A review from a first time Oceania guest (Marina in the South Pacific)

Hi all,

Some of you may recall my asking questions before our recent Marina Papeete roundtrip (Jan. 4-14). In fact, some of you may remember my asking about Oceania after being incredibly disappointed in HAL. I wanted to thank everyone and include a review of our (fantastic!) trip. Oceania was head-and-shoulders above HAL, and we had a good time. While there were some imperfections, I can't imagine Oceania having done anything significantly better than they did. Thanks to all who provided advice!

Summary

A fantastic trip on a beautiful ship, with an excellent crew, very good food, and excellent ports. While there were a few minor hiccups, nothing distracted significantly from an excellent trip.

Background

While my wife and I have cruised before, we were very unhappy with the diminishing quality of another line, and after getting many recommendations for Oceania, we decided to do this 10 day Papeete-Papeete for our 10th anniversary. We settled on a PH3 suite, and made private arrangements for shore excursions.

Air arrangements

Apparently, hot Oceania’s strongest suit, but they got us there. This consisted of commercial flights to LAX, where there were chartered flights (on Air Tahiti Nui) to Papeete. Unfortunately, ATN was pretty bad; the plane our charter flew LAX-PPT (8 hours) was in a somewhat sorry shape when it came to comfort; many seats were broken, the entertainment system was only marginally functional (and was the old kind with movie channels rather than on-demand entertainment), and the food was atrocious, even by the standards of airplane food. The flight back was considerably better, but this is not an excellent airline by any standard. (I’ve flown everything from terrible to excellent airlines: the LAX-PPT flight was “pretty awful” and the PPT-LAX was “decent, but not especially good.”) We heard many people complaining about the 5am arrival into PPT (especially when boarding didn’t begin until 11am or noon), but my understanding is that this is outside Oceania’s control (PPT airport rules), and there’s no good timing for the flights, so it’s unfair to complain about it.

Embarkation/Disembarkation

After sharing a cab to the cruise terminal with another couple and dropping off our bags (which was possible already at 5am), we walked around Papeete for quite a few hours. Unfortunately, it was a Sunday morning, when the city is basically shut-down. The Market was open until 9am, but there’s not much to buy; Sunday is the locals’ market almost exclusively. We walked around quite a bit, but not much was open, and we ended up looking for ways to kill time. It seems like Papeete might be more fun on a day that wasn’t Sunday (or if we were less tired/jet-lagged), but there wasn’t much to do. In our wandering, we happened upon the place where Oceania brought those who paid $$$ for transfers, and it looked pretty decent, but still not especially exciting. There was a Polynesia dance troupe, which was a nice touch, I guess.

As an aside, Oceania didn’t do a very good job of communicating how embarkation worked until last minute, and even then, it wasn’t entirely accurate. This is something Oceania could easily improve, but for those considering this cruise in the future, this is a pretty good description of what happens. We finally embarked at noon, which was NOT a well-organized experience. Everyone boarded and waited in the Marina lounge while they processed people. The alleged priority for suites seems to have vanished, which was fine, but I wish they had told us. It was better, though, than waiting outside, where it was hot. I would guess this is usually done before boarding in most ports, but it was a bit chaotic for my tastes. Ah well, every experience has some flaws.

Cabin and Service

Our PH suite was absolutely beautiful and impeccably clean. The cabin felt spacious and well-laid-out. The walk in closet was large and very usable. The furnishings were very nice, and the bathroom had a high-quality feel. The separate tub was very useful for drying snorkeling gear, etc. The verandah was a bit shallow, and I envied those on Deck 7 with the deeper verandahs, but it was a nice place to sit and enjoy the tropical weather. Although the bed is queen-sized, it felt larger than our queen-sized bed at home. It was amazingly comfortable.

Our Cabin Steward (Bayu) was friendly and conscientious, and our Butler (Vinod) was very eager to help. To be honest, we didn’t need much from him, but he was very quick about getting us extra dining reservations when possible, our preferred non-alcoholic beverages, extra glasses, etc. He seemed almost disappointed that we didn’t need anything else from him. He also served us breakfast in the room several days, which was a nice presentation, and much better than typical room service; everything was hot, and even omelettes tasted quite fresh, which is impressive. I don’t know if this is universally true, but Vinod was always RIGHT ON TIME, which is very nice.

Public Spaces

This is a beautiful ship and is lovingly maintained. Everything was clean, shiny, and tasteful. The furnishings were comfortable, and the art was interesting. Navigation of the ship was, for the most part, pretty intuitive, and there were only a few dead-ends, which is better than some other ships I’ve seen. The ship always felt uncrowded and spacious, which was very nice. I don’t remember waiting very long for anything (except embarkation).

Dining

Throughout the ship, Oceania’s focus on food was quite evident; everything we ate was quite good, and the availability of high-quality, interesting dishes was quite unlike, say, HAL. This is clearly an area of pride for Oceania, and they do an excellent job. I’ll mention each of the restaurants we visited separately.

Grand Dining Room

Good services, varied menu, and nice décor. The GDR isn’t as excellent as the specialty restaurants, but it was quite good, and I’m surprised how much people malign it. This was not a place for a quick meal, and you’re likely looking at a minimum of an hour, which is decent pacing, but maybe too long for people used to being rushed at Red Lobster or Olive Garden? Small tables (two or four) were readily available, and seemed to be much faster than sharing for those who are in a rush. Breakfasts were fantastic, and the egg specials were creative and tasty. The fresh-squeezed orange juice was a highlight, and the fruit plates were amazingly good. (Perhaps because of where we were, but the fruit was quite fresh and tasty.)

Red Ginger

We ate at Red Ginger twice, and the food was quite good. We eat Asian food frequently, and this wasn’t the best we’ve ever had by any means, but it was nice. The service was VERY friendly, if a bit showy. (The choice of chopstick styles seemed a bit over the top, but that’s fine.) I didn’t care for the Miso seabass as much as everyone else seems to (I found it a bit sweet for my tastes), but I did enjoy the Duck and Watermelon salad. I also appreciated the willingness of the staff to bring (a variety of) extra spices to make the spicy foods ACTUALLY spicy.

Jacques

To be honest, I expected to enjoy Jacques more than we did. The menu is pretty varied, and the food was good, but it was a bit too rich (even for French food), and the portions were entirely too large. I hate wasting food, but when I order foie gras, I don’t expect a piece the size of a deck of playing cards! I’d recommend skipping lunch (and maybe breakfast) if you want to enjoy Jacques to its fullest. Also, be prepared for the sheer volume of butter used. This is, however, a matter of personal taste, and the food was quite good.

Toscana

The olive oil menu is a bit over the top, but the food and service was quite good, and they do a nice job of offering different portion size options. The veal was excellent, and the homemade pasta is delicious. The desserts were very good, and we were impressed enough the first time to go back a second time. Over all, this is the kind of Italian restaurant I’d like to have near my house, as it’s better than what I make at home. (I don’t say that very often)

Polo Grill

If you like steakhouses, this is a pretty good one. I had a nice ribeye (which was ACTUALLY rare, as opposed to places that bring you a medium steak and claim it’s rare), excellent shrimp cocktail, delicious pork belly, and delicious sides (lobster mac and cheese and haricots verts (or French green beans). I did hear from several people that the baked potato was awful, which is surprising, but if that’s the biggest food problem, they’re doing just fine in my book. The Scotch menu was nice after dinner together with the quintet dessert sampler, which we shared.

Waves

We ate lunch at Waves after boarding and enjoyed it so much we went back frequently for lunches. The Surf and Turf and Q-Ban are excellent, as is the burger. My wife’s tuna steak sandwich was pretty good as well. The staff was friendly, and the outdoor atmosphere was quite nice.

Baristas

Finally, excellent coffee on a ship! With friendly, professional service. I was here pretty frequently, as the regular coffee doesn’t impress me much. I appreciated the availability of soymilk, as well. Please note that they make Italian style cappuccinos, which are quite small (about 6 oz typically) and we enjoyed hearing the barista tell someone he’d be happy to make their “skinny, half-caf lattecino” (or whatever) if they’d explain what that is. Of note: they serve Illy espresso, which is pretty good as Italian espressos go.

Bars/drink service

Drinks were a bit inconsistent in strength and presentation and a bit pricy. (Most drinks are $10 +/- $1.) The beer assortment was awful. As a result, we didn’t end up drinking much. Most of the bar servers and bartenders were very friendly, though at least one server was a bit aggressive about defending her “territory” from the other servers. Martinis was generally pretty happening, while Horizons was (shockingly) dead most of the time.

Enrichment

Shows

The Jean Ann Ryan Company (which did the main shows) was actually quite talented. This is not your enormous Broadway or Vegas style production number, but it was well done. The ventriloquist/singer seemed like a really nice guy and had a good voice, but it really wasn’t to our taste. It was (more than a bit) sappy.

Trivia

The cruise director, Ray Carr, did a good game of trivia. He prevented people from taking it too too seriously, and was personable. Plus, my team won, which always makes it more enjoyable.

Lectures

The only one I went to, from CBS Sports legend Verne Lundquist, was fantastic. I heard good things about the others (including a NZ ambassador).

Culinary Center

Chef Melanie wasn’t our favorite, but lots of people seemed to enjoy this. It was very well-organized, but I would have preferred something where I learned techniques I didn’t already know. I’m not exactly a chef, but I’m not a rank beginner who can’t cook, so maybe that made the difference. I don’t think I’d take one of the classes again with Chef Melanie, but maybe a different class with a different instructor would be more to my taste (sorry for the pun).

Fitness Center

Equipment was in good condition and generally available. Nicely done, Oceania!

Tendering

This seemed to be a source of consternation for many people before the cruise because we had so many tendering ports. (In fact, only Raiatea was a docked port. It’s worth noting that the itinerary before the cruise listed Nuku Hiva as a docked port, but I have a hard time imagining that possibly ever being true.) As it turns out, this consternation seemed to be for nothing; tendering was generally rather quick and easy. They seemed well-organized, and it never took more than about 15 minutes form getting to the Marina lounge to being on a tender. If you have an early shore excursion, get there a bit early, but this didn’t seem to be the problem people were worried about. I would mention, though, that the tender would probably be pretty tough for someone with poor mobility. There were lots of crew present who helped as needed.

Fellow guests

We really enjoyed some of our fellow passengers, but others- not so much. Although the crowd skewed quite a bit older (average age was almost certainly over 60) there were some younger people and a few families. Some people were friendly and down to earth, while others were conceited and really loved talking about themselves (at the expense of even asking about others). I suppose a more upscale like Oceania is bound to have some people like that, but the people we liked were truly wonderful, so I guess it balances it.

Ports/Excursions

All of our excursions were arranged independently ahead of time. For some of the popular ones, booking in advance seemed pretty important.

Moorea

We did an ATV (actually, SSV) tour with Albert ATV. Only one other couple had signed up, but they didn’t show up, so we ended up having a private guide, which was nice. The tour was excellent, the equipment was in pretty decent shape, and the guide (Carl) was very friendly. The driving/stinging rain (for part of the tour) was unpleasant, but that’s French Polynesia in the rainy season. Moorea was pretty, and it seemed like we really got to see the highlights on the tour.

Raiatea

We did L’excusion Bleue, which seems to be something of a standard. It’s mostly a tour of Taha'a (or T’ha-ha-ha, as we started calling it), which shares the lagoon with Raiatea. We had some nice snorkeling (sharks, rays, lots of fish), followed by a boat trip to the vanilla plantation. The vanilla plantation was a few vines outside someone’s house with an opportunity to buy stuff; I’d recommend giving it a miss (more below). We then did a drift snorkel, which might have been cool had it not been too many people without adequate spacing. As it turns out, because of the number of people, quite a few people got pushed into coral, which isn’t pleasant for the coral OR the people. Lunch on the motu was very nice, then the pearl farm, which was pretty boring as well (but had a cool treehouse). Friends did a tour that was shorter without the pearl farm or vanilla plantation, which I wish we had done. Overall, this all-day-tour was way too long, but otherwise, decent.

Bora Bora

Reef Discovery for snorkeling (we were led by Damien) was fantastic. Comfortable boat, snorkeling in 4 different places, and all-in-all, very well done. We saw stingrays, eagle rays, manta rays, an eel (for which the guide took my camera to get an amazing closeup picture), and lots of fish amongst coral. The guide was knowledgeable and explained things well. The second day, we walked around a bit, and discovered why a friend said that on land, Bora Bora was “Boring boring.” © our friend Jermaine, 2014) We had considered renting bikes and circling the island, but the weather was very hot and rainy (off-and-on), and drivers seemed a bit insane, so we scrapped that.

Nuku Hiva

The most maligned port of the trip and also one of the most beautiful, Nuku Hiva is in the Marquesas, far from EVERYTHING. It was 833 nautical miles (read: 1.5 sea days) from Bora Bora, but is a gorgeous, mountainous island with friendly people, nice walking (even right from the tender dock), and beautiful wood carvings. We did a tour with Jocelyn (one of the few guides on the island. Before going with another, google his name and make your own decisions), which was informative and enjoyable. Overall, we enjoyed Nuku Hiva a lot, though it was, admittedly, NOT thrill-a-minute.

Rangiroa

Drift snorkeling with Rangiroa Plongee (booked in advance; it’s 4 in one of their boats and 6 in the other, and then they’re full). Nicely done, well-organized, and pretty snorkeling. We saw a turtle, LOTS of (small) sharks, and a variety of fish. This seemed much better than most snorkeling trips, which ONLY went to the aquarium, as it also included three drifts through the pass. Aside from snorkeling, it didn’t seem like there was all that much to see at Rangiroa. The giant lagoon was kinda cool from high up on the ship where you could see the shape of Rangiroa. (It’s an enormous lagoon surrounded by tiny islands.)

One additional note: If you go snorkeling as much as we did, you’re likely going to get a sunburn. By all means, be as careful as possible about sunscreen, reapplying, using zinc (i.e. so-called physical sunscreen) for your face to prevent burning when it gets in your eyes, and wearing a rash guard. Reapply to the backs of your legs diligently. But you’re probably still going to get a burn, so bring some aloe. Don’t believe all the other things that “work much better than aloe.”

THANKS

After 25 Celebrity trips, we're booked for our first Oceania in May 2016 and are eagerly awaiting experiencing their cuisine.

Glad you had a great trip.

Mr Oz, thanks for your great review. We are sailing on the Marina next January and I have a couple of random questions. Some friends of ours sailed on the Marina a few years ago and told us that wine and beer were served (included) at lunch and dinner. Is this no longer the case? Would you recommend using the Oceania for excursions, or were you satisfied that you got to experience all you wanted to with private guides? What did you hear from the passengers who took the ship excursions? How do you think your experiences rate price wise with Oceanias? Thanks for your time.

Mr Oz, thanks for your great review. We are sailing on the Marina next January and I have a couple of random questions. Some friends of ours sailed on the Marina a few years ago and told us that wine and beer were served (included) at lunch and dinner. Is this no longer the case? Would you recommend using the Oceania for excursions, or were you satisfied that you got to experience all you wanted to with private guides? What did you hear from the passengers who took the ship excursions? How do you think your experiences rate price wise with Oceanias? Thanks for your time.

- Beer and wine are available for purchase at lunch and dinner, but are not included unless you buy a beverage package.

- From what I found (and what people said), Oceania's excursions are the same (or inferior) to what we experienced and MUCH more expensive (at least 2x the price, and often more). I would NOT recommend booking your excursions with Oceania. TripAdvisor is a good source of reviews of guides, and we were happy with the ones we used. In French Polynesia, guides are not always quick to reply, but friends were able to get L'Excursion Bleue without the pearl farm and vanilla plantation. I wish we had joined that one instead of the longer one, but it was sold out pretty quickly after they arranged it on on the roll call.

I hope these answers help. Let me know any other follow-up questions you have.

Thanks for your detail review

Only one point

When we fly to Europe it is usually early morning arrival, boarding time is usually 11 am or later Not sure why you would think it different in SP

Many fly in a day or more early to avoid dragging luggage around until they can drop it at the port

Glad you enjoyed the cruise for the most part

Thanks for that very fair and balanced trip report.

Just a note: Vinod was our first butler experience and we also found him delightful.

[quote name=LHT28;45299107

Only one point

When we fly to Europe it is usually early morning arrival' date=' boarding time is usually 11 am or later Not sure why you would think it different in SP

[/quote]

I didn't expect a different boarding time in SP, though the forums are rife with incorrect information about boarding Marina in Papeete, so I thought I'd clarify. I disagreed with the people complaining about the early flight, because there really wasn't any good alternative. That said, I'm not sure the comparison to European flights is entirely perfect for two reasons:

1) These were charter flights, so some might argue Oceania had a bit more leeway on timing. That said, I don't think leaving LAX at 2am and arriving later in the morning would be better.

2) Every place I've been in Europe, SOMETHING is open on Sunday, while in Papeete, McDonald's was the only thing open. I didn't realize (and I hope others will learn from my mistakes) just how dead the city is in Sunday morning.

Again, these aren't intended as complaints or criticisms (though I did hear quite a few people grumbling), but observations to help others considering this cruise in the future. If time is not constrained, I would recommend arriving early and taking a hotel room.

Glad you enjoyed the cruise for the most part

I'd say we enjoyed it far more than "for the most part"! There are things that weren't perfect, but they were generally pretty minor, and in some cases, are purely matters of personal preference. I was trying to present a balanced view of what was amazing and what was not-quite-amazing, and I hope no one would read my review as an indictment of Oceania.

Also, despite a few inconveniences on logistics (and less-than-ideal air arrangements), this was a pretty comfortable trip. The flights, while not ideal, were certainly better than my (not-cruise-related, obviously) Philadelphia-Atlanta-Dubai-Karachi (Pakistan)-Multan (Pakistan) itinerary last year!

Excellent balanced review. Thanks for sharing.

I didn't expect a different boarding time in SP, though the forums are rife with incorrect information about boarding Marina in Papeete, so I thought I'd clarify. I disagreed with the people complaining about the early flight, because there really wasn't any good alternative. That said, I'm not sure the comparison to European flights is entirely perfect for two reasons:

 

1) These were charter flights, so some might argue Oceania had a bit more leeway on timing. That said, I don't think leaving LAX at 2am and arriving later in the morning would be better.

 

2) Every place I've been in Europe, SOMETHING is open on Sunday, while in Papeete, McDonald's was the only thing open. I didn't realize (and I hope others will learn from my mistakes) just how dead the city is in Sunday morning.

 

Thank you

Nice review. I was surprised about Air Tahiti Nui, we flew first class, and it is still our favorite airline. We were on a regular flight, but I am so sorry that was not good. Thank you for the review.

Thanks for that very fair and balanced trip report.

 

Just a note: Vinod was our first butler experience and we also found him delightful.

Vinod was an assistant butler for us and was ALWAYS on time - it was amazing!!

Glad you liked your cruise!!

gary

Thanks MrOz for your review. I followed your posts/research process in preparation for your cruise and from your review, you were well prepared for any event. CC is a great resource:) I did this cruise last march and my assessments aligned with yours.

Unfortunately the flights and embarkation continue to be a challenge for this itinerary...but can be avoided (if you have the time) by arriving days before and checking in independently. Some of the ATN aircraft are very past due for a redo:o

I too loved NukuHiva, such a beautiful island. We are going back to FP onboard Insignia in 2016:)

Thankyou for posting and I am happy you enjoyed Oceania.

Great trip report, Marina is our favorite ship, we get to do some of this itinerary next year. And I totally agree with your assessment of Holland America.

My travel agent is not a fan of Oceania air, we usually end up taking the Air credit but not sure on this one until we see flight schedules.

I would go down a couple of days earlier to avoid the Air Tahiti Nui charter. Their regular flights are on newer planes and that does make a difference. Also, you can wait at your hotel or do a tour on embarkation day so that you have something to do before you board.

Hi Josh

Great and very thorough review. Viv and I had a great time with you and Molly. Our experience was very similar to yours. If I ever get around to it I will post my own review.

My only disagreement would be the trivia. Some of those people from Don't Bet the Boat were just awesome. Ray tried to keep them down but just couldn't. Those genuine artificial bookmarks they(we) won were the highlight of the trip:) Keep in touch.

Charlie and Vivi

A lot of great info...thanks for your excellent review. :):):):)

Mr Oz, thanks for your great review. We are sailing on the Marina next January and I have a couple of random questions. Some friends of ours sailed on the Marina a few years ago and told us that wine and beer were served (included) at lunch and dinner. Is this no longer the case? Would you recommend using the Oceania for excursions, or were you satisfied that you got to experience all you wanted to with private guides? What did you hear from the passengers who took the ship excursions? How do you think your experiences rate price wise with Oceanias? Thanks for your time.

Your friends were incorrect, wine and beer were never included at any meals on Oceania..

Jancruz1

Your friends were incorrect, wine and beer were never included at any meals on Oceania..

Jancruz1

That was my first thought also, Jan, but there were at least a few cruises where Oceania in Britain was including the Prestige Beverage Package.... :o

So never say never, I guess.

Thank you for an excellent review! Tahiti is one of the places in the world I would love to go to - but probably never will. It was nice to "experience" a tiny bit of it with you...

thanks for the wonderful review.

I have 2 questions:

where would you say was YOUR favourite snorkelling experience?

What is the difference between drift snorkelling and reef snorkelling? Is it as simple as I presume...no reef, deeper water in drift snorkelling?

Marian

I think my favorite was Bora Bora. In drift snorkeling, a current pulls you along thorough a pass. It's faster and you don't really control where you're going. Free snorkeling is where you swim along as you see fit.

THANKS

 

After 25 Celebrity trips, we're booked for our first Oceania in May 2016 and are eagerly awaiting experiencing their cuisine.

 

Glad you had a great trip.

We are boarding our first Oceania cruise Saturday after having sailed on Celebrity more than a dozen times.

I've been looking at the 2016 sailings of this cruise and after reading the review we may decide to book it.

We are boarding our first Oceania cruise Saturday after having sailed on Celebrity more than a dozen times.

I've been looking at the 2016 sailings of this cruise and after reading the review we may decide to book it.

You will be sorry! You are going to be hooked on O!

Without beating the dead horse, whether in Europe, the South Pacific, or even Miami, many cruisers choose to ignore their assigned embarkment time. Unnecessary chaos, at embarkment, often seems to be the norm because of this. I love O, and am normally a cheerleader (not so much O Air), but O's decision to allow their customers to board at will creates several problems that abiding by the assigned boarding times would avoid.

I would go down a couple of days earlier to avoid the Air Tahiti Nui charter. Their regular flights are on newer planes and that does make a difference. Also, you can wait at your hotel or do a tour on embarkation day so that you have something to do before you board.

That is exactly what we did i.e. deviation to get in a few days early. It was well worth the fee. The ATN flights coming and going were fine on the newer equipment. And if you do come in early, arrange for a late check out at your hotel if you can. Have a nice leisurely breakfast or lunch, lounge by the pool then head to the port.