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The signature chocolates left at bed turndown are good. I think they are Girardelli Squares in the different flavors. Especially if I've had wine with dinner, I'll eat one when I get back to my room at night. My husband always says, "How can you eat that now after all we just ate during our meal?" Is he kidding? There is always a little bit of room left for a piece of good chocolate! And I wonder how I gained 6 lbs in 10 days?....LOL!

I have only sailed on Oceania's Marina but the food was fantastic. The Terrace Cafe which is open for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner has a huge buffet but all food is served by staff - you just tell them what you want at each station. The speciality restaurants which are included in the price of the cruise are delicious as well. The La Reserve wine dinners $95-$165 a person extra are a lot of fun and the wine tastings paired with each gourmet course are really something special.

My favorites on the ship are the Terrace Cafe sushi, eggs benedict, crab claws, fresh berries, and chocolate croissants; MD Crabcakes at the Polo Grille, Miso Sea Bass at Red Sage, Waves Milkshakes , and the lobster at different venues. My husband enjoyed beef at the Polo Grille including the Prime Rib 32 ounce cut!

What I love best about Oceania are the Culinary Tour excursions. They are a bit pricey but you get to go to local markets, buy vegetables for a later cooking class on the ship, try different local "off the beaten path" specilities , see how chocolate, cheese, specialty liquors, etc are made at local stores or factories, and usually a nice chef prepared sit down meal is provided. My husband and I did these tours in Provence France where a chef cooked us a meal while we sipped wine at a French winery , and Livorno Italy where we shopped the seafood/meat/ produce market and later learned how to fry the vegetable flowers we bought in town, that we had stuffed with cheese. On the Marina Chef Katie was our guide and she knew alot of the locals and really made thse excursions extra special.

I have only been on Oceania's Marina last spring but the food was wonderful! The more casual Terrace Cafe Buffet has servers and all the food is delicious. My favorites are the eggs benedict, chocolate croissants made on board with French flour, sushi and sashimi, crab claws, and chocolate bread pudding. The specialty restaurants were all great although I found many of the dishes in Jacque’s French Restaurant bland and with strange consistencies. The Asian fusion restaurant Red Sage has the best Chilean Sea Bass I've ever had! They also serve a watermelon and duck salad which is fantastic! The Polo Grill Steak House has wonderful MD crab cakes as an appetizer that should not be overlooked. Toscana has a large menu of many delicious pasta dishes. The Grand Dining Room on Oceania's Marina is gorgeous and the food is good if you have the time for the slower paced service. I was sailing in May and the Grand Dining Room was never crowded but my husband and I preferred the more casual Terrace Cafe which included all you could eat steak and lobster several nights.

One of the reasons we are sailing Oceania again this summer with the rest of our family are the Culinary excursions. Visiting local markets in ports, getting to taste local delicacies off the beaten path, having gourmet chefs prepare outdoor meals at vineyards, and later in the day taking a cooking classes on board is fun. This year we are doing these excursions in Corfu Greece and Venice Italy. Last year we did similar excursions in Livorno Italy and Marseilles France. At first we thought the excursions were pricy but with the 25% volume discount they turned out to be reasonable for what the whole days consisted of for the money.

Oceania has a speciality restaurant LaReserve where Wine Dinners are held. They are an extra cost but are really fun. The wines pair well with each course which tastes great and is elegantly presented. On Oceania you can dine whereever, whenever you want at regular meal times in several of their venues so my husband and I dined alone on most of the trip. It was nice to sit at a large table getting to know other passengers at the wine dinner.

If you are a "foodie" , you really should try an Oceania Cruise!