LIVE - Marina Jan 22-Feb1 - Back to the Future

Back to the Future

After too long of an absence, we are returning to the Marina. We were one of the fortunate ones on the maiden voyage across the Atlantic. That trip was truly magical in so many different ways. Although that particular trip will most likely never be recreated, the Riviera just a couple of year later was awfully close.

(yes we know about the GI issues right now)

Since we are headed to the “windswept breezes”, we are fortunate to be introducing some folks to Oceania this trip. Friends, who have been on one Alaska cruise on Celebrity’s Infinity, and one cruising veteran who enjoys the suite life on other ships is going to camp out in an Owner’s Suite this trip. Their viewpoints will come from two radically different prior experiences. My goal is to share those views with you as they unfold as well as personal evaluations of how I see things now compared to a few years ago.

You may also be warned, my “live from” threads are not usually full of what we did that day style of reports. They just happen.

This is being written from the 22nd floor of the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami looking out over a Biscayne bay dotted with slow moving small watercraft with trails of white water icing moving about. The sky has a relatively low deck of clouds that look like they have scooped up just enough moisture to be ready to sprinkle on the sidewalks of downtown Miami. Maybe it will rain. Maybe it won’t.

6 ships are sitting elephant style on the northern side of the Port of Miami. The disembarkation/embarkation process in full swing no doubt. I see a couple of ships that probably claim that they are “fun”. One that is epic. One has a royal role sailing the Caribbean and the last one is in a berth where “X” marks the spot.

The apparent Coast Guard inspection that is pending tomorrow for Marina has derailed our normal efforts to get onboard and have lunch. Oh well. Way too many choices here to get upset about that. Plus, it will allow some extra cleaning time onboard. Win win.

Tonight we are going to take in Kurios, a Cirque de Soleil show, to launch our trip off in a spectacular way. Not sure about you, but I recollect the magic of my youth when almost all aspects of travel seemed glamorous because of the experience of flying, going, and seeing. Sometimes that means just sitting and imagining how those folks boarding the other ships must be feeling. It may be just taking in a Peruvian tapas place for lunch today ;) . One of our favorite exercises is looking over the menus for the ship and talking about what we will order. Tough life!

At any rate, we will be going back on Marina to see how she is now several years later. In addition, we have the sheer excitement of showing other people how fantastic the people, the food, and experience of Oceania is for those who enjoy a relaxing and calm onboard experience with the highest quality of service and gastronomic delights. My DW and I are certainly thrilled to be heading back to the classy casual that to me was the earmark of this cruise line.

So as we try to capture the magic of previous travels and introduce some folks to a cruise line they most assuredly will want to try again, we are ready to board Marina tomorrow..........

........ and go back to the future.

David,

I remember how much I enjoyed reading your "live from" on the maiden crossing of Marina and thus I am looking forward to following you now.

I hope that things are in good order when you board Marina and that she is now "clean".

Bon voyage.

Paul

We will be boarding the Marina in April. After 16 cruises on other ships, this will be our first on Oceania. After reading your introductory post I know I will enjoy your posts and following you on your voyage. Flo

For those of us who are waiting patiently for our cruise to take place ( we're on Riveria on Feb 24th), thanks for bringing the excitement and anticipation to life!

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We will be boarding as you get off, February 1. I will be following this thread, and anxiously await your post! Having been on over 100 cruises, but none on Oceania, we are very excited for this experience! I love the thought of going on a country club casual dress cruise with fabulous food! Since we do not attend most shows on cruises to begin with, the lack there of is fine with us. I would much prefer to meet interesting people, and have wonderful conversations! Now that it is so close, I am counting down the days! Thanks in advance for taking the time to keep us updated!

Vicki

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Like Vicki in the previous post, we will boarding Marina when you finish your voyage. We too have been on many cruises but will be our first with Oceania. Wishing you a wonderful cruise with your friends and looking forward to your posts.

Marilyn

View from hotel...

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View from hotel...

 

 

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You should be able to see Marina when you get up in the morning. Their berth right in front of you. I am pretty sure.

Well I enjoyed your elegant and poetic post and I shall watch for your future blogs and posts. We were on Marina shortly after her maiden voyage and we have cruised on her one time since. We sail more often on the 'R' ships. However it will be interesting to hear how you find the restaurants. On our first Marina cruise we loved Red Ginger. We placed Jacques last on our choice of rating, however on our 2nd Marina cruise we placed Jacques as number one choice and Red Ginger as number 3. They had changed the menu in Jacques.

I do wish you good luck on your cruise tomorrow. We will be joining Marina on March 2nd. I will be very interested to hear updates on the health situation. I think their deep cleaning before you board will do the trick. That is what we found in a similar situation on Insignia last year. I feel sorry for all the extra work for the crew.

Bon Voyage

Sorry, I meant we will join Marina on March 7th.

Have a fantastic time with your friends.:)

View from hotel...

 

 

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The view from the Intercontinental pool (about three stories above sea level???) is equally spectacular, particularly when an Oceania ship is usining berth J:

I'll be looking forward to reading your report and enjoying your style of reporting.

Looking forward to your live updates.

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I'm getting off in a couple of hours. We're hoping yours goes a bit better than ours. Hopefully everything will get under control.

We just parked about 45 minutes ago.

The view from the Intercontinental pool (about three stories above sea level???) is equally spectacular, particularly when an Oceania ship is usining berth J:

I think we booked this hotel as well, How did you get there from airport and what are the transportation options to the dock?

Have fun

We used Uber. Some used a taxi to get from airport.

Hotel has plenty of taxis. Uber/Lyft available for going to port from hotel. I pre-booked a private van for a 7 of us as it is fun to have the shared experience.

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The Blind Eye

So what shall we see today? Sitting in the room at the Intercontinental, the lineup of Sunday ships at the Port of Miami is as varied as ever. The Marina is berthed right where you think she would be. Sitting quietly on the south side of the port with no other ships. Everyone else lined up on the busy northern side. Subtly, this is a statement about the experience that I think Oceania tries to give and the one that we are looking forward to. It is a line that doesn’t pretend to be like the rest.

With the Coast Guard inspection and a thorough scrubbing on the inside, there is not much activity about her. That’s fine.

Our entire group is aware of the illnesses mentioned on the previous cruise. We shrug it off. We don’t really see it. A salt shaker not on a table or a menu binder not being present does not affect the quality of the food or softness of the bed. One can only imagine the extra work being thrust on the crew. Many of the passengers will never see the extent to which so many will work so hard to make this cruise special.

One of the more special times for me personally is sailaway. I am addicted to aft facing cabins on other lines. With Oceania, that selection is extremely limited so we “make do”. However, since one of our ship mates has the OS, we will still have that traveling grace of the view of the wake.

Once again, with boarding just a few hours away, you need to know that we generally are not nit pickers. A nick in the wall after 5 years is expected. A rub mark here or there is understandable. One of my biggest concerns the last time around was about personal space in the MDR. Seemed like they had squeezed about 10-12 too many tables in there. Other than that, our two previous experiences with Oceania have exceeded our expectations.

The last cruise was this summer aboard the freshly minted Koningsdam with a 2 week tour of Norway. That ship took advantage of technological advances and progression of thought in the cruise industry as a whole. Every attempt will be made to AVOID comparing the two.

So with planes flying the easterly approach over the bay into MIA, Sunday travelers and vacationers scooting about the water, ships resupplying and reloading, flat cotton ball clouds streaming northward as though sailing along the coast, and a slight haze lingering in the distance, we are packing up and loading up.

I guess we could look for comparisons and contrasts. We could concentrate on faults and find shortcomings. But we won’t. We’ll turn a blind eye to that and look forward to a great 10 day cruise.

I also remember your reports from the Maiden voyage. We were booked but had to cancel for family reasons, so I enjoyed that cruise vicariously through your reports.

We have sailed on Marina a couple of times since then and enjoy her very much. Looking forward to another vicarious cruise through your "voice".

Mo

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Ship looks good. We just booked for Dec. Have a great, safe cruise. Will look forward to the blog from your trip

Quite the delay boarding and getting rooms ready. However, the general mood is ok. Almost nothing about today is in Oceania's control.

Muster beginning on time at 515.

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Did you notice Oceania removed the platform around the grand staircase?

Following along. My parents are aboard with you. They don't take many pictures of the ship and it will be interesting to see your report.

Quick Hits from Embarkation Day - see below for more floriferous report

1. All cabins ready about 545pm.

2. Ride is choppy, but nothing to be upset about. More like a railroad track.

3. Still on Code Red/Noro precautions.

4. More senior crowd as one would expect. No major rudeness noted.

5. Although we were hold up in OS most of the afternoon for the wait, I did not hear major griping this evening.

6. Crew was obviously stretched to the limit today. From limited anecdotal evidence, fellow cruisers are not giving them a hard time.

7. Rumor has it additional shipboard credit coming, but I cannot verify at this time.

Thank you for the update!

After seeing the photo of Muster, I am getting excited about our cruise when you disembark. Speaking of which...I suspect you are still in Code Red because there may be some passengers onboard that were doing a B2B. Especially those that traveled over that are from abroad. ;) Some passengers could still be carrying the virus or just getting it. :( Or perhaps it's just for precaution. Either way, I do hope the bug does not continue.

I noticed that no one was wearing their life vest. Is it because you were not yet allowed in the staterooms? Or has Oceania discontinued the mandatory use of life jackets for Muster like many of the other cruiselines?

More senior crowd as one would expect. No major rudeness noted.

Our 10 night Caribbean cruise last year was mostly a Senior crowd...55 and up, but mainly 70 and upwards. I think that there was one young honeymoon couple onboard. Felt sorry for them.

Although we were hold up in OS most of the afternoon for the wait

What does OS stand for?

Rumor has it additional shipboard credit coming, but I cannot verify at this time.

Why would you be receiving shipboard credit? :confused: