We were very disappointed in two aspects of this cruise. One, the staterooms were old, small and outdated. We paid for a concierge-level verandah, which we do on all cruises we take. The room was smaller than we are used to, and the bathroom was awful. The bathroom was similar to airplane bathrooms with the addition of a small shower which was nearly impossible to turn around in and not possible to dry oneself in. In addition, it often had a mild sewage smell.

We paid for what we thought was a luxury cruise, but I do not rate it as such. Oceania advertises its cruises as being for "foodies." This is so untrue! The food in the main dining room was very uneven. Some was fairly good, but not of gourmet quality. Some was inedible. I complained on the mid-cruise evaluation and was called by the chef. When I specified exactly what was wrong, he became rather defensive, saying that some people like the food. I will say that the two upscale dining rooms were quite good and much more consistent. We ate there whenever we could get reservations. We liked that there is not an uncharge for these restaurants.

Oceania is a little sneaky and unclear about just what expenses are covered in the cruise price and what are not. We were told that our service charges were included, but we had to renegotiate this once onboard. We knew in advance that alcohol was not included, but we were appalled at the prices of wine and the "service charge" added to each bottle. Read more