We picked this Oceania cruise because of its itinerary, in particular Al Hambra, Canary Islands and Tangiers (among others). We were lucky to score stateroom 6004 (port side very near the sharp end), which whilst having no balcony, had instead added interior space, making for a larger cabin. We appreciated the extra space as we were travelling for 2 months and had lots of luggage.
Sirena has recently been totally refurbished and while the walls of cabins and bathrooms are not easily moved, the somewhat tiny bathroom had been fitted with glass doors (previously curtains we are told) and swung both out and inwards into the shower to give that extra room for towelling down. Clever!
The ship's layout is remarkably like the much bigger Marina, but has about half the guest capacity at 680; despite the smaller ship, public areas and dining were remarkably roomy.
Cabin was great, larger than most as the "balcony area" was inside the cabin (see room layouts). Shower was great- glass doors rather than curtains- and the glass doors hinge into the shower as well as out; making it easier to towel down in what is a pretty small bathroom.
Bed; great! seating also good because of the increased room area.
Fridge is a bonus! Should be a standard always!
Enjoyable cruise. Could have been better if there weren't changes to the itinerary (shorter shore visits).
We have been there before. Did our own thing this time. Tried to take the elevator to Castell de la Santa Barbara, but there was a queue several hundred meters long so we opted for a hop-on hop-off bus (which no longer goes up to the Castell) and spent the day exploring and visiting the Alicante Markets. Very interesting!
Private tour, arranged before the cruise. We ordered an English speaking operator but she spoke more in Spanish than English. We had to walk a long way to the coach as well. However, the scenery and attractions were worth it.
Private tour, arranged before the cruise.Not as good as other tours. Guide spoke "not good" English, even though we booked an English speaking tour.
Old Roman amphitiatre being restored was the best. Rest of town was a tourist trap..
Tourist trap. Expensive. Service pretty average. Ask for a taxi at your hotel and they quote E120 for a Merc limo. Local bus service was great and cheap at E4!
We have been to Barcelona six times, most often by Eurail Pass. This time we flew in from Australia one day before the cruise in order to get over jet lag (16 hours air travel). We love Barcelona, Gaudi, Sagrada Familia and La Rambla!