We had a wonderful time and found something to love in each port. We definitely want to return and explore some of the areas more in the future but we looked at this as a 'sampler platter' for the area and it was exactly what we had hoped it would be! The only real disappointment was the size of the showers in our suite.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Quick and easy.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We liked Polo and Tuscan best but all were good. Enjoyed Terrace Cafe for breakfast. Didn't use Privee. Disappointed they didn't have the jumbo prawns.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We loved the twice daily trivia and had a great time with the art scavenger hunt. We didn't have time for much else other than listening to some music in the lounge from time to time. Very busy trip and always something to do if you had time for it!
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We didn't really go to any shows. Just not our thing, but we enjoyed the live music in the lounges.
Children's Programs
We only saw one child on the entire ship.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Our housekeeping staff was phenomenal and so friendly! Our butler changed mid cruise as our first butler disembarked. Both butlers were very helpful and attentive. We were not good about ordering the afternoon snacks but our butler always made sure to have some ready for us when we returned from excursions. He also kept our fridge fully stocked and even had lemons, limes and olives as well as fresh berries in our fridge for our evening cocktails. We only ate in our suite one time for dinner but we ordered last minute and he was extremely accommodating. Service in the restaurants was also attentive but not as personalized. We were on the Simply More plan and the sommelier always topped off our glass of wine when it was getting low. During our cruise, Oceania announced they were changing from attendant serve to self-serve in the Terrace Cafe and some people were up in arms about it. We personally prefer the self-service as we can control our portions and the lines seemed to move quicker. Much ado about nothing in my opinion.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship was always very clean and tidy. Housekeeping staff was great!
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We loved the extra space and service of the Oceania Suites but the showers were not great. Our friends had a veranda stateroom and their shower was twice the size of ours. We did enjoy having a table and sitting area as well as the larger deck.
Loved our excursion to Taormina! Had a lot of fun wandering through the streets and shops and the views were amazing! The winery they took us to on the excursion was just ok. It was raining so that may have dampened the experience but I wouldn't go out of my way to go back to that particular winery again.
We were pleasantly surprised by Malta! Such a beautiful country! We rented EcoTwizzy cars, which were right at the port when we docked so super easy. They were nice for getting around but very small and you sit front to back rather than side to side. We loved visiting the Blue Grotto and the charming fishing village of Marsaxlokk.
We didn't book quick enough to get our first choice of excursion to Cinque Terra so we booked a trip to the walled city of Lucca, which was lovely but a little sleepy. We were there early so many shops weren't yet open. Should have taken the later excursion but we enjoyed it nonetheless. Wish we had more time to wander on the wall and maybe rent a bike. We did very much enjoy the "Il Poggio" winery they took us to after Lucca though! Very generous pours and wonderful food in a delightful setting! We ordered wine, olive oil and balsamic vinegar before leaving.
Our travel companion booked the excursion to Andrea Boccelli's farm and got to meet Boccelli himself! She was absolutely blown away by the whole experience. Highlight of her entire trip.
Genoa was one of our favorite stops of the trip. We visited Santa Margherita and Portofino and it was amazingly beautiful! I recommend hiking up to the church and fort if you are able. The views were spectacular and the cemetery at the church is very interesting. Of course leave yourself time for a glass of wine on the waterfront.
We did the Monte Carlo and Monaco excursion. Monaco was nice but Monte Carlo is not our cup of tea. Too pretentious and too much conspicuous consumption for our taste. We did gamble at the casino just to say we had done it and the old casino was interesting to see, but not much else there that interested us.
We enjoyed our time in Marseille. We visited Arles and St Remi and saw many places Vincent Van Gogh visited and painted. That was very interesting. It's a beautiful area.
Probably our favorite stop of the trip. We rented a car and drove up to Valledmossa, Deia and Soller. The drive was beautiful and the towns didn't disappoint! Would love to have more time to explore this gorgeous island!
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