Oceana Review
Oceana - pretty average cruise, good ports though
Rating by category
Additional details
We were on the Genoa to Venice 7 night cruise in May 2016.
Never had such an efficient embarkation process, left Gatwick just after six in the morning and was onboard for breakfast. This gave us time to visit Genoa as well which we had thought we would not be able to do.
I enjoyed all of the ports that we visited (Livorno, Naples, Dubrovnik and Venice) and the weather was pretty good for May.
Cabin Review
Inside Twin with Shower
Directly above Starlights, not only do you hear every performance - you hear the rehearsals as well. If you have this cabin, make sure that you take earplugs which will muffle the sound.
When the room had a queen bed configuration there was no bedside table on one side and the corner of the bed was against the wardrobe.
Port Reviews
Genoa
Easy walk into the town.
Naples
We had visited Naples several times in the past. We looked on Tip Advisor and as a result visited the Galleria Borbinica. We were able to walk from the ship and whilst it was hard to find (the entrance we went in through was via a public car park!). Make sure you get a tourist map from tourist info which is in the port and write down the name of it. We then used this to keep getting directions. There is lots of info on Trip Advisor - it really is very interesting with excellent volunteer guides. We stopped for a lovely lunch on the seafront on our way back.
There is so much to do in this area that you can visit over and over again.
Dubrovnik
A lovely, lovely city. Our ship was charging £10 return for a shuttle bus. It cost about £2.50 return to use the public bus directly outside the port entrance (you pay in Kunos). Buy tickets at little kiosk and wait at the bus stop on the road for bus 1A (other buses do go, you will have to check which ones at the kiosk). The buses are very crowded so it may not be for everybody - but they do go to exactly the same place as the shuttle bus. Taxis were charging about 10 euros each way.
If possible walk the city walls early in the morning when cooler and less crowded - you can pay by credit card or in Kunos. Many other places will take Euros, including the market and coffee bars.
Venice
We went into Venice using the People Mover which cost 1 Euro 50 cents each way. It takes you to the Piazelle Roma on the other side of Venice to St Marks Square - but is a lovely walk though. (or if you walk across the square of the Piazelle Roma there is a water bus stop near the bridge). One of the good things about walking through this way is that you walk past lots of small, very reasonable coffee shops with free wifi and it is great to take time to just watch the world go by (we paid 5 Euros for a large cappuccino and quarter litre of wine)
The Rialto Bridge is currently being renovated and you cannot see it at all, but still go as the Grand Canal is lovely at that point. Visit St Marks Basilica later in the day if possible, the queues are shorter. If you want to visit the Doges Palace, buy tickets online in advance to avoid the queues - it is stunning and well worth a visit.