Just off Marina

[no fuss travel]

Thoughts on the cruise:

 

Red Ginger was our favourite. We had Michael, the Poleasian as he introduced himself as our waiter. That was one of the most entertaining dinners we had on the cruise. We tired different dishes than we had before but went back to the Miso Chilean Sea Bass, which is out favourite. We now know to order 4 appetizers and let them know we are going to share. This way they will bring you a separate plate so that you can taste all of the appetizers. ****a the maitre d" was a delight.

 

Polo: We lucked out and had Rolando as our waiter. We had met Rolando when we sailed on the Insignia last year, and his service was as excellent this time as it was while we were aboard the Insignia.

 

GDR: Okay, I know several people are not that fussy about eating here, but honestly we found the service to be excellent. We always asked at dinner to share a table and as a result met some very interesting people. The talk always seemed to turn to travel, and it was fascinating to learn about spots we have not been to yet and also share our knowledge from where we had travelled and our table mates had not. Breakfast in GDR was only for days we did not have to rush off for a tour, as service for breakfast is slower. Lunch could be hit or miss. I found this was the meal where generally I was not fussy about what was offered on the menu. I solved the problem by eating in the Terrace Cafe. I have never received so many thank you's for eating in a dining room before. It made me feel as if I was a celebrity and special. Nice touch.

 

Terrace Cafe: I fell in love with the sushi and sashimi bar. I also liked the larger selection of desserts. Service was generally very good and the only time I found service lacking was when we started the second portion of the cruise. There was quite a large cruise staff turnover in Auckland and for the first two days of the Auckland to Sydney portion, the staff in the Terrace Cafe seemed slightly disorganized and inefficient. After the new staff became more acquainted with the ship, service returned to Oceania standards quickly. Quite often your favourite waiters from the specialty restaurants would be working the early shift in the Terrace Cafe for breakfast and they would give you that extra bit of special service.

 

Jacques: Chocolate birthday cake: yummy. Due to the length of the cruise I managed to eat here three times. I tried several different dishes and I guess the one spot I find weak on their menu is the appetizers. I do not like snails and a few other items offered, so I found it tough to find something I really liked. I liked the lobster dish the best here of all the restaurants. Service was excellent and the dinner I liked best was when we were seated by the window and we could watch the dolphins swimming by the window. Needless to say, we were very slow eating dinner that night as we were too busy being entertained by the dolphins. The staff at Jacques were very accommodating with our slowness in eating.

 

Toscana: I love the bread here. I also like the fact that I can eat a small portion of pasta as an appetizer. The sole is my favourite dish. Service was delightful. The only meal I was not happy with was the fish special of the day. The first piece was delightful, flaky and tender but the second piece was rubbery. The maitre d' noticed that I was not eating it and asked why. I told him and he offered to bring me another main course but I opted to have dessert instead. The next time we went to Toscana, the maitre d' must have checked 3 times during the main course to make sure everything was perfect, which it was. I did not find this obtrusive but instead found it welcome as it shows Oceania cares that guests enjoy their meals and cruise.

 

Now, the only problem I had with the food is that they ran out of herbal tea, particularly the flavour that I favour. The staff bent over backwards to find the few remaining packages that were on board to ensure that I could enjoy my tea for breakfast. They also told me where I could find some, and I went to Horizons and found a few packages which I brought in for breakfast the last few days of the cruise so I could enjoy a tea that I would drink. The replacement herbal tea they brought on board in Auckland was awful and not a proper herbal tea.

 

Tea: Went only once to the Gala Tea during our 34 day cruise. I was in chocolate heaven.

 

Elevator: I was more than a bit nervous to be in the forward elevators. The noises that one of the elevators was making actually had me get off and I honestly thought the cables were going to break. I have never heard so much banging inside an elevator before. Now this is where I was quite disappointed in fellow passengers manners. Several passengers got on and would say a floor number and expect another passenger to punch the number for them even if they were not standing near the board. Please and thank you did not seem to exist with these rather obnoxious people.

 

The other spot where you found passengers with bad manners was in the Terrace Cafe. They would order the staff to set up a particular table for them and announce in a very loud voice that this is why we have to pay tips on this ship to get service. You could see the discomfort of other passengers sitting around that particular table and even see the discomfort of other passengers sitting with the rude passenger.

 

There was a terrific pianist from Sydney on the first portion of the cruise (Van Ahn), which I felt was the best entertainment for the entire cruise.

 

Sarah, the cruise hostess was just delightful. Her needlepoint sessions kept increasing as everyone had a good time, and she certainly has a way with people. She was very patient with passengers who had never done needlework before and gave them the attention they needed without ignoring the rest of the passengers.

 

We used private tours for the entire cruise and were glad that we did as we felt we saw more than a ship's tour did. The only spot we were disappointed with was the Bay of the Islands, as the water was a bit rough and we arrived late due to a lack of a boat to pick up the pilot at the Isle of PInes. Those not taking ship tours, were held back and had very little time for the port. This was the one time when the Destination people showed little tack and managed to annoy all of the independent travellers.

 

The other low point of the cruise was the late boarding in Papeete. Yes, they did provide food, but the food was not refrigerated properly in Papeete and several passengers were not feeling well the next day as a result of the food. Everyone was fine until they ate the food. After a few days on the cruise, you forgot about the boarding fiasco, as the crew made you feel so welcome.

 

I know it was an excellent cruise as I really did not want to disembark and could have quite happily stayed on board for another cruise but alas I had to come home as my poor dog was pining and our daughter was getting desperate for someone to cook.

[Jancruz]

Thanks for the review..I enjoyed reading it and felt like I was on the ship..

Jancruz1

[Paulchili]

Thank you for the review. We got off in Papeete (in January).

You made me smile when you mentioned Michael, the Poleasian - he used the same introduction with us.

[wripro]

I gained two pounds reading this review!

[no fuss travel]

I gained two pounds reading this review!

 

Thanks, now I know where the two pounds I have lost went since I got home on Sunday from the cruise went.:D I really appreciate it.;)

[kibutzer]

Not sure about the rude passengers but I would agree with the previous review. I too had the staff go above and beyond when they shifted from Schweepes "light" color ginger all to anotther darker and far different taste. Since I use ginger ale to control some health issues and I found the new version very difficult to drink, the staff "reserved" all of the final three cans so that I could have it when needed during the remaining part of my trip.

 

Another example was our first night at Red Ginger, first sail night, they were out of vanilla orchid tea. We expressed our disappoint me to Michal and when we saw him the day before we were returning for a second time he made a special point of making sure they had restocked the tea.

 

I only wish I had learned more of the staff names, one of the down sides of a larger ship, since I know how important it is for them when it is time for new contracts.

[CintiPam]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post such a well-written and comprehensive review. I look forward to our return to Oceania next year, this time trying the Riviera.

[Acrusa]

We will be on Marina next feb 2014 Papeete to Sydney. This will be our 6th crusies on O and our first not on an R ship. Looking foward to the larger stateroom.

How was the weather on your cruise? We sailed Tahiti right before the turn of the century 1993 in May with Windstar the weather was great.

[Paulchili]

We will be on Marina next feb 2014 Papeete to Sydney. This will be our 6th crusies on O and our first not on an R ship. Looking foward to the larger stateroom.

How was the weather on your cruise? We sailed Tahiti right before the turn of the century 1993 in May with Windstar the weather was great.

 

Don't expect any significant increase in your stateroom unless you are in PH or above. The verandah cabins are beautiful and new but no larger than those on the R ships. Most, if not all, of the sq. footage increase went into the BRs, which are noticeably larger (and much nicer).

You'll love the food for sure :D

[potterhill]

Don't expect any significant increase in your stateroom unless you are in PH or above. The verandah cabins are beautiful and new but no larger than those on the R ships.

 

Actually the regular balcony cabins are larger to the extent that you can pass each other at the foot of the bed- no more traffic jams! Also there is a feeling of expansiveness that is lacking in the same cabin on the R ships. Sitting on my balcony now on Nautica and when we first entered the room, both of us thought it felt small after Marina. Maybe not a large # in terms of square feet, but enough to make a difference.

 

Mo

[CintiPam]

Actually the regular balcony cabins are larger to the extent that you can pass each other at the foot of the bed- no more traffic jams!

 

However, the traffic jam now, much worse in my opinion, is getting to the closet for your clothes!:)

[no fuss travel]

We will be on Marina next feb 2014 Papeete to Sydney. This will be our 6th crusies on O and our first not on an R ship. Looking foward to the larger stateroom.

How was the weather on your cruise? We sailed Tahiti right before the turn of the century 1993 in May with Windstar the weather was great.

 

We lucked out on the weather. Each day we were in port it was either sunny or cloudy. Most of our rain happened on sea days which meant you relaxed a bit more. We were lucky with the Tasman Sea. Quite smooth which was a good thing as the Captain had to speed up for a medical emergency. The ill passenger we were told though is okay. The most rain we had was in Papeete before we boarded the ship. It seemed to rain each night and we managed to get through the day mainly without rain. One day it rained just as we were approaching the market so we hid in there and had fun while the rain came down. It did not last too long.

[no fuss travel]

However, the traffic jam now, much worse in my opinion, is getting to the closet for your clothes!:)

 

Oh yes, can I ever agree on that one. There just wasn't that much room at the side of the bed so two people could not deal with the closet at the same time.:eek:

[corpkid]

I'm actually glad to hear this - we had our traffic jams behind the bed on the R class ship (not O but Azamara). The closet was not an issue as we started with pulling our clothes out onto the bed and then took turns making cocktails and the other showering. It worked, though if we were in a time crunch (aka a 7:30am debark) we did find it tough. And no, there were no cocktails at 7:30am - just OJ and breakfast, equally complicated. Cruising with a loved one, shows just how much you love that one! <grin>

Edited March 22, 2013 by corpkid

[Paulchili]

However, the traffic jam now, much worse in my opinion, is getting to the closet for your clothes!:)

 

Not to mention less storage space in the shallow drawers, etc - at least IMO. We had to put the life vests into the tub and used the upper shelf in the closet for storage (never needed to do that on the R ships).

The cabins do look larger but I think much of it is visual perception due to the nice decor and clean lines of these cabins. If they are larger, it's not by a whole lot. The PHs, OTOH, are much larger than those on R ships. :)

[corpkid]

Not to mention less storage space in the shallow drawers, etc - at least IMO. We had to put the life vests into the tub and used the upper shelf in the closet for storage (never needed to do that on the R ships).

The cabins do look larger but I think much of it is visual perception due to the nice decor and clean lines of these cabins. If they are larger, it's not by a whole lot. The PHs, OTOH, are much larger than those on R ships. :)

 

Glad to have a tub to toss stuff into!!! Those R class baths are crazy small! I was so annoyed with dancing with the shower curtain by the time I got of my last cruise. I got home, took a GREAT shower and was like "it's good to be home" :)

[Paulchili]

If they are larger, it's not by a whole lot. :)

 

PS I am sure J&S have the ACTUAL measurements (Sq.Ft) for the balcony cabins on O vs R class (cabin only - not with balcony or with the BR).

[YoHoHo]

Glad to have a tub to toss stuff into!!! Those R class baths are crazy small! I was so annoyed with dancing with the shower curtain by the time I got of my last cruise. I got home, took a GREAT shower and was like "it's good to be home" :)

You can use the showers in the Spa / Gym area. It is a trip down the hall but closer than home.

[CintiPam]

Not to mention less storage space in the shallow drawers, etc - at least IMO. We had to put the life vests into the tub and used the upper shelf in the closet for storage (never needed to do that on the R ships).

The cabins do look larger but I think much of it is visual perception due to the nice decor and clean lines of these cabins. If they are larger, it's not by a whole lot. The PHs, OTOH, are much larger than those on R ships. :)

 

Yes, I really was surprised when we boarded Marina to see that the room appeared to be the same size as on the "R" ships but just with a bathroom with an enormous amount of wasted space in the middle of it.

 

However, the fabulous specialty restaurants really made our experience memorable. We look forward to exploring Riviera next year, but first we are visiting the Adriatic coast on Azamara Quest.

Edited March 22, 2013 by CintiPam

[cindilouwho]

Don't expect any significant increase in your stateroom unless you are in PH or above. The verandah cabins are beautiful and new but no larger than those on the R ships. Most, if not all, of the sq. footage increase went into the BRs, which are noticeably larger (and much nicer).

You'll love the food for sure :D

 

Hey There Paul!!!

 

I am here now too --- made the jump from AZ and going on the Marina with 12 of my closest CC friends in June to the Baltic! Wish you could join us!

 

The staterooms with the verandah look like they are the same size as the Club Continent suites on the R ships. Big bathrooms work for me ..... love the tub!

 

Can't wait to compare AZ and O for myself. Also saw your posts on Flyertalk....man you are all over the place.

 

C'hag Samech!

[Fam_Cruise]

I gained two pounds reading this review!

But if you use the stairs instead of the noisy elevator then you kill two birds with one stone. ;)

[wripro]

I do use the stairs but I'd have to build a stairway to paradise to even begin to work off the calories.

[Juelav]

We will be doing the same on the Marina from Papeete to Sydney this January 2015, can you tell me what the weather was like? Especially the rough sea sailing from Fiji to sydney, I am prone to seasickness, anybody sick on your trip

[Mura]

Any answer you get could very well be totally irrelevant. Just because one cruise encounters rough seas, that doesn't mean another one will too. And conversely, smooth seas aren't always guaranteed.

 

All you would know is that SOMEBODY on the same itinerary may or may not have had rough seas.

 

I sympathize because I, too, am sensitive to motion. DH should have been a sailor. He NEVER gets seasick.

 

Some of the roughest seas we've encountered were on the way to Aruba about 10 years ago. But when we were at Cape Horn it was quite smooth.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are no guarantees.

 

Mura

[jamesnmphs]

I sailed on Marina in 2011, the year it launched. Did Rome to Venice in April/May and with a few exceptions, such as some repairs to the teak pool decking and a hand rail on one of the interior stairways, the ship was excellent.

 

The staff on the ship was extremely gracious and helpful. Anything I requested, they took care of as far as the cabin was concerned.

 

The specialty restaurants were all very good and I believe we were given more reservations than we were allowed and since I had talked to the maitre d's during day, they made sure I was seated when ever I came to their evening restaurants.

 

Embarking was very smooth. I was part of a group of 83 and we went through the check in process in less than 15 minutes.

 

I really can not think of one negative about the ship or the cruise.

 

James

 

 

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