Oceana. Has it stood the test of time?

I last travelled on the Oceana some ten years ago out of Ft. Lauderdale. At the time I recall a modern vessel well suited to the 2000 or so passengers it was designed for.

The last time I saw it was in Barbados in 2015, and to be honest, from the upper decks of the Azura, the Oceana looked miniscule in comparison, and although painted in the new livery, it looked very tired.

I have just booked for a Med cruise in June on it, and was wondering if anyone with recent experience on board could let me know their feelings about the ship.

I've done a lot of long cruises on Oceana because until this year she has been Southampton-based in the Winter. I've also cruised regularly on Ventura and Azura. There's a lot I like about Oceana especially the fact that she's IMO a great size. I still like the atrium's appearance which many people rave about but I think it makes the lounges noisy as entertainment on one deck carries to all the others. My main issue about the cabins the last time I was on her (March 2016) was with the cabins. The air-con and plumbing seem a bit antiquated and our balcony was in poor condition - very rusty, and there was constant painting etc going on. However I understand from friends who cruised on her in February that lots of work has now been completed and she's looking better. We'd do a short cruise on her again but not a long one

People will all have differing opinions on ships. Personally we don't like Oceana, I don't think we can put our finger on the reason but having sailed on her twice we decided a few years back we wouldn't sail on her again and never have, you are right at the time we cruised on her she was tired. I have read many posts from people who absolutely love her so I guess it's individual taste.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

All the P&O ships have their own plus and minus points. Oceana has some great public areas and lots of pools for her size. We are booked to go on her next year - it will be nice to be on her again. The aft pool and bar are particular favourites of ours.

Oceana has 3 sister ships operating from Australia under Princess Australia. They are Sun/Sea and Dawn Princesses. They still sail around the world, require a few repairs now and then, but still going and popular, been on a couple.

I quite like Oceana, just like an old pair of slippers!. I don't think the P&O bean counters will have the same thought though as she does not have the space for additional revenue earning with no room for an Epicurean or Sindhu restaurant. There are only two main bars and sadly no Crows Nest. I see the main bar 'The Rotten Compost' (Yacht and Compass) is now listed on the P&O site as being formal on black tie nights. Good luck with that one as it is a main route to and from the theatre and an entertainment venue. I am glad to see they are converting the Garden Kaf into a Glasshouse, hopefully passengers will now have access to the public toilets on that deck as they were denied access when it was the Kaf. I think that if the ship size restriction in Venice had not happened Ventura would still be doing that route and Oceana would now be in Australia. I will be aboard Oceana again this year for a xmas cruise.

We have probably cruised on Oceana more than any other ship in the fleet. We still enjoy being on her and yes she doesn't have the Select Dining that most of the other ships offer but that isn't something that would stop us going on her again. In fact we've just booked to to a Malta fly cruise on her a year this coming September. We were last on her a year ago next month and didn't see the shabby ship that some had said she was on various forums. We still enjoyed being on her - her fantastic atrium and a great library - Azura and Ventura don't compare in our opinion. We also like her size and hopefully she will be with the P&O fleet for a few more years yet.

Love her! My husband, Mother-in-Law and I have been on her a few times and we all like her.

Love the small splash pool up the top near the front; love her atrium; love her balconies (they have rails you can stick your feet through when lounging on chairs, plus they don't dirty!) love the Yacht and Compass Bar. Personally we think it's great she's getting a Glass House as well.

She a great ship, yes she is showing her age, but considering she spends 365 days a year in salt water she's not doing too badly, and the interiors are still looking good (to us).

She has a lovely welcoming and friendly atmosphere as well.

Pretty sure you'll like her. Enjoy your cruise. :)

I think she's doing alright for her age. OK, there are aspects that aren't perfect, such as the tiny dance floor in the atrium, but hey what ship is perfect?

And admittedly the cabins are probably the part that shows her vintage more than anything, but they are far from being antiquated.

I suppose that cruise ships, to some degree, are just like many other things in modern life. There's alwasys some flashy new version out every so often. To me though, newest isn't always the best. Yes the newest member of the fleet will have plenty of neat features and very trendy styling when she launches in '20, but there will always be things that the old gals like Oceana and Oriana will somehow manage to be better at.

As a side note - look at that Magic Carpet thing on the Celebrity ship - just sounds like a gimmick to me - much in the same way that no one really needed a bevel edge screen on a mobile phone.

As many have pointed out, it is after all down to personal preference. I found the Oceana to be a fine ship, and being the size she is, she's neither too small nor too big.

I think she's doing alright for her age. OK, there are aspects that aren't perfect, such as the tiny dance floor in the atrium, but hey what ship is perfect?

 

And admittedly the cabins are probably the part that shows her vintage more than anything, but they are far from being antiquated.

 

I suppose that cruise ships, to some degree, are just like many other things in modern life. There's alwasys some flashy new version out every so often. To me though, newest isn't always the best. Yes the newest member of the fleet will have plenty of neat features and very trendy styling when she launches in '20, but there will always be things that the old gals like Oceana and Oriana will somehow manage to be better at.

As a side note - look at that Magic Carpet thing on the Celebrity ship - just sounds like a gimmick to me - much in the same way that no one really needed a bevel edge screen on a mobile phone.

 

As many have pointed out, it is after all down to personal preference. I found the Oceana to be a fine ship, and being the size she is, she's neither too small nor too big.

We sailed on her several times and loved the ship although i felt she rolled a bit in rough seas.

43 cruises and counting.

We have sailed on her more than any other ship and still love her despite the fact that she is showing her age. I think she is due for a refurb at the end of this year though. We are on Ventura in August and if that cruise is half as good as the one last August it will be a great cruise. :)

PS Love her so much that she is definitely more of a 'she' than an 'it' ...... ;-)

I quite like Oceana, just like an old pair of slippers!. I don't think the P&O bean counters will have the same thought though as she does not have the space for additional revenue earning with no room for an Epicurean or Sindhu restaurant. There are only two main bars and sadly no Crows Nest. I see the main bar 'The Rotten Compost' (Yacht and Compass) is now listed on the P&O site as being formal on black tie nights. Good luck with that one as it is a main route to and from the theatre and an entertainment venue. I am glad to see they are converting the Garden Kaf into a Glasshouse, hopefully passengers will now have access to the public toilets on that deck as they were denied access when it was the Kaf. I think that if the ship size restriction in Venice had not happened Ventura would still be doing that route and Oceana would now be in Australia. I will be aboard Oceana again this year for a xmas cruise.

Where do you get the info that she is getting a 'Glasshouse' and do you know when this will happen?

A bit in the future but I am going on her in Jan 19 to Dubai

Try this topic

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2464011&highlight=oceana+refit+glasshouse

We cruised on her in February/March. She is now 17 years old and it shows in places, she was undergoing maintenance while we were onboard, new sunloungers were put on at Southampton. Some of the furnishings are getting worn and will likely be changed during the refit if not before.

She is however a lovely ship and has a quaintness about her which we liked, but may not appeal to everyone. We prefer her to Britannia which was virtually brand new when we cruised on her.

 

She is however a lovely ship and has a quaintness about her which we liked, but may not appeal to everyone. We prefer her to Britannia which was virtually brand new when we cruised on her.

Agree. We are going on Britannia again for a week, but one of the very best cruises we have ever gone was last year on Oceana. That includes cruises on Britannia when she was new and the Celebrity Silhouette in her first month. There is something about the ship and all crew we speak to who love her. They are a happy crew and it shows. A bit rusty in parts, but you forgive that ...

I also like the quirkiness of having two shows a night, with that nightly walk from one end of the ship to the other. You don't really get something like that on newer ships.

We have just returned from Oceana and found the decor to be timeless and in the most in good order, (like most ships there is area's/items that are getting towards the end of there serviceable life, as normal there was the routine paining/varnishing happening while we were onboard along with the replacement of the open deck astro turf.

In general the ship is now worse or better condition than the others in the fleet (inc Britannia)

The ships design makes it look like a super yacht

43 cruises and counting.

As the thread starter, and having just spent seven nights aboard her I can offer the following.....

Lifts out of commission

Antiquated cabin tv

Insufficient machines within the gym

Temporary repairs evident all around the vessel

Ageing décor

Definitely in need of a good wash and brush up.

Conclusion...

Loved every moment on board. Lived up to is reputation as the "friendly ship".

So what if its showing its age, so am I. No overcrowding in buffets, plenty of sun beds, waiting staff both on deck and in bars worked tirelessly. I think the passenger/crew ratio is set just about right.

Liked it so much booked another cruise aboard.

As the thread starter, and having just spent seven nights aboard her I can offer the following.....

 

Lifts out of commission

Antiquated cabin tv

Insufficient machines within the gym

Temporary repairs evident all around the vessel

Ageing décor

Definitely in need of a good wash and brush up.

 

Conclusion...

Loved every moment on board. Lived up to is reputation as the "friendly ship".

So what if its showing its age, so am I. No overcrowding in buffets, plenty of sun beds, waiting staff both on deck and in bars worked tirelessly. I think the passenger/crew ratio is set just about right.

Liked it so much booked another cruise aboard.

Thank you for the update and pleased you had a great cruise and booked another one.

Your name is good too.

As the thread starter, and having just spent seven nights aboard her I can offer the following.....

 

Lifts out of commission

Antiquated cabin tv

Insufficient machines within the gym

Temporary repairs evident all around the vessel

Ageing décor

Definitely in need of a good wash and brush up.

 

Conclusion...

Loved every moment on board. Lived up to is reputation as the "friendly ship".

So what if its showing its age, so am I. No overcrowding in buffets, plenty of sun beds, waiting staff both on deck and in bars worked tirelessly. I think the passenger/crew ratio is set just about right.

Liked it so much booked another cruise aboard.

Made us smile --- we're thinking 'her' for our 25th than much younger, posher ships and lines.

Just love her and the staff are amazing..... and the Captain too with the right one !

Glad you had a good time and will agree that 'she' is now a 'she' not an 'it' ;-)

I have to say that a friend has been on her in the last few weeks and although not a great P&O fan, she had a great time and was full of praise for the ship and crew.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

As the thread starter, and having just spent seven nights aboard her I can offer the following.....

 

Lifts out of commission

Antiquated cabin tv

Insufficient machines within the gym

Temporary repairs evident all around the vessel

Ageing décor

Definitely in need of a good wash and brush up.

 

Conclusion...

Loved every moment on board. Lived up to is reputation as the "friendly ship".

So what if its showing its age, so am I. No overcrowding in buffets, plenty of sun beds, waiting staff both on deck and in bars worked tirelessly. I think the passenger/crew ratio is set just about right.

Liked it so much booked another cruise aboard.

We were also on this cruise and agree with much that you say. Can't really comment on the lifts as we only used them once when going from deck 4 to the buffet

First time for us on Oceana and we picked primarily for the itinerary(which changed after we booked) Liked the open seating in the buffet, light and easy to find a seat. The bar areas were also good as was the atrium.

Easy to book the Garden Kaf even on the last night (was never busy) but was impossible to book Beach House (always full)

The main thing that we noticed was that our balcony cabin, although adequate, was small but space could be improved by wall mounting a larger tv and providing more sockets and a better hairdryer ( couldn't dry your hair and make a cuppa at the same time without an adaptor) The kettle could then go above the fridge.

Having said that we really enjoyed her and found her a lovely size with great staff and found that passengers were friendly and many on board had sailed on her regularly

We were also on this cruise and agree with much that you say. Can't really comment on the lifts as we only used them once when going from deck 4 to the buffet

First time for us on Oceana and we picked primarily for the itinerary(which changed after we booked) Liked the open seating in the buffet, light and easy to find a seat. The bar areas were also good as was the atrium.

Easy to book the Garden Kaf even on the last night (was never busy) but was impossible to book Beach House (always full)

The main thing that we noticed was that our balcony cabin, although adequate, was small but space could be improved by wall mounting a larger tv and providing more sockets and a better hairdryer ( couldn't dry your hair and make a cuppa at the same time without an adaptor) The kettle could then go above the fridge.

Having said that we really enjoyed her and found her a lovely size with great staff and found that passengers were friendly and many on board had sailed on her regularly

We loved the look of Oceana and Adonia (Sea Princess) and enjoyed a few cruises on them.The only negative was they didn't feel as stable in bad weather as other P&O ships and a few of us had our only bouts of seasickness on them going through the Bay of Biscay.