By Jackie Sheckler Finch

I don’t want to spoil the surprise but I’ve never seen this happen. Maybe I just haven’t eaten in the right restaurants.

Oceania Sirena has two specialty restaurants where reservations must be made. There is no extra charge – in fact, there are few extra charges at all on this cruise ship. Most passengers can expect to dine at least once in Red Ginger and once in Tuscan Steak. If the restaurants are not booked up, passengers may be able to reserve another dining adventure. Read more...

By Jackie Sheckler Finch

My cruise had just started when I returned to my stateroom and saw an evaluation form about my journey. Now, I am accustomed to getting evaluation forms at the end of a cruise but not at the beginning.

It does make sense though. If my cruise is over and there is something I could suggest that would have made it more enjoyable for me, it wouldn’t help much to make note of that when my cruise has ended. Read more...

When Matteo Ribecco was a little boy – “maybe three or four years old,” he says, the youngster told his parents he was going to be a world traveler when he grew up.

“I have wanted to do that for as long as I can remember,” Ribecco said.

However, his parents were not sure how their son could fulfill such big goals. Born and raised in Reggio Emilia, a small city in Northern Italy, Ribecco did leave his hometown to study contemporary history at the University of Bologna. Read more...

I dined at Sirena’s specialty restaurant Tuscan Steak and ordered lobster. Why not? I know that Tuscan specializes in steak but I was Just in the mood for a great lobster dinner. I was not disappointed.

Nearby diners said their steaks were great but I also noticed that some looked at my lobster with envy. Plus, I got a wonderful window seat in Tuscan Steak to watch the ocean as I dined. Read more...

By Jackie Sheckler Finch

Most ships have a library of some sort but the Oceania Sirena library is outstanding. It is one of the largest libraries I have ever seen on a ship of any size.

Some might have a small section or a room set aside for books to borrow. One ship even had a part-time librarian who would be in the library room to check out books from the locked bookcases. Of course, you had to make sure to visit that library when the part-time librarian was there or you were out of luck. Read more...