Marina Review

Almost Perfect...

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Marina
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cruzers j&n
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

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Sail Date: May 2012
Cabin: Deluxe Ocean View

Almost Perfect...

We had the pleasure of sailing w/the Marina on the 'Tuscan Artistry' sailing (Jacques Pepin sailing). By no means are we seasoned cruisers (only 2 previously w/Regent and 1 with a now defunct European line), but we do love to travel internationally and do so frequently. Initially I was concerned that going from Regent (6*, all inclusive) to Oceania (5*, not all inclusive) may be a step down to what we have experienced previously but Oceania was pretty much fantastic and in some ways, better than Regent. Here's a summary of our experience.

Food -- living in the NYC metro area has its advantages, one of which is access to a plethora of excellent dining choices (both fancy and simple). I was really looking forward to the cuisine and it did not disappoint. All meals were good to excellent. Hubby's favorite was Red Ginger by a long shot, mine was Jacques, where I felt the theme was simplicity at its best. While Red Ginger gets the edge for artistic interpretation, I felt it was trying too hard to be creative and make it all work, for example, the chocolate lemongrass crème brulee. For me personally, the dessert combo didn't work, I think they would have been better off combining lemongrass w/vanilla as the chocolate was strong enough of a flavor to compete and detract from the subtle flavor of lemongrass. I did try the duck and watermelon salad and that hit the spot -- excellent albeit a bit salty. Polo and Toscana, while very good, were nothing special to us since we have very similar restaurants in our local area. I've read many blah reviews about the Dining Room (food and slow service) and while the meals weren't out of the world great, they were still very good and I was surprised how quickly everything was served (only one night we had to wait a bit for our dishes and that was the last evening when the dining room was jammed). Perhaps I had low expectations since I read so many complaints prior, who knows, but we enjoyed our time there. The wonderful thing about the dining room was that I truly felt welcomed as the staff were so especially hospitable and seemed happy to have some diners. The Terrace Grill and Waves were consistently good and the Terrace Grill in particular had a very good variety of dishes (breakfast was the same every day though). Don't miss the Baristas, I enjoyed enough cappuccinos and lattes to last me several months.

Cabin Review

Deluxe Ocean View

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