Marina Review

4.5 / 5.0
811 reviews

Oceania Overpromises and Underdelivers

Review for Around the World Cruise on Marina
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sullivjr
2-5 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Aug 2017
Cabin: Penthouse Suite

My wife and I cruised on Marina, from Southampton to Copenhagen, in August of 2017. We had originally booked on the Concierge level, but when offered an upgrade for an additional fee, we upgraded to a Penthouse Suite.

We were not too impressed with some of the issues we faced while on the cruise and the way some of the ship’s staff responded to these matters. Before getting into detail on the issues, we must stress that our butler, the housekeeping staff, and the restaurant and dining room staff did a fabulous job, were attentive and courteous, and are not related to the issues we encountered. Additionally, the Penthouse Suite itself was very well-appointed, a good size compared to the Concierge rooms, had lots of storage and a walk-in closet, and a sizeable washroom (the shower can feel a bit tight, however, when you’re over six-feet tall).

Now for the issues we encountered. The first one concerned a bottle of 18-year-old Scotch ordered for our suite. The Oceania website indicated that this was a one litre bottle, but when we opened the box containing the Scotch, it was only a 750 ml bottle. When asked, our butler pursued the matter with other staff on the ship, but it took two days before I was informed that they did not have one litre bottles, at which time the original bottle was returned to me. During the two days that elapsed, there were a couple of differing stories about what was happening. In the end, I was offered four shots of the Scotch in any of the restaurants in addition to the smaller bottle, which still did not match the one litre quantity originally described on their website. I accepted this, only because I was getting tired of how long it was taking them to handle the matter. Given this is an error, I wonder if Oceania and their marketing folks will correct their website to reflect the fact that Glenmorangie 18 Year Scotch is not available in a 1 Litre bottle.

Cabin Review

Penthouse Suite

Cabin PH2

Port Reviews

Southampton

The dock itself wasn't impressive.

Kristiansand

While this town may have been a 'filler' stop, we walked around the town and harbour and enjoyed the look of the town. However, we were there on a Sunday, and other than cafes and bars being open, everything else was pretty well closed.

Cruise line had cancelled a tour that we had booked for Kristiansand.

Gothenburg

Excursion booked with cruise line, but tour guide wasn't very informative nor entertaining. Gothenberg overall was not impressive.

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