Oceania Cruises
This ship provides premium country club style for mature-age cruisers
The Ship. Built in 55 blocks, Marina is the first new build for this growing small cruise line. Its profile is quite handsome, with a nicely rounded front and topped by a swept-back funnel. Able to cruise at a speed 25 percent faster than the other three ships in the fleet, it can operate cruises over longer distances.
Oceania Cruises has been careful to try to keep the warm and tasteful ‘country house’ decor style for which it has become known – the smaller ships were styled by the Scottish interior designer John McNeece – together with an uncomplicated layout that’s easy to master quickly.
The interior focal point is the stunning wrought-iron and Lalique glass horseshoe-shaped staircase in the main lobby. Public rooms include nine bars and lounges. There is a 2,000-book library, set on the port side of the funnel housing. The Monte Carlo Casino has its own soft lavender-colored Casino Bar.
The Culinary Center, a cooking demonstration kitchen with 24 workstations run in conjunction with the US-based Bon Appétit magazine, incurs a fee for each of several cookery classes, but at least you get to eat your creations. An Artist’s Loft hosts constantly changing artists – bring your own paintbrushes. If you like art, look for the genuine Picassos on board; there are 16 of them, including six in the casino.
The dress code is country club – no pajamas or track suits, but no ties, either. Note that a gratuity of 18 percent is added to bar and spa accounts.
Marina is really comfortable, although you will need to walk a little more than on many cruise ships. It will suit mature-age adults who appreciate quality and style, with plenty of space, plus excellent cuisine and service, in an informal setting with realistic pricing.
In 2012, some of the modifications made when building its close sister Riviera were incorporated in its first drydocking. These include better lighting and deeper drawers in suites and cabins, teak decking, plus hand-held shower hoses in suites with bathtubs, and chandeliers in public rooms. Overall, a cruise aboard Marina is a very nice experience.
Accommodation. There are several price categories, including four suite grades: Owner’s Suite; Oceania Suite; Vista Suite; and Penthouse Suite. There are four cabin grades: concierge-level veranda cabin; veranda cabin; deluxe ocean-view cabin; and interior cabin. Price depends on size and location, but all have one thing in common – a good-size bathroom with tub, and separate (but small) shower enclosure, plus two toiletry cabinets.
Around 96 percent of all the accommodation onboard has teak-decked balconies. There’s no tie rack in the closets, because the dress code is casual. The decor includes chocolate brown, cream, and white – earthy colors that don’t jar the senses. All suites and cabins have dark wood cabinetry with rounded edges.
Standard veranda cabins measure 282 sq ft (26 sq m). Veranda and Concierge-level cabins have a sitting area and teak balcony with faux wicker furniture. Concierge-level grades receive L’Occitane toiletries.
Penthouse Suites measure 420 sq ft (39 sq m) with living/dining room separate from the sleeping area, walk-in closet, and bathroom with a double vanity.
Oceania Suites measure about 1,030 sq ft (96 sq m).
Vista Suites range from 1,200 to 1,500 sq ft (111–139 sq m).
At more than 2,000 sq ft (186 sq m), the Owner’s Suite spans the ship’s entire beam. It is decked out in furniture, fabrics, lighting, and bedding from the Ralph Lauren Home collection, with design by New York-based Tocar, Inc. It is outfitted with a Yamaha baby grand piano, private fitness room, laptop computers, Bose audio system, and a teak-decked balcony with Jacuzzi tub.
Suite-category occupants receive Champagne on arrival, 1,000-thread-count bed linen, 42ins (107cm) plasma TV sets, Hermès and Clarins bath products, butler service, en-suite delivery from any of the ship’s restaurants, and priority check-in, early embarkation, and priority luggage delivery. Amenities include Tranquility beds, Wi-Fi laptop computer, refrigerated mini-bar with unlimited free soft drinks and bottled water replenished daily, personal safe, writing desk, cotton bathrobes, slippers, and marble and granite bathroom.
Occupants of Owner’s, Vista, Oceania, and Penthouse suites can enjoy in-suite course-by-course dining from any restaurant menu, making private dining possible as a change to being in the restaurants.
Some grades get access to an Executive Lounge or Concierge Lounge. These are great little hideaways, with sofas, Internet-connect computers, Continental breakfast items, soft drinks, and magazines. Self-service launderettes are on each accommodation deck, which is useful for long voyages.
Dining. Six open-seating dining venues provide ample choice, enough even for long cruises, although banquette seating in some venues does not evoke the image of premium dining as much as individual seating does. Also, it would be hard to describe some of the specialty dining venues as intimate. This is, however, a foodie’s ship, with really high-quality ingredients and effectively fancy presentation. Particularly notable are the delicious breads, rolls, croissants, and brioches – all made on board from French flour and Isigny butter. The Grand Dining Room has 566 seats, and a delightful domed, or raised, central ceiling. Versace bone china, Christofle silver, and fine linens are used. Canyon Ranch Spa dishes are available for all meals.
French celebrity chef Jacques Pépin, Oceania’s executive culinary director, has his first sea-going restaurant, Jacques, with 124 seats. It has antique oak flooring, antique flatware, and Lalique glassware, and offers fine dining in an elegant but informal setting, with roast free-range meats, nine classic French dessert items, and a choice of AOC cheeses.
Polo Grill, with 134 seats, serves steaks and seafood, including Oceania’s signature 32oz (900g) bone-in King’s Cut prime rib. The setting is classic traditional steakhouse, with dark wood paneling and classic white tablecloths, although the tables are a little close together.
The 124-seat Toscana features Italian-style cuisine, served on Versace china.
Privée, with seating for up to 10 in a private setting, invites exclusivity for its seven-course dégustation menu.
La Réserve offers a choice of two seven-course small-portion dégustation menus (Discovery and Explorer), paired with wines. With just 24 seats, it’s really intimate.
The Terrace Café is the casual self-serve buffet-style venue; outdoors, as an extension of the café, is Tapas on the Terrace – it’s good for light bites, although the ceiling is low, and it can be very noisy.
Red Ginger is a specialty restaurant featuring ‘classic and contemporary’ Asian cuisine; the setting is visually refined, with ebony and dark wood finishes, but the banquette-style seating lets the venue down. Your waiter will ask you to choose your chopsticks from a lacquered presentation box.
The poolside Waves Grill, shaded from the sun, serves Angus beef burgers, fishburgers, veggie burgers, Reuben sandwiches, seafood, and other fast food, cooked to order.
Baristas coffee bar overlooks the pool deck and has excellent (and free) illy coffee. However, in the bars the tonic mixed with gin and vodka is too sweet and of inferior quality.
Entertainment. The 600-seat Marina Lounge spans two decks, with tiered amphitheater-style seating. It’s more cabaret-style entertainment than big production shows, in keeping with the cruise line’s traditions, which suits the passenger clientele just fine.
Spa/Fitness. The Canyon Ranch SpaClub provides wellness and personal spa treatments. The facility includes a fitness center, beauty salon, several treatment rooms, thalassotherapy pool, and sauna and steam rooms. A jogging track is located aft of the funnel, above two of the specialty restaurants.