The cruise was generally satisfactory. The food, with some exceptions (such as the Polo Grill steak house) was quite good. The staff throughout the ship was helpful and pleasant, and it does a good job in necessary tasks such as waiter/waitress service, housekeeping, the selection of local guides, etc. My only significant complaint, and one noted by several other passengers, is that communications are only poor to adequate, leading to passenger confusion and other problems. Here are some examples.

The Oceania information on the shore excursions frequently does not match either with other explanations or with the actual tour. For example, the program guide might state that a tour leaves at 8:30 a.m. while the ticket might state 8:45 a.m. One couple missed a tour due to the confusion on times. Nearly every tour left later than the times listed, usually by 15 to 20 minutes.

A glaring example of poor communications was on the Rome Italy day for CIV-025, Ostia Antica. The brochure description is 2 walking figures (moderate exertion on a 1 – 3 scale). The only written description is “Inside visit of the archeological area.” The tour actually involves some quite strenuous walking on very uneven paths largely unchanged in about 2,000 years, and is certainly a 3 figure effort according to nearly everyone who went. Read more