This was our first Oceania cruise. We are avid cruisers in our mid to late fifties sailing on thirty some voyages on many different cruise lines. Celebrity has been our "go to" for years booking "Aqua Class" staterooms and achieving "Elite Plus" status. We have always wanted to try Oceania as we know quite a few people that have experienced their ships from the old "R" class to the current "O" class with Marina and Riviera. We picked this particular cruise as it was strictly for "R and R" as we had visited almost all the ports. We really wanted to experience a more upscale ship which offered premium dining as well more refined service on a beautiful smaller ship. In other words, would this cruise experience offer excellent value for the premium dollars paid? You always wonder when a cruise line spends so much of their budget on sending you countless upscale beautiful brochures on a weekly basis and you read the hype and say: "Are they for real?"

Lets say our expectations were met if not exceeded! I have given this cruise a five star rating as overall we had an excellent experience. Lets start with the ship: age demographic, average age was seventy to seventy-five years young, so we were on the younger side, which may sound funny, most passengers were American and Canadian with some Europeans present. At four years old the ship is in excellent condition, from the public areas to the staterooms, a little wear and tear was noticed on the furniture in our stateroom as well balcony, rust was noticeable on the steel, our seat cushions were dirty but were quickly replaced. A larger table to eat breakfast at and foot stools are a glaring omission on the verandah as there is plenty of room to accommodate these. The stateroom was larger than most, very well appointed and the bathroom was the real highlight with a full size bath tub and separate shower stall. Everything is in marble, very tasteful. We booked Concierge Class, almost mid ship right across from the elevators. Access to everything was excellent at this location but it was a little noisy in the morning with people traffic so we would book away from this location in the future. Concierge class was definitely worth the extra money spent as you received some additional perks, the most important one being the private Spa Terrace with an infinity type pool with whirlpool therapy and showers to boot. A very pleasurable sanctuary. You also receive "champagne" not Cremant French sparkling wine which was a touch of class, as well complimentary pressing of clothes, shoe shine and a host of other luxuries. In our opinion well worth the additional cost.

The ship was elegant in an understated way, top quality furnishings throughout the public areas without being ostentatious.The main "Grand" dining room is huge and was like eating in a five star hotel restaurant in the grand hotels of Europe or North America. The Canyon Spa Ranch area, gym and all other areas of the ship were top notch. So much of this ship was under utilized and the sports deck, spa area, gym and countless other venues were deserted. This ship was sold out with 1250 guests on board, you would not know it! Read more