I choose this cruise because the cruise agent said it was "a step above." She was so very wrong! We booked two cabins, and the many problems we have experienced made us question our decision to sail Oceania. 1) Embarkation was a disaster. Upon arrival, we told cruise personal we were penthouse suite booked and were told to stand in line, which we did for a total of 2 hours, even though we arrived at noon. Unacceptable! 2) Our first and only time in the dining room saw service and food quality issues: request for lemons went unattended until second request 20 minutes later; request for coffee took 25 minutes, steak was filled with gristle and fat; food quality was truly sub par, bland and often repetitive. We are experienced travelers, and we will not travel with Oceania again. Service in our state room was very good; however, furnishings outdated, worn, old for this level penthouse booking.

“This is our first cruise with Oceania, although we have cruised extensively with another cruise line, we thought and were told we were getting a step up by booking Oceania. We were so very disappointed! We booked a penthouse suite and have black mold along the base of the tub. My husband, who is 6’2”, cannot stand up in the shower but must stoop or bend over because the ceiling is so low. We discussed this with the front desk personnel, but no alternative was offered. The shower water sprays out onto the floor, because the glass panel does not cover or close. Furnishings in our suite have stains and scrapes, peeling paint is on balcony's furniture, throughout the ship wood work is marred with paint, or glossed over in many areas. For our level of booking, actually two cabins total, we expected much more than Oceania provided: outdated furnishings, sub-quality upkeep, obsolete TV Programming, and dining room issues which were brought to attention of maître D’. We could have paid half and gotten better quality food and furnishings on Holland America.

When we contacted Oceania Staff regarding a concern most often they provided an excuse. For embarkation, we were told there is a lot of paperwork for this cruise. (We were slated for expedited booking) When we initially booked one of two cabins, we asked it be set up with separate beds, not one, for our son and daughter. This was not done and it took two requests to have this accomplished late in the first day on board. When we first booked through Crown Cruise Vacations, we identified this as a celebratory cruise, once in a lifetime, to enjoy my birthday and also our anniversary. Oceania did not recognize either in any way. When steak/grizzle issues were brought to the attention of the maitre D’, we were told that’s what they get from their supplier. On our final bill, we were charged an upcharge for having: “Butler Service” in our Penthouse Suite. We were never advised in advance by our travel agent of additional charges. On other cruises when a suite was booked, concierge service was never an upcharge. For these reasons, we can not recommend Oceania Cruises and as we heard several other guests comment: "We will never sail Oceania again!" We feel this cruise was a terrible value for the big bucks we paid for what we hoped would be "the trip of a lifetime."