We were on the Marina 3 years ago and was not wowed. This time it had improved tremendously. The food and service was much better. We had one bad meal in the Dining Room and the rest were either good to GREAT! My favorite dining experience was in Toscanno and least favorite specialty was Red Ginger. (It was the opposite last time)
The only negatives were the high price of excursions. We ...
I did so much research in preparation for this cruise so wanted to add detail to help others who are considering Oceana Marina. Overall, I think the trick is to work around the weaknesses of this cruise to get the best experience but for the very high price tag you should not have to do that.
Pros:
-- Excellent itinerary with no sea days, longer days in port, a mix of exotic and sure winner ...
Overall experience
Only good - for the price we paid I felt that the cruise was average.
The ship is elegant, but very dark. Food standards are good but not what you read on the reviews.
Room
We went concierge class which on reflection isn't really worth the extra. A bottle of bubbles on arrival which was average, and access to lounge which is tiny. Canyon ranch deck is good, ...
We chose this itinerary because we were in port every day (hate those 'days at sea!'), sailing from Barcelona to Venice.
Oceania are impressively efficient: if they said we would be berthed in Marseille/Livorno/Naples at 8am, then we were berthed at 8am, with port clearance and the gangway down. By the time we had finished breakfast and put our walking shoes on, the shuttle buses would be waiting ...
Just got home from a lovely cruise with Oceana. First the good... great food especially in the specialty restaurants. This is the best food I have ever had on a cruise, hands down, and we have been on multiple cruises.. The quality and preparation were fabulous. Next positive is the staff. They are so welcoming and friendly. It really makes you feel good to be on the ship.
Suggestions: Make the ...
This was our second cruise. Service, cleanliness, cabins all tip top. Food plentiful, mostly good, but bland. Desserts beautiful but tastes and contents are similar. The menus for the theme restaurants do not seem to change from cruise to cruise, so if you liked "Red Ginger" on your last cruise you'll see the same things on this one. They do take you to smaller ports that bigger ships can't get ...
This was my first Oceania cruise. Previous to sailing on the Marina, I have sailed on Holland America, Princess, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. My husband and I have probably been on 30 cruises. I have to say that this was the best cruise I have ever been on. I enjoyed so many things about this cruise that I am already thinking about booking my next one!
This was the Princes and Palaces Cruise – ...
I sailed on the Oceania Marina on November 10, 2013. The first 5 days went very well. All of the ships employees met expectations. The food was very good and gourmet. The accommodations in a balcony room were spacious, luxurious and comfortable......
Then the bombshell. I became ill and had to see the M.D...or what passes for an M.D. I was in sick-bay for approx. 3 hours and had to receive I.V. ...
My husband and I chose this cruise to meet two requirements– he wanted to go to Rio and I wanted to go on a cruise!
Based on that requirement and the time we were able to go, only Oceania and Regent had itineraries that worked (and they were identical). So based on our TA’s recommendation and our own preferences based on what we’d read on Cruise Critic about both lines, we chose the Marina for ...
For us, this was a alternate Oceania cruise because of medical problems that occurred just before a Oceania Cruise we had book three years ago.
We used Oceania air deviation and flew via BA through Heathrow to Barcelona. We spent two evenings there at Jazz Hotel (great price through Hotel.com and great Hotel, buy the breakfast when booking). We did a day trip to Montserrate which was worthwhile. ...