xcellent staff was very efficient service spotty in Terrace cafe getting a drink of teat took forever Service every else was excellent The entertainment on the front part of the trip was mediocre to terrible It improved substantially from the Hawaaian Islands to LA.Entertainment has never been this lines strong point cuisine however is fantastic anywhere on the ship The line even provided a Passover dinner and Haggadahs which was a plus This cruise director was new to us but he was excellent and very professional My wife who is an avid bingo player indicated that this bingo game was one of the best ever The flight from LAX to Papeete was not bad considering it was coach .Better than any of the US based airlines we fly on cruises We are loyal to Oceania as this was our 12th cruise and we have booked 13,14 ,15 and 16 to date Read Less

Have cruised Royal Caribbean HAL and Princess. This was our first Cunard experience. Ship was elegant but not glitzy. Service was excellent but very much “this is Cunard and this is how it’s done”. We thought the food was the best we have ever had on a cruise. Cabin was good but think it may have been slightly smaller than the other ships we have been on. Enjoyed the shows in the Royal Court. We were not a fan of the set dining times. We had 6:00 pm dining and missed dinner if you got back late from shore excursions or wanted to attend the sail away party. Synergy were very good but noticed that a lot of people left the pool area as soon as they finished. The pool area lacked atmosphere without music so think they could use the DJ when the band finishes. Overall we really enjoyed the cruise but felt they catered for the elderly guests Read Less

We have voyaged on the Pacific Princess for almost two months. Our first on this vessel was in November and December 2016. I posted an excellent review back then and this ship still remains one of our favorites. However, since then on this ship, there has been a little improvement here and there and some degradation. Which has resulted in my dropping the previous rating. Let me begin with the positives: Terrific---- --We really like the ship and the crew, from the Captain on down. The main dining room (MDR) folks are exceptional. The high point for us is that the main dining room service and cuisine has restored our faith in the MDRs, at least on this vessel. Maitre d'hotel, Oscar Perego, has to be one of the best if not the best in the business. We originally intended to do a few dinners in the two speciality restaurants but the staff and service was so great in the MDR the only speciality we bothered to use was a Ultimate Balcony Dinner, which was exquisite. --Our cabin was super just like the other deck eight mini-suite we had one year ago. We really like the size along with the balcony which represents a large picture window facing the sea when you pull the drapes all the way back. The bathroom was typical, not very large and the closets are not walk ins but the closet space was much larger than one realizes at first glance. The bathroom medicine and toiletry cabinets have doors like they used to have in the old days so stuff doesn't spell out in rough seas. The temperature in the cabin can be regulated perfectly, cold outdoors and comfy inside or 95 F outside and cool inside. --This was the third time we have been on a cruise that coincided with the Super Bowl. This was the best bowl coverage yet, excellent, and outstanding too was because it was offered in the Cabaret Lounge, where three huge screens were used to display the action with the crew outdoing themselves by having a huge tasty buffet line of goodies and eats available throughout the entire game. Good--- --We certainly appreciate the loyalty perk(s) for free internet and laundry. The internet speed for me is satisfactory and reliable and wife loves the care, reliability and quality of the laundry and cleaning service. --The two main hot tubes on the pool deck were great and I used them some times twice a day. The pool deck on this ship doesn't have chair hogs and I never ran into a time when there wasn't ample fresh towels awaiting at three different locations. The only complaint I had was they got the hot tubs way too hot at times, one time they were at 107 F for two days. --The vessel is very well maintained and the crew is constantly scrapping, painting and keeping the ship in tip-top condition. --Love the balcony railings as well as the railings around the vessel where three horizontal bars are below a teak top railing allowing for clear views of the ocean instead of solid steel or Plexiglas which is almost always fogged up. --Often I'm not certain what the pre and post cruise hotels cost as we like to use the cruise line transfers and hotel package(s) which are lumped together price wise. Normally I believe the entire package is reasonable----this arrangement has really come in handy in the past when things got confused the day before embarkation due lost airline luggage or other problems. Nothing more comforting than to have an agent at a strange airport with a sign and your name. --The ship's library is the best and largest we have seen. Truly a library designed for exploration cruises. --The buffet is very good, food wise, service wise and table wise. They even change things around in part of it in the late afternoon making a more formal section with table cloths, flowers and wine glasses. This buffet has ample seating which gets constrained only when inclement weather forces everybody off the outdoor seating areas, which has even a larger number of tables than inside. During the entire cruise we never ran out of cantaloupe, not once, first time I recall that ever happening. --Cabin T.V.s work great and programming good. Certainly appreciate my favorite news channel MSNBC being available with a good signal all the time. I recall the days when we had no other choice for news but-----LOL. Sure wish they could figure a way to place larger TVs in the mini-suites though, --No complaints over embarkations and disembarkations. All handled well and luggage arrived in the cabins timely. --Although our segment involved mostly sea days, the shore excursions we did take were good, typically we never go the independent route on shore excursions but use those provided by the cruise line. One in particular illustrates how Princess stands out here----"We were confused about meet times one morning, so when we showed up for our muster time they told us our excursion had already left. Anyway, bummer, but then, the shore rep said you can get on "this one" if you want instead, which was leaving just then. We took it. We were supposed to be on a rain forest type hike and glow worm cave visit, which we were regretting due to all the rain. As it turned out, the alternative was much better and dryer, plus the one we were to be on they didn't even get into the caves as they flooded and during the rain forest hike portion everybody got soaked. Mistakes sometimes turn out for the better. --The cruise director on this voyage was a gal from Juneau, Sammi Baker, she managed the Red Dog saloon in Juneau back in the 1980s and had her own band there "Moondance". She got a job with the Italian cruise line "Sitmar" who merged with Princess in the late 1980s. We never ran across her before in our travels with Princess, she is retiring after this voyage. Too bad, she is well liked. Needs improvement--- --We never personally experienced much of a problem here, however, something is amiss. We did witness the considerable confusion which apparently exists within the cruise line fleet at large, this is over room service liquor order policy and even water bottle orders, as pre-orders prior to initial embarkation get tangled with room service liquor order requests due contradictions emanating from staff and company both orally and written. It might well be that the line is determined to eventually eliminate service to cabins where spirits or wine can be ordered for consumption within. If not, I suggest Princess better start attempting to squelch rumors and altercations that suggest otherwise, bring forth a consistent written policy/procedure, since a practice like that if it materializes, will be a real downer for cruisers like ourselves. --I do miss the enrichment lecturers that Princess used to provide, like naturalists, biologists, area historians and geography experts, I thought they would bring someone on board at Honolulu but didn't. However, at Pago Pago they brought on two New Zealanders who were pretty good, too bad for us though, as this occurred two thirds of the way through the cruise. --I'm not big on the production shows anymore where you got a bunch of young folk jumping around singing, dancing and doing hand stands. But on this voyage I guess they should be given credit since I attended most performances and thought they were okay, most guests appeared to really like them. I also don't care much for ventriloquists, comedians or jugglers, what I like is the individual singers, violinists, etc but only if they stay away from attempting to articulate political jokes, most of which are tired and ancient and usually irritate more than amuse. In fact, on the larger vessels I quit going to the overcrowded theatres with too few isles all-together, it wasn't until on this ship, a year ago, I became interested again due the comfort and convenience of the Cabaret Lounge. Here is my opinion of the entertainment list --- Good---(1) The Lions Den (2) Dave Klinberg (violinist and enrichment lecture--ancient cultures) (3)The Stevie B. Show, (5) Monty Cotton-- "Johnny Cash" (4) Production Shows, Jennifer Andres and Charlie Vose with the Belinda King Dancers. (5) Diane Cousins, singing and jokes. (6) Russell Harrison So-So--- louie Shelton, Bad----(1) Bayne Bacon, mediocre piano man and right wing sick joke critic of the Clinton family----(3) Domenick Allen, disorganized music performances---(2) Ventriloquist, Mark Merchant, good ventriloquist but that is where his talent ends; he also should stay away from right wing leaning ignorant jokes. Not so good---- --The gym is in an excellent location but too small for the number of guests wanting to use it. Only two ellipticals and five treadmills, that doesn't cut it in the morning. The gym doors open at 7:00 PM and often if you aren't in line at least 20 to 30 minutes before you better plan on waiting at least an hour. I have to admit though, we were on the Prinsendam for almost three months, a larger exploration type vessel than the Pacific Princess carrying 200 more guests, but their gym was almost half the size of that on this ship. Watch out for the "Man Killer"---Normally I would go out onto the circular track on deck 10 and walk or jog if the gym equipment was busy on this ship, however, this is a dangerous track early in the morning, as water collects on the track and it is very slick even after they mop it. I almost fell completely down four times and witnessed others crashing down, it is a wonder there hasn't been serious injuries. Apparently they tried to remedy this recently by painting the primary center running and walking area with a red substance which was actually slicker than the old surface which most runners or joggers tried to favor due better traction. Terrible--- --Platinum & Elite Lounge, Princess has changed their format here from what they used to provide. Now they offer a selection of eight different alcohol drinks which they apparently came up with as substitutes for the more traditional drinks they used to offer for $5.00 per. They now charge $6.50 for these new concoctions. We gave them a chance. Went three times and tried three different drinks each, most of the time we didn't finish the drinks due to not liking them. Their hors d'oeuvre offerings were still pretty good but the only way we would want to take time to attend is by purchasing their old traditional drinks for the full price. Thus, we say goodbye to this once great loyalty perk. ---This cruise involved one sement of a world cruise, 47 ports, five segments, 111 days. We originally purchased the second and third segments, 49 days. The third ended in Dubai. I had arranged and paid for air transport back home from Dubai when I first booked, about 11 months before embarkation. Our flight left at 9:30 AM in the morning of our second day in port at Dubai. That turned out to be a bad assumption and mistake. Unfortunately, Princess said we couldn't get off the ship that day that early since our flight left before 11:30 AM. After much discussion, Princess allowed us a "cruise deviation" under which we could get off early. They provided us no help or advice as to how to get off but did offer a lot of worrisome suggestions, like: "You are on your own" and "It is up to you to arrange with immigrations at that country when you get off our ship". Thanks but no thanks, we decided to cancel the entire voyage, both segments. At the last minute we decided to stay with the first segment only. It seems to me that for $34,000 to $37,000, which the second segment alone was going to cost us or in the neighborhood of $57,000 for the entire two segments, they could have given us just a little encouragement and assistance for our disembarkation. Recommendation------ Since we were on part of a world cruise it gave me an opportunity to evaluate the merits of these since this got me to focusing on the merits and dismerits of booking the entire package if we had chosen to do so. We have never booked a "world cruise". Our longest cruise was one just shy of three months, which was 95% Africa ports. Most likely the reason we haven't booked longer voyages is that by now we have visited just about every port offered on those, many, multiple times. My advice to those just beginning cruising careers, if they can make it work, take a world cruise as soon as you can, that way most ports on the itinerary will involve first visits making the voyage that much more enjoyable. I did note on this voyage over 80% of the guests were taking the entire 111 day world voyage and out of those there were a lot who love to do this time and time again regardless of the number of visits they may have had at the same ports. We met couples that have been on more than five and often they were friends with others that had been on the same voyages. Camaraderie was a big inducement factor. Obviously, cruising is not the same for all, there are many types and variations. However, we see now the world cruise probably isn't for us. We do love sea days and you do get a lot of those on world cruises, which is a plus for us. But It seems to me that the industry is rather coy in describing "world cruises" or "world voyages" as these are somewhat misnomers. The one we were just involved in was indeed a cruise that went all the way around the globe, beginning and ending in Florida. However, to call this a "world cruise" is rather disingenuous. 20 of the 47 ports are all in the Mediterranean, there is no Africa, no South America, no---Indonesia, Asia, Malaysia, Baltic, British Isles, Holy Land, Antarctica or Arctic or much more, most all of it is confined to traditional tourist haunts within the Northern Hemisphere, with the exception of a jaunt down the Pacific to Australia and then back north. One fellow, on his 5th world cruise, told me he was "bored". My preference now would be to get more bang for my buck by booking separate cruises of four or five week durations each, maybe lumping two together as a back to back (B2B). Read Less

This was our first cruise on Riviera, our second on Oceania. Our previous Oceania was the Nautica, and our cabin had been a disappointment. Our apprehensions were dismissed the moment we entered our cabin on Riviera. It was a very good size, and most importantly, the bathroom was much much better than the airplane-size bathroom on Nautica. No 'Psycho' shower but a full bathtub and separate shower. Yay! The ship is beautiful, I spent some time going through the ship to view all the beautiful artwork. Most amazing is how quiet the ship is; our cabin was on deck 8 midship and we never heard a sound ; we had to look out to check if we had docked or sailed away. The only reason I didn't give full marks is the entertainment and sound system in the cabins. I had the same complaint on Nautica and I was given the same lame excuse that Oceania buys its entertainment system from a provider and this is what they provide (!). The TV is old non-hd technology. The sound is terrible and the picture is so blurred you can't read the credits at the end of a film. There is no docking station for your phone, or bluetooth that would allow you to listen to your music. Unlike in most hotels nowadays, you can't access your account information. There was a Grand Slam tennis tournament going on, but no station to view it. There are only 3 news channels: MSNBC and FOX, and, thankfully, BBC World, a welcome relief from 24-hour US-centered news. It is time Oceania followed the competition into the 21st century, all the rest of the cruise is such a wonderful experience. Read Less

Cruise January 13-23, 2018 - Fourth time cruising with Oceania; second on Riviera. Beautiful ship, wonderful staff/crew, unbelievably excellent food, very talented string quartet who played at Oceania's enjoyable afternoon tea - as well as at other times around the ship. Really enjoyed the fact that the ship isn't constantly trying to shake every nickel from your pocket for art auctions, half-price sales of bargain bin items, or photographers following you at every turn. Very refreshing. Such a laid-back, quiet atmosphere that you sometimes wonder whether there is anyone else onboard. Was impressed that the ship is able to print a variety of local newspapers - even the Toronto National Post - so that we don't miss out on news from home. However, it is time that Oceania updated its onboard television system. It isn't interactive. You can't check your account or book reservations as you can through Celebrity's Solstice class ships. The channel that showed the map of the cruise, and the course of the ship, wasn't updated. It was often two days old, with day old weather forecasts, giving distances to ports that we had already visited. The captain's announcements were difficult to hear and there wasn't specific information on where we were (latitudes and longitudes don't help me much!); the weather; the depth of the ocean; condition of the seas, etc. If you are in your cabin and want to hear the announcements by the captain or cruise director, you have a second or two, after a short bell, to turn on your tv to channel 3 or run out into a public area. By the time you do so, the announcement is over! Really, really frustrating. Did not enjoy the ports. The Oceania excursions were very pricey and many entailed spending long blocks of time on buses. Also, the advertised port shuttles were available in only 2 out of 7 ports and docking locations seemed to take a back seat to larger ships in each port. We booked this cruise recently to get out of the cold. Unfortunately the weather was barely warm and it rained most days. We saw sunshine on the last day in Key West. This is the first cruise in years where I had to take Bonine to avoid being sea-sick from the rough seas. We had an extended balcony cabin near the stern of the 7th deck and we could feel really rough vibrations from the engine/propellers/thrusters(?) particularly when docking. Obviously the weather is beyond Oceania's control. However, the onboard activities were limited and rather lack-lustre. The cruise director needs to kick it into high gear and come up with some interesting activities, especially when the weather closes the pools and limits passengers to inside activities. I only found out the last night at dinner that the ship set up several tables for bridge players in the Polo diningroom each day. These were not advertised. Scarf tying was advertised, but that didn't interest me. I took that course on Oceania years ago. The beautiful, well-stocked library was full most days with passengers sitting inside reading in easy chairs. Very relaxing, but I can do that at home. There is one show each evening, but it is quite late. Considering the advanced age of most passengers, a 9:30 pm start is pushing it. Also in 10 days, it should be possible to avoid repeats of the same performers during the cruise. Aside from these irritations, if you want to sail on a beautiful ship, with outstanding food, interesting fellow passengers, and well-trained staff - and you have the dollars to pay for this premium experience - Oceania is an excellent choice. Read Less

My wife and I generally travel on the luxury lines and decided to try Oceania for the first time in 9 years. We booked well in advance and chose the 100 square foot Oceania suite which was on the stern of the ship on deck 11. In over 20 cruises in the past 10 years, this was far and away the best cabin that we have had. Service by the butler and stewardess was excellent. Booking the large suite came with lots of perks such as double the number of specialty restaurants, meaning that we only ate dinner in the main dining room 2 or 3 times. We did eat many breakfast and lunches there and found that the staff quickly knew us by name and gave us excellent service. Oceania provides guests with a key card indicating the room category and we felt that much of the service was recognizing us from the suite listed on the gold key card. Bar service was excellent as well and the specialty restaurants would have been enjoyed much more if I hadn't gotten sick ...... On the 2nd day I developed a chest cough accompanied by some minor gastric problems. In all my time cruising I had never darkened the door of the medical center and did not know what to expect. I went to the medical center and was honest about my symptoms, indicating that I was sick but not deathly sick. I did sign the release for treatment so from here on I should have no complaint, but I'll relate so others might be warned. I was given tests for everything from the flue to mono. The doctor decided I needed an IV and I was given multiple IVs over the course of the next 3 hours. I received urine and blood tests as well. The process took about 4 hours and I never inquired as to cost. My fault. I was informed to return at 6 PM for a follow up. All this made me feel better and I asked to have the IV needle removed which they had left inserted in my hand. The doctor said to leave it in in case I needed another IV - this was my warning sign that I did not heed. The next morning I returned to the medical center saying I was feeling even better. The doctor prescribed more IVs. After these, they took the IV needle out and told me to drink Gatorade, giving me 3 packs to mix. The bill was presented at the final follow up and I almost fainted. Charges for day 1 were around $3500 and day 2 was over $1400 making the charges come in just a hair under $5000. All this for a 57 year old male with slight discomfort. Medical insurance won't pay and we have never taken trip insurance which might have paid some or all of the cost. (with all our cruises we have never taken insurance and even with this bill I'm still money ahead over having taken insurance and not made claims). Lesson learned - I'll be very sick before I ever again go to the medical center. If I do have to go I'll get out my cell phone and call my personal doctor in the United States for consultation with the on board doctor. From the next trip forward we'll have a medical kit including a thermometer, some basic antibiotics, Pepto-Bismal, and perhaps some Imodium. I jokingly told my wife that I would want to take my own AED as well. In 4 or 5 days I was back to normal. The rest of the cruise brought lots of rain and bad weather, which is just bad luck. The only great day we had was the last port of Key West, perfect weather and we had returned to full health. We'll be on Oceania again, due to great service, food and room, but we'll be prepared to treat our own minor ailments. Read Less

Holiday of a lifetime planned for early in our retirement. Negatives - health and safety issues. 1) We question the practice of the same member of staff responsible for cleaning the cabin also being responsible for bringing coffee/milk new cups etc to the stateroom.i.e. the steward comes straight from cleaning the bathroom/toilet to delivering new cups/coffee/milk etc. This is not the fault of our steward who was friendly, helpful and attentive. More it is an organizational fault instigated by management and should be rectifed by them. 2) Many of the tables in King's Court are unstable. Not only does this make eating a meal somewhat unpleasant, but one table we sat at was so unstable that we spilt a cup of scalding hot coffee. Given the status and calibre of QM2 it seems unbelievable that this easy to solve problem had not been rectified by the end of the voyage despite a number of complaints from passengers. 3) The facilities at the guest laundrettes are woefully inadequate for the number of passengers -18 washing machines (when they are all working) for over 2,500 passengers. The numbers tell the story. The situation was exacerbated because the cost of having the laundry done by the ship was so high - at the cheapest it was two dollars per item. This situation bought out the worst in some passengers with angry outbursts and aggressive behaviour. Our suggestion that the cost (of having the laundry done by the ship) be brought down to alleviate the situation was rejected. Positives - 1) Stateroom was large, comfortable, well decorated and on a day to day basis worked very well. We loved the balcony which was spacious enough to sit out in comfort and afforded us some spectcular sights. 2) Ship was spectacular with a wide range of activities although we did find that many started too late in the evening for us at 9.45 p.m. Day time activities during days at sea were good - regular bridge, art lessons, craft activities etc. and some one off events including a passenger choir, line dancing and even a class where you could learn how to juggle. There were lots of famous and informative speakers giving talks and presentations. The swimming pools, games room, library, gym etc. meant there was plenty to do on board ship and most of these facilities were well run. However some of the teachers were not up to scratch - notebly the first bridge teacher we had at the start of the cruise, and the art teacher who was very knowleageable, but had a poor approach to her students and who could not actually paint very well. This opinion is based on the paintings done by her that she showed us to demonstrate techniques. 3) The staff on board ship were smart, attentive and generally efficient. Many went out of their way to help - the deck hand who climbed the ship's railing to retrieve my husbands hat, the World Voyage conceierge who was so much help when we had to go home early because of illness. Her assistance was of real value and we cannot thank her enough. The disembarkation was as effiicient, fast and as comfortable as it was possible to be given the circumstances. 4) The ship's shore excursions were varied and well organized given the very real constraints experienced in some ports, but we did find the cost of these to be high. We ended up using other cruise excursion operators and found these to be less expensive and more geared to our individual wishes. 5) Food was generally good, varied and there were a wide range of venues although some incurred additional charges.The Brittania Restaurant served lovely food - I can reccommend the ice cream!. We also took advantage of the free room service - breakfast on our balcony was particularly welcome on the days we went ashore on excursions. Overall we had a fabulous time, and were particularly impressed with the care taken by Cunard staff in difficult circumstances. Nothing was too much trouble when there was a problem,evident in the care taken of us when I was ill, which was second to none. The ship is magnificent, lots of stylish and attractive areas with the WOW factor. It attracted a lot of attention in virtually every port we visited. A trip to remember. Read Less

First experience of cruising for more than 17 nights. This cruise was. 44 nights with 4 night stay in Sydney. The cruise was great. A few days of rough weather over bay of biscay (as expected). Sea sickness tablets worked a treat, There were two ports we had to abort because of bad weather: bay of islands and Tonga. This is something you have to expect when cruising which us beyond the control of the captain. Headliner shows always excellent and always generates a full house. Some of the other not always great. Lots of activities during the day to keep you busy during sea days. Spa very expensive. Gym facilities great and free. Food a little disappointing but plenty of it - you won't go hungry! We went on most excursions but a lot of the time you can do your own thing a lot cheaper. Highlights were: Alcatraze, Panama Canal, Pearl Harbour. We enjoyed all the ports on this cruise. Absolutely fab. Best ports San Francisco, Auckland and Sydney. Left luggage - a case on ship which we will collect in April when Arcadia returns to Southampton. We were concerned about the long haul flight for our return journey which turned out great. We flew with Singapore Airlines from Sydney to Singapore and then Singapore to Heathrow. Time just flew. Great current movies on flight, constant drinks and food/meals coming round. Would definitely fly again with them the same journey. 10 out of 10 flight. I think this length of cruise was enough for us but alot of other cruisers were staying on for the full 99 nights. If you are considering this cruise next year I would say go for it. Read Less

We travelled before with CMV on the Marco Polo and now we did make the trip for 75 days from Amsterdam to Hong Kong and where very satisfied over all again. The cleaning was excellent. Also the food was good most of the time. The main dishes were unfortunately often very fat. The buffet was a good alternative. There was a good choice of drinks. The information about the packages could be better. Only the all include drinking package was offered. I did find out that there were also wine beer and coffee packages. Most of the staff was very kind and help full . Also the girls at reception were very kind but they were not helpful at all. One day I asked them to find a dentist for me in the next harbour, because the internet was out again. There answer was that I had to make the phone call myself from the cabin for £7 a minute. But who should I call? A lady from the tourist office in Auckland was very helpful to find it out for me. Me be CMV can hire here. Also to other questions they were friendly and smiled all the time but did not anything to solve the problem. And this was confirmed be other passengers as well. The excursions were far overpriced. But most of them were ok. If you did complain about an excursion they tried to tell you that you were the only one who had complained, but if one insists and could prove that the whole bus was not satisfied and even the host wrote a negative report, one gets a small reduction. So look very carefully if you can make the tour on your own before booking, because cancelling is no option. The two pools are very nice to swim, and one could always find an place to sit. The gym was open very early. Most of the passengers were over 65 , but the choice of music was for teenagers and far too loud . Also in the bars in the evening the life music was too loud also , so one could not make any conversation. The cabin was ok and the service from the cabin boy was excellent. Also the air condition in the cabin was adjustable. Unfortunately the air condition in the rest of the ship was very bad. In the gym far too hot. In the theatre also too hot. In Capucino’s and the atrium freezing cold ! Disembarkation was not always very efficient. Normally excursions go first by call on a tender number, but at some places everybody was cueing to go on shore at the same time. A bloody shame was the medical centre. People were forced to have an infusion for a simple cold. If one refused to take it, they threatened that you have to leave the ship. They charged more than £ 1000 for such in infusion. Some passengers got a bill for over £ 10.000 and to pay it immediately by credit card . CMV should change this service. It looks like mafia. Never the less we go again on a long cruise with CMV next year Read Less

We traveled with Viking before and liked the way they did things The food was great the staff and crew weee wonderful attentive Although overworked! The crew and staff did their best to ensure everyone’s safety Some of the passengers were obnoxious demanding and very rude to the crew and staff More disciplinary actions should have been taken towards those obnoxious passengers though The ports of call were fantastic and there was so much to see We felt safe at all times Some of the passengers came on board sick and their coughs and colds spread like wild fire The medical staff was excellent and caring ensuring the health and stability of the passengers I wish though that some of the staff would not have been so negatively chatty with the passengers One in particular was the female singer who talked about the passengers in a very negative way She was the opera singer and thought she was the “star” of the Viking Sun She was very negative Unfortunately she is on the new around the world cruise this year 2019 that left early January Read Less

This was my second expedition cruise with Silver Seas; the first having been on the Prince Albert II in Svalbard. Therefore I had high expectations, most of which were met. I agree with other reviewers that the ship is old and needs to be replaced. There is only so much cosmetic refurbishing that can be done. That said, the rooms were small, but very clean and comfortable. The public areas had also been refurbished. The food was excellent and up to Silverseas standards. The dinner portions were small enough so that you could eat all four courses if desired. Wait staff were excellent and identified me by name soon after we commenced our voyage. My maid and butler were both charming. The maid kept my room looking "together" throughout the voyage. I was pleased to have the butler service so I could have a meal in my room, which I did several times since I returned to the ship after very hot and humid weather excursions and didn't feel like eating in the dining room. I only did "hot rocks" once, but it was a lot of fun and had no problem whatsoever in reserving this. The bar/kitchen near the pool was too small and the wait staff did a super job in trying to cope with inadequate space. Overall I thought the staff was excellent and we had some very interesting lectures, although not the quantity that I experienced on the Arctic cruise. The first lecture was generally at 9:15AM, which was a bit early, esp. on days at sea. Unfortunately, a cyclone off the coast of Madagascar affected our time at Aldabra Atoll. The crew should be commended for being able to land us for a late afternoon walk to the ranger station; at least we were able to see a large number of the Aldabra giant tortoise. Due to the weather, we could not do the lagoon tour or any snorkeling/diving the next day. Most of the coral in the Maldives had been bleached out due to an El Nino in 2016. However, we did see a lot of beautifully colored fish. Snorkelling in the Seychelles was not good due to weather complications. Great great shore excursions in Zanzibar and Victoria. Poor scheduling though because we landed in both on Sundays! Thank you to Jamie again for fixing my mask and getting to my "taxi" on shore in Dar es Salaam. I'm not sure who was at fault for this but there was NO information for pre or post-embarkation/disembarkation or hotels given to me prior to the cruise. I made my own arrangements in Colombo and used the ship's way-overpriced $89 ride from the port in Dar to my centrally-located hotel, which I arranged on my own. Read Less

Enjoying immensely our 141 day world cruise, which is Vikings first. First class in every way except the included shore excursions - so don't consider that shore excursions are included when weighing up if this is the cruise for you. You have to buy your port excursions through Viking or independently online unless you want crap and don't mind wasting your time. They may look great in print, but this has been our experience port after port. We have sprung for some of Vikings upgraded tours and they have been adequate. We have also booked online through Viator and had wonderful experiences. Amazing cruise director Heather Clancy. Far more things to do on board than we ever expected. Most not needed in our opinion. More wheelchairs and scooters onboard than we ever expected too, since you read in Vikings info that they are not allowed. People who are not able bodied, but who still attempt shore excursions beyond their ability have added to our frustration as large groups are slowed to the speed of the least able bodied. Food is wonderful. Staff fantastic! Read Less

My embarkation experience was okay. I had no problems with my flights. My suitcase was damaged between the airport and the ship and delivery was delayed until quite late . I thoroughly enjoyed my time on board. I liked the decor and available amenities. I frequently walked on the decks and used the gym. I used many of the public areas throughout the day. I especially enjoyed the upper level of the Explorers' Lounge when I wanted a quiet spot and I enjoyed the pool area when I felt more social. My cabin was comfortable and most importantly had enough storage. I ate breakfast and lunch in the World Cafe. The food was good and I enjoyed the variety and ate out on the Aquavit Terrace as often as possible. I often had dinner in The Restaurant and was pleased with the selections offered. I enjoyed multiple meals at Manfredi's and they were awesome. I often enjoyed tea in the Wintergarden and the scones were excellent. I also ate at the Pool Grill on days I returned late from an excursion and my food was cooked to order. I thought the entertainment was exceptional. The variety of guest entertainers was great. I believe new entertainers arrived every six days. Each of the three acts performed two nights so that after six days they left the ship. The Viking Band was awesome. They usually played with the guest entertainers on stage and played in Torshavn Lounge after the stage show. I have great memories of many nights listening and dancing to the music of these talented musicians in the Viking Band. The band sought requests and socialized with guests. I enjoyed The Viking Trio, the guitarist Laslo and the pianist Ferry. who played between 5:00 and 11:00 each day. Concerts in the Atrium we excellent.All the service was exceptional - bar staff, waitstaff, & housekeeping were the best. Educational speakers were excellent. There were too many out of the way industrial ports requiring long commutes to the desired destination. Excursion descriptions were glorified and inaccurate. The complimentary wifi was pitiful and it was very difficult to post on my blog. I preferred this ship to the larger options and would consider cruising with Viking again. Since this cruise was Viking's first World Cruise, I hope they learn from experience and improve in the area of shore excursions with accurate descriptions. Read Less

As usual, we chose this Oceania cruise for the itinerary, the food, and the service and it did not disappoint. Venice is a wonderful city to explore when you get away from the crowds around San Marco square. Other highlights on this itinerary included Malta, Rome and Barcelona. Although Oceania’s shore excursions are pricey and we are not fond of large group tours, we booked quite a few of their excursions for this cruise because I was too busy to research independent tours. I did not enjoy some of their excursions because none of the guides provided headsets and some did not even use a microphone, which makes it difficult to hear them unless you barge your way to the front of the group. But we really enjoyed Oceania’s culinary tours in Corfu and Barcelona with Chef Kelly, which included a walking tour with a local guide. Chef Kelly has a great personality and we liked the smaller group sizes of these excursions. The food on this cruise was also excellent, especially the fish and seafood, and the crew was very friendly and attentive. Read Less

Oceania treated everyone like royalty. First class service. Our room was in need of a little repair and was quite tight but loved the balcony. We found all the staff was amazing special shout out to Harr6 and Ricardo who kept our rooms nice and clean ! To Amanda and terry who made Bingo...something we never play fun. To Martine up at the ginger restaunt to the fellas in the Brista Bar to kyla (not sure on the name) our waitress at the pool and a very special shout out to Erica and his crew that we absolutely fell in l9ve with their service was above and beyond. The food and entertainment on the ship was very good but a little disappointed in some of the tours especially in a Chili . Would definitely recommend to all friends. Loved the feel of the small ship . Found spa upsold many items once I was in and not really worth it at all. Would not use spa service again Read Less

The Mighty Amazon River has long been on our bucket list, & the newly refurbished Sirena's 34-day sailing from Miami to Buenos Aires sounded like the way to go!! The first week at sea was uneventful & unexciting, as we bypassed devastated Puerto Rico, & visited St Kitts, Antigua, & Barbados! We enjoyed the day we spent exploring the ruins of Devil's Island, the former penal colony off the coast of French Guyana. Unfortunately, we were totally taken by surprise as it was announced that almost all purchases aboard ship for the next 3.5 weeks (as we sailed thru Brazilian waters) would be subject to an extra 25% tax. (We solved this problem quite simply, by halting all unnecessary shipboard spending!!) Almost everything was included in our ticket price: air, gratuities, 7 shore excursions per person, internet package. There were no art auctions & no pushy shipboard photogs to contend with. We were not nickled and dimed over soft drinks, specialty coffee, & bottled water. Since the Sirena drew only 20 feet of water, We were able to travel 900 miles upriver to Manaus in the heart of the triple canopy Amazon rainforest. While the destination speakers for the Amazon region were well chosen, the Oceania home office staff of millennials let us down when it came to providing suitable movies that might have dovetailed with our journey!! As we entered the River Platte, it would have presented a great opportunity to view "The Battle of the River Platte". It would have also been timely to have watched "Evita" again, as we neared Argentina. Instead we were subjected to current, inane films, such as one depicting Breaking Bad actor Cranston hiding out in his garage for several months!!! We manged to dine in Sirena's Specialty restaurants on numerous occasions - especially in their magnificent Red Ginger Asian Fusion spot. Afternoons the main dining room was converted into Jacques - a specialty French Bistro - with mixed results. The Waves grill by the pool closed way too early @4PM. Read Less

We chose this cruise ship because of itinerary, ship size,and recommendation from our travel agent - we experienced such attention to detail by the well trained staff - great food with so many different food, restaurant and seating choices - my husband and I were glad that we could sit at tables for two at all of the ship restaurants - (our first cruise on a much bigger Royal Carribbean ship placed us at a table with 4 other couples of their choosing resulting in two of the couples not getting along and making the daily dining times dreadful instead of delightful.)Oceania assigned us a cabin towards the back of the ship which was right below the ship's smoking lounge - our cabin and balcony which we had to pay extra for filled with smoke each time we opened our sliding door -we are not smokers and were not told about the issue ahead of time even though the ship's staff that we asked were well aware- rooms by the smoking lounge should be given to smokers only - we suffered for 3 days with this issue before we submitted a written complaint upon which the executive concierge moved us to a new suite as well as giving us ship credit to use. Lucky for us a guest didn't show up on the sold out cruise or we would have been stuck in that room The excursions were wonderful well organized with experienced entertaining tour guides. The embarkation and disembarkation were easy smooth and quick unlike the Royal Carribbean cruise where we stood in line for hours. The ship entertainment seemed great but needed to offer an earlier show time instead of( the too late for us) 9:30PM due to all of the early excursion times. Our biggest complaint deals with the extremely unfriendly concierge who acted like we were bothering him even if we had a simple question - the same thing happened with a girl at the reservation desk and a girl at the reception desk - these three employees obviously don't like or take pride in their job and do not represent the rest of the extremely friendly anxious to help with absolutely any request staff of the ship. We will definitely go on a cruise with Oceania again Read Less

This was our third Oceania cruise, and although we rated this “very good”, we did pass along to Oceania several criticisms, which we hope will be considered “constructive”. The good – Sirena is nicely restored, well maintained and the staff is very good. There were some instances of poor service, but these are rare. The not good - bathrooms in cabins below penthouse level are too small. Dining - Grand Dining Room was most consistent (selections & preparations) and service was excellent. But the Terrace restaurant was just mediocre; okay for breakfast but other meals were inconsistent. It is too informal; cafeteria style for dinner. Compared to the outstanding dining on Marina last year, Sirena’s is a bit short on preparation and diversity. Primary dissatisfaction - severe overcharges for excursions and alcohol. A reasonable price might actually generate more sales and profit as well as sending customers a better message. Example: Alhambra & Granada private tour (16 people) ran $110 pp; the ship’s tour was $319 pp. This type of overcharge causes cruisers to spend lots of personal time to research and book private tours, and is a great inconvenience. For alcohol, two martinis cost $26+ with an included 18% service charge, and that's at Happy Hour! Overall, we would probably sail Oceania in the future, especially with certain policy and/or pricing changes. Read Less

This was a great experience. Service was great, food was great, ship is beautiful and the ports were wonderful. Some of the most beautiful spots in the world. One word of caution. The full day expeditions were very long, 8 hours, and way too much time on a bus. Three stops and over 3 hours on the bus. No freedom to do anything other than follow the tour and get back on the bus. My experience was that the 2 private tours I took were much more tailored to our personal needs. They are more expensive but if you get another couple the private tours wind up actually costing less than the ship expeditions. Also, the concierge desks were not helpful at all. One desk would give me one piece of information and then another desk upstairs told me something totally different. In addition, our ship had to skip Portofino and dock in Genoa due to weather. I had to change my expedition from a boat tour of the Riviera to a bus tour, again, of a fishing town. I feel the ship should have offered to return my money as the trips were not at all equal. All in all I feel that the expedition desk was not helpful and they were not flexible in helping us with our tours. All of the other service on the ship was exceptional, but I would have expected a higher level of helpfulness from the concierge and destination desk. I would definitely recommend this trip. Read Less

*First cruise on Oceania, although 3rd cruise in a "R ship", so we knew what to expect when it came to the tiny cabin shower, public spaces, size, etc. Compared to Azamara's ships this recently refurbished ship is marginally better. *Itinerary was good but some of the port departure times were too early and detracted from the on-shore "tourist" opportunity. *Can't say enough good things about the dining experience. *The staff and their service were wonderful. However the ship's shops were pricier than expected for the usual cruise ship stuff. *We had included business class air that was the major disappointment for the trip. The airline (AA/BA) was fine but the routing were poor; a) not as direct as possible and b) "legal" but very short connection times. This was an issue both going and coming from the ship. For example, coming home; we would have missed our connection in ORD, except that our domestic flight out of ORD was 1 hour late in departing. * The 2 enrichment lecturers and the 2 bridge instructors were great. We dropped in on the beginner bridge game lesson and enjoyed it so much, we attended every one thereafter. Read Less

Always wondered what a world cruise would be like, 105 days... would we get bored? Would we get tired of the food, the cabin, the ship, the people??? No!!! We could have stayed on board and done the trip again. The food was incredible from the dining room choices ...lobster, pheasant, juicy steaks,wonderful soups , appetiser and desserts. The Buffett selection was huge and very high quality as were the other eating places. Well catered for Australian and New Zealand tastes Entertainment was a bit of a mixed bag but overall was of a high standard and good variety. Daily lectures were mostly very interesting and the movie selection also good ,watched a few movies under the stars and enjoyed the experience wrapped in blanket and eating hot popcorn. This was one of the best things we have ever done. Although not perfect,( but then what holiday is) we found Sea Princess and the crew to be very enjoyable. The destinations we went to were so many of the places around this incredible planet that we wanted to see and do it in a short time frame too in comfort and be able to relax between ports instead of rushing to airports and time wasting , delays etc. We have already booked two more cruises with a Princess and await with great anticipation to cruise again and meet many more wonderful people Read Less

The above is what I was told by the Deputy Captain when I finally managed to corner a member of the deck department to ask why some new lashings hadn't had a whipping or a back-splice put onto the cut ends. He looked puzzled at my question, initially, so I explained that a seaman would always do this (or even wrap a bit of electrical tape around it) to stop the rope fraying. He then said it wasn't important. 'Good seamanship isn't important?' I asked, incredulously. Then he told me that the lashings had been done by a member of the Security Team and not the deck crew to which I replied that even if that was true(it wasn't as I'd watched the work being done) why had no-one inspected the work in the ten days it had been flapping away on the Promenade Deck. A rhetorical question because, by this time, I was aware that no-one ever checked anything that the deck crew did onboard the Queen Mary 2. After 44 years at sea, the last 24 in command, I wondered how I'd react to being a passenger on someone else's ship and, although I didn't go out of my way to see things that could be improved, it was difficult not to notice safety breaches, slack behaviour etc. etc. As I'm quite used to the defences put up by a poor crew I made a note and photographed as much of this as possible with a view to discussing it with a senior member of staff but, as a lot of other people have already mentioned, you rarely get the opportunity to talk to a member of the nautical team (deck or engineering). (This ran to five pages by the time I left the ship in Southampton.) So I sent it all off to Cunard after we returned home because, make no mistake, this is a wonderful ship and it broke my heart to see the unprofessional way it is being run. Mostly we enjoyed ourselves (Singapore back to Europe is an old run of mine)but there were a number of areas where improvement would be easy to effect and stop an awful lot of the recurring complaints from these pages. I received a reply, timed at 16:38 on the Friday afternoon before a Bank Holiday weekend, which appeared not to be a reply to my letter but someone else's. Typical really of Cunard, poorly trained and motivated staff trusted to reply to complaints but not that bothered. Banging off a reply, as the weekend was coming up, and she wanted to clear her desk. I said we joined in Singapore and the IT system had crashed meaning we stood for 45 minutes before we actually got to the check in desks. Cunard's reply apologised for my poor experience joining in Cape Town! It continued in that vein, answering complaints I hadn't made, and then expressing the hope I'd book with Cunard again. So I replied, to this, pointing out that she hadn't actually answered any of my concerns but someone else's. My reply copied in the Vice President but, of course, no subsequent response has been received. Because they have replied and won't revisit my letter, presumably? I'll also point out to everyone who fills in the FIFO questionnaire, on their return, that if you put in a three star review, or above, there will be no response. The only ones that get an answer are the one and two star reviews, even if there is valuable constructive criticism in the others. I suppose the thinking is that if you rate your cruise as 'good' or above it's not necessary to look at what you've said. Modern management is all about 'continuous improvement' though and there are a lot of useful points that Cunard don't bother to look at ... why not? Another rhetorical question ... I know the answer, as do a lot of the readers. They're Cunard and there are no problems on their ships. But there are: My main concern is the safety culture on the QM2. These cruise ships/liners must be able to be evacuated in 30 minutes but the marine crew (from what I saw) are unprofessional, unmotivated and unsupervised. I documented numerous instances that reflected this but received no acknowledgement so, presumably, Cunard think it's safe for their crew not to wear a safety harness when working aloft, safe for a crew member to clean his scraper by holding it to the turning head of a disc grinder whilst passengers walk past, safe not to clean public areas thoroughly when the ship is in the grip of norovirus etc. etc. And if this is what I saw in the public areas what on earth is going on in the areas outside public scrutiny? Is that why it took so long for them to get on top of the norovirus? What about fire safety? I watched crew members leave gates unsecured so what are they doing in their own accommodation and work areas? It is a lot easier to tie back a fire door than to continually open and close it as you walk to and fro. Everything I saw, with regard to the marine crew, would suggest to me that this is the sort of thing they'd get up to if they weren't supervised. And they're not supervised. Read Less

We chose this trip via Imagine Cruising because the trip to India after the cruise was the added attraction.Boarding at Singapore was abbismal as they said the computers were down ,meaning long waits and even longer queues as 2000 people were waiting.On board at last we found orientation around the ship difficult for the first two or three days and would describe the layout as higgle piggile.But having said that she is beautiful ,stylish and upmarket ,all public area are gorgeous and also she is so stable you are completely unaware that you are at sea.This part of the cruise was through Malaysia and the Indian Ocean and was incredibly hot and humid but Adora's was an oasis if coolness.Meals were on late sitting and we had a table of 6 ,they were friendly and sometimes it was difficult to speak to everyone ,food was very good most of the time but occasionally as with everything some were just OK.Drinjs as usual were rediculouly overpriced so wine was not purchased.The pub was a good place to meet and enjoy the old g and t.Shows we also found to be hit and miss but the theatre is amazing and would not be out of place in the Westend.The cinema/lecture auditorium was also first-class.Drinks parties given by the Captain were fun and you got a FREE drink and met fellow cruisers ,most we talked to are looking forward to the Indian Adventure.Disembarkation was also chaotic with people unaware of which coach was correct for them.The heat at Dubai was draining and after waiting ages we just got on any bus going to the airport,missing our private transfer in the chaos and then finding our own way to the correct terminal for our direct flight to Delhi with an Indian airline.Most of the Imagine Cruisers were booked on Emirates and we luckily missed the further chaos at Delhi airport where they took more than two hours to clear evisa entry.We particularly enjoyed the pool and jacuzzi in the late afternoons as the heat in this area of the world is stifling. Read Less

I had always wanted to cruise with Cunard and when this cruise came up it seemed the perfect time to try them. Waiting for check in was not a good start as the computers were not working and everyone had to wait so the area become very crowded. Once they came on-line everything moved very swiftly and smoothly and we were soon in our lovely stateroom. The cabin was beautifully decorated and the bathroom a little larger than average. I would like to remind people that the Queen Mary 2 is an Ocean liner and not a cruise ship. This means that particularly on deck things are not as decorative as other ships. Having said this the service everywhere was very good. The food in both the main restaurant and buffer was wonderful and the restaurant staff could not do enough for us. Sometimes the buffet was a bit hectic and you had to wait for things. The entertainment was of a very high standard I partially enjoyed the shows in the beautiful theatre and the planetarium. If I am going to nit-pick the seats in the theatre were rather uncomfortable. Only real complaint was the organisation or rather lack of it when trying to use the shuttle when in port, complete shambles. All things considered I really enjoyed this cruise, but if I am honest it was not the extra special experience which I expected. I would really recommend this ship to anybody keen on ballroom dancing. There was dancing every night to a live band in the Royal Ballroom. Read Less

The whole cruise was great, although weather not perfect but that is no ones fault, our only complaints were the cost of the alcohol on board, wine is extortionate so hardly anyone on our table of 8 purchased wine at dinner, in 22 nights we bought 3 bottles of wine, The only other minor complaint was the lack of choice at dinner in the Britannia Restaurant, too many vegetarian options on not enough meat or fish dishes. The Kings Court buffet restaurant offered the best food we have ever experienced on a cruise but we do not like eating dinner in a buffet, or any other meal really but on this ship we did eat there more often because the choice of food was amazing. Our embarkation in Cape Town was chaotic to say the least as the computers were not working but we did not have to wait too long to enter the lounge where we had to wait to board but others had waited more that an hour or so to do so. We definitely think the Queen Mary is the best ship we have ever been on, before we have cruised with P & O and Holland America, the level of service and attention to detail was very good. Read Less