Random thoughts from Marina's 3rd voyage

[CintiPam]

Speaking of food, the Terrace café serves grilled (Florida?) lobster tails EVERY night along with grilled jumbo shrimp and an assortment of grilled meats and fish. This is unique to Marina, I am told.

 

Just caught up on your reports from the last five days (keeping my cc boards addiction a bit under control), and all are chockful of good intel.

 

We never dined in the evening at the Terrace Cafe on our previous three cruises because the spouse likes getting waited on hand and foot for dinner, but these menu items certainly up the appeal of this venue for me! I am thinking now of trying some lobster tail and grilled shrimp as an appetizer before joining the spouse for main course and dessert in the GDR!:)

[SantaCruiser]

We are on the Miami - Barcelona trip later this month....

 

And ....

 

FOR YOUR FUTURE REFERENCE......

 

trivia with Leslie has always been my favorite activity on any Oceania ship...

[LuAnn]

We are on the Miami - Barcelona trip later this month....

 

And ....

 

FOR YOUR FUTURE REFERENCE......

 

trivia with Leslie has always been my favorite activity on any Oceania ship...

 

on our Roll Call??? Come join us!! LuAnn

[macmax]

Paulchili... We will be boarding Marina on the 15th and have enjoyed your postings from the ship. Sorry if I missed it, but can you give us some info on the bar prices?

[Fleury]

Paulchili:

tq for all your info. One quick question please. Is there a magnifying mirror (for makeup etc) in the cabins? Your answer will be much appreciated.

[lyndenfa]

It is great to read these posts from current Marina cruisers. I don't remember a magnifying mirror, but then we were on the Maiden Voyage and there are several changes since that time. Everyone will be wowed, believe me, it is uncomparable. I wish everyone a happy trip and good weather on their upcoming Marina voyages.

Lynne

[macmax]

Paulchili... We will be boarding Marina on the 15th and have enjoyed your postings from the ship. Sorry if I missed it, but can you give us some info on the bar prices?

That should read the 16th....can you tell that we're anxious?;)

[Fleury]

It is great to read these posts from current Marina cruisers. I don't remember a magnifying mirror, but then we were on the Maiden Voyage and there are several changes since that time. Everyone will be wowed, believe me, it is uncomparable. I wish everyone a happy trip and good weather on their upcoming Marina voyages.

Lynne

 

 

Thank you for you information it was appreciated. I will take my own cuz I can't see to put lipstick on properly without one.

[Paulchili]

We had the O club cocktails a couple of nights ago. The O family is growing fast – we barely fit into the theater. There are 800 repeat cruisers present on this voyage, 200 people with 5 or more cruises. One couple was on their 23rd cruise and closely behind them was a couple with 22 O cruises (we know them from prior cruises and we are on the same trivia team).

We are continuing to enjoy the cruise and look forward o the passage through th Canal.

Wes, Santa Cruiser – you are welcome

CintiPam – that sounds like a good plan. In fact we were there last night. The food selection is almost endless – much larger than on the R ships. He grill alone had lobster tails and truly jumbo shrimp as well as 2 steaks (ribeye and sirloin ), lamb chops, sausages, salmon and some kind of white fish, chicken and beef skewers and a pasta station – and that is just one counter. I found that they tend to slightly overcook the lobster making it a little dry for my taste (safety reasons?), so today I asked for a lobster tail that was no as well done (they grill them constantly) and it was not as dry and more tender; the shrimp is very good as well. They are very accommodating and will cook items to order. The Terrace Café is a nice change for any meal.

Macmax – we don’t drink but I checked the drinks menu. Both white and red wines by the glass start at $5.95and go to $11.50. Mixed drinks are around $ 8.50, Gin & Vodka $7 to $9, Whiskey $7.50 to $20, Beers $4 to $6.50. Someone else may help you with bottled wines.

Fleury – we are in a verandah cabin and there is no magnifying mirror, although there is a full length mirror.

[Fleury]

That should read the 16th....can you tell that we're anxious?;)

 

Given the weather we've been having lately in S.Ontariario

no wonder we're all anxious. Look forward to seeing you aboard. Watch your step before then - it's more dangerous on land that it will be at sea.:eek:

[macmax]

Paulchili: thanks for the info. The bar prices don't seem to be much different that any other line but the 18% automatic gratuity sure is.:eek:

 

Fleury:You're right... lately it's been rain-snow-freeze-thaw-sun-fog then repeat in any order.

[susiesan]

:confused: I thought there were only 2 universal answers....ABBA & ANKA.....Or maybe that is for music questions in the crossword puzzles....More Gin!

 

The "when in doubt" answer for the trivia on the Regatta cruise I just got off of yesterday was Macedonia.

 

We had a brain teaser trivia one night with a Shakespeare theme. I was on the winning team, and we won with 4 out of 15. The questions on all games were very, very difficult. But it made it all the more fun.

[RetiredFL]

Paul,

There appears to be a 'reading' light over the end of the sofa. Is it on a separate switch so the room can be kept dark except for someone reading on the couch? Small point but one of us likes to nap and one likes to read!

[raffeer]

There definitely was not a reading light over the sofa (PH) on the TA and this passenger really missed one. Have they been installed since?

[Paulchili]

Apologies for any spelling errors – my laptop’s keyboard skips some letters and I try to catch the mistakes but re-reading my last post it is obvious that I don’t catch all of them. I also rely on the spell check but that doesn’t always work either. For example, when I wrote HE instead of THE, it did not catch it as HE is a legitimate word. I hope you can decipher the posts despite the spelling errorsJ.

Random thought of the day:

There is a smoking room on the port side of Horizon’s lounge that is enclosed by glass all around except for a wide opening where the entrance is. Why is this smoking area not fully isolated with a closed door like the smoking rooms are at foreign airports? It reminds me of the old days in restaurants with smoking and non smoking sections – what magic will keep the smoke inside the smoking area? Fortunately, I notice just a few smokers each time I pass by but that can change at any time on any given cruise - then what?

I posted earlier that about 800 passengers are repeat Oceania cruisers; that also means that about 1/3 of the current passengers are new to Oceania. That may explain the somewhat different feel to this cruise from our prior O cruises (beyond the somewhat different dress code mentioned earlier). I will leave it at that.

The quality of entertainment has been heading in the wrong direction for the last couple of days. It is not that surprising, as it would not be realistic to expect that every single new show/performance will be better than the previous one. Overall the entertainment has been very good.

We are enjoying a warm sunny day as we sail through the Panama Canal along with the Coral Princess. At lunch time we enjoyed a very nice Caviar Brunch buffet in the MDR. For me the highlight was a beautiful ice tower with shrimp (not jumbo but colossal!); plenty of other things to chose from.

Maybe this is the right time for me to rate the restaurants in order of MY preference:

Jacques

Polo

Red Ginger

Terrace Café

Toscana

MDR

On to Cartagena.

[Jancruz]

It is great to read these posts from current Marina cruisers. I don't remember a magnifying mirror, but then we were on the Maiden Voyage and there are several changes since that time. Everyone will be wowed, believe me, it is uncomparable. I wish everyone a happy trip and good weather on their upcoming Marina voyages.

Lynne

 

No magnifying mirror..

Jancruz1

[JimandStan]

There definitely was not a reading light over the sofa (PH) on the TA and this passenger really missed one. Have they been installed since?

 

There are a reading lights, on bendy kind of bases, which are a part of the bedside lamps

 

Unfortunately, because of the partial wall and curtain that divides the sleeping area from the sitting area, the light cannot be trained over to the sofa area

The reading lamp provides a very strong down light, which would be perfect for reading in bed with the upper portion of the lamp turned off, but we did not play with the switches enough to know if that is possible.

[TKS]

The reading lamp provides a very strong down light, which would be perfect for reading in bed with the upper portion of the lamp turned off, but we did not play with the switches enough to know if that is possible.

 

I used the reading light without the upper portion of the lamp several times, since I'm a mid-night reader and my husband likes to sleep. It really doesn't provide to much light "bleed," so it didn't bother him at all. However, Jim is right, it won't reach into the area where the sofa is located. I hope that is an error they will correct on Riviera.

[searanch queen]

What's the perk of having a "butler"? Never had one so not real sure what they do!

[WesW]

Hi Paul thanks again for your on board reports...just told our TA to book us for the Riviera Classic crossing (maiden) Nov 15, 2012.

[hondorner]

There is no wall divider or curtain in the standard veranda cabins (Categories A & B) or the Ocean View (Category C), and the sofa is very close to the bed -- the nightstand touches both the bed and the sofa, and the reading light is directly above the nightstand. Thus, in these cabins, the reading light closest to the sofa can be bent enough to light a book if one sits on the end of the sofa closest to the bed. Been there, done that. I believe TKS was in a Penthouse and Jim was in an Oceania suite, both of which are appreciably larger with the sofa at a much greater distance from the nightstand, and therefore from the reading light.

 

As reported, the light is nicely bright but very focused and little light escapes to the rest of the cabin, so it did not disturb Betsy, who is usually is bothered by a reading light.

 

One caveat -- every other room is reversed (I call them Left Bathroom and Right Bathroom, depending on which side of the entrance door the bath is located). Thus, in a Left Bath, the left side of the bed (Looking from the foot of the bed towards the pillow) is closest to the closet and the right side is closest to the sofa. In a Right Bath, the opposite is true. Betsy and I chose "our side" of the bed almost 46 years ago (actually, she chose and I adapted), and we don't easily switch. So, in a Left Bath (our preference), Betsy is closest to the closet and I'm closest to the sofa, which works perfectly for using the reading light.

 

We've been in both; on the Maiden Voyage we were in a Right Bath and I had dibs on the closet, meaning that Betsy had to wait until I got out of the way to get at her clothes. It works better the other way around.

 

Just think, now I've started a new detail -- there is cabin category, upper or lower deck, forward or aft, butler or not, port side or starboard, and now Right or Left Bath :p:rolleyes:.

[yorkiemomjn]

There is no wall divider or curtain in the standard veranda cabins (Categories A & B) or the Ocean View (Category C), and the sofa is very close to the bed -- the nightstand touches both the bed and the sofa, and the reading light is directly above the nightstand. Thus, in these cabins, the reading light closest to the sofa can be bent enough to light a book if one sits on the end of the sofa closest to the bed. Been there, done that. I believe TKS was in a Penthouse and Jim was in an Oceania suite, both of which are appreciably larger with the sofa at a much greater distance from the nightstand, and therefore from the reading light.

 

As reported, the light is nicely bright but very focused and little light escapes to the rest of the cabin, so it did not disturb Betsy, who is usually is bothered by a reading light.

 

One caveat -- every other room is reversed (I call them Left Bathroom and Right Bathroom, depending on which side of the entrance door the bath is located). Thus, in a Left Bath, the left side of the bed (Looking from the foot of the bed towards the pillow) is closest to the closet and the right side is closest to the sofa. In a Right Bath, the opposite is true. Betsy and I chose "our side" of the bed almost 46 years ago (actually, she chose and I adapted), and we don't easily switch. So, in a Left Bath (our preference), Betsy is closest to the closet and I'm closest to the sofa, which works perfectly for using the reading light.

 

We've been in both; on the Maiden Voyage we were in a Right Bath and I had dibs on the closet, meaning that Betsy had to wait until I got out of the way to get at her clothes. It works better the other way around.

 

Just think, now I've started a new detail -- there is cabin category, upper or lower deck, forward or aft, butler or not, port side or starboard, and now Right or Left Bath :p:rolleyes:.

 

Looks like we have a lot in common besides our preference for diet Pepsi!:D I guess we also need a left bath. In May, it will be 46 years since we made the left/right decision and you are right, it isn't easy to change. That is all I needed, just one more thing to have to think about when choosing a cabin! :eek:

[hondorner]

That is all I needed, just one more thing to have to think about when choosing a cabin! :eek:

If you look at the deck plans for Marina/Riviera, you'll see that there is a small indentation near one of the corners of each cabin. The matching cabin next door has the same indentation in the opposite corner. That indentation is where the door is located, and the bathroom is in the slightly longer portion. If the door is on the right from the hallway, then it's a left bath.

 

It works for the two cabins we have occupied, so I'm making an educated guess (better than an assumption) that it works for all the others. Disclaimer: I don't know how it works for Inside or Penthouse cabins, but in Penthouse and above, it doesn't matter as much. The closet is a walk-in, and the reading light won't reach the sofa.

[rhohea]

Hi Don,

 

Would you be able to find out (if you don't already know) what is happening with Marina's live web cam? I miss being able to follow it and see when Marina has docked in ports etc.

 

Also - a silly question - what medical staff are on Marina. I know what the makeup is on R ships but wondered about Marina. No. of doctors etc?

 

Thank you for this and for your help off these boards in the past. Hope to meet you April 13/14 2012 if we can get a cabin. (Aussies dont get bookings easily these days).

Rhonda

rhohea23@yahoo.com.au

[raffeer]

Obviously I'm not Don but I am, unfortunately, able to comment on the medical services on Marina after a few visits during the maiden voyage (TA).

The physician impressed me with the very detailed history he took and the extensive physical exam he performed.

He is assisted by two women, one, definitely an RN. The other possibly an LPN. Both were warm and caring and to my untrained eye had the skills necessary for their profession..

The medical suite is located on deck 4. The non-medical provisions (waiting room furnishings etc) were definitely a work in progress. A chair or two outside the entrance would have been helpful.

They were not completely unpacked yet but each time I was there I could see things were improving i.e. the number of cartons decreasing.

Bottom line- I was satisfied with services I received.