We have had excellent trips on Oceania and were on the Riviera three years ago. We had particularly enjoyed the food and the very excellent service from a dedicated and well trained staff so we eagerly chose Oceania/Riviera again. Unfortunately, Oceania had been bought over by NCL recently and the change in management was very evident. The food was still very good to excellent, the cabin category we chose, penthouse 1 was still very well appointed, clean and comfortable. What was really different was the quality of the service. We had always been impressed by the helpfulness, kindness, speed and efficiency of the Oceania service. The NCL management seems to be saving on staff. Everywhere, the staff was rushed, harassed and seemingly uncomfortable. In the Terrace and Grand dining room, the service was seriously understaffed leading not only to longer wait times for food delivery but also to less personal attention. On earlier trips, Terrace staff immediately would see me, an older person, and rush to carry my plates. On this last trip, that happened only occasionally - perhaps not because of the service staff but because they were all rushed off their feet most of the time. Friendly chats with staff which we had enjoyed on earlier trips were really not possible. The housekeeping staff did their jobs very well but it took longer for cabins to be cleaned in mornings because there didn't seem to be enough of them to do the job. And, finally it seemed to us that many of the staff no longer had happy, smiling faces but seemed to be unhappy, going through the motions of service while counting the days to their next home leave. NCL has a different philosophy of cruise ship management catering to a different and younger clientele but applying the same criteria to Oceania has led to a downgraded service. We are not sure if we will choose Oceania again Read Less

I had sailed with Oceania before it was taken over by Norwegian Cruise Lines. This was our first cruise since then. Dining room service so horrible. I complained in writing and was approached by an Assistant Captain while we were dining with friends in the evening. He wanted to talk about my dining room complaint. When i suggested we do that at another time, he said he wanted to do it now (in front of my friends while we were dining.). I was so appalled I told him that I didn’t want to discuss it now and would he please leave. Spa had no attendant; locks on lockers were broken and didn’t work; no sign that the hot tub was co-ed and was under the Horizons Club where people could see you. Luckily I realized that before completely removing my robe. Engine trouble, electrical trouble, elevators not working; concierge service does not mean you have a Butler. The room attendant does practically nothing besides cleaning the room. The usual bathroom shampoos are one at a time. Attendants not allowed give you more. Shower is so small that it’s hard to turn around. I am tiny 5” 112 lbs. i had trouble. I can’t imagine a slightly heavier person or a really large person. Entertainment: Magician 3 nights, Ukulele player 3 nights. Very average. Singer/Dancers poor. Lectures: horrible Read Less

There was a lot of advertising and lots of promises about the fabulous standard and service on Riviera, so we had high expectations. Unfortunately they were not fully met. Here a short sum up: our suite was very nice, the ship in general elegant and modern, the staff was friendly but without some personal touch, the food was just average, entertainment was quite okay, the ports of call could have been better and even so the excursions. Our spacious Penthouse Suite nr 9145 was very nice and we can recommend it. It has a very quiet location at the end of the aisle. We liked the big walk in closet, the comfortable bed and the nice balcony with the adjustable sunchairs. The butler service feels a little bit ridiculous and we used it rarely. And why has a butler to beg us for good rating in the internal survey?! We were a little bit disappointed about the food. It was okay, but not more. We had the best dinner experience in the Terrasse Café and Polo Grill. In all restaurants they serve you with a very high speed and 4-5 people take care of you. One for the food, one for the water, one for the wine….. There is actually no chance to have a quiet and relaxing dinner. It is no problem on Riviera to eat a 3 course menu in 45 minutes. The quality of entertainment was both good and bad. The staff was in general very kind but without the little extra. They were just drilled to say “hello and have a nice day” and to get things right. We really disliked the mandatory charge of 404 $ in gratuity – either you liked the service or not. Some of the port of calls turned out as very strange, like the container harbour in Santo Tomas, Guatemala or the uninhabited island Harvest Caye, Belize. We were partly disappointed about our excursions organized by Riviera; they did not fully comply with the description we got. Read Less

My husband and I usually cruise Celebrity but chose this cruise for its itinerary and the reputation of excellent food and service . Unfortunately we were disappointed by both . The embarkation was a disaster . Due to high winds in Cape Town the ship was late in arriving in dock . In fact over a day late but it did not warn passengers On the day , no one answered phone calls and there was no communication at all . On the dock side , passengers were left standing in v long warm queues without explanation or apology. Not a staff member in sight for several hours .Eventually on board after 3 hours and a bottle of water later , there were still no apologies . Due to late arrival , our departure was delayed until the following day and we missed a day at Walvis Bay .. still no apology but a statement ‘ force major ‘ .. ie not their responsibility The staff on the whole were ‘ miserable ‘ They never welcomed us back on board , never wished us a good day, never offered refreshments or towels on boarding .. in fact generally we felt as though we were an irritant and an inconvenience rather than a guest . It was not a warm nor welcoming atmosphere and there was not an officer in sight . The ship was generally clean and well kept although some of the sanitizers did not work. Ok .. it is a little warn and old fashioned but that wasn’t a problem .. The main Dinning room was disappointing. The food was rarely warm and often poor quality and was thrown at you in a cafeteria way rather than with the elegance as advertised . The staff were rushed off their feet and had no time for small talk . Lunch times were a better experience.The dress code was v relaxed throughout the cruise. with many t shirts and trainers in sight . The speciality restaurants were a much better standard but visits were limited. Communication was extremely poor and there was no interactive facility to check bills, book restaurants etc .. We struggled to find information and as this was our first cruise with Oceania ended up relying on other guests who had cruised with then before to help us , The room was comfortable but the air conditioning became warm at night ! In searching for something positive , I find it’s quite difficult . !!!! The happy hour between 5 and 6 was only in Horizons or the martini bar which is a very small lounge with limited space and extremely packed . We spilled over into an area where some musicians were playing and were told to be quiet !! During this time the glasses and hence quantity also shrank ! Illogical rules and regulations which the staff hid behind dogged the enjoyment of guests and dulled socialising ... hard to explain but readily realised when on board. The ship vibrates and kept us awake at night . We were mid ship but our friends in the owners suite at the back moved furniture and other items to limit the noise . Unfortunately we missed a second port Port Elizabeth due to high winds and this was again very disappointing for many guests . Some of the organised trips were good but expensive . Others were badly organised with guides not turning up etc .. and not running to time or schedule . I could go on but it is beginning to sound more like a rant than a review . ... The disembarkation went well . Read Less

My husband and I are frequent travelers who have enjoyed many experiences on cruise ships. In fact, our most recent cruise was when we cruised the Mediterranean on the Insignia. It was a wonderful experience. So we were quite excited as we embarked upon our January 2020, 12 day Caribbean adventure on the Sirena. Unfortunately, the trip failed to meet our expectations. Notwithstanding that we had booked this trip months ago, we were notified just weeks before embarking, that we would not be able to visit Antigua, (one of our highlights of this trip)and, instead Dominica was substituted. In view of it’s struggle to recover from hurricane Maria, we found Dominica to be a far less desirable destination. Shortly into the trip, our boat went dead in the water. The captain announced that the ship was having mechanical difficulties. Although he announced later that the problems had been resolved, it seemed, that, following this incident, the trip never really got back on track. To begin with, we were advised by the captain that our stop in Aruba (for us, another highlight of this trip) was canceled. Next, we arrived four hours late into Granada, and all scheduled excursions were canceled. And finally, as we headed back to Miami for the completion of our trip, we were again advised by the captain that we would be arriving another four hours late. In actuality, we arrived more than five hours late and our 8am disembarkation was delayed until 1pm, creating numerous logistical challenges for all passengers. Although the captain attributed the various delays and disruptions outlined above, to quote “headwinds and currents”, the winds and waters seemed calm and did not appear to affect the other Caribbean cruise lines, which completed a similar journey on schedule. Many speculated that the engine problem, experienced early in the cruise, was never fully resolved was the cause of the subsequent delays. In addition to the delays and missed ports, the service provided during the cruise was well below Oceania’s high standards. Early in the cruise we were informed that many crew members had contracted the flu. Accordingly, we were cautioned to frequently wash our hands and use disinfectant. Housekeeping left spray disinfectants in our room. As a result of this outbreak, staffing was limited and service suffered. For example, service delays resulted in unduly lengthy (2 1/2 to 3 hour) dining experiences that prevented guests from timely arriving at scheduled events. Although the healthy crew members, worked diligently to overcome the staffing shortfall, it certainly had an adverse impact on the quality of the trip. With respect to accommodations, we found our room on the concierge level to be clean and with adequate storage space. The room service provided by our attendant, Anna, was excellent. However, we found the bathroom space wholly inadequate and the tiny shower stall exceedingly uncomfortable. Further, the internet service was spotty and inadequate. Like, most of the guests, we were traveling as a couple. Yet, internet access was limited to only one person/device at a time. In order to get online, you had kick your partner off. Very frustrating. Definitely, Oceania can do better. In sum we found the trip to be disappointing and, as previously stated not up to Oceania’s usual high standards of quality. Read Less

Caribbean Flair - Oceana Sirena 13th - 25th January 2020 Having enjoyed previous Oceana Cruises to the Pacific islands we unfortunately booked the Sirena on the ill fated Caribbean Flair cruise on 13th January. On our second day at breakfast we heard a loud bang and the ship stopped. After 30 minutes dead in the water the ship was restarted and we very slowly sailed on. At midday the Captain announced the we had suffered an electrical fault and propulsion problems. As we continued to limp along the captain later announced that we would be unable to visit Aruba and suggested this was due to “currents and winds” so, we had the first three days at sea and we missed Aruba altogether. We arrived in Grenada four hours late, most of the excursions were cancelled, however, our Sunnyside Gardens tour went ahead but was concluded in the dark! On board, the enrichment lectures were anything but …. poor content read from a laptop and badly presented. The quality of food and service was not to the level previously experienced. Menu's became paper photocopies due to members of staff being quarantined with an outbreak of a virus - not confidence enhancing! The on board WIFI was weak and inconsistent preventing completion of the on board survey - sparing your blushes. On our return to Miami the ship continued to limp along and despite the calm ‘mill pond’ water and minimal breeze the captain announced that we would be three hours late into Miami (this turned out to be five hours late). The excuse offered was ‘currents and winds’ ….. had they made a 180 degree turn around? and were we not sailing with the Gulf Stream? It was very clear to everyone on board that the ship was still encountering difficulties, this was confirmed when we arrive in Miami to find that five other much larger ships had all docked on time despite the mythical Sirena currents and winds. Our Miami excursion was cancelled but fortunately we had an evening flight to London, I felt so sorry for passengers who had to franticly try and rearrange their flights home. We’re disappointed that we missed out on visiting Aruba, had cancelled and restricted excursions, the quality of food, service and experiences were poor by comparison to previous cruises, however, contradictory information and the lack of honest communication does not engender sympathy. No apology on board and no apology since our return is inexcusable, demonstrating a need for improved crisis management and corporate governance. Could you please respond with a belated apology and an appropriate level of compensation to redeem your somewhat damaged reputation. Read Less

This was my first cruise on Oceania. It was a repeat of the ABC trip we took earlier n the month with Holland America. This gives me a chance to compare the two cruise lines. Our first stop was supposed to be Aruba. The first two days were like being on a bouncy castle. We were forward and we hit every wave. We had no balcony on Deck 6. The waves did hit the porthole as we bounced along to Aruba. The captain came onto the speaker and announced that we would miss Aruba because the ship could not travel fast enough to get to Aruba before 7pm. We then had to scramble with Viator to cancel our shore excursion with less than 24 hours notice. I was surprised that the captain could not determine that we were going to miss the port after travelling for two sea days. The Holland America trip a few days prior to this trip had some bounciness but we never lost time. We subsequently learned that other ships in the ABC area also cancelled port visits so there was a storm. We had a brownout on the first day. Power came back but I doubt that this caused us to miss Aruba as the ship would have 3-4 generators. I went to the Cruise Director and asked that on the trip from Bonaire to Grenada that we be given notice about more delays. He said he would but again, we heard that we would be late to Grenada - arriving at 430pm - and we only got a few hours notice. I find it hard to believe that the captain could only figure this out when we had travelled 80% of the distance - very irresponsible. I tried to cancel the Grenada shore excursion as we would have only 1.5 hours of daylight but the tour operator refused to do so. Viator's cancellation rules require 24 hours notice. We were then delayed a third time as we were about 5 hours late getting back to Miami. We got a few hours notice on this delay. I came to the conclusion that travelling on small ships like the Sirena needs to be restricted to short visits that don't involve crossing big bodies of water. The other issue is that I would only take Oceania cruises where we took the ship's shore excursions. In the case of this cruise the ship's shore excursions were very expensive and not very good compared to the private tours I booked. The food was fabulous. Oceania has two high end restaurants. But you cannot pay to dine at them. They are really a reward for being a frequent flyer on Oceania. The Red Ginger Beef Panang was superb. They served it once in the regular dining room and it was nowhere near as good. The breakfast and lunch food was very good. The dinners in the dining room were better than Holland America except for the salmon. The sushi was mediocre compared to Holland America. There was sorbet every day. Blood orange was the best flavor. The big problem with Norwegian, who owns Oceania, is that this company does not believe in making reservations for dinner. You have to line up like going to MacDonald's. If you don't share a table, waiting 30 minutes is not unusual. I tried sharing and it was ok for the most part, as Oceania is a high end crowd. One evening the man sitting with us tried to pick a fight with another diner as the other diner was talking too long to the wine steward. In the other case, there were two Brits who had no manners, who just got up and left their food because of the noise in the dining room. The ship is smaller and felt more crowded than the Holland America ship that had 4 times the number of guests. The hot tub was cold. The string quartet was very good. The internet was poor but was slightly better than Holland America. The problem with both ships is that when you pay for better service, you get the same speed so there is no advantage to paying. Oceania restricts streaming if you don't pay so I had no access to my VectorVest stock service. Email was slow but it eventually came in. As an IT guy I wanted to meet with the ship IT person but he refused to meet with me....not impressed by this. There was a guest lecturer who spoke about pirates in the Caribbean. It was not very good. There were no other port talks. There were 8 crew members who go the flu. I learned that there were no mandatory vaccinations for crew. Given the current concerns about Coronavirus, I found this to be very strange. The ship went into an ultra cleaning mode but it was a little late for this measure. I would not take a long trip on these small ships. I have passed on a Baltic cruise and a Panama Canal cruise for now as the stress of missing ports and losing shore excursion money is just too great. So I am going on the Dubai cruise in 2021. There short distances between ports and in this part of the world, it makes sense to take the ship's shore excursions. It is on the Sirena so it the captain misses ports, I don't have to worry about losing money on privately booked tours. Read Less

Oceania admits they charge more because they offer SIZE, SERVICE, and PORTS. All we got on this cruise was Size. Our renovated cabin had a large depression in the floor next to the bed that was a major tripping hazard. Housekeeping said it had been reported but management chose not to fix it. We asked for a different cabin and had to keep asking and eventually we were given a different cabin (same size, different floor) but had to pack ourselves. After 3 trips with keys that didn't work and 30 minutes of waiting for someone to open a door and several wasted hours, we dragged our carry on bags up the stairs while the ship did send someone with a trolley that could hold the 2 large suitcases. Shame on Oceania !! We should not have had to move ourselves because you gave us a room that should not have been in use. There was terrible service in the dining room almost every night and we were usually a party of 6 or 8. Exceptions were the days after we finally complained to the heads of dining. For example, they offered menu's and didn't return to take orders without us going to the maitre'd and asking for someone. They served a delicious sole with bone in, but failing to de-bone or tell us the bone was in. In the premium restaurant, the same entree was automatically de-boned prior to serving. For this we got an apology and strawberries in our room. Waiters rarely offered suggestions and often did not know about substitutions. In one case our waiter did not know the ship had romaine lettuce even though ceasar salad was a nightly offering. I reminded several that the ladies at the table should be asked for orders first and served first. To make matters worse, the head of dining services argued with our party one night insisting we were in error and had misunderstood his invitation. He could and should have just apologized for the misunderstanding or said nothing at all, but he chose to argue he was right and we were wrong. I could hold it no longer and reminded him that the customer may not always be right, but they are always the customer. As to quality of the food, there were times that it was very good. They have chosen to make many of their dishes very low in taste so as not to offend guests who don't like spices. For people who have more adventurous taste buds, but menus are lacking. On our final night, when most cruises have a special dinner, when our waiter asked us what we wanted, 3 people at our table asked for a different menu - it was disgusting! We ordered from the "always available" section. How sad is that. This was our third cruise on Regatta and this was by far the lowest level of service we have seen. Only our house keeper regularly called us by name. One server called me by name and that was after our first terrible service in the dining room and I am sure we were the subject of a staff meeting. No more towel sculptures, no more personal touches. The renovations did nothing to address the terrible conditions in the Regatta Lounge where the "performances" are held. Only the first row of chairs can see what's happening on the stage. All that money spent and all they did was change some carpet and wallpaper and bring the staterooms close to what every other lower cost cruise line offers. And as for the 3 missed ports, including Milford Sound, which was something we were really looking forward to, there was NO EFFORT AT ALL TO OFFER SOMETHING TO THE GUESTS IN RETURN!!!! How about some kind of party or special dinner or dare I say credit? I didn't rate "shore excursions" below because we learned long ago that Oceania's excursions are NOT worth the money. They are expensive and crowded and we have arranged for private tours for many years and been very satisfied. You get to do and see exactly what YOU want and don't have to wait for your nearest and dearest 46 friends. I should never say never, but I can't foresee any reason why we would ever step foot on another Oceania ship again. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the itinerary and the standard of care afforded by Oceania. We really enjoyed this cruise. The passengers were younger than anticipated; we met many interesting people. All the staff were exceptional: professional, polite, competent. The food and food venue choices were varied and many. I do feel the desserts were not up to what we experienced on the Marina about 20 months ago. The entertainment was more than I expected. Anyone that can get an entire large group of people up and dancing in their seats is admirable. I admire Cory, the cruise director, for his efforts, professionalism and sense of humor. We missed a few ports due to weather. Unfortunate, but the Captain kept us safe and there is a lot to be said for days at sea. Apparently, some people were quarantined but you would never know it. So much care to prevent germs and eliminate the risk of illness. I appreciate that. One of the sweetest portions of the cruise was when most all staff were on stage at the Regatta Lounge to thank the passengers and an opportunity for the passengers to thank them for their efforts. It is so nice to eat where and when you want without any rules. My husband and I have noticed that the mid-cruise feedback process is taken very seriously by staff; any concerns are addressed immediately The Regatta, recently renovated September 2019, has elegant, embroidered fabrics. The artwork was lovely and the color palate soothing. Our concierge cabin was small, but extremely elegant and convenient. Plenty of storage. The soundproofing made our room very quiet, even though we were right by the elevator. I enjoyed a facial, pedicure and amazing 75 minute hot stone massage in the newly established spa. I especially enjoyed hearing the talks from the marine biologist about bird and fish life. The historian did a great job educating us about our upcoming ports. The expansive library is quiet with an extensive collection and duplicates of more popular titles. The internet worked pretty well. I love the 4 pm high tea with the elegance of the string quartet and being served with white gloves and silver service. The two for one cocktails were nice and contributed to a sense of conviviality among those sailing. For those unhappy sailors I suggest finding another cruise line more to your liking instead of complaining about your first world problems about not being addressed in the proper manner or having to unpack your belongings. Read Less

It is probably important for you to know my wife and I are seasoned cruisers. Over the past 25 years we’ve sailed a total of 31 times on Celebrity, Azamara, Viking Ocean, Holland America, Cunard, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, NCL, and MSC. This was our first sailing with Oceania. We picked this cruise largely because of the itinerary and the price, which was moderate for an upscale line at $523 a day for both of us, not including air. From my research it seemed Oceania’s closest competitor in size of ship, amenities, and on-board experience is Azamara. Both lines appeal to the same type of passenger who is looking for an all-inclusive, upscale cruising experience. Having sailed Azamara before, I was curious how Oceania compared with them. Overview The Oceania Nautica is one of the smaller ships on which we’ve sailed holding around 680 passengers. One of the more noticeable differences in sailing on a small ship is the lack of public areas from which to choose, less entertainment choices, and smaller cabins. Those deficiencies were somewhat mitigated by the smaller ports the ship can dock at, flexibility, more personalized service, attention to detail, and inclusive amenities. I can’t really say there is any more or less feeling of crowdedness on the smaller ships than with a larger ship. It seems to be all relative to the space per person. Where we notice a difference from sailing on larger ships was embarking or disembarking the ship. The smaller number of passengers reduced the lines and wait times considerably. Also, the smaller ships are more nimble than their larger brethren allowing them to alter their itinerary or add a fresh local food to the menu. On this cruise, the chef added fresh Hake, which was amazingly delicious. They also featured an African night with a lot of local meats (crocodile being one) and produce. The public rooms are nicely done on the Nautica and have a feel of warmth and elegance. The ship was exceedingly clean and well maintained. There are four dining options aboard the Nautica making it equal to or a step above larger ships. While the state rooms are small, the appointments and linens are a step above what you would expect from the more major cruise lines. We missed not having any status on Oceania (as we do on other lines) so we received no discounts usually granted to more frequent travelers. However, there wasn’t much need for the Elite status as all guests enjoy the same privileges as Elite travelers on other lines, which include fancy coffees, a few free happy hours, a daily 2:1 happy hour, use of the steam sauna, and the best one -- no charge in the specialty restaurants. It appeared to me that Azamara includes more inclusive perks like some free shore excursions, well drinks, house wine, spa memberships, and laundry. By my calculations the inclusions on Oceania amount to an added value over non-inclusionary ships of $60 a day ($10 spa, $5 soft and juice drinks, $15 specialty restaurant costs, $20 internet, $10 coffee). I estimate the value of Azamara’s slightly higher because of the inclusive laundry, shore excursions and alcohol at $90 a day. Embarkation The embarkation experience was one of the best in our 31 sailings. It took about ten minutes from start to finish. There were no lines, no customs, no waits, and no hassle. I only wish all our embarkations were this easy (see my 2013 review of Celebrity’s Infinity). Evaluation This isn’t something I have ever included in a review, but the Nautica’s evaluation process was the strangest I’ve encountered at sea. The good news is that in an attempt to save trees and be up to date, it’s a digital evaluation. The bad news is that it’s very user unfriendly. It’s so unfriendly, the staff had to schedule a time to explain to passengers how to fill it out. There are three major issues with the form, all of which seem fairly easy to solve, but apparently the home office has turned a deaf ear to making improvements. I figured it out on my own, but not after some frustration. The Ship The ship has had minor refurbishing every three years, but no major refurbishing since it went into service in 2000. Even so, the public areas were well maintained, all the elevators worked continuously, and the décor was traditional with lots of wood. There were a lot of places to sit and read a book, or write a cruise review, while enjoying a cup of espresso or a drink. The Nautica is scheduled for a major two-week refurbishment in June 2020. The color scheme will go from traditional dark woods to modern cool gray and blue with a chandelier above the entry staircase. My art-loving wife is hoping they get rid of some of more dreadful modern art. The public decks were Decks 5, 9 and 10. Getting lost was not easily done! Deck 5 is the location of the show lounge, small casino, piano lounge, two small shops, coffee bar, and main dining room. Entrance on the ship was on Deck 4 and involved a gangway of very low steps making a bumpy ramp basically. This is easier than big steps on larger ships. There were many people on-board with mobility issues who seemed to be doing okay getting around. One benefit is that the elevators were usually available without a long wait. Dining If food is your thing, like it is mine, then you will be reasonably satisfied on the Nautica. The specialty restaurants offer passengers a specific cuisine apart from the main dining room with a quality of fare a slight step above the main dining room. Tuscana features Italian fare while Polo is a steakhouse. All of the dining rooms feature “anytime” seating. While the main dining room doesn’t accept reservations, we never had to wait more than 5 minutes for a table for two. We tried to eat as much as possible in the specialty restaurants, Tuscana and Polo, but getting reservations was very difficult. I am guessing the huge demand is largely because there was no surcharge for them. It is very unusual for a specialty restaurant at sea not to charge a small fee, which is the good news. The bad news if since there is no charge, the demand is high and it’s difficult to get a table for two, or even sharing on sea days. Because of the demand, guests are only allowed to make one reservation in each ahead of time and then cue up daily for a cancellation. Personally, I would rather pay a surcharge and have more access to the specialty restaurants than to pay nothing and have limited access. All of the waiters and waitresses who served us were extremely personable, helpful, and attentive. We enjoyed the service in the main dining room as much as that in the specialty restaurants. However, finding a knowledgeable wine steward was difficult. Polo is set in the décor and menu of the 40’sand 50’s. The quality of this specialty restaurant wasn’t quite up to that of others we’ve dined in. The presentation of the food was excellent. The service was good. The item to eat here are the steaks. The two fillets I had were done to perfection. We were not as impressed with the starters, soups, or salads. We tried Polo twice and that was enough. Tuscano’s service and food seemed to be a bit better than Polo. The menu is extensive so it will take several visits to completely explore it. Everything we tried was very good. We tried to eat at Tuscano’s as much as possible, which meant dining there about four times in 14 days. Unlike most other cruise lines, Nautica didn’t offer any Chef’s dinners. With the talented chef’s aboard the Nautica, this was disappointing. I would have loved to have paid a significant surcharge for a unique dining experience. This is something that I hope Nautica will consider going forward. Some lines make free juice available only in the mornings and charge for all espresso and soda drinks. One thing we appreciate about Oceania is the fact that juice, sodas, and espresso coffee drinks are available anytime during the day at no charge. There was a happy hour every day from 5pm to 6 pm that allowed guests to buy 2:1 drinks. However, their policy is rather ridged in what 2:1 means, which is the second drink must be exactly the same drink as the first, not just the same price, and it cannot be shared by another person. We felt this strict policy didn’t make a lot of sense when a person may have wanted two different drinks costing exactly the same. It also encourages over consumption of alcohol, especially when there are two people just wanting one drink each. Speaking about over-consumption of alcohol, the “all you can drink” beverage packages also encourage over-consumption. I realize that “over consumption” is a relative term. Still, we have always found we do far better buying alcohol, wine, and beer by the glass or bottle than getting a beverage package. Wine I am an oenophile, so I am admittedly more interested in the wine experience on a ship than the average passenger. That said, there are much better wine experiences at sea than with Oceania. Unlike the Azamara, Oceania is not as friendly to oenophiles. The most notable wine friendly lines are Azamara and Princess, which encourage you to bring on you own wine and don’t penalize you with high corkage fees for bringing wine on board. Oceania limits how much of your own wine you can bring onboard and charges a stiff corkage fee of $25 per bottle, making it among the highest of any line at $25 a bottle. The more wine friendly lines only charge $10 per bottle. Another perennial complaint of mine on most cruise lines is the high price of their onboard wines, which are priced about 4x’s or more over retail. For example, a $15-$20 bottle of La Crema Chardonnay goes for $86. That’s simply unreasonable. They more wine friendly lines have mark ups of 2 ½ to 3 times. Because of the steep corkage and markups on the wine, we chose not to bring our bottles on board and limited our wine consumption to beer or wine “by the glass.” The Nautica had three wine tasting events during our 14 day cruise. The cost was $75 to $125 per person, which the highest charge of a wine tasting I’ve encountered at sea. We did attend two wine tastings and found them to be very informative. The bottles tasted were in the $80 to $200 range, but keep in mind of the significant mark up. While the presentation was certainly informative, I didn’t feel the cost of the tasting represented a good value. Fitness and Spa This is an area in which the Nautica is above average. They have a good selection of weight machines and free weights. There an adequate number of cardiovascular machines (stationary bikes, elliptical machines, and treadmills). They also had seven stationary bikes used for a spinning class on sea days. Be sure to sign up early for these as the classes fill quickly. I only had to wait for a machine once in 14 days. Notably, and unusual for most lines, every cardio machine was working for length of the cruise. Another pleasant abnormality, the men’s lockers worked perfectly and there were a sufficient number of lockers which were all keyed. There was always a locker available, never forcing you to leave your belongings unprotected. The men’s locker room featured a steam sauna that was reasonably hot and in perfect working order for the cruise. On many other cruise lines the saunas just don’t get hot enough to break much of a sweat, but this is not the case on the Nautica. And an extra bonus was the steam room did not have a daily charge, which can cost around $10 to $20 a day on other lines. The locker rooms are incredibly maintained and cleaned. Every time that I used the locker room and sauna there was an attendant cleaning it up. The Nautica does not have a spa bar featuring a lighter, healthier fare or fresh fruit juices and smoothies. This would be a wonderful addition to their spa area. You can get fruit smoothies, however, at the grill by the pool. Entertainment We thought the entertainment was a step below larger ships. This is more probably due to the lack of a theater than the talent of the entertainers. Generally speaking, the shows were not highly innovative and featured the normal array of comedians, singers, and instrumentalists. That said, we still found them worth attending and looked forward to most of them. The ships company featured some very good vocalists and dancers. It was refreshing that the Nautica had a a very good live orchestra rather than rely on sound tracks, which is becoming common on other cruise lines. The theater is not a theater at all, but rather a large lounge which unfortunately makes viewing the show especially challenging. If viewing the show is important, you will want to be sure to snag a front row seat. The on-board entertainment found in the lounges was adequate. There was a string quartet that was very good, the ships band, and a piano player. Enrichment The enrichment and port talks were disappointing. First, there simply were no port talks, which we found highly unusual. There was a delightful South African lady who told personal stories about growing up in South Africa and her world adventures. The second lecture was a Hollywood writer who gave talks on Hollywood, and while they were interesting, we much rather would have learned more about the history, religion, and politics of the countries we were visiting since one of our goals for traveling is learning about the world. I expected much more in this area from a luxury cruise line catering to a more upscale and informed clientele. Internet I run a small business and being connected to my staff is imperative, even on vacation. I depend on having a functioning Internet while on board any ship. Signing up was incredibly easy. Included in the fare was one free, unlimited Wi-Fi access. Additional devices were $25 a day. Between us we had four devices, so since we were unwilling to pay an additional $75 per day, we had to coordinate and share our login, which often was a logistical challenge. The Internet connectivity and speed was acceptable, but not great. I got access 70% of the times I attempted to get online. When I did get online I had chronic issues getting emails and websites to down load. In addition, the Wi-Fi signal is not consistent around the ship and there are many spots where you can’t get the Wi-Fi signal. Unfortunately Verizon did not have a repeater on board (unlike other lines) so using my smartphone for data while at sea was not possible. I have previously learned to forgo the expensive Internet packages and just go with my smartphone when there is a repeater on the ship and when there are a lot of days in port. Shopping The shopping experience is on par with most every other cruise line, boring! There is nothing exceptional to highlight here. Ports of Call, Port Talks and Shore Excursions Our cruise started and ended in Cape Town, stopping at Walvis Bay, Namibia, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, East London, South Africa, Richard’s Bay, South Africa, Maputo, Mozambique, and Durban, South Africa, debarking at Cape Town, South Africa. There were no port talks given on the Nautica. While there was some prerecorded information covering the excursion packages on the television, there wasn’t any useful information about the port if you wanted to go it alone. It would have been so helpful to know about the safety of taxis, availability of Uber, if walking to town through the port area is even allowed, best sights to see, what areas to avoid, etc. They also did not provide maps of the harbor or surrounding area, which is a first in our cruising experience. We found the hourly shuttle service helpful, but not frequent enough. We would have preferred a departure or pick up every 30 minutes As a result, we were totally on our own to gather whatever information we could from guests and the Internet. Had we been visiting ports in developed countries this probably would be more forgivable than when the ports are in a third world country. The lack of a port talk is a significant flaw in the Oceania experience and would keep me from booking with them in the future if a competing line was offering the same itinerary. If the strategy behind limiting information on the ports was to drive passengers to book the ship’s shore excursions, it worked. We uncharacteristically opted for the ships excursions. Typically we save 25 to 75% off the ship’s prices by making our own arrangements. On this cruise, we didn’t have time prior to the cruise to do our normal research. We also found that the African tour companies were unusually unresponsive by email. We typically have good luck using tour companies that are highly rated by www.TripAdvisor.com. Another great place to book private tours prior to departure is by looking under “Tours” and on the chat boards on www.CruiseCritic.com. We’ve never been disappointed following the advice of previous travelers. A new website to us is www.toursbylocals.com. We found this to be a very responsive and wonderful way to find independent guides. Walvis Bay is a difficult port to negotiate as the dock is a mile or more from the city center. The town can be easily done on your own. There isn’t a whole lot to see, so I suggest you book a tour to Sandwich Bay. The scenery of the dunes coming down to the ocean and the drive along the beach are unique. See if they will also take you out to Pelican Point to see the hundreds of thousands of seals. We overnighted here so we were also able to go visit Moon Valley, which is similar to the Badlands of South Dakota. We were able to climb Dune #7, which was the highlight of that outing. Port Elizabeth is a place with more touring options. There is a nice mall there if you want to stay in town. There are a number of day trips that can be taken to surrounding sites. We opted to visit Addo Elephant reserve. We found it to be a worthwhile excursion. If you are booking excursions off-ship, give yourself plenty of time to disembark. The local authorities insist on face-to-face immigration that can take up to an hour after docking to clear. East London is a pretty sleepy stop. We were warned about walking around much. There is a mall about 5 miles from the ship that is probably safe. We chose to visit a Xhosa village constructed for tourists. There they had women and children singing and dancing. They separated the men from the women and gave each group talks on the Xhosa culture and a taste of homemade beer, brandy, and a traditional meal. The food and drink were “interesting” and we were very grateful for getting back on the ship and having a meal and a beer more familiar to us. Durban is the third or second largest city in South Africa, depending on what source you reference. Getting around is very easy and secure as Uber operates there. We elected to go visit a replica Zulu village with some singing and dancing via a ship’s tour. While it was “ok”, the drive up to the village and the views from their coffee/tea shop were almost worth the trip alone. We had a very good guide who kept us entertained up and back with useful information on life in the city. The other point of entertainment is that the pilot which joins the ship to guide it in and out of port arrives and departs by helicopter. It was a show in itself. Richard’s Bay is a bit of a sleepy stop. I would recommend getting a guide and heading off to the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Park. It takes about 1:15 minutes each way, depending on traffic. We were able to spend about 4:30 hours in the park. Typically, going to game parks in the middle of the day is the absolute worst time to see the animals, but when you are on a cruise there are no other options. That said, we really were lucky. We saw several dozen elephants in the park, twice as many as we did at Addo and at closer range. We also saw seven grey rhinos, four water buffalo, four giraffes, and scores of impala and warthogs. It was certainly worth the $200 USD per person that we paid an off-ship tour company we booked through East Coast Safari (www.ecsafari@iafrica.com). Maputo About the only redeeming quality of visiting this port is that you get to say you’ve been to Mozambique. There is really nothing here. We took a city tour that could easily have been done individually at almost no expense. To support the local economy (which has a 50% unemployment rate), Oceania uses local people who are not trained tour guides. While we really applaud the company for their social concern, the quality of the tour is not surprisingly substandard. All the points worth seeing are within an easy walk of where the passenger ships dock. Those sights are the train station, the iron house, the botanical gardens, and the old fortress. Then if you want to shop for local crafts, the ship usually runs a shuttle out a market where there are several blocks of vendors. The local beer is 2M, which is worth a try. In Summary So, back to the question I posed earlier. How does the Oceania experience compare with Azamara? All things being equal in price and itinerary, the nod would go to Azamara. On the positive side for Oceania, the wonderful service and friendliness of the crew, the lack of a charge for the specialty restaurants and free Wi-Fi for one device was a definite plus and unique in my cruising experience. The entertainment was also very good for a small ship. The weaknesses with Oceania as compared to Azamara are the lack of informative and relevant port talks, the weakness of the enrichment talks, the lack of any included beverages like wine, beer, or well drinks, the high markup on wine, no chef’s table events, and the lack of any included shore excursions. Certainly, the Oceania is one of the better cruising experiences. The dining is undoubtedly one of the better at sea. The ability of a smaller ship to get into, or nearer, ports the large ships can’t may be reason enough to pay the extra fare. For me, I will certainly sail the Oceania Nautica again when I find an itinerary at a cost equal to or slightly higher than that of a larger ship. I figure the inclusions are on Oceania are worth about $60 a day, which brings the cost down in comparison to larger ships. Read Less

I was very disappointed with this cruise after having a wonderful experience on the Nautica last January on a cruise from South Africa. I found the entertainment average, although the staff entertainment was very good. The shore excursions were very poor. The guides were good, but I found none of the sites at all interesting. At the excursion in Cozumel they put us on a bus for a tour of the island where the bus had heavy screening covering all the windows, so you couldn't see out. Several of the ports, ie: Costa Maya only had excursions that were rated moderate (scuba diving) or strenuous. They should have had other choices. The ship activities, I felt, were not varied. They were they same every day - Mensa, trivia, lectures, bingo. They seemed to be geared to a college graduate, highly educated crowd, but very little just to have fun. The shops sold high end expensive merchandise, nothing souvenir like or representative that you might want to bring home. HOWEVER - my main complaint was the food which I felt was substandard, especially for a cruise line that advertises itself for its gourmet food. I have never returned so many dprovided.ishes because they were inedible. The meat was tough, the fish overcooked, the vegetables undercooked, the cookies I couldn't eat (and I love cookies). Portions - main dish: scallops 3, raviolli 4, beef wellington size of half a dollar! The best food - the ice cream. I lost 4 pounds on the cruise. With food choices on the menu that I was not sure what they were, I asked the waiter, and, on multiple occasions, then waiters were not able to explain to me what the item was. Once I wanted to order fish and the waiter told me not to orders the fish was dry and once I wanted to order steak and the waiter said don't because the meat was tough. On days where shore excursions lasted over the lunch hours and meals were not provided as part of the tours, the only food available was at the Wave's Grill, which could not accommodate the number of people coming off tours who needed to eat. On all other cruise lines where we have sailed, accommodations have been provided. In summary, I am very disappointed by this experience and will not cruise with Oceania again! Read Less

We have been on over 40 cruises throughout the years. We cruise on all cruise lines including Crystal, Princess, Holland America, and Celebrity; depending on our schedules. We took this cruise because of the reasonably good itinerary, but, sadly this cruse was a disappointment mainly because of the ship. The major disappointment was the food. ( There were a few bright spots, like the soup and the steak in the Polo Grill. ) Other than that, the rest of the dinning experiences were sub-par. The bread were dry and hard. So were the pastries, the muffins and croissants. The meat ( chicken, beef and all others ) in the main Dinning Room and the Terrace Cafe were tough and chewy. Same old, same old ice cream flavors every day and without much condiments variations. The presentations of the food were not welcoming either. One lobster dish from the Toscana looked like a left over from the previous dinner. The Red Ginger was a mix mash of nothing-not Chinese, not Japanese, not Thai and not Vietnamese. It was like throwing all the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and other spices together and calling it a creation. The chopsticks which were offered to each diner were all worn out. The gym equipments were antiquated and not working properly. The weights handles were all worn out. The excursions were over priced and complicated to book. The sound system, especially in the theater, was poor. Read Less

My TA had been suggesting that I try Oceania as I liked Celebrity. The stars aligned just right and my oldest son and his girl friend got the nod for this trip. So glad I did. Did not want to get off. Just love the smaller ship. We have had good service on other ships, but this was as good or better than any others. So nice to not have to pay for fancy coffee, or ice cream, or soft drinks. Our room included a complimentary bottle of champagne which I easily exchanged for a bottle of house red which I preferred. No problem in restocking my room supply on my own at the various ports, They then kept the mini-refrig full of mixers. Everything is so relaxed. I am generally pretty hyper and I was chill for this trip. I did one ship excursion, a regatta on the 12-Meter Stars And Strips while in St Marteen. Wind sucked on our race, but do recommend this excursion for anyone interested in sailing as we were on the actual boat that won back the America's Cup. When we got to Martinique, it was New Years day and everything was shut down. However, we just took the water taxi to Trois Islets. For $20 we got an umbrella and beach chairs. This is a European beach and not like Florida, but was a very nice way to spend a day. Do be prepared as the local language is French, but this really was no an issue. At St Lucia, I snagged a Kayak trip to the Marigot bay area. Highly recommend this trip. Went with DFH kayaking. We went back into the mangroves which was truly a trip to a jungle. Surprisingly, there were no bugs. This was an adventure. St Kitts was nice. We went on one of the open air buses for a trip to the rain forrest. Wanted to go to the beach but the rain nixed that. Local driver made the trip very pleasant. Antigua was the prettiest beach we saw. Take a taxi to the nearest beach for $15. He drops you off where a guide takes you to a beautiful beach with beach chairs and umbrellas for $20. Then at the agreed upon time our guide returned to take us back to the taxi to return to the ship in perfect time. Made for another relaxing beach day, and a lot cheaper than the ship cruises. We hit San Juan the day before a bunch of earthquakes hit. Hope they did not hurt the town. It was a lot nicer than when we were there two years ago after two hurricanes. This was our third trip to San Juan. I do not understand why cruise ships seem want to just stop for just a few hours. Too much time to just shop the local stores, but not long enough to really see Puerto Rico. Last stop was Great Stirrup Cay. My only comment is why stop there. Beach is OK, but this is a basic company island. All in all am trying to figure out when I can do this again. Read Less

Let me begin by stating that this was our 10th cruise with Oceania. My comments are our opinion and based on personal experience on the December 21, 2019 Sunny Holidays Cruise on Oceania Sirena. Oceania is not what it used to be. We observed and experienced a large discrepancy in the food from previous sailings. Chilean Sea Bass, Caviar, Almond Croissants and high levels of meat were a given previously. They were lacking on this cruise. In fact, several people complained vigorously regarding the steak. Oceania has been highly rated for its food. That did not appear to be the case on this cruise. New year's Celebration were around the pool. Now divided in different areas. The descriptions of the shore excursions did not match the material given to the guides. We had a excellent guide and yet his description as written of the day did not match what we paid for. Yet, when we complained to the destinations desk, we were told that everyone loved the guide. We did too. However, we did not get what we paid for. The main dining room and the Terrace grill appeared to be short of waiters. It wold take two or more hours to dine in the dining room. The Canyon Ranch Spa was previously always a wonderful experience. That is no longer there, being replaced by a spa where, there are basically all recent graduates of schooling (as stated by a technician) . We were not notified in advance of this change. Regarding the decoration of the ship. The redecoration of the ship is beautiful, and our cabin stewards were excellent. The showers are very small, yet the sofa was comfortable. Regarding the entertainment, we understand that it can not be compared to the larger ships, however, three nights of movies for entertainment is not acceptable. The stand up comics and Stuart were excellent, however enrichment activities were minimal. Tender workers were excellent. Cruisers who experienced this for the first time would not have noticed the difference. Lastly, research the ports. When it says Belize, it does not mean that you will actually be in Belize where you can readily tour, instead we were taken to a water park, away from everything in Belize. With that said, there were constant concerns on the cruise from past cruisers, even those who had 17 sailings regarding the downgrade from previous cruises. We were very disappointed with this cruise. The previous comments reflect our opinion. Read Less

We chose this trip for a few reasons: 1) the itinerary - to sail around Cape Horn/southern ocean 2) Timing - wanted a trip over the holidays (this one was from Dec 19-Jan 4) 3) Friends had sailed on the Oceania Marina ship To the Baltic a couple of summers ago - and had raved about their experience SERVICE: Overall, the service was fantastic - ratio of Crew to Passengers is 1.56:1 - - with 1250 passengers I think. We were told there are146 chefs on board and can see that this must be true. This makes sense, as the food on Oceania is ranked as one of their big selling points. All of the day to day crew on board couldn’t have been nicer/more pleasant/professional - from housekeeping, butler, waitstaff. Not such great marks for the Reception Desk, Concierge, Destination Services and Reservations desks - we were never greeted with enthusiasm or smiles - and were made to feel as if we were bothering them. NOTE TO OCEANIA: Those desks are your first face to the customer - would recommend that you staff them with pleasant and accommodating people. We never saw the Officers - who made themselves scarce - with the exception of the “Meet the Bridge” cocktail reception and the Captain who said Farewell at the end during the “Crew Salute”. We would have liked to have heard and seen the Bridge Officers more often. FOOD: There were four Specialty restaurants - NO UPCHARGE for any of the Specialty restaurants which was great- and you were able to book One reservation at each restaurant in advance of departure. Because we had a PH1 suite, we were able to reserve as of Oct 5th. The food in all was very good, but service at their signature Jacques, was less than stellar. Don’t overlook the Grand Dining Room which had a different menu every night and fantastic service! And the Terrace Cafe (amazing breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets!). SPA: Used the Spa for Acupuncture (3 sessions) and a manicure - - those were all great - however, I didn’t like the hustle/upsell for products or additional sessions - it was fairly high pressure. Did Pilates and Yoga classes - they were OK - they guy leading the classes is really more of an intense “Bootcamp” guy - used the equipment in the gym - plenty of it - water bottles, towels, mats, well equipped gym. Because we had a Penthouse suite, we had access to the private Spa Deck, which to us, was such a nice perk. It was super quiet, soothing music, right on the bow of the ship - in nice weather, it was a perfect place to be - watching the ocean in front of you, sitting in lovely cabana seating, and also had two hot tubs up there. Spent time reading and relaxing there. Being our first Oceania cruise, we were favorably impressed, but others we met who have done numerous (Oceania) cruises - mentioned that the ship/food were not as up to snuff as it used to be before Norwegian acquired them. To us, It was a beautiful ship, everything very clean - and the food was fantastic. However, you can see that materials/carpets/furnishings could use a touch up - and from what we heard, they are planning a refurb in April/May 2020. ITINERARY: overall, the ports of call were nothing to write home about - but we were on this cruise for Cape Horn, Falkland islands, Ushuaia, Chilean Fjords - and we were IN AWE and not disappointed. 1) Started in Buenos Aires - recommend that you arrive in BA early. We gave ourselves two full days there and it was perfect. Oceania had us in the Alvear Art Hotel which was really nice and modern - big rooms, lots of USB ports, great shower, bedding, etc - the contemporary sister to the more lush Alvear Palace. Did a Tango show one night (booked it through Viator - $156 for two of us - at Piazola (?) - fantastic two hour show, plus dinner, plus option to take a 30 minute tango lesson - which we did and it was a lot of fun. Day 1 (arrival in AM) Walked around the city - walked to the Recoletta Cemetary (Eva Peron burial site) - we used the Tour Guide who shows up there every day at 3pm for a two hour tour, and so glad we did - we would have missed so much otherwise. Had dinner at hotel because we were exhausted. Day 2 - full day of walking to The Obelisk and to Plaza de Mayo. (FYI, pronouncing “y’s” is the sound of “je”. So, Plaza de Mayo sounds like Plaza de Majoh). Gorgeous architecture all over BA - very French - The Paris of South America as it’s called. Plaza de Mayo is the home of banking and federal buildings including the Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires (gorgeous! Make sure you walk through and spend time) and the Casa Rosado (Pink House) where Eva Peron stood on the balcony to address the people of Argentina. Returned to hotel mid-day and had a delightful lunch buffet and iced teas and included a glass of wine! - Total of $33 (!) for Two people! Prices in BA very good. 2) Montevideo (Uruguay) - felt like you needed to be on your guard a bit - the market area was interesting and felt safe enough - but you probably don’t want to wander off too much more without a guide. not much to see there. 3) Puerto d’Este (Uruguay) - ended up skipping this due to incoming inclement weather and the Captain wanted to keep moving to stay in front of the system - which was appreciated - (we still had very uncomfortable seas for a 12+ hours, but subsided. 4) Puerto Madryn - nothing to write home about - We had an excursion planned to see the Penguins at Punto Tombo - but ended up bailing on it - because it was going to be a THREE HOUR drive each way - and then only one hour of seeing penguins. Didn’t feel like doing the 6 hour drive for penguins. We were glad we cancelled - and there were plenty of other opportunities to see Penguins in other portions of the trip. Instead, we got off the ship and walked for an hour or so into/around town - nice little beachy town, clean, civilized and didn’t seem so poor, like Montevideo did (nor as sketchy). Huge tide comes in and out of there. And the sea seemed dirty, especially close to shore, like sewery... (Smelly for sure). 5) Falkland Islands - very cool that we were able to even get there. Many cruises cannot make it in there if there is rough weather. We arrived on Christmas morning, thus, not much open, but it was great to walk around and look at the charming British homes/shops. 6) Ushuaia - WOW FACTOR all the way - this was where the trip REALLY took off. Woke up to a brilliant, clear, sunny crisp morning - and a gorgeous harbor filled with sailboats and dramatic snow-capped mountains all around us. EXCURSION: Boarded a high speed catamaran for 90 minutes - packed with people, stopped for about 90 minutes at Estancia Haberton (oldest farm in Argentina) and then took a two hour bus ride back which had spectacular scenery (and a few moments of good naptime!) Sailed the Beagle Channel for about 90 minutes - saw Terns, Sea Lions, Lighthouse, Mountains 7) Cruising CAPE HORN & BEagle Channel - AWESOME! SO EXCITED that we got to circumnavigate the Cape Hornas Islands - truly the last slice of land before you get to Antartica. There was talk that we were going to skip it - due to what looked like poor weather conditions, but the weather-gods were with us, and Captain decided (after much prodding from us and fellow passengers) to do Cape Horn - - after all, THIS is the reason we chose this itinerary! In addition to seeing the infamous Cape Horn, we also Enjoyed a full day of Glacier after Glacier - magnificent!! EXCURSION: Estancia Fitzroy - sheep farm - About a 90 minute bus ride each way - to a very cool sheep ranch - saw tons of old artifacts - old plane, trucks, dishwashers, stoves, demonstration on sheering sheep, little calves that I got to nurse with milk, baby lambs, big bull and cows and llamas and herding dogs - watching them corral the sheep. 
Wonderful Lamb BBQ lunch - with salads, wine, dessert 8) Cruising the Chilean Fjords (two days) - beautiful as well - tucked into the archipegleo (thus better/smooth sea conditions) and saw islands after islands going by. (We LOVE the sea days - getting into the rhythym of the sea, having time to relax, read, exercise, spa - and think we had more Sea Days than land days on this itinerary which was perfect for us. 9) Puerto Charabuco - as we started heading north on the Pacific side of South America - EXCURSION: did a Wellness Excursion on New Years Day - a 90 minute catamaran ride through beautiful fjords, mountains to Thermal Hot Springs where we relaxed/rejuvinated in three different thermal pools - they served us drinks, waters, snacks - and then another catamaran ride back - volcanos, and gorgeous scenery! 10) Puerto Montt - Disappointing and Dirty. (This is a place where you SHOULD have an excursion planned!) We did not have an excursion, so got off the ship and walked to “the Markets” - little shanties with trinkets for sale - didn’t buy anything - crossed over the street and were going to walk into the Centro (center of town) but as we proceeded, lots of homeless, urinating/deficating in the streets, graffiti all over - it was gross - so we cut our walk short and went back to the “Civilization” of Oceania Marina. 11) Cruising Pacific Ocean to San Antonio (Santiago disembarkation) - at sea for a day EMBARKATION: Good and smooth DISEMBARKATION: Fubar - could have been better organized process ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES ONBOARD: 1) They had a few speakers - but our favorite was Greg Wheeler, a retired (10 year) professor from Cal State Poly. As a Geologist, he taught us a lot about the earth, ice ages, volcanos, glaciers, etc - we always looked forward to his lectures and tried not to miss them. 2) Hands on Cooking Classes with “Chef Steph” (Stephanie Hirsch - who used to work with Julia Childs for many years). THESE CLASSES WERE EXCELLENT!! $69 per class - you work in pairs - my husband REALLY loved these classes as well. Really cool clean kitchen - we watched and listened up close while Chef explained what we were cooking, doing, how to prepare - and then she sent us back to our workstations to do it. Then you get to eat your cooking and everything was Fabulous! (We did our classes at 4pm - 6pm - - SUGGESTION: Try to book for 10-Noon classes - because then you can eat your food without guilt - especially if you have dinner plans, you will be too full to eat dinner if you do the 4pm class!) 3) The head chef - French guy can’t remember his name, brought along a side kick each time - either the Italian Pastry Chef, etc - and it was a like a comedy show - - very entertaining yet also instructive. (Not to be considered a substitute for Chef Steph classes, though!!) ENTERTAINMENT: While some of the entertainers were not top notch, what made it worse was the lame audience. Passengers just sit there - don’t show any energy - didn’t clap or inspire the performers. C’mon people - lighten up, have some fun, show the entertainers you appreciate their efforts, at least. - There was a group of singers/dancers who were sweet young things, seems that they are getting their start. Not necessarily top notch Broadway talent, but you have to start somewhere and they had great energy and were fun to watch. They performed three or four nights. - Salvatore Hasard - multi-faceted musician and singer who performed on two nights - FANTASTIC - plays multiple instruments and great voice. - Paul Hughes - also FANTASTIC - singer, crooner, does standards - i.e. Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble - really great - Nicole Sasser - female trumpet player and singer - very personable and a good musician- but to her credit, she plowed through despite a Dead Audience. - Comedian and Magician - who we did not go to see CRUISE DIRECTOR: Speaking of Comedian, Peter Roberts always had a good joke or two each day -but he was a bit of a flamboyant clown. I think Oceania would do better to be represented with a more upscale professional tone - not stuffy - but someone who epitomizes the class and service of Oceania. WOULD DEFINITELY DO THIS TRIP AGAIN. And will go with Oceania again. Very impressed overall with the quality and service we experienced. Read Less

Short attention span version - Fabulous! The itinerary was Buenos Aires - Miami 34-day "Grand Voyage", AKA B2B. Captain - Luci Manzi General Manager - Dominique Nicolle Cruise Director - Peter Roberts First impression: Marina is in outstanding condition. DW and I didn't observe any unsatisfactory issues as some have described. Excellent dining in GDR, Wave Grill and specify restaurants. We didn't dine in Terrace. Speaking of specialty restaurants, we had no problem obtaining additional reservations than allowed for our B3 cabin. Due to rough seas and last minute cancellations, we obtained reservations for 2 alone on 23 of 34 days. Average age of passengers Buenos Aires - Santiago de Chile was 60s - 70s. In addition, there were 27 young children. Average age of passengers Santiago - Miami was late 60s - early 80s. In addition, there were 2 young children and 2 teenagers. Zero behavioral issues due to parental control. Dress code was only enforced on a random basis. "Dressy" (sarcasm) Levis or Wranglers were allowed in GDR and specialty restaurants unless they were faded. Minimum age guideline for specialty restaurants were also ignored. For example, there were 5 - 6 children, approximate age of 5, dining in Toscana that had no interest in the food but enjoyed a lively game of hide-and-go-seek around the tables. Jumping on their chairs was also acceptable. Parents were oblivious to it all. Vero water - excellent. Sparkling and still were available. Passengers don't have access to a refilling station. Cabin attendants don't refill partially used bottles. They are replaced twice - daily in the morning and at turndown by new bottles. Additional bottles were available on request. New 4X water filtration system takes the "odd" taste out of desalinated water. In addition, most of the time the tap water was cool instead of warm. Announcements - Peter kept his 10:00 am announcements to around ten minutes most of the time, except on shore days. If you wanted more detailed info, it would be broadcast on cannel 10. The captains 12:00noon announcement was also informative but short. No problem. Noro issue first half of cruise - During Peter's announcements, he would mention that Marina was a "healthy ship" and we would do our best to keep it that way. The usual direction, wash hands often and use the sanitizers. Noro precautions second half of cruise - Pater warned that the area was notorious for noro, Extra steps were taken to prevent a potential outbreak. There were spray sanitizers provided in the cabins. Passengers using board games were instructed to return them to the front desk. Books were to be left on the tables rather than returned to the bookshelves. There we no outbreaks that we heard of. Read Less

Sixth Oceania cruise, just wanted a short escape before Christmas. We didn't care about the ports, we just wanted to relax and enjoy the ship. We were not expecting the worst service ever received on an Oceania cruise, and actually some of the poorest service I've ever experienced on any of my past 25 or so previous cruises My guess is that between having management raided by Viking Ocean cruises and others, and higher than normal turnover in staff, and procedural changes caused by the merger/takeover by NCL that the hotel side of the ship's operation is in chaos. 1) Embarcation - We were supposed to have expedited embarkation (paid for last-minute upgrade). Total disaster, lobby jammed with passengers, computers said to be down, took more than 1 and 1/2 hours for so-called expedited service. I couldn't find anyone from the ship's management to discuss the problem. 2) Finally boarded the ship, crew at the gate was cordial and welcoming. We went to the lunch buffet and were surprised at the general attitude of the crew. Not one person said hello, welcome to our ship, or anything else. Got the feeling that we were an inconvenience to them, not the folks that paid their salary. Very different than the past. 3) Cabin was spotlessly clean, but also very warm. Adjusting thermostat was of no help, had to call for maintenance to reset the controls in our cabin. Serviceman was cordial and fixed the problem. 4) Service in the bars and areas surrounding them was poor. We almost always had to ask for help and for additional service. Given that they charge $12 for Canadian Club on the rocks I expected that they might pour a decent drink. I was wrong, could not have been more than a 1 oz. pour. Also, almost always seemed to be short-staffed and servers apparently had no idea what good customer service was. Cold at best, borderline rude at worst. Pianist on board the ship would have been better replaced by a player piano. NO personality, average ability and mostly annoying. 5) Specialty restaurants - Service was good, staff was attentive, food was excellent as in the past. I must say the overall quality of the food and it's preparation has not suffered with whatever else is going downhill. Food in the main dining room was good, service seemed fine, the nights we dined there the dining room seemed to be about 1/3 empty. 6) In conclusion, there is something terribly wrong with Oceania if our cruise is any indication. They have forgotten customer service, we've had better treatment on almost every other cruise line we've traveled in the past (25+). I doubt that we'll ever return to Oceania. It saddens me to say that, but it's become just a bit above average at luxury prices. Read Less

We chose to go on the Sirena after hearing all the positives about Oceania. We had just sailed on the Royal Princess and walked across the parking lot to board the Sirena. Our expectations were that the food and service would be much better on the Sirena. Unfortunately, the Royal Princess was the far superior ship. The Sirena is a beautiful ship, but that’s all. We dined in the Tuscan steakhouse the first night. My steak was was way overcooked and so heavily seasoned I couldn’t taste the meat. Our water glasses were empty until we asked a waiter. Turns out that was the only night my medium rare steak or lamp chops were not served raw. Every dining venue served me raw meat except Red Ginger. It got to be a joke among our group of four. My wife’s lobster was always ice cold. Water refills, everywhere, were by request only. The only dining room without problems was Red Ginger. We were only to make a reservation there once, despite being on a waiting list for most of the cruise. I guess the biggest issue with this poor service was that no one seemed to be in charge. We complained to several staff members who we thought were head waiters, but all they did was apologize and then disappear for the rest of the meal. The most visible dining room member was the Sommelier who always came by to ask us to buy some wine, and left very disappointed when we told him we didn’t drink. On the plus side, the cabin attendants were great. The our balcony cabin was very impressive except for the tiniest bathroom at sea. We have been sailing for 28 years and after 47 cruises with 6 different cruise lines we have never been more disappointed. Paid a lot more for superior service and great food that never happened. Read Less

After all previous cruises we sailed, we select this one since it had an appropriate itinerary for us. Our cabin was well kept throughout the cruise. Excursion Destination Staff did a good job. Reception desk staff were friendly and helpful. Medical clinic staff was professional and excellent. Food and beverage staff service was ok but management for this service must learn what to improved from Regent Seven Sea Cruise Management. On board Nautica, we had one and only one free Captain cocktail during the 31 day cruise. Cheap. For Christmas Day at sea and New Year, nothing from cheap Nautica Oceania. Even their cheap wines were expensive. Oceania Nautica has to improve on their "fine cuisine". Food was ok for the money we paid for. Toscana has a large menu but food is only good Italian food. I had to return my plate and the Chief Cook visited me. Polo Grill was fine. The Grand Dining Room was as just great and we appreciated the food there. The Staff was very friendly and provided an excellent service. (Vijay and Mady) What a chaotic experience during disembarking Nautica on the wharf in Cape Town. No Nautica staff to help.They had our money already...who cares! We and other passengers had to carry our luggages about 1500 feet from the terminal building to outside the terminal. No real taxi available at the terminal building for disembarking passengers, and they were many of us. Outside taxis were scum people. 50usd for a 15usd trip to a local Cape Town hotel.(total rip-off) Oceania staff let me suggest to you: "First impression is important but the last one is just as important". So we speak now to our friends about this rip-off rather the overall cruise. We would NOt recommend Oceania Cruises to any of our friends and have all ready informed our travel agent accordingly. Selecting an itinerary first with Oceania was a mistake for us and value for money was not there. Read Less

We chose this particular cruise because the itinerary and dates matched what we wanted so we were excited to try Oceania, having heard great things. We stayed in cabin 10015, which was the lowest Penthouse Suite Category. Overall, the cruise was *good*. The food was good but not great except for Polo Grill, which was fabulous. The most aggravating thing about the food experience was not being able to serve yourself at the buffets. The crew served you, even if it was a salad bar, a dessert or the entire buffet line. It was very crowded in the Terrace Cafe and Waves Grill. Also, in mid afternoon when many people were returning from excursions, the restaurants were closed so the only way to get something to eat was room service. Waves Grill was open but had 1/2 hour to an hour wait to get food. At this price point, we expected more options and higher quality. The wine selection was good, but for wine by the glass, there were not many choices. The drink package at $56/pp per day was well worth it with a $15 price tag per drink and $32 for a double with tax, gratuity and Brazil's absurd 25% tax while in Brazilian waters. Embarkation at the Suite level was a breeze. Definitely worth the extra money to board with virtually no wait. Likewise, luggage retrieval was very easy. The cabin was nice and well appointed. One thing I have to say is we were given the option of using Oceania's hotel transfer service to our hotel (Park Tower) in Buenos Aires for $349 USD for 2 people. I looked at a map and it was about 2KM... I literally can see the ship from our hotel on the 14th Floor. We arranged transport from Quickcar for $35USD for a Mercedes and professional driver who met us right at the pier. This was 1/10 the cost Oceania wanted; That is a disgrace. The idea that they would offer transport at such an outrageous inflated price would lead me to never sail Oceania again. As for ports of call, We loved Buzios, Porto Belo and Punta Del Este. Parati isn't for everyone and Rio Grande should not even be a stop on a cruise at this price point. We're not really show people so I can't speak to the quality of the shows. The crowd was decidedly older; probably 70's was the age bracket with a few younger folks. I saw one child on board the whole time and a few older teens with a family. Overall, I wouldn't sail Oceania again unless the itinerary was solely the determining factor as we preferred Azamara. Read Less

I paid over $14,000 for a solo stateroom for a 31 days luxury cruise. OCI's confirmation brochure informed that an automatic 18% gratuities would be added to my account. I called the cruise planner stating that gratuity paying is my prerogative, not OCI's. He stated that I must inform the Purser on board. I did so after embarkation. Even then "automatic gratuity" charge appeared on every charge statement. The overall cruise experience was anything but luxurious. Yes, the food quality and service was very good but not luxury class. The land excursions were average in quality except in Bali. That was the opinion of the most other experienced passengers. Majority of the senior cruise personnel was 'white.' They displayed a colonial and arrogant attitude, including the captan. His brief announcement in broken English dealt with position of the ship but nothing more engaging. The wifi was spotty, even when the ship was at ports. My stateroom service was good for which I paid gratuities directly to both the service people three times during the voyage. On top of all the above, OCI charged my American Express account for the amount of $625.87 on 1/6/20 for "automatic gratuities." I had requested on three occasions that the cruise company NOT charge my account. And they had agreed that I would not be so charged. The Purser even sent me the notation confirming my request. But the Company's accounting folks did in fact charge my Amex card. And then they lied about it. After disembarkation, I complained to their Guest Relations for two reasons via two emails, as they advised me. After returning to Las Vegas, I tried to reach someone senior and responsible. But OCI has constructed 'fire-walls' to obstruct/deny cruise guests' access/complaints to senior company folks. When I called OCI they advised that I must write to the guest relations about my post-cruise concerns. I sent them two emails regarding my complaints. One reason was they posted someone else's statement on my door on the night before disembarkation. The other reason being that there was no one available to answer or deal with my questions about the wrong statement on the disembarkation date - 1/6/20. I along with the other guests had to disembark by 8:30 am. The Company administrator for handling post-cruise concerns and questions finally replied to my emails after one month. In it he tried to sweet talk me into believing that it was minor "human error." Eventually, they did revise, corrected my accounting statement. It as well as my credit card statement now show a refund/credit to my account of $216.30. My cumulative experiences on this luxury cruise left a real bad taste. Especially after paying so much money. Also because of their accounting practices and lies. Therefore, i have complained to the government's consumer finance department. I am posting this review on Cruise Critic as a warning to future passengers who may want to cruise with OCI. Read Less

This is our second cruise with Oceania on the Marina this year, but unfortunately we won't be actively checking out Oceania cruises for our next trips - we really wanted to like them! The ship is nice, a good size, public areas and spaces are very well appointed and maintained. They also have some nice itineraries, and being a smaller/mid-sized ship can get into most places We travelled as a party of 4 and pretty much all felt the same post trip. I think the main disappointment, after all the hype, was food quality and unfortunately some aspects of service. The food was ok, not spectacular and pretty much what you see on most cruises. Our biggest issue was that they just cannot cook a 'well done' steak! I know most chefs cringe at the well done brigade, but when you even have a guide outside of each restaurant quite clearly showing what the different steaks should look like - we were hopeful. There were times when we had to have 3 attempts to get a steak that didn't have pink inside, surely this shouldn't be such an issue. This even happened in the Marco Polo steak restaurant! We eventually just stopped ordering steak, which we really shouldn't have to do Most staff in the restaurants were very good, but unfortunately not all, which was true of staff throughout the ship. It is the first cruise where we have ever felt disappointed by the cabin stewards, who do an amazing job. We are the sort of passengers who tidy up before we leave the cabin, don't leave any mess or make crazy requests - always treating the stewards very well, and showing our appreciation. But, we have to say the lead steward we had on the last ship just didn't want to be there. The room was cleaned quickly, but surfaces probably not dusted during our entire stay, water bottles left half full for days, and a range of things which did surprise us. I don't like moaning about cabin stewards, but this is how we felt It was great to have a choice of restaurants, all of which were pleasant - the Italian being our favourite Cabins are well appointed and comfortable - bathrooms are nice, but as most have a separate shower and bath, why is there a fixed glass screen across half of the bath, which also has a shower head - crazy as this makes getting in and out of the bath a challenge for some TV and films in staterooms, not the best with some quite inappropriate choices! Entertainment is not the best, but we were not expecting anything much better on a small ship Tours and excursions are far too overpriced, a problem with a lot of cruise lines. We just didn't bother and were able to entertain ourselves in each port We are still waiting to find that cruise line to become our go-to favourite - think we'll have to try Silversea next Read Less

I know the Regatta well so it was a pleasure to travel on the newly refurbished ship. Cabin 4056 in category C1 Deluxe outside seemed like it was in a good position so that was my choice for this cruise out of Papeete, Tahiti to Sydney, Australia. I have travelled in an assortment of different cabins and categories on Regatta in Alaska and the Mediterranean and it has been fine every time. Embarkation at Papeete was smooth and easy which I knew it would be as I've boarded Oceania Insignia there before so I was familiar with the port. The cabin was convenient and comfortable. The position of the cabin was ideal as it is the first cabin in the corridor next to reception. Be aware that there is activity outside this cabin on port days as the gangway is often placed in the lounge at reception. I quite enjoyed that it was an area of high activity and of course getting off the ship to go ashore was so easy as it was right outside my door! Staff on the ship were lovely and we met some old friends who are still on staff on Regatta. Itinerary was wonderful. Sadly the stop at Apia in Western Samoa was missed due to the emergency situation with the Measles epidemic there and this was completely understandable - I have spent time there previously and stayed on both main islands so I was not as disappointed as some guests and understood the situation. Staff on board were tor the most part all lovely people, friendly and helpful. I will definitely travel again with Oceania which is my favourite cruise line. Read Less

Chose for the itinerary. Pluses: Easy embarkation and debarkation at all ports. Cruise Ship Personnel Service Excellent Cruise Director & Entertainment Staff Excellent Specialty restaurants very good at no extra charge. Polo Grill better than Toscanini. Can obtain extra reservation day of if not totally booked No issue bringing on your own alcohol Food at Waves Restaurant Sandwiches good for lunch Back of ship dining buffet good for bfast, lunch and dinner. Very casual. Grilled shrimp and lobster as requested-mmmmmm good Only had to tender at 1 port Bora- Bora Skipped Samoa Apia due to measles outbreak ( was a Sunday and nothing was open so did not miss much) Highlights: Bora-Bora, Vanuatu, Noumea, New Caledonia & Brisbane. Went to Moore on our own prior to boarding ship in Papeete. Tons of activities to earn on board ship points “OPoints” for redemption of Oceania logo items Staff very conscious of remembering guests names Happy Hours at 5-6 & 10:30-11:30 for BOGO of the same drink Easy access to elevators or stairs. Never crowded. Nice size ship with only 650 max people Games like trivia, majority rules, bingo all great fun ————— Ship excursions too pricey, book on your own Spa prices way too expensive Main Dining Room food is marginal Smoking areas should be delegated to the top deck and not so close to the pools. Promotions to book another cruise on board are not as attractive as one can get on their own Read Less

We have cruised Oceania several times now, and it’s fair to say that they aren’t what they were. Where as a few years ago it was hard to fault anything, it’s now much more of a mixed bag. We have had penthouse suites, as well as inside cabins, and most in between. The cabins are generally good, and probably better after the refit. Food and service vary a lot. The consistency has gone. We still have some wonderful meals, but others are mediocre. The same can be said for the service. From truly warm and efficient, to quite rude and ineffective. The entertainment is small ship stuff, although you may get lucky. They seem to do well we classical string quartets. I asked the cruise director if the string quartet could play something a bit more upbeat, and sure enough we had Stairway to heaven. That was a nice touch. Cruisers of our age weren’t all brought up on dance hall music. The full on drinks package has been reduced marginally. Gone is the Decent port wine., as well as something I was looking forward to called Xstacy. You just get the feeling they are chipping away, to save a few dollars. They don’t think we notice, but experienced cruisers notice rather a lot. One evening I had been drinking a ‘dark and stormy’ in Horizons. Passing martinis, I though I’d manage another before dinner. Yes it was off menu, but also a simple cocktail. The barman in Martinis didn’t know how to make one. Fair enough, but he wasn’t busy. I asked if he could phone up to Horizons to get the formula, or possibly get one sent down. No, he was insistent that I should go back up to Horizons. Well I need the exercise I suppose. So the bottom line is what’s it worth. My answer is it’s not worth the price of a suite, yet the value is still good in the lower categories. There are some good deals. When you spend less, you aren’t so cheesed of by the aberrations. My thoughts are that Oceania will loose many of their big spenders, and so will continue to decline. The food and service doesn’t match the price of the plusher cabins. However for us in an outside cabin, with loyalty bonus, it’s still a great way to cruise. Especially if you enjoy smaller ships. If I had more to spend though, I would definitely be looking around. There’s a great deal to choose from out there. Read Less