Marina

[nowaves1]

Does it look like we will get infromation for Marina in Nov? Has anyone hear anything lately?

[KIWP]

As we understand it there will not be anything new until POSSIBLY early 2010. Once something is out, everyone will have the information. For now the 3 beauties and the newly published itineraries are just fine.

[RJB]

They should just cut the Marina in half and make two nice new small ships. That would be great.

[orchestrapal]

RJB: from your mouth to Oceania's ears... We agree!

[RJB]

you know what I am saying. The Marina is toooo big, and they should build 2 ships half its size. I think most of o's current customers would agree with me.

[laurieb]

Maybe O is building the larger ship in hopes of reaching a market that doesn't like small ships. Not everyone is so comfortable with seeing the same people every day.

[potterhill]

Why not? Who are they hiding from?

Mo

[Paulchili]

I think Marina is a little bit like the Eiffel tower. The Parisians hated it with passion at first (most people don't like change). It's the beloved symbol of the city now.
I think most O cruisers will love the extra space in the cabins, bathrooms, upgraded and updated amenities and all the other new additions on the Marina; for those that won't like them, there still will be 3 other ships to book.
Why have 5 ships exactly the same (as in 2 more R ships instead of Marina)? Choice is always good.

[Druke I]

I agree. I think 62,000 GRT is a nice size.

[hondorner]

I suspect Marina is exactly the size it needs to be to provide an even better experience than the R ships (more space, more restaurants, etc) yet maintain the existing price levels.

[ClaudiaF]

Originally Posted by hondorner

I suspect Marina is exactly the size it needs to be to provide an even better experience than the R ships (more space, more restaurants, etc) yet maintain the existing price levels.

More size, more cabins more people..........and then kidlets
Just a thought..

[RJB]

Spin it any way that fits for you. most of us have been sailing on the O ships for a reason, and that will not exist when the marina comes on line. It will be an entirely different kind of ship. Not one I will wish to go on. Toooo big.

[laurieb]

Thank goodness they are keeping the rest of thier fleet!! We'll be sailing our first time in July and are really looking forward to it. We love the R ships, and are looking forward to what we hope is an all adult cruise. If it isn't, I am hopeful that the kids are well mannered and being looked after. If Marina has an itinerary that I love and it fits our budget, I wouldn't hesitate to book it.

[Paulchili]

Originally Posted by RJB

Spin it any way that fits for you. most of us have been sailing on the O ships for a reason, and that will not exist when the marina comes on line. It will be an entirely different kind of ship. Not one I will wish to go on. Toooo big.

We have been sailing these R ships (and loving it) because we enjoy the O experience as well as the ship's size, but untill now we had no choice of ships. Now we will have a choice - everyone can suit him/herself. I always enjoy having a choice - if it turns out that Marina does not suit me, I can always return to the R ships.
JMO.

[meow!]

Very reasonable and practical, good thoughts.

[nowaves1]

I am anxious for more information to see if it will be a fit for us. Really looking forward to giving it a try.

[Wineart]

Has anything been released about Marina pricing compared to the 3 current ships?

[hondorner]

Originally Posted by Wineart

Has anything been released about Marina pricing compared to the 3 current ships?

Nothing but speculation. There have been hints that the pricing will remain in the same range, and guesses by some that the fares must be higher. I suspect they will be about the same, but it will be nearly impossible to tell, because I'm sure that none of the itineraries will be exactly the same as those sailed in the past by the other ships, and there is at least one new stateroom category. The best we will likely be able to do is see whether the fares per night, per person fall into a similar range as the other three ships.

[meow!]

Originally Posted by hondorner

... and there is at least one new stateroom category. .

That seems correct. In any case, on the Marina, the concierge and verandah categories will theoretically be considered successors to the categories A and B on the R ships. These two together comprise 444 of the total of 629 cabins (70%), so we will consider these "standard" (majority) cabins for the Marina for future comparisons, just like we consider categories A and B for the R ships now.

We usually concentrate our discussions on such standard cabins, rather than the top suites (such as vista/owners suites) or inside/porthole cabins which are getting fewer and fewer in number, though the two ends occasionally present interesting data for discussion too. We do the same for other cruise lines, for example, Silversea, the other cruise line we are familiar with and spend a lot of time studying, we usually concentrate our attention on their midship/verandah suites which compose the "standard" (majority) on all their "normal" ships (other than the expedition ship PA II).

[wripro]

It is not just a matter of choosing the ship size. Will the itinerary you want be on the ship size you want? If you like one and not the other what will you do?