Riviera Review

Excellent overall cruise only marred by bad weather

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Riviera
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keithm
10+ Cruises • Age 20s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
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Dining
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Entertainment
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Additional details

Sail Date: Jan 2018
Cabin: Verandah Stateroom

We decided to try Oceania for the raved about food. Being in the food industry & foodies we thought we'd try them out. Two days before the cruise, I got a e-mail asking if we'd upgrade from an interior cabin to a balcony cabin for $200pp. Of course I said yes. Getting on board was quick & easy as there's only about 1200 pax, as compared to 3000+ pax on larger ships. We still waited until 2:30 to get to our cabin. Seems they like to have your luggage outside your room waiting for you when you arrive.

Upon entering, Richard was overly delighted it was a veranda cabin. I kept the upgrade a secret knowing he'd love the room. The room is close to 300 sq. ft.(incl. balcony) I was surprised to see a tub as well as a separate enclosed shower. The enclosed shower is quite small, but we like the duel shower heads. One a "rain" head the other a hand held shower head. The tub has a shower as well, but it's tough to use the shower as it's only partially enclosed, so water can easily get on the floor. The room had abundant storage. Some of the storage is in drawers inside cabinets. For those, like me who have a CPAP machine there's an outlet next to the bed, so extension cords aren't necessary.

Food is the main attraction on Oceania. No disappointment here! The Grand Dining room(G/D)is an elegant venue with lots of Swarovski crystal. Meals here are very nice.

Cabin Review

Verandah Stateroom

Cabin B1

nice cabin close to mid ship. Plenty of storage & soft drinks/water are complimentary. The beds are very comfortable. Bathroom is quite large for the cabin size.

Port Reviews

Miami

Plenty of nice restaurants & plenty of entertainment in South Beach. We try to get a nice hotel near Lincoln Rd. mall. Great shopping/dining area.

Santo Tomas de Castilla

There's little here, as it's not really on the tourist circuit yet. Locals were nice enough, however. Never felt unsafe. Small beach & resort about 2 miles away. Rain prevented anything but a cab tour of the area. Good shopping area in the port. Be ready to barter hard with the locals. They're professionals!

Harvest Caye

Did the Harvest Caye Cabana rental. At $500, it's pricey but really a nice cabin with shower & running water as well as A/C. Too bad the weather was crappy, it would have been our favorite excursion.

Key West

Key West has all these crappy T shirt shops/Cigar shops & tons of bars. A real Trailer Trash Jamboree/Alcoholic's paradise! It used to be nicer 20 years ago. We still got off the ship & walked to "Louie's Backyard" (a popular dining spot) The food is worth the walk. We've been there a few times. Had it been closed we'd probably just stayed on the ship. Really lots of trashy looking people in the town. Not really my idea of "charm"!

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