Just back from a TA on the Marina, Bcn to Mia.

[jonthomas]

A quick overview. 

 

Marina looks tired, needs to be refreshed. 

Food, very subjective, so these are comments from a very picky eater.

 

Seems the chef was into throwing everything into a recipe, many salads unrecognizable, an example Kasha with salmon, tomatoes and olives, soups unrecognizable, was able to eat soup three times in Terrace cafe, a green pea, a semi vegetable and something like a cream broccoli....

 

everything had strange names, way too  much sea food, which I dont eat, seems everything had shrimp in it...

 

ok...so I stuck to a basic green salad and had something from the grill....

 

the desserts in Terrace were amazing for the first 10 days, then terrible as staff switched, but that is a good thing because I would have gained much more weight.....

 

way too many asian inspired choices, way too many pork choices....many complained to chef...nothing changed....

 

polo, very average, toscana, very good, jacques very good....red ginger was on last night, so we skipped it....

 

best part of cruise , playing trivia and meeting people...worst part, almost no internet for many days....

 

feel free to comment and ask questions....

[shepherd really]

@jonthomas did Marina look tired in public spaces, your cabin or both?

Indefinitely postponing the ONext refurb has got me wondering if O is suffering from cash flow issue.  If so, what other corners are they cutting?

[shepherd really]

Also, how was disembarkation at terminal J in Miami?  Any issues?

[pinotlover]

It will be interesting to see the Marina again in 85 or so days. Food is very subjective. On our recent Sirena cruise, we found it very inconsistent. Some meals were very good, while some were poor. Lots of very bland unseasoned soups and dressings. They served tamarind soup while the staff admitted they were out of tamarind on the ship! Lots of complaints about “ this not being the best cuisine at sea”. Meanwhile, other posters here have said every meal was excellent. The definition of subjective! 😂

 

We still enjoyed the cruise and was happy to be back. Our best meals, while on a cruise, are rarely aboard ship and that cruise was no exception. With our current S.A. dar trip plans, I sure it will be the same there several meals over. 
 

As far as obvious cash flow issues, the financial markets have addressed that issue already because of missed sales projections coupled with massive debt. Until things recover, I project that second A  Class ship will slide to at least 2027. The delayed Vista won’t help cash flow either! More debt, no cash flow.
 

We enjoy the cruises and pick them based solely on itinerary. We are looking forward to another Dom Perignon dinner in La Reserve and trying out the new Privee selections. We won’t starve! 😎

After all these years of Veal Marsala Picatta, which is neither Marsala nor picatta, bizarre menu items with undefined components are part of the intrigue.

 

Enjoy the cruise for what it is and don’t let your expectations to get overhyped and I believe you’ll enjoy the O experience.

[jonthomas]

Yes everyone that did Privee, raved about it....we dont do wine, so it is of no value for us. 

[jonthomas]

We did the immigration check in San Juan Puerto Rico, it was done in the terminal, everyone had to get off, no one could get back on till all were checked in....

 

so those on top floors that had 10 am check ins, had to wait 3 hours to get back on ship...if they did not go into town, it was brutal as the terminal was very cold, no food or drink...

 

we were on 7th deck, check in was at 11:30, stood in line till 1, then got back onto ship....it was very difficult for for folks with health issues to stand for so long...no chairs...nothing...

 

but then in MIA we went right through, that is once we got off the ship...the line up to get off was huge....seems folks did not listen to when their departure time was called and just all hurried en mass....

[ToxM]

19 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

We did the immigration check in San Juan Puerto Rico, it was done in the terminal, everyone had to get off, no one could get back on till all were checked in....

 

so those on top floors that had 10 am check ins, had to wait 3 hours to get back on ship...if they did not go into town, it was brutal as the terminal was very cold, no food or drink...

 

we were on 7th deck, check in was at 11:30, stood in line till 1, then got back onto ship....it was very difficult for for folks with health issues to stand for so long...no chairs...nothing...

 

but then in MIA we went right through, that is once we got off the ship...the line up to get off was huge....seems folks did not listen to when their departure time was called and just all hurried en mass....

 

Interesting they did it in San Juan, that’s on the itin for tomorrow’s Riv cruise, so that might help embarkation on 23rd for me. 

 

Marina does look tired, she is still looks good, but against returned R class ships she looks in need of a spruce up. I think the difference was more apparent to me because I was on Sirena, then 10 days later on marina. 

[LHT28]

30 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Yes everyone that did Privee, raved about it....we dont do wine, so it is of no value for us. 

You do not need to drink wine in Privee

Maybe you are confusing it with La Reserve ??

[LHT28]

26 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

we were on 7th deck, check in was at 11:30, stood in line till 1, then got back onto ship....

So you could not leave the terminal  while you were waiting??

Seems strange to have to hang out  all that time

 

Of course  no one listens or follow instructions on disembarkation day 😁

[pinotlover]

I enjoy Old Town San Juan. Hard to imagine folks just sitting for hours in a terminal instead of visiting the town! Oops, sounds like an Embarkment Day! 😂😂

 

Some posters have have expressed pride in that they are totally oblivious to everything going on around them including instructions from the staff. Disembarkment is typically made unnecessarily challenging because of this.

[jonthomas]

you could leave the terminal...but we had many folks that were  mobility challenged....

 

yes guess I confused la reserve with Privee....

 

still like the smaller ship feel....so the big lines are out for us...

 

what smaller line has better food?...not sure now with the rapid staff changes and supply issues they keep talking about...but yes, O cant claim , best food at sea....not now....

 

also no kids running around and screaming....we did have about 15 children aboard..but well behaved....no issues...still cant imagine why anyone would bring kids on board...there is nothing for them to do....did see them in the hot tub even though most were under 12...and as  young as 5....

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, jonthomas said:

A quick overview. 

 

Marina looks tired, needs to be refreshed. 

Food, very subjective, so these are comments from a very picky eater.

 

Seems the chef was into throwing everything into a recipe, many salads unrecognizable, an example Kasha with salmon, tomatoes and olives, soups unrecognizable, was able to eat soup three times in Terrace cafe, a green pea, a semi vegetable and something like a cream broccoli....

 

everything had strange names, way too  much sea food, which I dont eat, seems everything had shrimp in it...

 

ok...so I stuck to a basic green salad and had something from the grill....

 

the desserts in Terrace were amazing for the first 10 days, then terrible as staff switched, but that is a good thing because I would have gained much more weight.....

 

way too many asian inspired choices, way too many pork choices....many complained to chef...nothing changed....

 

polo, very average, toscana, very good, jacques very good....red ginger was on last night, so we skipped it....

 

best part of cruise , playing trivia and meeting people...worst part, almost no internet for many days....

 

feel free to comment and ask questions....

We too just got off Marina on 12/4/22 having originally embarked on October 18 at BCN.

I’ll add my comments after I first address Marina NEXT makeover. Yes, it has been delayed due to supply chain and logistics issues as well as to make room for another of the recently reintroduced “Grand Voyages” (in the last quarter of 2023). One only needs to look at the O online scheduler to see that the new NEXT gap for Marina is January 11 to February 14, 2024. And, IMO, she doesn’t look “tired.” She just looks like she has looked for years - classic decor that is well maintained. Some of the tech updates are already there including the newer Samsung TVs with “on demand” movies. But the USB charging ports have not yet been added. As for internet, the good news is that more “repeaters” have been added in the cabin areas which means stronger wifi network connectivity. However, the bad news is that internet service for most of the journey was probably the worst we’ve experienced over many O cruises. In particular, from FCO to MIA, it appeared that email retrieved through native IMAP clients (iPhone MAIL) or mail apps (e.g., Yahoo, GMail) we’re being throttled somewhere along the route back to the O servers in the US. On some days, I was getting a latency ping of multi-thousands before Speed Test gave up. I’m no computer whiz, but that suggests to me that it was satellite issues. (Maybe a techie could comment).

As for the Marina food, IMO, it was overall what we usually have experienced - very good quality of ingredients and preparation along with great variety across multiple cuisines (yes, including the soup). FWIW, our frame of reference is the entire spectrum of “mom and pop” to Michelin starred restaurants in places like SF, NYC and LA. Of course, there were the normal occasional hiccups and a few head scratchers like the Reubens in Waves being made with plain Brisket rather than corned beef or pastrami. Sorry folks - NOT a Reuben.
 

As for the specialty restaurants, Polo has never excited us - stuff easily done at home.

Jacques, Toscana and Red Ginger were all delightful. Having done La Reserve on multiple previous occasions, we finally busted open the piggie bank and did the Dom Perignon experience. IMO: The black truffled Risotto made you want to ask for extra in a take out container. But, save your money: the Dom Perignon champagne was IMO mediocre when compared to the sparklers we can get at home in NorCal from Roederer, Sharffenberger et al. 
We also dined twice with GM Marck Warmenhoven and the special menus were excellent.

 

It’s not unreasonable to have some port changes/cancellations (weather, logistics, etc) when your total cruise length is 47 days. But, when they happen, the performance of some O departments becomes a critical issue.

 

Let’s start with Destination Services (DS). Because we do mostly longer cruises (several per year), we tend to mix ship and private tours - always making the most of the combo of O Life and YWYW - thus providing great convenience at a bottom line premium cost that is reasonable. But, that judgement relies on the expectation that the DS folks onboard know what they’re doing.

 

Marina’s current DS department is poorly organized and operated (worst we’ve ever experienced). For example, A two day stay a Haifa had one of our day 1 tours cancelled by tour company. DS auto-rebooked us on day 2 - AT THE SAME TIME AS ANOTHER OF OUR PREBOOKED TOURS! When I brought it to their attention and wanted a similar tour on day 2, their most obnoxious agent said I’d have to go on a “wait list.” See my screen name: I stood there and “brow beat” him into overbooking the tour for me. Another example was an announcement that busses would be held for us due to long CBP lines in PR. That was a lie and there wasn’t even an apology. In any case, the usually competent onboard DS training seemed to have skipped this group. I even had to explain to some of them how O Life and YWYW interplay - particularly for port changes. O folks in Miami will be hearing from me. (Of course, there could’ve been issues had I used private tours for the problem ports.But, the poor performance of O’s DS was just soooo bad.

 

Speaking of “bad”: while the bulk of the cruise was O’s usual excellence (including great GM in Marck W and Exec Concierge Juan Carlos Cortes) plus outstanding Guest Services Desk and cabin Stewards, there was one other noteworthy terrible item.

 

During the bulk of the cruise we saw a change in CDs from the very affable/newer Peter Roberts to John (unknown last name - really - never written or said anywhere), also relatively new. With the understanding that CD styles can differ and have their followers, suffice to say that he was, IMO, an embarassment to O whose traditional CDs  (Dottie Kalusa, Leslie John, Ray Carr - each with their own style) at least convinced you that they loved O and it’s regulars. This John, however, was perceived by quite a number of O regulars (including us) to be disingenuous and interested in only doing the minimum to get through the day.

Trivia lover? John’s not for you. Reduced normal day time trivia from 20 to 15 questions,  insisted on holding trivia in Martini’s despite a full passenger load. Passenger outcry finally got him to move to Marina Lounge to avoid the Covid Petri Dish he created in SRO Martinis Bar. No special sea day Trivia like Men vs Women after lunch. Just sooo bad
 

Hopefully, all those who shared our concern will have done the end-of-cruise review. And I hope that O takes note of the reported onboard Covid cases and concerns of public health conscious folks who will have remarked about the staggering increase in respiratory issues over those four segments (even crew had mandatory masking for the two middle of four segments).

 

O really needs to go back to Covid  vax/booster requirement, testing and restrictions. Australia has figured that out. So how about O?

 

But, even despite a bad DS staff and terrible CD on this recent trip, we’ll be back in February on Regatta SYD-SYD-PPT and then Insignia this coming summer SFO-NYC.

 

 

Edited December 6, 2022 by Flatbush Flyer

[jonthomas]

Was told by the Ambassador that the rest of the itins for 2025 will be out in April....

 

so we bought a Future cruise Certif....it gives discounts off price and at least 300 OBC to apply to the future cruise to be  booked...must book this cruise within a year...

 

hope O can again claim best food at sea and become technology advanced as most other lines...although with the cash flow issues that some of you are mentioning, it is not likely to happen....

[jonthomas]

There was no brunch as we had on our 15 day TA in March of 2021, there was a carnival day of games with staff organizing it....

 

Yes the cruise director did his minimum....nothing like the directors we experienced on other O cruises....

 

yes food is subjective...but we have had amazing food on the little Insignia, pre covid...so we DO have something to compare it to...and it was better on the Riviera last March.....

[Ride-The-Waves]

Not quite the worst cruise ever, but close.  NOT up to expectations.  Onboard Rome to Miami.  Toooo many days.

 

Immigration at San Juan was a real cluster and all Marina's fault.  Took the ship 2 hours and 45 minutes to get everyone off.  Scary when you think about safety and security.  I addressed the issue with one of the senior officers - and received a head shrug.  NOT the fault of immigration.  We processed through that in minutes.  The terminal did have chairs for sitting - thankfully.  Doors open and A/C at full blast resulted in a cold for both of us.  Management/leadership incompetence. 

 

Found the ship to be dated and in need of overhaul.  NOT a "near luxury" ship.  

 

Ate at specialty restaurants six times out of eight reservations.  Food was generally good, if served colder than expected.  Best of the restaurants was Polo.  The noise level in Jacques and Red Ginger was uncomfortably loud resulting from too many tables too close together.  Couple next to us in Red Ginger came in soused (carrying three drinks).  Disappointing.  We ate mostly in the Terrace Cafe which was also crowded with tables too close together (saw one lady trip and fall over a chair leg) - it was also impossible to get through to your table after selecting food from the buffet.

 

Crew was great.  Worked hard to please.  Can't say the same about leadership.

 

Guest lecturers were good and knowledgeable.  

 

Embarkation was a breeze in Civitavecchia.  Walked off in Miami (see immigration above) and in car at Miami international within one hour.

 

"Worst Internet at Sea" should be Oceania's moto.  Horrible connectivity.  First day tried logging on and received notification it would be $25/day for "basic (non existent)" Internet.  Had my mobile phone "on" while checking in and that counted as the only device allowed (reception grudgingly "fixed" it).  "Fast" Internet was $35/day.  No thanks.  Only good connection was last two days specifically for comments.

 

Everything on board appeared geared to nickel and dimming you from your money.  Boutique prices brought tears to my eyes they were so far above normal.  Why?  Who wants to pay over $120 for a polo shirt?  Nuts!

 

Cabin was nice and comfortable - "PH" on Deck 11.  HVAC worked well.  Great closet.

 

Looks like first and last time on Oceania for us.

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

There was no brunch as we had on our 15 day TA in March of 2021, there was a carnival day of games with staff organizing it....

 

Yes the cruise director did his minimum....nothing like the directors we experienced on other O cruises....

 

yes food is subjective...but we have had amazing food on the little Insignia, pre covid...so we DO have something to compare it to...and it was better on the Riviera last March.....

Country Fair - always a hoot. But no “whack-a-waiter!” (Which the wait staff loves to do).

Forgot that there was no brunch day (with all those sea days).

[jonthomas]

4 minutes ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

Not quite the worst cruise ever, but close.  NOT up to expectations.  Onboard Rome to Miami.  Toooo many days.

 

Immigration at San Juan was a real cluster and all Marina's fault.  Took the ship 2 hours and 45 minutes to get everyone off.  Scary when you think about safety and security.  I addressed the issue with one of the senior officers - and received a head shrug.  NOT the fault of immigration.  We processed through that in minutes.  The terminal did have chairs for sitting - thankfully.  Doors open and A/C at full blast resulted in a cold for both of us.  Management/leadership incompetence. 

 

Found the ship to be dated and in need of overhaul.  NOT a "near luxury" ship.  

 

Ate at specialty restaurants six times out of eight reservations.  Food was generally good, if served colder than expected.  Best of the restaurants was Polo.  The noise level in Jacques and Red Ginger was uncomfortably loud resulting from too many tables too close together.  Couple next to us in Red Ginger came in soused (carrying three drinks).  Disappointing.  We ate mostly in the Terrace Cafe which was also crowded with tables too close together (saw one lady trip and fall over a chair leg) - it was also impossible to get through to your table after selecting food from the buffet.

 

Crew was great.  Worked hard to please.  Can't say the same about leadership.

 

Guest lecturers were good and knowledgeable.  

 

Embarkation was a breeze in Civitavecchia.  Walked off in Miami (see immigration above) and in car at Miami international within one hour.

 

"Worst Internet at Sea" should be Oceania's moto.  Horrible connectivity.  First day tried logging on and received notification it would be $25/day for "basic (non existent)" Internet.  Had my mobile phone "on" while checking in and that counted as the only device allowed (reception grudgingly "fixed" it).  "Fast" Internet was $35/day.  No thanks.  Only good connection was last two days specifically for comments.

 

Everything on board appeared geared to nickel and dimming you from your money.  Boutique prices brought tears to my eyes they were so far above normal.  Why?  Who wants to pay over $120 for a polo shirt?  Nuts!

 

Cabin was nice and comfortable - "PH" on Deck 11.  HVAC worked well.  Great closet.

 

Looks like first and last time on Oceania for us.

 

 

agree with all that you say....but alas we have 6 more booked with O....and no other option that interests us.....

[Ride-The-Waves]

3 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

 

 

agree with all that you say....but alas we have 6 more booked with O....and no other option that interests us.....

Going to give Azamara a serious look.  Sailed with them many times pre-Covid and before they were broken off from RCCL.  Always enjoyed the ships, ambiance, crews, and felt it was truly "like coming home" again.  We don't enjoy the mega ships and carnival atmosphere.

[shepherd really]

If Marina looks tired now, I may reevaluate my booked cruise scheduled in 13 months.  If O can't deliver on cuisine, what exactly is the point of choosing them?   

This sounds like a company in trouble.  

[PaulMCO]

1 hour ago, jonthomas said:

We did the immigration check in San Juan Puerto Rico, it was done in the terminal, everyone had to get off, no one could get back on till all were checked in....

 

so those on top floors that had 10 am check ins, had to wait 3 hours to get back on ship...if they did not go into town, it was brutal as the terminal was very cold, no food or drink...

 

we were on 7th deck, check in was at 11:30, stood in line till 1, then got back onto ship....it was very difficult for for folks with health issues to stand for so long...no chairs...nothing...

 

but then in MIA we went right through, that is once we got off the ship...the line up to get off was huge....seems folks did not listen to when their departure time was called and just all hurried en mass....

We just got off RSSC Splendor.  Same issue in San Juan.  The issue was not the lines fault but passengers.  It took the ship more than an hour to find some passengers who refused to get off the ship to clear customs. Only was able to reboard at 1130 (2.5 hours later)

 

Miami was great off at 8am and home by 10:30am.

 

Really concerned if condition and food are so bad on Marina.  There were some issues of supply on Regent especially in missing ingredients and wine/liquor.

 

This is a retest for us as to whether we ever sail again with O.

 

Internet -- we had some issues and yes it was bad on Regent too.  Oceania and Regent block many sites - they use the same contractor EMC.  They both use IP address that are blocked by many mail services (like comcast/xfinity).  The solution is to use a VPN like Nord or cyber ghost.

Edited December 6, 2022 by PaulMCO

[LHT28]

40 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

 

 

agree with all that you say....but alas we have 6 more booked with O....and no other option that interests us.....

keep looking  you may find another line more to your liking

 

Have you tried Viking ?

Maybe the New Crystal   will work better for you

[jonthomas]

yes we have tried Viking...ships are beautiful....but food was nowhere near as good...but may be better now....

 

really like the way O does activities and O points....love the casual atmosphere....

[ToxM]

I have friends boarding Nautica (I think) tomorrow, and we board Riviera on the 23rd, I will report back how they are doing and I will be sure to let you all know how Riviera is doing. 

 

I think there are still logistics issues with staff and foodstuffs, and probably will be for a while yet. 

 

I will soldier on for all of you 🙂

[shepherd really]

24 minutes ago, ToxM said:

I have friends boarding Nautica (I think) tomorrow, and we board Riviera on the 23rd, I will report back how they are doing and I will be sure to let you all know how Riviera is doing. 

 

I think there are still logistics issues with staff and foodstuffs, and probably will be for a while yet. 

 

I will soldier on for all of you 🙂

You are too kind. 

[ToxM]

55 minutes ago, shepherd really said:

You are too kind. 

I know, you all don’t deserve me 😉