DrJW Posted February 18, 2014 #1 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Why 'quirky'? Having recently sailed on Crysyal as well as Silversea..and prior to that on Royal Carribean and Princess as well as Renaissance [ over 10+ years ago ] I am curuous why some of you describe some of the features or services aboard the Marina as being 'quirky' in comparison to Silverea / Crystal. My goodness, when one looks at the glossy brochure photos of the ship and the various dining venues on Oceania,,other than the number of passengers [ compared to Crystal] and the non inclusive features, I would think that Marina/Riviera is on the same luxury level as Crystal/Seabourne/Silversea. What am I missing? Is is the service? The age of fellow of passengers [ surely not like Carnival 'fun ships' ] The food ? The crew/ service? The accomodations? The ports ? We are scheduled to sail on the Marina later this year...I'm hoping to experience a luxury cruise with fun fellow passengers ....eager to hear your thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted February 18, 2014 #2 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Why 'quirky'?Having recently sailed on Crysyal as well as Silversea..and prior to that on Royal Carribean and Princess as well as Renaissance [ over 10+ years ago ] I am curuous why some of you describe some of the features or services aboard the Marina as being 'quirky' in comparison to Silverea / Crystal. My goodness, when one looks at the glossy brochure photos of the ship and the various dining venues on Oceania,,other than the number of passengers [ compared to Crystal] and the non inclusive features, I would think that Marina/Riviera is on the same luxury level as Crystal/Seabourne/Silversea. What am I missing? Is is the service? The age of fellow of passengers [ surely not like Carnival 'fun ships' ] The food ? The crew/ service? The accomodations? The ports ? We are scheduled to sail on the Marina later this year...I'm hoping to experience a luxury cruise with fun fellow passengers ....eager to hear your thoughts? Particularly in the higher end accommodations on Marina and Riviera, your experience will probably be very very similar to what you are used to on Crystal or Silversea. On those other lines, however, even those in the least expensive cabins still expect true luxury service, and that just isn't possible at the Oceania price point. You can save a significant amount of money sailing Oceania as opposed to Crystal or Silversea, and not notice much of a difference, but if you start booking cabins at half the cost, then you will just HAVE to manage your expectations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelcat2 Posted February 18, 2014 #3 Share Posted February 18, 2014 (edited) Agree with the last poster. We are long time Regent customers that have also sailed on Silversea. We just booked our second Oceania cruise. I do not feel that Oceania is in the same category as the luxury cruise lines you mentioned. Having said that, I do feel that the Riviera (almost identical twin to the Marina) was built in the most luxurious way possible. The ships may well be the most beautiful ships at sea. The upper three categories of suites are also amazing -- stunning - tasteful. Service on Oceania is the same as the luxury cruise lines (in my opinion). I also find the food in the specialty restaurants to be a higher quality than on Regent or Silversea. However, the food in the buffet and main dining room did not meet our expectations. We prefer similar venues on Regent or Silversea. I wouldn't use the word "quirky" but we find having the premium alcohol package a bit odd. It isn't so much that we are used to all-inclusive as it is figuring out when we need to present our room card to the bartender/server for our drinks. In one dining venue they did not seem to want it until the end of the meal (which makes sense to us) and in another they wanted it up front (as if we were going to run out and not pay). The age of fellow passengers seem to change depending upon the length of the itinerary and the time of the year. For the most part the age seems about the same as on luxury cruise ships. We cruised in May of last year (in Europe). There were younger couples on board but this would have been the case on Regent as well. Oceania has cooking classes (much nicer than that sounds) that work in conjunction with some excursions. This was one of the best experiences we had since we began cruising 10 years ago. We went to a family owned restaurant in Greece, cooked with the family, drank local ouzo while we cooked, had lunch outside on the verandah -- absolutely perfect day,. When we returned to the ship, we learned how to make some small Greek appetizers. Highly recommend this experience (even if you not care for cooking:-) We tried to create a luxury experience for ourselves on the Riviera (paying for included alcohol and internet and staying in a penthouse suite). We accomplished it for the most part. Most importantly, we enjoyed the cruise. Hope you do as well. Edited February 18, 2014 by Travelcat2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJW Posted February 19, 2014 Author #4 Share Posted February 19, 2014 we booked PH2....your thoughts of how comparable that is to Crystal Verandaf deck 8 midship stateroom? I know PH2 is bigger but what about all the areas that have been called 'quirky'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJW Posted February 19, 2014 Author #5 Share Posted February 19, 2014 thank you so much!~ Most helpful~! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_uk Posted February 19, 2014 #6 Share Posted February 19, 2014 We have previously had OS on the smaller ships but on the Marina went to a PH2 and were more than satisfied. We have booked a similar cabin for our next cruise on Marina. In the end we decided that we just do not need all that extra space of a large Suite as virtually all amenities are the same. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ronrick1943 Posted February 19, 2014 #7 Share Posted February 19, 2014 We have previously had OS on the smaller ships but on the Marina went to a PH2 and were more than satisfied. We have booked a similar cabin for our next cruise on Marina. In the end we decided that we just do not need all that extra space of a large Suite as virtually all amenities are the same. Brian I agree, we used to get the Owners Suite on the Marina, loved it but really big. This next cruise were getting the Oceania Suite and look forward to enjoying the cruise. For us we like the extra room because we use the cabin a lot. Not that we don't go out and about the ship, but we enjoy the along time, and sometimes just doing nothing at all. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PINEY10 Posted February 19, 2014 #8 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I pretty much agree with Travelcat. We, too, have done Regent and I liked that a lot (although the ships are getting a little haggard so I am really looking forward to their new ship). Many have called O Regent a la carte which is a good analogy. If you put on all the extras that you get on the luxury lines on O, you likely will pay more on O than on Regent or others. On Regent, I liked the drinks, most excursions included although I often plan my own but in exotic locales it was helpful, the small feel of the R ships and the size and amenities of the cabins. Service was exceptional. We have done O a few times and liked it for different reasons on both sailings. Did the Baltic and thought that was just phenomenal. Got the small ship touch to get in to close ports and excellent food. I will tip the balance on food to O as I think it is the best I've had on the seas. Regent is quite good but O INHO is far superior in quality and taste and tends to go the extra mile with flavorings--a little on the more spicy and adventuresome side which we like. Personally, on the bigger O ships, which we did to the Caribbean, I did not like the MDR at all. Too stuffy for me. We loved the buffet (food the same as the MDR with additional touches of lobster tail, lamb chops, cheeses to die for, etc. along with being al fresco). Generally we did not do the buffets on other ships until O but thought at least the Riviera buffet was fabulous. The one part I am hesitant to raise (and don't throw anything at me as I am just providing my own opinion) but it just may be that we were on an odd cruise in the Caribbean, but I found the people somewhat standoffish whereas on Crystal or Regent or similar, the people have been low key, interesting and affable. Age differential was not the issue although our recent trip on Regent to SE Asia was more "mature" than I expected for the difficult itinerary and excursions but all were very friendly. Again, it may have been just that cruise and and I hope that experience does not replicate on our upcoming cruise as most of the people on the roll call seem very friendly. I also found the staff on that prior cruise also a little difficult so, too, I am attributing that to the particular cruise and not to the cruise line (judgment reserved for now). We too loved the cooking classes and the chefs were extraordinary and fun (and I rarely cook but LOVED them). What a treat and the kitchens were top of the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orchestrapal Posted February 19, 2014 #9 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I agree, we used to get the Owners Suite on the Marina, loved it but really big. This next cruise were getting the Oceania Suite and look forward to enjoying the cruise. For us we like the extra room because we use the cabin a lot. Not that we don't go out and about the ship, but we enjoy the along time, and sometimes just doing nothing at all.Rick We too have always had the OS on the R ships and love them and have 5 future cruises booked in them as well.We have booked an aft Oceania cabin on a future Marina cruise and hope we enjoy it as much as the OS. We too spend a great deal of time in the cabin and very much enjoy the meals at the dinning table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ronrick1943 Posted February 22, 2014 #10 Share Posted February 22, 2014 We too have always had the OS on the R ships and love them and have 5 future cruises booked in them as well.We have booked an aft Oceania cabin on a future Marina cruise and hope we enjoy it as much as the OS. We too spend a great deal of time in the cabin and very much enjoy the meals at the dinning table. We also have the aft Oceania Suit for the next cruise a b2b in May 2014, so we'll let you know went we get back. But I'm sure it's going to be great. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVA34 Posted February 22, 2014 #11 Share Posted February 22, 2014 ronrick1943 my guess would be that you are in suite 11083. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orchestrapal Posted February 22, 2014 #12 Share Posted February 22, 2014 We also have the aft Oceania Suit for the next cruise a b2b in May 2014, so we'll let you know went we get back. But I'm sure it's going to be great.Rick Look forward your report. Enjoy your cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now