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Wonderful, Wonderful Oceana |
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Reviewed By: Brown, Chester on 4th Jul 2009
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| Cruise Line: P&O Cruises |
Times cruised before: 6-10 |
| Cruise Ship: Oceana |
Sailed:
June,
2009 |
| Destination: Norwegian Fjords |
Age: 56-65 |
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Arrived at Southampton on our Eavesway coach a little later than planned, having been on the scenic route to avoid an accident on the Motorway near to Southampton which had caused long delays and unfortunately involved an air ambulance. We were so glad that we had chosen to make the long journey by coach and did not have to worry about the departure time of the ship, which incidentally moved back about an hour to accommodate the late arrivals.
The embarkation was a dream and we were on board in about 15minutes of our arrival, leaving our luggage to the administrations of the crew and the coach company.
We found our cabin very easily and then set about looking around the ship. What a wonderful feel to it, we immediately felt at home and at ease. Plenty of space, plenty of seats, plenty of stewards all eager to greet you with a smile and service. After a dreadful time last year on Ventura we can't tell you how fabulous this ship is.
Had a balcony cabin which, although small, was absolutely fine for our needs and a wonderful memory of sitting on it after midnight, doing a Sudoku puzzle and not needing any light because the sun was still in the sky. Glorious.
We chose Freedom dining as is our usual habit, as we prefer not to have a fixed dining time. We ate mostly in the Ligurian restaurant in the evening but did have a couple of nights in the buffet Plaza, which was most acceptable and had a great deal of choice. We ate breakfast mostly in the Cafe Jardin because we liked the setting and because we prefer a lighter option. Whenever we went to either the Plaza or the Jardin, we never had any problems getting seats. In the Plaza, we may have had to look for at least one minute before finding anywhere - brilliant. Can highly recommend the afternoon tea in the Adriatic restaurant- sandwiches, scones, crumpets, tea cakes and pastries - it's an idea to skip lunch if you go there! There was never an occasion when we did not like what we saw either on the menu or at the buffet - it was superb.
The Staff were amazing, nothing was too much trouble - and they even remembered names! Cannot praise them highly enough.
The Entertainment was excellent, the Headliners in the Theatre, the classical pianist in the lounge, the quizzes around the ship and the visiting singer David Karl. So much to do and see.
We did our own thing with regard to excursions as we had visited to Fjords before, albeit to a couple of different places, but felt that we wanted a more relaxed holiday this time. We did speak to several people who had been on excursions and most seemed to enjoy them although all said that they were far too expensive. A case in point was where a trip on a boat in Stavanger was literally only ten steps from our ship and would have cost the equivalent of £10 less had they gone straight to the trip instead of through the excursions on board ship.
We do appreciate that you can't please all the people all the time but this ship is definitely for us. It was the right size and had everything that we need to make our holiday special for us. We would not hesitate to go on it again, but unfortunately the itinerary for next year does not fit our requirements and we are booked with Princess cruises. We hope that Oceana will do more short cruises in 2011 and that they will not all be on Ventura which is how it looks for 2010, and as previously stated we will NEVER go back on that ship.
For anyone due to go on Oceana, I'm sure that you will have a wonderful time. Do marvel at the Atrium and enjoy a moment there to soak up the atmosphere and listen to the pianist, it's magical.
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| | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| Although children on board they were extremely well behaved. | | Onboard Activities | |
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