LIVE from the Marina Maiden Voyage 1/22/11-2/4/11

The Wait is Almost Over....

 

I have so enjoyed Cruise Critic over the past several years. I have to admit that I am an easy mark when it comes to "live from" threads on ships I'm about to sail on.

 

I need to state up front that the opinions will be that of my own, my wife and my parents.

 

We will be looking at this cruise from several angles:

 

1st Time Oceania Cruisers

Big time Foodie folks

 

DW and I are in our 40's; parents in 70's

 

I hope to provide a daily report in as much as I can of our journey. In addition, I will be trying to post photos of menus, etc. as quickly as possible as I know so many of you LOVE that discussion and there seems to be a lack of sources for Oceania Cruises.

 

I know many of you will have questions..and I'll try to do my best to answer those given the internet connectivity speeds we'll have on board.

 

It's my way of giving back to the CC community.....!

 

Thanks again to so many CC contributors!

if they provide shuttles from any of the ports.

 

How much the drinks are, say a martini? Do they have happy hour bars?

 

How are they handling disembarkation on shore days? Do they still have a rule that all the ships tour folks go first.

 

Generally, the quality of the food..is it overly salty?

 

So many of the crew left the Insignia for the Marina. I especially liked the big tall chef from France...he is very personable, so you will see him easily.

 

Thank you. I will be waiting for the reviews. I am sure the ship is a knock-out in its decor?

 

Carole

A very nice thought

Do keep in mind the Internet fees are quite expensive on Oceania ;)

 

Have a great trip

 

Lyn

How much the drinks are, say a martini? Do they have happy hour bars?

 

How are they handling disembarkation on shore days? Do they still have a rule that all the ships tour folks go first.

Carole

I suspect they will have the same as the small ships

I will look forward to your reports and pictures (especially the menus) - we are anxious to hear EVERYTHING about the Marina.

I am certain you know this, but just in case you do not - you can compose your notes of line in word (or similar) and just copy and paste online - thus saving much valuable internet time.

Thank you very much!

Oh great! I am looking forward to your reports.

This will be quite interesting, our own Hondorner will be sailing with you.

Having several perspectives will be invaluable. :D

The Wait is Almost Over....

 

I have so enjoyed Cruise Critic over the past several years. I have to admit that I am an easy mark when it comes to "live from" threads on ships I'm about to sail on.

 

I need to state up front that the opinions will be that of my own, my wife and my parents.

 

We will be looking at this cruise from several angles:

 

1st Time Oceania Cruisers

Big time Foodie folks

 

DW and I are in our 40's; parents in 70's

 

I hope to provide a daily report in as much as I can of our journey. In addition, I will be trying to post photos of menus, etc. as quickly as possible as I know so many of you LOVE that discussion and there seems to be a lack of sources for Oceania Cruises.

 

I know many of you will have questions..and I'll try to do my best to answer those given the internet connectivity speeds we'll have on board.

 

It's my way of giving back to the CC community.....!

 

Thanks again to so many CC contributors!

 

That will be wonderful! Can't wait to read your

posts! Thanks again!:D

We will also be reporting about the new internet service. Even with good connections it will be expensive to use a lot. It will be fun to read simularities and differences of the same venues/experiences. With so many of us on the roll call for this Maiden Voyage, there should be plenty of writing and reading ahead for CC members. Everyone has added to the fun and information of Oceania ships and experiences and now we add Marina.

 

Lynne

Hello, Thank you for posting as we are looking at going next year.

Are the B4 balcony rooms on Deck 7 (rear of ship) larger than those on deck 8?

Thank you, Seadeck2

I will read this thread wistfully as we were supposed to be on the ship.

 

Just looking at excursions for Marina in November. trying not to wish the days away.....

 

Mo

Is the pool warm and are there pool butlers?

Thank you, Seadeck2

Hello, Thank you for posting as we are looking at going next year.

Are the B4 balcony rooms on Deck 7 (rear of ship) larger than those on deck 8?

Thank you, Seadeck2

 

I believe the rooms are the same size but some of those balconies are larger. I hope someone from those rooms will post.

I need to state up front that the opinions will be that of my own, my wife and my parents.

 

We will be looking at this cruise from several angles:

1st Time Oceania Cruisers

Big time Foodie folks

DW and I are in our 40's; parents in 70's

I will follow your "live from" with interest and appreciation! It will be great to get your impressions as 1st time O cruisers who are self-described foodies. I eagerly await the restaurant critiques. And it will be interesting to observe any differences in your perspectives compared to those of your parents.

 

Thanks so much for taking us along. Bon Voyage.

if they provide shuttles from any of the ports.

 

How much the drinks are, say a martini? Do they have happy hour bars?

 

How are they handling disembarkation on shore days? Do they still have a rule that all the ships tour folks go first.

 

Generally, the quality of the food..is it overly salty?

 

So many of the crew left the Insignia for the Marina. I especially liked the big tall chef from France...he is very personable, so you will see him easily.

 

Thank you. I will be waiting for the reviews. I am sure the ship is a knock-out in its decor?

 

Carole

Carole, there are quite a few pictures and videos being posted by Mr. Binder. You might want to look at those to see what Marina's decor looks like. Or check the Oceania site: http://www.oceaniacruises.com/ships/marina/staterooms/default.aspx

 

I am sorry to offer this opinion, but since you were so very unhappy with these matters on the Insignia, I can't see how it could be much better on Marina for you. I think Oceania doesn't stand a chance with you. Hope I am wrong.

 

I look forward to any reviews and postings from Marina! I will probably only ever sail her vicariously!!!

My question to Carol is regarding her inquiry about "is the food too salty". I think she said "too" salty, maybe that isn't quite how she phrased the question.

 

But that's really hard to answer, isn't it? I personally don't over-salt my food. I don't salt food before I taste it, and when I'm cooking I don't use a lot of salt (although I DO use herbs).

 

But how do you know if the food is too salty just because someone else says it is? Our taste buds are SO very subjective.

 

Maybe Carol and I would agree totally on this subject, but we won't know until we are sitting next to each other at the same table.

 

And what is too salty one day might NOT be too salty the next!

 

I think that question is just impossible to answer.

 

I will say that as a frequent O passenger, I have not felt that food was too salty in the past! I can't say that every dish I ever had on a ship was absolute perfection. But on average... pretty close!

I will say that as a frequent O passenger, I have not felt that food was too salty in the past! I can't say that every dish I ever had on a ship was absolute perfection. But on average... pretty close!

 

Mura

I must say I did not taste the salt in the food on our Norway cruise but I can tell you something was there.

Both of us found our legs swelled up

Only when I ate things that were simple like salads, baked potato, cereal did the swelling go down

I ate from the menu again and my legs swelled up ...took 4 days after returning home for the swelling to go away

 

We do not use salt at home whatever is in the food is all we get

I try not to buy packaged food for that reason

 

You would think with the age demographics of the cruisers the chefs would find a way to cut back on sodium.

 

Some people I know switched to "NO SALT" (a salt substitute) but that is even worse for people

 

I will have to check with the Chef when we board

 

 

Lyn

I believe the rooms are the same size but some of those balconies are larger. I hope someone from those rooms will post.

 

I hope so, too! We have one of those rooms for our Baltic cruise in June.

Thank you sldispatcher! I made a list of questions a few days ago for people just like you all. We will be sailing Marina April 16, so we will be hanging on every word. I know my list is rather long. Please answer those on which you have an opinion. Maybe others on the Maiden Voyage will kick in a few comments. We look forward to Don Horner's extensive review, but we will have to wait quite awhile for the showoff to relinquish his "O Condo". :)

 

 

Besides the menus in Jacques and Red Ginger here are a few of our curious inquiries:

 

 

-Barista's, how great is it?

-What are your favorite menu items, especially in the new venues?

-Are the GDR, Polo & Toscana larger, more spacious? Are there any menu changes that are noticable?

-Do most of the common areas still feel uncrowded?

-What cabin ammenities did you notice? Specifically, storage in the bath, nite lite in bath.

-What is your review of the Marina Lounge? Is there an upgrade in entertainment?

-Did you notice a difference in embarkation, debarkation, tendering, etc. due to expanded passenger capacity?

-What was you best surprise with the new ship?

-What about Marina still needs fine tuning?

-What is you favorite thing about the new Marina?

 

 

There! Is that a long enough list for you? I apologize for my verbose post. I hope others will ask for more info that appeals to their sensibilities.

 

 

Thanking you all in advance,

J&K

J&K

Great list of questions (to start with :))!

 

-Barista's, how great is it?

-What are your favorite menu items, especially in the new venues?

-Are the GDR, Polo & Toscana larger, more spacious? Are there any menu changes that are noticable?

-Do most of the common areas still feel uncrowded?

-What cabin ammenities did you notice? Specifically, storage in the bath, nite lite in bath.

-What is your review of the Marina Lounge? Is there an upgrade in entertainment?

-Did you notice a difference in embarkation, debarkation, tendering, etc. due to expanded passenger capacity?

-What was you best surprise with the new ship?

-What about Marina still needs fine tuning?

-What is you favorite thing about the new Marina?

 

 

Thanking you all in advance,

J&K

 

Amusing questions :D

Some are subjective to personal tastes

 

Of course the dining venues are larger they have more passengers to seat

Yes things will still need some fine tuning that is expected with any new ship

 

Will wait for the review to come in

 

Lyn

Of course some of the responses will tend towards personal taste and will not be completely objective. Who cares! We are starved for first hand information that we are willing to wade through some biased opinions. Eye witness, first-hand accounts do carry some weight. Bring 'em on!

 

Thanks again,

J&K

Hello again.

 

3 more days to departure. It is almost as painful as watching baseball on TV. It's just not the same as actually being there.

 

Ahhhhh packing. The DW has all but completed her packing. She has even gone so far as to assemble her weapons of mass construction (make up) and the equipment used to handle the infrastructure (hair spray, gels, etc. the 5 building blocks of a good southern girl's hair do).

 

I spent last night printing out insurance documents, prepping mail/paper for stop on the delivery. I can be a procrastinator at times, but I'm trying to stay on top of things. I've found two eateries from TripAdvisor that don't take reservations, but we'll see how the hotel concierge reacts when I mention them.

 

I've arranged for a private van to take us from the airport to the hotel (Eurostars Grand Marina) so that we will not be separated and have ample room for luggage. Let's just say that my wife was completely astounded by the idea that some people could do the cruise with a carryon. Trust me. We'll need camels just to get to OUR airport in Louisiana.

 

My mother has already left and is attending a Garden Club convention in San Antonio. She'll wrap that up and meet us in Houston Thursday afternoon to connect onward to Frankfurt. She ahd to pack for both and was working on it 4 weeks ago.

 

I will be packing Wednesday afternoon. Men do it have it easier..and apparently even more so on Oceania.

 

Speaking of which, I have watched very closely the blog and the countdown there.

 

I have to say that I am proud to be entrusting my hard earned dollars with a company where:

(1) the president is involved in the day to day details

(2) the president of the company cares enough to put something other than PR approved flashy photos..but the real nuts and bolts along with very honest comments.

(3) the highest elements of the modern traveler appear, at first glance, to be directly addressed by this cruise line: cuisine (not just "food"), comfort (no fancy dress code), and caring deeply about the product they present

 

That's an awesome feeling.

 

As I progress through my daily reports, you need to know a few things about myself so that you'll understand that if there is any "tint" to the observations that I have, they are based in part on my experiences.

 

So on this trip, you'll be getting daily reports from a Louisiana (very rural part) country boy now turned family physician living in suburbia. Even to this day, give me a calm spot over the pulse of a large city. When we go places, I prefer to rent houses and not hotel rooms. Some of my favorite vacation spots are Sandpoint, ID, Big Sky, MT, Depoe Bay, OR, Northern California Coast, Vermont, West Virginia, etc. However, you might also find me in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador on a mission trip every year.

 

My previous cruise experiences have been Holland and Celebrity...and sometime around the age of 9 I was introduced to cruising aboard the Mardi Gras of Carnival. ;) Now I'm dating myself.

 

As far as dining, we love great food, but are happy with a plate of fried catfish, hushpuppies and turnip greens as well. In other words, we are not "hoity toity". However, if you said let's go eat the tasting menu at Corbett's in Louisville or have a nice Filet at Wolfgang Puck's CUT at the Palazzo in Vegas, I'm game. We don't expect the ship to be "perfect" on its very first sailing. We're just thankful to be on board and healthy enough to go!

 

So here I sit on a countdown that has been a year in the making. I'm waiting to see how it feels and smells. I'm ready to be at sea again in my floating resort hotel tended by people who still care about their jobs and their abilities to make one's dream vacation come true if at all possible.

 

If reputation and past anecdotes are going to be any predictor of future events, then Mr. Del Rio, Mr. Binder and the rest of the Oceania crew and staff will have hit a home run with this ship.

 

In 3 days, I'll be leaving the dugout of daily life and heading to take my first at bat with Oceania.

 

Here's to a home run of a vacation!

 

David

Thank you, David, for your spirited comments on your everyday life...LOL I hope our paths cross on this journey-to-be in 5 days!!!! There are about 100 of us registered for the Meet and Greet. If O posts the time in their daily paper, please do come and join us...and your wife too....!!

 

I'm looking forward to this 'home run' of a cruise as well!!!!

 

Joyce :D

It's 9 PM Tuesday and I'm starting to pack my clothes. I already have all the important stuff -- cameras, phones, Nook, chargers, Netbook, cables, power strip, batteries, SD cards. books, medicines, toiletries, money, passports, documents, reservation vouchers, airline codes, etc. etc. etc. Now, I'll think briefly about what to wear. Betsy has it easy -- I take care of all the hardware, she only has to pack clothes, and she was done an hour ago.

 

We leave Okeechobee at 7:30 AM, drive 45 miles to the coast at Port St. Lucie, meet our daughter-in-law who will drive us about 2 hours to the Miami airport. We fly to JFK at 11:50 AM, then on to Barcelona at 5:45 PM, arriving there Wednesday morning at 7:45.

 

For once, we're not terribly excited about Barcelona, because for these thin-blooded Floridians, it's going to be cold. This Winter has already been torture because it's been so cold in Florida. Barcelona is supposed to be down to 45F by Friday, and we aren't used to such frigid weather. But, I think we'll survive...

 

I'm trying not to think too much about the ship, preferring to have my socks knocked off (if I'm wearing any) by my first impressions.