Any past HAL cruisers also sailed on Oceania?

[Waxer]

Greetings!

 

We are researching a European or Baltic cruise, and our TA is steering us towards Oceania. We had a wonderful HAL cruise to Alaska on Zuiderdam - if anyone has experience with Oceania who has also sailed HAL and would be willing to give your opinion on the differences between the two, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks, in advance!

[dosperegrinos]

Before there was Oceania, there was a cruise line called Renaissance, which went bankrupt. Out of the ashes rose Oceania, same owner, president, same ships, same type staff. We cruised with R on a 3 week cruise of the Mediterranean, loved it and the ship.

 

We have cruised with HAL twice, and will be leaving for our third cruise with them in one week, again to the Med. Our longest cruise with them was for 18 days around South America on the Amsterdam. HAL wins hands down.

 

The O ships are smaller and can access ports the larger ships cannot, making for an interesting itinerary. The HAL ships are more spacious and very well cared for, at least the newer ones, if the Amsterdam is an example, and I believe it is. Of the tours, booked with both cruise lines directly, HAL is by far better and more organized and it is a company that has been around for so long that it carrys much more weight. And the personnel - across the board from Captain to maintenance to the exceptional Indonesian and Filipino staff members are unbeatable.

 

We will be booking our next cruise when we return from this one, if HAL had the itinerary we wanted there would be no question with whom we

would book. Hope this helps.

[Waxer]

Excellent, thank you. Getting lots of good info on the "O" forum as well.

[amusea]

If you are considering a Baltic cruise, find out where Oceania docks in St. Petersburg. I know that the larger ships such as those of Holland America must dock in the commercial port which is quite a distance from the center of town. Some of the smaller ships sail down the river to a dock near the Hermitage which is much more convenient. The size of Oceania ships is somewhere between the small ships of lines such as Seabourn and the larger ships of HAL so I am not sure where it docks.

I have sailed on both HAL and Oceania and both are wonderful cruise lines but they are like comparing apples and oranges. Oceania ships hold half as many passengers and their cuisine and service are truly upscale and competitive with Regent and Silversea. However, entertainment is much less

elaborate and there are less activities onboard. I prefer the single anytime seating of Oceania, the country club casual dress codes for every night and the no-charge optional restaurants. For port intensive itineraries like the Baltic I think the variety of onboard activities is less important because almost every day is in port. But HAL is certainly wonderful if you prefer a larger ship which could handle rough seas better and the service is excellent.

[Darrell6t]

The two lines are different. Oceania has smaller ships. The only one of HAL's ships that comes close in the Prinsendam. The Oceania ships do not ride the waves very well and rough weather can be a problem. But the food on Oceania is a cut above HAL's and their special restaurants do not cost extra. And we loved the open dining on Oceania. You just show up at the dining room when you feel like eating and they take you to a table, either just your party or you can join others. We met such interesting people that way.

 

One thing I hated about the Oceania ship was the constant mess of the Art Auction. It was far worse than on any HAL ship. Another negative is that the smaller ship doesn't have as extensive entertainment in the lounge.

[kryos]

Greetings!

 

We are researching a European or Baltic cruise, and our TA is steering us towards Oceania.

I hope you aren't a smoker, cause if you are, you're probably not going to like Oceania. They have very restrictive onboard smoking policies, including no smoking in the cabins and very few designated smoking areas on the public decks.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[TedC]

I hope you aren't a smoker, cause if you are, you're probably not going to like Oceania. They have very restrictive onboard smoking policies, including no smoking in the cabins and very few designated smoking areas on the public decks.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

For many of us that's a BIG plus.

 

We've considered Oceania, but the significantly smaller cabins in each category compared to HAL are a BIG minus.

[AZjohn]

Hi Waxer,

Yes, I have cruised on Insignia and on the Volendam. As stated before, the ship sizes are different and Oceania ships do “roll” a little more at sea (but personally DW and I enjoy that). The food is different (Oceania is better in MHO) and also you eat where and when you want to on Oceania.

I guess I would sum it by telling you that I would sail with Oceania for a very port intensive schedule (we were at port most every day during our Med cruise). I would pick HAL cruise if I wanted to relax at sea (have less port days). Both Cruise lines I really enjoy, so if your up for it try something new…;)

John

[stingraynz]

We just did Oceania 12-day Istanbul to Athens last June and I did the Baltic cruise on Celebrity Constellation a few years ago. I am doing my first HAL this December, so I can't make a true comparison yet.

 

I loved my celebrity Baltic cruise, however, while I was on Oceania this past June I kept thinking, I would love to do a Baltic cruise on this ship. It would be fantastic! They have great port times and that fabulous 3-day stop in StPetersburg.

 

The entertainment is subdued on O if that is a big concern for you. Their shore excursions may not be as good as HAL. I am one that tries not to book ship tours. However, I did take the optional excursion to Moscow on Celebrity and it was one of the best days in my life.

 

You can probably find out more about Oceania's shore excursions on the Baltic Itinerary on their board. That would be the only drawback I can think of. Everything onboard O is most enjoyable!

 

So either way your baltic cruise will be great.

[Waxer]

We booked a Western Mediterannean cruise on Oceania; thanks to everyone who replied both here and on the "O" board!

 

Cheers,

[lizf]

We didn't like much of anything about Oceania. A very average product in our opinion. The food was not very good nor well presented on our sailing. Our trip was a transatlantic sailing and it was quite boring aboard the ship with little to no entertainment. Many passengers seemed unhappy with the cruise.

Holland was just the opposite. There was lots to do. The meals were excellent! All food was prepared fresh and was served hot. The staff is excellent on board. The entertainment on HAL was good on our trip too. Shore excursions seem well priced as far as we are concerned. We are going on Holland again soon and don't plan on going again on Oceania. This is our choice. You have to decide for yourself. If you are happy with Holland America, then stick with it. If you are unhappy with Holland America, then shop around, try Oceania once and if you don't like it you can then continue to shop other lines until you find something that is more to your liking. But if you are happy with what you have, then why bother looking further? Different cruise lines may pay the travel agents differently too. One time an agent told me that some lines offer better incentives to the agents and the agents may then try to book those lines more. I changed agents after that. I am suspicious if an agent pushes one line more. You might ask them why they seem to do that.

[lizf]

Duplicate post.

[DD]

I haven't cruised Oceania but I have been on the Renaissance ships post bankruptcy. They are absolutely beautiful ships. The size is perfect. The decor is fabulous. I believe they are some of the prettiest ships out there.

 

That having been said, the Noordam knocked my socks off too! I think she's one of the most beautiful ships afloat currently.

 

I would say that you probably can't make a bad choice between the two.

[can48]

We did the Baltic on Regatta (Oceania) last August, 2005 and chose it because of the itinerary and to try another line. We had a wonderful cruise, loved St. Petersburg (3 days) and because the ship is smaller than Hal's we were docked right downtown, it was three blocks from the Winter Palace.

The ship did not seem small for the 650 odd passengers. The cabins are a bit smaller and the shower stall is really small, especially if you are over average height. If you are interested in great entertainment, you won't get it here, it is passable. However, the itinerary is port intensive so who can really stay up late when one has to be up and about early. Enjoyed the country club casual dress code for a change and the open dining. Food was good and the special restaurants were no extra charge. We did the one day tour of Moscow and it was tiring but worth it. One thing I would recommend is that you might want to consider getting your own Russian visa and that way you can go off on your own. We went with the lines' and could not get off unless on one of their tours. Being docked at the English Embankment would have allowed us to see some of the nearby sites on our own if we had that Visa. Conclusion, we would sail with Oceania anytime and we also enjoy HAL (5 times).