Oceana commenced sailing with P&O Cruises in November 2002. At the time she was the largest vessel in the fleet, and the first to accommodate over 2000 passengers. In her maiden season, Oceana introduced some new ports of call to P&O Cruises itineraries. These included Cristobal in Panama, Costa Maya in Mexico and Princess Cays, the private island of P&O Cruises sister company, Princess Cruises.

Offering a relaxed and child-friendly cruise experience, Oceana offers a particularly flexible and spontaneous experience, with three dining options to choose from. Step on board and gleaming marble steps invite you to explore further, glass fronted lifts glide up and down, and palm trees invoke the holiday spirit!

Claire Rogers, Personal Assistant to the Managing Director, and her family embarked Oceana in September 2006. They sailed on the 13-night Classic Canaries itinerary departing from Southampton. Here's what they thought of their experience:

'Our first impression as we drove along the docks was WOW. Having never seen a cruise liner before we were enthralled by the size of the ship. As we got closer you could see how pristine Oceana was. The check in process was very quick and efficient, which was great having our four-year old, George, in tow. We were welcomed by immaculate officers on board and were immediately impressed by the atrium before us. We had heard what a spectacle this was, but until you actually see it you can't really comprehend the sheer magnitude of it.'

'Our initial impressions did not change throughout our cruise. We continued to be impressed by the level of service offered wherever we were. The ship was very clean and all the staff were very polite and friendly. Our cabin steward came and introduced himself straight away and asked if there was anything we needed. We were pleasantly surprised the prices in the duty free shops and also the price of drinks on board. We had thought that, having a captive audience, prices for drinks especially would be steep but they were only the same as prices in bars at home.'

'Travelling on a cruise as a family for a first time, my husband and I certainly had our reservations. What would the dress code be like? Would there be enough for children to do? Would other passengers mind children being on board? These were all worries we needn't have had as we immediately discovered on arrival. Oceana is very much a family ship, and parents were able to relax knowing their children were well looked after.'

'As we travelled out of the school holidays there were only about 40 children on the ship so the kids club divided into just two groups; 2-8 years-old and 9-16 years-old. Parents were welcome to stay with their children until they felt happy enough to leave them. George had a great time and would have spent more time in there if we had let him. They did a lot of painting and model craft, and also made chocolates and ice cream. He took part in a circus performance for all the parents to watch, and a fancy dress competition. We also saw the older children playing pool games and being entertained at night too. The night nursery was open until 2 am for anyone who wanted to put their children in there (up to age 5), but we preferred to put George to bed in the cabin and used the baby listening facility.'

'The dress code was simple as we were given guidelines each evening as to what to wear, usually smart/casual attire, for example trousers and shirts for the gentlemen. Four formal evenings were held throughout the cruise, with men wearing dinner jackets and dickie bows, or suits and ties (no shorts were allowed in the restaurants). George had his own little waistcoat and tie too.'

'We had elected to have Freedom dining as we wanted meal times to be a relaxed occasion and not tied to a certain time. This worked very well for us and we were always seated straight away. As we generally ate fairly early due to having George with us, we were usually sat with another couple with a toddler, which was fine. We did advise the Restaurant Manager we would be happy to sit at a large table but asked him to let people know they would be sat with a child before showing them to our table. Our table companions were very friendly and they all seemed to enjoy some younger company!

We found the plated service excellent, and although they had a set children's menu, there was always something delicious on the main menu for George to enjoy. The waiters were great with George, always bringing him a cushion to sit on and slipping him an extra bread roll. They even started to guess which desserts he would choose every day. This interaction from the waiters made families feel at ease. The Plaza restaurant offered children's tea at 5.15pm each day, then subsequently the children's clubs would open whilst parents went back to the cabin to get ready for the evening.'

'We ate most evenings in the Ligurian restaurant as we preferred to be seated and served, but for those preferring buffet style fare, The Plaza was a popular option. We did eat dinner at Café Jardin three times and thought the quality of the food was superb. We generally ate lunch in the Plaza buffet restaurant and were really impressed by the choice, and The Horizon Grill was a lovely open restaurant on deck offering jacket potatoes, burgers, and hot dogs for example.'

'Surprisingly, we were overwhelmed by the production shows at night in the Footlights theatre, as this is something we normally don't do at home and we weren't sure what to expect. The singers and dancers were all very professional, and were actually new to Oceana. Nevertheless, they were very impressive without a foot out of step, keeping everyone entranced. Even George was happy to sit right through it and watch. Other evening venues provided musicians or ballroom dancing, with comedians and cabaret artists lighting up the stage of Starlights. Le Club opened later in the evening with more modern music and a glitzy dance-floor (we were usually in bed by then though!).'

'As we departed from Tenerife we were invited to a fabulous deck party which was great fun, with The Stadium Theatre Company entertaining us with a show first. This was one of the highlights of our cruise, and our fellow passengers seemed to really enjoy it too.'

'Our Classic Canaries itinerary was sensational. We booked two shore excursions through P&O Cruises and found them to be great value for money. On the beach transfer excursion our guide gave us a running commentary for an hour, when she wasn't even being paid to do so. Free shuttle buses were available at the majority of ports to get you either off the dockside or to the town centre so it was extremely easy to explore ashore independently.'

'On board during the daytime we spent a lot of time around the pool and easily found a sun lounger. There was a separate shaded pool area for children, and a shaded splash pool for toddlers. None of the pools on board were ever full and in fact, the ship never seemed crowded anywhere. I would say that Oceana is suitable for any age group. Older passengers appeared to enjoy the traditional cruise elements, such as the formal evenings and ballroom dancing, and there were also a small number of wheelchair-bound passengers who seemingly found it easy to make their way around the ship. I could see this type of holiday appealing to younger couples who want a relaxing and safe holiday. I think it's an excellent way to visit some truly amazing destinations in style.'

'Our overall opinion is that cruising is the only way to holiday. A land-based holiday will never be the same again. It's definitely the best family holiday we have had yet!'

Click on the ship name to read more staff cruise reviews:

P&O Cruises' Arcadia
P&O Cruises' Oriana
P&O Cruises' Oceana
Sea Princess
Ocean Village
Fred Olsen's Braemar
RCI's Voyager of the Seas
Hebridean Spirit

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