First time cruiser: Oceania vs. Seabourn

[funnygirl28]

Hi there,

 

I am planning to take a Mediterranean cruise with my parents next year, both in their 70s. None of us have been on a cruise before and picking something out is overwhelming to say the least!

 

We have narrowed down our choices to the Oceania "Enchanted Escapade" cruise from Athens to Rome on the Insignia and the Seabourn "Grand Athens to Malaga" on their new ship, Odyssey.

 

I am really stumped about which cruise to choose, however, and I could really use your help and expertise! Ideally, we'd like to do Seabourn -- seems like they're top notch and the "casual luxury" vibe appeals to us. But the Oceania itinerary delivers more of the destinations we're looking for.

 

My questions:

* Is Seabourn so much better than Oceania that we should choose the cruise line over the better itinerary?

* How does Oceania compare to Seabourn overall? What are the pros and cons?

* What do you recommend we do? This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for all of us and we likely won't do something like this again, so the decision is weighing heavily on me and I want to make the right choice!

 

Many thanks in advance for your help and advice!

[Rickey 88]

Hi there,

 

I am planning to take a Mediterranean cruise with my parents next year, both in their 70s. None of us have been on a cruise before and picking something out is overwhelming to say the least!

 

My questions:

* Is Seabourn so much better than Oceania that we should choose the cruise line over the better itinerary?

* How does Oceania compare to Seabourn overall? What are the pros and cons?

* What do you recommend we do? This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for all of us and we likely won't do something like this again, so the decision is weighing heavily on me and I want to make the right choice!

 

"So much" better than Oceania is a relative thing! Let's simply say that Seabourn is known as a "Luxury" line and Oceania is rated as an "Upper Premium" line. If this kind of rating system means more to you, then your choice might be Seabourn. However, there are many other aspects to cruising than just "ratings" - and your comment about Itinerary is just one.

I would suggest that you compare both itineraries along side each other and look at your ports of call. Then compare "like" accommodations (i.e. Cabins), and finally prices. Most "luxury" lines are all-inclusive, so those costs are built in to their total price. With Oceania, and other similar lines, certain things like cocktails, wines and soft drinks are charged extra. To some people - this is an important factor, and to others, it is insignificant.

Either way, I think you will not be unhappy, and also suggest you do further searching throughout CruiseCritic for other threads on both cruise lines. That should give you a better picture on which to base your final decision.

Hope this helps......;)

[LHT28]

The only thing I can add to Dick's comments are

The Seabourn ships are 1/3 the size of Oceania ships & if you are prone to motion sickness this may be something to consider.

 

Everyone has there favourite cruise line and you have to decide what one is best for your wants & needs.

 

Enjoy whichever cruise you choose

[Leonid]

Having cruised on Seabourn 5 times and Oceania 3 times, maybe I can offer an opinion.

If you want top of the line service, food and accommodations , you can't go wrong with Seabourn. Then again, you'll have to put up with formal nights. That's why we decided to move over to Oceania.

 

Regarding Oceania, you will get the same service,at least from my experience, that you would get from Seabourn. If you like the idea of eating in a single, open seating and being able to eat in four different venues, then Oceania is for you. Seabourn has one alternate dining venue and, from what info. I've been able to get from people who continue to cruise Seabourn, the alternate dining isn't what it use to be.

 

Remember that Seabourn is all-inclusive, so if you don't drink much, that might not be the line for you.

 

It all depends what level of cabin you want. Seabourn doesn't have many veranda suites unless you want one of the special ones they offer. We never did those. O, on the other hand, has may options from which to chose.

 

Hope my experience helps.

[meow!]

This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for all of us and we likely won't do something like this again, so the decision is weighing heavily on me and I want to make the right choice!

In the 1970s, many people use "once in a lifetime" to describe their voyage. This is no longer the norm.

 

After your first cruise, you either don't like it (e.g. get severely seasick, feel incompatible with shipboard life or for whatever reason), then it becomes once in a lifetime.

 

Or, you like it, and you start to look for more voyages. In a recent poll this cat started in the Celebrity (a cruise line's name) column on this board, the median number of voyages for posters of this board is ten, and the majority have 11+ voyages, some with over 50 !

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=840461&highlight=meow%21

[funnygirl28]

Thanks all for taking the time to respond... it's all very helpful. I'm leaning towards the Oceania cruise -- the note about seasickness was a really good point and we didn't event think of that. Shows how green we are when it comes to cruising!:)

[meow!]

The new Seabourn Odyssey is the same size as the Oceania R ships, that is three times the older Seabourn triplets. So there should theoretically be no difference on the seasickness factor on the newbuild Odyssey. The Odyssey carries only 450 passengers versus the R ship's 684 for the same ship size (30,000 gross tonnes), so the cabins on Seabourn will be larger and more comfortable.

[Vimalakirti]

Hi there,

 

I am planning to take a Mediterranean cruise with my parents next year, both in their 70s. None of us have been on a cruise before and picking something out is overwhelming to say the least!

 

We have narrowed down our choices to the Oceania "Enchanted Escapade" cruise from Athens to Rome on the Insignia and the Seabourn "Grand Athens to Malaga" on their new ship, Odyssey.

 

I am really stumped about which cruise to choose, however, and I could really use your help and expertise! Ideally, we'd like to do Seabourn -- seems like they're top notch and the "casual luxury" vibe appeals to us. But the Oceania itinerary delivers more of the destinations we're looking for.

 

My questions:

* Is Seabourn so much better than Oceania that we should choose the cruise line over the better itinerary?

* How does Oceania compare to Seabourn overall? What are the pros and cons?

* What do you recommend we do? This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for all of us and we likely won't do something like this again, so the decision is weighing heavily on me and I want to make the right choice!

 

Many thanks in advance for your help and advice!

 

We were on O's recent "Enchanted Escapades" voyage in August, albeit from Rome to Athens. You might want to read about our experience:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=833253

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I haven't been on either line, but if you don't mind the formal nights, I'd go for Seabourn. As someone says, this new ship should be *at least* as stable as the O ship, and since it's the same size with many few pax, it will feel like a private yacht.

 

Then again, have you looked at Regent cruises in that time frame? To get the length, you'd have to do a back to back, but since they throw in air quite often, you could do 14 days on Regent for probably less than Seabourn.

 

What cabins are you thinking about?

[wripro]

The new Seabourn ship will, in fact, be 2000 tons larger than O ships AND most suites will have balconies. I have sailed Oceania and SB and although O's service is excellent is is definitely NOT the same as SB and neither is the food quality. If you book a penthouse on O which is the closest to the cabin size on SB the price difference is not that great once you factor in tips and drinks. And SB is definitely starting to get less formal. Especially on the new Odyssey there will be several dining alternatives where one can dress less formally on formal nights and still have run of the ship. Still, as previously stated, I am sure you would enjoy either line.

[Leonid]

If in fact SB has alternate dining venues that are not formal, OR require a jacket for men, then it might be time to rethink the line. Then again, who can drink that much any more!

Regarding your opinion on SB service & food versus O, that's what it is - an opinion. When you factor in the size of the ships and the available dining venues, O beats them every time! Again, that's my OPINION!

[orchestrapal]

O also really beats them with their NON SMOKING regulations. What a pleasure.:D

[tiny_traveler_15]

I haven't been on Seaborne but I have been on the Enchanted Escapade that you mention. We were very happy with the Oceania ship, the crew, the food, the service for the most part. The ability to sit with others for dinner was wonderful as was the ability to sit on your own if you like. The lack of formal nights was really nice. The ship was wonderfully appointed. The evening entertainment was not that great but that's known about Oceania.

I caution you to really consider the itinerary. Not just because we missed 5/11 ports on the recent Enchanted Escapade but because I never really thought much about anchoring vs. docking in ports....until recently :( .

Most of the ports on the Enchanted Escapade are anchored vs. docked. This means that you have to 'tender' (take smaller boats into port) which is a problem if the seas are rough. If your parents aren't very steady on their feet or prone to seasickness then tendering may be a problem for them. If a ship is docked, it's so much easier - you just walk off the ship once the 'all clear' is given.

Anyhow, it's something I will look into for our next cruise. If you feel two cruises are pretty comparable, then the one with the higher number of dock ports may be better.

Just one more thing to consider :rolleyes:

 

Fair winds and calm seas....

[Leonid]

Thanks for mentioning the SB smoking policy versus the O non-smoking policy. On our last, and I mean last, SB sailing, we couldn't use the Constellation Lounge, which is the only lounge forward, because it was constantly populated by 4 chain smokers. Even some of the casual smokers had a tough time with them.

Asked the hotel mgr. if he would/could increase the ventilation - didn't even ask him to curtail the smoking. Got stonewalled so I don't know if it was even possible. Granted, half the lounge was allocated to smokers, but the ventilation system could not handle all the smoke. With DW using oxygen, that was no place for her - or me!

Bottom line: if you don't like cigarette smoke, O is definitely the line on which to cruise.

[tiny_traveler_15]

You are so right - we loved the fact that there was very little smoking on Oceania line. We were particularly pleased that there was no smoking allowed on balconies. You could easily avoid the two smoking areas on board.

[GrannyLorr]

Seabourn has addressed the smoking issue recently, so there has been some improvement! There is now no smoking allowed in The Club, so before and after dinnner drinks and dancing etc will be a much more pleasant occasion. On our last cruise (a TA Crossing) the smoke in The Club was horrendous so we rarely went there. Another area smoking has been banned from is outside the Dining Room....however the lounges on Deck 8 still allow smoking :( ...hopefully this will soon be changed as well!

[orchestrapal]

If you can't use your balcony because of smoke from all sides and above and below their so called new regulations are good for nothing IMHO!:mad: