Ours was the (in)famous "Libya-less" cruise but, in my opinion, Oceania delivered an end product that was even better. The two ports in Libya were removed, but were replaced by Mallorca, Alicante and Tanger. Gibraltar & Malta, which were previously removed, were also put back on. I'm not a "ticket-puncher" so, having visited the Parthenon, not being able to visit a secondary Greek ruin did not bother me. Besides, if they don't want us there, why would one want to visit (other than to "punch")?

We had only done one cruise prior to Oceania, which was Athens/Turkey/Black Sea (lots of Greek ruins). The objective of that cruise was to view a solar eclipse at some lat/lon in the Black Sea ... it was memorable to say the least. The eclipse, that is, not the cruise experience which was just o.k. The ports were good, the shore excursions so-so.

We were totally unprepared for what a quality cruise is really like. The shipboard appointments were elegant and appreciated from the moment we boarded through disembarkation. I can honestly say that the cuisine and service was absolutely first class. We recently visited Bordeaux and dined in the highly recommended restaurants there. The meals on board the Regatta were as good or better...but the wine in Bordeaux was better, at significantly lower cost :-) Read more