We were delighted to have the opportunity to experience the Greek Islands and Turkey firsthand on Oceania Riviera. Set to sail out of Athens, we flew into the city the day before, staying at Elia Ermou Athens Hotel, which was very conveniently located for shopping, restaurants and the Acropolis and offered spectacular views across the city from its rooftop restaurant.

Our embarkation onto Oceania Riviera was very quick and easy and we were onboard within minutes of arriving at the cruise port in Piraeus. Over the next 10 days we thoroughly enjoyed the elegance, luxury, food and service that Oceania Cruises offers its passengers whilst we sailed from Athens to Istanbul.

Oceania Riviera’s passenger capacity is only 1250 so the ship never felt crowded in any of the indoor or outdoor areas. It has a small ship feel though still large enough to offer four unique specialty restaurants and evening shows in the theatre each night. In 2022, the Oceania Riviera had a complete refurbishment so she feels like a brand new ship. Oceania has spared no expense in her design features such as stunning chandeliers and a large amount of original art, sculptures and ornamental pieces. The upgrades flow through to the cabins which have a luxurious feel with wainscotting wall panels and plush chairs on the balcony, a lovely way to relax after a day exploring. As part of Oceania’s Simply More Inclusions, the fridge was always fully stocked with our favourite non-alcoholic drinks to enjoy. A nice touch was the complimentary steel water bottles in the cabin we could fill up and take ashore each day saving on using plastic water bottles.
 

It is well known that Oceania Cruises boasts the finest cuisine at sea and we really enjoyed sampling the array offered from fine dining to casual style. We dined in each of the four specialty restaurants all included with Oceania’s Simply More Inclusions. My favourites were Asian-inspired Red Ginger and Polo Grill for a fantastic steakhouse meal including a large range of sides to go with your choice of steak cooked to your liking. In the main dining room each evening the menu featured regular dishes and chef’s specials. Our waitstaff in each restaurant were very attentive. 

To complement the four courses we had each night, the very experienced sommeliers would introduce themselves and offer suggestions on wines to go with our meals. On a relaxing sea day by the pool, the French Burger I had for lunch at Waves Grill was delicious and it’s all table service. Later in the afternoons Oceania offered afternoon tea, a classic experience with string quartet and tea trolley with delicious goodies. This was served up in the Horizons Lounge which has views out of the front of the ship. Horizons became a regular afternoon spot to enjoy a drink before dinner as we sailed out of port listening to a live jazz band or vocalist.

There was a variety of entertainment and enrichment options onboard Oceania Riviera. On a sea day I attended a very interesting guest speaker presentation by Chef Stephanie Hersh, who detailed her career as Executive Personal Assistant to the famous cookbook author and tv presenter Julia Child. Chef Stephanie also taught some of the hands-on cooking classes offered in the Culinary Center. All classes offered were themed to the area we were sailing. A variety of art classes were available in the Artist’s Loft. These classes were all extremely popular so if you are keen to participate I would recommend booking ahead to ensure you get a spot.
 

Each day we would wake up in a new destination. Oceania is known for its destination immersion and we were able to visit Mykonos, Santorini, Heraklion, Rhodes, Bodrum, Kusadasi (Ephesus), Bozcaada ending with an overnight stay in Istanbul. We took advantage of the free shore excursions and chose Oceania excursions in Bodrum, Kusadasi and Istanbul. Comparing our shore excursion tour group size to the very large ship docked beside us in Istanbul, we were very thankful to be with Oceania and have a group size of approximately 18 people rather than the say 45 person groups from the larger ship. This smaller group size meant that we could have a more intimate experience and get to know our tour guide with quick and easy access on and off our smaller bus at various stops. In other port destinations we opted to wander on our own. Around every corner was a photo waiting to be taken of white-washed buildings and sea views.

We can highly recommend Oceania Cruises if you enjoy fine cuisine, great service and are looking for a luxurious small ship experience visiting destinations where you can be immersed in local culture. An experience you will never forget.