First time on Oceania but long time cruisers, our 25th cruise. Picked Oceania because we were tired of Celebrity and realized we were only sailing on it for the Elite plus perks. Oceania is indeed a step up from Celebrity in my opinion. Riviera is elegant and well maintained. The food was the best we have had at sea. Each of the specialty restaurants has its own charm and superb menu. Toscana was our favorite but the Dover sole in Jacques was extraordinary. Food in the main dining room was better than the food in most cruise lines specialty restaurants.

The cabins were more than adequate although I would gladly give up the bathtub for a bigger shower. The rooms are clean and well maintained. Service everywhere was consistently excellent. Better than I am used to. We had a concierge cabin and the concierge lounge is a nice plus staffed with a very helpful concierge. A good place to go to get a snack and read a newspaper. The crowd on this cruise was older, very much older but clearly well travelled and very friendly. I suspect because of the average age of passengers the ship was asleep quite early and entertainment was lackluster. Forget dancing on the deck on this ship unless you enjoy dancing alone.

The bad news on this cruise was the weather which was generally awful with breaks of ok and the unfortunate recurrence of the Noro virus. We were notified on the 8th day of the outbreak but the cleaning and sanitizing began on the 7th day. The crew responded with diligence and hard work to maintain proper hygiene throughout the ship. Still, having to deal with its effects diminishes the cruise experience. Having said that, we will definitely try Oceania again.