Reviewed by: Kathy Fossati

Date: December 2018 (updated)

Cruise Line: Oceania Cruises

Size of ship and passenger capacity: 66,000 GRT, 1,250 passengers

Built: April 2010

Maiden Voyage: 22 January 2011

Where the ship cruises: Worldwide

Most suited: 50+ passengers looking for an upmarket product with a lack of formality, excellent service and possibly the best cuisine at sea. There are no children facilities onboard.

Main features/highlights: Mid-sized ship with a friendly crew offering from-the-heart service, comfort and genuine elegance without any stuffiness.

Dining: Oceania pride themselves on the standard of cuisine and it is said they spend more on this per passenger per day than any other cruise line. Additionally, all venues are open seating – you dine where, when and with whom you wish, and all venues are complimentary.

• The Grand Dining Room is particularly notable – it’s large, light and airy. Open for all meals and no reservations are required.
• Polo Grill is the steakhouse, with a country club atmosphere and quite possibly the largest steaks anyone could ever attempt to eat. Open for dinner only, reservations are required.
• Toscana is the Italian restaurant – I didn’t get to eat here but I did look around. The China is Rosenthal with a custom designed Versace pattern. Fabulous! Open for dinner only, reservations required.
• Jacques is a French Bistro designed and run by acclaimed chef Jacques Pépin. This dinner only venue seemed to be well attended. Reservations required.
• Red Ginger is the Asian restaurant. Open for dinner only, it has a striking red and gold scheme. The dishes are smallish but authentic and, of course, you can order as much as you like!
• The Terrace Cafe / Waves Grill is essentially the buffet, but a standard buffet it is not! Designed to look in every way like a restaurant, food is served to you from the food stations or cooked to order at the grill.
• The Terrace is an aft veranda allowing outdoor seating in shaded or semi-shaded positions – just lovely! The grill spills around the pool area for semi-open seating. I have to say the food here was exceptional, especially the burgers! It is open for all meals.
• Baristas – serve illy coffee to order along with Italian cakes and biscuits. YUM.

Afternoon tea is served in the Horizon room, forward at the top of the ship. You have a choice of teas and coffees with a huge selection of cakes, sandwiches, tarts and other sweets that – it’s very hard to say no.

Activities: If you love cooking, then keep an eye out for the Culinary Centre. Oceania has built more of an authentic cooking school for passengers that includes actual ovens and chef’s knives. One other enrichment option is the Artist Loft for the creative types.

There are lots of other activities from including Ping-Pong and bean bag toss tournaments, a well stocked library and large pool with many comfy lounge chairs.

Wine Tastings:  For those who love and appreciate fine wines, La Reserve has partnered with Wine Spectator Magazine. The result is not only fabulous wine and food pairing, but also wine seminars and vintage tastings.

Cabins: There are 18 inside, 20 ocean view (with floor to ceiling windows) and a choice of the regular veranda or concierge veranda cabins – all spacious and nicely appointed.  The luxurious Prestige Tranquility mattresses and 1,000-thread-count sheets made of 100 percent Egyptian cotton, definitely make for a good night’s sleep.

There are a few creature comforts including a nightstand and reading lights. With sliding door cupboards, plenty of drawers, shelves and hooks, there are lots of storage options. Amenities include a mini-fridge, a safe, phone, climate control, umbrella and hairdryer, and a flat-screen TV.  The Bulgari toiletries are a nice touch too.

There are a variety of suites to choose from including Penthouse, Vista, Oceania, and Owner’s suite – all incredibly spacious and depending which suite you chose, can come with sensational amenities including veranda dining areas, hot tubs/whirlpools, media room, a private workout room, walk-in closets, and even a grand piano!

Self-service laundry: Yes, there is a laundry on most decks and these are complimentary.

Spa: The Canyon Ranch^® Spa has a good reputation for those who like a little pampering. A little expensive but not unreasonable compared with most cruise ships.

The passengers were seemingly a happy bunch, many of those I spoke to cruise regularly with Oceania for that very reason. As one woman said, “it’s like coming home”.