Oceana Review

4.0 / 5.0
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Enjoyable Cruise on Board P&O Oceana

Review for the Eastern Mediterranean Cruise on Oceana
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Phil3468
6-10 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Jun 2017
Cabin: Inside Twin with Shower

Sailed on P&O Oceana from June into July 2017. Fly cruise from Malta and sailed Central Med visiting Croatia, Italy and Greek Islands. I have sailed with P&O previously and was somewhat anxious having read some of the reviews about this ship before sailing. I had no reason to be. I joined the ship and despite a delayed flight the crew members got us on board as quickly as they could and without fuss. The itinerary was fine and although there were just two ports that I didn't enjoy, which I feel should not have been part of that itinerary it didn't spoil anything for me or for those those travelling in my party. I understand the ship is due for a re-fit later this year and that may be necessary in some areas but overall I found the ship to be very clean, furniture more than comfortable and the staff very hardworking, polite and professional. The reports of furniture being threadbare and the ship looking tired and rusty were without foundation. The atrium is majestic and I spent some time during the early hours of one morning taking photographs of the interior of the ship and it was at this time I saw the cleaning staff working very hard to maintain its high standard of cleanliness. The restaurant was well run and I had no complaints about the food, indeed it was excellent and the waiters were more than willing to accommodate the needs of passengers. The buffet area was well run and out of 14 days I experienced only one day when it became a bit congested. The Beach House is a must and the food served from there was splendid..a great experience at a small additional charge. I had one bad experience on this ship during my holiday that involved us missing an excursion, which was the fault of a crew member. It certainly messed up our day but it didn't spoil the cruise. I would certainly recommend this ship to anyone. Do not be put off by any negative reviews you may read the Oceana is a lovely ship and I would cruise on it again without hesitation.

Cabin Review

Inside Twin with Shower

Clean and an adequate size for an inside cabin. Cabin steward very attentive. I didn't watch the TV much and only to view news updates but the standard of the TV was poor with a very distorted picture. No other complaints

Port Reviews

Malta (Valletta)

Explored Malta alone, which was very enjoyable. Very easy to get around with public transport being widely available.

Split

Short walk into the town. Nice location with enough to see to keep you active for a few hours.

Venice

Very busy City but the cruise into Venice was excellent and watched from the top deck by many. Weather not very good but managed duck the thunder storm. Plenty to see and worthwhile doing a bit of research before you get there in order to find your way ariound.

Ravenna (Bologna)

Not a place I would want to go back to. Little there by way of interest although excursions were available from the ship they involved travelling some distances.

Dubrovnik

Intended on taking a taxi from the quayside into the City as it was cheaper than paying £5 each way for the four of us. The taxis have a set fee 13 euros into the City but the driver offered us a tour of the area around the port and then onto the view point above Dubrovnik where the cable car travels to. The driver spoke excellent English and he provided much information about the area and of Dubrovnik. He didn't rush us along and it turned out to be an excellent choice for a few extra Euros. Well worth considering as a similar excursion from the ship would have cost much much more.

Athens (Piraeus)

Left the ship intending to jump on a tour bus but we again met a taxi driver who wanted to charge us the same price as the tour bus but it meant we wouldn't be sat on a bus for a few hours. We agreed on 100 Euros (4 x 25 ) and he said he would not take any money until he returned us to the ship and if we were not satisfied with his services we did not need to pay him.

He took us to the Acropolis and en route provided much information about Piraeus and Athens. His English was excellent. He waited for 1 hour 45 mins whilst we visited the site and from there took us to three other locations including the Olympic Stadium, Government Building where we watched the changing of the guard and others. It was a very warm day in Athens as they had experienced a mini heat wave and temperatures reached 47C. Once finished he asked if we would like anything else and we requested he take us to a restaurant for lunch asking if he could recommend somewhere. He took us to a lovely restaurant that was owned by an old school friend and after introducing us said he would return in an hour and fifteen minutes. We had a delightful lunch that was not in any way expensive. Following lunch we were taken back to the ship. This was very much a good experience and treated very well by our local taxi driver (Nick). A tip was provided for an excellent service. Needless to say a similar excursion booked via the ship would have cost a lot more. Be brave and try it.

Crete (Heraklion)

Bad day because the excursion did not materialise due to an error by a crew member. Had a walk around Heraklion but it was Sunday and not everywhere was open. Beware though as my friend had his wallet taken from his rucksack. The area is apparently renowned for pick pockets but we were convinced the theft took place inside a small church just off the main road.

Katakolon (Olympia)

We walked into the port ( a short distance) and booked a coach trip into Olympia, which cost 5 euros each. However it cost about 15 euros to get into the site itself and although there is quite a bit to see there wasn't an awful lot of time to see it all because the coach only stayed at the resort for a couple of hours before returning. Quite a few shops in Olympia and when we got back to the port (Katakolon) we enjoyed a very nice beer and ice cream whilst sat on sea front. A very pleasant town.

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