Nautica Review

5.0 / 5.0
399 reviews
See all photos
Editor Rating
5.0
Excellent
Overall
Carolyn Spencer Brown
Contributor

Imagine yourself in a floating country club, and you'll have a good feel for Nautica's onboard ambience: elegant, understated and luxurious but with a casual vibe that keeps the whole experience from being overly formal. The experience is anything but pretentious.

Ask passengers what keeps them coming back (on our sailing, more than 50 percent were repeat customers), and it's likely that "The food!" will be their enthusiastic answer. Varied menus, five dining venues and creative cuisine that can rival top-notch restaurants all make for the best culinary experience at sea.

Nautica's itineraries tend to be longer, with many in the 21-day range. There is usually a higher number of sea days than on the average ship, and Nautica also spends the night in some ports, allowing for longer onshore visits. The ship travels around the world and hits a wide variety of destinations. Creative and varied itineraries are another element that keeps passengers returning.

In terms of facilities, there's virtually everything you'd find on a larger ship (Canyon Ranch spa, a casino and an excellent fitness facility), yet the atmosphere is cozy and intimate. Staff and crew routinely rotate among Oceania's ships, so a returning passenger on any of them is likely to recognize friendly faces. That could also be because Oceania treats its employees well -- and they return, contract after contract. Many of the officers, crew and staff members hail from luxury lines like Crystal and Silversea.

The line primarily offers mass sightseeing tours via motorcoach, and if there's one area where size limits the offerings, this is it. Shore excursions also tend to be on the pricier side, compared to other cruise line offerings.

If you define luxury as polished service, outstanding cuisine, an intimately sized ship with just enough of the key bells and whistles (variety of dining options, a gorgeous spa, top-notch lecturers), intriguing itineraries and an ambience of warmth, then this ship definitely belongs in that niche. On the other hand, there are also mass-market factors that don't necessarily hew to luxury standards: Drinks and other extras are priced on an a la carte basis, standard cabins can be small (cozy, but small) with shower-only bathrooms, and there are plenty of inside cabins.

The beauty of Nautica is its ability to keep a steady foot in both camps. Oceania is savvy in positioning its fares for a range of travelers, from those who consider suites and butlers necessary amenities to those who value luxury without the Mercedes price tag. In the process, Nautica offers exceptional value for money.

Pros

Oceania has best food at sea, with no-fee specialty restaurants and vast menu choices.

Cons

Popular itineraries sell out quickly, and longer sailings may not appeal to time-constrained travelers.

Bottom Line

Nautica offers plenty of amenities in the more intimate setting of a mid-sized ship.

About

Passengers: 684
Crew: 400
Passenger to Crew: 1.71:1
Launched: 0
Shore Excursions: 1882

Fellow Passengers

Nautica attracts mostly North American passengers, with a handful of Brits. Depending on the itinerary, though, you'll find a smattering of folks hailing from other countries.

On most cruises, passengers fit into the mature traveler category with a majority falling into the 65 to 75 age range. They are typically well traveled and keen for Nautica's varied destinations. There were only a couple of youngsters on our cruise, and the ship doesn't cater to -- or encourage -- children.

Chances are, passengers will have cruised before, and likely on an Oceania ship. They'll be engaged travelers -- the sort who turn out for lectures and want to understand the cultures they're visiting. Given the Oceania's culinary reputation, they're usually foodies, as well.

Oceania Nautica Dress Code

Plan for country club casual and you'll be fine (pretty flowing skirt/pants outfits for women, jackets and, okay, maybe one tie for men at night, and casual tropical wear during the days onboard). Editor's Note: When going ashore, pay attention to Oceania's dress recommendations, which will depend on the ship's itinerary.

There are no formal evenings onboard, though many folks did dress for the welcome dinner.

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More about Oceania Nautica

Where does Oceania Nautica sail from?

Oceania Nautica departs from Cape Town, Tahiti, Miami, Dublin, Stockholm, Auckland, Barcelona, Cartagena, Los Angeles, Lisbon, Singapore, Edinburgh, Boston, Montreal, Amsterdam, Southampton, Southampton, Haifa, Rome, Civitavecchia, Venice, Piraeus, Piraeus, Laviron, Malaga, Istanbul, Monaco, Monte Carlo, Malta (Valletta), and Sydney

Where does Oceania Nautica sail to?

Oceania Nautica cruises to Cape Town, Walvis Bay, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Richards Bay, Tahiti (Papeete), Moorea, Rangiroa, Bora Bora, Raiatea, Miami, Costa Maya, Harvest Caye, Santo Tomas de Castilla, Roatan, Puerto Limon, Colon (Cristobal), Cartagena (Colombia), Tenerife, Lanzarote, Agadir, Lisbon, Dublin, Waterford, Belfast, Greenock (Glasgow), Portree (Isle of Skye), Invergordon (Inverness), Edinburgh (South Queensferry), Great Stirrup Cay, Puntarenas (Puerto Caldera), Corinto, Puerto Quetzal (Antigua), Acapulco, Cabo San Lucas, Ensenada, Los Angeles, Stockholm, Helsinki, Klaipeda, Gdansk (Warsaw), Berlin, Kiel, Amsterdam, Brugge (Bruges), Auckland, Sydney (Australia), Townsville, Cairns, Thursday Island, Darwin, Bali, Jakarta, Singapore, La Palma, Alicante, Barcelona, Ibiza, Sete, Rome (Civitavecchia), Florence (Livorno), Portofino, Monaco (Monte Carlo), Santa Marta, Aruba, Curacao, St. Lucia, St. Barts, San Juan, Maui, Honolulu, Hilo, Huahine, Pago Pago, Apia, Samoa (formerly Western Samoa), Suva, Lautoka, Port Vila, Lifou, Noumea, Liverpool, Porto (Leixoes), Ferrol, Bilbao, Gravdal (Lofoten Islands), Bordeaux, Cobh (Cork), Paris, Kelang (Kuala Lumpur), Penang, Langkawi, Phuket, Colombo, Mangalore, Kirkwall, Akureyri, Isafjord, Reykjavik, Corner Brook, Saint John (New Brunswick), Boston, Newport, Hamilton, Halifax, Sydney (Nova Scotia), Baie-Comeau, Quebec City, Montreal, New York (Manhattan), Charleston, London (Greenwich, Tower Bridge, Tilbury), Saint-Malo, Southampton, Oslo, Copenhagen, Travemunde (Lubeck), Riga, Tallinn, Haifa (Tel Aviv), Cairo (Port Said), Alexandria, Malta (Valletta), Tunis (La Goulette), Trapani, Sardinia, Sorrento, Catania, Argostoli (Kefalonia), Sarande, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Split, Venice, Zadar, Corfu, Mykonos, Istanbul, Cesme, Santorini, Athens (Piraeus), Kusadasi, Bodrum, Rhodes, Limassol, Jerusalem (Ashdod), Crete (Heraklion), Malaga, Las Palmas (Gran Canaria), Madeira (Funchal), Seville, Tangier, Almeria, Taormina (Messina), Naples, Palermo (Sicily), Olbia, Corsica (Ajaccio), Marseille, Valencia, Toulon, Villefranche, Aqaba (Petra), Safaga, Muscat, Dubai, Zakynthos, Hvar, Ancona, Koper, Korcula, Katakolon (Olympia), Izmir, Antalya, Antigua, Grenada, Port of Spain (Trinidad), Santarem, Manaus, Barbados, Dominica, Jost Van Dyke, Calvi, Cannes, Palma de Mallorca (Majorca), Cartagena (Spain), Newcastle (England), Port Moresby, Komodo Island, and Lombok

How much does it cost to go on Oceania Nautica?

Cruises on Oceania Nautica start from $1,399 per person.

Is Oceania Nautica a good ship to cruise on?

Oceania Nautica won 17 awards over the years.
Oceania Nautica Cruiser Reviews

HAPPY CRUISING WITH OCEANIA

I have read some of the reviews on the NAUTICA before we traveled and having now completed the cruise I believe that some of the expectations are unfair.Read More
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lachster

few6-10 Cruises

Age 64s

We had a wonderful 15 night Oceania cruise from Valletta to Istanbul

Nautica food: We had a few wonderful meals and some not-so-much.Read More
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Moi4short

couple2-5 Cruises

Age 75s

Enjoyed Oceania, as we always do

Although we were used to sailing on the Riviera and the Marina, we went on the Nautica last August because we liked the itinerary.Read More
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ec6393

few6-10 Cruises

Age 80s

Epic journey thru Asia

The crew of the Nautica was so welcoming, the right balance of professional and friendly. We spent 41 days on board from Singapore to Barcelona.Read More
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Curly916

few6-10 Cruises

Age 60s

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