This cruise was 3 back to back segments totalling 34 days covering East and West Mediterranean islands and ports some of which we had not previously visited and an Atlantic Crossing with a stop in Cape Verde

Marina and Riviera are comfortable stable ships and we choose them for that reason. On this trip there were challenges. Strong wind forecasts 2 days ahead of arrival in Monte Carlo made docking in that confined port risky. Oceania remained in Marseilles to accommodate a passenger change over. This was indeed a great inconvenience for embarking and disembarking passengers but any idea that somehow Oceania did this to inconvenience people given the cost and total disruption to them of making a safety decision is absurd. We had a private tour arranged for Livorno. On communication with that local provider they had no problem refunding our payment given the change in the ship schedule.

Two days out of Marseilles Noro Virus cases began to appear and the crew began to take appropriate precautions. As cases increased appropriate appeals to all passengers to follow prescribed sanitation requirements were made. We followed the instructions, could not pass a hand sanitizer without using it, and washed hands frequently And used bathroom facilities in our own cabin. Oceania followed the required procedures, Oceania did not invite the virus aboard. We have experienced a similar problem on Cunard. All cruise lines encounter this problem. The entire ship was sanitized in Barcelona and that caused more discomfort and inconvenience to embarking passengers and the 48 of us who were staying aboard to Rio and beyond. During this virus event, buffet food services reverted to being served and this added a burden on the catering staff who handled it very well. Unlike some comment we found the staff to be polite and very helpful. It did not take any effort to understand why this change in service and react accordingly and appreciate the increased pressure the staff were encountering to give service. Read more