Wow! I like to see fellow retirees living their best life. We recently sailed on the Oceania Riviera and absolutely loved it. The main difference between Oceania's small and mid sized ships is the cabins are noticeably larger on the mid sized ships, and there are 4 specialty restaurants on the mid sized ships vs 2 on the small ships. The speciality restaurants require reservations, but are complimentary. Oceania will essentially be our new vacation home. We're planning to budget for two cruises each year, 10 - 16 days each, as our way to explore the world while we're in good health.
Thanks so much. We have been on quite a journey. Thanks for the info on the larger Oceania Cruises. We plan to take another one in 2024. Happy cruising and hope you can follow along with us. John and Bev retirementtravelers.com
We've done 8 Oceania cruises and we love the Marina class because the bathrooms are huge, bathtub w/shower, double sinks and a stand alone shower - we could both shower at the same time! Plus they have 4 specialty restaurants.💖💖💖 Oceania💖
Hi Guys, we just got back from 10 days on Regent Seven Seas to the Caribbean. The ship experience you described fits Regent also - upscale, all-inclusive, and FREE LAUNDRY! Thanks for the review of Oceania. They have a reputation for great destinations and impeccable service. P.S. love the quality and content of your recent videos. Obviously, practice makes perfect!
We were on that exact boat, the Regatta, for a trip to Cuba back in 2018! It was a wonderful boat and, I concur, the food was outstanding and loved the smaller size. Small world! Looking forward to hearing more of your adventures. Sending love and healing vibes to Bev!!
Thanks. It is a small world after all... 🤣 Bev is walking better now after a couple of weeks. We have some fun stuff planned in Southeast Asia coming up and plan to take another Oceania Cruise in 2024. Hope all is well with the Lodge. John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Wow, thanks for that review. We went on Princess to Alaska in 2014 and there were far too many people. It didn't put us off cruising entirely, but certainly in colder areas where people aren't using the pool decks, we'd think twice. So good to hear that smaller crowds are an option on Oceania. That really does sound much more like us! Also, welcome to Auckland! Wish we had time to show you around, but I'm sure you have everything planned out anyway. Very much looking forward to following your adventures around the North Island. I hope the cyclone damage on the East Coast doesn't derail any of your plans.
Thanks. Glad you found it helpful. Our stay on the north island was short, but we will return. New Zealand is one of our favorite countries. John and Bev retirementtravelers.com
We will be on the Marina this summer. First time cruising with Oceania and have not cruised since 2015. Really looking forward to the upscale experience - we have cruised before but only large ships around the Caribbean and an Alaska voyage. Since my wife loves sushi, we hope all the fish served is fresh. She is a fan of a great massage, fingers crossed they offer those 10 minute neck and shoulder massages on pool deck/executive lounge area. I promise to give our report card upon our return.
Thanks and have an great cruise. We thought the sushi was great. Safe travels and looking forward to your report. 😊 John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
They are great. We don't do that many cruises, but do plan our 2nd Oceania cruise next year. Have fun in November. Sounds like a great trip. John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Thank you so much for such a brilliant, comprehensive review. We board Regatta next week in Tahiti for a 28 night cruise in French Polynesia and Hawaii. I'm sure we're going to have a great time.
Thx. We just booked our first Oceania cruise for 2025. 35 days (similar to yours it is a small portion of a longer trip). We are on deck 3 as well and it is one of the smaller ships. Hope you post more about your trip on the ship in 2024.
Hope you have a wonderful time. We are excited about our trip from Cape Town to Lisbon. Thanks for watching. Happy journeys, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Another great review! I heard great things about Oceania, especially their food. Viking has smaller ships and free laundry on board but their food can be great or just good.We will keep the Oceania choice on our list for the future.
Thanks. We were pleased with Oceania and plan to do another next year, along with trying a Viking sea cruise. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
Heyyy sir im the one of the crew of oceania regatta that is Pizza man im already to subscribe your channel thank u for gave us opportunity to service your world i hope u enjoy with that
Thank you so much. We are happy to get your message. You did a great job and made our cruise wonderful. Many blessings to you in life. John and Bev retirementtravelers.com
Looks like a great cruise! Well wishes to Bev as her toe heals. Will be curious where you end up going in southeast Asia. We have been to Singapore, which was interesting. If that is one of your destinations, I highly recommend the Jurong Bird Park. It was fascinating to see very different birds than what we see in the US. Safe travels!!
Thanks. We will be going to a bunch of places in Asia, including Singapore, so we will schedule in the bird park. Thanks for the tip. John and Bev retirementtravelers.com
@@RetirementTravelers That's great! I also recommend visiting the national museum in Singapore. We learned a lot about what life was like when Japan occupied Singapore during WWII.
Thank you so much for this review. My husband and I have been thinking of doing an Oceania cruise. I think this may have just sealed it for me. I may not even mind an ocean view only room if it makes it more financially feasible.
We love the cheapest room on the cruise! We are so rarely in the room and it saves lots of money. The food is excellent on Oceania. John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
We are sailing to Alaska next week on the Regatta. Your information was very useful as we prepare for the trip. Our expectation is the experience will be similar to Azamara, including the number of passengers on board. The preference for us is still Princess Cruises because the per day cost is much lower. I consider Princess as "ala carte" and you pay extra for everything you want rather than pay in advance for things you don't really need. As full-time travelers, being conscious of unnecessary expenses is important.
Hi John & Bev, we (Mike & Tammy) love your videos. They are so informative and you guys have so much fun together on this adventure. We will be traveling the world starting with the Canary Islands next January. We like the idea of taking a repositioning cruise to/from Europe but I've got a question...do the sea days count against you with respect to the Schengen 90/180 rule? For example if we take a month long cruise from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale that stops in several coastal cities in Spain and Madeira, Portugal do the entire cruise days count towards the 90/180 until you disembark in Ft. Lauderdale?
Good luck with your journey. We are pretty sure the repositioning cruises do not count towards your Schengen zone time once you leave your last EU port. Not sure about sea days until that point. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
It falls between the big ships and small luxury. Check their website for specifics. We recommend the cheapest rooms available (same food and destinations for everyone) We loved our bottom level room and it was much cheaper. If cheapest is your main objective, Oceania not your pick. If affordable luxury with great food, great destinations and no children, then this a great pick. John and Bev retirementtravelers.com
Greetings Thanks for the great videos. Taking my first cruise with Oceana on the marina ship out of Barcelona on November 13, transatlantic to Miami arriving December 3. I’m still trying to find out if the marina ship went through a refurbishment to upgrade all the rooms. I read an article about it, dated back in 2022, but the photo shown on my Reservation account page shows the old configuration and not the new. Do you have any special insight, whether or not the upgrade to the marina ship ever took place or was it delayed because of Covid? Thank you Pete
Just saw an article that the Marina was scheduled to debut the refurbishment for the cruise that you are on, so hopefully it gets completed. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
The snorkeling masks were very nice. Did you do a snorkeling excursion? Looking forward to seeing North island of New Zealand. Will you be doing more of Australia?
We brought our own masks. We love the full face type. We did several excursions on the cruise. Nothing more in Australia, but heading to some cool places in Indonesia. John and Bev retirementtravelers.com
Great review! One of our main concerns with Oceania was the "stuffiness" factor! It's reassuring for you to say it was pretty chill! So slacks and polo are ok for dinners?
Thanks. If you watch our videos, you know we aren’t “stuffy”. We don’t do many cruises, but are booked on another next year. Slacks and polo fine for dinner. Glad we could help. John and Bev retirementtravelers.com
Thanks. There are so many choices, it can be overwhelming. We haven't done a repositioning cruise yet, but we are on the lookout. Safe travels, John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
We just did a repositioning cruise on the Oceania Riviera. It was absolutely incredible. I highly recommend it if you have the time. IMO, there's no better way to explore the world. Unpack once, and enjoy new experiences every day. I even took a cooking class with my wife, and totally enjoyed it.
It wasn't cheap, but it worked well enough for a cruise. FYI You can only use 1 device at a time, so you do have to switch back and forth for phone/laptop. John and Bev retirementtravelers.com/
@@RetirementTravelers Thanks. We were on the Insignia on Dec /transoceanic Rome to Miami - was a nice feature. We are on Regatta LA to Vancouver and did not notice one.
We haven't tried Oceania yet, but after a celebrity through southeast Asia in 2019, we were nearly done with cruises. Way too many people!!! Horrible health practices, too many passengers touching buffet foods with hands.
Oceania is more expensive than cruises like Royal Caribbean, but the quality of food is OUTSTANDING! There is also no kids. If you are looking for a relaxing and quiet cruise, going to interesting places, and great food. This is it. Also, we stay on the bottom level (cheapest) on cruises and it is just fine. John and Bev retirementtravelers.com
We wanted to share our first experience on an Oceania Cruise.
John and Bev
Wow! I like to see fellow retirees living their best life. We recently sailed on the Oceania Riviera and absolutely loved it. The main difference between Oceania's small and mid sized ships is the cabins are noticeably larger on the mid sized ships, and there are 4 specialty restaurants on the mid sized ships vs 2 on the small ships. The speciality restaurants require reservations, but are complimentary. Oceania will essentially be our new vacation home. We're planning to budget for two cruises each year, 10 - 16 days each, as our way to explore the world while we're in good health.
Thanks so much. We have been on quite a journey. Thanks for the info on the larger Oceania Cruises. We plan to take another one in 2024. Happy cruising and hope you can follow along with us.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
We like the larger Oceania ships. Been on Marina 4 times, Sirena once & going on Riveria in November. Really looking forward to that one.
We've done 8 Oceania cruises and we love the Marina class because the bathrooms are huge, bathtub w/shower, double sinks and a stand alone shower - we could both shower at the same time! Plus they have 4 specialty restaurants.💖💖💖 Oceania💖
Thanks for sharing. We are looking forward to our next Oceania cruise in May.
Happy journeys,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
This is our dream cruise, very nice , love all islands , I will share to my friends who loves traveling and cruising, good luck to both!
Thanks for sharing!! It was a great time.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Hi Guys, we just got back from 10 days on Regent Seven Seas to the Caribbean. The ship experience you described fits Regent also - upscale, all-inclusive, and FREE LAUNDRY! Thanks for the review of Oceania. They have a reputation for great destinations and impeccable service. P.S. love the quality and content of your recent videos. Obviously, practice makes perfect!
Thanks for the kind words and we will check out Regent at some point.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
We were on that exact boat, the Regatta, for a trip to Cuba back in 2018! It was a wonderful boat and, I concur, the food was outstanding and loved the smaller size. Small world! Looking forward to hearing more of your adventures. Sending love and healing vibes to Bev!!
Thanks. It is a small world after all... 🤣 Bev is walking better now after a couple of weeks. We have some fun stuff planned in Southeast Asia coming up and plan to take another Oceania Cruise in 2024. Hope all is well with the Lodge.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
As our captain on the Insignia said, it’s a SHIP…
. A BOAT is what you need if the ship sinks.
You don’t get a Ship if the boat sinks 😂
Wow! Top-notch food and amenities, for sure. Erik and I need a kid-free cruise; that sounds great to us!!
You would love it!
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
Wow, thanks for that review. We went on Princess to Alaska in 2014 and there were far too many people. It didn't put us off cruising entirely, but certainly in colder areas where people aren't using the pool decks, we'd think twice. So good to hear that smaller crowds are an option on Oceania. That really does sound much more like us! Also, welcome to Auckland! Wish we had time to show you around, but I'm sure you have everything planned out anyway. Very much looking forward to following your adventures around the North Island. I hope the cyclone damage on the East Coast doesn't derail any of your plans.
Thanks. Glad you found it helpful. Our stay on the north island was short, but we will return. New Zealand is one of our favorite countries.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
Looks like a great cruise. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks. It was a great experience and we are looking forward to another one in 2024.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
Wow, sounds like you had a really relaxing break exploring some neat places! Hopefully that Broken down won't slow you down too much Bev!
Thanks. It is starting to feel better. We had a great time on the cruise and look forward to the one in 2024.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
Excellent review! You are both inspiration for active seniors. Congrats on your retirement!
Thanks so much for the kind words.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
We will be on the Marina this summer. First time cruising with Oceania and have not cruised since 2015. Really looking forward to the upscale experience - we have cruised before but only large ships around the Caribbean and an Alaska voyage. Since my wife loves sushi, we hope all the fish served is fresh. She is a fan of a great massage, fingers crossed they offer those 10 minute neck and shoulder massages on pool deck/executive lounge area. I promise to give our report card upon our return.
Thanks and have an great cruise. We thought the sushi was great.
Safe travels and looking forward to your report. 😊
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
We love Oceania! We’ll be taking our 6th trip in November to Greece, Turkey & Spain
They are great. We don't do that many cruises, but do plan our 2nd Oceania cruise next year. Have fun in November. Sounds like a great trip.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Thank you so much for such a brilliant, comprehensive review. We board Regatta next week in Tahiti for a 28 night cruise in French Polynesia and Hawaii. I'm sure we're going to have a great time.
Thanks and hope you have a fantastic trip. Let us know how it goes.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
@@RetirementTravelers Thank you!
Great review. Thank you for sharing.
Very nice review! This looks like our style of cruising! Bev hope you are healing quickly! Excellent video guys! ~Cara 😊
Thanks for following along. Toe is feeling better.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
Thx. We just booked our first Oceania cruise for 2025. 35 days (similar to yours it is a small portion of a longer trip). We are on deck 3 as well and it is one of the smaller ships. Hope you post more about your trip on the ship in 2024.
Hope you have a wonderful time. We are excited about our trip from Cape Town to Lisbon. Thanks for watching.
Happy journeys,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Another great review! I heard great things about Oceania, especially their food. Viking has smaller ships and free laundry on board but their food can be great or just good.We will keep the Oceania choice on our list for the future.
Thanks. We were pleased with Oceania and plan to do another next year, along with trying a Viking sea cruise.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Heyyy sir im the one of the crew of oceania regatta that is Pizza man im already to subscribe your channel thank u for gave us opportunity to service your world i hope u enjoy with that
Thank you so much. We are happy to get your message. You did a great job and made our cruise wonderful. Many blessings to you in life.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
Great video!!
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
That ship looks really nice.
Oceania is very nice, especially the food.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Looks like a great cruise! Well wishes to Bev as her toe heals. Will be curious where you end up going in southeast Asia. We have been to Singapore, which was interesting. If that is one of your destinations, I highly recommend the Jurong Bird Park. It was fascinating to see very different birds than what we see in the US. Safe travels!!
Thanks. We will be going to a bunch of places in Asia, including Singapore, so we will schedule in the bird park. Thanks for the tip.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
@@RetirementTravelers That's great! I also recommend visiting the national museum in Singapore. We learned a lot about what life was like when Japan occupied Singapore during WWII.
Thank you so much for this review. My husband and I have been thinking of doing an Oceania cruise. I think this may have just sealed it for me. I may not even mind an ocean view only room if it makes it more financially feasible.
We love the cheapest room on the cruise! We are so rarely in the room and it saves lots of money. The food is excellent on Oceania.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
We are sailing to Alaska next week on the Regatta. Your information was very useful as we prepare for the trip. Our expectation is the experience will be similar to Azamara, including the number of passengers on board. The preference for us is still Princess Cruises because the per day cost is much lower. I consider Princess as "ala carte" and you pay extra for everything you want rather than pay in advance for things you don't really need. As full-time travelers, being conscious of unnecessary expenses is important.
Good advice and suggestion. We have not tried Princess Cruises, but will put them on our future plans.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Hi John & Bev, we (Mike & Tammy) love your videos. They are so informative and you guys have so much fun together on this adventure. We will be traveling the world starting with the Canary Islands next January. We like the idea of taking a repositioning cruise to/from Europe but I've got a question...do the sea days count against you with respect to the Schengen 90/180 rule? For example if we take a month long cruise from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale that stops in several coastal cities in Spain and Madeira, Portugal do the entire cruise days count towards the 90/180 until you disembark in Ft. Lauderdale?
Good luck with your journey. We are pretty sure the repositioning cruises do not count towards your Schengen zone time once you leave your last EU port. Not sure about sea days until that point.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
What was the cost? Curious how it compares to the “standard” big ship Caribbean cruises we’ve been on.
It falls between the big ships and small luxury. Check their website for specifics. We recommend the cheapest rooms available (same food and destinations for everyone) We loved our bottom level room and it was much cheaper. If cheapest is your main objective, Oceania not your pick. If affordable luxury with great food, great destinations and no children, then this a great pick.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
Greetings
Thanks for the great videos. Taking my first cruise with Oceana on the marina ship out of Barcelona on November 13, transatlantic to Miami arriving December 3.
I’m still trying to find out if the marina ship went through a refurbishment to upgrade all the rooms. I read an article about it, dated back in 2022, but the photo shown on my Reservation account page shows the old configuration and not the new.
Do you have any special insight, whether or not the upgrade to the marina ship ever took place or was it delayed because of Covid?
Thank you
Pete
Just saw an article that the Marina was scheduled to debut the refurbishment for the cruise that you are on, so hopefully it gets completed.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
Bev, hope ur toe heals fast so u can continue to enjoy ur adventures!
Thanks so much. It has impacted our ability to go on hikes, but it is starting to feel better.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
The snorkeling masks were very nice. Did you do a snorkeling excursion? Looking forward to seeing North island of New Zealand. Will you be doing more of Australia?
We brought our own masks. We love the full face type. We did several excursions on the cruise. Nothing more in Australia, but heading to some cool places in Indonesia.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
Great review!
One of our main concerns with Oceania was the "stuffiness" factor! It's reassuring for you to say it was pretty chill!
So slacks and polo are ok for dinners?
Thanks. If you watch our videos, you know we aren’t “stuffy”. We don’t do many cruises, but are booked on another next year.
Slacks and polo fine for dinner.
Glad we could help.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
@@RetirementTravelers We just tried Virgin Voyages and I think you would like them as well. Higher end but very laid back...
@@phrewilly8556 Thanks for the tip. We will give them a try.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
Nice info. We’re looking at a repositioning cruise. So hard to decide!
Thanks. There are so many choices, it can be overwhelming. We haven't done a repositioning cruise yet, but we are on the lookout.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
We just did a repositioning cruise on the Oceania Riviera. It was absolutely incredible. I highly recommend it if you have the time. IMO, there's no better way to explore the world. Unpack once, and enjoy new experiences every day. I even took a cooking class with my wife, and totally enjoyed it.
@@DaveM-FFB That’s great. Oceania is amazing!
John and Bev
How was the internet. I still work remotely and need to be able to have zoom meetings.
It wasn't cheap, but it worked well enough for a cruise. FYI You can only use 1 device at a time, so you do have to switch back and forth for phone/laptop.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/
I'm sold. 😊
Great! Hope you enjoy.
Safe travels,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
Is there an “executive lounge” on Regatta on the Suite level?
Not that we know about. It may just be the larger Oceania Ships, but please confirm with Oceania.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
@@RetirementTravelers
Thanks. We were on the Insignia on Dec /transoceanic Rome to Miami - was a nice feature. We are on Regatta LA to Vancouver and did not notice one.
What was your fare ($) per one person?
Varies greatly by cruise. Check their website. We always pick the cheapest rooms at bottom of boat.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
We haven't tried Oceania yet, but after a celebrity through southeast Asia in 2019, we were nearly done with cruises. Way too many people!!! Horrible health practices, too many passengers touching buffet foods with hands.
Oceania employees served all the food and it was a smooth process.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
Price??
Oceania is more expensive than cruises like Royal Caribbean, but the quality of food is OUTSTANDING! There is also no kids. If you are looking for a relaxing and quiet cruise, going to interesting places, and great food. This is it. Also, we stay on the bottom level (cheapest) on cruises and it is just fine.
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com
I have heard the showers are tight.
We lived in an RV for two years, so didn't bother us much.
Happy journeys,
John and Bev
retirementtravelers.com/