Holland America Vs, Oceania

[refman]

as a long time HAL alumnist as well as hard core supporter why would i try an OCEANIA cruise. i`ve been told ovev and over again how gracious oceania ships are and with two maybe three in the yard it may be time to try one.my first off HAL cruise is in a couple of months on NCL so any info would be welcomed with regards to NCL. but for those of you staunch OCEANIA cruisers please send any feedback, good or bad. we always book an owners suite because of all the perks and the butler service does make the cruise so less stressful. any comments/questions appreciated.

 

thanks in advance,

george

[tak2]

As an 8 time HAL cruiser and 3 time NCLer, I hope you understand the big difference between the two lines in terms of service , amenities and food, particularly when you're used to Owner's suite.

I do not wish to point out the obvious. That said, a cruise can be just as enjoyable as long as you set different expectations( notice how many surveys ask whether they meet your expectations? One cannot get 6 star service when only paying three star money.)

Just from the description of so many people posting on these boards, I am confident that Oceania will give you a better experience than on HAL. Of course, you will have to get a stateroom of similar level to have the space. Even though I have not set foot on any Oceania ship, I have already book my next two cruises with them.

[Fleuve51]

Everything on Oceania is better.

The food & service is the best we have had, on over 40 cruises( The last 4 cruises on Oceania & one on Crystal)

[orchestrapal]

Yes, Oceania is better in every way except:

There are only 10 large suites and they are very hard to get if you don't book the day the bookings open. OS and VS are wonderful if you can be lucky enough to get them!:)

[LHT28]

as a long time HAL alumnist as well as hard core supporter why would i try an OCEANIA cruise.

thanks in advance,

george

 

I would not waste my money on NCL ...save it and go on Oceania :D

 

Since everyone has different things they want out of a cruise it is hard to say why you would try O.

If you read through some of the threads here you will get a feel for the line and see if it is right for you.

[mike35]

Our last two cruises have been on HAL's Statendam (12/22/06) and Oceania's Nautica (2/9/07). We're avid Oceania fans, but we found some things we liked a bit better on HAL:

 

Food - Oceania, hands down. The preparation, selection, ambience, specialty restaurant all blew HAL away.

 

Stateroom - HAL - much larger. Refrigerators came standard, not just on concierge level.

 

Entertainment - HAL marginally better

 

"Stuff" -- We're not big fans of towel animals and baked Alaska parades - present on HAL, not on Oceania

 

Staff - Oceania's staff is incredible -- professional, friendly, always there with a smile

 

Smoking - What a pleasure to have a virtually smoke-free experience on Oceania -- not so on HAL

 

Gift shops - better selection on HAL

 

Library -- Wonderful on Oceania - better by far than HAL

 

Dining options -- We don't like fixed seat dining - the only option on HAL. Oceania's anytime dining suits us fine. Plus the free and wonderful two specialty restaurants on Oceania were far superior to HAL's Pinnacle Grill (at $30 pp)

 

Wine - HAL had a wonderful trained sommelier; Oceania has friendly but not as knowledgeable wine servers

 

Dress code - HAL had 3 poorly enforced formal nights; Oceania sticks to country club casual throughout the cruise - a big plus for us.

 

Internet -- Oceania rates are significantly higher than HAL. Both had pretty much equal connection speeds.

 

Sorry, but I can't comment on large suites, as we book standard "concierge level" balcony cabins.

 

Hope this helps a bit. We've never had a "bad cruise" - it's just that we enjoy some more than others, and we have ALWAYS enjoyed our Oceania cruises to the max.

 

Mike

[SeaPeaInn]

HAL to NCL to Oceania. Is there such a thing as cruising shock?

 

On the old one to ten scale. Hal 8 - NCL 3 Oceania 10

[merryecho]

I tell friends who have been doing mass market cruising and are thinking about Oceania to think of it as a friend's very nice yacht. You don't have to dress up in tuxes for dinner, you don't expect broadway shows, you don't have to stand in line for much of anything. You already know what HAL is like, so, do you think you would enjoy "yachting" as opposed to 'cruising'?

[tak2]

HAL to NCL to Oceania. Is there such a thing as cruising shock?

 

On the old one to ten scale. Hal 8 - NCL 3 Oceania 10

 

These numbers look familiar.

I was on HAL 8 times, NCL 3. Does that mean I'll go to O 10 times? ;)

[SeaPeaInn]

TAK2 -

 

I hope you don't stop at 10. We just booked numbers 2 and 3.

 

Back to back Venice to Miami in November.

[Florida cruisee]

Oceania has what we believe are the most beautiful ships afloat. However, if you like a lot of glitz, Oceania doesn't do that. They are elegant, classy and traditional in design. That alone is great for starters.

 

There are many wonderful public areas on Oceania that are used as venues for their musicians - lovely all of them.

 

The library is something to behold - there is no comparison. Furthermore, the books aren't locked up and available only when HAL decides to put a staff member there. Oceania's libraries are open and available all the time. What is HAL afraid of? Theft of books? Please....

 

Oceania's passengers are extremely well traveled and don't fuss or whine. We have made many life long friends on Oceania cruises and did not find the same to be true on HAL. The average age of travelers on Oceania is lower than on HAL. That may be due to the destination intensive itineraries that Oceania runs. We have been on 5 HAL cruises totalling 45 days - just to give you some idea of our background.

 

All in all, our feeling is that Oceania has a very classy operation. On one cruise, the headliner entertainer made it his business to keep his name tag on all the time and mingled everywhere daily. It was a touch that you wouldn't find elsewhere except on Windstar (though they have limited entertainment - they have that mentality also).

 

The food on Oceania is not in the same galaxy as HAL. We could lose a lot of weight on an HAL cruise. Oceania food has gotten progressively better as they get it together. The food on our last cruise was stellar. Even the breakfast buffet is something to behold.

 

It is true that O's cabins are small. We deal with it. Since we are not cabin rats and spend very little time in our cabin, it is not a really big deal to us. Maybe the new O ships will have bigger cabins.

 

The self serve laundry on O is a nightmare - but remember O bought these ships - they came with small cabins and one laundry room per ship. We send our laundry out - they are absolutely fabulous. BTW - they are so good, we have them do all our dry cleaning and laundry before we leave the ship. We go home with everything clean. How great is that?

 

The really big deal - the size of the ships! Never did want to vacation with 1200 or 1800 others or even more. How about 700? That makes sense.

 

I could go on....and on.....and on.....but you get the idea.

 

PS - Hi Frank! Glad you read these things. Now about the berries....just kidding - we had all we could eat - and we were on the Bangkok to Beijing cruise last year. It is one everyone should take. Amazing itinerary!!