Cornish Surfer

That's great news as we board for our 5th O cruise in Oslo. Just curious, did your Bronze loyalty OBC show up in your ship board account when you boarded?

Absolutely. The credit was there and a little card confirming so.

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Also on this fabulous cruise, our 5th on Oceania. I echo all the comments above. This is by far the best in terms of food and crew - not that there has ever been a problem in the past. The GM and Food and Beverage Manager are out and about in every venue talking to passengers. We have sailed with Captain Max before and he is a very visible and approachable Captain.

There are one or two small signs of wear and tear about the ship but really nothing to worry about. We are cocooned in luxury!!!

They were certainly all free on Sirena last Autumn.

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I was on Sirena last August. The classes depend to some extent on the gym manager at the time but we had free Pilates, stretch, ‘bums and tums’ and spin classes throughout the cruise. The gym equipment is good - about 6 treadmills, 4 rowers, 6 bikes, 2 stair climbers, and a good variety of weight equipment as well as free weights.

Others may remember more details,

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Sounds like you had a nice cruise. Thanks for your report.

Did you book any Oceania sponsored shore excursions?

No we didn't. We tend to book our own excursions in advance using the internet to research local guides.

Thank you for this info, and glad to hear you had such a wonderful cruise! Just wondering - where did Sirena dock in Venice? Was it at Marittimo, or was it at the smaller dock of San Basillio?

We docked at San Basilio which was great.

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We have recently returned from a Civitavecchia to Venice cruise on board Sirena. We have previously taken cruises on Riviera, Marina and Nautica. Having seen a few negative comments about standards on Oceania in the lead up to our cruise, I thought it only right that I put in a few thoughts on our return:

• The ship was in great condition, as clean and well cared for as I would expect of Oceania
  
• The crew were friendly, cheerful and positive from the guy who cleaned the aft stairs to the Captain.
  
• We had a PH cabin which was in good order, and we were beautifully looked after throughout the trip.
  
• The food was as good as ever - and yes I am fussy. We ate in the GDR, Red Ginger and Tuscan and enjoyed excellent food and service on each occasion. Several of the favourites are available from the Toscana and Polo Grill menus on the bigger ships. Lunch for us was either in Waves or the new Jacques Bistro and again we enjoyed both. The Jacques menu is perhaps a little heavy for lunch but I am sure many people appreciate the chance to try some of the regular Jacques dishes on the smaller ship. We did not use the Terrace as we prefer the other venues.
  
• The sommelliers were attentive in each venue and did not have a problem with us having the beverage package. We were served as much wine as we wanted.
  
• The entertainment was as expected - we occasionally go to a show but it is not our reason for travelling with Oceania
  
• The gym was well cared for and not over busy. All the classes were free of charge which I appreciated.
  
• I did not take any spa treatments but used the spa deck which is quite small on Sirena. It was, however, often empty so space was never a problem.
  

I guess you have gathered by now that we had a great trip. We saw no signs of cost cutting at all. As we all know different people have different experiences and expectations but for us Oceania continues to fit the bill and we have two more trips booked!

Well said. Something we should all think about more often when we have the pleasure of being looked after in this way.

Don't worry. We had exactly the same thoughts before we went. We had a table for 2 at dinner, chatted amiably with people we met but also spent a lot of time amongst others but not involved with them!

I am sure you will have a great time

I am fortunate to have just returned from a westbound Transatlantic crossing on QM2 in Princess Grill. This was our first experience on a ship although we have traveled widely over the years.

Like many others I avidly scanned the reviews and forums in advance of our trip, learning many useful facts and tips which helped enormously before and during the holiday. I suspect that others will also identify with me when I say that some of the very critical reviews and comments sometimes had me a little worried.

Well, armed with the experience of one transatlantic I can honestly say that we loved every minute. Granted the luxury of Princess Grill gave us advantages in terms of dining and cabin size but I can honestly say I was overwhelmed by the luxury, tranquility and friendliness we came across throughout the ship.

As a first timer I truly appreciate the ease of boarding a ship rather than a plane. The cabin was well appointed and spotlessly clean. The food and service in Princess Grill was outstanding, and as somebody who has worked in retail and catering all my life I can assure you that I have high expectations.

We explored every corner of the ship (or I think we did!) and whilst there were one or two misted up windows on the lower decks the vast majority of fixtures and fittings were exceptionally well maintained. The facilities such as gym were first class and never seemed crowded. Each of the bars had a different character but shared the same cheerful service ethos. The entertainment varied in quality - we were fortunate to have the National Symphony Orchestra on board who were excellent. The regular shows were a little dated but still entertaining and as they are only 45 minutes long you haven't wasted too much time if it is not your cup of tea!

We loved chatting to our fellow passengers out and about around the ship and met many interesting people. The age profile was a little younger than I had expected.

I wasn't sure how 7 days at sea would feel but I absolutely loved it. Even with the extra hour on 5 days out of 7 there never seemed to be enough time to do everything. The ship coped with a variety of weather as perfectly as everybody says she does. Sailing into New York at 3.45am matched my very high expectations too. Having breakfast moored in Brooklyn looking at the sunrise over the New York skyline is a memory I will never forget.

Disembarkation st Brooklyn was also quite smooth and took no more than 30 minutes from when we left the ship. There was however a shortage of yellow cabs so we had to wait about 45 minutes for one.

Any criticisms? Yes the in room TV system is very dated and in urgent need of upgrade. The availability of an up to date onboard account should clearly be addressed. The Kings Court buffet looked hectic when I passed though, as has been described many times on this forum.

So if you are lurking on the forum soaking up information for your upcoming trip on QM2 my message is we loved it and hope you do too!