Marina vs R ships

[canuck.qc]

We have sailed on the R ships and have booked a 2nd cruise on Marina.

We prefer the smaller ship for port intensive cruises such as Europe-Med ports, easier to get on & off, casual & intimate. On these type of busy itineraries we do not use any of the amenities, we do not go to tea, we dine early at a table for 2. We rarely go to any shows or trivia, however we very much enjoy the sting quartet before dining.

The larger ships are great if you have several sea days. More dining options, several private common areas to relax, Tpool, cooking & art classes, baristas, and beautiful cabins.

I chuckle every time I read about the libraries on the R ships, yes, they are warm and inviting but this is what we encountered on several occasions- many people scattered around, sleeping, making it uncomfortable for us to sit & read with a chorus of snoring and sighs. It reminded me of (excuse the imagery) a retirement home sitting room!!

The library on Marina is bright and comfortable, well stocked and less apt to accommodate the 'sleepers'. IMO there are so many lovely spaces elsewhere to have a nap.. in their cabins maybe?

We've enjoyed each size cruise ship & let the itinerary dictate what ship we sail on. ..as long as it's Oceania!

[mikesms]

We sailed on the Journey two years ago and just returned from a cruise on Riviera. We absolutely loved the intimacy of the Journey and were curious if we'd lose that 'small ship' feel on the Riviera. To our pleasant surprise we didn't. I like to say the 'density' of the two ships felt nearly the same. There are many other differences between the two ships, but we found the overall atmosphere to be very similar.

[Paulchili]

We have sailed on the R ships and have booked a 2nd cruise on Marina.

We prefer the smaller ship for port intensive cruises such as Europe-Med ports, easier to get on & off, casual & intimate. On these type of busy itineraries we do not use any of the amenities, we do not go to tea, we dine early at a table for 2. We rarely go to any shows or trivia, however we very much enjoy the sting quartet before dining.

The larger ships are great if you have several sea days. More dining options, several private common areas to relax, Tpool, cooking & art classes, baristas, and beautiful cabins.

I chuckle every time I read about the libraries on the R ships, yes, they are warm and inviting but this is what we encountered on several occasions- many people scattered around, sleeping, making it uncomfortable for us to sit & read with a chorus of snoring and sighs. It reminded me of (excuse the imagery) a retirement home sitting room!!

The library on Marina is bright and comfortable, well stocked and less apt to accommodate the 'sleepers'. IMO there are so many lovely spaces elsewhere to have a nap.. in their cabins maybe?

We've enjoyed each size cruise ship & let the itinerary dictate what ship we sail on. ..as long as it's Oceania!

 

I love many things about the O class ships (esp. the food) but the library is most definitely not one of the things I love. In fact, IMO, it is the one single biggest "error" (shortcoming?) on the ship.

To each their own :)