Just came back from Msc Bellissima ,we booked a year ago . This is our 15 th cruise ,second time on Msc.We were so looking forward as Msc Splendida was perfect. But unfortunately this one no.Inside cabin very small,buffet always same food. The only positive place was the Lighthouse Restaurant staff very nice especially our Waiter Antonio and his wife Sandy.Food was very good and health there.Its the only place we looked forward . Every day at 5 pm huge noise of a drill every single day.So never a siesta. I think Msc are building too many ships in short time ,and things are not being done in good details.Changing of ceiling screen is nice but not everything. We look for nice details,Doors from were you can go to see the sea on most floors. Italian shows used to be better,Cirque de soleil was very nice ,but cancelled once so many missed it . Read Less

We are a family of 4, been cruising for several years now. Was our first time on mein schiff 6 and definetely the last. The advertisments for this cruise show smiling people having a good time but none such person was in sight on this cruise. In all our travel we have never experienced anything like that. During the whole week we were treated like rubbish by other passengers. Our son was even physically abused by an old man in the pool. He pushed him under the water and smashed him to the wall of the pool. All of this happened because a 10yr old boy splashed some water while swimming. By the way the man was over 1m away. When reported we were told that the man was pissed off. As if it is acceptable to physically and verbally abuse children. Cruise personnel were helpful and polite. Food choice was good. Hygiene excellent. Balcony cabin was small for 4 persons. Was always clean and ready. No entertainment during the day which made days at sea boring. Shore excursions were taken with maltese rep. Most passengers we met were selfless and arrogant, so to all people who would like a nice relaxing holiday for the family don't even try to consider going on a Mein schiff. Mein schiff is catered for german people only and not for any other nationality. Read Less

Could not fault anything from this cruise - size of ship, all staff and crew, food, excursions (and the guides). It was a very smooth embarkation and disembarkation, staff were very helpful. Cabin was kept very clean thanks to our excellent cabin steward Agostinho. Really enjoyed the food (in the dining room and buffet) and the entertainment. The ship was ideal for us as it is mid size. Liked the shaded adult pool at the back of the ship. We found the drinks to be pub prices so no need for a package for us. The fee for the speciality dining we found was reasonable (but chose to eat in the dining room) . Loved the entertainment in the theatres, also the afternoon quizzes. We like to dress for the formal evenings and found that most people did as well. We booked 3 shore excursions and found these to be good value, the guides were very knowledgeable. We were happy with the food served in the Adriatic restaurant and the variety, the staff were very accommodating. In the Plaza buffet, again, the food was of a good quality and staff accommodating. We like the theme night at the buffet, one night was Indian - delicious. Our cabin was kept very clean, the steward vert helpful and friendly. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our time on Oceana. We hope to sail on this ship again. Thank you to all crew and staff for a very enjoyable cruise. Read Less

The Oceana was recommended to us be relatives who had sailed on her many times. We stayed in cabin B405 (mini suite), the cabin was excellent and our cabin steward was outstanding however the balcony was slightly narrow. Our cabin steward could not do enough for us and she was very friendly. The ship was very clean and the staff were extremely friendly. There was an extensive range of entertainment however I feel that the entertainment was a bit lacking. I also thought that the music on the Lido Deck was a bit too loud so I preferred to stay towards the front of the ship on deck 14 as this was very quiet and relaxed. The dining was outstanding I tried the Ligurian, Cafe Jardin and The Plaza. The food was exceptional in all areas and the staff were very attentive. The ports of call were extremely convenient and the excursions arranged through P&O were excellent. Read Less

We are an American family of four with two kids 18 and 16. We have cruised many times before but not on MSC and not in Europe. We had a great cruise! The food, service and overall experience exceeded our expectations. We had a duplex suite which had plenty of room and great views. We made the most of th drink package and the bartenders and waiters were great. We really enjoyed the food at the regular dining room - great service and great views while we enjoyed the great food. We also tried the chop steakhouse and tapas bar - both great. Plenty of hot tubs and room on the ship. The excursions were also great we did the ebike tour in Genoa, Amalfi coast tour, beach in Messina and bus tour in Barcelona. In Malta we just walked off the ship which was nice we were able to walk through downtown which was beautiful. I can’t say enough good things about the ship staff they were so friendly and exceeded our expectations. We will definitely cruise MSC again and thank them for a wonderful cruise. Read Less

Rooms are like prison cells. Bathroom is tiny you literally can’t move in it. For a ship of this capacity the swimming pool is the size of a bath. The outdated rules of no shorts gets boring especially when men are allowed to dinner in scruffy Adidas trainers. Not only are you woken up early with the annoying, pointless announcements but the ship is a dictatorship. Never cruised before and because we booked through a 3rd party we weren’t informed of the dinner attire rules, we was reprimanded for not booking direct with p&o but p&o still accepted the booking and happily took our money via 3rd party. Avoid this ship. It’s tired and lacking any character or luxury. You can hear every noise the cabin next door/ above makes also. Drawers constantly being pulled in and out. Entertainment was dated and not much for children in fact the only child’s disco that was organised what set at the same time of the black tie event so nobody showed up. When eating at the buffet you practically had to beg the waiters to take your drinks order otherwise they just avoid you. I went and asked one to order a drink and he told me to go to the bar. Many of the wait staff are arrogant and unhelpful. Would never cruise again and would advise anyone considering it to avoid the Oceana. Ports were efficient and no problems going through just don’t forget crew card. Upon disembarking you have to provide your crew card of which this was taken off of us when we checked out at reception. As stated before we have never cruised and as no information was given to us as they assume every passenger has done many cruises it caused a confusion and delayed us getting off the boat as we no longer had our cards. Then the man started shouting over me aggressively when I was pointing out that reception staff should not have taken my card if I needed it to disembark and leave the cruise. Read Less

We choose this cruise as we wanted to see Greece & Croatia as not been before. We loved every port we visited, Mykonos was my favourite and the wife’s was Venice & Dubrovnik. The ships food was amazing. So much to choose from every night. The waiters looked after us with extra chips and veg & Ice cream every night. The headliners were the best I’ve seen on any cruise, we loved the killer queen & musical shows. Also north by northeast singers were really good. Around the pool was really busy on sun days but as I’d get the pool at 8.45 it was easy to get beds. After 9 it was hard to get one in front of the pool. Service for drinks was great and not long to wait. My favourites bar was winners with football on and the casino was great and wasn’t busy so always a seat. Le club was great for a dance and was in there most nights. Stayed open till 2 but you could get a drink in and stay till 3am. Peroni on draught was good and they had doom bar in big bottles which I like. Our kids 11 & 13 girls loved the kids clubs and soon made friends. The only tours we Done was In Dubrovnik the game of thrones walking tour. That was amazing but hard going as very hot and a lot of steps. But me and my wife enjoyed seeing all the locations and the views. Also in split we went on the KrKa waterfalls tour which we didn’t enjoy that much as it was a long day on the coach and very rushed so didn’t get to enjoy the walk in the park and not much time to have a swim. I love this ship as it’s a smaller one so not hard to get seats for shows and space in bars and casino. Would definitely cruise again on oceana as staff are friendly and like the less busy areas. Read Less

My wife and I have cruised about seven times from the Caribbean through the Med: 5 with Thomson on various vessels and latterly on Britannia with P&O. The cruise on board OCEANA on 11th July to the Greek islands was the latest and the most disappointing. What we liked: The Atrium, reception area and the Costa coffee section was second to none. The shops were brilliant and my wife has no complaint there. The sun deck was good although crowded (not unusual for a day at sea etc). The cabin was spacious and wardrobe space more than adequate. What was wrong: the general points . . . 1. The ship decor was drab throughout 2. The lifts were unpredictable and extremely slow 3. We found the buffet food monotonous. Often we found there were no tea spoons available and we had to ask one of the officers in white to provide some. Once a female crew member who was responsible for providing a tray with cutlery repeatedly provided two forks without a knife or two knives without a fork etc. Twice during the voyage this happened to us. We found the crew to be rather sullen and didnt seem to want to interact with passengers. One actually made an inappropriate comment when the wife and I were making a decision on any pudding/sweet: I just joked with my wife saying they were fattening and this male commented: "Too late Sir". He then asked my wife and I had a twin brother (for what reason I do not know). The next time I saw him he rotated his eyes in different directions independently and he thought it was funny. I was not sure what his objective was. This occurred in the buffet by the way on two separate days. Specifically to us: 1. The bathroom was antiquated and particularly the toilet bowl had a black ring around it when we embarked which remained there throughout the voyage. The television was small and the programmes repetitive. There was only one three-pin socket to the entire cabin and that was used for tea making. The lack of sockets was very inconvenient. 2. I unfortunately cut my ankle slightly on the first day which bled overnight and which stained the lower sheet. That sheet remained on the bed and was not changed throughout the voyage. The cabin steward on a few occasions failed to replenish the coffee/tea making facilities and once failed to provide cups/mugs and we had to ask reception to get him to bring them along. 3. We were freedom dining: We often had to wait up to 45 minutes to get a table and this seemed to be case whenever we attended the Ligurian to dine. The service in the Ligurian was slow and often we had to attract attention that we were waiting another course. Again the waiting staff did not seem that interested in providing a good service. A factor which irritated us in particular was black tie nights. This was the first time I decided not to take a dinner suit or black tie. We were denied access during the two black tie nights in both the Ligurian and the Adriatic restaurants (on a 7 night cruise) and we had to eat in the buffet. This was not what we expected from P&O and has completely shattered our confidence. Frankly we were glad when we arrived at Malta so we could get off the ship. We are not going P&O again: Having written to them expressing our disappointment and pointing out our points we eventually received a wholly dismissive letter which implied either we were exaggerating or just a pair of natural complainers. that in itself was enough to put us off going with them again - this is the first time we have complained on any holiday (land or cruise) Read Less

Food in the MDR was good. So was le Jardin and the Beach House. Also sampled the Asian lunch taster. The Headliners provided excellent entertainment as per usual. The room was clean however there was a constant odour from the toilet even after it had been evidently cleaned. (Suspect old piping etc) Travelled with a child who constantly used the small sports area with goals, a net for tennis and a basketball hoop. The weather was excellent throughout the cruise. The cabin was an outside cabin as no balconies available for families when I booked. The room was bigger than we had feared however there was no private area to get changed outside the bathroom, which was definitely to small to do so. All the crew were nice and friendly. The public areas were in good condition. Used the kids club once and the lad enjoyed. We would travel on the Oceana again. Read Less

I need to preference the review by saying this is for the Yacht Club. I can't speak to other cabins or dinning. Firstly, Yacht Club is the only way I'd do this ship. The service is insanely good. We existed the cab in Barcelona and before I could determine where I needed to be, someone from MSC spotted my yacht club tag and escorted us immediately to a private area with drinks and food ready. Within 30 minutes we were on the ship in the private Yacht Club lounge and had our wristbands and in the Cabin. Our bags were shortly behind. The Yacht Club has a private lounge with breakfast, afternoon snack, and music nightly. The private restaurant is overlooking that, and the private pool area has breakfast and lunch too with a pool and hot tubs. In this area, you're never asked for you room number or asked swipe a card for a drink, simply ask and it comes. The food is excellent in all the areas and the whole time I didn't have a single thing that I did not like. For lunch I opted for the pool area and had anything from fish to steak. The breakfast was cooked to order along with hot and cold selections. The attention is on details here. You must remember that the company picks the brightest employees to work on this part of the ship. The Yacht Club has a dedicated elevator, so you rarely wait to get to other parts of the ship. The Butler service is fantastic, and they bring you anything day or night. Feel like another drink, but already in PJs, not a problem, just pick up the phone and it appears. You have special robes, towels, private concierge, etc. You truly have a private part of the ship. For your excursions, your butler meets you in the lounge and walks you directly off the ship. When we returned to the ship after the excursion, our butler was waiting at the bottom of the gangway to bring us back to the room. so are the other parts of the ship crowded? Sometimes, yes, I mean the ship is huge so sometimes certain parts may seem crowded. My kids sometimes enjoyed the buffet while at kid’s club and never had a bad thing to say, the main buffet always looked good and clean. The water parks and slides are fun and zip-line is included with Yacht Club as is the gelato. You can get a drink anywhere, just show them your band and they scan it. We did try the thermals, again included with Yacht club, but they were often crowded, and yes sometimes wet towels were left around. I wish they were a bit larger, but I bet it depend on the sailing because they are expensive to access with Yacht Club, I think $50 per day. The ship speaks many languages, so yes, many non-Americans. Look, you’re on a Mediterranean cruise and you mustn’t expect everyone to be American and yes you might find some other cultures rude, but perhaps it’s you and not them. If you want the USA experience stick carnival cruise or Disney. I enjoy being around people of other cultures. We also loved the shows. Read Less

We chose Oceana because it offered us the ports we wanted to visit , unfortunately due to force 9 gales our itinerary was completely altered this I appreciate was done for our safety but non the less was very disappointing. Many passengers were sea sick but we all managed not to succumb, although 2 days later I caught Noro virus and was confined to my cabin in order not to spread it to other passengers. Whilst confined to my cabin I watched from my balcony passengers returning from trips ashore and noticed many people failing to use the hand gel provided, had P&O insisted on this important safeguard maybe I could have avoided the Noro virus. Get your act together P&O.The ship generally was fine in the public areas but the cabins were very shabby and tired looking, also wasn't happy about the drinks prep area being infront of the mirror were you did your hair, not hygenic. Read Less

Probably our last tip with P&O. It used to be the small details that made the difference with them, now they seem to be disappearing. The little dish of sweets in the cabin have gone, the nice biscuits have been replaced with cheap rubbish, buffet food has gone downhill badly and the new alcohol policy just smacks of penny pinching. Oceana herself is a lovely old ship but she is old and clearly cutbacks are being made on the maintenance side of things as well, despite the recent refit she does look shabby. Fortunately most of the crew are still excellent, bar, waiting and cabin staff, you always get the odd one but generally very good. Apparently next year P&O are scrapping the service charge so you as they are giving all their staff a pay rise, so expect prices to go up pretty soon to reflect this! I expected more from P&O but every year we travel with them the standards seem to slip even further, how a couple of the feature acts got gigs on there is beyond me. With prices constantly increasing, as much fun as it is to cruise, I think we will think long and hard about another one and will certainly be looking beyond P&O Read Less

We were celebrating our wedding anniversary, originally we wanted to sail on Queen Elizabeth to Venice, but that was full ! The only alternative on our dates was the Oceana, a ship we have never sailed in before, to say we were 'disappointed' with this 20 year old ship (previously owned by Princess cruises) would be a gross over statement. If you like paying over £5 grand for a broom cupboard for two weeks, then, the Oceana should be YOUR first choice!!!. We appreciate the fact that Oceana had a £30 million refit last December in Germany but that money was spent on the general public areas, NOT in the TINY cabins (the smallest we have ever experienced in 18 years cruising).Our cabin was supposed to be an 'upgrade'!!!! we had asked for a double bed instead of two singles, when we opened the door for the first time we were greeted with a TINY cabin 'full' of a standard 5' double bed with another single bed hanging from the wall!!!!!!!!!!!!! This made access to one side of the bed impossible, the mattresses were very soft, old & in need of urgent replacement, we survived by me turning over the mattresses to find the firmer base side to lay on From day one our trip was constantly interrupted by the ships workmen who were conducting repairs all over the ship with resultant closures of walkways & awful paint smells. Due to 'some bad weather for one day', our intended port of call in Dubrovnik was cancelled & replaced with a lesser port in Zadar!!!!!!!!! (anyone heard of this place???) then, Ravenna & Mykonos were replaced with another obscure location in Katokolon! (anyone heard of this place,????) All have cheaper port charges to those advertised & for what we paid a huge The food served in Adriatic restaurant was constantly returned by fellow travellers as either tough/tasteless or had very hard undercooked vegetables. (Tomato soup smelt of burning gearbox oil). The Plaza buffet was the usual 'bunfight' at mealtimes, nothing changes with certain peoples disgusting eating habits. Entertainment, apart from Dean Stainsbury & Tucker, was way below previous expectations & in need of some serious investment. From our perspective & that of other guests, & in the light of P&O's latest creation Iona being launched shortly, Oceana is being tarted up for imminent disposal. In summary, I would certainly NOT invest my money buying accomodation in such a decrepid old ship, but, as I said at the beginning it was all that was available to me at that time for the ports we wished to sail into. Our cruise finally ended with a 3 hour departure delay at Malta airport, when we got back to Gatwick we found that our cases & their contents were ALL SOAKED through (ongoing claims) caused by the baggage handlers dumping our cases on the tarmac during heavy rain & walking away leaving them to get wet!!!!!!!!!! Bad experience, NEVER AGAIN.! Read Less

our holiday was way beyond all expectations we saved hard for this holiday and we were not disappointed in anyway, we had a fabulous time so much so that we have booked another, holiday with you we are going on the Oceana again in 2020 flying to Dubai for 15 nights on board. our head waiter was Sohall solenky he was very attentive at all times and a pleasure to talk to. the bar waiter Chris Aclan was also very pleasant and attentive. Daryl Estevan looked after me with great care he met me every morning and assisted me with breakfast and lunch. also evening dinning Aleno and Antonio were very attentive. the staff when we were boarding and going off to spend a few hours of ship the staff were also really good I cannot praise everyone enough . all the saving was well worth the trip. thanking all the team oh I nearly forgot our cabin man Kevin brilliant Read Less

I cannot agree with kimbaxters review of Oceana, and the recent cruise we were both clearly on. We have cruised several times with P&O, and with a number of other lines. The food on bord was good - yes there were some dishes that were not to my taste, but the waiters would immediately offer and fetch an alternative if they noticed I was not eating. The pool area was cleaned thoroughly every morning - I was generally up in deck early and can confirm that this was the case. All staff I came in contact with were friendly and would go out of their way to be helpful. I was however disappointed with the general behaviour of some passengers. Leaving food strewn trays and rubbish over the deck area round the pool ; speaking rudely to deck stewards; pushing in front of other guests in the buffet - I could go on! Clearly, cruising is now at a price point that appears to attract a different clientele to a few years ago. However, we had a great time. The ports were beautiful, the organised trips ( we did two) were well organised and good value. Our cabin was clean, looked after well by our steward and we loved the balcony. The entertainment was varied, and we could always find something to our taste. The highlight being Ukebox, who were fantastic, and received standing ovations. All in all, perhaps cruising has changed over the years, but I would recommend trying it to anyone! Read Less

The Ship is showing signs off age.. lots of things not working.. lifts either broken or slow. Staff are no where near as friendly as some other ships... In fact some were downright rude. There was shambles in the freedom dining with guests been handed a buzzer that would alert you when there was a free table.. a 40min wait on one occasion... we were told the buzzer would only work on that deck.... only there was no free seats anywhere on that deck!! rather than spend 40mins standing about in high heels... we went to the buffet instead... and booked the other 2 restaurants for the remaining nights The shore excursions were well organised... The Spa... offer for £50 of wash/ Blow dry and eye treatment... the girl made an average job of my hair... the same girl then handed me 2 creams and told me to apply a few drops to my eyes!! then said is it okay to put a £5 cover charge for a tip for herself!! I think not... Read Less

Family cruise of 14 nights - two adults and our sons (ages 11 and 13) in adjoining cabins. Dividing panel between balconies opened permanently by cabin steward immediately upon request making communication/access between the cabins easy. Eastern Med (inc Venice and Athens) chosen at elder son's request. We were very impressed by the ship - which despite what some say - has been substantially refurbished at vast expense. The restaurants and other 'public areas' are beautifully presented and impressive. Our cabins were very comfortable and better than they appeared in photographs - dated in style, but recently renewed wall coverings, carpeting and curtains - plus quality beds and linen. I agree the cabin balconies and their furniture are scruffy. Our cabin towels were aged (why - having spent £Ms on a refurbishment is a reasonable question?) - one even having a hole in it. Otherwise first class care of our cabins by our highly professional and friendly cabin steward. On our last day we paid £70 for late check-out and were allocated a different cabin of the same standard for the day. That presented to virtually the same standard as our previous ones - but a careless previous guest had stained the new carpet unfortunately. The w.c./shower rooms are compact - but perfectly adequate, with useful shelving and efficient showers. Water pressure to hand basins poor. Oceana IS a ship and looks like one - but those with experience of the ever larger floating blocks of flats the cruise lines are now building may not like it. Shopping is indeed quite limited - but we were not on board with shopping in mind. I had left my dress shirts at home and the shop offered a choice of styles in my collar size. Selection of books very limited in the shop - and ignore P & O's advice not to bring guidebooks from the UK if you intend to make trips ashore independently, as we did. The food was excellent in terms of quality and variety, whilst the standard of service in the restaurants and bars was superb overall. There were very occasional lapses - but to base overall comments on those few occasions out of so many would be unreasonable. On the two/three occasions we made complaint - we were listened to, apologised to and never suffered the same problem again. Without exception we found Oceana's crew flawlessly professional and virtually all, courteous and helpful too. We enjoyed a number of shows - always choosing carefully with our sons in mind. We tended to go to the pool area late afternoon on sea days - because it is very crowded from early morning until about 3.00 p.m. and it IS difficult to find sunbeds in the various pool areas. Later in the day - followed by a late dinner worked very well for us. The prices of drinks/wines are reasonable and I have no complaints on that score. We opted to pay a fixed daily service charge (per cabin) as part of our fare - and that was a mistake in our case, because it came to virtually half our total on board spending. We drank a bottle of wine each evening, a minimum couple of cocktails each day and endless soft drinks - but I suspect we could have rewarded the crew adequately by adding 15% to what we were charged each time. We paid a supplement one night to dine in 'The Beach Hut' but did not consider it a worthwhile experience in comparison to our regular dinners in the 'Ligurian Restaurant'. Paying £10 per head for the 'Indian Lunch' on a sea day was well worth it, as was our tour of the galley which cost the same. We opted for 'freedom dining' which meant we could in principle dine when we wished. This was not quite true - because on only two occasions out of 14 was a table immediately available when we presented ourselves. We enjoyed waiting and drinking cocktails - but the unpredictability of the length of our wait could be irksome. In future, I suspect we would opt for a definite 8.30 p.m. or 9.00 p.m. dining time. Those who are fit, capable and used to travelling independently will not need to pay for shore excursions - nor endure the misery of walking round in file with a number stuck on one's shirt. We met several such 'chain-gangs' from the ship during our independent travels and were glad we had opted out. P & O's services for those wishing to explore the cruise destinations independently are excellent - they made it very easy for us to do it at every port of call. Continuous shuttles from/to the ship etc. Hop on/hop off buses in Athens really useful - with tickets sold on board. Sea shuttle in Venice delivered us from the ship the quayside near St Mark's. Got a taxi to take us to a beach in Crete and to collect us at fixed fare - having found a good beach in one of the guide books. We found the 'meet and greet' at the airport and the transfer arrangements excellent - both when we joined Oceana and when travelling to the airport for our return flight from Malta. Disposal of the heavy luggage at midnight the night before departure - without seeing it again until baggage reclaim at Gatwick was bliss. Overall - we enjoyed ourselves enormously and found the cruise thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable. On reflection we might be inclined to a smaller ship on another occasion - but would certainly consider another P & O cruise and most certainly Oceana. Read Less

We choose this as our first P&O Cruise, having cruised previously with another company many times. We had high expectations due to the cost and advertising sent before we travelled. We choose the cruise based mainly on the itinerary which was very good, the ports all being excellent. The negative elements: The ship is fairly old and although some of the public places have been refurbished it is really showing it's age. We had two cabins. These were both balconies and midship. One had an issue with the toliet 3 times during a week. Each time they were fairly prompt to rectify the problem but late at night this was an issue. The other cabin had flaked paint on the balcony and a rotting door frame with a hole at the bottom. Sitting outside on the balcony you can appreciate the newly ship design with the glass fronted balcony fronts and and more spacious areas. The inside of the cabins and the en-suites are of a dated design, although were both spotlessly clean. The lifts are a real issue and need to be addressed asap. There is always at least one not working and disabled people were waiting for long periods for a lift to arrive. These were a constant discussion point either whilst waiting or in a lift amoungst passengers. The food is ok, but nothing better than we have experienced previously.. The speciality resturant, Cafe Jardin is odd.we ate there with the weirdest italian food I've ever tasted (having spent many years on holiday in Tuscany and Umbria). It seemed to have all been dretched in cream and cheese and therefore so rich it couldn;t be finished. The main issue we had with the food was a niggling suspicion that it had caused minor food poisioning. My husband having returned home 3 kilos lighter, and myself a kilo (neither of us are obese). The water from the resturant some days having a distinct clorine smell and some people being less than scrupulous about hand cleaning around the buffet etc. Our other main gripe were the children. We travelled with out own, but other people thought it acceptable to let theirs run around the decks all day unsupervised, around the pool etc. This was a real pain and meant we opted to try and sit as far away from the main pool as we could. Embarkation, we had the inclusive flight which meant we arrived at 7:30pm, as we boarded no-one was there to greet or direct us. We are used to staff waiting to help normally. so having a P&O flight you would think they would also arrange to have people to at least greet you when you board! That was simply poor. The possitives: The entertainment was good. We didn;t see every show or music act but those we did were of a good quality. The bars are priced reasonably and the service prompt and polite. The information received from the bridge was good, although it did prompt my husband to say 'hidehi' regularly as it had a little bit of that vibe. So all in all we won;t be choosing to come back on this boat, we may try P&O again, maybe NOT for our next cruise. Read Less

Unfortunately I didn’t notice that this was a ‘family friendly’ ship and unfortunately the families were definitely not friendly. Every meal we had there was a screaming baby nearby and the parents never attempted to stop them or take them out of the restaurant. There were children jumping into the swimming pool all the time despite the ‘No jumping’ signs. The ship has a most peculiar layout with bars along the side of the ship and a nightclub in the centre of one part and a huge atrium in another – and everywhere there was loud pop music, dance music or modern jazz – there was music from 6 different venues which all merged into each other. There was constant movement past these bars all the time – I counted 60 people in 5 minutes so nowhere was restful. The only place to sit without music was the library which has a total of only 14 seats so usually they were all occupied – and the librarian spent a lot of time noisily sorting out computer/e-mail problems. Even at 10.30pm there were children making a noise in this small space. The food – neither of us eat fish or seafood and every day there were at least two main choices of fish and few meat choices. Surely more people eat meat than fish? Looking at the ‘sample menu’ on the website there is ‘pan fried chicken’ and ‘sirloin steak with thick cut chips’ but we never had anything like this. This is the only ship where I have lost weight. The entertainment was all geared to children. We went to two magician shows and both times the tricks were definitely aimed at the children. On other cruise lines we have had top class Magic Circle magicians. The list of films looked good – but the Oscar winning films were shown on days when we were on all day trips – not on the 8 days when we were stuck at sea. On those days we again had child centred films eg Superman. On one evening my husband found a man unconscious in the 14th floor toilets and we immediately alerted P&O staff who told us to contact Reception. I found 2 more uniformed P&O staff and asked them to contact Reception but they insisted they had to inspect the casualty before they could ring Reception. 15 and 25 minutes later there were calls for medical assistance – hopefully he hadn’t had a heart attack as he might have been dead by then. We will definitely be very careful before we book another cruise and it won’t be with P&O. Read Less

We really enjoyed our two weeks on the Oceana. It is a beautiful ship both inside and out, and contrary to some of the other reviews the food was excellent and the service first class. The Café Jardin was very good value at only £7.50 extra per head. Outstanding were the Headliners theatre company - other reviewers must have seen a different cast - their shows were remarkably well done. The talks by the lady pilot were most interesting. The ship layout is a bit quirky - not all the lifts go to all decks which takes some getting used to; and a few things were out of order. We did however notice that standards were slipping a bit in terms of the dress people were allowed to getaway with in the evening. But the overall feeling was that it is a happy ship. The tours were very good, and gave an interesting introduction to countries which we had no yet visited. Read Less

Having sworn never to cruise again with P&O and especially not on Oceana again, we found an itinerary that attracted us and decided to bite the bullet, and try Oceana again. I am very glad that we made that decision, as this cruise was a completely different experience to our last one! This was a 7 day cruise out of Malta, travelling up the Croatian coast to Venice and return. The itinerary was interesting, and in spite of some inclement weather, we enjoyed our ports of call and the overall cruise experience. Green beans were still the vegetable of choice in the dining room, but at least there was a slight change in that they mixed the beans with peas, but having said that, food in the dining room and buffet were improved from our last cruise in February 2016. Entertainment this time was great, with good variety and a positive attitude by the entertainment staff. The overall age of guests was much younger than on our last trip, and so we learned that an extended cruise out of Southampton is not for us, but we may even return to Malta next year and continue where we left off. Read Less

We were attracted by the itinerary and reasonable pricing but the cruise was a bit of a let down. The ship (and some of the staff) seemed tired and the entertainment was modest when compared to other cruise lines. The Cafe Jardin was a big dissapointment. Not worth paying extra for and in all honesty best avoided. This cruise line seems stuck in the past. The staff were polite enough but no one seemed to have any zip about them. Embarkation in Malta was quick and efficient. Staff in casino were friendly enough and the couple of tournaments organised were good value, well run, and not intimidating for novices like me. However, the casino is small and the slot machines (like the rest of the ship) were very dated. If you pick a cruise which includes Sibenik please note you need to get a tender and a coach to get there. Not really worth the effort and P&O should look at other ports in the area instead e.g. Split. Read Less

My wife and I chose this cruise based on Main Schiff reputation for excellence and because of the ports we would be visiting and the excursions available. I think the ports of call are great, and Main Schiff has a strength in being port heavy for travelers who like to maximize time exploring countries like me. There was good onboarding and offboarding during ports of call, organized and efficient. We would go back just to see some of the crew that waited on us they were so wonderful. We took mostly tours from independent operators as we got off the ship ... I loved all the different public rooms. So many places to gather and socialize. Service was excellent and the crew aimed to please. Nice! This was a great experience and would be lucky if we do it again. Gorgeous ship, great food, excellent service . Thank You !!! Read Less

Just back from our 7 day holiday on P & O Oceana from Malta to Venice and back. We travelled with our 2 daughters and son and his wife and were in 3 cabins next to each other. This was all their first experience of cruising. Oceana is an older ship but don't let that put you off from travelling on her. All I can say is we had a wonderful time together and the holiday exceeded our expectations. The ship is lovely and it is difficult to fault the food on board and in the main restaurants. The service is excellent. We all had balcony cabins and had these all opened up so we could be together. The balconies are a little on the small side but that is really being picky. As previous comments have stated the beds are awesome. All the family enjoyed themselves and want me to book again for next year. Will do finances permitting. Read Less

Having thoroughly enjoyed last years cruise on Oceana we certainly felt things had changed this year. The Thomson flights were acceptable, transfers and embarkation all very good as usual with P+O. As we had saver fare we got our cabin allocated (A715) and dining which was (again) fixed at 8.30pm, so for the second year with didn't bother with the MDR which is no loss to us. Our cabin was high, starboard at the rear, so more movement felt this year but nothing untoward, the balcony a first for us was welcome but small and tbh we didn't sit on it much, more of a viewing platform ! it was under the Lido deck and the only noise from above was the odd heavy footed passenger during the day. The cabin itself was functional but tired, small tv and limited channels, the cabin was kept tidy though by the pleasant stewardess. Beds and pillows we're very comfy. As i said we don't use the MDR, so the buffet is our haunt, food very much canteen style, heavy on Indian and Chinese we thought, too much so. Food is acceptable but nothing special (watery custard, watery mash, poor meat joints spring to mind) as a buffet its quite small and limited, lets say in comparison to the huge Egyptian spreads in hotels we visit. The desserts are generally tasty though. As with any buffet it can look a bit untidy at times and picked over, more front of house staff needed we thought. Service in the buffet for drinks and table clearing etc is apathetic and lackluster, staff seemed unmotivated, more so than last year. Oh and the dress code is now not enforced in the buffet, t-shirts, shorts flip flops all now allowed, i did ask the manager directly and he said said it was because of customer back lash on challenge ! The rest of the ship as we know is old and tired now but still fully functional and P+O do a great job of sectioning off areas to suit all tastes, the quiet promenade deck for reading and snoozing, front of ship for quiet sunbathing, center of ship for you party folks and the adult rear section for peace and quiet, the odd kid did stray to the rear and unfortunately wasn't advised by staff. Ports of call we're all very nice and well handled, shame as with all cruises excursions are over priced, just one tender port, Sarande. Entertainment and the theaters all excellent as last year with some good shows as usual. So the main point of change for us, STAFF, on the whole just so apathetic and un-engaging, so different from what we remember. Examples, no drinks offered for 2 hours round pool, approached bar for water told "over there ! ", served at Horizon Grill with not a single word, plates left on breakfast tables 30 mins+, staff passed in corridors in silence, served at meat station in buffet again in silence etc etc, all on there own small things but as a whole do not really equate to any form of "service". We filled in the on board questionnaire and reduced our "auto gratuity" by 50 % as we really felt we received little to no service above semi acceptable, where as last year it would never have crossed our mind to do so. So overall we did enjoy the cruise i promise ! P+0 still do well in a lot of areas but this ship desperately needs its anticipated re-fit and for me P+O need to decide where in the market they want to be as at the moment they seem unsure. This year we went straight to P+O for our second cruise without thought next ...sorry P+O i think we may try elsewhere. Read Less