Embarkation went very smoothly. As we had not been on a cruise before, we didn't know what to expect. Our first impressions of Marina exceeded our expectations. We were very impressed with what we found on boarding. A magnificent staircase in front of us and a string quartet playing, which was a wonderful welcome followed by lunch in the Terrace Cafe which was wonderful and had such a large array of different foods to eat that were of the highest quality. We cannot speak highly enough of all of the staff on the Marina, who gave us some of the best service we've ever had. We went to all the specialty restaurants during our cruise and were very impressed with the food and the service. One thing that was a small negative was that being Australian, we are used to good quality Asian cuisine with strong spices and flavours. Red Ginger left us feeling somewhat disappointed that we had eaten much more authentic and flavoursome Asian food in Australia and in Asia itself. The food in Red Ginger was much more bland than what we are used to. We absolutely adored Toscana and we were also very impressed with the Grand Dining Room. We were also amazed that a sommelier waits on every table in every restaurant, including the Grand Dining Room. We enjoyed all on board activities that we participated in, including trivia, name that tune, and bingo. We also really loved spending time in horizons first thing in the morning, where a coffee corner is set up. It is very quiet as most people are the buffet breakfast or in the grand dining room. Horizons has some magnificent views first thing in the morning, especially when coming in to a port. We also used the ship's fitness centre on a number of occasions during the cruise, which was very good. Our shore excursions were all very good with our stand out favourite being the tour of Ypres - Flanders Fields. We had a lot of fun on board and enjoyed all of the bars, including Martini's the Grand Bar, Horizons and the bar near the pool. We also loved the casino. We didn't see many of the entertainment shows as these often clashed with our late dinner bookings, but those that we did see were quite good. While there were some children on board who were very well behaved, we were grateful for Oceania's policy that doesn't encourage children, as this keeps the atmosphere as a truly adult and mature experience. Overall, fantastic