I haven’t cruised with P&O for over twenty years and as this cruise coincided with school holidays I thought I’d give it a try. Very disappointing. To begin with the Indian and Philippine staff are perfect and a credit both to their respective countries and to P&O. The problem on this ship is the U.K. staff. All very well being a ‘British’ ship but if you cruise with them you can expect a British attitude. The ship is run for their convenience and not for the passengers. The kids club needs decent management. Although there are lots of children on this cruise, opening time and registration is a disgrace. Once inside, the kids love it but you’re given strict instructions to pick your child up fifteen minutes before closing. If any of the officers (conspicuous by their absence) happen to read this can I suggest you attend the opening of the club tomorrow and witness the shambles for yourself. Does this ship have any officers? We’ve yet to see one. All the hot tubs are closed. Don’t blame the weather either. I’ve been in worse and it’s just down to them not being bothered in my humble opinion. No request goes answered and the miserable Scottish receptionist would be better suited to serving criminals in Barlinnie jail just outside Glasgow than deal with customers on a supposedly ‘luxury’ cruise. On the upside, the main restaurant is very nice indeed. Thanks but no thanks P&O. It’s a shame but it’s back home to Celebrity for us! Read Less

Well last cruised 10 years ago, when we used to cruise with our 2 sons who were children then. Booked this cruise following the cancellation of the Dubai cruise. At first port Madeira sent a text to both my sons to say how good it was. Cabin was just an inside with queen bed, perfect for us, cabin steward was excellent. Food in buffet was always hot, fresh and plentiful. Enjoyed the restaurant at night as we had a great table of 4 other couples, good chat but I did find the food a bit poor, however I am a very fussy eater. I also didn’t find our waiter very accommodating of any special requests. Ports were all enjoyable but least favourite was Lisbon, on next cruise , yes we booked another while on this, we will plan to take underground out of main Lisbon centre. Entertainment was good, great comedian and soul group, headliners a bit showy and shouty for us but again personal choice. Found on some evenings there were no free seats in any of the bars or atrium, bit disappointing. It was my 50th birthday and my husband purchased a cake on the ship, which was brought to our dinning table and was a beautiful cake iced with my name. This had only cost £10 which was excellent value. Overall had a great time and looking forward to next one. Read Less

Great ports we had a great room attendant George he was lovely kept every thing lovely and clean room was very nice balcony small but fit our needs. Food was dreadfull in the buffet and main restaurant you can see p and o have let there standards drop cold food tough stake Very small portions very little veg boring choice whent to beach house 4 times only time we had a good meal .staff were lovely and helpfull could not fault them . We cruise regularly with p and o but it's time for a change entertainment was boring also kept changing venue to what was advertised very confusing .ports of call all very nice loved Valencia . Loved oceaner our second cruise on her but the food and entertainment let her down we can usually find something food wise to suite use but very poor food this time I enjoyed our cruise but will be looking to cruise with some one else next time its bean a slow decline with p and o for the last 3 cruises. Read Less

Excellent deal . We were going on Oceana from Dubai but it was cancelled. Never been on Oceana before. Out of part of winter. Weather perfect . Very good captain. Lovely older ship . Cosy balcony cabins.lovely food. Only gripe was entertainment. Hardly any good shows .(probably had to be cobbled together for 35 nights). Great service. We had great service in the restaurant and food was of a high standard. The beach house was as good as ever and we did manage to have one of the meals there, on deck during the tropical night. My cabin steward in c619 was excellent and nothing was too much trouble. However, the cafe jardin was cold unwelcoming and food was not good and maybe better turning into a sindu with better food and service. It is in a very good location overlooking the atrium I think it would be good to have the Oceana as an adult only ship as the bars are quite sophisticated and the champagne bar is too small to be adult only. Very happy and clean well run ship . Read Less

Chose this cruise on the spur of the moment when we spotted a bargain fare. We drove down to Southampton and were quickly on board and exploring. Our first impressions were that the ship was in good condition. We headed up to the buffet for lunch. Having only been on larger ships my husband was surprised by the small size of the buffet and was looking for the rest of it lol. Having said that we found that there was plenty of choice and everything was hot and tasty. Our cabin was a balcony on deck 9. Everything here was fine and the bed was very comfortable. The dining was mostly very good. We had freedom dining and had no problems getting a table. We shared a few nights but we don't mind that and our table companions were so nice we shared with them again on the last night. Food was always good but the service was not as attentive as usual. We had to keep asking for the water to be topped up and service was very slow sometimes. One evening a table mate asked for a small portion of the main course of mussels as a starter and it was made very clear that the waiter didn't want to provide it. He was told that this would make everyone else's starter late . the waiter did agree to provide it and so i also asked if i could have the same and was then told the same thing about everyone else would have to wait longer for their starter . i pointed out that if the other man could have it then i didn't see why i couldn't. It did arrive and was possibly the best starter of the cruise. The main course took ages to arrive and only did after a word with the head waiter. We also ate in the beach house which we really enjoyed and would do again. The lava rock cooked fillet steak was amazing. Drinks - fairly well priced and we had lots of onboard credit to use up BUT the cocktails were so very weak - I'm not much of a drinker and usually find one cocktail will effect me but on here it was as though i was drinking pop. Not worth the £6 -£7 price tag. The entertainment was not so good. Fogwell Flax the comedian was on a few too many times - 3 evenings out of 7 is too much, We saw him once but didn't want to see him again. The Runaround boys were excellent and we saw them twice. Astonish was astonishing even though we have seen it on another ship - excellent. The quizzes were good but the cumulative quiz was only on one day - we turned up for the second sea day and it wasn't on- all a bit strange and no one seemed to know why it wasn't happening. The service was OK, not as good as on other ships , Our steward was excellent but the dining staff were nowhere near as good as on other cruises - maybe the tipping policy change hasn't been good for them. Ports were Amsterdam (about ship shuttle 45 mins away), Zeebrugge (shuttle to Blankenburg and then a 5 euro train into Brugge) and Hamburg (another shuttle). All were excellent and we had good weather so had a great time. The aft pool was open and heated and the changing rooms had a sauna and steam room in them which were FREE ! I made much use of this and it was fab being up on deck in the hot tubs while others were wandering around in their winter coats. Pricing Policy. We booked a select fare which is more expensive buy about £200. This gets you credit, choose your cabin, shuttles and choice of dining. Although we got a lot of onboard credit We couldn't choose our cabin and more annoying all of the shuttles were free to everyone (If that's a benefit to select then they should be charging the saver fare passengers). The only benefit to us was the choice of dining and i really don't think that booking select is worth it unless you get all of those benefits. We were struggling to spend the credit and we wouldn't have spent anywhere near as much if we had booked the saver fare with no credit. Moral of the story is do your research and only book select if the benefits are useful to you. Reading this back it looks as though we didn't have a good time but Overall it was a very good cruise, we met some lovely people and had a very relaxing time, We have already booked a black friday bargain for next year. Read Less

We last sailed on Oceana back in 2015 and felt the ship was really beginning to show it’s age. Some spectacular ports of call including Venice, Kotor, Florence, Rome and Capri together with beautiful long warm, sunny days more than made up for it. Due to recent events in the Gulf, Oceana was repositioned from it’s planned itinerary and this meant there were some really good bargains to be had. We decided to book a 7 night cruise in the English Channel and the North Sea in November. Despite the great value we felt it was a bit of a risk as we knew we would have to spend plenty of time inside the ship. As the Captain joked such an itinerary allows you to see all “50 shades of Grey”. Since last sailing on Oceana we have always preferred other ships in the P&O fleet and have sailed many times on Cunard and Princess (our most recent cruise being 2 weeks in August on Queen Victoria, which we always find to be absolutely immaculate in terms of decor). I have to say that Oceana really delivered, firstly the ship is looking far better than it was in 2015. All of the pool areas have had brand new tiling, new AstroTurf and loungers. The Yacht and Compass bar and Winners have been transformed with brand new furnishings and carpets. The Yacht and Compass is in my view the best looking pub at sea, far better than the Golden Lion on Cunard ships and Brodie’s bars on Britannia and Azura. It just seems a shame that the Hand pulled Real Ales have been added to the Winners bar. Despite this there is a brilliant selection of Real Ales and the Beer flights on offer in the Yacht and Compass (at good value). The Atrium has seen the dated Palm trees disappear and brand new carpeting throughout. It is without doubt the most impressive and most functional atrium in the fleet. It is the absolute hub of activity on the ship, in a way that even a refitted Britannia atrium can’t achieve. To put it into context the 4 level atrium can simultaneously host, professionally organised dancing on the lowest level, shopping on the level above, a musical act (whether it be a pianist, band or guitarist on the deck above) and the fantastic Cafe Jardin on the top tier overlooking all the action. Even by the end of the week you couldn’t help be wowed by the beautiful views, the Glass lifts, Grand staircases, Water features and Tiffany glass ceilings. Cafe Jardin is a real stand out! Serving complimentary breakfast and lunch, freshly cooked to order. Breakfast runs from 8am-10:30am and Lunch from 11am until 5pm. The food is delicious and it’s an offering incomparable to that found on other P&O and Cunard ships. You also have a buffet station with fresh salads and desserts should you wish to add further to your ordered dish. It’s especially brilliant when you return at 4pm from a trip to be able to sit down, order from a menu and have water, tea and coffee served to your table. We paid the additional £8.50 cost for the evening meal and had a really tasty meal. I wouldn’t describe the food as gourmet, it certainly isn’t as good as Epicurean or the Verandah on Cunard before they turned it into a steakhouse. However it’s well worth the cost and is a really refreshing alternative to the Main Dining Room. We didn’t try the Beach House on this cruise. We did back in 2015 and it was one of our stand out nights on the ship as we dined al fresco on the terrace. I think we may no longer be here if we had attempted to relive the experience on the North Sea. Despite the plaza buffet being more attractive in design than most ship buffets I felt the inside Beach House area was a little close to the buffet stations to convey the ambience you would expect of a select dining venue. The main dining room was good, dishes ranged from outstanding to generally good to occasionally poor. The Plaza buffet doesn’t have as wider choice as that on Cunard or the larger P&O ships but we found breakfast to be every bit as good on Cunard or the bigger ships. Lunch however was more average. The Plaza however has a great location at the front of the ship with great views and it’s all been completely refreshed since 2015. It has a really lovely ambience especially of am evening. Where Oceana really excelled was in terms of the entertainment. The theatre isn’t huge so the brilliant bonus of this is that each night the ship has two simultaneous shows. On our cruise that would be the Headliners (who seriously were far and away the best cast we have seen in dozens of cruises on P&O, Cunard, Princess, Thomson and RCI) in one venue a comedian/guest singer/group in the other. There would also be at least two other acts on from the resident entertainers, which included a fantastic singer and guitarist, vocal duo, pianist, party band and big band. We were often really disappointed on P&O Britannia (sailed on it 3 times) that despite the vastness of the ships there were often times from 6pm until 8pm when there was very little good live music (The same can often be said for Cunard). In terms of improvements we would love a Glass House, we are still surprised they didn’t convert Winners bar. However the bar has been really improved after the refit. The plumbing system is still a little ropey and we had one toilet failure that lasted a few hours and the occasional odour in places on the ship (it didn’t last for more than a couple of hours and was due to emptying or venting of tanks). The theatre lacks the brilliant LCD screens found on Britannia and the Cunard ships, which slightly compromised certain scenes in “Astonishing”, which required a wait for the old fashioned projector screen to move down and awkwardly projected unwanted images onto the cast. The TV system in the rooms is very dated and my iPad has a bigger display. The bedrooms are equivalent to those on Azura, not as nice as those on Britannia and the Cunard ships but storage space is the best I’ve seen. The bathroom however was probably superior to those on the Cunard ships in terms of layout and space. I really like the Sindhu Indian restaurant as well, so I’d love to see that onboard but not at the cost of Cafe Jardin which offers far more to the ship, as it was a venue we used twice every day. I’d only visit Sindhu once per cruise. In terms of drink prices P&O continue to remain very competitive in the cruise industry. The prices on Cunard, RCI and Princess have become ridiculous in our view and on Cunard in the summer meant many bars were empty and lacked any atmosphere. You are talking £9 for 250ml of wine (third of a bottle) on Cunard and £6 on P&O (£27 bottle Cunard compared with £18 P&O) and £5.50 for pint of Beer on Cunard compared with £4 on P&O) RCI are even more expensive than Cunard. In summary we fell in love with Oceana once again. It proved to us that small ships have a real charm and character that perhaps the really big ships (that we also love) lack. The atrium is spectacular and has a superb atmosphere and other public rooms such as the Yacht and Compass are absolutely top draw. The Headliners theatre cast were utterly outstanding (definitely the best we’ve seen) and the ship was always buzzing with music and life. Having two proper shows running simultaneously every night offers brilliant choice and sets he ship aside. Cafe Jardin is the best daytime complimentary venue on any P&O or Cunard ship. Read Less

Last minute decision as it was so cheap and I have not visited these places. Have not been on Oceana since she had her refit and it looks good. My (adult) daughter and I shared an inside cabin at the back on A Deck –very spacious, plenty of storage space and well appointed – we could walk a few metres onto a small open deck at the back and steps leading up to the Spa and Gym right overhead. We attended two Pilates Starter Classes and used the Gym which is well equipped. The Instructors were nice people, professional, and did not make you feel like an idiot (as so often happens to me when I am unable to follow the routine). My daughter had a massage which she enjoyed, but not so much the sales pitch afterwards trying to sell her the products used. No Tipping required anymore. The staff were wonderful. They were polite, friendly, and smiled all the time. We used the Restaurant most nights to eat and the Buffet for supper twice. We had the most marvellous dinner companions, some of the nicest people we had ever met. Three of the four were vegan and sometimes found it difficult to know what to eat – it seemed their choices were limited. By the end chefs prepared meals specially and waiters checked regularly to make sure their food was acceptable. Our food was absolutely fine as well. We liked the new lunch format as well – more of a Deli/Café menu but you could also have the full 3 courses if wanted. The Buffet had problems. Not large enough for the numbers wanting to use, long queues regularly, and the late night snacks were much worse than they used to be – very limited choice, cheese in particular was gone within minutes and no more was brought out. Near the end of the week the selection improved, not sure if the result of complaints made or extra food found. The Indian night seemed the most popular and was repeated at the end but re-labelled Tandoori night. There were also Chinese and English food nights. The drinks selection was extensive and at London pub prices. I was disappointed at the number of ladies who did not wash their hands in the toilets and the number of people who declined to use the anti-bac gel in the Buffet. Thank goodness there was no Norovirus. Instead of Cruise Directors there are now Entertainment Managers. I never used to rate Headliners but this time they were excellent with good shows. Two shows had a starter video with a TV celebrity introducing the act (sorry, can’t remember names as never heard of either) and explaining they had helped arrange the show. Visiting acts included Fogwell Flax – we’ve seen him before and he really needs more up to date material, an Annie Lennox Tribute singer who was excellent the first night, but rubbish on the second as she just did cover songs then, and the Runaround Kids who we’ve also seen before. They are very good and sing 1950’s hits, we just didn’t get around to them this time. There were various other groups/singers/pianists around the ship who we listened to as we came across them. Did not use shops, casino or swimming pools – the pools are outdoors and it was cold, but saw a few hardy souls in them. We did not book any tours. Overnighter in Amsterdam: free coaches ran between the ship and the centre all day and night. We spent most of our time in the Museums, of which there are plenty. Hamburg had free shuttles as well. Zeebrugge – the shuttle coaches run to Blankenburg which is a seaside town a few minutes away from the Port. Those in the know then caught the train into Bruges which takes 15 minutes for €6 each way – the ship’s coach cost £35 return. We stayed in the town which is very nice and even though winter, all the shops were open. Leaving Zeebrugge, we had been tied alongside the Ventura, which was leaving after us. For the sail away party as we passed them the two captains used their horns trying to outdo each other and it became a bit like the scene in Close Encounters where a person using a keyboard communicates with the UFO; great fun. One of the best cruises we have been on in a long time. Read Less

My husband and I chose this cruise as we wanted a taster cruise of the Greek islands. We were very lucky with the weather for October. 28 degrees most days. We have stayed on the Oceana before about 7 years ago and although it is supposed to have had a refit it is definitely not in the same good condition. It is looking very tired. Atrium is an exception to this - still beautiful. Our cabin was inside f229 on deck 5 . Very handy for reception, gangway, bars, restaurants and theatres. Small long not wide cabin with fixed twin beds. Lots of storage space. Decor tired and could do with brightening up. Very loud engine noises coming from empty rooms to the side and read of the cabin. Did not get much sleep. We would not recommend it. We did not use the main dining room. We chose 1St sitting and table for 2 as we booked select. We were given 1St sitting but table for 6. Decided to use buffet as we wanted to do things in our own time. We would probably choose freedom to dining next time. Food was very average in buffet with limited choice and quality not as expected. Roast beef was raw. We enjoyed the barbeque on deck though. Breakfasts in buffet not the best. Eggs were tasteless without an egg station so tried eggs were in a tray on top of one another. Bacon was good but no mushrooms on offer. Entertainment was excellent day and night. Faultless. Deck quoits are a hazard with an extremely rude elderly male player who thought it was acceptable to block me from passing by pushing his arm into my bosom. I have him a piece of my mind. Chivalry is definitely dead. Our cabin steward Mira was lovely and always happy. Reception was excellent and we used them lots as we had problems with our almost daily. They were there to help very quickly. We enjoyed our time at the ports in Crete and Brides. We went on an excursion to the Acropolis and Plaka booked with P and O. Very good day out and guide Irene was extremely knowledgeable. Not for the unsteady though. You need flat, strong, antisocial footwear. It was very crowded on the way up. Views at the top are stunning. Watch out for the rose sellers. They have you a rose and say 'free!'. But what they really mean is Three. 3 euros!!. Easy to embark and disembark. Read Less

Our second cruise on Oceana, and we were not disappointed. However, there were some inconsistencies by comparison with 2018. Firstly, a positive - the Headliners last year were beyond terrible, this year? It was difficult to believe that these performers carried the same name, well-rehearsed, well danced and well sung routines in great costumes. The show “Astonishing” was exceptional, perhaps not so astonishing illusions performed with song and dance in an exceptional mix. The Stephen Mulhern video card trick had most people gaping in amazement. Top marks!! In 2018 we attended a singing workshop with entertainment host Andy Jones. Andy whipped up his audience with an excellent warm up followed by some good singing, the sound of this small group ending the session singing “Can you hear the people sing” from Les Miserables was memorable. This year the workshop was hosted by “Taff” (the onboard musical director). Taff clearly wanted to be somewhere else directing professional singers. We walked out as it was too dreary for words. There were a couple of problems. Having returned from a shore excursion in Olbia there was a huge queue for the scanners only half of which were in operation, this was made even worse by the port officials instructing the passengers from the Marella Explorer II to walk past the queue to the front! No explanation was given and a lot of people including me were very angry. When the Captain made the sailing announcement later that afternoon, he apologised for this and explained that as soon as the ship was made aware the port was requested to open more lanes. Excellent public relations! We had cause to complain regarding the service in Café Jardin and we were not the only ones who were unhappy. However, when my wife complained on the following morning she received a fulsome apology and we were offered the opportunity to dine at Café Jardin that evening without the usual surcharge and would be served by a waitress who has served us so well on three previous occasions. Once again excellent public relations! We noted that the ridiculous flag waving sing song party “Land of Hope and Glory” “Jerusalem” etc was at the end of the final sea day and not within earshot of a country which had been our host which we felt more appropriate than as we sailed out of Rhodes last year. However, we stayed on our balcony! We had booked the ferry from Naples to Sorrento in advance. We found it difficult to believe that Sorrento has not changed at all since we last visited 28 years ago! We travelled by Circumvesuviana train to Torre Annunziata to visit the Villa Poppea (Oplontis) which was virtually deserted. These remains are totally astonishing given that they are nearer to Vesuvius than Pompei. We also travelled independently in Rome where we visited Ostia Antica. We went by taxi which was expensive but returned by train. Ostia Antica is huge, and we will be returning to take in more of this exceptional site. In Corsica we took the Mountains and Maquis coach tour which given the narrow and precarious roads is not for the faint hearted! What we saw of Corsica was nothing less than fabulous. In Sardinia we took the Ancient and Modern tour. The Ancient Nuraghe were very interesting, and the architecture of the 1960’s Porto Cervo was striking in its’s use of Historic Sardinian style. However, unless you are interested in very expensive shops Dior, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Bulgari etc etc. many of which had already closed for the season and looking at the outside of five-star hotels also closed for the season, this is one to avoid. All in all an excellent cruise and doubtless we will return to Oceana in the future. Read Less

The itinerary interested us. Malta,Naples,Rome,Corsica,Sardinia,Athens, Crete and Rhodes. Embarkation and disembarkation were very smooth and professional. The Oceana is a medium sized very friendly ship. This is our 3rd time on this ship. Dining staff excellent and cannot fault. Lots of menu variety and beautifully presented.Food very good. The restaurant manager went out of his way to ensure we were happy with our seating arrangements. . Entertainment variety is great and Headliners in particular are very professional and high standard. Elias Hendricks sang Classical Soul and was excellent. Cabin steward attentive and kept our cabin spotless.. The excursions we chose were led by very knowledgable agents, we did five organized by the cruise line, the rest of the destinations we did our own thing. We were in Crete twice and Malta on first day, middle of the cruise and the last day. A very good talk by a marine conservationist Alexander Sanchez Jones. Read Less

This was our first cruise and we chose this one for seven days as we are great Game of Thrones fans and booked excursions for Split and Dubrovnik. From start to finish everything was fantastic from check in to check out. We had flown in with Thomas Cook and P and O could not have done more to return us smoothly to the UK. Food was amazing especially in The Plaza and we were polite for choice. Our inside cabin was far better than we expected, and a special mention for Roy our room steward who was a gem. The entertainment was brilliant and nothing disappointed...the shows were all packed and standing ovations every night. Our excursions were excellent value for money and the guides were very knowledgable and good fun. What more can I say...great friendly helpful staff that Captain Bourne should be very proud of. Thank you Oceana for the holiday of a life time. Read Less

Chose this cruise for the Greek islands. We only did 1 week. Excellent cruise very easy and quick embarkation and getting off was quick also. . Staff were all lovely very friendly. Clean ship amazing food noble problems there drinks a bit on the expensive side but as tips have been taken of we expected that. Inside cabin was OK clean lovely guy looking after us. Irons on our deck did not work very well. Had room service breakfast 3 mornings it was OK. Did not pay for any excursions found them to be expensive. Did our own thing. Entertainment was excellent. Food was also very good. Nice atmosphere a round the ship. Shops a bit expensive but had some good sales on. Captain very good kept us all informed had to change itinery due to a force 10 gale during the night on the Friday that was Scarry but captain was very reassuring Read Less

This was our 8th cruise and 1st time on Oceana for many years. Embarkation was quick, efficient and the bags were delivered to the cabin within 2 hours. The ship is about 20 years old but has recently had a refit. The public areas are all spotless. Food was excellent especially in the evening. It was not unusual to be offered "extra" with your evening meal. Buffet lunches always had a wide variety. I notice other reviews have "complained" about having to queue well, it is a buffet. The one complaint would be there were never enough waiters to take a drink order at lunch, meaning the meal was often nearly finished before drinks arrived. The ship was not full. This meant that be it finding sun beds during the day or seats in one of the many lounges in the evening was never a problem. Also, travelling in september, meant there were very few children. Drinks really were reasonable e.g. bottle of wine £20 vodka & coke £4 cocktail £6. Entertainment was varied though you could rarely go more than an hour without a quiz popping up. Personally, we preferred the entertainment in the lounges as opposed to the theatres (Jonny Youle & North by northeast deserve a mention). Overall service on board was good. The cabin steward, waiters at evening meal & waiters in the lounges were all first class. At the captains reception he said Oceana was the friendliest sip at sea- not sure I would go that far, but certainly had no cause for complaint. As mentioned in another review there seems to be a plumbing issue on board. The vacuum system in the toilet broke 3 times in a 7 day cruise. Admittedly it was fixed within an hour but this should not be happening. Disembarkation was excellent. Cases were left outside cabin at midnight and next time we saw them, we were lifting them off the carousel at our home airport. Overall thoroughly enjoyed the cruise. It has been many years since we were on P&O, would we cruise with them again- YES. Read Less

We wanted a cruise from Malta and we were very pleasantly surprised with P &O. We had an issue with lost luggage .nothing to do with P &O.They went above and beyond in their quest to recover our luggage. Even giving us an additional £75 to spend. I certainly would recommend the ship. We have travelled on Viking and Silverstar which are truly luxury small ships but this was not so far behind in standard. Thank you P&O. Tours were good and well organised. We never felt crowded at any of the venues. We saw 2 shows and they were an excellent standard. The additional restaurants were excellent and the prices fair. Embarkaion and disembarkation were seamless and extremely well organised. We were always able to find a Sun lounge eventually in a place we wanted even though it seemed to be very busy. The prices for drinks was very fair. We will certainly recommend P &O to other Australians who do not tend to travel on P and O in Europe unless it's the Princess line. 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 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

First cruise. Pleased with the look of the ship. Very clean and sparkly. Pleased with cabin, it was compact but had lots of little drawers and shelves so all our stuff had a home. Buffet was like being at school! You were presented with a tray with napkin and cutlery and you queued round the counters, Horrible! You made your own coffee/ tea and then found a table. Staff in bars, atrium, shops and restaurants were generally uncommunicative, at times surly and curt and NEVER friendly or smiley. We ate in the Ligurian each night. Good, tasty, well cooked and well presented food with lots of choice but again, service very poor. Slow, careless and frustrating on the whole. We had to ask repeatedly for things like sugar, milk etc. We had the Champagne breakfast in our cabin which was lovely. Way too much food for two people and we had to leave an almost full basket of rolls etc which was a shame. Such a waste of food. We had a meal in Cafe Jardin which was very good and worth doing. The Formal nights were good and it was lovely to see most people dressed to the nines. Cabin steward was the exception. She was happy, friendly and did a great job. Went to Pilates session. The instructor was miserable as sin. He failed to ask if we had done Pilates before and more importantly, if we had any injuries or weaknesses he should be aware of. Appalling practice! He spoke as though he despised us both (there were only two of us) and didn’t want to be there! It was like a gym workout and when I asked him to explain a position again for me he just pointed to the other person as he was in the required position! How rude!! He was however, much more friendly when he led a seminar on improving your metabolism but that turned out to be nothing more than a sales pitch!! No wonder he was friendly! Entertainment was good and in fact was better than we expected. We went to the theatre group’s shows, the magic shows and enjoyed all of them. The public spaces were nicely kept and always very clean. Our big problem was that there were way too many people, big noisy groups in the bars which were always packed. The main pool area awful!! We nicknamed it Benidorm! The sun beds were so close they seemed welded together! Adult only area was quiet but soooo windy and had no shade. We did not take any of the excursions on offer so I can’t comment on them. Nor did we take part in other activities such as ballroom dancing, but people seemed to be enjoying them. So all in all, I’m sorry but this was nothing more than an all inclusive family holiday on water. Glad we did it but really don’t see why people get hooked on cruising and can’t wait to boast about how many they have done! Lol. There are lots of nicer, quieter ways to spend your hols. Maybe P and O aren’t a luxury cruise line, I don’t know. We won’t be repeating the experience. 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 chose this cruise as we were Interested in all the ports that it was going to, particularly that it left and returned to Malta. We did all our own city tours using local buses, which was very easy and very cost effective. Saved ourselves time and money, and would happily do it again. Was great having a duty free shop at the port in Malta and were able to buy 2 litres of spirits, a bottle of liqueur and as much mixers as we wanted for our cabin. We were able to stock up on our mixers when we stopped in at Malta at the end of the 7 day cruise before we carried on for the next 7 days. The entertainment onboard was excellent, at least two shows a night, all different, the best being a comedian from Cuba, a jazz player and the tribute to Queen on the last night. As we didn’t do any shore excursions due to the cost, I rated this poor. Would recommend this cruise Read Less

We chose this cruise as it stopped at nine destinations, six of which we had not visited before on previous cruises. Journey from Valetta airport to ship was fine, registration efficient. As always you are met with friendly faces and a beautiful atrium, we immediately bought the non alcoholics package which included soft drinks as well as costa coffees/hot chocolate. We didn’t use the gym, hair or beauty facilities so cannot comment. The main pool area is compact with lots of sun beds squashed very closely together, however, there are some areas, particularly around the front of the ship where you can spread out a bit. Pool towels are easily accessible and can be refreshed daily, we left ours in the bathroom and they were replaced no problem Food - had better. The breakfast buffet had very little choice, the fried eggs looked like they had been sitting there for hours, the porridge had a weird taste. The plastic glasses used for juice were always warm and wet as if they had just been dragged out of the dishwasher so not ideal when you want a cold drink. The lunch buffet wasn’t great, not much choice and very repetitive. (Depends what you are comparing it to I suppose) The plates were sometimes in shortage and often warm (once again straight out of the dishwasher) and not ideal putting salad on it. We had our evening meal at the 6.30 sitting and the staff were great. We shared a table with six others which worked out well. The first week the food seemed fine, we looked forward to seeing the menu. There was always some items on every single night. For example prawn cocktail, tomato soup and steak. By the second week, the food became very repetitive and some nights we were struggling to choose the best. For better quality food and service I would recommend you eat breakfast and lunch in the main restaurant or Cafe Jardin. (You do have to pay extra in the Cafe Jardin in the evenings but not for breakfast and lunch. Entertainment- plenty to do, you get a news sheet left in your cabin for the following day which is full of information and you can plan your day. Talks, demonstrations, films, singalongs, quiz, dance classes etc are ongoing then in the evening there is two theatres, each have a show at 8.30 and 10.30. Some nights it is by the in house entertainers and also each week three entertainers are brought on the ship, some from “Britain’s got talent” tribute acts etc and like everything some are better than others. If this is not your thing then there are several bar/coffee places to sit. Some quiet, some with background music, some a bit more lively. Overall, the ship is fine, if you want to pick faults you will find some, but overall it’s clean and well organised and all staff were great, except the girl who was supposed to look after our cabin. More about that below. There was a mixed age group from young to old. I watched the younger generation and as long as they were in the pool they were fine, but soon started to wander back and forth in groups, almost looking a bit of a loss of what to do with themselves. I twice came across a group of lads about 14ish being a nuisance with the lifts, going up and down pressing the buttons for every deck whilst their mates raced down the stairs to try and beat the lift. This at times was annoying. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this ship for children as their is not enough to keep them going and as it was blazing hot they were being dragged around sightseeing. Excursions- quite expensive. We only did one. Half day to Pisa and it chucked it down in rain. £55 each. The tour guide chatted non stop all the way there, the coach took us to a car park outside the main area and we transferred to a little train which took us around Pisa streets. We had free time then returned. However, we talked to some who had shared a taxi and it cost them £22 each so can be done a lot cheaper as it’s not too far away. Read Less

Transfer from airport to cruise terminal very quick. Fast, efficient check in and luggage delivered quickly. Lots of other delayed flights so we left Valetta 4-5 hours later than scheduled. Oceana is showing its age now, especially in the cabins. Our balcony cabin (C409) , felt very cramped. Few stains on the carpet. Wall panels grubby and dull. Bathroom is very very small and very dated. Parts of the tap were missing ( but still worked though). Shower curtain - which I hate ( but it did look very clean and fresh). Toilet when flushed always had a sooty residue in the water. Balcony was tiny, glass sliding doors had seen better days and there is a lot of wear and tear. I was glad we had only booked a week because the cabin was very disappointing. Staff were lovely. Very hard working, polite and cheerful. Captain's 'thought for the day' were funny in a cringeworthy way but we all listened every day to see what he had to say. He came across as very nice. We attended a few pool side music quizzes which were fun - especially when Craig was hosting. We also attended a few quizzes in the compass pub before dinner which again were great fun. Poolside live music was good for the most part (we don't like Jazz so didn't enjoy that performance but the others were very good). Didn't see any shows - which is usual for us but our fellow guests at our dining table gave mixed reviews throughout the week - some good, some disappointing for them. On the whole, we had a nice week - nothing special. Felt like P&O are cutting corners any and every way they can. We had the second sitting in the Adriatic restaurant. The staff was very friendly and very hard working but we found the food to be bland -very often dry, as it was probably sitting around too long and the portions were a lot smaller than we remember on our previous cruises on this ship. The ship is definitely showing it's age which is a real shame as it has a nice friendly atmosphere with lovely staff. We were glad that we had only booked a week though. This was our third and very possibly our last time on Oceana. Read Less

It was our 24 Th wedding anniversary. So wanted to do a beautiful cruise in the Med as you can almost ensure perfect weather. We have been with P&O Many times brilliant ships. ENGLISH sterling and English plugs. Fantastic. The staff are so friendly and the cabins are clean and tidy. But a little on the small side but that's no problem really. We love the evening shows and Entertainment. The staff are all helpful And the good has a good choice and really nice. We prefer to eat at the buffets as it's so much nicer to pick what we wish. The only thing that rubies our holiday was the pool side singer called Frankie. She was awful, she had one of them voices which drones on and on and on the sound system was way too loud. She played guitar but only knew a few chords so it was like she strumned away the same rythem and sand different songs over it. It was so loud you could not read. Relax or talk to each other at all I walked around the deck and saw no less than 5 people with fingers in ears or hands over ears . this is surely not right. How come the volume was so loud when you are trying to relax. She played everyday and sometimes 3 or 4 half hour sets straight after each other playing the same songs.. So so boring. I had to get up and walk away each time she came in. Terrible like torture almost after a while. Read Less

Last year cruised on this ship and everything was first class. However, this year I felt something was missing!! The drinks package had changed and was very expensive and if you are only an occasional drinker , well too much. The entertainment was not very good compared with last year. Shows only 1/2 an hour long. However, enjoyed the lectures on forensic science - CSI on board ship. Cannot complain about the food and service they were of a very high standard. The prices of goods in the shops were too high and the market tables at night could have had a better selection of goods. The excursion was very good to Athens and I certainly had my monies worth as the courier never stopped talking. I had already booked another cruise on this ship to Dubai in November before going on this cruise so will write after to see if anything has changed. 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