Marina vs R ships

[California Native]

Really looking forward to the continued feedback from all of you.

I LOVE the R ships and have sailed AZ for 24 days and the Pacific Princess (for a couple of months total)

We have been studying the Oceania itineraries in more detail, since after 6 years we have officially drained all FF mile accounts.

Oceania free air specials..intrigue us (if they actually do come out better) and we will have to still compare

other benefits and what they are "worth" to us as I'm the top tier at both AZ and Princess

However, we are no longer tossing Oceania brochures and deleting their emails....:D :D :D

and Ive begun flipping through the past posts on this board to gain more info on Oceania.

[Paulchili]

K,

Welcome to the O boards.

You may want to look at this thread for my take on Marina vs R ships:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1370429&highlight=random+thoughts

I think you'll love Oceania :)

[LuAnn]

Hi, LuAnn !! I am avidly reading all these Oceania posts as we have just booked our first O cruise transatlantic in March 2012 Miami to Barcelona on Marina. Looking forward to seeing you onboard!! Pat xx

 

We are so thrilled!! Come on over and join the Roll Call if you haven't already!! This is just SUPER!!! LuAnn

[2kiwis]

Since this thread was first posted, the Marina has sailed three more segments. That would mean that about 3500 more passengers have experienced Marina since then (granted, the last segment had only a little over 200 repeat Oceania cruisers).

That not withstanding, I invite all those that are eligible to cast their vote to do so. Even more importantly, I invite all who wish to post their experiences/opinions about Marina vs R ships to do so as well – this is the forum for it.

As we approach the end of our sailing on the Marina (3 segments all told) I have to say that we had a fantastic voyage, met some wonderful people and saw many interesting places; but our initial feelings remain unchanged.

The Marina is a beautiful ship but she is also too large (for our taste). If in the future, our emphasis should be on fine dining, we will choose the Marina; for all other reasons we will go back to the R ships.

 

Good on you for starting this poll - hopefully more people will cast a vote as it is interesting for those of us who have not sailed on Marina.

Like many we prefer smaller ships.

Cheers

[Senior Citizen]

I voted back on March 18 after having been on the Maiden Voyage of the Marina. My vote was neutral. After finishing a 20 day cruise on Nautica, my vote remains the same. Oceania is Oceania. The big difference is the itinerary. That said, the food did seem better on Marina. One night on Nautica, we went up to Tapas for dinner and were underwhelmed with the offerings. We were blown away with the offerings in Tapas on the Marina. What we didn't like about the Marina was the tightness of the tables and chairs in the Terrace Cafe/Tapas. Overall, though, Oceania has great food, wonderful staff and attracts interesting, well-traveled people---no matter what size ship.

[wripro]

I wasn't crazy about Tapas at night on the Insignia either but Loved it on Marina. I board the Regatta next week and am curious to see if they have the same offerings as on Marina.

[TKS]

I voted back on the 18th as neutral too. Guess I put my money where my mouth is, because we just booked Regatta for the Panama Canal Nov. 30 this year. The price was awesome!

 

We're excited to introduce a friend to O and the joy of a really good small ship/cruise line. The only cruise he's been on is Louis Cristal, which he reports is tired, old, and he was nickled and dimed to death during his cruise.

 

Yeah, O! I know you'll make him as dedicated as we are, whether it's R-class or Marina-class.

[meow!]

This poll has already garnered 80 votes, rather rare and impressive for so few people who have cruised both the old and the new (we did not vote because while we had been on two R ships, we have not been on the Marina). While the results seesaw somewhat, it is obvious that roughly half do not prefer the Marina, about one quarter do, and the rest don't mind either way. So it is 2:1 negative : positive, with the rest neutral.

 

Oceania crowed so hard about the large new ships, as if they would be the true standard bearers of the line, designed by them from the drawings (unlike the R ships which were existing auctioned off ships), and they should be the solution to all problems, including the minisule washing closets of the R ships. Apparently, more customers prefer the smaller, more cozy R ships to the new large ships despite their six restaurants. So it looks like Oceania's management misjudged the market customer preference, and they might have been better off telling the shipyard to copy the R ships instead (besides the fact that the smaller R ships will increase the number of berths to be sold in a difficult market by a smaller amount).

 

Well, what has been done has been done, though it is not completely unthinkable that in a worst case scenario, these new ships could theoretcially be sold to other large ship lines, like Holland America or Celebrity, for example.

 

In fact, for luxury or quasi-luxury lines, customers are usually resistant to large ships. A similar poll posted by us cats on the Silversea board (see below) also received less than glowing results for their larger 540 passengers newbuild Spirit:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1131461

 

View Poll Results: Compared to the Shadow/Whisper, on the whole, is the Spirit

a step up 3 votes 8.33%

sideways - equal pluses and minuses 16 votes 44.44%

a step down 15 votes 41.67%

other - please explain 2 votes 5.56%

Voters: 36 votes.

 

If you read Seabourn's board, you will find similar negative sentiments towards their larger 450 passsengers newbuilds. So while cruise lines like economies of scale to lower costs and (if lucky) increase profits, customers on the whole tend to think the opposite. Cruise lines decide what ships to provide, and customers decide which ships to sail on!

 

We should all thank Paulchili for providing such an informative and well participated poll.

[LuAnn]

I wasn't crazy about Tapas at night on the Insignia either but Loved it on Marina. I board the Regatta next week and am curious to see if they have the same offerings as on Marina.

 

We loved it on the Marina too...in fact we ended up eating there more than the MDR!! I'll be interested in that comparasion as well! Have a great cruise!! LuAnn

[wripro]

All the poll proves is that of those people who responded, hardly an overwhelming or definitive overview, some prefer one size, some the other, some don't care. It's nice that O had given us choices. Why analyze it to death?

[hondorner]

This poll has already garnered 80 votes...<snip>...

It's already been acknowledged that some people voted without experiencing Marina; therefore any definitive conclusions are impossible.

[LHT28]

I wasn't crazy about Tapas at night on the Insignia either but Loved it on Marina. I board the Regatta next week and am curious to see if they have the same offerings as on Marina.

I would think the Terrace will be the same as on Insignia they do not have the extra space like on Marine for the new grill section

The small ships are all identical in space

 

Lyn

[ShopperfiendTO]

It's a poll and nothing more. Really it's a poll of O loyalists (who will try anything O puts out) or cruise adventurers (who like to try all cruise lines and ships).

 

Those that don't like larger ships will never try the M ships, so will not be chiming in (at least to get a vote in the poll, assuming they follow the rules of the poll).

 

Similarly, those that don't like smaller ships will never try the R ships and so will not be able to chime in either.

 

These don't cancel each other out however.

 

I think most people who looked at O, at least at cruise line launch, looked at her for her smaller ships, with the bonus of great cuisine and no formal attire. The M ships seem to have readjusted this philosophy, sacrificing smaller ship for better cuisine (in general, at least more options of high quality restaurants), and it's a question of how this will shift the cruisers' booking tendencies.

 

I think I read in the past that the M ships were intended to lure away the Celebrity, Cunard, HAL, Princess (and maybe RCCL?) suite passengers, and that only a fraction of those cruisers would be needed to completely fill the M ships, so it's less a matter of switching current O enthusiasts from R to M ship than it is attracting other lines' clientele to the M ships.

 

In other words, I don't think they intended to have one prototypical O passenger type, but rather two types of prototypical O passengers (the R type and the M type), and if a person happens to fit both, all the more power to him or her (and to O).

 

Of course, only time will tell if this will work out as intended.

[LHT28]

In other words, I don't think they intended to have one prototypical O passenger type, but rather two types of prototypical O passengers (the R type and the M type)

Oceania bills the Marina & Riviera as Oceania- Class ships

http://www.oceaniacruises.com/corporate/ships.aspx

[wripro]

Frankly, to say that Marina offers better cuisine than the R ships is a bit misleading imo. To be sure the food at Jacques and Red Ginger is superb as is the ambience and service. The food in Polo and Toscana is about equal I would say. Tapas on the terrace was superior to the Insignia as well. However, the main dining room on the Marina fell short in both food and service to the Insignia. I avoided it as much as possible.

[Paulchili]

The food in Polo and Toscana is about equal I would say. Tapas on the terrace was superior to the Insignia as well. However, the main dining room on the Marina fell short in both food and service to the Insignia. I avoided it as much as possible.

 

Couldn't agree more. In almost 50 days we spent on the Marina I don't think we ate in the MDR more than 3 or 4 times (by choice) - mostly at dinner time. This is not counting their special Sunday brunches. Service tended to be slow; most of the entre choices could be had at the Terrace. The Terrace also had jumbo shrimps, steaks and lobster tails EVERY night, as well as many other salads, sushi, pastas, stir-fry, etc, etc - I did not see the need to eat dinners in the MDR. Of course we had many meals in the specialty restaurants as well.

[caribbeansun]

:eek::eek: - WOW. I don't suppose you've heard whether they will be bringing that to the smaller ships?

 

The Terrace also had jumbo shrimps, steaks and lobster tails EVERY night

[Paulchili]

:eek::eek: - WOW. I don't suppose you've heard whether they will be bringing that to the smaller ships?

 

Unfortunately not (as we like the R ships better). The shrimps were quite large and the lobster tail was the Florida variety, but good. Most people asked for 2 or 3 of each (with drawn butter). They also had lamb chops, fish, grilled vegies, etc, etc - all in the grill section. Items were pre-cooked (under cooked) and then finished as required - thus it moved fairly quickly.

It's a question of space - the Terrace Cafe on Marina is much larger in both serving and eating areas than the Tapas on the R ships.

But one could always hope (and ask).....

[YoHoHo]

This grill station was one of the advantages of the larger ship. This was a large grill area. I think the R ships don't have the space to give up for the cooking station and with ~ half the pax, perhaps not enough traffic throughout the day.

 

Same with no Barrista's and some of the great outdoor semi-shaded, out of the way, seating / lounging areas on deck.

 

That is part of the irony. Nice additions on Marina because it IS a larger ship with more pax but from reading this thread, lots of interest in smaller ships with fewer pax yet they can't have some of the nice amenities.

[wripro]

Don't forget the Marina was designed very recently to order so it was able to feature these new offerings. The R ships are ten years old and were designed in a different time by a different (now defunct) cruise line when coffee bars and grill areas were not common features.

[YoHoHo]

Don't forget the Marina was designed very recently to order so it was able to feature these new offerings. The R ships are ten years old and were designed in a different time by a different (now defunct) cruise line when coffee bars and grill areas were not common features.

Harumph, three times I've tried to reply and three times the message is blank and so rejected.

If this one goes through then I know what I previously wrote was not meant to be! (I was only agreeing)

[JimandStan]

People love the small ships until they experience (or want to experience) the bells and whistles of the larger ships.

 

I've seen it happen with the old guard on Home Lines, Royal Cruise Line, Holland America and now Oceania.

 

As of my writing this, those who either "prefer the Marina" or "don't care" are winning over the R ship loyalists by 41 to 38.

 

Funny how history repeats itself. :rolleyes:

[Paulchili]

People love the small ships until they experience (or want to experience) the bells and whistles of the larger ships.

 

I hope you are speaking for yourself - certainly not for me :)

 

As of my writing this, those who either "prefer the Marina" or "don't care" are winning over the R ship loyalists by 41 to 38.

 

Funny how history repeats itself.

 

What IS funny is how you include the "don't care" vote in the "preferring Marina" vote. If, OTOH, you add them to those that prefer R ships (not unreasonable based on your logic) then you have instead 57 to 23 in favor of R ship loyalists :)

 

 

:rolleyes:

 

See my remarks above - I am not sure how else to do this.

[meow!]

Paulchili is always so fair minded and unbiased. Anyone can agree or disagree, but in a reasonable way. We appreciate Paulchili's contribution through the years.

[Paulchili]

Thank you, meow - you are too kind :)

I enjoy reading your posts as well. You are always civil.