Embarkation went very smoothly and we were soon in our cabin (deluxe outside) C156. This was very roomy with plenty of hanging space and a useful sitting area. This was our first cruise on Oriana since her refit and we were impressed. She looked pristine. All public areas were much better than before but the greatest improvement was the Conservatory. It is now a light and airy place with fresh tiles and some very good art work. We eat here on a couple of occasions and it was so much better than before.

Not everything was perfect. The unthoughtful people on the previous cruise had drunk all the "Jaipur IPA" and even though it was obviously very popular no one had bothered to restock. Shame.

Oriana needed some essential repair work(???) so we missed the port of Corigliano Calabro having overnight stays in Civitavecchia and Salerno instead. Unfortunately we also missed out on Marseille due to weather conditions - although I did wonder if the essential repair work also was a factor here. Read more