i actually did not choose this cruise. we were joining friends, who had chosen this cruise for its cuba itinerary. we were quite reluctant to sign on because oceania charges SO much for their cruises, and the price was very very high! when the itinerary was changed, and cuba was no longer included in the route, the price dropped significantly, and even though oceania would have given us a full refund had we chosen to cancel, we opted to stay on board. we had already booked a holland american cruise out of fort lauderdale to combine with the oceania cruise. so, we thought it would be interesting to compare a luxury line (as oceania claims it is) with a mainstream experience on holland america

we got to the port around noon. even though we were told that boarding would not be till 3pm, we were quite surprised that we were able to walk right on (btw, there is no welcome glass of champagne upon boarding) because it was early we were surprised to see hosw crowded the ship was. staterooms were not yet ready, so we were told that we could sit in the terrace cafe and enjoy lunch. well, good luck with that! the buffet area was completely packed with people...there was not a seat to be had. for most of the cruise, the weather was often rainy. not having the outdoor areas available for seating, made public areas on the ship crowded.

oceania includes some perks that other lines often do not. our cruise came with two free perks: free wifi is automatically given as one of the perks, and you can choose free shore excursions (many of the excursions do not qualify in the "free" excursions list) or free classic drink package or $200 shipboard credit. we chose the drink package as our second perk. the classic drink package has limited value, because only house wine/beer/spirits are included AND only at lunch or dinner. we upgraded to the premium package as soon as we boarded the ship ($20 per person per day extra). Read more