetitive outside of some of the luxury exploration ships. Very few new unique ones popping up there.

 

That leave a gap in the small ship premium price point where we had hoped Oceania would provide another option with some unique itineraries such as Singapore to Capetown. But unfortunately not for us.

 

In the adult focused mass market HAL has the widest set of unique itineraries, but they have some gaps in where they go.

Edited April 22 by TRLD

[clo]

7 hours ago, Harters said:

I'm not at all sure that I know what this is. Makes me wonder if my accent is similar to someone from Norway or Slovenia. Do we all sound alike to Americans?

Harters, when I see things like that I guess that it's an Eastern European accent and that isn't a compliment.

[TRLD]

10 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

And that is why we have more than one cruise company---you along make the decision which one you cruise on and spend your dollars (or other currency).  What you expect and what is delivered is just your opinion - others might think differently.  No one is right or wrong-it's what you believe.

Yep. People have different likes and dislikes and Oceania certainly has its niche that appeals to their core customers.

[clo]

2 minutes ago, TRLD said:

Oceania certainly has its niche that appeals to their core customers.

...If the itinerary is what one wants.

[jazznruby]

1 hour ago, Harters said:

 Or, as I once read, a Canadian is an unarmed American with health care.

🤣 Love that!

[DrHemlock]

19 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

the brood coffee

It's a simple typo, probably caused by auto-fill, but I can't resist:

Brood Coffee is just the thing when you're having a bad day -- the more bitter, the better -- though perhaps less appreciated when it accompanies room service breakfast before the day has even begun.  Oh well...as Joe E. Brown said at the end of Some Like It Hot, "Nobody's perfect!"

[Tranquility Base]

1 hour ago, TRLD said:

That leave a gap in the small ship premium price point where we had hoped Oceania would provide another option with some unique itineraries such as Singapore to Capetown.

Looking at the website, Capetown to Singapore or vice versa segments are showing on Insignia, Nautica, Sirena and Riviera.

Edited April 22 by Tranquility Base

[TRLD]

Just now, Tranquility Base said:

Looking at the website, Capetown to Singapore or vv segments are showing on Insignia, Nautica, Sirena and Riviera.

Yep that was an example of the type itinerary that we were looking at in checking out Oceania. Unfortunately we do not find Oceania's offering to our liking.

[Kay S]

21 hours ago, REDSTRIPETYPE said:

the male singer had a very distinctive European accent and was Tone Deaf!!!

 

I'm wondering if these things are mutually exclusive.  Can a singer who stays on key have a European (whatever that is) accent or does having a European accent mean he can't sing in key?  

 

 

[mauibabes]

I don’t really know the answer but we have heard him many times over the years and he is beyond tone deaf. Just sounds BAD so you are all Correct and he really does not have a KEY 🤪👍

JMHO,

Mauibabes

[ak1004]

8 hours ago, TRLD said:

I have sailed this exact size ship twice nefore, one of the old R class ships though with 2 other lines. In both cases there was plenty to do.  Not so much on this. Let me rephrase that. There were things to do, but pretty much the same thing day to day.  

 

We spend about 100 days per year on cruise ships. Last year we were sailed on 7 different cruise lines from 50 passengers to 5000 passenger ships. We pick primarily by itinerary with no loyalty to any line or any style. From mass market to luxury.  We like many others picked this because of the itinerary. French Polynesia and Hawaii on a ship size we were familiar with, small enough to get into Bora Bora.

 

 We like sea days and have been on much longer cruises, we like classical music and i carry about a thousand books on my phone and read about a book a day. Entertainment is normally not an issue.

 

The problem is not what was  going on any given day it is that nothing changes between days. A kind of sea going ground hog day movie. Live music started at 4 with tea and the string quartet. Playing pretty much the same background music every day. No interaction with guests  no talking, just classical.background music. Then at 5 it was happy hour with the show band. Basically the same thing. Background music, same thing day to day, no interaction. 

 

There was also a Piano player during happy hour in Martinis that atleast spoke,  After leaving the tea the quartet would play in the upper hall where they would atleast announce what they were playing and vary it to some degree, but there was only about 8 or 10 chairs in the area.

 

So lots of live music, mostly playing a very curated background to tea or happy hour. 

 

Like being in one of my old board meeting cocktail hours for days.

 

On the surface it would seem to be something  we would like. In practice it got old very quickly 

 

About the only variation was in the one show each night. A couple were very good (one piano player did 2 excellent shows, one piano player did 2 ok shows, the comedian not so good  2 different vocalists did 2 shows each, one was good one not so much). The 4 production shows were OK.

 

As far as food goes. There were some nice features such as the grill to order in the Terrace Cafe and the sushi selection. But in general the food did not really impress. The problem there was also the lack of variety.  Again a very curated menu. Very consistent, but as far as quality goes nothing special. Not bad, but pretty much in line with other lines. It lacked the customization of the luxury lines, though did have some unique features compared to mass market lines.

 

The long time Oceania cruisers seemed to like it, the 200+ first timers not so much.

 

 

I mostly agree with your observations about activities and entertainment. 

 

But the difference between you and me is that we sail for destinations, not sea days. This is why O is perfect for us for European port intensive itineraries, where we spend most of the day in ports, come back to the ship to have dinner, spend some time in the lounges, see the show and go to bed. This is why personally I don't think O is good for TA or Caribbean.

 

That said, there are more activities and choices on newer ships, so I always advise first timers to start with the newer ship.

 

As for you comment "The long time Oceania cruisers seemed to like it, the 200+ first timers not so much." - on our Riviera cruise last May we went with friends who sailed exclusively on Celebrity for over 20 years. Guess what? They are not going back to celebrity. Already booked 3 more on Marina and Vista, but won't go on the R ship.

 

btw, we went on 2 SS cruises in the last 2 years, didn't see much food customization - in fact, I think food on O is better, for 40% less.

 

But yes, choice is good. No point to argue really. Celebrity and other lines have their devoted loyalists. For us, it's itinerary and price first, but we are not going back to 3,000+ ships.

[Harters]

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

perfect for us for European port intensive itineraries

We've just been on Vista's TA and we loved all those sea days. For our next cruise - which is a port intensive one - we'll regard some of the port days as though they were sea days. That way, we'll finish the holiday relaxed and not frazzled from dashing about every day for a fortnight. 

[zalusky]

We did a 21 day last year Bali to Sydney.  We enjoyed the entertainment provided and did not consider that an issue.  I also felt the service was  top notch.

 

My wife is diabetic and the butler immediately got us in touch with the head chef within minutes and he would hunt us down in the ship to have us try out something the chef created to accommodate us.  That was great.  The issue was as previously mentioned they can only do what corporate allows them to do.  It seems sad that they are not allowed to purchase something from a local port specifically to deal with individual needs.  It's not because it's too much work it is because corporate does not allow it.  I can understand there might be lawsuit concerns if something goes wrong because thats our world now.  I would just hope for some flexibilities.

I am at a loss as to how those follow the chef into town to purchase products for a cooking class works.

 

My wife does low carb to help with her diabetes management and almond flour just does not cut it as it is calorie intensive and very heavy.  She recommended some alternatives that were from mainstream products to the chef and were available in local ports but the chef had no ability.  We did finally come up with a middle ground.

 

Little ships often do not cater to the individual as much as you think.

[ORV]

What was this thread about? Maybe the OP was mad because Oceania doesn’t have Red Stripe. They do have a couple of other bland beers. 
 

I'm currently on Regatta and I’m not surprised at this post. If this were my first Oceania cruise I’d also ask what the fuss has been about. Seems many of the main staff are new to Oceania and it’s not really the regular product. There are a few long timers aboard. (Workers, age of the guests is another matter). This is our CD’s first cruise as main CD. He does seem to be a nice young man. He’s also one of the singers. 
 

I could post a lot about this cruise but I hate to type with one finger on a phone. This is only the third day. We’ll see how it goes. But, I sure wouldn’t buy one of these beds, and I’ve always thought the beds are great. Makes me wonder if they’re not changing them out as often. I also hate to complain, so I’ll try not to. 

[TRLD]

2 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

I mostly agree with your observations about activities and entertainment. 

 

But the difference between you and me is that we sail for destinations, not sea days. This is why O is perfect for us for European port intensive itineraries, where we spend most of the day in ports, come back to the ship to have dinner, spend some time in the lounges, see the show and go to bed. This is why personally I don't think O is good for TA or Caribbean.

 

That said, there are more activities and choices on newer ships, so I always advise first timers to start with the newer ship.

 

As for you comment "The long time Oceania cruisers seemed to like it, the 200+ first timers not so much." - on our Riviera cruise last May we went with friends who sailed exclusively on Celebrity for over 20 years. Guess what? They are not going back to celebrity. Already booked 3 more on Marina and Vista, but won't go on the R ship.

 

btw, we went on 2 SS cruises in the last 2 years, didn't see much food customization - in fact, I think food on O is better, for 40% less.

 

But yes, choice is good. No point to argue really. Celebrity and other lines have their devoted loyalists. For us, it's itinerary and price first, but we are not going back to 3,000+ ships.

To make it clear we sail for destinations. It is that sone destinations include having a lot of sea days  This 21 itinerary was a good example French Polynesia to LA. Singapore to Cape Town is another.

 

Most port intensive itineraries we have done multiple times. We can do most of those on just about any cruise line.

 

What I stated is not that we sail for sea days, but that we have never minded them in the past, even on much longer cruises.

 

In the past our view on almost every other line we have been on is better to cruise somewhere instead of flying. With Oceania that has changed to in the future if the only way to get somewhere is either Oceania or flying, we will fly. 

 

This cruuse went to FP and Hawaii. We have been to both seversl times including both cruises and land trups in both. Spent 14 days in Bora Bora, Moorea and Papeete last year and we usually fly to Hawaii for two weeks each year.  Thought this would be a good time to check out Oceania. Almost got off in Honolulu to sprnd a few days and fly home instead of spending the last 7 days on board. Several people (I know of atleast 10) did get off there. There was enough interest that they put a notice in the Current giving the cutoff of when anyone deciding to do so had to notify reception.

 

Different people different views.  Glad you enjoy them. 

[TRLD]

Just now, ORV said:

What was this thread about? Maybe the OP was mad because Oceania doesn’t have Red Stripe. They do have a couple of other bland beers. 
 

I'm currently on Regatta and I’m not surprised at this post. If this were my first Oceania cruise I’d also ask what the fuss has been about. Seems many of the main staff are new to Oceania and it’s not really the regular product. There are a few long timers aboard. (Workers, age of the guests is another matter). This is our CD’s first cruise as main CD. He does seem to be a nice young man. He’s also one of the singers. 
 

I could post a lot about this cruise but I hate to type with one finger on a phone. This is only the third day. We’ll see how it goes. But, I sure wouldn’t buy one of these beds, and I’ve always thought the beds are great. Makes me wonder if they’re not changing them out as often. I also hate to complain, so I’ll try not to. 

He was working as an assistant CD during our cruise. Very nice guy. Can not say how he is as a CD but seemed to do a good job helping John.

[china addict]

3 hours ago, mauibabes said:

I don’t really know the answer but we have heard him many times over the years and he is beyond tone deaf. Just sounds BAD so you are all Correct and he really does not have a KEY 🤪👍

JMHO,

Mauibabes

We groan when we find this tone-deaf singer on board and can't understand how he keeps his job.  Have sailed with him at least four times, and it's painful.  Nothing to do with his accent, in fact many accents are delightful.  But he is so off key, it hurts to listen.

 

[TRLD]

48 minutes ago, ORV said:

What was this thread about? Maybe the OP was mad because Oceania doesn’t have Red Stripe. They do have a couple of other bland beers. 
 

I'm currently on Regatta and I’m not surprised at this post. If this were my first Oceania cruise I’d also ask what the fuss has been about. Seems many of the main staff are new to Oceania and it’s not really the regular product. There are a few long timers aboard. (Workers, age of the guests is another matter). This is our CD’s first cruise as main CD. He does seem to be a nice young man. He’s also one of the singers. 
 

I could post a lot about this cruise but I hate to type with one finger on a phone. This is only the third day. We’ll see how it goes. But, I sure wouldn’t buy one of these beds, and I’ve always thought the beds are great. Makes me wonder if they’re not changing them out as often. I also hate to complain, so I’ll try not to. 

You mean the Captain that is doing his first contract as  Captain or the Chief engineer also on his first contract as Chief Engineer?

[clo]

7 minutes ago, china addict said:

We groan when we find this tone-deaf singer on board and can't understand how he keeps his job.  Have sailed with him at least four times, and it's painful.  Nothing to do with his accent, in fact many accents are delightful.  But he is so off key, it hurts to listen.

 

For you and others up thread, why do you keep going?

[ORV]

16 minutes ago, TRLD said:

You mean the Captain that is doing his first contract as  Captain or the Chief engineer also on his first contract as Chief Engineer?

I wasn’t aware of that. But goes to what I was saying. 

[china addict]

9 minutes ago, clo said:

For you and others up thread, why do you keep going?

I'm not going to let the possibility of encountering one tone-deaf singer put me off an entire cruise line with seven ships cruising all over the world.  I'll be on the Regatta on May 1st and was just dismayed to find out he is currently on board.  When he starts warbling, I'll move to another bar. Never occurred to me six months ago when I made my reservation to inquire if I would meet my nemesis again.  Something new to worry about. 

[clo]

1 minute ago, china addict said:

I'm not going to let the possibility of encountering one tone-deaf singer put me off an entire cruise line with seven ships cruising all over the world.  I'll be on the Regatta on May 1st and was just dismayed to find out he is currently on board.  When he starts warbling, I'll move to another bar. Never occurred to me six months ago when I made my reservation to inquire if I would meet my nemesis again.  Something new to worry about. 

Sorry. I mis-wrote. I intended to ask why do you stay where he is.

[PhD-iva]

7 hours ago, DrHemlock said:

It's a simple typo, probably caused by auto-fill, but I can't resist:

Brood Coffee is just the thing when you're having a bad day -- the more bitter, the better -- though perhaps less appreciated when it accompanies room service breakfast before the day has even begun.  Oh well...as Joe E. Brown said at the end of Some Like It Hot, "Nobody's perfect!"

HaHa! Must admit, not a typo - it was a “wine-o”!
I knew it looked off, but I was feeling no pain….until about 10 minutes later when the correct spelling hit me! OUCH!

[Baandb]

On 4/22/2024 at 11:24 AM, REDSTRIPETYPE said:

Pool Chair hogs were out and locked down all the shade chairs by 0600.

Sunrise at this time of the year isn't until around 0615.  

As per another thread on this topic, unless the chair is occupied, other guests wanting to use the seat should be entitled to move any "place holders"

 

[Acrusa]

13 hours ago, TRLD said:

To make it clear we sail for destinations. It is that sone destinations include having a lot of sea days  This 21 itinerary was a good example French Polynesia to LA. Singapore to Cape Town is another.

 

Most port intensive itineraries we have done multiple times. We can do most of those on just about any cruise line.

 

What I stated is not that we sail for sea days, but that we have never minded them in the past, even on much longer cruises.

 

In the past our view on almost every other line we have been on is better to cruise somewhere instead of flying. With Oceania that has changed to in the future if the only way to get somewhere is either Oceania or flying, we will fly. 

 

This cruuse went to FP and Hawaii. We have been to both seversl times including both cruises and land trups in both. Spent 14 days in Bora Bora, Moorea and Papeete last year and we usually fly to Hawaii for two weeks each year.  Thought this would be a good time to check out Oceania. Almost got off in Honolulu to sprnd a few days and fly home instead of spending the last 7 days on board. Several people (I know of atleast 10) did get off there. There was enough interest that they put a notice in the Current giving the cutoff of when anyone deciding to do so had to notify reception.

 

Different people different views.  Glad you enjoy them. 

We are doing LA to PPT on Naitica this January just curious why people decided to leave the cruise in Hawaii. Why where they unhappy with the cruise.