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[quote Conniemc]LUXURY LINE FOR LESS THAN CELEBRITY

Ummmm....not exactly...

We've cruised Oceania before...and are cruising with them again in July 2009...but i's for the itinerary and definitely NOT for the price...

Oceania is VERY SNEAKY in their pricing...

The "Base Price" on their website is only the start...

"2 for 1" is largely just that they price their cruises...at least the "brochure rates" at about double of what anyone really pays...They run it as "2 for 1" for a long time, then change it to "40% off" late in the time frame...

The "Free Air" is really part of the price as well...You can book with or without air and they "credit" you with the air cost...

But, above and beyond these base prices, they tack on an unbelievable amount in various "fees" and "charges"...The transfers are NOT included, even if you're taking their cruise AND air...Their hotel packages are unconscionably priced (can you say $1400 for ONE NIGHT in Venice? $900 in Istanbul?)...Tips are added to your account at the rate of $12.50 per person per night...Drinks are higher priced and they add an 18% tip to your drink order...Gift shop prices are high...shore excursions are higher priced...and so on...

As to the cruise itself, we priced our 2009 cruise versus a same length (14 night), similar time Med cruise on Azamara...and the total bill for the SAME cabin (the ships are identical) was $2000 higher on Oceania than Azamara...and that's just cruise plus air...

It's a nice cruise, but, trust me, it's definitely higher priced than Celebrity...and, as far as "luxury" goes, it's not really all that much more luxurious than Celebrity...and virtually identical to Azamara...

If Celebrity had a similar itinerary during the time window in which we could travel, we definitely would have chosen Celebrity...and saved money...

[/QUOTE]

<blockquote data-quote="BruinSteve" data-source="post: 1209899">[quote Conniemc]LUXURY LINE FOR LESS THAN CELEBRITY</blockquote>Ummmm....not exactly...We've cruised Oceania before...and are cruising with them again in July 2009...but i's for the itinerary and definitely NOT for the price...Oceania is VERY SNEAKY in their pricing...The &quot;Base Price&quot; on their website is only the start...&quot;2 for 1&quot; is largely just that they price their cruises...at least the &quot;brochure rates&quot; at about double of what anyone really pays...They run it as &quot;2 for 1&quot; for a long time, then change it to &quot;40% off&quot; late in the time frame...The &quot;Free Air&quot; is really part of the price as well...You can book with or without air and they &quot;credit&quot; you with the air cost...But, above and beyond these base prices, they tack on an unbelievable amount in various &quot;fees&quot; and &quot;charges&quot;...The transfers are NOT included, even if you're taking their cruise AND air...Their hotel packages are unconscionably priced (can you say $1400 for ONE NIGHT in Venice?&nbsp; $900 in Istanbul?)...Tips are added to your account at the rate of $12.50 per person per night...Drinks are higher priced and they add an 18% tip to your drink order...Gift shop prices are high...shore excursions are higher priced...and so on...As to the cruise itself, we priced our 2009 cruise versus a same length (14 night), similar time Med cruise on Azamara...and the total bill for the SAME cabin (the ships are identical) was $2000 higher on Oceania than Azamara...and that's just cruise plus air...It's a nice cruise, but, trust me, it's definitely higher priced than Celebrity...and, as far as &quot;luxury&quot; goes, it's not really all that much more luxurious than Celebrity...and virtually identical to Azamara...If Celebrity had a similar itinerary during the time window in which we could travel, we definitely would have chosen Celebrity...and saved money...[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE="BruinSteve, post: 1209899"] [quote Conniemc]LUXURY LINE FOR LESS THAN CELEBRITY[/quote] Ummmm....not exactly... We've cruised Oceania before...and are cruising with them again in July 2009...but i's for the itinerary and definitely NOT for the price... Oceania is VERY SNEAKY in their pricing... The "Base Price" on their website is only the start... "2 for 1" is largely just that they price their cruises...at least the "brochure rates" at about double of what anyone really pays...They run it as "2 for 1" for a long time, then change it to "40% off" late in the time frame... The "Free Air" is really part of the price as well...You can book with or without air and they "credit" you with the air cost... But, above and beyond these base prices, they tack on an unbelievable amount in various "fees" and "charges"...The transfers are NOT included, even if you're taking their cruise AND air...Their hotel packages are unconscionably priced (can you say $1400 for ONE NIGHT in Venice? $900 in Istanbul?)...Tips are added to your account at the rate of $12.50 per person per night...Drinks are higher priced and they add an 18% tip to your drink order...Gift shop prices are high...shore excursions are higher priced...and so on... As to the cruise itself, we priced our 2009 cruise versus a same length (14 night), similar time Med cruise on Azamara...and the total bill for the SAME cabin (the ships are identical) was $2000 higher on Oceania than Azamara...and that's just cruise plus air... It's a nice cruise, but, trust me, it's definitely higher priced than Celebrity...and, as far as "luxury" goes, it's not really all that much more luxurious than Celebrity...and virtually identical to Azamara... If Celebrity had a similar itinerary during the time window in which we could travel, we definitely would have chosen Celebrity...and saved money... [/QUOTE]