Oceania Cruises has been the choice of more clients of Cruise Holidays of Alexandria/Luxury Cruise Counselors than any other cruise line. Having just returned from a 10-night cruise with 84 of our clients aboard, there is no question that Oceania offers arguably the best value in cruising today.
We sailed aboard the Oceania Nautica, June 17-27, 2009, on an itinerary that in itself would offer the vacation of a lifetime for many people. The cruise sailed from Rome to Barcelona, visiting a different port every day along the breathtaking Amalfi Coast and French Riviera. In our upcoming blog posts, we will describe our amazing experiences in each port. Before we do, though, we want to relay our opinions as travel professionals about Oceania Cruises.
Oceania Cruises currently sails with three mid-sized ships: the Nautica, the Regatta, and the Insignia. I have sailed on the Nautica and Regatta, and there is virtually no difference. All three ships are identical, carrying a maximum of just 684 guests with a whopping 400 crew members aboard. That guest-to-staff ratio should tell you something: Oceania’s focus is on guest service. That is apparent from the moment you step aboard their luxury vessels.
As you board the ship, you will immediately be struck by the rich wood and colors that permeate the ship. From the elegant master staircase with its rich red pattern carpeting to the tasteful upholstered furniture and the dark wood paneling, you feel like you are walking into a luxury boutique hotel. The staff greet you by name, welcome you aboard, and offer assistance to find your stateroom. At 30,000 tons, the Oceania ships are easy to navigate; there are no hallways that dead-end mid-ship, or that require walking a mile just to get from one end of the ship to the other. They are manageable sized-ships where getting from the dining room to the show lounge is an easy and short walk; not a trek the equivalent of 5 city blocks.
The staterooms on Oceania, like the public areas of the ship, boast elegant if understated appointments. The beds, billed by Oceania as exclusive “Tranquality Beds,” are in fact very comfortable with Egyptian cotton linens topped with an appealing rich blue patterned duvet. The staterooms, while on the small side for the luxury market, are comfortable with adequate storage space and comfortable seating area, with all the appointments you would expect – flat-screen TV, private bath with shower, telephone, writing desk, and small glass coffee table.
The food on Oceania is a huge bonus. Those who have cruised before on other lines may have realized that the food quality is not always consistent. The dining room fare on many lines can be hit-or-miss, and the specialty dining restaurants offering more consistently good food typically cost $15 to $25 per person. Some cruise lines now are even starting to charge for certain items on the main dining room’s menu. Not so on Oceania. No matter whether you dine in the main restaurant, at the buffet, or at its two specialty restaurants – Toscana and Polo Grill – the food is consistently excellent. In the buffet, the staff members serve guests reducing the risk of germ spread associated with guests handling the serving utensils. What is more, unlike most cruise lines, Oceania charges nothing to dine in the specialty restaurants. They are complimentary. Among our guests, Toscana was the preferred choice, with rich Italian fare, though everyone agreed that no matter where they dined, they were assured a 5 star meal.
Where Oceania truly excels more than anything else, however, is their level of service. From their pre-sail support to the onboard experience, Oceania’s client focus is evident and unsurpassed. When we arrived at the ship, Oceania’s Concierge immediately greeted me and my business partner, invited us to get settled into our stateroom, and then join him and other senior officer staff to discuss our group’s logistics. At our meeting, 7 Oceania officers met with us to discuss the schedule of our events and to ensure that everything was according to our understanding. From that point forward, everything occurred without a hitch.
Ours was a wine-themed group. Accordingly, Oceania offered our group the ability to bring up to 6 bottles of wine per person on board without corkage fee. The Sommelier staff was extraordinarily accommodating, from the Cellar Master Michael Quinn to his entire staff. Michael dedicated his staff to our group for both of our onboard wine tastings and food-and-wine pairing dinner; they performed with the utmost professionalism and without the anticipation of earning any gratuities because we had brought the wine onboard and the corkage fee had been waived.
The other staff were equally superb. Our stateroom attendant was pleasant and efficient. In February when we sailed another line, our stateroom often was not made up until 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Not on Oceania. Leave your stateroom at 8:30 in the morning and you’ll return by 8:45 to a made-up sparking clean room. The cruise director staff also was exceptional. Our group routinely closed down the Horizons Lounge, which featured nightly dancing and occasional karaoke. The assistant cruise director, Ian Needle, was with us every night, interacting with our clients and making each of our guests feel warmly welcomed and ensuring everyone had an extraordinary time.
Oceania offers additional special touches. For example, every afternoon at 4 p.m. is high tea at Horizons, situated at the front of the ship with panoramic views. The high tea is traditional; it features a string quartet, true scones and clotted cream, a selection of teas, and other pastries and small sandwiches. Guests sit at small tables adorned with white linens and fine china. Having been to high tea on another line, Oceania’s is superior. On the other line, high tea was served in the main dining room, with guests having to sit at large tables and hope that the wait staff would eventually find their way to them. That’s just not the case on Oceania; it’s a relaxing truly enjoyable experience and something to look forward to on every day of your journey aboard. Following high tea is nightly happy hour from 5 to 6 p.m. Happy hour features 2-for-1 drinks – all drinks are 2-for 1, whether you choose wine, your favorite cocktail, or a Coca-Cola. There is something truly wonderful about sitting in the parlor-feel Martini Lounge with its rich-wood bar and fine upholstered furniture, meeting other guests and sharing the day’s experiences.
Entertainment onboard Oceania is not the equivalent of other larger-ship cruise lines. There are no glitzy show lounges with big Las Vegas-style productions. Instead, the entertainment is more intimate. Among others, our cruise featured talented guitarist Vincenzo Martinelli. His soothing instrumental melodies proved a huge hit with our guests.
As my comments I am sure convey, we simply have nothing negative to say about Oceania Cruises. They are a top-notch organization. For anyone who does not believe there is a difference among cruise, my challenge to you is to sail Oceania Cruises before you draw that conclusion. While Oceania may cost slightly more, the value is just beyond compare among the premium and upper premium cruise lines. I suggest spending the extra money; chances are you will not sail on a lesser line after you do.
In a future posting, we will describe our experience on our wine cruise aboard Celebrity Cruises that immediately followed our sailing aboard Oceania Cruises. As you will read, the cruise was less expensive and regrettably simply did not rank in the same league as Oceania and, even at its lower price point, did not meet our expectations from a travel professional viewpoint.
