I have been reading with great interest R vs. O comparisons. We are R regulars and have cruised on all of their ships past and present. We have always been more than satisfied with our experience. We planned to do an SA cruise this winter, but could not get away early enough to do the Mariner which sailed in mid January. So, we booked a B2B on Insignia from Valparaiso to Rio. We place a premium on space and were able to get an OS for both legs of the trip. We knew that R was more expensive than O, but timing rather than cost led us to book O. Having nothing better to do on a Saturday morning, I thought I would put pencil to paper and calculate the difference. Wow! Someone tell me where I am wrong!

I compared fares of the Mariner suite on R to the OS on O (Mariner suite is 650 sq ft with 50sq ft deck – OS is 622 sq ft with 340 sq ft deck).

The R fare for a Mariner suite from Lima to BA is $28595 pp – a 20 day itin for a per diem of $1450 pp. Extending this to 28 days (the length of our itin) takes it to $40,600 pp.

The O fare for the 28 days after deducting air credit and B2B discount comes to $15,000 pp. – and this includes prepaid gratuities for the first leg!

Can this be accurate? Granted, the intins are not the same but should be comparable – the all inclusive arrangement on R is understood, but the comparability of suites and assessments of service and food often compare the two as equal.

For the two of us it’s 30K vs. 80K. That is a stunning difference. Someone tell me where I’m wrong.

Ted, seems accurate to me...but am sure someone w/more actuarial acumen will answer...in any case
hope you both have a terrific south america cruise adventure..can't wait to hear about it...r/wes

Wow, quite a comparison if it's pretty well apples to apples.

I'm going to be very interested to hear your reports about O since we are considering this itinerary for 2010, albeit not in the OS! :rolleyes:

When I look at the PH3 fares for the February 09 trip on this route, after subtracting the air credit, it's something like ~$7K pp (I think). This trip is 19 days.

The Regent trip of similar magnitude, I see the 15 day Buenos Aires to Valparaiso on Mariner. Shorter, obviously. For an H standard cabin, I see $10.5K pp. That's plus air as well. Big difference.

I think Kathy (ChatKat) said somewhere recently that they spent $100-125 per day on drinks of various kinds. So add $2K to the above figure for ). Still cheaper, depending on how much you drink of course.

Wendy, we were originally booked (PH1) on Oceania for their SA itinerary, similar to the Mariner's itinerary but longer by one day...yes, in the analysis O is cheaper. As I told Ted and Kathy (sent her many private messages asking about O)--it is a celebration of my retirement and from firsthand experience we know how special Regent is--we switched to the Regent itinerary...r/wes

I have almost 100 days on R - usually in G - and only 12 days on O in a Penthouse. Those accomodations are pretty equal. I did a comparison on the CC O Board this week.

I think O is about 90 - 95% of R overall in quality. The math came out about the same as you have it for your numbers. We looked at the Baltics and made a comparison - Regent does only 7 day itineraries and O does 14 days. Fare was the same - but we could not get the Penthouse and took a Concierge. We figure it will cost us about $2000 for onboard expenses. We like really good wines and they had packages where if you bought multiple bottles you got a discount so the Sommlier had free pour wines for us, We had the stewardess keep us supplied with water so we did not have to sign for it and so we will pay for water. And we love the all CCC and non-smoking. The average passenger is slightly younger and is well educated but not quite as sophisticated. The public rooms are very comfortable and there is a lot of interaction among the guests. We had a lot of fun in the Piano Bar - they played Name that Tune after the show several nights. And the piano bar (called Martini's) is adjacent to the Casino.
The had Trivia and Tea just like R.

I don't think you could go wrong but you have to weigh if 95% for 1/2 price is acceptable to you. It is for us.

I will weigh the purpose of the trip, the itinerary, the date and cabins available, but for me, Oceania is a great value for a very similar product.

Does anyone know what the posted fares on Oceania's website includes? Do they include port and other taxes? Is there a rule-of-thumb you can use to calculate the air credit (I'm assuming $500, but I believe it varies.) Trying to compare apples to apples without actual quotes.

I admit it might be better to try Oceania on a shorter itinerary, just to get the feel of it.

But I'm looking quite far out. Here's another comparison, albeit with 2009 Regent fares to 2008 Oceania fares for very similar cruises, both with included air, brochure and discounted prices:

Mariner, Buenos Aires to Valparaiso, Feb. 2009, 15 nights:

CLASS G $14,595 $10,950
MARINER SUITE $38,395 $28,795

Insignia, Valparaiso to Buenos Aires, Feb. 2008, 16 nights:

PH3 $12598 $6699
OS $18998 $9999

I see a substantial saving in both categories I believe (discounting the year, and ignoring the difference in percentage discount), but I also see that Regent has a *much* steeper gradient of prices in the large suites. So the OS on Oceania really does come out looking like an amazing bargain and ditto the Vista Suite, if you don't mind being aft or stern. The 2 Vista suites aft on deck 6 look great to me.

Maybe if our house sale goes well in the spring we can start planning this trip with a nice-sized suite! Then again, an A3 looks pretty good at $5599.

Wendy, thanks for those figures.

From what I understand the PH suites in O are very comparable to Standard cabins in Mariner. So the comparison of a PP per diem of $730 in Mariner vs. $419 in Insignia yields a big difference. It obviously more that covers for drinks and tips.

On our B2B which I based my figures on, the air credit is $880pp for each segment or a total of $3500. I deducted this because the R fare did not include air. I left port fees and taxes ut of both sides assuming they would be close.

Mariner has a walk in closet and O's closet is two double cabinets with dresser drawers; Bathroom on O is slightly smaller with Shower over tub and the usual other amenities. O has a full 36" round table with chairs for dining and a nice couch in the room. Room is bigger and the verandah is nicer as well with foot stools for the chairs so you can put your feet up while you use the patio. The Penthouse (PH-1-2-3 on O - is comparable to a standard suite (D-H category on Mariner) I do have photos I will try to upload later.



Here are a few: http://www.pbase.com/chatkat/gallery/the_nautica_cabin

Go for the higher up Vista Suite or your view is of the bow and lots of equipment with limited ocean view.

Oh interesting. I hadn't thought of that!

All the Penthouse cabins are on Deck 8

Wendy,
I am sorry that I have been unable to join in sooner but we have had brief service over the past few days.

Oceania fares on the web include cruise plus economy air. They do not have port fees per se but have government taxes and fees which run several hundred dollars per person and also air taxes and fuel surcharges. Air taxes are also several hundred dollars per person. If you handle your own air you will receive an air credit and do not pay the air taxes. Fuel surcharges for 2008 are $7 per person per day. The air credit can be $250 for Caribbean and $500-750 for Europe.

I agree with Kathy's assessment. While I enjoy that Regent is all-inclusive, I do feel Oceania has some very interesting itineraries and pricing that is hard to beat and would not hesitate to recommend them as a quality experience.

That's okay Susan, this is just idle talk about the possibilities. I'm determined to try them one of these days.

Wendy,
It is always fun to dream about the future and nothing better than cruising thoughts.

Yes, only thing better is a real cruise! Like the one you're on! Hope it's been a blast.

Go with the aft cabins..OS ..they are very private...

We have just gotten back from 16 days on the Insignia BA to Valparaiso in a PH3. The ship is beautiful,the food exceptional in all venues. We never waited for a table, but we did agree to share and by doing so,met a lot of lovely and interesting people. Our suite was very nice and roomy and the beds were wonderful...the bathroom was most adequate and certainly had lots of storage.The having to sign for water or cokes or wine or bar drink is a non issue as far as I am concerned..you can ask for and get a glass of iced water in any bar or restaurant and there is no charge.Our experience with both Oceania and B&K has been a joy and we will do it again. BTW the ship handled beautifully and the staff was a happy staff..which makes for happy passengers.