Live reports from our Baltic cruise on Oceania Marina

[artbcpa]

Today was our one and only sea day and we got to participate in several activities. Ellie played Mah Jongg and I played bridge. We had three full tables of unhosted social bridge. I went three full rounds +1 (13 games) before I had an opening hand. I am sure my partner was ready to find a new one. We played trivia and went to the evening show (a comedian). We went to the main dining room for the first time and it was consistent with our other meal experiences. Wonderful service and presentation, with good food (not great). We try to sit at tables with other guests and had a very nice experience (with 4 other Californians). My luck continued with the casino as I doubled my money playing roulette after winning a $60 jackpot on the penny slots (this time at a different machine). I guess I will overlook the broken machinery as long as I keep winning.

 

Tomorrow is Tallinn, Estonia and we will be doing the town on our own. I have tried to upload some of my photos on board, but the Internet now in its present location is just too slow, even after reducing the size of the pixels; so I will try to find a good Internet cafe in town tomorrow.

 

It is bed time; so good night until tomorrow.

[corpkid]

Tomorrow is Tallinn, Estonia and we will be doing the town on our own. I have tried to upload some of my photos on board, but the Internet now in its present location is just too slow, even after reducing the size of the pixels; so I will try to find a good Internet cafe in town tomorrow.

 

Tallinn was one of our favorite ports in this cruise. Very cute and Non-Russia (we went the other way - so you'll understand what I mean after you spend 2 or 3 days in Russia touring your proverbial butts off). :)

 

My advice - skip the churches and cathedrals - you will have plenty of them in Russia. Go shopping - lots of little mom and pop stores tucked into these old buildings. Reminds me almost of a video game... Oh and you'll have NO shortage of internet cafe options. Tallinn is one of the most technologic cities in Europe, despite it's very old world look and charm. Enjoy and you're making us want to go back already!

[TrulyBlonde]

Tallinn is one of my favorite ports in the Baltic and a total surprise. So charming and right out of a fairy tale. Make sure you stop at "Olde Hansa" for a honey beer..and possibly a few sausages, bear, whatever suits your fancy. Absolutely adorable.

[artbcpa]

Thank you for your suggestions about Tallinn.

 

I was able to upload a few pictures unedited with reduced pixels, but at least you will get a chance to see some of what we saw.

 

I added some photos to our existing pre-cruise album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/organize/?start_tab=one_set72157657162760965

 

and set up a new album with photos from the ship itself including photos from the public areas and the Owner's Suite: https://www.flickr.com/photos/30213465@N05/sets/72157657366909205

 

as well as a separate album from our visit to Berlin: https://www.flickr.com/photos/30213465@N05/sets/72157656952158708

Edited August 17, 2015 by artbcpa

[Iamthesea]

Tallinn was one of our favorite ports in this cruise. Very cute and Non-Russia (we went the other way - so you'll understand what I mean after you spend 2 or 3 days in Russia touring your proverbial butts off). :)

 

My advice - skip the churches and cathedrals - you will have plenty of them in Russia. Go shopping - lots of little mom and pop stores tucked into these old buildings. Reminds me almost of a video game... Oh and you'll have NO shortage of internet cafe options. Tallinn is one of the most technologic cities in Europe, despite it's very old world look and charm. Enjoy and you're making us want to go back already!

 

Also our favorite city to visit in the Baltic's! It is known as a sister city to the Silicon Valley. SKYPE was started there!

 

Easy to walk to from the ship. You really should see if you can find a guide. They are so friendly and informative. Have a great day!

 

Your review is very interesting to me because we are considering booking the Oceania Riviera (sister ship) tomorrow. ;) We mostly sail Celebrity. Your experiences sound a lot like what we have experienced lately with Celebrity and why we have decided to try something new. Unfortunately, I believe that many of the cruiselines have gone down in the quality of service and meals. The big difference here, though, is that Oceania cost a couple $1000 more than the Celebrity/RCCL brand. :rolleyes:

[jakes47]

Hi artbcla, I hope you are enjoying your cruise - and haven't we been lucky with the weather in the Baltic are? We also debarked the day you got on and are still in sunny Copenhagen and reminiscing on our journey so far.

I was interested to read your opinion of the food as Greg and I were extremely disappointed in our cullinary experience on the Marina this last cruise which ranged down from "nice" (ok) and was always inconsistent.. I am wondering if there is a change of management in this area. We also enjoyed the production shows and thought they did a great job for the size of the stage - loved the String Quartet.

Over all we enjoyed our cruise and I look forward to reading more of yours.

Safe journey.

[arima22]

Hi artbcla, I hope you are enjoying your cruise - and haven't we been lucky with the weather in the Baltic are? We also debarked the day you got on and are still in sunny Copenhagen and reminiscing on our journey so far.

I was interested to read your opinion of the food as Greg and I were extremely disappointed in our cullinary experience on the Marina this last cruise which ranged down from "nice" (ok) and was always inconsistent.. I am wondering if there is a change of management in this area. We also enjoyed the production shows and thought they did a great job for the size of the stage - loved the String Quartet.

Over all we enjoyed our cruise and I look forward to reading more of yours.

Safe journey.

 

We were on Marina the cruise prior to yours- disembarked 2 Aug- and here we go with the personal opinions again- we thought the food was just as good as on our Baltic cruise in 2104! For those who were on Marina in May who stated meat needed to be done at least medium due to "the bug", our meats were prepared to our request in every restaurant- that is, medium rare. Service was excellent in all restaurants. Did not eat dinner in the Terrace, preferred the Grand Dining Room and specialties. Our opinion- consistent and very good.

[artbcpa]

We had a very nice day in Tallinn, with wonderful weather once again.

 

Since we are talking about food, which to many is such an important part of cruising, isn't it great that we are having several posts related to the subject?

 

As I said in my previous posts, overall we have been disappointed in the quality of the food, but not with the presentation, choices or service. They have all been outstanding. I must say that our two favorite meals thus far have been off the ship - in Tivoli Gardens and today in Tallinn's old city.

 

I am also interested in how others feel about Oceania's policy in the Terrace Cafe about not letting the passengers take their own food. I fully understand the concern everyone has with cleanliness and passenger safety, but a buffet is just not the same when it has to be served to you. Ellie and I both find it very disconcerting. We have not found this to be the policy on most other cruise ships, both above and below Oceania's class. Instead many of the ships have placed increased emphasis on passengers using the disinfectant before entering the restaurants and increased scrutiny within the kitchen and with the kitchen and serving staff. We find the issue is heightened because of the language problem.

 

What do you all think?

[Iamthesea]

Glad you had a good day!

 

We prefer to serve ourselves - left handed. ;) We are very good about washing our hands and using the hand sanitizer stations. Are they not available on Oceania?

[LHT28]

I was on the Marina in May & found the quality of the food to be just fine

some of the dishes served were a lot better than a few years ago but that is jmo

sometimes it is who is doing the cooking that can ruin even a great quality piece of meat ;)

 

As for the buffet not being self serve I am so happy that others are not allowed to serve themselves

I wish they would serve the rolls as well

I hate it when people pick up a roll look it over then put it back in the pile :eek:

If I see it then I tell the staff to remove that roll but it has probably contaminated the others around it by then

Looking at the waste on other cruise lines where people pile the plate then leave most of it also a good thing it is not self serve

 

If it is so annoying do not eat in the Terrace.....jmo

 

YMMV

 

Who knows if people have washed their hands or used the sanitized before touching the utensils

Edited August 17, 2015 by LHT28

[neepawa]

I have seen passengers come out of the washrooms near the entrance to the Terrace Café and walk right past the hand sanitizers.

 

I prefer to be served at the buffet by the very efficient and friendly staff.

 

Cheers,

 

Don

[hypercafe]

I have also found the food to be hit and miss, some excellent dishes and some just OK. We like the terrace however I would like to serve myself. I think it is about food waste. How does this compare to your WC on Crystal? Thanks for the review.

[Paulchili]

 

I am also interested in how others feel about Oceania's policy in the Terrace Cafe about not letting the passengers take their own food. I fully understand the concern everyone has with cleanliness and passenger safety, but a buffet is just not the same when it has to be served to you. Ellie and I both find it very disconcerting. We have not found this to be the policy on most other cruise ships, both above and below Oceania's class. Instead many of the ships have placed increased emphasis on passengers using the disinfectant before entering the restaurants and increased scrutiny within the kitchen and with the kitchen and serving staff. We find the issue is heightened because of the language problem.

 

What do you all think?

 

I couldn't disagree with you more on this subject.

Just because the hand wash is available it doesn't mean that everyone uses it.

Believe it or not, not everyone washes their hands after using the bathroom :eek: even though we assume they all do. Believe me, I have witnessed it more than once.

Or would you rather have the staff stand at the door and sing "washy-washy" as I understand they do on NCL? :)

When people help themselves at a buffet, not only does it pose a potential health hazard but they tend to make a mess of the food. I have seen more than once people use their hands to help themselves to bread and some other items (or fruit and then put it back if not ripe or too ripe).

I like it just the way it is :)

[orchestrapal]

I couldn't disagree with you more on this subject.

Just because the hand wash is available it doesn't mean that everyone uses it.

Believe it or not, not everyone washes their hands after using the bathroom :eek: even though we assume they all do. Believe me, I have witnessed it more than once.

Or would you rather have the staff stand at the door and sing "washy-washy" as I understand they do on NCL? :)

When people help themselves at a buffet, not only does it pose a potential health hazard but they tend to make a mess of the food. I have seen more than once people use their hands to help themselves to bread and some other items (or fruit and then put it back if not ripe or too ripe).

I like it just the way it is :)

 

Ditto! We also prefer our food not coughed or sneezed on.

Oceania does it right.

[Pet Nit Noy]

I am also interested in how others feel about Oceania's policy in the Terrace Cafe about not letting the passengers take their own food. I fully understand the concern everyone has with cleanliness and passenger safety, but a buffet is just not the same when it has to be served to you. Ellie and I both find it very disconcerting. We have not found this to be the policy on most other cruise ships, both above and below Oceania's class. Instead many of the ships have placed increased emphasis on passengers using the disinfectant before entering the restaurants and increased scrutiny within the kitchen and with the kitchen and serving staff. We find the issue is heightened because of the language problem.

 

What do you all think?

 

I think using servers is a great policy! Most cruisers are respectful of the rules and wait until a server is available to help them. On the few occasions some impatient, self-entitled person has come to a food station and grabbed the serving pieces while the server was away or was involved helping another cruiser. If the server comes back and unknowingly uses a serving piece that unwashed hands have made unsanitary, the whole system gets defeated. I always tell the server about the problem and wait for him/her to get a clean new utensil. The extra 2 minutes I've spent is worth staying healthy during the entire cruise.

 

As for language issues, most stations have a duplicate. (I'm speaking about R ships mostly; it has been a while since I've been on an O ship.) If you find the server at a particular station hard to understand, just walk to the twin station and get served.

Edited August 17, 2015 by Pet Nit Noy

[Pet Nit Noy]

Glad you had a good day!

 

We prefer to serve ourselves - left handed. ;) We are very good about washing our hands and using the hand sanitizer stations. Are they not available on Oceania?

 

Let's all agree that you are very good about washing your hands. Can you guarantee that anyone seeing you help yourself is equally responsible about sanitation? Of course you can't. And that's the problem. Don't think about your behavior. Think about the worse case behavior and how some rotten apples can make a lot of people very sick.

[artbcpa]

Thank you all for very much for your input about the buffet and having servers. Obviously the majority of posters like the system Oasis uses (which is what I wanted to know).

 

FYI, NCL is not the only cruise line that has people stand at the entrance to remind passengers to use the disinfectant. For example, RCCL actually has someone standing there with a spray bottle and won't let them enter without him/her spraying the passengers' hands. In fact we were a little surprised that Oasis is so lax about its pumpers on and off the ship as well as in and out of the restaurants. I do agree that waste and food portion control is a big part of the issue.

 

In any case that policy would not stop us from taking a specific cruise line or eating at the Terrace Cafe as one poster suggested. We would just prefer more access to making our own selection such as having crisp bacon instead of being handed pieces that have hardly been cooked.

[Mura]

Playing a bit of Devil's Advocate here, I remember not being pleased when Oceania made this switch in the buffet. I remember on Oceania being able to serve myself my salad at lunch without having a server wait while I told him what I wanted. I missed that! But this was before we started hearing about Noro problems on cruise ships.

 

I quickly adjusted and it isn't a problem for me any longer. In fact I have come around to believing as most of us here do -- it IS a good thing.

 

Mura

[LHT28]

We would just prefer more access to making our own selection such as having crisp bacon instead of being handed pieces that have hardly been cooked.

Just ask for crispy bacon.... they will get you some from the kitchen

 

I do not like rare meat from the carvery so I ask for a piece that is med well they bring it to the table with the sides that I want ..hot & cooked right for me

[Mura]

And I prefer rare meat so I ask for that ... or I pass if it isn't available. But the only time I can remember when that was the case was when they were cooking everything well done when we had the outbreak of Noro on Marina last spring.

 

Mura

[Mura]

Thank you all for very much for your input about the buffet and having servers. Obviously the majority of posters like the system Oasis uses (which is what I wanted to know).

 

FYI, NCL is not the only cruise line that has people stand at the entrance to remind passengers to use the disinfectant. For example, RCCL actually has someone standing there with a spray bottle and won't let them enter without him/her spraying the passengers' hands. In fact we were a little surprised that Oasis is so lax about its pumpers on and off the ship as well as in and out of the restaurants. I do agree that waste and food portion control is a big part of the issue.

 

In any case that policy would not stop us from taking a specific cruise line or eating at the Terrace Cafe as one poster suggested. We would just prefer more access to making our own selection such as having crisp bacon instead of being handed pieces that have hardly been cooked.

 

 

Oasis? Pumpers? Can you translate?

 

When I saw the reference to Oasis the first time I just assumed it was a typo but when I saw it a second time I wasn't sure. And "pumpers" really threw me.

 

We haven't been on NCL for 5 years (although we are due to board DAWN in 3 weeks) but my recollection that along with "washee washee", they also sprayed our palms. Maybe I'm wrong and they were pointing us to dispensers. Either way, it worked. People obeyed!

 

Mura

[hypercafe]

Artbcpa, you made the mistake of saying you do not like something Oceania does!

[LHT28]

Artbcpa, you made the mistake of saying you do not like something Oceania does!

He asked what others thought

 

I am also interested in how others feel about Oceania's policy in the Terrace Cafe about not letting the passengers take their own food. I fully understand the concern everyone has with cleanliness and passenger safety, but a buffet is just not the same when it has to be served to you.

 

He got the opinions of others

you may not agree but that is YOUR opinion

[Mura]

Artbcpa, you made the mistake of saying you do not like something Oceania does!

 

Come, Hyper, I think your comment is a tad excessive. As Lyn said, the question was what other Oceania regulars thought ... we answered.

 

No one attacked him! You seem to think he was.

 

Mura

[Pet Nit Noy]

We would just prefer more access to making our own selection such as having crisp bacon instead of being handed pieces that have hardly been cooked.

 

Since I also have a thing about crisply cooked bacon, I ask for a specific piece if the batch is unevenly cooked. (In general, I like steam table bacon because it keeps cooking and I find it's rarely undercooked.) I've never had a problem when I ask the server for a particular piece of bacon or ripe fruit or a small or large portion of anything. If you ask your question with a smile and a follow up with a "thank you", the servers don't flinch when they see you coming the next day. In fact, I believe many begin to take pride in their ability to remember your preferences and it gets easier and easier.

Edited August 17, 2015 by Pet Nit Noy