You still have It Oceana, Even Little Miss Sunshine Agrees!

Yesterday I took a leisurely day out of the office to Southampton to see P&O Cruise Oceana, the great thing I find about seeing the ships up close is that it gives me a feel for what she can offer potential cruisers, and although Reviews and Feedback is fantastic nothing beats seeing the actually product up close and personal.

Little Miss Sunshine Paid us a Visit on our day out see if you can find her!!

Many of people have said to me that she’s looking old and tired but I didn’t think she was too bad. One of the key points to Oceana, is that she doesn’t have any glass fronted Balconies, they are all metal railings, but you still get a good view.

Oceana joined P&O back in 2003 but was launched in 2000 as the Ocean Princess for Princess Cruises. Another rather interesting fact is that when Ocean Princess came to P&O she came with the Sea Princess which became the old Adonia which has now gone back to Princess.

Britannia is identical to Royal and Regal Princess and she was originally due to be a Princess Ship but was changed across for P&O.

Arcadia, was due to be a Holland America ship, then a Cunard Ship and was changed at last minute for what we now know as Arcadia, however Arcadia is the same design as the Queen Victoria.

So on our tour of the ship, there was only 3 of us to our P&O guide which was nice and made the tour very personal, I like to take a lot of photos and normally get in everyone’s way. First up was the staterooms:-

Inside Stateroom

Balcony Stateroom

And take a look at the size of the balcony on the Orissa Suite

We where able to see a large number of Staterooms on-board and I found it interesting to see that some of the Ocean View staterooms on-board had almost floor to ceiling windows

Large Window

Standard Window

If you would like any more accommodation Pictures, please let me know.

Now the problem we had last year with the Getaway fares is that they were on every cruise and then it meant leaving it to last minute got you a better deal! We are seeing this with the Saver fare however you cannot pick your dining time and from talking to staff on-board this cannot always be changed so something to bear in mind.

Oceana, herself is as nice as I remember her being when I sailed on her a few years ago. I certainly don’t think she is as tired or shabby as some of the reviews, but then again if you have just sailed on a brand new ship, you would be able to tell that she is Older.

Although Oceana does not have a big of an Atrium as the Ventura or Azura, personally I preferred the Atrium area, filled with Palm trees it brings the outside in.

The very back of the ship is where you will find the spa and gym which I found very odd, as its normally on the front.

You do also have the Adults only pool and bar area, again a lovely touch, not really to dissimilar to the Retreat on the biggest ships, however I would have liked to see more space on the back as its a area I would choose to sit and relax away from the main pool and well it did lack this.

She does have an amazing sports court which I think with Oceana is one of the key areas as its enclosed within the funnel something a little different.

The Main pool area was nice and open, and although smaller, she does carry less passengers.

The Kids clubs are bright and airy with big flat screen TV’s and Nintendo Wii’s to keep the kids busy along with the normally quiz and fun games. There is also a outside splash pool for the kids again fully enclosed and safe.

Up on the Pool area you have lots of Bars and places to relax dotted around and the Ice Cream Parlour, P&O offer some great packages to keep the kids busy.

As you venture down in to the ship, Prom Deck is where its all going on, she has a full wrap around prom which means after dinner you can do a few laps of the ship if you want and if not you can go up to the Sun Deck and take in The Plaza, which is kind of like a Crows Nest with stunning views.

On Prom deck you have Starlight’s at the Aft of the ship, this is the I suppose more lively of the bars, you will find cabaret, comedian and dancing in here, also at the moment they are showing the World Cup! Its beautifully finished with star lights that twinkle and even gold dust on the material used for the furniture.

As you venture down you have the Library, Card room and Photo gallery all very much the same as every other ship.

Further down you have Magnums and no, this is not the Ice cream bar!! This is where you can come and try all different types of Champagne! Bliss.

Opposite Magnums is Le Club, there was a private function in here for the top tiers of the P&O Peninsular club so we only got a brief look but ultra modern in here. Perfect if you want a private cocktail party or a small get together on-board.

Next we have Tiffany’s, again a lovely bar to sit and relax. there is a dance floor here if you want to dance the night away!

The Yatch and Compass is up next and in keeping with Maritime Tradition this is a lovely bar with lots of Maritime history is keep you busy.

One of the more disappointing areas on board is the Theatre, Footlights, it seemed very small and the one of the Oriana looked biggest and she’s a smaller ship. Only seating 500 Guests,  if you are someone who likes to go every evening you may find one or two nights you cannot get in but there are always alternatives.

Up to D Deck and the front and back of the deck is Oceanview staterooms, there are only about 30 obstructed Oceanview on this deck as you would normally find the whole deck with obstructed Oceanview but they have cut these out and in there place is the Café Jardin which is inspired by Marco Pierre White but is also open as a buffet at other times in the day but of course it is a different menu..

You will also find Monte Carlo Casino and Winners Bar on D Deck which I think shows that the ship was designed with passenger space in mind over how much accommodation they could fit in.

As we venture down to F and E Deck, this is where the main restaurants are with the Ligurian Restaurant which is the Freedom dining one on F deck and the Adriatic on E Deck for the traditional dining, the restaurants are pleasant and nice enough, again these are normally on the back of the ship and have the wrap around windows but on Oceana they are directly in the middle and the views where no where as good as say the Azura.

For those seeking some retail therapy the shops can be found midships on E deck and then you can pop down a deck to F deck for a drink in Explorers Bar to get over how much you have just spent! Here is also the bottom of the main atrium.

Well in a nut shell I hope that gives you an idea on what Oceana can offer you, I certainly wouldn’t say no to a fortnight on-board, who’s coming with me?

I would love to hear about your experiences on board Oceana?

www.tomstravels.co.uk – 0800 408 6143 – [email protected]