Marina vs R ships

[findacruise]

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.

 

And having the pleasure of meeting Paul on our TA cruise recently, he's the same in person as in his posts. :)

[DOJO466]

And having the pleasure of meeting Paul on our TA cruise recently, he's the same in person as in his posts. :)

 

I most certainly agree and he is a wonderful water raft companion as is Marsha:p

[Paulchili]

Joanna, Debbie - you are making me blush :o.

We did have lots of fun and a good time all around! Meeting people on a roll call and then putting faces to the names is great (besides learning a lot from each other).

[LuAnn]

Joanna, Debbie - you are making me blush :o.

We did have lots of fun and a good time all around! Meeting people on a roll call and then putting faces to the names is great (besides learning a lot from each other).

 

Keep on blushing...I'm putting in my "two cents worth" as well here! I enjoy your reviews/perceptions/comments here on the O board...as I feel you are always very fair, and comment and answer posts in a non confrontational, non sarcastic manner...not always the case on this board. LuAnn

[Paulchili]

Keep on blushing...I'm putting in my "two cents worth" as well here! I enjoy your reviews/perceptions/comments here on the O board...as I feel you are always very fair, and comment and answer posts in a non confrontational, non sarcastic manner...not always the case on this board. LuAnn

 

LuAnn,

Another thank you (and a blush) :o

I try to do what you say and I hope I succeed most of the time.

[ShopperfiendTO]

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.

 

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.

 

Misleading indeed:confused::rolleyes: especially when I said "in general, at least more options of high quality restaurants" right after that statement.

[TERRIER1]

Just got off the Marina. A lovely ship and great trip but we prefer the smaller ships. A lot of the repeat passengers we chatted with also prefer the R ships. Just something about the smaller ships that make for a lovely cruise. We are booked on the Riviera next year but not because we prefer the larger ship but because of the itinerary and lack of opotions for a longer cruise.

[ebobh]

Just got off the Marina, and have sailed the Regatta twice. as noted by many, the ambiance of the ships and friendliness of the crew is essentially the same. The Marina has larger spaces (e.g. the Terrace Cafe) and more amenities, balanced by about twice as many folks using them.

 

The staterooms (we were in Concierge Class) were a little larger, but most of that room seemed to be in the bathroom. For me, a stateroom is large enough when two people can pass each other at the foot of the bed without doing the limbo. In Marina's case, it feels about a foot too narrow. the infamous showers were not a problem, but did require careful use to avoid the pervasive influence of the rainfall showerhead (suggestion for the Riviera is to modify the wand to allow it to be a side-shower option so folks can wash their hair without leaning backward and trying to hold the hand rail). The handrail is also misplaced IMHO, and should be near the "front" of the stall near the controls.

 

The restaurant food quality is very similar on both ships; the grill on the Terrace Cafe was a great addition. We did notice, especially for breakfast, that the place got very noisy and busy (added folks onboard) as compared to the Regatta, and that staff often got behind trying to serve coffee and juice, etc. In the GDR, there were also a good number of complaints about service; asking repeatedly for ice tea, wrong orders, etc. My sense is a staff primarily trained on the smaller ships is still becoming adjusted to the larger rooms here. The specialty restaurants were excellent; I'm hoping they expand the Red Ginger concept (or at least menu influence) on the smaller ships.

 

We mostly did our own shore excursions, but did do a few with the ship. They are generally too costly, and the value for price is still just not there. With the larger ship, there weren't any canceled tours due to participation lacking. In the Lounge, though, the room got crowded and uncomfortably warm each time the gaggle of people assembled waiting for their bus or tender. I'd suggest they consider designating 2-3 alternate meeting areas (different venues onboard) for various tours to help uncrowd the group and make it more amenable to an upscale experience.

 

The larger ship did travel smoothly, although we had one rollicking day in the Atlantic where seat belts for our dining table would have helped. we experienced similar movement on the Regatta, and the larger sized-ship in similar wave conditions was not noticeably smoother.

 

One issue with the larger ship was where we had to (or chose to?) dock. For Bordeaux, we docked at Le Verdon (way out on the north tip of the peninsula) instead of Bordeaux (where a Regent ship docked the same day, about 80 miles into the peninsula). Our locale forced a much longer drive to things, and the dock area made me feel as though we were having a cruise on the moon...isolated, not even commercial activity around us. It was the most desolate port I've experienced in a dozen cruises. I would imagine that St Petersburg folks might find themselves in the industrial port, also, instead of being tied up next to The Hermitage due to the size of the ship.

 

All in all, though, if we have only to worry about which great ship we might take to which wonderful exotic locale, our lives are pretty good. I'm thankful for this, and also for the great people we meet while on board.

 

Regards, Bob H

[HawkeyeCruisr]

Marina is indeed a spectacular ship and there were wonderful additions like the grill in Terrace Cafe, Red Ginger and Jacques restaurants and the wonderful La Reserve. We also liked the additional shaded lounge space on the pool deck.

 

Toscana was excellent – both the food and the service. But we had 2 disappointing meals in Polo Grill. For a venue that prides itself on its beef, the kitchen has apparently not mastered how to serve meat at the proper temperature. One evening my husband’s prime rib (which both the menu and the waiter said would be served medium-rare) came rare-to-raw. My husband objected and the plate was taken back to the kitchen where they actually put the slice of prime rib on a grill to cook it further. As you might guess, it came back medium-well and lacking that distinctive prime rib flavor. To add insult to injury, the restaurant manager appeared at our table to explain that “the chef is preparing the prime rib rare tonight”. If that fact had been relayed to the waiters, my husband would never had ordered prime rib. On that night, my filet mignon was cooked just right. On a second evening, I ordered the Kobe beef burger and asked for medium-well. It was served medium-rare.

 

I was disappointed that the supposedly larger veranda staterooms did not seem noticeably larger. Matter of fact, we had trouble stashing all our stuff due to the shallow desk with its funny pull-out drawers behind doors. Tons of wasted space with this arrangement. The shallow desk did make for more space for the love seat/coffee table area though. And I did appreciate the lighted makeup mirror over the desk.

 

My biggest complaint with Marina had to do with inconsistent food and wine service in the various restaurants. I understood from what I heard while on board that O has hired a lot of new staff; their inexperience (and lack of sufficient training) was evident. Getting table service in Terrace Café was often challenging. Many of the sommeliers looked like they just graduated from high school. Don’t get me wrong: we had excellent service from many of the wait-staff. It just seemed like there was some new food/wine service annoyance every day. After being in service 4 months, I expected the wrinkles to have been ironed out by the time we sailed on Marina.

 

I have cruised 3 times on the R ships and my final cruise questionnaires contained barely a hint of a negative comment. But the one I filled out for our Marina cruise had so many negative comments that I ran out of space. Not a good sign.

 

But even if they get all the bugs out, it still comes down to our preferring the smaller ships with fewer passengers. As Paulchili stated in another thread (post 134 on http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1370429&highlight=random+thoughts&page=7) “Most importantly for me, however – and this factor tipped the scales in favor of the R ships - is that this larger number of passengers (and staff) creates very different dynamics in interactions between the passengers themselves as well as between the passengers and the staff. Unavoidably, it is no longer a closely knit community onboard like it tends to be on the R ships. The service, while outstanding, no longer feels as personal as it is on the R ships.”

 

My vote is for the R ships. There’s just something about the smaller ship, fewer passengers and unpretentious décor that suits us better than the larger Marina. We’re happy to give up the bells and whistles on the new ship and return to the R ships.

[AnyPortinaStorm]

I have also just returned from a sailing on the Marina..... Much hyped.. beautiful to look at first glance... but a disappointment in the long run.

 

I have sailed on the R ships 7 times now and have thoroughly enjoyed them.... the serrvice, the ambience, the intimacy.... With this in mind, I was a bit concerned about the Marina and curious to see how Oceania would transfer this feeling to their new pride and joy.. Sadly, they haven't.

 

The feeling of the new ship is (mind you, in my opinion....) much more mainstream... it had the feeling of being on a new Celebrity ship or something comparable...

 

We were in a Penthouse suite, which was very nice.. the closet is great.

We had the butler remove the chairs and table from the front of the bed so as not to fall over them in the middle of the night and also to give the room a more spacious feeling. I felt the table and chairs there gave the room a cluttered feel. The shower is indeed a mistake.... it[s lovely to have a rainshower, but ... the size is ridiculous. Especially for a new build, luxury ship.

 

The addition of Red Ginger was excellent.. the food is wonderful and the room is beautiful to look at.

Jacques' food is mediocre at best.... and the room can't quite decide what it wants to be.

 

The new system of ordering at Waves was much more orderly and welcomed.

 

The "Marina Lounge" is totallyy ridiculous.. it is not a lounge, but more of an upscale university lecture hall. The seats are uncomfortable and the ceiling is much too low. (The entertainment is no improvement either....)

 

The library is also poorly planned... a warren of small nooks and crannies with extremely dimly lit cabinets holding the books.. made even worse by oversize chairs blocking access to the cabinets (especially when people are sleeping and snoring in them.)

 

Horizons is a lovely space, but the furniture is made for midgets.. the chairs are so low to the ground that one sits with their knees under their chins.

 

All in all... I will happily return to the R ships for future cruises...

(the docking in Le Verdon was a final smack in the face, especially since I had done the almost identical itinerary last summer on the Insignia and we docked right in town where the Voyager was...)

[meow!]

We had been on the Regatta (2004) and Nautica (2007), but not on the Marina. While we don't have the means to go on the Marina in the near future, we still read here what others have to say about it. On the whole, descriptive essays reflect the number of votes. There are pluses and minuses, and differences in opinion, but the general direction of the comments does not seem that encouraging! Probably the R ships are more desirable.

 

... it had the feeling of being on a new Celebrity ship or something comparable...

 

Presumably you have been on Celebrity ships before. We had been on the Mercury and Century. How would you compare it to a mini-suite on those two ships?

[meow!]

We did notice, especially for breakfast, that the place got very noisy and busy (added folks onboard) as compared to the Regatta, and that staff often got behind trying to serve coffee and juice, etc. In the GDR, there were also a good number of complaints about service; asking repeatedly for ice tea, wrong orders, etc. My sense is a staff primarily trained on the smaller ships is still becoming adjusted to the larger rooms here.

 

According to Oceania, the guest to staff ratio is 1.71 on the R ships and 1.57 on the Marina. So the latter has fewer passengers per staff (or more staff per passenger), and theoretically the service ought to be better. Perhaps they need to be better trained and deployed?

[Oceans&Rivers]

We had been on the Mercury and Century. How would you compare it to a mini-suite on those two ships?

 

There are no "mini-suites" on Mercury and Century. They have what are termed Sky Suites, and they have butler service.

 

Princess has has a category called mini-suites and they do not have butler service.

[meow!]

There are no "mini-suites" on Mercury and Century. They have what are termed Sky Suites, and they have butler service. .

Yes, you are right, that is what I meant. I used the term "mini-suite" as a generic term, meaning more than a regular balconied cabin and yet not a real suite (no separate bed and sitting rooms).

[TERRIER1]

I forgot about the Horizons furniture on Marina. I am not tall and the chairs are low to the grounds. We tried to sit on the couches several times but they are so uncomfortable we got up and moved. The couches by reception and destination services are also very uncomfortable. They may look good but are totally not comfortable. Maybe that is the point - keeps you from dawdling there.

 

I also thought the library was poorly planned. I loved the R ship space. I also missed the big atlases that were left on the tables, however, there was a good selection of books.

 

Big plus is Baristas. Really good coffee.

 

The pool needs a clock.

 

There is a refrigerator in the cabin but it is stocked with Oceania beer and little liquers that you pay for. I was hoping to be able to put my white wine in there but it would not fit so we never used the refrigerator. What I thought would be a nice addition to the cabin turned out (for us anyway) to be wasted space.

 

I do think that the service was very good and the staff works very hard.

[TKS]

There is a refrigerator in the cabin but it is stocked with Oceania beer and little liquers that you pay for. I was hoping to be able to put my white wine in there but it would not fit so we never used the refrigerator. What I thought would be a nice addition to the cabin turned out (for us anyway) to be wasted space.

 

If you had asked your room steward, they would have removed those items so you could use the space to chill your wine. The O folks are more than accommodating.

[TERRIER1]

If you had asked your room steward, they would have removed those items so you could use the space to chill your wine. The O folks are more than accommodating.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't know that. However, my wine still wouldn't fit.

[LHT28]

Big plus is Baristas. Really good coffee.

 

The pool needs a clock.

 

There is a refrigerator in the cabin but it is stocked with Oceania beer and little liquers that you pay for. I was hoping to be able to put my white wine in there but it would not fit so we never used the refrigerator. What I thought would be a nice addition to the cabin turned out (for us anyway) to be wasted space.

 

I agree about the chairs & Barristas

I kept looking for the clock on deck also ;)

I got my wine in the fridge you just have to remove a couple of the beers & lay the wine bottle across the fridge...a bit of finagleing but it fits ;)

 

Lyn

[Sadetutka]

Hmm, no preference. Both are good. :)

[CarlsbadSally]

Please choose only one preference. One vote only per each CC member.

Poll "restricted" to those who have sailed both ships

 

1 Prefer Marina

2 Prefer R ships

3 No preference

 

Preference is 2

[Paulchili]

Preference is 2

 

Did you actually cast your vote in the poll? Ditto for Sadetutka.

Thanks

[JBVols]

We are currently in Jerusalem on a great Nautica cruise. That being said Marina has set the bar higher concerning food and service. IMO Nautica does not come up to the level set by Marina. I do think the food is better in the GDR than the last time we were on an R ship. Nautica may not be equal to Marina but it is still O.

[yorkiemomjn]

My first 'O' cruise was on the Regatta in April 2010. I just returned from a June 11-21 cruise on the Marina. I loved both of the cruises. However, if I had to decide between the exact same itineraries on either an R ship or the Marina, I would choose the Marina. To me, she is an improved R ship. The larger size that I had worried about, was not an issue. I never felt crowded. The things I especially loved about the Marina were the following: Baristas, the extra two amazing restaurants, the improved entertainment and the culinary classes (tons of fun)!

[doodle1998]

We just returned from the Marina (June 2011) and had a wonderful Baltic cruise. Comparing Insignia (May 2008), Insignia (March 2007) and Regatta (February 2005).

 

I would sail on any Oceania ship without hesitation. I prefer the additional space on the Marina. The Terrace and Wave grill are much easier to navigate and we could always find a nice table. We enjoyed all the restaurants and would have a hard time selecting a favorite.

 

I may be wrong but I felt like I was ducking more on the Marina than I had to on the R ships. I am 6'5" and luckily not heavy or I may still be wedged into the shower. I agree with others that the Marina would be better off with a larger shower and no tub for my preference. The shower did not keep me from loving the Marina. Does anyone know if there is more head room in the halls on the R ships?

 

Our itinerary was port intensive of course so I only played paddle tennis once and enjoyed it along with the golf net. I am embarrassed to say I never made it to the gym. I walked the deck and never used the elevators to get some exercise. I agree they need a clock at the pool.

 

I enjoyed the extra room in the casino even though I was not strong enough to move the chairs around at the black jack tables. I wonder what those chairs weigh? I guess I should have gone to the gym.

 

The service was very good and I felt comparable to the R ships except that due to the size you do not have the interaction with the same people as often. In my ship review I suggested they continue to train the staff on greeting all guests with a hello and a smile. This is the one place Oceania can take lessons from Azamara (Quest February 2010). They really have it down when it comes to making eye contact and greeting everyone with a smile. The Marina felt like around 80% were up to it and 20% did not acknowledge your existence until you requested their service.

 

In summary I voted a preference for Marina to the R ships but it is a close call thank goodness. I want the option.

[LHT28]

I enjoyed the extra room in the casino even though I was not strong enough to move the chairs around at the black jack tables. I wonder what those chairs weigh?

 

I have to agree with you there ...those chairs are very heavy :eek:

 

Lyn