holidaylover10 Posted January 24, 2017 #1 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Have been eyeing up a Med cruise May 2018 on Oceana, I really like the itinery. But I am a little worried about bad reviews on the state of the ship. Have only cruised on Celebrity ships previously which I love. Is this ship as bad as the reviews portray? Will I be very dissappointed with P&O after crusing with Celebrity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiB Posted January 24, 2017 #2 Share Posted January 24, 2017 (edited) Have been eyeing up a Med cruise May 2018 on Oceana, I really like the itinery. But I am a little worried about bad reviews on the state of the ship. Have only cruised on Celebrity ships previously which I love. Is this ship as bad as the reviews portray? Will I be very dissappointed with P&O after crusing with Celebrity? No, we were on her at Christmas and New Year and she was fine. Stop reading reviews and enjoy your cruise. Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Edited January 24, 2017 by daiB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadabout60 Posted January 24, 2017 #3 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Have been eyeing up a Med cruise May 2018 on Oceana, I really like the itinery. But I am a little worried about bad reviews on the state of the ship. Have only cruised on Celebrity ships previously which I love. Is this ship as bad as the reviews portray? Will I be very dissappointed with P&O after crusing with Celebrity? We were on Oceana at Christmas 2015 and were very disappointed with the state of the ship. There were loads of plumbing issues. Food was poor (this was acknowledged more or less by P&O). Atmosphere very poor for a Christmas cruise Yet I know some folk love her! To me there is no comparison at all with Celebrity We have read about improvements recently as far as food is concerned and are sailin on Azura in April. Part of the attraction are the ports of call, part that it is a Strictly Come Dancing Cruise If prices were in any way comparable and itinerary suited for me Celebrity would always be my choice over P&O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Presto2 Posted January 24, 2017 #4 Share Posted January 24, 2017 We did the Silhouette for the first 3 years she joined the Celebrity fleet. We loved her. We also love Oceana --- something about her we just love. Ok she isn't as new but the atrium is lovely. Last August we had what I would think as probably our best August cruise and we have done Britannia as well. Just go and enjoy and see for yourself. Just don't expect a ship that is 20 yrs old and a cruise that I imagine is a lot cheaper than Celebrity to be as upgrade. Enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holidaylover10 Posted January 24, 2017 Author #5 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Thanks very much for you advice. I am edging towards booking the cruise. I think the itinery may be the deciding factor. Celebrity doesn't seem to do a cruise that covers so many ports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRUISIN LINDA Posted January 24, 2017 #6 Share Posted January 24, 2017 We have had two fabulous holidays on her and found the staff very friendly and the food and entertainment good. As Presto says the atrium is lovely :) If the itinerary is what you want, go for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mummsie Posted January 24, 2017 #7 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Have been eyeing up a Med cruise May 2018 on Oceana, I really like the itinery. But I am a little worried about bad reviews on the state of the ship. Have only cruised on Celebrity ships previously which I love. Is this ship as bad as the reviews portray? Will I be very dissappointed with P&O after crusing with Celebrity? We have been on a couple of old rust buckets. We knew what they were going to be like before we got on, however, we decided to just go with the flow. A bad day at sea is still much better than a good day at work. Just go and enjoy the ride. mummsie :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercury7289 Posted January 24, 2017 #8 Share Posted January 24, 2017 If you are worried,why book it? As mummsie says, go with the flow. You get good and bad, its the mind set that counts. If you look for problems,they will be there! If you don't, you will not notice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josy1953 Posted January 25, 2017 #9 Share Posted January 25, 2017 (edited) We were on Oceana in December, yes she is looking a bit tired but we had no problems at all. The cabin was clean and my only criticism would be that the shower stall is a tad small but we had been on her before so knew this before we booked. The food was better than we have had for 2 or 3 years on P&O. The staff were all very accommodating. There was generally a feeling of being on a "happy" ship. Go on your cruise and enjoy it. Edited January 25, 2017 by Josy1953 Spelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRUISIN LINDA Posted January 25, 2017 #10 Share Posted January 25, 2017 There was generally a feeling of being on a "happy" ship. My feelings exactly :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forresloon Posted January 25, 2017 #11 Share Posted January 25, 2017 We are going on Oceana for the 5th time this April. She is due refurbishment later this year around November/December time so you should have no worries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoupPlease Posted January 25, 2017 #12 Share Posted January 25, 2017 (edited) Apart from SS Uganda, the Oceana was my first cruise ship .... I won't hear a bad word said about her .... even if it is true... which I don't think it is. For the record, the last time we were on her we loved it and I will happily sail on her again. Edited January 25, 2017 by SoupPlease Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davecttr Posted January 25, 2017 #13 Share Posted January 25, 2017 For me Oceana is like an old pair of slippers, comfortable ;) She does not have all the facilities other P&O ships have. There is no Epicurian or Sindhu restaurants or a Glasshouse wine bar. There is a Beach House in the evening and Café Jardin (the garden kaf which I do not like). No Crows Nest either despite what the P&O site says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Presto2 Posted January 25, 2017 #14 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Many members of the crew told us that they love the ship and are very happy on her. I think the Captain has a lot to do with this - Andrew Willard. The best Captain we've sailed with. A real nice people person and the crew couldn't say enough good things about him. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiB Posted January 25, 2017 #15 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Many members of the crew told us that they love the ship and are very happy on her. I think the Captain has a lot to do with this - Andrew Willard. The best Captain we've sailed with. A real nice people person and the crew couldn't say enough good things about him. :) Correct, excellent captain and a wonderful ballerina as well. Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Presto2 Posted January 25, 2017 #16 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Correct, excellent captain and a wonderful ballerina as well. Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Now I am confused :D:D Now the crew mentioned many times what a great Captain he was and how happy the crew were, but they never mentioned dancing :confused::confused:;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiB Posted January 25, 2017 #17 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Now I am confused :D:D Now the crew mentioned many times what a great Captain he was and how happy the crew were, but they never mentioned dancing :confused::confused:;) I will just say crew show and the last one on the right. You have to have seen the show. If I were not upon the sea. :) Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brayman Posted January 26, 2017 #18 Share Posted January 26, 2017 I will just say crew show and the last one on the right. You have to have seen the show. If I were not upon the sea. :) Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app I thought they'd given up doing that cringeworthy rendition. I'm all for seeing talented crew but that is so old hat :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jh1809 Posted January 26, 2017 #19 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Many members of the crew told us that they love the ship and are very happy on her. I think the Captain has a lot to do with this - Andrew Willard. The best Captain we've sailed with. A real nice people person and the crew couldn't say enough good things about him. :) I suspect that the biggest single factor regarding how passengers perceive a ship is the quality of the senior crew: captain, hotel manager, entertainment manager and head chef. If they can motivate the people under them to work hard and be happy, then the passengers will feel the benefit. (The chief engineer is obviously very important too, but their impact isn't usually so immediately obvious to the passengers.) Of course what complicates matters is the crew rota system. Obviously people need holidays, but it does mean that a passenger's experience of a ship could be very different from that of someone who cruised a few months earlier and was luckier (or unluckier) in who was filling the senior positions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiB Posted January 26, 2017 #20 Share Posted January 26, 2017 I thought they'd given up doing that cringeworthy rendition. I'm all for seeing talented crew but that is so old hat :) May be old hat and seen many times but it always brings the house down. So they keep on doing it. And generally the theatre is full. You are not forced to go. Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brayman Posted January 26, 2017 #21 Share Posted January 26, 2017 (edited) May be old hat and seen many times but it always brings the house down. So they keep on doing it. And generally the theatre is full. You are not forced to go. Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Yes I am, I like to see talent on display - it's only that one item :) Edited January 26, 2017 by Brayman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiB Posted January 26, 2017 #22 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Yes I am, I like to see talent on display - it's only that one item :) More than I do, I have seen it twice but I get reports. Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittyonions Posted January 26, 2017 #23 Share Posted January 26, 2017 We did the fly cruise to the med on Oceana and had a brilliant cruise, and had no problems. To counter this we have just done our first cruise with Celebrity on Constellation which is a similar size and age to Oceana. The fly cruise was very badly handled by Celebrity and to check in took over 2 hours after an overnight flight. We were not impressed. Try Oceana you will not be disappointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Presto2 Posted January 26, 2017 #24 Share Posted January 26, 2017 We did the fly cruise to the med on Oceana and had a brilliant cruise, and had no problems.To counter this we have just done our first cruise with Celebrity on Constellation which is a similar size and age to Oceana. The fly cruise was very badly handled by Celebrity and to check in took over 2 hours after an overnight flight. We were not impressed. Try Oceana you will not be disappointed. Without trying to sound like an Oceana cheer leader ..... We LOVED the Celebrity Silhouette (same cabin, 3 yrs in a row) but the way they handled fly cruises was horrific. First cruise, left at Rome airport 4 hours before the check in desk even opened with no advice re where the desk was or anything. The fly cruise with P&O is much better. Have to say, they are well organised Oh, this is all making us want to book a cruise on her now ----- not sure how we can afford it but we can but dream:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holidaylover10 Posted January 26, 2017 Author #25 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Well thank you all, I have decided to book the cruise:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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