Very Good, but ...

This was our third Oceania cruise, and although we rated this “very good”, we did pass along to Oceania several criticisms, which we hope will be considered “constructive”.

The good – Sirena is nicely restored, well maintained and the staff is very good. There were some instances of poor service, but these are rare. The not good - bathrooms in cabins below penthouse level are too small.

Dining - Grand Dining Room was most consistent (selections & preparations) and service was excellent. But the Terrace restaurant was just mediocre; okay for breakfast but other meals were inconsistent. It is too informal; cafeteria style for dinner. Compared to the outstanding dining on Marina last year, Sirena’s is a bit short on preparation and diversity.

Primary dissatisfaction - severe overcharges for excursions and alcohol. A reasonable price might actually generate more sales and profit as well as sending customers a better message. Example: Alhambra & Granada private tour (16 people) ran $110 pp; the ship’s tour was $319 pp. This type of overcharge causes cruisers to spend lots of personal time to research and book private tours, and is a great inconvenience. For alcohol, two martinis cost $26+ with an included 18% service charge, and that's at Happy Hour!

Overall, we would probably sail Oceania in the future, especially with certain policy and/or pricing changes.

We have sailed on two other ships of this class, and our comments are always the same, but those are a function of design and not the fault of Oceania. For example, the size of rooms smaller than the penthouse category are okay, and the veranda is adequate, but the bathrooms are simply too small. If we were to sail in this class ship again, we would have to upgrade the room to a penthouse.