The itinerary for this cruise was one we had wanted to do for a long time -- Western Caribbean or more precisely the Yucatan Peninsula and its Mayan ruins. We had never been to this part of the world before and were originally booked in a Penthouse suite on the Regent Seven Seas Navigator on the identical itinerary and were on the point of requesting we be moved to a Navigator Suite, which we had had before. Our last cruise with Regent had been somewhat of a disappointment and so we made the brave (!!) decision to change cruise lines after many cruises with Regent. We thought that the risk was minimal... sister company, same itinerary and we were really attracted by all we had seen and read about the Riviera as a brand new and very well designed ship. For less than the price of the suite on the Navigator we were able to reserve an Oceania Suite on the Riviera, add in a "drinks package" and even when we added in the excursions we wanted and the Internet Package we still saved money. The gratuities package was offered by our Travel Agent.

We flew from Switzerland to Miami via London on British Airways. We flew Business Class and were pleased with the service, food and general level of comfort. For the few days we had in Miami prior to the cruise we stayed with an old friend who, very kindly, drove us to the Port of Miami to board our ship.

Embarkation was sublimely easy! We are used to the tortuous process of embarking at Port Everglades on Regent where, in I believe 4 cruises, the computer links between the shore and ship broke down each time and where we were relegated to a terminal that was dual use -- cargo in the week, cruises on the weekends -- and in a state of general disrepair. By contrast the dedicated Oceania/Regent terminal at Miami is a joy! It is easy to reach, freshly painted, has more than adequate waiting areas, nice plants around etc. Our friend dropped us at 10.50 (we had been told to board at 11.00) and our suitcases were whisked away, we were shown to the waiting area, asked to complete the health questionnaire, and given a card with a number on it and asked to have a seat. Once seated I looked at the number -- "1". Given that there were about 100 people already waiting my first reaction was that all of them were also "1" and that we would then be asked to queue to register and board. Then I noticed 3 lines, marked off by ropes and by carpeting. And very promptly at 11.00 our number was called. There were at least 10 desks open and without any wait at all we were shown to one of them. Read more