The Marina is a beautiful ship and we had a great experience. The ports of call were wonderful and overall the food was very good. The staff was exceptional. I would go on the Marina again and overall it is a fantastic experience. As with any review, the "issues" stick out more than the overall wonderful experience.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Getting on was very easy. Walked right in, registered, and got on the boat with no lines or wait.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The Buffet was perhaps the best I have encountered. Food served to you by staff, fresh grill items, great assortment.
The main dining room was good, but not exceptional.
The specialty restaurants were a mixed bag. Jacques was exceptional. Polo Grill was a place I would not go back to ( 2 not so great experiences). Tuscany was very good but not exciting. The real star was Red Ginger. One of the best at sea experiences I have ever had.
If you go to a specialty restaurant be prepared to be eating in very close quarters. They are small and filled to capacity. Don't expect an intimate experience.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Pool was nice, the Spa and Private Sun Deck were great, and the fitness center was excellent
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We loved the band in Horizons, heard good things about the shows, and enjoyed the general level of activities ( Trivia, Karaoke, etc,)
Children's Programs
Oceania warns you not to bring kids. There were still about 40 of them. They were bored.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Everyone was fantastic. We had a suite with a butler who could not do enough for us. He arranged for an extra specialty restaurant reservation ( hard to get), and when we could not get into Jacques we ordered off their menu and he served us course by course. Breakfast in the room was served hot and on time.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Nice set up. The color scheme lacked imagination. Apparently the "owners" daughter did the interior design scheme and it was underwhelming. All areas were clean and well maintained. In fact, we had a small area of rust on our balcony about the size of a dollar bill. My wife mentioned it to someone, and there was a crew there the next day to paint the affected areas. Beyond expectations! One odd thing was that the ceilings in many of the dining areas were very low. Strange design.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Room was well laid out and organized. The walk in closet was amazing. The bathroom was large and well laid out. The only thing we did not like was the lack of a dining table on the veranda. They use a small and useless table on the veranda that serves no real purpose. We missed having breakfast on the veranda. That was a big disappointment to us.
Ship tip
Go for the suite. Skip the drink package and spend the money on the room. Also, be cautious about anything you are told about using services not provided by the ship. Book you own tours and make arrangements for your own shuttles and hotels if needed.
Wow! The highlight of the trip. Hire your own tour and don't listen to the scare tactics that the firm uses to get you to take the over priced excursions they offer on the ship. We had no issue with getting off the ship and our tour was fantastic. The ballet was a great add on.
We had several issues that distracted from the trip. First, they want you out of your room prior to the time you disembark. You need to hang around the common areas. Next, we felt like we were lied to about transportation services. We were "warned" that a Taxi would be hard to get and we should sign up for the large bus that would take us to town. The rate for one person on the buss was more than the cost of the taxi for 4 of us. We walked off the ship and got a taxi from the line of about 20 that were waiting. As with other extras on the trip we felt the cruise line was very expensive and we were not given accurate information.
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