The July 3, 2012 London to London Viking Expeditions Cruise did not live up to our expectations. When we completed this cruise, we had sailed on Nautica for 85 days. Each time, Oceania seems to have lowered the bar.

On the positive side, the food continued to be excellent perhaps because of the the skill of Anthony, the Executive Chef and his staff, even better than our prior cruises. Along those lines, the High Tea and the string quartet were very good. The staterooms were as expected - small but comfortable - and our stateroom attendants did a great job. The cruise had a wonderful itinerary which included Iceland with an overnight in Reykjavik, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Dublin, Belfast and several other wonderful ports.

So how could Oceania turn gold into straw? Very simply, if you can't wait for a large dose of trivia, bridge and snowball bingo (whatever that is) an Oceania cruise with six sea days in cold weather (too cold for pool for most normal people) is the cruise line for you. If you expect something better, look for a different cruise line. Read more