Just stepped off the Marina earlier today following 12 days of sheer gastronomic bliss and enough eye candy to fill a lifetime of photo albums. Without previous cruising experience, it was hard to imagine any cruise line meeting, never mind exceeding my expectations. After THOROUGH research comparing Oceania, Seabourn and the Celebrity Solstice class ships, the $/day rates, multiple dining venues, smaller ports of call, affiliation with Wine Spectator, and yes...terrific reviews found on Cruise Critic, the Marina quickly became the perfect "toe in the water" cruising experience. A few comments by category...

Food: Simply put...spectacular. I heard passengers wih experience on Seabourn, Crystal and Silver Sea give Marina higher marks both in terms of quality and variety. If a tourine of duck foie gras from the kitchen of Jacques Pepin sounds intriguing, then read no further and book now! La Reserve (the co-op effort between Wine Spectator and Oceania) serves 2 separate 7-course tasting menu paired with specifically chosen wines. The venue only holds 24 and easily commands a $75/pp premium to partake. Our 2 dinners here were the highlight of the trip.

Wine: I simply must call out the terrific quality and depth of the wine lists as well as the very fair pricing. Accustomed to "expense account" wine prices at dinner, we were pleasantly surprised at the pricing strategy used. We felt as though every bottle had terrific value. The sommelier staff is adeptly led by the cellar master (Craig), and their knowledge and palettes created oenophilic portraits as vivid as murano glass. Read more