31 days Aboard the Fabulous Oceania Marina

[doubledobles]

We boarded this amazing ship in Barcelona for a transatlantic and then a Panama Canal trip. I wasn't so sure I would like a bigger ship than the originial 684 passenger ships, but the longer I was on board, the more I liked it. The decor is outstanding, nothing but the finest used on this ship. The restaurants are excellent and we especially enjoyed Jacques, named for Jacques Pepin. The only negative I have to say is that the library, which is so outstanding on the other ships, is not as peaceful and relaxing as it should be, so patrons go to the Horizons lounge where they can sit and read with more light and less noise.

 

Staterooms are roomier and our PH was reminiscent of a stateroom on Regent's Voyager.

 

We cruise a lot on Oceania and I would now like to cruise only on Marina, it's outstanding.

[JimandStan]

We boarded this amazing ship in Barcelona for a transatlantic and then a Panama Canal trip. I wasn't so sure I would like a bigger ship than the originial 684 passenger ships, but the longer I was on board, the more I liked it. The decor is outstanding, nothing but the finest used on this ship. The restaurants are excellent and we especially enjoyed Jacques, named for Jacques Pepin. The only negative I have to say is that the library, which is so outstanding on the other ships, is not as peaceful and relaxing as it should be, so patrons go to the Horizons lounge where they can sit and read with more light and less noise.

 

Staterooms are roomier and our PH was reminiscent of a stateroom on Regent's Voyager.

 

We cruise a lot on Oceania and I would now like to cruise only on Marina, it's outstanding.

 

 

Hi N&H! It was a blast sailing with you on the last 18 days of your 31 day adventure. Glad to see that you bit the bullet and finally became an "official" Cruise Critic. :D

 

We also LOVED the Marina, and hope that we see you onboard very soon. Well, maybe we should give the Riviera a "look see" first.

 

Hugs-

 

S&J

[luv1another4ever]

We boarded this amazing ship in Barcelona for a transatlantic and then a Panama Canal trip. I wasn't so sure I would like a bigger ship than the originial 684 passenger ships, but the longer I was on board, the more I liked it. The decor is outstanding, nothing but the finest used on this ship. The restaurants are excellent and we especially enjoyed Jacques, named for Jacques Pepin. The only negative I have to say is that the library, which is so outstanding on the other ships, is not as peaceful and relaxing as it should be, so patrons go to the Horizons lounge where they can sit and read with more light and less noise.

 

Staterooms are roomier and our PH was reminiscent of a stateroom on Regent's Voyager.

 

We cruise a lot on Oceania and I would now like to cruise only on Marina, it's outstanding.

 

Thank you so much for your review - would love to hear more

[schhi]

We also were on Marina for the maiden voyage and the inaugural passage. We will agree the ship has fabulous potential, but would note there remains much work and many corrective fixes to be done before the ship is "right.". Oceania took a well-calculated risk bringing her out on schedule and it largely paid off. However we did not then and do not now believe the "fishing line" story that was later changed to "a log." We also don't believe all those clumps of carbon from the stacks were normal or that going 12 hours without a working toilet was acceptable. And, really, did you ever see such a mess made of signage? These are just a few of the more apparent problems. On the other hand, the staff and crew could not have been more capable, the entertainment (with the notable exception of the Friedman/Alexander ear-busting act) was top flight and the restaurants were very special, especially Red Ginger and (believe it or not) the Terrace Cafe. The latter takes buffet dining to a new level!

[aZ4me]

We also were on Marina for the maiden voyage and the inaugural passage. We will agree the ship has fabulous potential, but would note there remains much work and many corrective fixes to be done before the ship is "right.". Oceania took a well-calculated risk bringing her out on schedule and it largely paid off. However we did not then and do not now believe the "fishing line" story that was later changed to "a log." We also don't believe all those clumps of carbon from the stacks were normal or that going 12 hours without a working toilet was acceptable. And, really, did you ever see such a mess made of signage? These are just a few of the more apparent problems. On the other hand, the staff and crew could not have been more capable, the entertainment (with the notable exception of the Friedman/Alexander ear-busting act) was top flight and the restaurants were very special, especially Red Ginger and (believe it or not) the Terrace Cafe. The latter takes buffet dining to a new level!

 

:eek: This is the first mention of that I've seen.

 

While I love hearing all the praise for Marina, it's also good to get to see the big picture. Thanks for this dose of reality.

[dwelsh]

Oceania took a well-calculated risk bringing her out on schedule and it largely paid off. However we did not then and do not now believe the "fishing line" story that was later changed to "a log." We also don't believe all those clumps of carbon from the stacks were normal or that going 12 hours without a working toilet was acceptable. And, really, did you ever see such a mess made of signage?

 

A: The problem with the propeller was recounted on the "O" blog.

B: Was the toilet problem shipwide?

C: What IS the signage problem?

 

Nothing can be perfect and "you can't please all the people all the time," but I am very surprised that in all the verbage that has been written about the maiden voyage these are the first serious criticisms.

[hondorner]

We all noted many of the things mentioned, but for the most part, understood that the maiden voyage WAS the shakedown cruise, that problems were to be anticipated, and that the cruise was to be an adventure rather than a perfectly finished product. Oceania is also perfectly aware of the problems and a list of more than 2,000 items has been created for attention. For example, what appeared to be discoloration in some areas of the carpeting was apparently caused by adhesive bleeding through, and my understanding is that a million and a half dollars worth of carpeting is to be replaced, most probably under warranty.

 

There is no reason to doubt the problem with the propeller. I can't see that the cruise line had nothing to gain from faking the story. They knew that something had fouled the propeller as they left the port of Puerto Chiapas, Mexico, because the an automatic shutdown stopped the shaft and prevented further damage. They guessed it was a fishing net.

 

There were no expert divers at Huatulco, and a decision was made to proceed at reduce3d speed, using just one propeller, to Acapulco. There, a team of divers flown in from the US found a log that had been sucked under the stern and became stuck in the propeller. They were able to dislodge it quite easily, primarily because we had backed into the Acapulco pier and the backward motion probably started to loosen it. They took a series of underwater photographs to assess the damage and determined that it was minimal, if any. Another team of divers further examined it in Los Angeles and had the equipment to repair an bent or dinged blades; I didn't hear how much, if any, work they had to do.

 

My information is from sources very close to those in charge.

 

While anchored in the harbor at Cabo San Lucas, on the way to Los Angeles, we were in the Grand Dining Room towards the end of the day and noticed the propulsion running with a fair amount of vibration. There was a deal of speculation, but we later learned that the ship was using the rear thruster to keep the gangway on the lee side of the ship, providing a more calm tender landing.

 

There were some stopped up sewer lines, most likely caused by someone throwing the wrong thing down the toilet, as happens at least once on almost every voyage, but it was not shipwide (it didn't affect us) and was cleared up reasonably quickly. We also experienced a brief period while we were in a lock chamber in the Panama Canal when the toilet did not flush; it worked again as soon as we were out of the chamber, and I guessed (without confirmation) that the ship might have had to shut down the vacuum flushing system while in the lock, due to regulations. Or, it might have been stopped up for a few moments.

 

I heard one person complain to the assistant cruise director, Nolan Dean, as we were entering the theater for the evening show, that it would have been a better day if the toilets had been working. It came as a surprise to Mr. Dean.

 

There were 120 workers from the shipyard on board the Maiden Voyage, virtually completing the ship on the way across the Atlantic. Of the 23 Owners, Vista and Oceania suites, 8 were not complete until Miami. One day there was a blue stell deck outside the library; the next day it was a teak deck (repeated on the other side by the computer cafe). Every night, it seemed like the elves came out as things were different the next day. Workers installed the TVs in the launderettes as late as near the end of the inaugural Panama cruise. One day a large banquette seat and a love seat in the Grand Bar were upholstered red; the next day they were beige. There were literally dosens, if not hundreds, of similar examples.

 

We were fascinated by the industry of the workers and staff, and amazed that so much was happening without disrupting the passengers. I daresay that much of it went on without most passengers even noticing.

 

Of one thing I am certain, as I heard it frrom the horse's mouth -- FDR said that there will be a much longer time after completion and before the maiden voyage to sort out Riviera. Plus, it's a lot easier to predict the things that could be changed. One specific example is a ledge around the periphery of Polo and Toscana, near the floor. It is needlessly wide, takes up some valuable floor space that crowds the tables a bit, and will be narrower on Riviera. I would never have noticed it if Mr. Del Rio had not pointed it out to us on the final evening aboard.

 

Nicola Volpe was he General Manager for the Maiden Voyage, but was replaced for the Panama voyage in order to work with the shipyard representatives on a punch list.

 

Trust me, they are aware of every thing, and making real efforts to correct everything that is possible.

[aZ4me]

We all noted many of the things mentioned, but for the most part, understood that the maiden voyage WAS the shakedown cruise, that problems were to be anticipated, and that the cruise was to be an adventure rather than a perfectly finished product....

 

Trust me, they are aware of every thing, and making real efforts to correct everything that is possible.

Thanks for taking the time to share this. It's much appreciated.

[CintiPam]

Don, it is wonderful to have your excellent postings back with us. This board simply is not the same without your dose of sanity!:)

[dwelsh]

Don, Thanks for that very full account of your voyage and the problems and fixes that occured.

[yorkiemomjn]

Don, it is wonderful to have your excellent postings back with us. This board simply is not the same without your dose of sanity!:)

 

I'll second that!!!:)

[JimandStan]

Trust me, they are aware of every thing, and making real efforts to correct everything that is possible.

 

Hondorner is right as usual. He and I were amazed at the hours that everyone, including the VIP's, were putting in to get the Marina set up properly, and in record time

 

Amazingly, they would "get things organized" by day, then go to the photo shoots for the new brochures in the middle of the night (because that is when the public rooms were empty).

[pvan]

We sailed on the Inaugural Passage knowing that the ship may experience some hiccups, and it did, but as Don says everything was addressed very well. I am thankful it went as smoothly as it did. I cannot complain about the kinks of a new ship since we knew what we were getting into.

 

However I did not expect our cruise to be the media and PR cruise...

 

We were disappointed with the onslaught of travel agents and their friends and family in LA and San Fran. In our opinion it showed poor customer focus to entertain in such numbers while paying passengers were on board.

 

We did not expect so many photo and film people on board and did not like it. Our one night in Jacques a photographer stood in the corner the whole evening and many of us found that uncomfortable. At times the media crew were fairly loud--at the bar in Horizons and cell phone use on the Terrace at a few ports. While a lot of filming was done at night some was done during the day.

 

So in hindsight, I would avoid a new ship until all of the PR work is completed.

 

Regarding the ship...IMO, the ship feels crowded in certain areas and while I did not use the elevators I heard comments that 6 are not enough. I also feel the fitness center is too small for the size of the ship and there is a definite need for more treadmills. By the end of the cruise they had posted a plaque stating a time limit of 15 minutes during busy times.

 

I also prefer the intimacy of the smaller ships especially when comparing the lounges.

 

Marina is a beautiful ship and I assume will just get better as time goes on.

[KirkNC]

Glad to hear it! We have a bit of a wait until we board for the TA in 2012 but we are looking forward to it. It will be our first time on Oceania which I am excited about also.

 

Kirk