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Oceania First Timer - Marina Baltic - June 2018


VegasTW
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Hi all,

 

We are cruising Oceania for the first time.

 

Just a bit about me and my husband to help with the conversation.

 

I'm 43 and he is 50, no kids. We will be on the Baltic itinerary in June. We have cruised a few times on Celebrity and Holland. The big draw for Celebrity was the modern decor. The big draw for Holland was to sail the brand new Koningsdam. The design quality of the ship is important, especially to me as an architect.

 

We care a lot about food and service quality, both of which were a B rating (IMO) on these other lines. Plus we didn't like the crowds. Big theater entertainment is not critical ... we loved Lincoln Center Stage on Holland. We enjoy some music, trivia, and nice cocktails.

 

We have sprung for the low to mid-level suites on all cruises - mostly for the larger space and concierge level service. We are in a PH 2 on Marina.

 

Pros for us on Oceania:

- Food

- Service

- Ports

- Fellow passengers (seems like an awesome group)

 

Cons:

- Ship looks dated

 

With these data points in mind, do you guys think this is a good fit for us? Is there another line that you would recommend trying? Viking and Regent (specifically the new Explorer) look good from a design standpoint but I don't care to pay for excursions when we are well traveled and don't need group tours every day.

 

I suspect the answer may be "just try it" and that's where I'm leaning. But wanted to get some opinions from the board.

 

Thanks all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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We did the Baltic on the Marina last September. It was our 2d Oceania cruise and we loved it. We find the food in the specialties to be outstanding. The food in the MDR, Terrace & Waves is good, better than on Celebrity & HAL both of which we have also cruised. We did not find the ship to be dated at all - it was very clean & well attended. We traveled with 2 other couples (all of us in our early 50s), but met many people through tours I set up using our roll call and had a great time. We were, however, some of the youngest cruisers on board. The shows are not the best and it would be great if they could bring the entertainment up a notch but on port intensive cruises like the Baltic, after a nice dinner we are ok with listening to some music in Horizons and heading off to bed. Only you will know if O is the right fit for you & your husband, but imo it's certainly worth a try.

 

 

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Not dated at all.

 

You would be on the younger side of most of the passengers. I've got about 17 years on you and I'm on the younger side most of the time.

 

You're not going to see the soaring atriums like the S class on Celebrity have, but the Oceania O ships are very tasteful.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We were with our 5th Oceania Cruises in the Baltic States end august September 2017.

Quality of food of course excellent!

But important is the time that Oceania stays in St Petersburg, Russia. Take the excursions on board, no extra visa charge!

When I have seen that some ships 1 day or 2 days in this wonderful city... Oceania stays 3 FULL days!

We had the occasion to see Catherine's Palace outside and of course Hermitage and all other places. We started in Copenhagen, then Helsinki, St Petersburg, and the other Baltic States ending in Stockholm.

:) Again another TOP Oceania cruise

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Thank you all for your comments and encouragement! The more I read the more excited I get.

 

Full payment due in a few days and I am (no pun intended) totally on board.

 

In reading the posts on Cruise Critic, I am most excited about our fellow passengers. Sophisticated, cool, unpretentious, and wanting to learn and experience.

 

Can't wait to check in from the ship.

 

 

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Oh BTW, agree on the St. P comments. Wow... three days. I booked the Alla tour which also goes to Moscow on day two. Intensive and tiring I hear... but so worth it.

 

Any advice from someone who has also done this tour?

 

 

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The Marina is a beautiful ship and the penthouse suites are wonderful. You will be very comfortable. The Marina was our first Oceania cruise as well. And we were completely won over. The food was excellent and though I’m not normally a fan of French food it think Jacques was our favorite. We tend to keep to ourselves but met a great couple and they have become our travel buddies (3 trips since then). We got in trouble with our Butler because we didn’t use him enough...but once we got the hang of it found him to be a miracle worker! Go and enjoy and let us all know your thoughts after you get home.

Kathleen

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Thank you all! And good advice on restaurants and engaging with our butler. I tend to be a bit shy on asking for things but it seems like all of the ship crew members want to help.

 

 

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Thank you all! And good advice on restaurants and engaging with our butler. I tend to be a bit shy on asking for things but it seems like all of the ship crew members want to help.

 

My DW and I love Oceania. we have done 3 10 day cruises with them. Food is the best. 4 specialty restaurants on the Marina and the Riviera. So we do each one once. Pumpkin soup in the French restaurant is to die for. Lobster mac and cheese in the Steak restaurant is fabulous. The buffet is second to none. First of all, you do not serve yourself. There is an attendant at each food station and will serve you. There is a grill in the buffet that offers Steak, lobster, and huge prawns. Just go up and say 1 steak and 2 lobsters. All none alcoholic beverages are included. Oceania allows you to bring alcohol for consumption in your room. We bring 1 Jack and 1 vodka. Our cocktail parties on our balcony are world class. Wifi is free. They just treat you like the old days. Very special. Spend a little more and get the treatment and gastro delights you deserve. Now spb tours in St Petersburg is fabulous. They take care of the visa details. The tour give you lunch, time to shop, and takes you to the best sites. We also seemed to walk by the lines and get right in to the palaces. Our Guide Marsha was very educated and versed in Russian history. Do not waste a second looking for a different tour company. This is the one. https://spb-tours.com/ In the Wanemunde port we took a bus to Doberan and rode the narrow rail Molli Train to the coast. Great scenery and shopping up in the coastal town.

 

2017 Baltic

2016 Adriatic

2015 Tahiti

and 20+ other cruises

 

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You can look at the Ports board for info on SPB excursions. Be aware that there are several reputable companies that provide excellent tours, and all will take care of the tourist visa. It's as simple as filling out a form via email. They send you a form you then present to passport control on your way out. Easy peasy. You do not need to take a ship's tour. Frequently, the cost is significantly less, or the same cost for significantly more tour than what the ship offers.

 

We used TJ for a private, tailored tour for our family group of 8. It was amazing.

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...Viking and Regent (specifically the new Explorer) look good from a design standpoint but I don't care to pay for excursions when we are well traveled and don't need group tours every day.

 

Port calls at St Petersburg involve special challenges for people not inclined to take a group tour. You must get an individual visa from a Russian consulate if you want to wander the city on your own. Some people do this and the Port of Call board for Northern Europe and the Baltic is an excellent source of information if that's what you're inclined to do.

 

If you pay attention to the cruise line mailings/email about visiting St. Petersburg, you will get incomplete information. They emphasize that booking a group tour through the ship's excursion avoids the need for a personal visa. That's true but incomplete information. Private, licensed tour companies in St. Petersburg are also able to provide this same visa. (Technically, neither the ship's visa nor the private visas are visas if you mean the past-in-your-passport kind. The Russian companies call them tour tickets and/no no-visa entry.) The big advantage of touring with a Russian company is that the tour group is much smaller. If you're willing to pay the price, you're even able to book a wholly private tour for you and your husband, and you have still-greater control over what you visit and how long you stay at any site.

 

I no longer recommend you look at TripAdvisor (TA) for information about the better tour companies. Within the past week, TA has done something to change the rank order in a way that makes no sense. They've also introduced duplicative categories for St Petersburg tours and given them slightly different names. This results in different top companies for the "Port of Call" category VS the "Cultural Tour" category VS the "City Tours" category even though those categories essentially go to the same places. Even the rank order for the broad category "Tours" changed rankings dramatically overnight. SPB, the long standing top-rated company overnight fell to #8.

 

For comments about specific private Russian tour companies, again, head to the Northern Europe... Port of Call board.

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We got in trouble with our Butler because we didn’t use him enough...but once we got the hang of it found him to be a miracle worker! Go and enjoy and let us all know your thoughts after you get home.

Kathleen

Dear Kathleen - please give us tips on how to make butler more useful.

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We were with our 5th Oceania Cruises in the Baltic States end august September 2017.

Quality of food of course excellent!

But important is the time that Oceania stays in St Petersburg, Russia. Take the excursions on board, no extra visa charge!

When I have seen that some ships 1 day or 2 days in this wonderful city... Oceania stays 3 FULL days!

We had the occasion to see Catherine's Palace outside and of course Hermitage and all other places. We started in Copenhagen, then Helsinki, St Petersburg, and the other Baltic States ending in Stockholm.

:) Again another TOP Oceania cruise

Probably someone has commented on this before me, but just in case nobody has:

 

You don't have to take the ship's excursions in St. Petersburg. If you book with Alla or other well-respected tour provider, you won't need a visa. The Baltic is great as a first cruise on Oceania - or any other line.

 

We tried Celebrity twice but didn't like it much. We liked the music (more of it, including rock/folk stuff) but that was about all. Celebrity food was pretty lame, although we were on Summit and NOT in the Blu section. Maybe your experience has been better. On Oceania, don't forego the Terrace for dinner -buffet with a grill - perfect! Outside dining should be nice on a Baltic cruise, but there's inside dining as well. They'll bring you drinks; don't go looking for that water dispenser like on Celebrity.

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Several years ago on our Baltic cruise withOceania we used Alla. The tour and guide were fantastic! We had a private tour with another couple we met thru our roll call. We saw everything in and around St.Petersburg in a beautiful car with driver. She (the guide)was waiting for us as we left the ship. We were off early no line. FYI our guide was educated at same university as Putin! Spoke perfect English

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Did Baltic on Marina in 2013. We were a group of 6 and booked 3 day customized private tour with SPB. Also booked an evening folklore show with transportation through them. We paid a lot less than through the ship but there were 6 of us. If only 2, maybe book their group tours. We also used them in Talinn and Rostock/Warnemunde. Others in our group used them in Stockholm and Helsinki - we did things on our own there. SPB is excellent.

 

Were on Mediterranean cruise on Marina in May. Loved it even more than in 2013.

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I must say I agree with Vegas 100% re Alla Tours in St Petersburg. We booked their 3 day tour of the city a few years ago while on the Marina and saw all of the must see sites.

 

And you WILL NOT NEED to secure a separate visa, since Alla is a state licensed tour operator; as such the cost of their tours includes a blanket visa for all participants

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We used SPB but most people are happy with whichever private tour they book. We were a group of 4 which is a little more expensive but I think still less than ship tours. All the companies take care of the tourist visa but you can only leave the port with their guides. We took the Moscow trip the 2nd day and did not regret it but it is a very long day (got back around 11 or so at night but surprisingly many people were still out and about enjoying white nights) and means you see a little less than some people in St Petersburg. As said above, eat breakfast early on those 3 days. In Riga and Helsinki we took excellent walking tours for very little. All the other ports, we did on our own. None are difficult. Have a wonderful trip. Enjoy the good things on O.

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