Oceania Cruises is a luxury cruise line that specializes in offering an extensive array of voyages to exotic destinations around the globe. Catering to discerning travelers, the company features intimate and elegantly designed ships that provide a premium cruising experience. With a focus on gourmet dining, Oceania Cruises includes an award-winning culinary program as part of its offerings, ensuring guests enjoy high-quality meals during their journey.
The company provides a range of services designed to enhance the cruise experience, such as specialty dining, unlimited WiFi, and shipboard gratuities, all included in their "Your World Included™" program. Oceania Cruises targets affluent customers seeking a sophisticated and immersive travel experience, offering various itineraries and exclusive benefits, including discounts for members of the Oceania Club. With a commitment to luxury and comfort, Oceania Cruises aims to provide a memorable adventure for travelers exploring the world's most desirable destinations.
Oceania Cruises receives overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many reviewers expressing dissatisfaction with the service and food quality. Customers frequently mention poor customer service, citing long wait times for assistance and unresponsive staff.
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Complaints about food quality are prevalent, with several travelers noting a decline in standards compared to previous cruises. While some reviewers appreciate the cabin accommodations and the attentiveness of certain crew members, these positives are overshadowed by the overall sentiment of disappointment. Additionally, issues such as unexpected fees and changes to booked excursions further contribute to the frustration. Overall, the majority of experiences shared reflect a lack of value and service, leading to a predominantly negative impression of Oceania Cruises.
Each source counts by its number of reviews. Only reviews written by people are scored.
Rating, volume, share of the score, six-month trend and fake-review risk for each source
Source
Rating
Reviews
Weight
6-mo
Fake risk
★
Trustpilot
Imported Trustpilot reviews
1.8
91
100%
-0.5
● Low
1.8 / 5 overall
=
91 reviews across 1 scored source
How fake risk works ⓘ
Reputation trend
Monthly average rating from reviews written by people · latest review Jul 2025.
Last 3 months
1.4▼ 0.5
12-month avg
1.7
All-time
1.8
Category avg
4.0
Monthly averageCategory average
Monthly average rating and review count
Month
Average
Reviews
Aug 24
1.8
4
Sep 24
1.0
1
Oct 24
3.0
1
Nov 24
1.5
2
Dec 24
1.0
2
Jan 25
1.8
4
Feb 25
1.8
4
Mar 25
2.0
3
Apr 25
2.0
3
May 25
3.0
1
Jun 25
1.0
3
Jul 25
1.3
4
What people praise & complain about
Share of positive (4–5★) and negative (1–2★) reviews mentioning each topic · based on the 91 most recent reviews.
Top praiseof 10 positive reviews
Customer service40%
4 mentions
Prices & value40%
4 mentions
Fast & efficient20%
2 mentions
“Every passenegrs needs seem to be met with the utmost courtesy, respect and kindness”
On “Customer service” · Apr 21, 2024
Top complaintsof 73 negative reviews
Customer service41%
30 mentions
Cancellation27%
20 mentions
Shipping26%
19 mentions
Payment issues23%
17 mentions
“Shocking customer service”
On “Customer service” · Jul 7, 2025
How it compares
Same method for every company: overall rating, legitimacy checks, the average rating of reviews mentioning each area and the 6-month trend · Cruise Lines.
Overall rating and review count for this company and similar companies
I have just arrived back from 2 back to back cruises on Marina to South America.
On every level it was disappointing.
Communication was poor reliant on an inarticulate cruise director. A good example is that the Captain was taken off ill. Rumours spread rather than a simple statement in the news letter.
Attention to detail is haphazard. Staff not managed or badly trained.
Management were uninterested, complacent or ...
Food, best on ocean, is a joke and any comments went to junior staff who, I suspect, never passed comments on.
Simple errors were everywhere.
We have travelled with Oceania cruises over ten times. All wonderful experiences. The food is simply the best. Lobster, steaks , excellent Dover soles. Their Asian fusion restaurant Red Ginger is as popular as the French ‘chez Jacques’. The Polo Grill serves t-bones which have to be seen to be believed! We love their format. Great destinations, great shows, no extra charges , no charges for coffee and soft drinks. We’ve cruised with Seabourn, Silversea, and Regent, all very good too, but Oceania is the best - relaxed glamour at very reasonable prices. (BEWARE those companies who charge for all drinks including soft drinks - when you get the bill it’s eye watering). Oceania also have the best choice of onboard activities and the staff are marvellous. Our next cruise with them is in 3 weeks around the Caribbean and we can’t wait! One tip - Sam in the Southampton office is our go to customer service agent who can help with any queries. Go book!
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Having paid a great deal of money for three previous family cruises, in August 2021, hoping for the end of the Pandemic, I booked another for April 2022. Alas, the pandemic got worse. So, in December 2021 I attempted to cancel the cruise. Oceania only agreed to refund half of the deposit, with the other half becoming a credit note which would expire at the end of 2022. With then the war in Ukraine and the ‘cost of living crisis’ taking its grip, after protracted argument, Oceania agreed to extend the credit note until the end of 2023. Alas in May 2023 my wife was diagnosed with leukaemia. I asked for a further extension of the credit note, so that I could take my family away when my wife had made a full recovery, which Oceania have point-blank refused. Having now read the massive dissatisfaction with Oceania, they obviously need my funds. I will never spend my hard-earned money with them again.
I’d happily give Oceania no stars simply because the “finest cuisine at sea” does not exist, at least not on Sirena. I’m a good cook & I have an above average palate. I say this not to boast, but to indicate the deep level of disappointment we experienced on our 24 days on Sirena. After filling out the mid-cruise survey we had a meeting with Simon Hockley, Serena’s executive chef. He’s a lovely man, polite and professional, but all we got were excuses about the supply chain. After twenty years they still haven’t figured it out? I would think that if you don’t have all the ingredients to prepare a dish properly that you would take it off the menu. Who has ever heard of serving a Waldorf Salad without grapes or walnuts? Soups were continuously over-salted & recipes were not followed. Thom Kha Goong is supposed to have a coconut milk base with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and shrimp; not a clear broth with ONE shrimp cut into pieces and NO vegetables. Caviar was served once and it was WARM. Sushi apparently does not exist in their repertoire. They don’t use real truffles either. One soup I ordered arrived with something having the color and texture of a Scotch-Brite sponge. Silly me, I had asked for extra truffles because I thought it was the real thing. One thing was consistent; the steaks were invariably chewy, tough and lacking in flavor. I was expecting organic choices but was told by Chef Hockley “we’re not there yet.” He also commented that their focus was more on French than Italian cuisine. Apparently he is unfamiliar with Catherine de Medici and the history of French cookery. Oceania makes over $418 million per year. Where is all the money going? Certainly not on the food budget. What really surprised me was the number of clients who thought the food was fine. Then I spoke with one man who only eats food he can cook in a microwave oven at home. That explains why so many return customers are content with the swill Oceania offers. I wonder if those at concierge level or in suites get a different menu. In three weeks the room service menu never varied and the “Grand” dining room menu rotated on a weekly basis. (There’s nothing grand about it) I ordered Diver Scallops for an entree one night and received three one inch scallops on my plate. The wait to order a meal ranged from fifteen to thirty minutes. Sommeliers were few and far between and the choices for a basic drinks package was cheap and pathetic. They up-sell everything. Want a nice Montepulciano with your beef? Only by the bottle. You can’t use your package to get a drink at any of the bars, only the dining venues. Not knowing this on the first day I was charged $16.80 for a glass of cheap Prosecco which was more than the cost of an entire bottle at home. Salad Nicoise’ showed up for lunch no less than four times. It was one of the better options, albeit “deconstructed” and decidedly lacking in green beans and potatoes. I ordered a fettuccine dish with sea bass one evening. The entire dish contained two flakes of fish that were smaller than the chocolates placed on our pillows at night. The chefs don’t know what “Al dente” means either. Sad to say, I have had consistently better food on every other cruise line I have sailed with, including Carnival. The only good thing about this line is there service staff. Lovely people, anxious to please and serious about providing comfort. Jacques Pepin should be ashamed to have his name associated with Oceania. Fool me once…..
I had been with this line before but found it has definitely lowered its standards? As per person below's review, I also found the food limiting eating vegetrian and chicken, Food always came up luke warm. One evening my meal was served and the other 5 got their's 40 minutes later which was when my jacket potsto arrived as well, The fruit plates were boring, same old melons, orange and occasionally papaya. Apart from strawberries, no berries and I did not see a banana the whole trip
The last day at sea was cold and yet no lectures were programmed and the evening show was cancelled , A very boring day
My friends and I each had 950 US dollars to spend but found the shop had very old fashioned but overpriced stock, the dresses looked like they had come out if a charity shop. The perfumes like Dune and white linen were popular in the 70s.
Standards have definitely gone down and I doubt I will use Oceania again.
Oceania hold thenselves out as Vegetarian specialists - they are not. They say they have a veg menu, but all they have is a regular menu we could pick items off. They turned back the veg clock 30 years. Over promised, under delivered. P&O did a better job.
There was also an oddly disengaged crew. It was like everyone had a really big argument and were not speaking.
Don't bother wasting your money if you are Asian.
Our experience was marred by instances of what seemed to be racial bias. It seemed that there was a clear bias in the service, with what appeared to be preferential treatment given to white customers.
The buffet line and the ice cream queue were particularly problematic, as we experienced extended wait times and were consistently asked to move behind white customers.
Furthermore, our attempts to communicate and request plain water were met with consistent disregard. When we approached the servers to discuss these issues, they often walked away without addressing our concerns.
On the day of disembarkment, the toilets were noticeably dirty as well.
Overall, our experience was horrible, and would definitely avoid this cruise in the future. This unfortunate experience left us feeling unwelcome and raises serious questions about the training of the staff here and the kind of customers they aim to serve.
Was on a 10 day Mediterranean cruise on the Oceania Nautica October 17th to 27th, 2023. The ship itself was clean and well maintained. The service was average. Little entertainment and few things to do.The food was fine... not as hyped as mentioned by our Cruise Agent suggested. The staff were mostly friendly. The ports were amazing excluding Igoumenitsa, Greece which was a complete waste of time... We docked on a Sunday and there were no private tours available and very little was open that day. Cruise ship tours were prioritized, so if you had a private tour scheduled you'll be the last one off even though you have a private reservation booked. My largest complaint was the loss of my luggage on the morning of disembarkation. The staff take the luggage the night prior to the port terminal and keep it in a 'secure' location. When we arrived the following morning being the first to disembark and the first in the terminal to grab our luggage my suitcase was no where to be found. We were scrambling to find it. I filled out a lost luggage form and left an hour later. My brother in law arriving at the same port terminal 2 hours later said they did finally find my suitcase and informed my brother in law that it would be returned to me. As of now, after having spoken to Oceania numerous times it has now been lost (or even better someone took my luggage). This is unacceptable! My advice keep your luggage with you always and disembark with it... SO DISAPPOINTING!!!
I’d give Oceania a zero rating if I could! We also booked the Middle East cruise from Istanbul to Dubai. We usually cruise with Viking, but this itinerary was fantastic. A big splurge to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. However, because of the war, Oceania completely changed the itinerary. They now will sail mostly around Greece, to places we’ve already been. Plus, there are now NINE CONSECUTIVE days at sea, through areas that don’t seem safe to me! They should have just cancelled.
When the changes were made, I called to see what my options were. I was offered a future cruise credit. Was told I could call back when I decided. Gave me a month to book my next cruise.
I called back to accept their offer and was told they stopped giving it!! I wrote to everyone I could think of. My BBB complaint got the only answer which was “This was an open- ended offer. It was first come, first served. We are no longer giving any credit.” WHAT???? That was definitely not what I was told!
They can hide behind their legal fine- print, but I certainly won’t ever sail with them again!
Have waited a long time for a middle east cruise and booked it when it became available. No one could foresee the conflict in the middle east and totally understand why Oceania canceled all ports of call along the Suez Canal and Red Sea areas. What is unacceptable is to substitute the Mediterranean for the middle east. Have cruised there twice before and who wants to go back to the same ports? Oceania refuses any credit for future cruises and advise it is within their "fine print" they can change the itinerary. Now we are stuck with another Mediterranean cruise and 9 days at sea (Suez Canal & Red Sea). What a waste of our money and I can assure you we will never cruise with them again and at every opportunity will warn others about their hard line approach to making customers happy - it's all about the almighty dollar and to hell with customer satisfaction or happiness. A total disgrace to the cruise industry.
Oceania Cruise itinerary changed BUT no refund allowed
The cruise ship itinerary changed completely from Middle East to Europe so it isn't the original itinerary we booked but Oceania refuses to refund customers citing that they have the right to change itineraries. Those two geographical areas are completely different! This is switch and bait!
Frustrations with Oceania Cruise: Denied tickets and Payment Discrepancies
I had a frustrating experience with Oceania Cruise and their onshore excursions. I booked a family cruise with Oceania and took advantage of a 25% discount promotion for the excursions. However, I ended up having to pay back the discounted amount of US$1,600 because Oceania refused to issue my cruise tickets.
It was our first vacation after the Covid pandemic, and the cruise was a significant part of our month-long trip to Europe. I booked the cruise holiday through my travel agent and the excursions directly on Oceania's website, utilizing the 25% discount offer.
As the trip approached, my travel agent informed me that there was an outstanding balance for the excursions, and Oceania wouldn't issue my cruise tickets. However, in my Oceania account, all the excursions were reserved, and no outstanding amount was shown. Despite my travel agent's efforts to resolve the issue, Oceania insisted on the payment. With the deadline for issuing tickets looming and having already made other travel arrangements and paid for the entire vacation, I had no choice but to pay the outstanding amount.
During the cruise, I had the chance to review the excursion pamphlet again and noticed the 25% discount offer. When I returned from the holiday, I cross-checked my bank statement and realized that the amount Oceania had charged me back was actually the 25% discount. I promptly contacted my travel agent to communicate with Oceania. It took Oceania two weeks to reply and they refused to reimburse me and instead blamed me for not selecting the discount at checkout. They requested proof, such as a screenshot of the transaction. It was frustrating because Oceania had not provided any payment receipt after the transaction, and they disregarded my credit card statement, which clearly showed the payment at the discounted price. It seemed unreasonable to hold me accountable for not having a screenshot of the transaction.
Feeling increasingly frustrated, I contacted Oceania's local office directly to inquire about a possible system glitch. A few weeks later, Oceania gave the same response, refusing to reimburse me and instead questioning why I hadn't resolved the issue before the cruise. Oceania claimed there was no problem with their system. What bothered me was that I had been completely unaware what the discrepancy was until I reread the excursion pamphlet while on the cruise. I reached out to them as soon as I returned from my vacation. If there was genuinely no issue with their system, it raises concerns about their business ethics. They enticed customers with a discount, accepted full payment, and then demanded repayment for the discount before issuing tickets. It left the customer with no choice but to comply.
Additionally, Oceania automatically charged my credit card for gratuities, even though they were supposed to be free as part of my booking. Fortunately, we noticed the charge and immediately contacted my travel agent while still on the cruise. Oceania eventually reimbursed us, but only after we pursued the matter upon our return.
Oceania offered future onboard credits as compensation, but I'm hesitant to be constantly vigilant and worry about my wallet on another Oceania cruise.
Overall, my experience with Oceania Cruise and their onshore excursions was extremely frustrating and disappointing.
NEVER book a cruise on Oceania if having reliable Internet matters. Or an app to plan and keep up to date with goings on onboard and off-shore. And whoever is in charge of marketing at Oceania has not yet claimed its Google knowledge panel…so guests cannot even leave a review. In 2023, what global hospitality brand doesn’t allow guests to engage digitally? Sadly, and surprisingly, it’s Oceania Cruises. My bad for not checking before we booked what will be our last cruise with this brand.
Stole money from us and also was not helpful in the rebooking process
- I apologize for this long review, but before booking Oceania, I highly encourage you to read through it so what happened to us doesn't happen to you.
Through all my years of traveling, I have never paid so much to receive so little. Due to the special occasion of my sister and I both graduating (one from high school and one from college), we had purchased first-class round-trip tickets on our flights out of the United States and our flights returning to the US. Since we are all so busy, we paid additional fees to have Oceania "Cruise Specialists" and travel agents through Oceania book our flights; meaning we would pay our airfares with the cost of the cruise directly to Oceania. Aboard the ship, the staff were amazing, with precise attention to detail and always offering a helping hand. The problem with Oceania cruises arose on our journey home. We were to leave from Istanbul to board a flight that would land in Montreal, then take us to our final destination of Minneapolis. Due to the Canadian wildfires, our flight from Istanbul to Montreal had been cancelled, which was completely out of the hands of Oceania. We tried our best to work with Oceania to rebook flights, but they told us that they had emailed their main office and we would have to wait until the following day to hear anything back (which would've been 5 hours before we needed to disembark the ship). Taking matters into our own hands, we hopped on the phone with Air Canada to try and rebook our flights, which turned into hours long waiting times to be connected to an agent, ultimately causing us to have to cancel our plans for the last day on the ship. When we finally connected with an agent, they were able to rebook us on flights home, but would have to downgrade us to economy cabin. We had absolutely no problem with downgrading as we were trying to just return to the US at this point. Keep in mind that flights back into the US in business class were thousands and thousands of dollars (and there were 7 of us in our party). Once arriving back at the US, we got in contact with Oceania to attempt to retrieve the thousands of dollars lost from downgrading. It took Oceania a whole month to even reply to our inquest. Dozens of phone calls and emails went unanswered for a whole month and when a representative finally got in contact with us, she told us she would need our boarding passes from the flight that had gotten cancelled and the flight that we had been rebooked to. We gave them the appropriate documentation of receipts where we had paid for business class and showed them our the reservation number and tickets from when we had been rebooked, as who saves boarding passes from 2 months prior, and we were unable to look them up online. Another month of no reply, when we finally hear back on August 17th with the email just saying "Thank you for your recent communication. Following a thorough review by our Air Department, it has been determined that there is no refund eligible in this case." Our flight back into the US landed on June 11, and our first attempts at correspondence with Oceania occurred June 15. Between two emails back and forth Oceania determined we were not eligible for refund and kept thousands and thousands of dollars and wasted our time.
- End point, Oceania is great for the actual cruise and will be there to collect your money, but you better pray to the gods that nothing happens, because if it does Oceania is silent. Safe to say we will never ever be using them again, and I will continue to fight to get our money back.
une guide complètement folle au palais de Sintra (groupe numéro 4, 10/08/2023) qui crie sur les autres visiteurs car ne supporte pas que d’autres visiteurs passent devant elle (? le palais ne lui appartient pas) et pas professionnelle devant ses propres clients car insulte des visiteurs et ose se plaindre auprès du personnel
Outrageous prices for shore excursions. Tour guides could hardly speak English and the itineraries were mostly uninteresting. Marina ship was old and dated needing new furnishings and carpets. Our toilet was clogged for 3 of the 9 days. Food was excellent though but the specialty restaurants were mediocre at best.
Great cruise and ship but the transportation arrangements before, during and at the end of the cruise were appalling. Too much to write here but, book your own flights and avoid cruises with Venice.
Oceania Cruises is a luxury cruise line that specializes in offering an extensive array of voyages to exotic destinations around the globe. Catering to discerning travelers, the company features intimate and elegantly designed ships that provide a premium cruising experience. With a focus on gourmet dining, Oceania Cruises includes an award-winning culinary program as part of its offerings, ensuring guests enjoy high-quality meals during their journey.
The company provides a range of services designed to enhance the cruise experience, such as specialty dining, unlimited WiFi, and shipboard gratuities, all included in their "Your World Included™" program. Oceania Cruises targets affluent customers seeking a sophisticated and immersive travel experience, offering various itineraries and exclusive benefits, including discounts for members of the Oceania Club. With a commitment to luxury and comfort, Oceania Cruises aims to provide a memorable adventure for travelers exploring the world's most desirable destinations.
