We choose this for the itinerary not the ship as we have been on it 3 times before. Flights with Virgin we're acceptable and embarkation not as slick as before but we put this mainly down to UAE customs regulations.
Cabin was ready by 12 so that was good, cabin steward was polite and friendly. The ship is unchanged really still old , tired but functional, can't say anything was ever out of action but as others state its seriously showing age related wear, in the whole thought kept clean and tidy i thought.
Food is also the same, buffet is small and old school and seems to suffer curry as ever most days but on the whole the food tastes fine and is restocked quickly. Drinks service as ever is very slow in the buffet and invariably arrives after you've eaten !
Plenty of space but on arrival a/c wouldn't change from cold to warm, sorted quickly. Cabins in general are very tired now, lots of sticky drawers, stains on carpets, chips on furniture etc. Toilet as ever on Oceana is always black ! Beds and pillows super comfy.
C324 suffers terribly from noise from the crew area, 3am 2nd night we we're dressed sat up waiting for the hotel manager due to all the crashing and banging, subsided somewhat after that but tbh never really stopped. OFC P+O said no one has ever complained before !
Basically coach to tower, then drive to Jumareh beach, then drive to Mall of the emirates. Not great tbh, do the tower solo, too short time at the beach and the mall was pointless
Very poor port of call, man made resort, nothing there bar free wifi !! beach stoney and full of sharp shells, sea cold, why get off a ship just to lie on wooden sunbeds. Island tours and activities expensive and short duration and monopolised no way to do anything independently. Do yourself a favour stay on ship
Mosque, museum and souk, latter can be done solo, but enjoyable trip and country
Nice visit to grand mosque, but very busy and crowded. Heritage village pleasant, museum ok. We independently visited presidential palace which was stunning
Took a city tour via ship, Mosque, museum and craft centre. All very unimpressive compared to other cities, tour guide was nice but Bahrain has little to offer tourists, with hindsight wouldn't have bothered