Riviera Review
Decent, but do not book any excursions through them. Not worth it!
Rating by category
Additional details
Manly booked this for the itinerary. It was a 12 night - Venice to Barcelona . 11-1-18 to 11-13-18. Excursions were not as described. The stops listed were not accurate. One location did not have the handicrafts village as highlighted. Another town was completely closed on the day we were there. Nothing to see at all! They return you back to the ship 2-3 hours before ship left port. Not enough time given to sights that were available. Big waste of money. The destination desk personnel were useless and could care less. This Cruise line is over rated. Horrible entertainment. It doesn't exist. First time on Oceania and probably the last. Expected more from a so called upper class sailing. This is also not recommended for any one who is handicap. All ports of call and the excursions we were part of would be a real challenge for those who are handicap.
The food was very good compared to other Cruise lines. But do NOT touch anything or the food Nazis will repremand you. Sparkling water and soft drinks are all included. As for cocktails, way over priced. Friends were charged $56.00 for 2 drinks in the main dining room because he made the mortal mistake of ordering a " double" rum and coke. He only made that mistake once.
The staff were very good and attended to all your needs in the beginning of this itinerary, but slowly declined as the days passed. It seemed as though many have had enough and were anxious to go home, as this was their final voyage for the season. As previously noted the worst was the " Destinations" personnel. They could care less about anything. For your O Life choice, do yourself a favor and use the ship board credit. The free excursions are NOT the way to go! Go with an outside company or explore on your own. It should also be noted that this was not a voyage for families with young children. They would be extremely board due to the lack of entertainment and the ports of call. It's catered towards the adults. For the fees charged on this line, we expected a little more.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean View
This cabin is located over the life boats. The night before they are used for tenders was a noisy nightmare. During the entire night there was banging and clanging noises for preparing or work being done. The crews response was that they had to do the preparation. Could care less.
Port Reviews
Venice
We did Venice on our own and enjoyed it.
Dubrovnik
This was suppose to be a complimentary shuttle to the old town with a cable car voucher included. Never received any voucher. Was a very nice town and the walk around the wall was interesting. ( You have to pay $6.50 E pp for this walk)
Malta (Valletta)
This was one tour that did not live up to it's description. No handicrafts village or the Dingi cliffs were ever visited. Big waste of time and money. After returning back to the port we did our own walking tour of Valletta, which was nice to see.
Taormina (Messina)
Took a taxi for 25E to town each way and did it on our own and had as much time as we wanted. Oceania offers it as a on your own for only 2 hours and charges $100 pp. 2 hours is not enough time to enjoy this little town and cafes.
Florence (Livorno)
Just booked this to get us there by bus and then we were on our own for the day. Had fun taking in the town and shops. They did let you have the whole day there without time restrictions.
Monaco (Monte Carlo)
Alot of driving to a very small town. Cute historical town. Not much to see, but nice landscape during the drive.
Barcelona
We disembarked the ship at this port.
Kotor
Very short tour with not having much time to do much. Really not worth it. Spent more time on our own in Kotor near the port.
Rome (Civitavecchia)
This was the worst day of the trip. They dropped you off at the bus meeting point at about 10:15 and want you back at 3:45 sharp! The hop on hop off takes you around a loop which takes almost 2 hours due to horrible traffic. You could walk it quicker. We had a private tour lined up at the Coliseum, but had to cancel due to a time restrictions and would have missed the return bus to the ship. Why have you back at the ship for 5:30 when it departs port at 8:00? Lesson learned. Use the train or public transportation. NOT the ship's excursions!
Naples
This day was the highlight of our trip. Hired a private van for 6 and had a local driver from Sorrento. Very pleasant and socialable with good English. Took us to Sorrento, Almafi Coast, Positano, Pompeii, a privately ran olive oil company, and a quaint little restaurant that you would never find on your own. Great day! Thanks Shore Trips!
Marseille
Once again, a huge waste of time. After a long bus ride to a town called St Remy,the guide enlightened us after we get there that the town is closed on Monday. So we're at small town with nothing open. Why didn't Oceania notify us of this? Do your own excursions!!!