We chose this cruise after seeing the itinerary. Not only did this cover the east side of Australia, where a lot of cruises stay, but we were very interested in seeing some of Western Australia. The cruise also included two ports in Papua, New Guinea and two in Indonesia. Since this cruise is during the height of summer, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia were very warm with high humidity. Papua New Guinea is not a tourist mecca, by any stretch. Darwin was very warn also. The tours that we took off the most part were very good to excellent. The tours we selected revolved mainly around the wildlife and we were not let down. We did get to see all the animals that most have heard of plus some we hadn't. The guides we had were very knowledgeable and really made the tours enjoyable. There were also tours that included going to the top of a lighthouse, the last whaling station in AU and many wineries.There were a few ports that we decided just to stay in town and do our own sight seeing. Along the way there were visitor information guides to assist. Also, the residents in Western Australia are very nice and quite friendly. They were willing to assist with any questions we had.

We have cruised on Oceania many times and previously on the Regatta. The ship, is to get and entire rework under their 'Oceania Next' program which includes all new staterooms and penthouses by September of this year. Right now the ship is a bit worn, but kept in very condition. We look forward to seeing the 'new' ship in the future. This is one of the smaller ships of Oceania with only 684 passengers. The ports and excursions are the highlights with a few amenities on board. Most passengers were retired folks like ourselves and it is a much quieter environment that other cruises lines. There were very few children on board. since we were on the ship for 34 days on this cruise and doing a back to back on to New Zealand for another 14 we really enjoyed the extra space a Penthouse. It is well appointed. It comes with a mini fridge stocked with complimentary soft drinks, a safe, hair dryer, with a few extras The cabin was 322 sq. ft. that includes a three cushion sofa, a small table and two comfortable chairs. The dining rooms were very good, as usual.with Toscana and Polo being excellent. Probably the most important thing to comment on is the staff. We couldn't have enough kind words to describe the level of service, from our butler, cabin attendants, servers, hostesses, barista, sommeliers and maitre d's.We truly enjoyed the level of service provided by all and the entire trip.