Great Southern Lands from Sydney to Auckland with Stays, 6 February 2025 (21 nights)

Our cruise started in Papeete Tahiti after we had enjoyed a two day stay in Los Angeles on the way out to break our journey and a three night stay in the Intercontinental Resort Tahiti prior to embarkation. Whilst travelling out for the cruise we started to be aware of the Coronavirus spreading around the world rather quickly, however, we were committed to the holiday and there was no travel advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that would have allowed us to cancel even if we had wanted to. Embarkation in Papeete was effortless and we were settled into our balcony cabin in record time. Having sailed with Oceania three times previously, we were quite used to the layout of the ship but were most impressed with the fantastic changes to the cabins and communal areas from the recent refit and upgrade. The cabin was beautifully presented and well thought out with an abundance of stowage space for all our clothes. Dining throughout the cruise in the Main Dining Room was a delight as were our visits to the two speciality restaurants of Polo Grill and Toscana. We ate most lunchtimes at the Terrace Grill and loved the outside seating, superb choice of food and impeccable service. As for the cruise itself, we departed Papeete and enjoyed calls at Moorea, Fakarava, Nuka Hiva and Rangiroa before the trip was cut short due to the first Coronavirus case being discovered in French Polynesia. Planned visits to Bora Bora and Raiatea were called off and we sailed back to Papeete instead for the final three days of the cruise. Let’s be honest, there are worse places to be berthed and we did receive a 50% future credit from Oceania for our troubles. Throughout the cruise I cannot praise highly enough the efforts the ship went through to maintain the highest of hygiene standards onboard, the measures were extremely reassuring and thorough throughout. Disembarkation was quick and well organised and we managed, despite a cancelled Virgin flight from LA to Heathrow, to get home as planned one day before the USA ban on the UK kicked in. We have been self isolating since. For those thinking of doing a similar trip, we can thoroughly recommend French Polynesia and Moorea in particular. However, be very careful when planning your journey home as you disembark early in the morning in Papeete and flights out are not until nearly midnight. Our advice is to book a hotel for that day which many had failed to do on our cruise and they were stuck with luggage for a very long day. Finally, ships tours remain extremely expensive but we managed to arrange locally at a fraction of the cost with little trouble.

A wonderful 32 day cruise to the South Pacific. Starting in Sydney and ending in San Diego this was 32 days of heaven - many sea days of course as we travelled thousands of miles - but the beauty of places like Bora Bora and Rangiroa was outstanding. The Regatta is a small ship in comparison to many - just 600 passengers and 300+ crew but the sense of friendliness was apparent from day 1. The whole crew work as a family and from the Hotel Manager down are always very attentive and listen to any concerns/ requests you may have. The food is sublime - fresh, varied and delicious. You can request dishes not obviously available and they will oblige if they can. Cabins are clean and quite spacious but the ship is due for a refurb next year so the feel of it will change to a more modern decor. This is our second 32 day cruise with Oceania as their itineraries are fantastic. Highly recommended.

Wonderful service food and all other areas thoroughly spoilt nothing too much trouble. All ports of call amazing Only slight criticism is on leaving ship in Tahiti we were taken to a very pleasant resort until our evening flight but it is too far from the main town and we would rather have not transited through Los Angeles due to the long distance from the stand the plane from Tahiti arrived on and the long wait at immigration. It took over 2 hours from landing to leaving the airport.

Joined the ship for the Tasman Traveller cruise in Australasia. The ship was very comfortable, very clean but a little dated. The cabin bathrooms in particular were worn and impractical with bathtubs. But this will all change this year as it’s due a promising refurb. The staff were fantastic. Always happy, couteous and helpful. They were a real credit to the ship and the company should feel very proud to have them. Food was fabulous. I just wished sometimes that the choices and sides available (under covers etc) was better communicated and more vegetables were included. Entertainment was for a small ship surprisingly good. Trips were expensive but well organised and generally enjoyable. We would definitely like to cruise with Oceania again and will look out for any bargain opportunities with them.