This cruise was chosen for the ports of call in the Baltic and only having 1 sea day. This was my first time with Oceania and I had previously sailed with Azamara. The Marina is twice as big as Azamara but you didn't notice it had 1,200 passengers.

The food on the Marina was excellent, including the dinners in the Terrace Cafe (Their options were top notch.). I wished the main dining room varied the menu more--about 1/2 the choices were always on the menu. The special restaurants at no cost made the food experience better than Azamara. (Just make sure you make the reservations from home.Once on board we were only able to get 1 additional visit.) The downside to the Oceania dining experience is that you are charged for beer and wine and the cost for a house wine is high. Azamara and other ships in this category include beer and wine with lunch and dinner.

For our O-life option we choose to pick 4 excursions. We took this option because this was the easiest way to get to Berlin and Gdansk. We hired a private company for a 2-day tour of St. Petersburg. The entertainment was fine--nothing special. The cabin was "large" with ample storage space. The bathroom is large. The separate shower is small and if you use it you will get wet from head to toe. The tub also has a shower which gave you plenty of room. The shower and tub have glass enclosures so you are not fighting with a shower curtain. Read more