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Dublin

I've cruised before, but my husband had not.  I wanted to take an excellent cruise to convince him this is a great way to vacation.  It worked; we booked another cruise before this cruise ended.

We choose our own air and own pre-cruise hotel, because he travels a lot we had lots of points to use.  We took a bus tour to Stonehenge on our way to Southampton.  It was enough time for a quick visit to the site and we met some of our fellow passengers too.

Embarkation was a breeze, our PH room was ready when we boarded the ship.  

Our cabin 10014 was lovely.  Plenty of space and storage in bathroom and closet.  We really enjoyed the private deck and we know we'll never sail without one.  We realized we didn't need all the room space, we can get a smaller room for our next trip.  

There are so many different common areas that we could always find a place to spend time and we didn't want to stay in our room.  Our favorite spot was a sparsely populated enclosed balcony on 14.  It has double occupancy lounge chairs. We liked the library and the lectures were very informative.  Like most guests, we weren't impressed by the entertainment.   

We choose Oceania primarily because of its food reputation.  We enjoyed most meals.  Jacques was the best restaurant on board.  The drink prices weren't as daunting as we expected.  The wine list isn't long or impressive, but there was just enough to enjoy.  

We found Oceania's shore excursions are expensive and limited in scope.  We joined other guests for Overlord tour in Normandy and highly recommend that touring company. Fortunately, most ports were walking distance to the city's downtown, so we walked around a lot on our own.  

Service was fantastic.  British Air lost my luggage, and the concierge was very helpful in trying to locate it (we never did, but that was British Air's mistake, not Oceania's)

Oceania Marina a pleasure for first time cruiser

We loved this cruise. The only criticism that I have is that the entertainment was subpar for the most part, compared to other cruises we have taken.  We saw a couple of the production shows, and were not impressed at all. 

The port talks given by Terry Bishop we very informative and entertaining - we looked forward to them just about very day.  We also saw him sing, and perform with Blue Weaver, and that was our entertainment highlight. 

The service was terrific.  After the first morning, we were greeted by name in the main dining room at breakfast.  With the exception of one meal, every venue had great service.  

The food was outstanding!  We ate at the 4 specialty restaurants, and loved them all.  Red Ginger was especially beautiful and well appointed.  

The shore excursions we booked though Oceania were all of high quality.

I would not hesitate to travel on this line again!

Terrific cruise, great staff, food amazing

This would have to be the most difficult review I have undertaken and I know many of you will find it hard to believe, that the following occurred on our first cruise with Oceania, on the fairytales and folklore Baltic cruise.

As a past cruiser with Seabourn, Regent and Celebrity, I looked forward to experiencing Oceania on what was, a wonderful 19 day itinerary along the Baltic region. Regrettably, it was a nightmare from check in to check out.

The start of our cruise was the worst I have ever experienced in any form of travel. Check in, was simply disgraceful. In brief, some 150 cruisers who booked this cruise leg, were not on the passenger register list provided by head office in Miami. Accordingly, they and we, were not allowed on the ship. 

All affected cruisers were forced to stand aside and wait in a small confined corner of the pier entry, like we were naughty children, whilst the crew debated with English border force and attempted to determine what the problem was.

During this time, no one from Oceania sparred any time to consider all those waiting in disgusting conditions. The necessities of life, like getting some water, food, additional space or chairs for those affected, especially the elderly and frail amongst them, did not even enter their minds, over the 3 to 4 hour period. Totally incompetent and that is understating it !

Some of those who waited and waited, desperately required the use of toilets, but were hesitant to leave, in the event, they would be called and permitted to enter the ship. It was quite sad to witness this situation, in my normal occupation as General Manager/President of a large construction company and distressing to many of those cruisers affected. I saw two women so distressed they started crying as they feared they would not be allowed on the ship. Terrible.

Personally, after witnessing this debacle continuing for far too long, I requested the attendance of the captain, cruise director and general manager on 4 separate occasions, as the current crew team were overwhelmed and simply incompetent. My requests were unsuccessful and denied. It was bewildering and beyond belief that my request was denied.

In a desperate attempt to get someone to view what was happening to all those affected and the level of distress exhibited, I called the Oceania 24 hour emergency line, to which no one answered. I could not believe it, no one answered. So, no leadership present, no assistance to those long suffering affected cruisers and now, no available emergency support. How does this happen in today's world ?

In a totally frantic environment, the crew started to issue ship passes on a progressive basis, with no apparent order at all, where some cruisers who had waited for 1 hour entered and others including us waited for 3. My pass was printed twice, with them calling our names as we finally started climbing the gangway. Honestly, it was a circus, a disgraceful and incompetent one at that.

But it doesn't stop there, it got worse.

Once on the ship, not only was there no record of our (and others) attendance on the cruise, all excursions pre booked were gone, with other cruisers booking those apparent available spots. All reservations for the speciality restaurants were also gone, with similar double booking occur. Once affected cruisers found this out, well you can imagine the anger was at boiling point !

But it continues, yes, it only gets worse, the Oceania provided ship credits were also lost and finally, no access to the Internet was provided due to the lack of records. To compound all this, as many were not recorded as cruisers, their rooms were simply not made as they were recorded as empty.

What an incompetent administration effort on behalf of Oceania Miami head office. It is clearly obvious, that the data which is transferred at the end of each cruise with the new cruise data, was incomplete. But when the crew tried to review this matter with Miami, due to time difference, no one was available. Remember that unanswered emergency call I mentioned earlier. Unbelievable !

To top it off, once ship had sailed, I received a call from reception seeking some of my passport details, as was required from others on the ship. I enquired why ? Then, what exactly do you require ?. It so happens that no passport details were on record, even though I had provided these 12 months ago and confirmed before departure from home.

So this ship, the Marina, left port, with the Captain, not being aware of the complete details of all his cruisers and corresponding luggage on his ship. Tell me, what captain of a ship, plane or any vessel, allows a depart unless there is a complete and accurate inventory list of every single person on this ship. What crew member after noting the problem, not contact each affected cruisers immediately enquiring for these vital details, BEFORE the ship leaves. 

Simply, in today's world of security risk, there is no other way to describe this breach other than a fundamental failure in all the required security protocols and such is the seriousness of this breach, I will be advising the authorities of it, as it should not happen, never, ever. I condemn all responsible for this fundamental breach of our security.

Not only did Captain Leo Strazicic not attend or enquire of the suffering cruisers which still astounds me, but in the 10 days of the first leg of this cruise, I never saw him walking around the ship, attending the captains cocktail function, nothing !

After a wave of complaints, at times heated abuse from those affected, numerous meetings which continued for 4 to 5 days after departure, finally, Oceania acted in their view, where they provided a $ 150 credit. You have got to be joking ? As one cruiser said to me, "I drank that in an hour to try and calm my nerves !"

How does $ 150 per suite resolve the lost feeling that you normally feel, when you walk onto the ship embarking on your next cruise. How does it compensate the tears that numerous women shed, in this totally confusing and challenging environment ? How does this support Oceania motto, "your world, your way"

The lack of compassion and attentive care was breathtaking. The captain, the cruise director, destination manager, no one cared, then it all clicked when the second leg started, Captain Leo Stratzicic, Mr Peter Roberts (cruise director) and Mr Peter Morris (destination service manager) all departed for their breaks, which I'm sure they will enjoy, unlike us.

Oceania lacked, without doubt or fear of error, the understanding of what determines the point of difference between all other cruise lines. That being, personal care for your cruise experience and attention to ensuring you are happy. 

Simple things like, no glass of refreshing juice, water, cold towel, whilst you check in. Returning from excursions, no refreshments and welcoming crew members. At the pool, at bars, a lack of serving staff to provide drinks which is puzzling given they charge you for drinks.

A bottle of champagne is provided in our penthouse suite, which honestly, we didn't even open, the moment of happiness being on another cruise was gone. I was dreading what we just went through and wondered what we would be confronted with in the future.

The direct crew that deals with you on a daily basis, such as our butler, the waiters, they all try to do the best, but obviously lack the necessary level of training that is consistent with Oceania's promoted alleged level of personal service. They were poorly supported and let down by their leaders. 

The reception desk is difficult, probably due to abuse they had received by frustrated cruisers. Restaurant reservations frankly, was useless, not able to assist with any simple request for instance, altering a restaurant reservation. It was simply too hard for them. It was so poor, I felt that they simply, did not care. We had better success with the managers.

As mentioned earlier, excursions office was incompetent and dismissive of a number of cruisers who had lost their booked trips. I witnessed the manager, Mr Peter Morris, not even batting an eyelid, when a woman who had booked and paid for 14 excursions, commenced crying. Needless to say her husband was justifiably annoyed with the lack of required compassion and care. Hell after they left, I expressed my view that his conduct was disgraceful and how could he make women cry ? Again, didn't bat an eyelid !

The only positive I can express on Oceania, is on the food side, it is very good, especially the speciality restaurants. Red Ginger (Asian) an absolute highlight for me, followed closely by Jacques (French cuisine), then Toscana (Italian) and Polo Grill. All these require reservations.

So, after all this, honestly, I just wanted to get off this ship, the experience had ruined our holiday, a $ 28,000 AUD cruise holiday. And even then, I couldn't get off the damn thing. Disembarking was an absolute disgrace as well ! 

Here we are, over 1 hour late, hundreds of people jammed in tight, on the 5th floor, desperately trying to get off, but we could not, as the luggage was not totally removed off the ship. The new cruise director, David, apologising to all, but everyone had simply, had enough. 

To top it off, a large contingent of Chinese cruisers, who pushed, rudely bullied there way like a thundering heard of cattle throughout the second leg, ignored the pleas of David as he told them they had to wait. Again, I saw a woman suffering anxiety as she was so concerned she would miss her plane flight home. No one there to help, guide, or lead. Again I took upon myself to make way so she could at least get off as quick as possible. 

Then it was mass hysteria trying to get a cab, as everyone got off at once rather than a programmed and time consumed manner. Again, no one to direct cruisers, no indication where your bags were, amongst the thousand stored. A total and absolute disgrace.

This unforgivable conduct, unprofessionalism, incompetency and total disregard to the safety and well being of its clients, I place at the steps of senior management who lacked clear leadership, ability to make decisions with the necessary compassion and understanding to act immediately upon discovery of fundamental failures, all of which they caused. Every single one of them.

And it starts from the top, from head office in Miami which I will be clearly expressing to Mr Jason Montagne, their president upon my return.

So would I return back to Oceania, definitely not. Even if they were the only cruise line on earth. 

I will be returning back to the excellent service of Seabourn and Regent cruises, where at least, you are treated as a valued customer, for the same cost of this sad and terrible cruise experience.

If you want the Oceania type of casual service, do yourself a favour, go to Celebrity cruises for at least half the cost and be actually treated better rather than be treated as a herd of sheep.

From Check In to Check Out, An Absolute Debacle

We are the sort of cruisers who bring our own water bottles, a 12 pack of water and flavored drink packets to avoid the $4.50+ bar charge most cruise lines impose on passengers for just a bottle of water. Oceania is a different "animal". We were delighted to find that bottled water, smoothies, malts & shakes, espresso and latte were all part of the cruise price. The Ship was clean, well maintained and easy to navigate around. We really enjoyed the speciality dining and the food portions were perfect. Our inside cabin was adequate in size, beds comfortable and the shower just a little too small for my Texas size husband. Cabin service was excellent. We never felt the ship move. All staff were very well trained and friendly. We met the most interesting people who were well traveled, mostly retired and primarily Canadian or American. Many of them had been on the ship on the New York to Dover cruise, were doing the Dover to Copenhagen, and then continuing on into the Baltic Sea. This not a ship for families with teens or younger as they have no scheduled activities. We will definitely cruise with Oceania again, but will opt for a larger cabin.

Experienced Cruisers Enjoyed this upgraded travel

This will likely be one of the most memorable cruises of all of those we've ever taken. I wish to thank everyone at Oceania from Frank Del Rio on down. You guys are wonderful.



Ship:

Of course, the Marina was virtually brand new-and quite beautiful. Very spacious-even more so than the Oceania R-Ships. We sailed with less than 1,200 on a 65,000 gross ton ship, so venues were very uncrowded and there was never really a line or wait for anything—Except the tenders in tender ports-which was fairly frustrating at times as those of us on private tours were delayed leaving the ship while they got all of the shore excursions off first.



The Grand Dining Room was very ample with tables always open. Each of the four main specialty restaurants was very nicely done.



Unlike the R-Ships, the Marina finally has a real dedicated theater-style showroom. Some people may like the lounge seating of the R-ships to this, but, to seat enough people for a ship this size, this is the right way to do it. The walkways in front of each row of seats was sufficiently wide enough to allow people to pass without forcing anyone seated to stand and the viewing angles were pretty good from most seats. The only questionable part, IMHO, were the desk-type tables that pulled up out of the armrests-a little too tight for most of us overeating cruise passengers. Of course, I never saw many people using these.



Cabin:

We were in one of the "Oceania Suites"--#12006. What can I say? One of the best and best thought-out suites I have ever seen on a ship. I could live in this suite. Living/Dining Room, TV Room, Bedroom, more than ample walk-in closet, two bathrooms (Though every husband we met said the same thing—the wife pretty much took over the "big" bathroom and the husbands all ended up permanently relegated to the "guest" bathroom!). Private (one-person) Jacuzzi on the balcony with a big screen TV over the Jacuzzi! Very nice-sized bar came fully stocked with a bottle of Bacardi Rum, Grey Goose Vodka, Black Label Scotch, a red and a white wine and a bottle of Gin (which I quickly traded for a second bottle of scotch!). My only real issue with the suite was that there were so many light switches that it usually took me 20 minutes to figure out how to turn off all of the lights. My wife's issue was that there seemed to be constant whistling from the bedroom sliding glass door on windy nights. Of course, I slept right through it.



Service:

The dining room and specialty restaurant service was even better than I recall from past Oceania cruises, if that is possible. Grand Dining Room staff was excellent, very accommodating—never a problem. Specialty restaurants, of course, were a step above. Our "team" taking care of us in our suite—Butler Ravi and the Assistant Butler (whose name suddenly escapes me) were always available to fill all requests, and our Cabin Steward, Jahaira and her two assistants were just flat-out excellent..



Food:

Food, of course, was the highlight of the cruise. And, this, of course, was the "Jacques Pepin cruise". Jacques was staying just down the hall from us and we were invited one night to La Reserve for dinner with Jacques and his wife and his Sous Chef, Jean-Claude and his wife and a few other passengers. Absolutely the most incredible dinner experience. Appetizers and champagne, followed by six incredible courses with a wine paired to each one: Scallop, Risotto, a Fish dish, Chateaubriand, Pear and Goat Cheese and a Chocolate Mousse topped gateau. Three and a half hours of sheer pleasure and great conversation.



We also had eight specialty reservations, two in each of the main four, and we managed to squeeze in an extra at Toscana for our final night—a very special final dinner onboard with two couples with whom we had shared most of our private tours.



I think of all of the specialty restaurants (aside from La Reserve), Toscana was my clear favorite. Starting with the choice of Olive Oils and Balsamic vinegars and through the meal, everything was outstanding. And the Veal Scaloppine Marsala my favorite dish on the ship. And, the Pennette San Gimignano as a "side dish" was incredible—I could have eaten that as a full meal and been very happy. Of course, the other specialty restaurants were each very good in their own right. Red Ginger was a big hit with everyone. Very well done. Get the Sushi as an appetizer.



Entertainment: Food, of course, was the high point—and, as usual with Oceania, Entertainment was the most disappointing area—Although, it was actually a considerable improvement from our past Oceania cruises. With the dedicated stage and showroom, they now had a troupe of singers and dancers (four of each) putting on actual "production shows" with costume changes and some variety. Not quite up to the par of the production shows one sees on other cruise lines, but definitely a worthy bit of entertainment. We especially enjoyed Jennifer, from New Jersey-one of the young singers. They did the "Welcome" show and three other full productions plus participated in other activities around the ship.

The spotlight performers were a mixed bag:

Artur Banaskiewicz - Violinist: He did two shows before leaving mid-cruise. He was good at what it is he does, but two full shows of gypsy music on the violin is far too much for me. I think I found his manner of speaking and accent more entertaining than the music.

Danny Buckler - Magician/Comedian: As a magician, his act was fairly pedestrian. Small time magic starting with the trite and obvious "Indian Rope Trick". But, as a comedian, this guy was clearly the most entertaining act on the ship. Great rapport with the crowd, quick delivery and reaction. Absolutely charming. Two shows.

Agata Sava - Soprano. Two shows. We missed her first show as we were in La Reserve for a long evening, but, after seeing her second show, we were more than happy that we missed the first. Absolutely excruciating—a soprano who had trouble hitting the high notes. And a style reminiscent of the Bride of Frankenstein in a full body cast. No movement, little expression—and an accent and delivery that made it sound as if she did not speak English—at all. Sounded as if she'd memorized the lyrics by sound or phonetics. The worst.

Bruce Parker "California Soul Man": Two shows (we missed the second). He was actually quite good—very energetic. Sort of the Anti-Agata Sava. Moved around the stage, involved the audience. Really worked it. If there was a problem, it was in the material and the audience. This was, quite simply, not an R&B/Motown crowd. And, among all of the available R&B/Motown material, he tended to pick some of the more obscure songs—not good to do with a crowd who isn't into that style of music and only knows the "big hits".

Don Bryan - Ventriloquist: I've seen his act before—must have been on Nautica. Decent Ventriloquist, funny enough act with a couple of entertaining twists



The nights in Le Verdon, Cadiz and Livorno, there was no real show.



Ports:



HONFLEUR - 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.: We didn't really have an interest in doing a long D-Day beaches tour here and we'd been to Rouen and Giverny on a recent cruise stop, so we decided to just walk around Honfleur, visited the Boudin Museum and returned to the ship in the afternoon. Picturesque little town. 



SAINT-MALO - 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.: Here we did a private tour with a party of eight to Mont St. Michel, Dinan and Saint Malo with Westcapades for 80€ pp. Our guide was Marc, the owner of the company. He did a very nice job of providing commentary on the way to Mont St. Michel in the morning. Having left the ship promptly upon arrival, we beat most of the crowds to this site. Very impressive old monastery. Then it was on to Medieval Dinan. Very nice little town, free time and lunch, then back over to St. Malo, where we parted ways with Marc and walked through the walled city, then tendered back to the ship. One key here with the early start was to report to the showroom ahead of the time the first of the ship's shore excursions was to depart—so we were able to get tender tickets for the first tender while the shorex participants were still amassing.



http://www.westcapades.com/english.php



PONT AVEN - 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.: It was raining a good portion of the day, so we just spent some time wandering around Concarneau. Very touristy little town-walled medieval city—a short walk from the tender pier.



LA ROCHELLE - 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.: This is one of only two ports where we took a shore excursion—"Saintes & Cognac", a full day tour for $199 per person—not bad as shorexes go—we had a nice little visit to La Rochelle, then Saintes and then a tour of the Hennessey Cognac distillery with tastings. Only real negative was 38 people on the tour.



BORDEAUX - 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. -Here we had a simply marvelous tour with Maryse of Bordeaux Excursions, party of 8 for 118.75€ per person. Maryse picked us up at the pier in Le Verdon and drove us to two wineries in the morning-- chateau LOUDENNE www.lafragette.com - Crû Bourgeois of Medoc - also called the "Pink Chateau" for its outstanding XVIIth Century architecture and château LYNCH-BAGES in Pauillac, listed in the 1855 Classification Medoc Wines www.lynchbages.com, then lunch at "brasserie" LE CAFE LAVINAL www.villagedebages.com

After lunch, we continued through Saint-Julien and Margaux vineyards with stops for pictures by the renowned chateaux (Pichon, latour, margaux, etc...)

Then on to Bordeaux for a walking tour through the city. Maryse is one of the best guides we've had.



http://www.bordeaux-excursions.com/-English-



BIARRITZ - 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. - Actually, the port is St. Jean de Luz. We had nothing planned here. We thought we might take a taxi to Bayonne or Biarritz, but we found the town of St. Jean so charming that we spent the day here instead. Took the little tourist train (5€ per person) for an orientation of the city, then just walked around on our own.



BILBAO - 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.: Here we decided to do the city on our own. A free Oceania shuttle took us to the center of town from where we walked to the "Casco Viejo"—The Old City, then around the riverfront to the Guggenheim Museum. There are three very interesting and distinct bridges across the river near the Guggenheim. We crossed the river on the first, then took the elevator to the top of the second and came back across the river on the third, getting some incredible photos on this route.



LA CORUNA - 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.: Here we hired a private tour for six of us with Brendan Lowe of Guided Galicia. Brendan is an expatriate Kiwi living in Vigo—very nice guy. We went, in the morning to the Pilgrimage city of Santiago de Compostela through the church, market and town, then on to Cambados for lunch, then to the town of Betanzos then back to La Coruña and a visit to the Tower of Hercules -Cost for the tour was 91.67€ per person. 



http://guidedgalicia.blogspot.com/p/cruise-tours.html



OPORTO - 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.: Here we were supposed to do our second shorex—"The Medieval City of Guimaraes" (half day, $119 pp), but the city was completely fogged in and they could not dock the ship—so, disappointingly, we missed this port altogether. 



CADIZ - 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.: We had a party of 10 here on a private tour to Seville with Cadiz and Beyond for 85€ per person. It was, by far, the hottest day of the cruise—46 Celsius/114 Fahrenheit. Our guide in Seville was excellent and the visit to the Cathedral and the Palace was quite interesting. No way we walk up the Giralda Tower in that heat though! Still, Seville is an enchanting city.



http://www.cadizandbeyond.com/CruiseTourClubRollCall/tabid/167/Default.aspx/



CASABLANCA - 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.: Here we booked a private tour for six with travel exploration Morocco for a cost of $108 per person, payable in advance by credit card in US$. Our guide, Redouane, met us at the ship and took us to the Mosque, the Synagogue and an open air market and on a driving tour through the city. Both the Mosque and Synagogue were impressive, each in their own way, but most in our party were not thrilled with the market or the city itself—sort of filthy with crazy traffic.



http://www.travel-exploration.com/page.cfm/About_Travel_Exploration



BARCELONA - 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.: After several visits here, we know Barcelona so well that we did not see a need for a tour. This visit, we made it a point to visit a couple of sites we've neglected in last visits. We, basically, wandered through the Barri Gotic, visiting the Synagogue (Oldest in Europe and rediscovered only a few years ago) and the Cathedral, then a visit to El Corte Ingles and a stroll down Las Ramblas. 



MONTE CARLO - 12:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.: Here we did a private tour with a party of 8 visiting the towns of Grasse (and the Fragonard Perfume Factory), Gourdon and St. Paul de Vence. St. Paul is one of my favorite towns in France-incredibly picturesque. Cost was 65€ per person.



privateshoretrips.com 



LIVORNO - 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.: This was our second shore excursion—"Pisa - Lucca - Puccini", approximately 10 hours for $179 per person. After an interesting visit to the home of the composer Puccini, we visited the beautiful walled city of Lucca and the wonderful Pisa with its Leaning Tower and other landmarks. Only 16 passengers on this tour and a very good guide, making it one of the better shore excursions.



ROME - Here, we joined a group of eight for a tour of the main sights of Rome with Valerio Nacci of NCC. For only 50€ per person, he picked us up at the ship and took us to the Vatican, Trevi, Piazza Navona, Vittorio Emanuel, Pantheon and Coliseum, then dropped us off at our hotel and returned the others (who were doing back-to-backs) to the ship in Civitavecchia. Very much worth the price.



http://www.nccportodicivitavecchia.it/en/index.asp

http://it-it.facebook.com/people/Valerio-Nacci/100000180156934



Pre-Cruise: 

We flew into Heathrow several days before the cruise, rented a car and spent four nights in Canterbury, staying at the House of Agnes:

http://www.houseofagnes.co.uk/

Excellent little bed and breakfast. It's a centuries-old B&B, but we had a very modern and newly built-out "stable room" for £80 per night. The place was very well run with an excellent breakfast. There was ample convenient on-site parking though the driveway was a little difficult to navigate. The location was right outside the main West Gate to the old walled city so everything was in close walking distance. Canterbury turned out to be an outstanding choice for a pre-cruise stay. Much nicer than the industrial Dover, yet within a half hour drive of the port. We took a charming river boat ride one morning, visited the Cathedral the next and took a drive out to the picturesque town of Sandwich the third. Other than that, we just relaxed, walked about the town, ate, shopped and enjoyed.



Post-Cruise:

We spent two nights in Rome post cruise at the Residenza Farnese:

http://www.residenzafarneseroma.it/

A steal at 120€ per night. One of the absolute best locations in Rome. About a block from the Campo di Fiore and about three blocks from the Piazza Navona on a quiet side street. The Campo di Fiore is now one of my favorite piazzas in all of Rome. A vibrant piazza lined with several very reasonably priced restaurants with ample outdoor seating. We ate in two of them:

Maranega:

http://millerrome2011.blogspot.com/2011/04/new-addition-to-campo-de-fiori.html

and

Sloppy Sam's:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sloppy-Sams/101906753220836?v=info



I had pasta in both and both were VERY good. It is hard to beat the outdoor tables on the Campo. My wife loved the Gelato at Blue Ice. They have not one, but two, locations within a block of each other on the road leaving the Campo in the direction of the Piazza Navona.



All in all, this was an absolutely GREAT cruise. 

Having read much about Oceania's newest ship, we decided to see for ourselves, and a cruise from dover, around the edges of the Bay of Biscay, seemed an ideal opportunity, visiting ports we knew well from land-based travel.



Embarkation was swift and efficient, but rather disconcertingly we did not have to produce any ID until we were aboard the ship.



We found our way to our cabin, wondering why there was no "welcome aboard" glass of fizz, and found ourselves in a delightful, elegant balcony cabin, with wonderfully comfortable bed, beautiful bed linen, comfy sofa and marble bathroom , complete with both showere and tub. Storage was not the best feature,as drawers were shallow, and wardrobe awkwardly placed alongside the bed. for a cruise line selling itself as 5* we were surprised to find no bottle of champagne on ice, basket of fruit or flowers, but the minibar wa stocked with soft drinks and bottled waters, which were replaced daily, and a plate of fruit was soon delivered, on request. 



The ship has wonderful decor,with a fabulous Laligue stairway, lalique vases and tables in bays off the main lobby, and delightful abstract sculptures in hallways and landings. The main dining room , large, well lit and airy, has an incredible central crystal chandelier, and touches of classy elegance abound throughout all loung areas. The large lounge areas had delightful sofas, comfortable chairs and love seats, softly lit by elegant crystal lamps



Dining is a main event on Marina, with a choice of 7 dining venues which incur no extra charge, from the Grand Dining room, a grill and roomy Terrace cafe, serving huge choices of wonderful quality food, to 4 themed speciality restaurants, of which we liked the more atmospheric Asian -fusion Red Ginger the best. Each restaurant had its own chefs, and offered varied quality menus, and a reasonably efficient level of good service from teams of friendly waiters. 

If celebrating a special occasion, or as a treat, Marina offers wonderful tasting menus in La Reserve, a joint venture with Wine Spectator at a cost of $75, which we thought amazing, with dishes comparable to any Michelin restaurant in London. 



The one negative aspect to Marina is the low standard of entertainment, with shows delivered by an enthusiastic small team, doing their best with poor costumes and staging in a dull, low-ceiling-ed show lounge, which had absolutely no wow factor, no glitz, and was not very comfortable. the same entertainment team also organised the daily deck activities, tasks they did with good humour and good organisation. Alternative shows were offered by a poor comedian and a mediocre magician. 

Enrichment lectures, were often port lectures under another name, with, disappointingly, no well-known guest speakers, which we had hoped for on a ship of this calibre.

A lovely library kept many passengers happy, with its club atmosphere, comfortable leather chairs, and huge choice of books, and it was a delight to find a busy coffee bar next door, offering lattes, cappuccino and juices. The nearby Internet centre was little used, due to the high cost 



Deck areas were lovely, with a decent size pool, two hot tubs, excellent sunbeds and curved rattan loungers, all laid with snowy towels. 



Atop the ship is a delightful, wide, forward facing Horizons lounge, with small dance floor, and ample seating, served by a busy bar, the place to which many passengers gravitated pre and post dinner, with live music provided for those wishing to dance. 

Also facing forward is an incredible, spacious spa, with many treatments on offer, gorgeous relaxing areas, including one outside, complete with hot tub, and well trained, discrete staff. 

ELEGANCE AND CLASS

This was our first Oceania cruise. We were treated like royalty from the moment we boarded. Our Penthouse 3 was as delightful as advertised. Only problem was "their" hairdryer didn't stay in the plug, but I had my own, so no problem. The bed was so heavenly, we are actively seeking where to buy one. The bathrooms are outstanding with actual storage for your "stuff." We were on Deck 10. Other reviewers have mentioned an issue with Deck 11 due to the overhang above it, and I agree. I would not book Deck 11 on Marina or the new Riveria.

I had thought I wouldn't like having a butler - wrong! Bosco was terrific. He saw to it that we ate in the specialty dining venues as many times as we wanted. All were great, but I think we liked Toscano best. We took advantage of both "La Reserve" and "Privee." At $75 each, La Reserve is well worth it, both for the wines and the superb food. Privee, though pricey, is so over-the-top that a special occasion may warrant the $1000 for 8 that it costs. An additional 2 dinners were extra special for us: dinner with the captain one night, and with several of the performers another night.

Without question, the personal attention of the crew was what made this cruise. The ship is gorgeous - tasteful but not ostentatious - but the attention to detail is what put it into the 6 star category for us.

We opted for the ship's shore excursions, simply because we didn't know enough to make our own arrangements. Though pricey, we felt they were pretty good overall. Thanks to amazing weather, we were able to enjoy every excursion thoroughly.

Kudos to the entertainment team. The 4 dancers were skilled, but also delightful performers and really fun to get to know off stage as well. The singers were all quite good, especially Heather and the operatic Chris. "Con Molto" was the best show, by far.

We spent a week in England before the cruise and a couple of days after, highlighting cathedrals and the historic area around Sailsbury, Portsmouth and Canterbury. I used Tripadvisor to find all our boutique hotels and inns and was completely pleased.

Renting a car is an experience. Driving on the left side is not an easy transition! I think we'll hire a driver next time :)

We are in our mid-late 60's, and were fairly young for this cruise, or so it felt. Not many young people overall. Though we still work, most folks we met were retired. We did make some wonderful new friends - always a bonus.

The "country club casual" dress code seems to have given way to a dressier look in the evenings for most women, and a high number of jackets for the men. Luggage arrived promptly and there was ample space to stow tons of clothes. We took advantage of the self-service laundry twice - very easy. 

Embarkation and disembarking was a snap. 

Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend Marina. Just wish Oceania would go the "all-inclusive" route. 

Marina and her Crew are FABULOUS!

Everything about this trip was outstanding. From the moment we landed at Heathrow things started rolling smoothly. We were driven the The Millennium Mayfair Hotel in a chauffer driven limo. Our hotel was very comfortable & wonderfully located. All pre-cruise arrangements were made by Oceania. They did a fine job!!!





The Mariner is a beautiful ship. The cabins are well appointed, roomy in fact, with plenty of storage space. The bathroom is large, with a shower that could be larger & an unnecessary tub. The shampoo, lotions, etc. are of excellent quality & beautifully presented.





All of the public areas on Marina are attractive & comfortable. The Library is quiet, comfortable & very well stocked.





All of the dining venues are attractive. I think the the weakest link in the operation is The Main Dining Room. They seem to get overwhelmed. I must admit that when I complained, the matter was given immediate attention. I think that the staff really wants to excell. The Terrace Cafe was wonderful as were all of the speciality restaurants.





We enjoyed the evening entertainment - both speciality acts & production shows.





I think that the ship tours are very pricey. We got together with some CC folks on our thread & did 2 tours for less than half the price.





Our ports of call were every interesting & not too crowded. The weather prevented us from going into 2 ports. The sea days were welcome & the staff adjusted very quickly to a totally new schedule. Well done!!!!! 





We met some very nice folks, had a lot of fun, won $ on the penny slots & look forward to cruising again with Oceania.  

An Outstanding Adventure

We boarded Marina in Dover on the above cruise and were looking forward to sailing on this new ship after some reasonable reviews and reports from fellow sailors.

Our embarkation in Dover was fabulous and we went to our cabin immediately and found it extremely nice.

Unfortunately we did not meet our stewardess for a day or so and then only found her by accident.



We found several faults with design and also the policy on Marina is much different to Insignia who we had sailed with a few days earlier.

The bathroom is a shocker with a huge bath and the most tiny shower. I am of average build but with the massive shower head (8inches diameter) and the hand rails made it a terrible task to shower.



The bathroom itself is a good size and there is no need to have such a small shower recess.

The cabins are nice and the beds are very comfortable.



We were very disappointed in the Staff, the cruise director was rarely heard only announcements over the ships TV and none in the cabin, the Captain came on at midday when everyone was ashore and many of the staff are poorly trained.



The food was good and the specialist restaurants are quite good too. We found the French restaurant the best.

The Terrace was a nightmare always full of people and the way Oceania serve their meals would suit some but not all.



The Itiniery was good and very busy there wee only 2 sea days which didn't allow much shipboard time if you were going ashore each day.



Oceania's dress code is good but we found that that is the reason why most cruisers on this line love the

Line and do not consider the others. The prices on Marina were much more expensive than on Insignia and both ships charge a very high rate on drinks and laundry.



I doubt we will cruise on Oceania again we love the Seabourn and Crystal ships for their personal rate of service and inclusions.



Overall it was a good cruise but I think Oceania needs to look very closely at their staff training, they are very friendly but lack in many other ways. 

Northern Nights Circumnavigating British Isles

We sailed on the Treasures of the Continent 12-day cruise embarking and returning to Dover (London) on July 29-August 10. Ports were: Amsterdam, Zeebrugge, Le Havre/Honfleur, Guernsey Island, St. Malo, La Rochelle, Le Verdon and Santander. Two ports were omitted due to seas and weather, those being Concarneau and St. Jean de Luz/Biarritz. The cruise was to celebrate a special birthday and it was a magnificent way to do so. 



We did book the optional 2-night pre-cruise stay in London through Oceania and stayed at the Millenium Mayfair hotel. It was a lovely option including a half-day bus tour of London (it was our first time there, so we appreciated this offering). The hotel was comfortable and in a quiet location adjacent to Grosvenor Square. Their in-house restaurant was honestly fantastic (we had heard the horror stories of food in London). We stayed in for dinner the first night due to jet-lag and had an Italian meal we're still talking about. Their breakfast buffet was varied and delicious. the hotel is several blocks from a tube station, but is a pleasant walk in good weather.



As for our cruise, Oceania left us very impressed. Our travel and transportation was flawless and effortless from the time we left Boston and arrived in Heathrow. Oceania has everything down to a science and we had no wait nor confusion transferring from airport to hotel to port. Once at the port, we had expected to wait to board, but were on the ship within 45 minutes of arrival at the port. We expected long lines, but there were none. Once aboard, we were given our Oceania Cards and never had to handle money except when using the guest laundry center as the machines use US quarters. Nearly everything we could want except wine & alcohol or gift shop purchases was included in our fare. It was really nice to not have to worry about what was included and what wasn't. 



Marina is a lovely ship which felt just the right size to us. The staff seemed to genuinely take pride in everything that they did....as though they were welcoming you into their own homes. The food was amazing in ALL venues. Sadly, unless you are in an Owner's Suite, you are only given the ability to reserve one meal in each of the 4 specialty restaurants. However, the main dining room and the Terrace Cafe buffet were excellent. We especially liked that the passengers DO NOT handle the food at the buffet. It is served to you by a staff member, thereby reducing the transmission of foodborne illness. There are plenty of places to find a quiet nook to read and relax besides your cabin and we rarely felt like we were on board with 1200 people. Also, there were probably fewer than 10 ten children onboard, which was very nice. Oceania states that they do not have offerings for children, but does not refuse them. 



We did not avail ourselves of any of the entertainment offered, but there was quite a bit. My husband did take one class in the Bon Appetit cooking center and enjoyed it very much. I used some of the Canyon Ranch spa services and was quite pleased.



We were disappointed with the shore excursions offered by Oceania and will not book them on our next cruise. We did not feel that we got our money's worth, especially when paying extra for a small group "Oceania's Choice" tour in Brugge, Belgium. We had a chatty, opinionated tour guide who spent more time espousing his politics than telling us about his city. This left us only minutes to shop and no time to enjoy the city on our own. However, this was really the only negative during the whole trip. We did "miss" two ports. The first was Concarneau/Pont Aven, France due to bad weather and the inability to safely tender off the ship. And the second being St. Jean de Luz/Biarritz, France due to rolling seas and the inability to safely tender again. The first weather issue was obviously not within the control of Oceania. However, in St. Jean de Luz, it was a lovely day. But, the waves were rolling into the shore at 5-10ft. They launched and attempted to board the tenders but could not safely do so. I later overhead a "local" who was working on the ship state that it was very doubtful that they would be able to get into this port as the seas are always like this here. He said cruise ships never visit this port for that reason. After all, Biarritz is known for surfing. It was disappointing to miss this port and it will be interesting to see if Oceania continues this port in their itineraries. 



Our veranda cabin was very comfortable and quiet. Plenty of closet and storage space was available. The bathroom was well appointed but without an outlet for my blow dryer. The desk/vanity was were I sat to dry my hair. We are both tall 5'10" & 6'2" and we found the shower to be a bit short, though the water pressure was excellent. They are small corner showers and we've read other passengers had issue with them. They were tight, but certainly kept you from losing your balance if the seas were rough. Unfortunately, the large, gorgeous bathtub has no shower doors or shower curtain, so it became our drying space or dirty towel receptacle. We are not bath people, so it was wasted space for us.



Overall, we really enjoyed our first experience with Oceania and are already looking to sail with them again. 

The Bar Is Raised

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