We are Celebrity Elite members. We wanted to try a more "upscale" cruise line and thought Oceania would be the best choice. Not too stuffy but a little more elegant. We arrived at the cruiseport in Miami around 1:30pm. Embarkation was very fast. Very surprised to board the ship on deck 5, which is where reception, destinations, and other desks were located. Right into the grand foyer. Very nice entrance. I expected champagne but there was nothing. Cabins weren't ready until 3pm so we went to deck 12 to the Terrace Cafe. It was a pleasure not to have the mad rush and crowds at the buffet. We had no problem getting a table. The food was very good. The service was amazing. The moment we sat down, we were asked if we wanted water, if we wanted anything else to drink. Plates were promptly cleared. This type of service continued throughout the entire cruise.

So now we go to our cabin. We always get a veranda cabin on Celebrity. We did the same here. Oceania touts 282 sq ft cabins. Most of that is taken up by the huge bathtub. The shower is tiny and I have bruises from hitting my elbows on the sides. The shower heads and water pressure were good but it's really tight. My husband couldn't take it anymore so he showered in the bathtub where there is a handheld. Not much vanity space. A small medicine type cabinet with 3 shelves on each side of the vanity. But it's angled so not that much room inside. Celebrity bathrooms are much nicer than Oceania. If Oceania got rid of the bathtub, they could do a lot with that bathroom.

So back to the cabin. Smaller than Celebrity but OK. Noticed dust on a glass shelf. There were two very noticeable ink stains on the duvet and a blood or lipstick stain on a pillow sham. The balcony floor was covered in sand. The sand or grit was also on the two chairs and table. This was not a good start for what was supposed to be upscale. The room attendant did take care of these issues when we went down for the Safety Drill. Read more