An excellent cruise with great weather, with a noteable exception in Venice. Even BoB was calm with just a little swell both out and back! Want to do it all over again....tomorrow....no chance.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Arrived at the Mayflower terminal, Southampton at 12.40 and we were on board by 13.00 for lunch and in our cabin by 14.00. A very slick and quite enjoyable experience.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The MDR was very good despite Orianas attempts to vibrate the cutlery off the plates at times. Service was a little slow as there has been a recent cut back on waiters and those that remain have at least 1 more table to serve. Portion sizes were quite small ie 5 chips with a steak and 4 broad beans as a veg. serving. The Conservatory was the usual rugby scrum at times but the food was very good. Having nowhere to rest a tray of food whilst obtaining water/hot drinks was a bit silly and led to a couple of 'accidents'. We only went to the 'Beach House, once and the food and service were excellent.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
I played in the table Tennis competition every sea day and found that to be most enjoyable. Most of sea days I spent bird watching whilst my better half used more of the facilities and found them to be very good indeed. There were some good films on in the cinema.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
My wife went to most of the shows and enthused about the dancers and male singers. Unfortunately one of the girls in the shows screeched rather than sang which put down their performances somewhat. The comedian was average but the comedy magician was better.
Children's Programs
Adult only ship
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Despite the extra workload the waiters in the MDR were still very good. Our cabin steward was brilliant and hardworking(19 cabins to deal with!) The bar staff and table clearers were excellent, very polite and good for a laugh occasionally
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Being an old lady now there were places where Oriana showed her age despite a recent cosmetic makeover, however she was generally neat and tidy. There were a couple of occasions when food spilled on the deck during evening service in the Conservatory was still there the next morning at breakfast.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Lovely cabin with plenty of space. The Queen bed was very comfortable. The bathroom/shower was compact but useable although a rather tight squeeze if both of us needed to use it at the same time. The cabin steward kept it all spick and span.
A new destination for us. We did an excursion to taste Marsalla wine then a trip around the nearby saltpans. The wine tasting was ok but the boat trip was around an island in the lagoon and there was little imput at all with regard to the salt making. Somewhat disappointing. The town itself was quite pleasant.
A very nice port and also new to us. The main centre was some way from the berth so shuttle busses were arranged. We were on a tour of the Dalmation coast but really only went to the small city of Nin. First to the saltpans!!!!? where we got a full account of salt making and the natural history of the pans plus museum/shop. Then the city itself which was very good. Finally on our way back we had some very good refreshments at a restaurant in some woods. All in all very pleasant.
Venice is always lovely and one of the best approaches to a berth for any cruise destination. However the inclemancy of the weather caused a lot of problems. Incessant heavy rain with occasional thunder caused cancellation of some tours and those that did go came back looking like drownded rats. We were doing our own thing but didn't in the end because of the weather. These things happen and Venice is still an excellant destination.
New country and port. The port itself needs some TLC but being a poor country the more cruises that call the better things should get. Our excursion was called 'The Birds of Butrint' and from my point of view was brilliant with lots of species seen with a local expert to assist. These 'birding' tours are a first for the country and are part of an education program for local people showing that their natural history could make them money.
Another very nice place to visit with a little bit of everything for everyone. Nice shops, nice cafes, nice Cathedral and apparently nice beaches. We had a stroll around the city and enjoyed it. Next time will take the open bus tour as it visits the nearby lagoon with its Flamingoes and other birdlife.
What can you say about Gib? It's Gibraltar and we even saw 2 Bobbies on the beat in old British Police uniforms.....helmets and all........which is 2 more than we see in our local town!!! Despite it being a Sunday many shops were open including Debenhams and Marks and Sparks and there were bargains to have.
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