My cruise on P&O Oceana- What I really thought

I recently returned from an amazing 10-night cruise from Southampton to Malta on P&O Oceana.  There are many parts of this trip which I would like to talk about including the different ports of call (too much for just one blog!).  For this blog however I wanted to write about my experience on-board (which was fabulous!)

 

The P&O Oceana is a mid-sized family friendly ship which holds around 2000 passengers.  This is a great size for passengers who don’t want to have to walk too far around the ship but still have plenty of amenities on-board.  The ship had been recently re-fitted and the décor felt clean and as with many of the P&O ships I felt it had a lovely warm, homely feel to it.

 

Here’s a run-down on the ship and amenities it offers with my honest opinion:

 

The cabin

The cabins tend to be smaller on the Oceana than many other P&O ships.  We booked an inside cabin, and this was well equipped and although smaller than we’re used to it had plenty of storage space, so we were happy enough with this.  The bathroom however seemed larger than what we usually get which was a pleasant surprise.  There were toiletries including shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body cream included.  The room also included a kettle and cups (with biscuits and coffees/teas), tv with some British channels, hair dryer and a vanity desk.

 

The bars and evening venues!

There are many different bars on-board.  These were our favourites:

The Yacht and compass – This has a traditional British pub feel and hosted events like quizzes, karaoke and game shows.  It was very comfortable and relaxed.  You can get a sample selection of beers which my partner enjoyed!

 

Winners-  The sports bar connected to the Monte Carlo Casino.  This is very spacious, and we watched sports here.  There was also some live music here some evenings.

 

Other options include on deck bars around the main pool and terrace pool, the Champagne bar, Tiffany’s or for a late night like drink (and a dance) Le Club.  Footlights Theatre and Starlight’s show lounge host the main shows.  These were at 8:30pm and 10:30pm so some nights we managed to get to both.  Entertainment included a Gary Barlow tribute show, comedians, dance and singing shows from the Headliners group, a Motown group, classical and musical singers.

 

TOP TIP!

 

My top tip is to go to the Captains Gala Reception on the first formal night.  They gave out drinks including Prosecco, wine and Gin!  Great opportunity to get some free drinks!

 

 

Dining

 

Main Restaurant

We dined at the Ligurian restaurant and had anytime dining.  I would recommend this rather than fixed dining times if you can get it.  We found we were seated with minimal queues every night and could fit our dinner in when we were ready for it!  The great part as well is that you get to dine with different passengers each night so met lots of people and didn’t have to try to make conversation with the same people every night (which may be great if you get on but not so great if not).  We had a roll, followed by starters, main course, pudding and then sometimes crackers and cheese!  The quality on-board was better than I’ve had in the past with P&O with the stand out dish being our Beef Wellington which was one of the best dishes I’ve had!  There was a wide variety of dishes on offer too with the menu changing daily so I didn’t have to eat the same dish at all for the whole 10 nights.

 

 

 

Buffet Restaurant

 

We went to the Plaza for a quick breakfast or snack in the day occasionally.  This has recently been refurbished.  There was an excellent choice of food and we could always find a table.  This is not normally the way we like to dine but would be fine for people who don’t want the formal evening meals.

 

Café Jardin

 

This is an Italian speciality restaurant situated in the middle of the ship.  We didn’t eat here in the evening for the cover charge, although at just £8.50pp extra this seemed very reasonable!  We used this restaurant for breakfast and lunch however as it was open most of the time and offered buffet and a ’la carte dining in a relaxed setting with waiter service.  This is included in the cruise price.  Food seemed to be a lot fresher and cooked better from this restaurant in the daytime.

 

Don’t forget to try our Afternoon tea at least once on your cruise (make it in the waiter service restaurant) as it’s amazing!

 

The Beach House

 

We didn’t try this option but heard great reviews from other passengers who had!  The cover charge is just £7.50pp but for some dishes you pay an extra supplement.  It offered options such as steaks and kebab skewers!

 

The on-board amenities

The hot tubs!

We love a hot tub and tried them all out on-board (although the temperature regulation was sometimes a bit hit or miss).  Our favourites were by the terrace pool area which is a quieter area.  We could just walk into the spa, put clothes in the locker and walk up a few steps to the hot tub and after, come back in and dry off in the sauna.  Perfect!  We could use this on sunny or rainy days so meant we could relax and enjoy ourselves whatever the weather!

 

The pools

There’s a small pool by the terrace bar and 2 larger pools around the main pool area.  All were heated.  Not a huge amount of space in them but enough to swim a bit in the larger pools.

 

 

The gym

The closest I got to this was a view of the gym from one of the hot tubs to be honest!  It looked very well equipped though and exercise classes were also offered.

 

The daytime activities

A varied programme is offered which includes movies, dance classes, quizzes, gaming lessons, deck parties, craft sessions, etc.  I had a day on my own on a sea day over the Bay of Biscay (as my partner was sea-sick in the cabin) and I took part in a free pamper session, gaming lesson and salsa class.  The wonderful thing I found about P&O is everyone seems to talk to everyone, so you feel comfortable whether in a couple, group on your own around the ship and taking part in activities!

 

A sail in party and BBQ was hosted when we sailed into Gibraltar which was great fun and we sang songs from all over Britain and waved our flags.  Some people even saw some dolphins!

 

Who would I recommend this cruise to?

Couples, groups and families looking for a comfortable and relaxed cruise, but which has great service from staff members and great food!  You really do get treated well by P&O!