Advice on P and O Oceana - spetember cruise eastern med

[pennydog24]

We have cruised a few times, we loved the NCL Epic. I have heard that the Oceana has been refurbished in 2017 but I have seen some reviews that say it is dated and shabby. Knocked about cabins etc and  old looking. I am a bit of a clean freak and if it was shabby in the cabin it would really spoil my holiday. I also read some reviews that said the food wasn't up to that you would expect on a cruise. That would really spoil my husbands holiday! Any comments from recent cruisers please? Also what can we expect weather wise mid September in the eastern med? I'm guessing warm but not boiling? We haven't booked for 2020 yet and already things are getting limited.

[tartanexile81]

if you're fussy about your cabin I'd avoid Oceana. It's the most dated in the fleet IMO. The storage is particularly badly organised and the balconies are horrible. However as you will no doubt have read, the public areas are lovely. Not keen on the location of Cafe Jardin and miss the Crows Nest style bar

[daiB]

2 hours ago, tartanexile81 said:

if you're fussy about your cabin I'd avoid Oceana. It's the most dated in the fleet IMO. The storage is particularly badly organised and the balconies are horrible. However as you will no doubt have read, the public areas are lovely. Not keen on the location of Cafe Jardin and miss the Crows Nest style bar

We like Oceana but the cabins are on the small size. The public areas are her best feature apart from her stern suites which are huge. The lack of storage space is possibly down to the fact that she was built for short cruises in the Caribbean. Built for Princess, at that time owned by P&O pre 2000. 

 

Possibly she is now doing what she was built for short port intensive cruises.

[Britboys]

It is a while since I have been on Oceana and haven't sailed at all with NCL but hope these thoughts might help in general terms:

 

Oceana will be 20 years old next year, so whilst P&O keep her in good condition, she will be showing signs of wear & tear here & there - it must be a constant battle for P&O to keep her looking decent when she is at sea pretty much 365 days a year.  She is about half the size of Epic and consequently has fewer facilities and in particular, far fewer eating options.  In fact, possibly the fewest eating options of all P&O ships.  Generally, food in the mdr's on P&O is pretty good.  The buffets however don't really compare well with most of the American cruise lines.

 

The weather will depend on your itinerary - if you are looking at the far eastern end of the med (Greece etc), whilst the chances are that the weather will be pleasantly warm, there is a chance of cloud and the odd storm from mid-September onward.

 

Hope that gives you something to think about.

[Solent Richard]

21 hours ago, pennydog24 said:

We have cruised a few times, we loved the NCL Epic. I have heard that the Oceana has been refurbished in 2017 but I have seen some reviews that say it is dated and shabby. Knocked about cabins etc and  old looking. I am a bit of a clean freak and if it was shabby in the cabin it would really spoil my holiday. I also read some reviews that said the food wasn't up to that you would expect on a cruise. That would really spoil my husbands holiday! Any comments from recent cruisers please? Also what can we expect weather wise mid September in the eastern med? I'm guessing warm but not boiling? We haven't booked for 2020 yet and already things are getting limited.

 

Good afternoon Penny.

 

Here's a link to my blog review which has lots of photographs. We, my wife and I, were very pleasantly surprised with Oceana...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2017/02/17/oceana-35-night-caribbean-round-trip/

 

...and the follow up, Life onboard Oceana...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2017/02/24/life-on-board-oceanas-35-night-cruise/

 

 

[tartanexile81]

20 hours ago, daiB said:

We like Oceana but the cabins are on the small size. The public areas are her best feature apart from her stern suites which are huge. The lack of storage space is possibly down to the fact that she was built for short cruises in the Caribbean. Built for Princess, at that time owned by P&O pre 2000. 

 

Possibly she is now doing what she was built for short port intensive cruises.

 

Unfortunately P&O has used her for long Transatlantic round trips in the past. Bad planning on their part and we found the cabin / balcony totally inadequate.

[daiB]

23 minutes ago, tartanexile81 said:

 

Unfortunately P&O has used her for long Transatlantic round trips in the past. Bad planning on their part and we found the cabin / balcony totally inadequate.

Recently we have been able to have a suite at the stern with plenty of storage and huge balconies. The mini suites are also very good especially those corner stern ones. But we have also been in one of the balcony cabins. Just for 7 nights.

Edited May 14, 2019 by daiB

[tartanexile81]

2 minutes ago, daiB said:

Recently we have been able to have a suite at the stern with plenty of storage and huge balconies. The mini suites are also very good especially those corner stern ones. But we have also been in one of the balcony cabins. Just for 7 nights.

 

Standard balcony cabins are totally unsuitable for 35 days and as I said Oceana shouldn't have been used for cruises of this nature

[Barnum42]

Been on Oceana twice and loved her. There was just something nice about the atmosphere. We had inside cabins both times. There were a couple of plumbing problems that were attended to. Staff were the best on any of the P&O fleet we've sailed. MDR was on par with other ships, buffet better than all the others (but let's face it, that's not too difficult).

 

We actually liked the positioning of Cafe Jardin, at the top of the atrium. Free breakfasts and lunch to be had there - avoid the crowds in the buffet.

My only gripe post re-fit is that the seats in the theatre were not replaced.

[Presto2]

We love Oceana and if you look at our history you will see that we have cruised on her a number of times and are due on her in 2020.

 

if you are picky re your cabin and expect 'modern luxury' (to borrow a phrase from another line) then perhaps you need to look at a newer ship. If it is the Easter Med you are looking at --- is Edge doing anything??

[newtocruise_rj]

On 5/14/2019 at 3:11 PM, Solent Richard said:

 

Good afternoon Penny.

 

Here's a link to my blog review which has lots of photographs. We, my wife and I, were very pleasantly surprised with Oceana...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2017/02/17/oceana-35-night-caribbean-round-trip/

 

...and the follow up, Life onboard Oceana...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2017/02/24/life-on-board-oceanas-35-night-cruise/

 

 

Just read both your reviews of Oceana Richard, and thank you so much for such a comprehensive and detailed account of your experience. I'm so glad you had such high praise of the ship, it has made me very excited to experience her for the first time - just 10 days to go! Such wonderful pictures of you and your wife clearly having a fantastic cruise as well. 

[Pentlands]

Ship was good, cabin great (mini-suite) but food not brilliant. Enjoyed some nice weather in the Med in June, looks rough this week, September anyone's guess these days.

[TPers]

HI, myself, husband and 15 year old son have just got back from a three week cruise on Oceana.  We were in an inside cabin and had no problems with storage at all and we had bought four cases with us!! 

 

She is a lovely ship with fantastic staff and a very friendly atmosphere.  Everyone we spoke to commented that it was one of the best cruises they had ever done.

 

 

[Mickb]

We had the Orissa suite at the stern which was large but very dated, certainly not u to the standards of other ships upon which we have cruised.

If you like Epic - I would not think this is the ship for you. The ordinary cabins are very small and storage is poor. Think Norwegian Sun before her recent refit!