We chose this cruise because we had not been to several of the the port stops before. We were disappointed in the food. We live in Houston, dine out frequently, and expected the food to be better. My steak in the Polo was over cooked, not impressed at all. The Red Ginger was a real disappointment. Did not care for it at all. Much better Asian in Houston. We really liked Jacques and Toscana. As for the main dining room, it just wasn’t as good as we expected. We stayed in a concierge level cabin. We were impressed with the room, bathroom and the cabin steward. Probably the best in our 20 cruises. Loved the linens, towels, toiletries and room layout. We did not take the ships excursions. I thought they were really expensive. Our group of 4 hired a private guide in ports for the same per person price as the least expensive tour offered by the boat. We also heard several people say they were disappointed in the tours. We loved every excursion but we arranged it ourselves. The staff was excellent. The Gym was great. Did not use the spa. We only had one sea day. We bought the drink package and the bar service was very good. Venice. We took the large water taxi to Piazza San Marco. Bought ticket for round trip right outside the cruise ship. Venice was very crowded. We walked around and took a gondola ride through canals and rode by the Rialto bridge. Back to ship. Watched as we sailed away from Venice listening to Andrea Bocelli. Dinner at Polo Restaurant. - Dubrovnik, Croatia. Arrived at 1:30 pm. Found taxi driver outside the port who drove us around the outskirts of town and up the mountain for a panoramic view of Dubrovnik. Then to visit Fort Imperial which houses a museum of the Croatian war of Independence in and a short film about the war. I hope hunk it was 50 euros. Then he dropped us at the town of Dubrovnik where many scenes of Game of Thrones were filmed. Walked around town and took a taxi Back to the ship. Drinks in the piano bar and dinner in Grande dining room. - Kotor, Montenegro. Met at the port by Nikolai with Mont Travelers at 8:30. He drove us for an overview of Boka Bay where our ship was docked and took a boat ride to see the Our Lady of the Rocks. Then we went to see the town of Perast which is on the water with beautiful sea views. We drove back to Kotor and visited a fish market to see all the different seafood from Kotor. Followed by a drive to view Jaz Beach and a walking tour of the old town of Budva. Drove back to Kotor for a walking tour. The tour was awesome. 280 euros for 4 people. Nikolai was fabulous and a very safe driver. Dinner in Grande dining room. cruised around Italy - Malta. Did a Small group tour Simply Malta with 12 people from the ship we arranged through cruise critic roll call. A drive to the south of the island of Malta to see the Blue Grotto. The grotto and neighboring system of sea caves are home to brilliant phosphorescent marine life. The boat ride showed us the incredible beauty of this natural wonder. It was wonderful. Then we traveled through the Girgenti valley and on to the west coast seeing the Dingli cliffs. We drove to Rabat for a walking tour of Rabat and the old town Mdina, once the capital of Malta until Valleta was built. Mdina was where scenes from season one of Game of Thrones was filmed. Back to Valletta, Malta. We got back on board and Dinner in Toscana - Italian. - Sicily where we could see Mt Etna in distance. We got a taxi at the port to drive us to Taormina. I think it was 25 euros. Our driver told us it looked like fireworks coming out of it at night. We walked around town. Then we found a taxi driver in town named Vincenzo Franco (+39 338 850 1413) who drove us to scenic view points around the outskirts of Taormina and back to the ship. He was awesome and I would call him and arrange for him to drive me if I go again. Dinner in Grande dining room. - Amalfi. Picked up at the port by for a full day tour of the Amalfi coast by Sorrento Top Driver, Di Coppola Antonino +39 3392207065. He drove us along the Amalfi Coast stopping for pictures and on to Positano. Parked while we shopped and walked around the town. Then drove us back to Amalfi and on to Ravello for lunch overlooking the sea. Back to ship. Really great day with Tonino. Dinner in Jacques - French. -Rome. Picked up at the dock at by Enrico with Rome in limo. A full day of seeing the sights of Rome. First stop for coffee and pastries then to a hill with a great view overlooking Rome. Next a walk through Trastevere where we went into a church during a Sunday service. On to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Piazza Navona (where the Italian Air Force flew over leaving a trail of red, white and green smoke because it was a national holiday, saw the Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, Pantheon. Enrico stopped to let us out, wait for us and drive to the next stop. Giving us lots of info as we went. Dropped us off at a small restaurant for great lunch. Toured the Catacombe Di San Callisto of and dropped us back at ship about 5. We had spent a few days in Rome on another trip so we didn’t plan on going to the Vatican. Seafood extravaganza in the Waves. -Tuscany. Picked up at the port of Livorno by Alessandro Cammilli. www.alessandrocammilli.com Drove for about an hour to San Gimignano where we toured the town and had gelato and coffee at outside cafe. Drove to Castelllina in Chianti, Greve in Chianti and the Chianti countryside of Tuscany. Stopped for lunch in Lamole at a restaurant on an outdoor terrace on the top of a hill with wonderful views of wine country. We stopped by a WWII memorial and cemetery where 4400 American soldiers were buried. Then drove to see the leaning tower of Pisa and back to the ship about 5. Dinner in Toscana - Italian. - Monte Carlo. Took a small train around town to see the sights. Then took the bus along the Mediterranean Sea to Nice and back by train to Monaco. This was the only thing we wish we had done differently. We would get off the bus at the stop BEFORE Nice it was too big and not very appealing. The town before nice looked beautiful and easy to navigate. Can’t remember the name. Dinner in Grande dining room. -Toulon, France. Took a small train from the port around Toulon. Got off in town. Took the bus to Mt Faron and a cable car to the top of the mountain. Dinner in Red Ginger - Asian. Stayed three nights in Barcelona. Read Less

We initially chose this Cruise and ship because of the itinerary. I have always wanted to see these Mediterranean cities, towns and historic sites we have read so much about. We chose Oceania's Promenades and Palaces on the Riviera because it included a visit to Valletta in Malta, which had a family connection. Also it was at a great time of year and the weather certainly justified our choice. Well we had a marvellous time, the experience of a life time.The excursions ashore were great because they were so well-organised. But the life on-board the Riviera was just as enjoyable. The Riviera is a beautiful ship with all the facilities one could need, but a highlight for us was the amazing service everyone received from every single staff member who simply couldn't do enough for you. The ship's reputation as having the best cuisine on the seas is undisputed after our trip. The atmosphere on the ship allowed us to make many new friends from a range of countries. I would recommend the Riviera to anyone. Peter McCudden (Australia) Read Less

This was our first Oceania cruise after having travelled with Carnival, Princess and Royal Caribbean previously. We had been to a couple of Oceania events where they spoke highly about their food and said it was the best at sea. The food on our cruise was not as good as they claimed. Some cuts of meat were very fatty, almost inedible (even at Jaques and the Polo grill) . A pad-thai in the main dining room was horrible and some ice creams had so little flavour, we couldn't tell what they were supposed to be. On the other hand, some food was really good and we loved the Illy Crema at Baristas. There is a well equipped gym, a free sauna and steam room and a jogging track. Art classes and craft sessions were very enjoyable. There is a well stocked library and there are free self-serve laundries with washing, drying and ironing facilities. As we found with other first time Oceania cruisers, we all overpacked formal clothing and didn't bring enough casual clothes. Except for dining rooms at dinner time, t-shirts (or polo shirts) and shorts or jeans were all that were required. Some entertainment was really good. The ships' singers and dancers were good and the magician was very entertaining. The service on the ship was great, there were staff everywhere and they were very helpful and friendly. Most of our shore excursions were fine. They were all Oceania tours. The only problem was that not enough time was allocated to look around museums or visit other attractions. We may go on another Oceania cruise in the future. Maybe we will wait to see what their new Allura class ships will be like. Read Less

you think about a relaxed vacasion, fine entertainment, nice cabin, ship in good shape, interesting excursions, see new countries, meet nice people, have a good time? Nothing of all we found at a world-cruis with Costa Luminosa, starting 5. of Januar 19 till now (30.03.19). Explanation: the averig of the guest ist probably 75, that means we travelled with a lot of guests older than 90. Nothing against old people, but that is a special thing, severel in Wheel-chairs, probably 60% of them are sick, and we and almost all the other guests get also sick, for weeks, we called it finally the "Costa sickness", worst cough, fever, inflamed eyes, even people who never get sick otherwise, got sick, mostly for weeks The ship is old and in bad shape, old dirty carpeting, lamps, floors, dishes, we had a "Samsara cabin with balcony", Samsara means you get free entrance to the spa, be aware, maybe you get there some virus there (ist ugly dirty) You want to drink a free coffee at 06.15: bad luck, wait till 07:00 or make one yourself in the cabin (capsules), You want water to drink, you have to buy it, 12 bottle for US 36,-- (packet) You want Internet: you have to buy it, but you will be surpriced, often it is not working and the Connection is so terrible, that I could´dt never open my Banking account, I had to wait for land, Looking there vor a Restaurant and asked for Internet. Looking for a movie at night; you get one (1) per day, there is nothing more The tour plan itself: we got around 60 see-days (from together 112), that means we sit at the ship waiting for the next Landing, sometimes we had 5 see-days on a row, often we had to be at 05.00 p.m. back Ankering: we think Costa wants save Money, so the ship is ankering instead of pear, that causes you wait for the tender boat and the last tender boat is 04:00, There are other 10 Things to write, but ist not worth the time. Now why is my Rating one Point and not sero? The Food is good and the Service People try their best Read Less

Manly booked this for the itinerary. It was a 12 night - Venice to Barcelona . 11-1-18 to 11-13-18. Excursions were not as described. The stops listed were not accurate. One location did not have the handicrafts village as highlighted. Another town was completely closed on the day we were there. Nothing to see at all! They return you back to the ship 2-3 hours before ship left port. Not enough time given to sights that were available. Big waste of money. The destination desk personnel were useless and could care less. This Cruise line is over rated. Horrible entertainment. It doesn't exist. First time on Oceania and probably the last. Expected more from a so called upper class sailing. This is also not recommended for any one who is handicap. All ports of call and the excursions we were part of would be a real challenge for those who are handicap. The food was very good compared to other Cruise lines. But do NOT touch anything or the food Nazis will repremand you. Sparkling water and soft drinks are all included. As for cocktails, way over priced. Friends were charged $56.00 for 2 drinks in the main dining room because he made the mortal mistake of ordering a " double" rum and coke. He only made that mistake once. The staff were very good and attended to all your needs in the beginning of this itinerary, but slowly declined as the days passed. It seemed as though many have had enough and were anxious to go home, as this was their final voyage for the season. As previously noted the worst was the " Destinations" personnel. They could care less about anything. For your O Life choice, do yourself a favor and use the ship board credit. The free excursions are NOT the way to go! Go with an outside company or explore on your own. It should also be noted that this was not a voyage for families with young children. They would be extremely board due to the lack of entertainment and the ports of call. It's catered towards the adults. For the fees charged on this line, we expected a little more. Read Less

Overall a pretty good experience for our first time on O. A bunch of little things went wrong and we tried not to let it spoil the whole cruise. The ship is easy to get around but could use more elevators aft as they are always busy (that's largely where the food is). Dining ranged from spectacular (La Reserve) to very good (Toscana, Jacques) to surprisingly good (buffet on 12, pool grill) to mediocre (MDR, Polo). Food is subjective but I'm referring to basics here (proper temperature and doneness). Specialty restaurants saw demand far exceed supply--do not expect extra reservations! Service was good from 90% of the staff. The room steward and the food and beverage team were great. The gangway staff were excellent at getting my wheelchair on and off. Sadly when we really needed help from the Concierge on Deck 9 or from reception, they were often rude or aloof. Concierge seemed to only know the word "no". I eventually had to deal with the Purser, who put matters right. Two ports were missed for no good reason--ask the Captain: he laid the blame at HQ's feet. Overall it was a decent set of ports and had we made the two stops in the Canaries it would have been superior. Top tip: if you get sick, don't go to the Medical Centre. They'll take you for everything you have. Embarkation smooth as glass. Disembarkation a bit farcical but that might have been beyond the ship's control. We will cruise O again but will never pay extra for 'Concierge' service, and pray we don't need to deal with Reception. Read Less

My husband wanted to try out Oceania and loved the itinerary on this Riviera cruise. We definitely enjoyed the itinerary as it was in many ports we hadn't been to before. As for the ship, it was very nice and also our cabin. We enjoyed our dining in the main Grand dining room but all the hype about the speciality restaurants certainly didn't live up to their bragging. We enjoyed the food more and above all the service in the Grand dining room. The wait staff was fantastic. Really glad we didn't have to pay extra for the speciality restaurants. The ports were wonderful and we did enjoy the shore excursions. Everything regarding the excursions was great, very prompt and super easy. We might do an Oceania again if the price is right. We love our perks on Celebrity. We thought the cruise director, Edward, did a great job. He was all over the ship and so cordial and fun. Read Less

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

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

Ports. Ports. Ports. The Pacific Princess is a small ship that can visit smaller ports that larger ships can only tender. That part of it we really liked. We didn't like being confined to our cabin during Tropical Storm Arlene because of 15-20 foot waves. The PP I believe has stabilizers. They must be 3 feet long. People were being seriously injured because of the rough seas. I fell, hitting my head, and pulling muscles in our cabin when the ship lurched violently (add that to being sick for 3 days). A 18 day cruise turned into a 13 day one. The entertainment was mediocre with the exception of the dancers (who left the ship in Fort Lauderdale). Best dancers we had ever seen. Everything else was oh-hum. One comic was gross and we walked out. Another used sexual references that we thought we inappropriate. The tenor was excellent. The mentalist was entertaining even though he only had 3 effects I believe in his act. Food was very good in the dining room and the buffet. Princess made the buffet into a 'bistro' on sea days that had pretty limited offerings. I did not like it after the 2nd or 3rd time we used it. The desserts were outstanding. The presentation and selection in the buffet when we had one was very good. Our waiter and his assistant in the dining room were excellent. The personnel on the ship were great. Great, friendly, helpful service with just a few exceptions. One of the best cabin stewards we ever had. The ship is in dire need of a refurbishing. It is scheduled for one I understand. There isn't a chair on the ship that has a firm bottom. Lots of dings, rust, and fading paint everywhere. Carpet is dated and faded. Kind of depressing. During one show a light fixture fell out of the ceiling. Our cabin, a balcony one, was very, very small. Mattress was shot. Linens were adequate. There are few 'American' outlets to plug a computer into anywhere on the ship. The size of the ship is perfect however. Instead of walking for 20 minutes to get anywhere, everything is a short hike away from any cabin just about. The library if it had better chairs would be a delight to hang out in. Internet was adequate except that it could not be accessed very well in our cabin. We learned 3 days before the end of the cruise that it helped get service if we propped the cabin door open. Terrible. Met people who didn't understand that their free internet service extended to both people in a cabin. Sad. Disembarkation was perfect. The best we ever saw. Read Less

My husband and I enjoy repositioning cruises, and we picked this itinerary because the port of calls were unique and more appealing than most bigger ship itineraries. We are frequent cruisers on Princess, but have never cruised on a small Princess cruise ship like Pacific Princess. At first, we were concerned that we would be bored with a stretch of 6 days at sea, on a small ship. Our fears were soon overcome, as we enjoyed the many activities, superior entertainment, and fabulous food, made available on this ship. We joined up with the Pacific Princess in Venice, Italy, and with the help of the Princess staff, booked our overseas flight through their EZ Aire Program, and saved hundreds of dollars on airfare. We embarked at 1:00 pm, and were the only passengers in the Terminal ! Needless to say, there were no lines, and no waiting. We walked right on board. Pacific Princess is a classy older ship, who will soon go into Dry Dock for upgrades. Our segment of the cruise was part of a World Cruise, and most of the passengers were cruising for 111 days.It was quite different to be in a small environment where most of the passengers already knew each other. It did create a cozy environment, though. Everything from the personal attention we received, to all the activities we enjoyed, to the port calls themselves, was super!! We especially enjoyed the "Top Notch" variety of entertainment, some of which was Broadway quality. This was a great cruise, and we left with many wonderful memories. Disembarkation took about 10 minutes, from the time we cleared the ship, until we went through Customs. Read Less

We choose this cruise because chef Jacques Pepin was going to be onboard! Unfortunately, the entire cruise was overshadowed with the onboard illness of some cruisers and staff! We were told little about it except that protocol and precautions were put in place to handle it! Thus for the entire remainder of the cruise we had no laundry, no concierge lounge, no preset tables, no salt and pepper shakers, and informal dining area that was wrapped in Saran Wrap and difficult for us and staff to use! but we did have the constant wiping of tables,railings and chairs etc as we tried to dine, and/ or enjoy the views! They were able to have chef Pepin provide us with a book signing, although it was poorly promoted and we heard about it through word of mouth,and a demo and question and answer time, which we enjoyed! We felt the staff were tense, and under pressure. The captain gave us very little info, although several days after his first announcement he did say it was not a norovirus but precautions were going to continue for the rest of the cruise! We are glad this wasn't our first cruise or one that was for a very special occasion, because we would have been very disappointed! We enjoyed our shore excursions, liked the ship size and ease of getting around, also liked that the age of our fellow passengers had gotten younger since our last Oceania cruise! We do not go to evening entertainment,or the casino. Read Less

We booked this cruise because of the ports and Jacques Pepin would be on board. We upgraded to a marvelous Owners suite--8th floor. I didn't like we were on the 8th floor at first, but once in suite, it was glorious and contrary to other reports, we got lots of sun on the balcony (we were in an oceania suite on prior cruise and never got sun...so it depends on how the ship is sailing). Food was always good...service in Jacques was rushed, Toscana very slow and Polo right on the mark. We ate in our room several times and Butler always did a great job. Service: Cabin service was always good. Our butler was very good. We were alerted by another CC person that there was a virus on the previous cruise. When we boarded there was no sign of the virus OTHER THAN the endless TV "ads" about washing hands and singing happy birthday twice. There were also announcements about how important it was to have a clean ship. Needless to say, even though, (and I applaud the Staff) we weren't at a high level of sickness, the Captain was always one step ahead of protocol to prevent further spreading. It didn't work! I got sick on day 3--24 hour virus as did at least 6 other people I knew from CC. It took me two bounces to get attention from the infirmary and got a great nurse to come to my room with nausea pills and tylenol for my fever. Here is my BIG issue: When I wanted to speak to the GM and applaud the efforts of the crew in trying to keep one step ahead (as well as point out some of the areas that could be improved), the front desk wanted to know if I had an appt, then would not give me an appt and asked if I could speak to the Cruise director...and eventually got the assistant cruise director. REALLY? Each and every time on previous cruises, when I wanted to speak to the GM, I GOT TO THE GM! I am only a 7th time cruiser and I was in the Owners suite, but that made no never mind. This is the second cruise in 1 year that got a virus. CLEARLY there is a problem with Oceania protocol, even though I do applaud their efforts for going above and beyond. For example, on Riviera last year, they NEVER enclosed the buffet with saran as they did on the Marina to prevent folks from trying to touch things. I STILL THINK OCEANIA DOESN'T GET IT. AND the GUESTS don't get it. When the Cruise Director refused to pas the mike around during a wonderful event with Jacques, the guests booed the concept. REALLY? They wanted to pass germs around? Unfortunately the CD didn't handle it well as he did not tell Jacques in advance how he would handle the Q/A and even Jacques made fun of the arrangement. The CD should have made a direct comment about the safety of the passengers but instead just said this was CDC protocol (like who cares or understands)..... Bottom LINE...I am going to try a different cruise line before I return to Oceania...I am very disappointed. Read Less

We cruised on the Riviera from Venice to Athens, 13 days cruise. Fantastic! If someone is disappointed, I am sure they were not on this cruise. The food was superb, port of call were very interesting, overall great experience. My husband and I would love to cruise more on Oceania. Our state room was very roomy, bigger than at some hotels, there were plenty of drawers, shelves, hangers, etc. The staff was very attentive, room was kept immaculate, much better than at Marriott we are staying in London. Overall, we can't raive enough about it. The port of call were very interesting. We scheduled our own tours, that is the only down side on Oceania, the tours are expensive and it is better to schedule them on your own. The food in the dining room was very good, no reason to complain. The dining in the Terrace buffet had such a great variety, can please anyone. Specialty restaurants were superb. We had a wonderful time! Thank you Oceania! Read Less