Riviera Reviews

Great Cruise 

Probably one of the best holidays ever been on. Ship superb as usual ,entertainment staff second to none.Food best we’ve had at sea and the speciality restaurants are all,free..Prizes for quizzes are good ones..Ports visited were excellent.Would do the same cruise again. Everything went according to plan.

A great ship, service and food amazing, the entertainment was a bit sparce as only one show per night, but I guess the people who cruise with Oceania are not that interested in entertainment its all about food!

The clean staff in the cabin we were in we're very slapdash with how they cleaned. In the restaurant I ordered a Chenin blanc and got a Chardonnay . We ordered tartar sauce to go with lobster and got tomato sauce. I ordered a Zinfandel rose and was given a dry French rose. When I questioned the waiter he said, oh do you not like dry!

We thoroughly enjoyed our 2nd Oceania cruise. Positives far outweigh any shortfalls. The itinerary took us to some lovely locations where we could go ashore under our own steam & explore, (Marseille, Sorrento, Valleta, Santorini & Rhodes in particular). There were back to back port stops for Florence & Rome, which is a lot to take on over consecutive days. We had an inside cabin which suited our purposes. OK, you don't have a view, but it's a hotel room when all said & done. The food was excellent, particularly the 4 specialty restaurants (which we could each use once on our inside cabin grade). The Terrace Grill was our preferred eating location over the main dining room. Unlike typical ship buffets, staff are on hand to personally serve up all dishes, so there's no mad self service scrum and it maintains good hygiene. The grill was particularly popular, with a range of fresh fish & steaks cooked to order. When you're served, the outside terrace is a wonderful spot to sit out for breakfast or lunch when the weather is fine. Across all the departments, the staff were friendly and very attentive. They certainly added to the good vibe on the ship. The Olife options worked really well. In addition to the inclusive soft drinks & coffee, we had the beer/wine drinks with meals package, which we found more than adequate. A little on board spend covered the other ancillary expenses. The much criticised wi-fi is much better than it used to be, (I think they've put signal boosters round the ship?). We never had an issue with it. What could be better... Don't expect "big ship" evening entertainment. Fair enough, Riviera is not a big ship (part of the attraction), but I think people would welcome a little more entertainment variety around the ship. The appeal of the shows in the main theatre will always depend on people's individual tastes. In my opinion, there were some good shows/artists and some I didn't bother with. However, of an evening there were no artists performing anywhere else on the ship (aside from the usual pre-dinner piano & string quartet options). I would have liked more choice. TIP: Oceania's own excursions are extremely expensive. We booked the Florence on your own coach transfer which cost over £200! We booked two other trips independently which were far better value for money. Our excursion group size was 6 & 10 people respectively, which makes for a far more personal interaction with the guide. This issue also applies to airport transfers. Unless you're made of money, book your private transfers independently. Finally, Oceania Med cruises are very port intensive. Be careful not to book & take on too much before you go. We spoke to a number of people who cancelled some of their trips because they were so tired. Will we use Oceania again...we're booked for 2020 cruise up to Alaska!

Hi, Just a few comments re our booking. Transfer from the airport to the ship; GR8 Mercedes S class. Transfer at end of cruise back to airport not so gr8. A mini van for 8 persons; only 6 turned up! Good job because driver had difficulty in getting all the luggage in. If the other 2 had turned up,it would have been impossible. Last but one day of cruise was a sea day arriving in Lisbon at 16.00 and then an over night b4 debarking the next day. It was a totally wasted day. Some friends we made on the ship, who had booked a trip in Lisbon left at 16.15, got caught up in the rush hour traffic, went to Caiscais, and then on to Cintra where they arrived in the DARK. When they arrived back to the ship the promised food was not available as the restaurant and the self service was closed. It would have been better if the ship had spent the last but one day in Cadiz, and then travelled over night to Lisbon arriving early morning for debarkation. Edgar Glucksman

Just home from an 8 day Mediterranean cruise on the Riviera, booked through Iglu Cruise, having not been on a cruise previously. We cannot fault the experience - from the minute we boarded the ship to disembarkation there was not a single minute of the holiday we did not enjoy. The ship was luxurious, comfortable and although there were 1250 passengers on board we never felt that there was any compromise to service or facilities. We booked a Concierge Level Veranda Stateroom and this was ideal, with good facilities including a full bathroom and a bed which was so comfortable I slept like a baby! Concierge service allowed priority booking of the speciality restaurants and the concierge lounge allowed us to pop in for hot drinks, newspapers and snacks at any time. The staff were attentive and friendly at all times and our steward was amazing, making sure that everything was just right for us in the cabin. Her lovely smile and welcoming manner made the service even more special! The food was of a very high standard and the speciality restaurants were fabulous. The Grand Dining Room was one of my favourites with classic silver service and excellent choices on the menu. We went on several of the Oceania excursions which were efficiently managed from start to finish. The guides were friendly and knowledgable and the coaches were comfortable, clean and air-conditioned, a welcome respite from the September heat! Despite a minor glitch with the initial transfer from Barcelona Airport to the port for embarkation, the whole experience was fabulous and I am in the process of organising our next voyage!

Everything went like clockwork until we left thr ship in Lisbon. The taxi was ten minutes late. We should have had a private taxi for two people, instead we had an eight seater for eight people. All eight people and luggage would not fit in the people carrier, so people ended up with cases on their laps. A poor end to the whole holiday. Iglu need to sort out the taxi company they use in Lisbon.

Not really one single criticism! Everything was great: spacious stateroom , ensuite with bath, fantastic food, great entertainment and friendly efficient service.

Just returned from a cruise on the Riviera ship and have to say it has been the best holiday of our lives. The ship was fantastic, the staff were lovely and the food was beyond excellent in every restaurant, I cannot say a bad word about it, it was truly fantastic and a holiday of a lifetime. We had a concierge level verandah stateroom which for 3 people was a little tight when my sons bed was made-up but otherwise it was great, the verandah was spacious and had ample room for 3 of us. The bathroom was great with both a large shower cubicle and a bathtub. There was plenty of wardrobe space. The staff on board were all friendly and helpful and many of them new our names after the first couple of days, many of them made an extra special effort towards my 9 year old son and were happy to spend time talking and joking with him. I was pleased we had the concierge level as this allowed us access to the spa terrace which was lovely, they had double size sunbeds and a spa pool and it was never busy, (However I must say that bathing round the main pool was never busy either!) the spa terrace was just that little more luxurious and exclusive and very peaceful. We also had access to the Concierge lounge which was just a few doors down from our room and this was great to get a cup of tea, extra soft drinks, ice and lemon, sandwiches and cookies - my son loved going in there to get a cold glass of milk and a cookie when we got back on board the ship after an excursion! On behalf of Iglu Cruise, Ross Flanagan was the reason we booked the cruise. He was so helpful from the start, he listened to our requirements, he found the cruise that suited us and he was professional to the end. Even once the cruise was booked and paid for he was still helpful and always on hand to answer any questions we had. I will definitely be booking another cruise on the Riviera and certainly be booking it through Iglu and especially Ross Flanagan.