Oceana Review
Rating by category
Additional details
My friend and I chose this cruise because we had previously been on a weeks cruise on the Ventura and thoroughly enjoyed it. This cruise visited some places where we had not previously been so we were looking forward to it. However it did not live up to our expectations.We opted for freedom dining and frequently had to wait as long as 40 minutes to be seated. The food was often disappointing. Ordered "pulled pork" for a starter and was given 2 deep fried meat balls on a bed of baked beans. It caused quite a lot of hilarity amongst fellow diners. On another occasion I ordered mussels for a starter. Given neither spoon, finger bowl nor a plate for the shells and to add insult to injury they were cold! A knife and fork to eat mussels? These are just two examples of the mediocrity of much of the food.
However the food in the buffet restaurant was good.
Some of the shore excursions did not give value for money. In particular Sights and Sounds of the Split Riviera was a complete misnomer. It being a Sunday there was a mass on in the cathedral in Trogir and we waited around for well over an hour. The itinerary could easily have been changed. We could have gone to Split first, then Trogir and then thewater mill. Instead we had about 15 minutes in Split where we were told that we could make our own way back tothe ship if we wanted. The trip to Taormina was very short and we only had time to stroll up the main street and back. Why the early return to the ship?
Cabin Review
The cabin was comfortable and clean. The bed linen was changed often as were the towels.
The cabin Steward was excellent.
Port Reviews
Malta (Valletta)
We used the Hop on Hop Off bus to visit Mdina. Worth the visit and a lot cheaper than the P & O excursion to the same place
Split
Tooktheshuttle bus to Dubrovnik and wandered round thetown independently.
Venice
WE had to pay £16 for a tender to embark in Venice which I thought should have been included in the overall price. We'd been to Venice before so chose to wander around on our own. On the previous visit we took a water bus to see more of the city.
Monaco (Monte Carlo)
In retrospect we would have been better to take an excursion. This was because Monaco was preparing for the Grand Prix and much of the place was blocked off.
Florence (Livorno)
We had been to Florence, Pisa and Lucca before so we opted to stay in Livorno. We were not disappointed. We caught the on/off bus for a tour of the town and had a pleasant lunch there. It was worth noting that you could travel to Pisa on the same bus for 23 euros instead of the 48 euros that the cruise line was charging.