pennydog24 Posted May 13, 2019 #1 Share Posted May 13, 2019 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tartanexile81 Posted May 13, 2019 #2 Share Posted May 13, 2019 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiB Posted May 13, 2019 #3 Share Posted May 13, 2019 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britboys Posted May 14, 2019 #4 Share Posted May 14, 2019 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Solent Richard Posted May 14, 2019 #5 Share Posted May 14, 2019 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/ 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tartanexile81 Posted May 14, 2019 #6 Share Posted May 14, 2019 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiB Posted May 14, 2019 #7 Share Posted May 14, 2019 (edited) 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tartanexile81 Posted May 14, 2019 #8 Share Posted May 14, 2019 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnum42 Posted May 22, 2019 #9 Share Posted May 22, 2019 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Presto2 Posted May 22, 2019 #10 Share Posted May 22, 2019 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?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newtocruise_rj Posted July 15, 2019 #11 Share Posted July 15, 2019 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pentlands Posted July 15, 2019 #12 Share Posted July 15, 2019 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPers Posted July 26, 2019 #13 Share Posted July 26, 2019 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickb Posted July 29, 2019 #14 Share Posted July 29, 2019 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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