Oceania Vista: My 10 Day Experience on the Mediterranean “Portal to Antiquity” Cruise

Day one: Boarding in Athens

The embarkation process was seamless, and we settled into our A3 Concierge Level Veranda Stateroom, a luxurious space with added perks like a welcome bottle of champagne, complimentary laundry service and priority dining reservations. We explored the ship, enjoying lunch at the Terrace Café with its made-to-order pasta, salads, and an array of daily specials.

Ship highlights:

Service: This ship has a 1.5:1 staff-to-guest ratio with exception service, intentionally designed for intimate guest experiences and virtually no wait times.

Dining: Several options for lunch, including the Terrace Cafe buffet, Waves Grill (casual) and the health-focused Aquamar Kitchen. For dinner, there are four specialty restaurants (reservations required) - Red Ginger, Toscana, Polo Grill and Ember — as well as the Grand Dining Room, Terrace Cafe buffet and Privee for elevated private dining.

Bars: My favorite was Founders Bar with its unique specialty cocktails. Other options include Martini’s bar with martinis and live piano music, and Horizon’s with great views and late-night music.

Amenities: There was a luxurious salon and spa, a well-equipped fitness center, artist loft, culinary center, heated pools and a casino with tables and slots. The sports deck offered a walking track, pickleball courts, cornhole, shuffleboard and mini golf putting course.

Dinner: In the Grand Dining Room, we enjoyed lobster bisque, sirloin steak and salmon supreme. I noticed more variety in options compared to other lines and enjoyed the quality of the food, which is made to order. The dress code on board is country club casual, which was a nice change from the formal requirements on other cruise lines.

Day two: Mykonos

We started the day with cappuccinos and pastries from Baristas, the espresso bar that makes coffee to order and has a nice spread of pastries and light breakfast fare.

We then took a tender to Mykonos for our first shore excursion — ‘Half day at Elia Beach’ which was a 30-minute bus ride from Mykonos. The excursion included three hours at a beautiful beach, with umbrella beds and soft drinks for a relaxing experience. After the beach, we explored Mykonos, which was beautiful but quite crowded. We grabbed gyros from Souvlaki Story, a simple yet delicious meal that satisfied my husband’s cravings, and walked around a bit before heading back to the ship.

Back on board, we enjoyed the afternoon tea at Horizons, with a wide selection of tea, pastries and small sandwiches accompanied by live music. Afterward, I tried the watercolor painting class at the Artist Loft, a free activity that offered small art classes catered to all experience levels.

Dining: Dinner tonight was Toscana — the Italian specialty restaurant on board. Highlights of the meal included tableside olive oil and balsamic vinegar service, a homemade lemon pasta dish curated by Giada de Laurentis and a dessert quarter with tiramisu, cappuccino crème and apricot tart. This was several steps above specialty Italian restaurants I’ve tried on other cruise lines and was a very enjoyable meal.

Day three: Istanbul day one

Prior to arriving in Istanbul, we attended a speaker series where a knowledgeable expert shared the history of Istanbul, which was an excellent primer to the city. We opted for the ‘Istanbul landmarks’ shore excursion to make sure we saw all the key sites in the city. While the tour stated we would only be able to visit the Blue Mosque from the outside, our guide was able to quickly get us inside between prayer time. We also visited Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern and the Hippodrome before ending at the Grand Bazaar, which was an adventure in itself. We started down a side street to get a doner kebab at Donerci Sahin Usta — a local favorite — then explored the shops, spices, and sampled Turkish Delights.

Dining: Tonight, we got into Ember, the new American gastropub concept on board, which is replacing Jacque by Jacque Pepin on newer ships. We heard mixed reviews from others but personally enjoyed the experience, which included mini lobster rolls and an epic brownie sundae.

Day four: Istanbul day two

We were docked in Istanbul from 11 am on day three through 3 pm on day four. Oceania is adding more overnight ports to allow guests to spend more time in each city. We opted to stay on the ship on the second day and took advantage of fewer crowds for the complimentary laundry room and well-equipped fitness center. For lunch, we tried Aquamar Kitchen, which focuses on healthy dining options, and then enjoyed specialty ice cream from Waves Grill. We then enjoyed time at the pool, which had copious lounge chairs and plenty of options in both sun and shade

Dining: We didn’t have luck at any specialty restaurants, so opted to go to Waves Grill wood-fired pizza, which was a nice casual option.

Day five: Ephesus (Kusadasi)

We attended another speaker series this morning to learn about our destination before heading out to our ‘Discover Ephesus with an expert’ excursion to explore the ancient city of Ephesus. Our tour guide was an archaeologist who helped restore some of the ruins and provided an in-depth tour of the museum, Ephesians ruins and the well-restored Terrace Houses. This was a trip highlight for my partner, a history buff.

Dining: Dinner was Polo Grill, the specialty steakhouse, which provided elevated versions of classic dishes, including filet mignon, surf and turf and cheesecake. We opted to purchase a bottle of wine, and received a 15 percent discount on wines with our beverage package.

Day 6: Rhodes

Our excursion in Rhodes was a ‘kayak adventure’ that took us to a few beautiful bays around the island and ended with snorkeling at the beach. Afterwards, we grabbed lunch in Rhodes and walked through the medieval city. This historic area was a fun place to get lost, with cobblestone streets and a mix of touristy shops and authentic local culture.

Dining: We really wanted to get in at Red Ginger this evening, so we waited until 8:30 pm for an opening. It was an exceptional experience worth the wait, with the standout being the miso Chilean sea bass, paired perfectly with their signature tea service.

Day seven: At sea

We started our day at sea with another trip to the fitness center, which was a bit busier than the previous day, as there was a complimentary spin class and a stretching workshop happening. We planned to spend time at the pool but were surprised that all the lounge chairs were occupied — it was honestly the only time where the ship felt busy. We did find chairs at the Aquamar Spa Terrace, which we had access to based on our Concierge class.

Lunch was an adventure, as we signed up for a wine-paired lunch at Ember (additional fee). Highlights of the six-course fond and wine pairing were the caviar with Dom Perignon, and the Chateaubriand with an Ornellaia Bolgheri DOC Super Tuscan.

In the evening, we attended a Passport to Italy cooking class in the Culinary Center. The class was very hands-on, with each participant having an individual station where we made three dishes, paired with wine and cocktails. It was well worth the extra fee, and I left with a recipe book as a keepsake.

Day eight: Valletta, Malta

We did a very small group excursion in Malta to discover ‘Maltese food and wine’, where we visited a sheep farm for freshly made cheese, stopped by a bakery that was popular among locals and enjoyed a farmers lunch with Maltese wine and an olive oil tasting. This was a wonderful immersive experience, part of the Oceania Go Local tour options.

After returning to the city, we explored Valletta, enjoying the scenic views and a self-guided tour of Saint-John’s Co-Cathedral to see their Caravaggio paintings. Afterward, we took the Barrakka Lift as an easy way to descend from Valletta back to the cruise ship area.

Dining: We dined at Red Ginger again, and were impressed that the host and servers remembered us. This time, I enjoyed sushi, lobster avocado salad, soft shell crab tempura and yuzu sorbet. It was another excellent dining experience that solidified Red Ginger as my favorite dining option onboard.

Day nine: Palermo, Sicily

We started the morning exploring historic Palermo on foot, and sampled local street food and Italian cappuccino. In the afternoon, we headed out of town for our ‘Sicilian Wines’ excursion, where we tasted traditional Sicilian wines paired with local foods, like sfincione and cannoli.

Dining: Dinner was Ember again, and we tried the cobb salad, liberty mac and cheese and fish and chips. It was nice to have more American fare as an option after almost two weeks away from home.

Day 10: Salerno (Amalfi Coast)

Due to rough seas, we were unable to tender at Amalfi and instead docked in Salerno. The cruise staff handled the rerouting seamlessly, offering a 30 percent discount on impacted tours and accommodating guests who wished to cancel. Our excursion was ‘Amalfi’s Tramonti Winery and ancient Roman villa’, which was another small tour that was part of Oceania’s food and wine Trails offering. After driving through the winding roads of the Amalfi Coast, we enjoyed a limoncello demonstration plus tasting, and then a quick detour for gelato. We then had a lovely wine lunch at Tramonti Winery, which had generous pours of their full wine offering paired with local cheeses, fresh pasta and a chocolate cake, all made on site.

Dining: We ended the cruise as we started, with dinner in the Grand Dining Room, as all the specialty restaurants were fully booked. The food was high quality, although a bit less exciting than everything else we enjoyed throughout our visit. Overall, I was very happy with the food on Oceania Vista.

Day 11: Disembarkation in Rome

Disembarkation was a breeze, and by 7:30 am, we were on our way. We hired a private driver on our own to take us into Rome, though Oceania offered transportation options as well. I will note that some guests were trying to take the local train, which was about a mile from the port, and the shuttle pick-up times were inconsistent, leading to some frustration. I’m glad we arranged for private transport so we could quickly get to Rome to enjoy a full day in the city.

Best times to travel: Oceania tailors their itineraries to be in locations at the best time of year. We were lucky to travel right after a heat wave so weather was in the 80s (rather than high 90s) and it was also less busy than during the peak summer months of June to August.

Ideal audience: This cruise is geared toward a more mature guest who appreciates food and wine, immersive cultural experiences and a more relaxing time onboard. There are no entertainment options for children, late-night parties, or extravagant shows. We personally didn’t miss any of this because there was so much to do during the day.

Specialty dining: Pro tip - Guests have unlimited access to specialty restaurants based on availability, with four guaranteed reservations that can be booked in advance. We had good luck getting into the specialty restaurants if we opted to dine after 8pm.

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on cruise travel. In need of further inspiration? Check out Lizz Callaway’s guide, A Roman Holiday: A Guide to a Romantic Getaway in Rome.