1st P&O cruise OCEANA

[choc56uk]

This was our first P&O cruise OCEANA

BEEN ON ROYAL C

HOLLAND AMERICA and PRINCESS

 

we sailed 6th April Genoa

 

As agreed in other reports the ship looks tired in some areas there are rusts

 

There was during the week extensive maintainence work being carried out on the promenade deck Scrubbing ..... Drilling ..... Painting etc

 

Our large ocean view C702 was good

Comfy bed Clean sheets clean towels every day cabin steward very nice

 

Lift access was very good

 

We had freedom dining ... We hardly sed the plaza buffet we thought at lunch and dinner it was of poor standard

Breakfast was ok in the MDR

 

Some of the service was not upto much just usual standard nothing special like on other ships

 

Some of the choices on the menu we thought of poor standard

I had green beans on my dinner plate the first 3 nights

 

Never saw any carrots

 

Mainly broccoli courgette etc

 

Now me being a chef is sometimes a pain as I can become very critical

I am no way a snob but do enjoy good good

And this food did not wow me at all the whole week I have eaten in 3/4 star hotels better ..... But u always expect cruise food to be of a higher standard

 

I did chat with the executive manager for hospitality and is taking comments and dealing with it

 

We dined in Jardin once ..... Thought it was below standard

 

We enjoyed THE BEACH HOUSE. And used this 3 times !!!!! Food was excellent

Service was impeccable

 

We did enjoy being on the ship but will probably not return unless it's a cheap deal just to get to destinations we want to visit

 

We did not see any shows but had heard mixed reviews to being poor to good

 

We just used some of the bars to relax in

 

We enjoyed Al & chris the duo who we thought were the best on board

 

 

We paid 700£ each for this and think it was only worth £500 each

 

The bar drinks and wine prices were good

 

We did not buy any photos this time which is a first but they were 11.80 each

Our photos we viewed did not look nice

 

Other guests we spoke to -:

 

Some said the ship has gone down hill and food is not as nice

 

Others we met whom it was there first cruise ever ..... Thought it was wonderful and good value

 

Oh and on the last day for lunch in the MDR ... One of the choices was braised f a g g o t OMG OMG !!!!! Yes can buy a box of those for £1.00 in Sainsburys ...... What on earth do they think they are doing ..... Yes steak was on most night and that's what diners were choosing

 

So you can't please everyone .....

Edited April 17, 2016 by choc56uk

[KEITHH1]

Good honest review and fair thanks we go on in september

[qm2lover]

We were on Oceana in January, our first time on P&O for 3 years.

Unfortunately we have to agree with your comments.

[tartanexile81]

We've done quite a lot of P&O cruises including quite a number on Oceana. We thought the food we had in Feb / march on her was very disappointing - agree whole-heartedly with your comments about MDR, Buffet and The Beach House. However we liked Cafe Jardin, although even there we had one disappointing lunch. Like you we spent most evening listening to the duo but in our case Protocol .We did go to see some acts in the theatre which we'd enjoyed a lot, but they were some we'd seen before or we'd heard about from friends.

Edited April 18, 2016 by tartanexile81

[SteveH2508]

We got off Oceana on the 6th April. We have to agree about some of the rust issues, but they were working on fixing things. As for the food, we were pleasantly surprised as to how good the fish dishes were in the MDR. Normally fish can be dry and not nice - every fish dish we had was moist and nicely cooked (and we did see some carrots!).

 

My Beef Wellington on formal night was superb - rare as ordered and crispy pastry. Generally the food was good - as was the service. We would certainly sail with P&O again.

Edited April 18, 2016 by SteveH2508

[annieuk]

We were on Oceana just over a year ago and will be on her again in two weeks. I'll post a report when we get back. This will be our 5th cruise on Oceana and I fully expect that this cruise will be as enjoyable as our previous ones - we've never had poor food or service on her so far. We often use Cafe Jardin for breakfast and occasionally for lunch so it will be interesting to see what it's like at present.

[choc56uk]

so after much searching for cruises that are around the Croatian coast .... And of course prices and date schedule.... We have re booked Oceana for 18th May next yr

 

So it couldn't have been all that bad eh ?

 

We already have a RC cruise booked for August 2017 so it all had to do with timing etc ....

 

This cruise with the destinations seems ideal ... And the price is right x :)

[postcardswansea]

It sounds as though your Oceana experience wasn't as positive as ours the following week, but it's nice to see you've booked again for next year - we're looking at similar itineraries but haven't booked anything yet.

 

If we do book on Oceana again, we'll definitely try the Beach House, as we didn't go this time, and your review has convinced me we should have tried it!

[TotallyAngelic]

Thank you for your review .... we are cruising on Oceana in just over 3 weeks now. Will definitely be dining in the Beach House as menu looks great, will also try the Cafe Jardin. Really looking forward to it now. :D:D

[daiB]

Thank you for your review .... we are cruising on Oceana in just over 3 weeks now. Will definitely be dining in the Beach House as menu looks great, will also try the Cafe Jardin. Really looking forward to it now. :D:D

 

 

Don't tell anyone but cafe Jardin is very good for breakfast if you want an alternative to the normal buffet or MDR.

 

But keep it quiet.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[TotallyAngelic]

Don't tell anyone but cafe Jardin is very good for breakfast if you want an alternative to the normal buffet or MDR.

 

But keep it quiet.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Thank you ...that is good to know. My hubby and I clash with our breakfast requirements - I prefer fruit and danish / croissants whereas he is a traditional full English addict. I also need a decent latte ... so I imagine we will be giving all venues a try at some point.

 

Do you know what Cafe Jardin has to offer on breakfast menu ?

[tartanexile81]

Thank you ...that is good to know. My hubby and I clash with our breakfast requirements - I prefer fruit and danish / croissants whereas he is a traditional full English addict. I also need a decent latte ... so I imagine we will be giving all venues a try at some point.

 

Do you know what Cafe Jardin has to offer on breakfast menu ?

 

Cafe Jardin won't suit your husband TotallyAngelic. We never eat breakfast there because they don't do much in the way of cooked food in the morning, certainly nothing resembling what my husband would call a full English :(.

 

The main dining room (Ligurian when we were on Oceana recently) is usually open till 9.30 on sea days and around 9:00 on port days. You can still get a cooked breakfast in the buffet after the dining room closes

[TotallyAngelic]

Cafe Jardin won't suit your husband TotallyAngelic. We never eat breakfast there because they don't do much in the way of cooked food in the morning, certainly nothing resembling what my husband would call a full English :(.

 

The main dining room (Ligurian when we were on Oceana recently) is usually open till 9.30 on sea days and around 9:00 on port days. You can still get a cooked breakfast in the buffet after the dining room closes

 

Thank you ... good to know ( I wont tell him ;) )

 

Do you know what they serve in Cafe Jardin for brekky ?

[daiB]

Thank you ... good to know ( I wont tell him ;) )

 

 

 

Do you know what they serve in Cafe Jardin for brekky ?

 

 

Cereal fruit yoghurt and the likes with one or two hot items which are served to you like sausage or bacon panini.

 

Correct about the full English, nothing like that at all.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[annieuk]

We really like Cafe Jardin for breakfast but please don't tell everyone about it! It's so much nicer than the buffet - I hate buffets - and not as formal as the restaurant. I'll probably have to put up with the buffet a couple of times as my husband likes the hot choice but I wish they would serve decent coffee! The last time I was on Oceana the coffee in Cafe Jardin was really good.

[TotallyAngelic]

We really like Cafe Jardin for breakfast but please don't tell everyone about it! It's so much nicer than the buffet - I hate buffets - and not as formal as the restaurant. I'll probably have to put up with the buffet a couple of times as my husband likes the hot choice but I wish they would serve decent coffee! The last time I was on Oceana the coffee in Cafe Jardin was really good.

 

What we plan to do ( if we can ) is buy a coffee in Costa and take it to where we plan to have breakfast. We ended up doing that on Disney and Royal Caribbean ( not Costa actually but they both had a specialty coffee establishment ) and it was fine. I really don't like filter coffee so hopefully I can grab a latte and be a happy bunny :D:D

[P&O SUE]

Thanks for taking time to do your review - I read it all :D