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Iberian Sojourn
Reviewed By: Poulsom, Alton on 7th Sep 2008
Cruise Line: P&O Cruises	Times cruised before: 1-2
Cruise Ship: Oceana	Sailed: September, 2008
Destination: Mediterranean	Age: 36-45

This was our first P&O cruise. Was impressed with the smooth check-in - but oh dear no welcome drink, maybe thats the norm! We had a balcony cabin on B deck starboard which was adequate even though the bathroom was tiny. Although the weather was really poor and we only had 2 days of sunshine, both of us really enjoy the benefits of a balcony - we love watching the sea for its ever changing moods. The cushions on the balcony chairs are a definite bonus. Disappointed not to have any towel animals (RCI and Thompson do these) and to note some grubbiness but the cabin was always tidy and our steward was very attentative. We opted for Freedom dining. This was always a challenge for a table at breakfast but we would normally only have to wait a few minutes and one of us would save the table whilst the other went to the buffet. Evening buffet food was always 'just warm' - no problems getting a table at night. We ate outside in the Horizon Grill one evening and can totally recommend the high quality of food and service - definitely worth the small extra charge. We saw two wonderful cabaret shows. The comedian Andy Ford was very entertaining as was Mr Welshman with his vetinary tales. The Horizon newspaper delivered to your cabin every evening lets you plan the day ahead and this is important if you wish to take advantage of the shows and daily activities. Daytime activities are very varied and aimed at all age groups. Most shows are duplicated but do get quite busy and we went to the Footlights Theatre earlier to get good seats. Most of the time we were happy just too mooch around the ship, enjoy a quiet drink in one of the many bars and watch the world go by. We enjoyed walking around the Promenade deck. Its a shame the photographs are so dear - we would have bought a few more if they had been cheaper. There seemed to be copious amounts of unsold photos. It was fun to peruse the many tables set up with so called 'bargains'. We did not do any shore excursions organised by P&O. In Vigo the ship docks at the bottom of the town and we just visited the main attractions on foot. We took the free shuttle bus in Lisbon from the dock to the centre of the City and took a one hour 45 minute open top bus tour for 14 Euros. This gave us a chance to orientate ourselves in the City and then further explore some other attractions at our leisure. The Santa Justa Elevator entry fee is covered by the bus tour ticket and there are lovely views from the cafe at the top. Brest was not very exciting. We did visit the Botanical Gardens and Le Moulin Blanc beach looked lovely. Disappointing not to be able to stop at St Peter Port but Cherbourg was very quaint and we can definitely recommend going around the submarine museum, La Cité de la Mer. Marvellous thunderstorm on our first night, we have never seen so much lightning in one storm. We saw dolphins eight times and three small whales. We feel there is definitely something for everyone on this cruise. Vicky and Phill
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