Oceana - Cruises, Holiday Forums

Where to start?!?!!

We got back from the Oceana Calypso Isles cruise last week - we had a very similar itinerary.

Depends how active you like to be, but I would say not to miss the ziplining in St Lucia (it isn't only for the young ones - I'm 53 and had no problem)

Another trip we enjoyed was snorkelling with the turtles in the sea off Barbados, followed by snorkelling over 2 shipwrecks. We don't normally do organised trips, prefering to do our own thing on the islands, but these trips were reasonanably priced and I don't know if they could be done alone.

In Trinidad we took a maxitaxi (shared taxis with set fares, which you can hail along the main roads - if they are going along the route you want, it costs less than one US$ each) We went to see the Oval cricket ground which is being refurbished for the 2007 Cricket World Cup, before coming back to the port, then walking to the local shopping street called Frederick Street. Don't get ripped off by local taxi drivers who were charging US$10 to drive less than half a mile. There are local tourist officials wearing red blazers standing at strategic points around the port entrance and Brian Lara promenade - they are very helpful , explaining how to get to the shops, and directing us to a local supermarket where we stocked up on diet Coke very cheaply. Different people were all warned by different taxi drivers about crime in Trinidad - best not to wear jewellry. We felt safe walking along the main roads during the day, but apparently Port of Spain, the capital, is so dangerous at night, that it is deserted apart from the drug addicts. Children of relatively affluent people such as doctors, are kidnapped and held to ransom by criminals desperate for money. Don't miss the ship at this port!!

I would suggest you get one of the first tenders over to the beach at Mayreau. The beach and sea are very nice, but we were a little disappointed that, unlike other cruiselines private islands, the ship crew did not set up a BBQ lunch. The BBQ was held on board the ship ???????!! We stayed on the beach til 2.30pm then returned to the ship for lunch

Tortola, we took a taxi to Cane Garden Beach over the mountain. It was a fixed price ( US$10 pp I think) and we paid when the taxi picked us up at an agreed time. The beach was lovely white sand and calm sea, but did get crowded

In Tobago, we again caught a taxi for a fixed fee of US$10 pp return to Pigeon Point. Walk along the crowded part of the beach (dragging your sunbed !) until you come to the quieter part. The sea has more seaweed but there are far fewer people

As we have been on many Caribbean cruises, we tended to chill out this time, but I would recommend you take a taxi to Nelsons Dockyard, Shirley Heights and Devils Bridge while in Antigua. We negotiated a price of US$80-100 to do this tour then onto a beach for 90 minutes (we were so pleased with the tour that we paid the full US$100 for 4 of us)

On previous visits to St Kitts we've taken a taxi to Brimstone Hill fortress. I believe that the sugar cane train trip around the island is good and we'll probably do that next time

Most if not all the island have minibuses touting tours at the port - cheaper and just as good as the ship tours. Most tours take only 2-3 hours so there is no worry about getting back to the ship before sailaway because the ship didn't sail til either 5.30pm or 6pm

If you've never cruised before, you're in for a treat with this ship and itinerary

Oceana Cruise Dec 9 - 23.

I should qualify this review by saying that, based on a previous cruise with MyTravel (Uggh!) 4 years ago, I was half-hearted about this trip. I was talked into it by my wife. Did I enjoy it ? Yes, immensely. I would not do it every year (cruising is not my top holiday choice, too confining) but would happily do a similar one in the future. That says volumes about the quality of service provided by P&O. A really great, memorable trip.

Flights.
Arrived at Glasgow airport our usual 2 hours before flying-time to find we were the **very last** passengers on the P&O-chartered ThomsonFly/Britannia flight to check-in. Could not believe it, but it transpired that most people had travelled some distance and had stayed at local hotels, checked-in really early then had breakfast at the airport. End result was that my wife and I were allocated seats 14 rows apart on the 8+ hours flight, she was not pleased. The girl at the desk handing out P&O forms, wearing a P&O badge and purporting to represent P&O merely shrugged and said..."nothing I can do". On boarding we asked the cabin crew to fix this problem but they claimed there were no seats available to seat us together. However, on the flight I was seated next to a couple who had a young child under 2 years, they had been allocated a spare seat between them as a favour by the flight agent Servisair. I was not pleased but let it pass, good start to the holiday I thought.
Onboard ship we were informed by other passengers that you are normally given the same seats for your return flight, unless you intervene. Well we did that and got it fixed. I don't blame P&O for this, rather the agent ServisAir who have a bad reputation for customer service most times. However, P&O should not employ airport staff who behave as the girl at Glasgow did with us.
Knee room on the outward flight was adequate but the return seemed, subjectively, more cramped and was a little uncomfortable. After checking in your luggage in the UK departure airport you don't see it again until it appears in your ship cabin. However, be aware that takes around 4 hours after arrival in Barbados, so be prepared for an evening wearing what you travel in. Similarly when returning, you leave it outside your cabin and see it again at your UK arrival point.
On arrival in Barbados we went from the plane straight to a bus parked on the airstrip and were onboard the ship within an hour. The return from the ship was less comfortable, queued for around 45 mins just to get thru security into Barbados airport.

Cabin.
Ship is very impressive throughout! We had booked an internal cabin which was fairly small but exactly as we had anticipated... bed which can be made up by the steward(ess) as a double or 2 singles, adequate storage for clothes, TV with movie channel, toilet/shower-room, fridge and code-operated safe. Only negative was that the toilet/shower-room always had a slightly stale smell to it when the ship was at rest. Not unpleasant, just always noticeable. When the ship was on the move this disappeared, suggesting that the ventilation system cannot cope when the ship is not running at speed. Otherwise the room was outfitted and finished to 4-star hotel standards. The outside cabins with small balcony, just across the corridor from us, were very nice, more spacious, better equipped and, from discussion, much fresher because of the open balcony. On balance if going again I would book one of them, if you can afford the extra it looked to be worth it.
We were on deck B, mid-ships, which was ideal as you have accommodation decks above and below and are equi-distant from the stair/lift wells, ensuring it's quiet and peaceful.

Restaurants.
First night onboard is an open night for restaurant seating, you go to any one you please. We went to one of the main restaurants and the meal was very ordinary, in fact the fish I had was very slightly undercooked, I was so weary I simply eat it. Not promising we thought. However, subsequently every meal we had (with one exception, the Horizon grill, see below) was superb. Given the huge numbers being catered for I doubt if P&O could improve on the quality or presentation.
For all other nights you are allocated a fixed table in one of the two main restaurants, you will find a pink card in your cabin (inside the leather writing folder) which details your table and first/second sitting. However, any evening you wish you can drop out of this fixed table arrangement and go to any one of three other open restaurants, Plaza, Horizon and Cafe Jardin, some of which apply a cover-charge in the evening. One evening we went to the Horizon grill which has a cover-charge of £6.75 per person. The meal was totally ordinary and I personally did not find it approached within a mile of the quality which was common in the main restaurant. For your cover charge you enjoyed an awe inspiring (NOT) view of the swimming pool and could enjoy the cigarette smoke drifting up from the bar below. If that was not enough to set your evening alight there was an overpowering smell of cooking coming from the open grill area. All in all it was enough to send us straight back to the main restaurant the following evening.
One common complaint, with which I agree, was the gross overpricing of the wine at the table. In fact you can expect to pay 4-star prices throughout the ship for every kind of drink. Take a duty-free bottle with you from the UK and buy your soft drinks at the first stop ashore. You can also buy a good bottle of spirits for around £5 at most of the island stops.
You can go to the main restaurants for breakfast and lunch but we used the other restaurants, the Plaza for buffet breakfast and lunch (both excellent) and the Horizon and Cafe Jardin for snacks.

Formal nights.
There were 4 formal and 10 smart-casual nights. Formal means very formal, if you are happy in a lounge suit then fine but you should expect to stand out in the crowd which was almost exclusively dinner suits and tuxedos, with the ladies in evening dresses. However, P&O tell a little white lie when they say that formal dress is a requirement on these nights. The formal dress requirement applies only in the two main restaurants and one of the bars, in all other restaurants and bars you can go smart-casual, so if you want to drop out of these nights you can.
On Tuesday of the second week there was a great Caribbean deck party for which you should acquire a Caribbean shirt, best place to buy is Isla Margharita on the dock.

Entertainment.
Generally excellent, with special mention for the resident entertainment team who put on many top quality shows. The guest artists were generally very good, but generally little-known and no particular wow factor. On balance, never a bad night.
There are a wide range of activities provided throughout the day and early evening, including a cinema showing the latest films (admission charge AFIK). However, we were surprised at the number of activities for which there is a heavy charge. For example, computing lessons at £15 pp per half-hour. I cannot comment on the quality of any of these activities as we never participated.

Currency.
The local currency in all the small islands is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar (ECB). In Trinidad and Tobago it is the Trinidad/Tobago Dollar (TTD), in Barbados the Barbados Dollar (BBD) and in Margharita the Bolivar. However, in all the islands the US Dollar (USD) is the common tourist currency. Always ask if the price being quoted is in USD and keep your note values small as often when you pay in USD you will be given change in the local currency, in fact you should ask for change in USD. Also check at ship reception the local exchange rate to USD as you may be quoted a rate which is considerably to your disadvantage. For example, in Tobago the rate is 1 USD = 6.7 TTD and I was quoted an exchange of 40 TTD = 7 USD (approx 1 = 6), which is close enough, but I heard of others being quoted rates of 3, 4 or 5.

Shore Trips.
All of the pre-cruise and in-cruise info supplied by P&O is very helpful and interesting but it is aimed at one thing, getting you to buy expensive trips from P&O. We found, and this was widespread opinion, that the trips were overpriced and poor value and in many cases (not all) you could accomplish the same trip on your own for half the price. Read thru the P&O info, segregate out the things you want to do (cutting out the visit to the rum distillery and shopping mall) and then hire a taxi/mini-bus at the dock. The most economical means of travel is to get into a party of 4 or more, we found this easy, just wait at the taxi/bus stand on the dock and ask others if they are going your way. Negotiate with the taxi/bus drivers, the first price asked for is never the one you can get down to. Always negotiate in USD on the basis of a round-trip and if the driver is dropping you off agree a fixed time for pick-up and never pay anything until the round-trip is completed.
If you are planning a short trip (say 3 hours) then do it late morning or early afternoon when most of the traffic from the ships has been exhausted and prices are more negotiable.
Many of the P&O trips consist largely of trying to fill you with cheap alcohol, perhaps to disguise the inadequacy of the other aspects of the trip. On one occasion as we were returning to the ship, coincident with a trip returning, we saw a 16 year old boy being helped aboard clearly very ill from alcohol poisoning (all of his fellow trippers reported him drinking heavily, hardly P&O's fault as he was in the care of his parents on the trip).
Keep in mind that all of the islands essentially consist of a central spine of mountains surrounded by sugar cane and rain-forest, plus of course lovely beaches. You are not going to see dramatically different scenery on every island, or even, it has to be said, dramatically wonderfull scenery. So one round-island trip is much the same as any other, only the highlights of each are worth it.
On the first day cruising we went to a visual presentation on the P&O trips, some info of which was completely misleading (see below). The daily news-sheet issued for each island is much more informative and accurate.

Weather.
Apart from several rainy mornings it was very clear, bright and sunny throughout. Temps were 27 - 33 C every day.

Cruising and Ashore.

Saturday Dec 10. At sea heading for the first stop, Tortola.
The usual towels-on-sunbeds-at-dawn crowd were active (forget sitting around the pool area unless you're an early riser) but we were able to find a sunbed in a good location onboard. In fact we never throughout the cruise found getting a sunbed or lounger to be a big problem, a walk around usually turned something up, just not near the pool area.

Sunday Dec 11. Tortola.
Arrived in Tortola to find thick cloud, heavy rain and the island mountains shrouded in mist. The rain persisted on and off until early afternoon when the sun came out and the cloud and mist cleared. In the morning we walked around the capital Road Town which does not have anything of particular interest, in fact the only thing to be said for it is that it is the first opportunity to buy soft drinks at sensible prices. Follow the main road to the back of town and you will find a RightWay supermarket where you can buy 2L bottles of Coke.
In the afternoon we teamed up with two others from the ship and together with some Canadians off of the Queen Mary II, also in port, we hired a mini-bus to take us on a 3 hour tour. This included a stop at Cane Garden beach which is supposed to be the best on the island, in fact the beach was fairly ordinary but was a welcome opportunity for a swim. To get the best taxi/bus deal you should walk beyond the dock area into the centre of town to the main taxi/bus stand, we negotiated the tour for 10 USD pp.
Maybe it was the weather that influenced us but we felt that as a first stop Tortola held nothing special and was a poor start. Although, one person on the ship reported meeting the actor Richard E Grant in the supermarket, it must have something going for it.

Monday Dec 12. Antigua.
Bright blue sky and warm sun, Antigua looked lovely. We had booked a morning trip with P&O, the "Tropical Trails" which cost £42 pp (= 70 USD pp). This consisted of 8 people in a Land Rover being taken thru the sugar cane and rain forest over very rough roads (pot holes you could get lost in) and then a run round some of the island sights. There was some fun element in this and we did learn some interesting facts (Pineapples grow in the ground and take 13 months to mature, I always thought they grew on trees), but we did not see some of the better parts of the island as you will find from our next trip.
In the afternoon we teamed up with another couple and hired a mini-bus to take us to Nelson's Dockyard and Shirley Heights. The Georgian era dockyard has been restored and is set in a lovely bay, we had a drink in the rear terrace of the Admirals Inn just inside the entrance. The next stop, Shirley Heights, gives amazing views of the bay and surroundings. Entrance to the dockyard costs 5 USD pp, keep your tickets as you will need them to gain entrance to the Heights. The trip cost us 17.5 USD pp for the mini-bus (we were quoted 80 USD for 4 and negotiated 70) plus 5 USD pp for the entrance fee, contrast that with our morning trip which did not compare well with this. This is an excellent example where DIY pays off.

Tuesday Dec 13. St.Kitts.
Bright blue sky and warm sun, St.Kitts looked lovely. We had booked a morning trip with P&O, the "Railway Tour" which cost £52 pp (= 87 USD pp). There are two times for this trip, the early one you have a 10 min bus journey to the rail terminus followed by a 2&1/2 hours rail journey then a 45 min bus return. The later trip reverses this sequence. On balance we preferred the earlier time as you get to the train and are on the trip within a short time, versus the later where you have a 45 min bus journey then have to wait for the earlier trip to arrive at the terminus.
The train trip was enjoyable, we got free drinks and small cake snacks and were entertained by an onboard choir. It's probably the best way, although expensive, to see the island which is largely undeveloped and has few main roads.
The capital Basseterre is a very pleasant little town, worth having a good look around.

Wednesday Dec 14. At sea heading for St.Lucia.

Thursday Dec 15. St.Lucia.
Bright blue sky and warm sun, St.Lucia looked lovely, the dock area at this location is probably the nicest you will see on any of the stops. The duty-free shopping for booze and jewelry is second only to that in Barbados. We teamed up with two others and hired a mini-bus to take us to Rodney Bay beach which was very nice and excellent for swimming. The round-trip was quoted as 16 USD pp for 2, we negotiated 10 USD pp for 4.
Although one of the most developed from a tourism aspect, St.Lucia is also one of the most attractive islands.

Friday Dec 16. St.Vincent.
Lots of cloud around with patches of blue sky. 6 of us took a mini-bus to Villa Beach which is very unimpressive but just across the bay is the little known gem of Young Island. Just stand on the beach and a water-taxi will appear to take you across, as usual negotiate the price and you have to enter by wading into the water and exit onto a wet jetty. This is a private island largely occupied by a single hotel, but visitors are welcome with the restriction that you cannot use the sunbeds and hammocks belonging to the hotel. Just stretch out your beach towel and enjoy a lovely setting with excellent swimming, including a swim-out bar just off the beach. From later discussion we had the best beach-trip of anyone we spoke to on the ship. The round-trip cost 10 USD for the mini-bus and 2 USD round-trip for the water-taxi.

Saturday Dec 17. Mayreau, ship cannot dock so went ashore on tenders.
Early rain then bright blue sky and warm sun, Mayreau looked lovely. This is a private island only about 1&1/2 miles long. The tenders drop you at Saline Bay where there is a nice beach, some shops and a bar. The ship crew also set up a bar next to the beach. The hidden gem of this island is Saltwhistle Bay, to get to it you have three choices...(1) Walk over the hill road to the left of the landing point, it is very steep up and the same again down. We walked it, if you are fit it will take around 25 mins. (2) Take a jeep-taxi, although P&O state there is no motor transport on this island this is not true. (3) Take a water-taxi round the headland, we did this on the return leg, it was fast, exciting and not for those with a fear of small boats. One-way it cost 5 USD pp for 4 of us.
The beach at Saltwhistle is a classic Caribbean beach with white sands, overhanging coconut palms and excellent swimming. Not to be missed. There is a small bar/restaurant.
As stated by another poster the ship sets up a BBQ **on the ship** from 12-3, which is entirely the wrong place to have it.
Other passengers reported they had a great day out on the Catamaran trip.

Sunday Dec 18. At sea heading for Isla Margharita.

Monday Dec 19. Isla Margharita.
Early rain and cloud but this soon cleared and was lovely (we were told by a local that it had rained constantly for the past week). The info that P&O give you on this island is completely misleading. They stated in their visual presentation on the first day cruising that...(1) USD would not be accepted, only the Bolivar was OK. In fact USD was accepted everywhere. (2) There was nothing at the docking point and a trip booking was advisable. In fact there was the best craft market of any of our stops (lovely pearl jewelry, bags and Caribbean shirts) and a very nice beach (although beware of stepping on Sea Urchins, they are like golf balls with pins sticking out).
On the basis of the P&O presentation we booked a bus trip, "Rhumba on the Chiva". This is basically an island tour, a one hour stop at a nice beach and lots of free booze and snacks thrown in. It cost £24 pp (= 40 USD pp) and was lots of good, enjoyable fun, but take out the alcohol induced fun element and it was just another island tour with the limitations of that, as explained above. It included the usual stop at a jewelry mall where the pearls etc were not a patch on that available back at the dock. The assistants even admired the necklace my wife had bought at the dock and asked where she got it.

Tuesday Dec 20. Trinidad.
The worst dock area we saw on the entire cruise, and the capital, Port of Spain, was no better. We walked along the main road to the right of the dock, at the 2nd traffic lights turn left into Brian Lara Blvd and about 1/2 mile along left again into Frederick St. These two are the main shopping areas, but, quite frankly, forget it. The shops can be seen in any run-down main street in the world, the city is choked with traffic, seedy, run-down and has an intimidating, threatening atmosphere about it. Apart from the very friendly tourist officials the whole place was unfriendly and unwelcoming, filled with low-life. We have travelled in many places around the world but this was one place I wanted to get out of fast. There were 4 of us together and everyone agreed, as did everyone else we spoke to on the ship.
P&O took on a large supply of fuel oil at this stop and I can't help but feel that is their only reason for calling in there. We learned from a crew member that P&O advise them to only go ashore in groups, not singly. They did not give that advice to their passengers. Next day in Tobago I asked the taxi driver her opinion and she said that people from Tobago did not like Port of Spain, which she said was filled with pick-pockets.
This is one place where if you are interested in a P&O trip then take it.

Wednesday Dec 21. Tobago, ship cannot dock so went ashore on tenders.
Bright blue sky and warm sun, Tobago looked lovely. Everyone heads for Pigeon Point beach but right next door to there is a hidden gem, Store Bay beach. Pigeon Point is private and there is a 3 USD pp entrance fee, Store Bay is public and free.
Everyone reported Pigeon Point as being overcrowded, Store Bay was almost deserted when we arrived around 11am and we got 2 sunbeds and brolly easily for 7 USD. The beach is fairly small but very nice and excellent for swimming. There are toilets, changing facilities, shops, bars and restaurants. From discussion with other passengers we had the best day out of any of the beach trips. The taxi round-trip cost 10 USD pp for 4 people.

Thursday Dec 22. Barbados, staying overnight till Friday departure back to the UK.
Bright blue sky and warm sun, Barbados looked lovely. The dock area has an excellent duty-free shopping area, the best for price and selection of any we found on the trip. If you are planning a take-home duty-free bottle or a major jewelry purchase then this is the place to buy it. The ship is located some distance from the city, you need to get a taxi or mini-bus into town. The mini-bus cost 1 USD pp one-way, the one-way taxi back cost 5 USD for 2 of us.
In contrast to Trinidad, BridgeTown is a warm, welcoming place with some attractive buildings but for shops you're as well sticking to the duty-free at the dock. We had a drink at the (apparently world-famous) WaterFront Cafe by the river, very nice. We heard very good reports from those that went on the "Swimming with Turtles" trip.

Friday Dec 23. Disembark and bus to the airport.
Most P&O chartered flights leave the ship from 11am onwards. Your hold luggage has gone the night before, there is a secure area for storing your hand luggage. You are expected to vacate your cabin by 9am, we stayed till 10:15 with no problem. You get breakfast/lunch as usual.

Hope this proves valuable to all you future cruisers.

Edited by Pollensa1946 2005-12-30 09:15:45

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