Will Marina become less desirable?

[MV21]

We have cruised on the Riviera and Marina a few times and are booked on the Vista later this year. We have always enjoyed the Oceania product and the size and amenities of the Riviera and Marina seems to hit our 'sweet spot'. There was always a compromise with the cabin (we tend to go Concierge Verandah) as although they were nice, the bathrooms were, as my Scottish wife would say, "A wee bit cramped". Nothing like Concierge on Regent but then not that price either.

However, when the Riviera was refurbished and the bathrooms redesigned with larger walk in showers we were very excited and likewise we are looking forward to this on our Vista cruise with a similar bathroom set up. Then when we discovered that Concierge and below bathrooms will not be refurbished on the future Marina refit - Cue much disappointment as we feel that the Riviera and Marina are no longer sister ships as the (cabin) experience on the Marina is reduced.

We will probably avoid the Marina because of this, unless a particular itinerary appeals and stick to booking Riviera, Vista and Allura.

I would be interested if others will start to view the Marina as the 'unfortunate' sister (never say ugly). 

[Vallesan]

That’s a difficult one.

I assume that itinerary will take precedence.

We have not sailed on the Marina but have done several times on the Riviera. We’re booked on the first Marina cruise after her refit and yes we were disappointed that the whole ship isn’t being ‘re-imagined’. Nonetheless, we like the itinerary and the price reductions in the Summer Sale really couldn’t be refused.

I think the answer, really, is ‘time will tell’?

[MEFIowa]

We cruised on Riviera 12/13-13/2021 and 10/30-11/19/2023. Before and after the update. We preferred the prior look before to the "Scandinavian minimalist" look after. For us, dark cherry woods, for example, say "luxury" to us in ways that white and light colors don't. But that is us. And my wife prefers a bathtub. Our recent A3/B3 B2B didn't include a bathtub, so she learned to enjoy the big walk-in shower.

 

I'll gladly allow others to pay the huge premiums to be the first on Vista and then Allure. We cruise for ports and destinations, not new ships.

 

And while many complain about the smaller R-class ships, our B2 cabin on Sirena was fine. Even at 6'2" I learned to "use" the small shower (by opening the doors at the right times and angles).

[mountain grandma]

Any ship that has Jacques restaurant will continue to appeal to us!  Very disappointed that Vista and Allura do not include our favorite dining venue but itinerary still holds precedence for us.  

[Tranquility Base]

We were recently on Riviera and we very much appreciated the new refit.

Yes, the new bathroom was a great improvement.

 

Whilst onboard we booked our next cruise which was itinerary based on Marina.

Yes, we were disappointed to hear bathrooms in Veranda cabins will not be refurbished. 

 

However, one advantage for us will be replacing La Reserve with Aquamar.

We anticipate using that new venue a bit. 

[Redtravel]

On Vista now. It’s very nice. I really like Marina. Next cruise is on Marina.  Enjoy any ship. Being able to cruise is a luxury. Appreciate it.

[pinotlover]

For us, itinerary trumps bathrooms. We were last on the Marina last Spring and she’s still fine, except for the HVAC system really needing a redo.

 

Personally wished that Oceania would continued to support LaReserve. It distinguished them in the field. Updated new LR menus, new wines, new themes, etc. Neither Ember nor Aquamar  does much for us. Not an avocado toast type guy! 🙄 The bar in La Reserve, when occasionally opened, was always enjoyable. Decent wines, by the glass, were always worth the cost, along with good finger food , and it was all we regularly needed for dinner. However, Oceania has decided to move on and is killing off LR. For us, part of the Simply Less for More money strategy .

[AMHuntFerry]

O has made it clear with the A-class ships that they are moving away from the Inside and Oceanview crowd, so as the R-ships are phased out, Riviera and Marina will be all that is left with I and OV availability. It turns out I love being in the bowels of the ship, and I will miss that if I ever go on one of the A-ships.

For A-category cabins and below, the bathtub crowd will still have some availability although more limited on Riviera.

So after I pare down cruises based on itinerary, I will choose based on ship. For me, I would probably choose Marina over Vista/Allura based on my preferences. Are there enough people like me to keep Marina filled? I don't know, but I'm guessing there are.

Edited January 12 by AMHuntFerry
I wish I could blame autocorrect for typos

[EJL2023]

It could be a temporary thing too. Perhaps in 2025 or 2026 they will update the staterooms below the PH as initially planned. One never knows for sure.  Perhaps not even the bathrooms but the decor and furnishings to match rest of ship. 

[cruisingxpert]

3 hours ago, pinotlover said:

However, Oceania has decided to move on and is killing off LR.

They are still offering La Reserve ( Odyssey and Dom meal only) but it is in Privee and the pre dinner aperitif is in the Library.

They are also offering food and wine pairings in Toscana and Polo.  What disappoints me is that you can't book Privee for a private event and pay $300

Edited January 12 by cruisingxpert

[edgee]

5 minutes ago, EJL2023 said:

It could be a temporary thing too. Perhaps in 2025 or 2026 they will update the staterooms below the PH as initially planned. One never knows for sure.  Perhaps not even the bathrooms but the decor and furnishings to match rest of ship. 

Well except they ARE refurbishing all staterooms this time according to the press releases. So I am assuming that Concierge and below cabins will receive just new carpets and other "soft goods,"whatever that means. This would tend to refute your optimism that O would redo bathrooms on Marina in a year or two IMO. They would consider all cabins as refurbished and would not redo them in a matter of one or two years. Seems to me that if they do the very messy work or redoing all of the bathrooms, cabin soft goods would need to be done at the same time, as otherwise they would remain full of dust/dirt/schmutz, whatever you want to call it, from the extensive bathroom work. BTW Aquamor restaurant's addition to Marina will be a big advantage over Rivera for us. We really enjoyed it on Vista and would miss it if we were to cruise on Riviera.

[FeliciaLee]

47 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

It turns out I love being in the bowels of the ship, and I will miss that if I ever go on one of the A-ships.

 

So after I pare down cruises based on itinerary, I will choose based on ship. For me, I would probably choose Marina over Vista/Allura based on my preferences. Are there enough people like me to keep Marina filled? I don't know, but I'm guessing there are.

I'm right there with you.

[SATaxman]

49 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

O has made it clear with the A-class ships that they are moving away from the Inside and Oceanview crowd, so as the R-ships are phased out, Riviera and Marina will be all that is left with I and OV availability. It turns out I love being in the bowels of the ship, and I will miss that if I ever go on one of the A-ships.

For A-category cabins and below, the bathtub crowd will still have some availability although more limited on Riviera.

So after I pare down cruises based on itinerary, I will choose based on ship. For me, I would probably choose Marina over Vista/Allura based on my preferences. Are there enough people like me to keep Marina filled? I don't know, but I'm guessing there are.

We took our first O cruise on Marina in April. I have booked 2 more cruises on the Marina in the same suite. I am certain that we would not like the R class ships. We loved Jacques, so Vista and Allura are out. When looking at the latest sale, I sorted by Marina and Riviera.

 

[EJL2023]

5 hours ago, edgee said:

Well except they ARE refurbishing all staterooms this time according to the press releases. So I am assuming that Concierge and below cabins will receive just new carpets and other "soft goods,"whatever that means. This would tend to refute your optimism that O would redo bathrooms on Marina in a year or two IMO. They would consider all cabins as refurbished and would not redo them in a matter of one or two years. Seems to me that if they do the very messy work or redoing all of the bathrooms, cabin soft goods would need to be done at the same time, as otherwise they would remain full of dust/dirt/schmutz, whatever you want to call it, from the extensive bathroom work. BTW Aquamor restaurant's addition to Marina will be a big advantage over Rivera for us. We really enjoyed it on Vista and would miss it if we were to cruise on Riviera.

Are you 100% sure about that? In releases made earlier it did note that those staterooms below PH would  receive a refresh of carpets, etc.  However in their release dated 12/8 on their website it  makes no mention at all of this, simply upper suites and the complete refurbishment of the PH suites. Hopefully you are right but we probably won’t know with certainty until those board on 5/18.

[edgee]

2 minutes ago, EJL2023 said:

Are you 100% sure about that? In releases made earlier it did note that those staterooms below PH would  receive a refresh of carpets, etc.  However in their release dated 12/8 on their website it  makes no mention at all of this, simply upper suites and the complete refurbishment of the PH suites. Hopefully you are right but we probably won’t know with certainty until those board on 5/18.

Hell no I am not 100% sure...I read the press releases and make an educated guess like most of us. They have been especially wishy washy in their releases about what actually will  happen with Concierge and below cabins now that they have welched out on initial promise to do full cabin refurbs like on Riviera. Pitiful statement that there is "no time" to redo all bathrooms. Cost cutting move...well, they cannot say that!

[shepherd really]

8 hours ago, edgee said:

 Pitiful statement that there is "no time" to redo all bathrooms. Cost cutting move...well, they cannot say that!

In view of the fact that the shipyard time reserved for Marina is the same as the time used for the Riviera refurb, the excuse that there is " no time" to do the same upgrades is pretty transparently false.

[Psoque]

I think, to some, Marina could be perceived as less desirable to Riviera if the bathrooms on most cabins are not updated, but I'm assuming that Oceania will price the Marina itineraries accordingly.  I always wonder what are the actual (long-term) economics of refurbishments vs. new ships, accounting for more than just the up-front costs of refurbishment vs. building a new ship.  Some factors that come into mind are:  marketing costs/benefits of introducing a new ship, costs/benefits of putting a functional ship on dry dock, the need to comply with ever-changing environmental/safety standards (the need for brand-new ships that meet these standards), and what features are perceived to be "up-to-date," mainly asthetically, to their customers.  My assumption is that, based on long-term economic analyses, cruise lines have to make a calculated decision on the exact extent of refurbishments they make to existing ships.  I don't think this analysis is cut-and-dry.

[Redtravel]

Like Marina.  Like the dark wood furnishings.  It looks classy.  Like the bathroom with tub and shower.  It’s going to renovated like Riviera this spring.  Going to remove tubs and fit with larger shower.  Add Aquamar cafe.  Refurnish the soft goods too. Will be on Marina in May. Looking forward to the refit.

[edgee]

3 hours ago, Redtravel said:

Like Marina.  Like the dark wood furnishings.  It looks classy.  Like the bathroom with tub and shower.  It’s going to renovated like Riviera this spring.  Going to remove tubs and fit with larger shower.  Add Aquamar cafe.  Refurnish the soft goods too. Will be on Marina in May. Looking forward to the refit.

No, this whole thread us about the announcement that Marina will NOT have tubs removed and replaced with larger shower like was done to Riviera. 

[Redtravel]

6 hours ago, edgee said:

No, this whole thread us about the announcement that Marina will NOT have tubs removed and replaced with larger shower like was done to Riviera. 

That works for me.  Marina is a beautiful ship.  In some ways, I like it more than Vista. I would gladly book on Marina, Vista, or Riviera.  We have sailed on the smaller R ships on Oceania and Azamara. Sirena refit looks nice. However, the cabin size is small. Bathroom is tiny. We choose to not book any R ships.  Choosing a cruise has lots of components.  For me my choices are time, itinerary, size of ship, and fare.  Cruise line choice also makes a difference. We gave up big ships for many reasons. Mass market isn’t our way of traveling.  
 

[tipsygirl]

On 1/12/2024 at 10:26 AM, mountain grandma said:

Any ship that has Jacques restaurant will continue to appeal to us!  Very disappointed that Vista and Allura do not include our favorite dining venue but itinerary still holds precedence for us.  

We also love Jacques, and asked our TA to call O to see if Jacques would remain on Marina. That was a couple of months ago. At that time the agent said that had not been decided. I guess that I will find out next week when we make our  Specialty Restaurant reservations

[MarkWiltonM]

We are booked on Marina this November and we were bummed out when we learned the veranda staterooms and the bathrooms, in particular, won't be refurbished in the spring refit. We were on Riviera last year and loved the redesigned bathrooms, which are nearly identical to those on the newer Vista. But I'm more concerned now with reports of faulty A/C in some Marina staterooms. I've read posts where people didn't have A/C for the duration of their cruise and the only accommodation to them was a fan! (???) Does anyone know how pervasive this problem is on Marina? No A/C in the Caribbean would ruin our cruise.

[basor]

Just now, MarkWiltonM said:

We are booked on Marina this November and we were bummed out when we learned the veranda staterooms and the bathrooms, in particular, won't be refurbished in the spring refit. We were on Riviera last year and loved the redesigned bathrooms, which are nearly identical to those on the newer Vista. But I'm more concerned now with reports of faulty A/C in some Marina staterooms. I've read posts where people didn't have A/C for the duration of their cruise and the only accommodation to them was a fan! (???) Does anyone know how pervasive this problem is on Marina? No A/C in the Caribbean would ruin our cruise.

It was reported in one cabin on one cruise so not pervasive across the whole ship.  In fact there is a thread from people currently on Marina which appears to indicate that the ship is in fine shape.  You might want to check out Mumblings from Marina

[ORV]

15 minutes ago, MarkWiltonM said:

We are booked on Marina this November and we were bummed out when we learned the veranda staterooms and the bathrooms, in particular, won't be refurbished in the spring refit. We were on Riviera last year and loved the redesigned bathrooms, which are nearly identical to those on the newer Vista. But I'm more concerned now with reports of faulty A/C in some Marina staterooms. I've read posts where people didn't have A/C for the duration of their cruise and the only accommodation to them was a fan! (???) Does anyone know how pervasive this problem is on Marina? No A/C in the Caribbean would ruin our cruise.

I could be wrong but I think that poster was talking about a cruise last year. Maybe they'll chime in as to when it was. Doesn't matter either way as it's really not acceptable to not have air.

 

I had this issue on Regatta a couple of years ago. The guy that came to fix it took the cover off the unit in the ceiling, made one adjustment and it immediately started working better than any I've ever seen on the older ships. I think maybe it might have been turned off for some reason. 

[ak1004]

We sailed on the Riviera twice before the refurbishment and once after. Didn't see huge difference. Yes, they have now a larger shower, but the shower before the refurbishment was perfectly fine. Couldn't really care less about furnishings. Both are fine.

 

We sail for destinations and spend very little time in the cabin. Definitely not a deal breaker for us. All newer ships still much better than the R ships, regardless of the shower size.