veranda stateroom or concierge level on Marina?

[poss]

Since the space for the two cabins is supposedly the same, and since we're not terrifically interested in special concierge services (I'm not exactly sure what they are), I'm thinking that our best bet for cabin choice would be veranda stateroom, somewhere toward the middle of the ship. (We don't care about being high up.) I know we'd enjoy the extra space of penthouse, but those prices bring the sailing up to Regent costs and beyond, and that's what I'd like to avoid.)

I'd love to get some sense of why others are choosing to go with A category cabins. Is it actually because you value having a concierge (how are they "used"?), or are there other considerations I'm not thinking about that'd make that category significantly more pleasant than simple veranda?

I think we're ready to put our deposit on a cruise tomorrow. I'm still up in the air about cabin choice. Thanks for input.

[LHT28]

I think it is personal choice

We prefer C Cat ...same size cabin & do not need a balcony.

 

If you do not need/want the amenities of Concierge book a B Cat and save some $$ for the excursions

On the smaller ships people booked A Cat for the fridges & other amenities but on Marina all cabins will have a fridge

[StanandJim]

Is it actually because you value having a concierge, how are they "used"?,

 

It seems to me that Concierge level on the R ships will be significantly expanded and improved on the Marina.

 

For one thing, Marina Concierge passengers will have access to that special lounge on deck 9.

 

Also, Concierge passengers on the Marina will have a dedicated Concierge staff strictly for their use.

[poss]

I'm trying not to sound too mindless here, but what does one "need" a special lounge for? I.e. there must be just so many pleasant places to be on this new ship (including one's stateroom). And what does a concierge actually "do"? Is it sort of like a butler? (which we've never felt any need for) I guess a concierge makes dinner reservations and such? But we always make them in advance of boarding? Extra thread-count sheets? (700 is ok by us, we don't require 1000).

I don't mean to be sounding against concierge category at all. We can afford the extra charge over regular veranda. (I couldn't do a cabin without a veranda-- that's an easy choice for us.) I just wish I could get a better handle on what concierge is "for." This will be our first Oceania cruise, after being happy campers on Regent for some years-- I simply want to try to make the right choice for us.

(And it is personal choice, of course-- I just have the feeling that maybe I'm not seeing the choices as clearly as I wish)

Appreciate the input!

[hondorner]

Hi, poss -- the problem is, it sounds like Concierge level is being expanded somewhat on Marina over the Regatta class ships, but no on e knows exactly what will be involved until it actually happens -- at this point, I doubt even Oceania knows exactly, or if they do, they haven't said much, yet. :)

 

You asked what others are doing; I think you and I think enough alike that our decision may make sense to you. We are one of the ones who always booked a concierge category cabin in order to get the refrigerator, but as Lyn said, all cabins will have on on Marina. We also enjoyed the extra guaranteed reservations in the alternative restaurants, but never needed them -- even the one time we booked in category "C" (oceanview), we got extra reservations with no trouble. We also enjoyed the welcome bottle of champagne -- we immediately traded it in for a bottle of house red wine at dinner. The first time we got a tote bag, we liked it, and even the second time was cool; but we don't need any more tote bags (and will be getting two more in just a couple of weeks). In the early days, only concierge category and above had a DVD player, now all cabins do.

 

The cashmere lap robes are nice, but we can do without them. There is supposed to be priority embarkation, luggage service and disembarkation, but we never noticed any difference.

 

Strangely, there has never been an actual, exclusive, concierge person associated with concierge class -- instead, it was just a term used to describe the "level" of service. My understanding is there will actually be such a person on Marina, but I doubt that person will rise to the level of a butler (which we had,once, on Celebrity, and it was very nice, but only because Celebrity was so much cheaper than Oceania we could afford it).

 

Like you, our bodies will likely never be able to differentiate between 700 and 1000 thread counts -- we sleep on 400 thread count at home and are happy. The difference in the toiletries is meaningless to us -- I use dollar store shampoo at home. Betsy wears her hair short enough that we go to the same barber, so she doesn't care, either.

 

Finally, location -- like you, we don't care how high up we are, and would never pay more just to be higher in the ship, especially since the middle decks are the most convenient. We did pay more to be on the top deck of Celebrity Mercury, but again, that was because the balconies were huge, and it was cheaper than the lower decks on Oceania.

 

We like being as close to the middle as possible, but don't ike to pay for it. On the Regatta class ships, we booked an A2, never an A1. On Marina, the B3 cabins are in the middle of Deck 7, but there are enough B4 cabins close to amidships that we are satisfied. So, our first decision was to go down to category B4 (the least expensive balcony cabins).

 

Then, as I perused the deck plans, I noticed an anomaly -- some of the B4 balconies, near the very front of the ship and starting about 3/4 of the way aft, appeared to have wider balconies. I had my excellent travel agent check, and indeed, the largest balconies of any of the standard veranda cabins are in the lowest price category -- an accident of the way the ship flares out in the front and back of Deck 6. Because I like to be as close to amidships as possible, I immediately booked 7108 (7111 is in the same place on the other side). Any of the cabins on Deck 7 with numbers higher than those will have the larger balconies, as well as a few at the forward end of the ship.

 

I'm very pleased with myself for getting something that most other cabins do not have, and paying less for it! :rolleyes:

 

My only problem now is that I have been blabbing about it, so it may be more difficult to get my choice on our next Marina cruise. Pick your cabin, prime your agent to start early, and hope for the best! If you are booking for yourself, stay up late that night, program Oceania's number into speed dial and stay on top of it. My guess is that the best cabins will go within the first 5 or 10 minutes on March 10.

[WesW]

Thanks to Don's advice (and guessing there will be very high demand to book the Marina from the Public and TA's tomorrow precisely at 8:30am), instead of waiting for our TA to book our Marina TA, I just called Oceania and spoke to a wonderful OCR (Oceania Customer Rep) who talked me through best concierge cabin (mid ship to book) noted our preference (port side) and as bookings open at 8:30 am, she will book our cabin and then send me an email with the booking #, I in turn will forward the booking# to transfer to our TA (her office does not open until (after 10 am).

[poss]

Don! Wes! WOW!

 

Wes: Now you've got me eager to try your little finesse with some kindly Oceania Rep. So I'm even more interested in getting this cabin thing figured out today. Without taking too much trouble to do it, can you remind me, please, why you like the idea of concierge level? Do you enjoy being somewhat higher on the ships, or do you find that you truly do appreciate having those other services? (Which ones, especially?)

 

Don: Thanks ever so much for detailing the balcony differences. I think that mid-ship for us is probably more important than having the somewhat larger balcony (though we definitely are balcony people). Here's another question though: The one time that we had a stateroom that wasn't directly above other cabins we had trouble with noise, so I've been hesitant ever since to book anything except under and over other rooms. (Have you never had that problem?) Thus, I'm thinking that B3 on deck 8 is probably our best bet. And I know I don't want to be in a room next to an asterisk, so I'm thinking something like 8074, 8077, something in that area? Can you tell me if my thinking makes sense? Unless, of course, Wes comes up with a reason that might sway us to choose concierge level. :-)

 

By the way, for British Isles, does anyone happen to know which side of ship might be best? And there's no "general" answer to the "which side" question, right? (I mean irregardless of a specific cruise.)

 

THANKS!

[WesW]

Poss, altho my bride does not know it yet (we were booking a PH3) I was waivering

between a PH3 and Concierge cabin. Both Don and your cabin ?/answers got me thinking..how much time do we actually spend in our suite? Believe Don provided

a super cabin analysis for his cabin selection. Poss, we really don't care about

being up high, but do want mid ship. However, since this is our first Oceania sailing, do like the amenities that the Concierge include (priorty for restaurant rsvns in particular) And poss am sure u can relate to this fiscal analysis..since this will be our first non all inclusive sailing..thus, when comparing a Deluxe Regent cabin (356SF vs 282sf (Concierge) or 420sf (PH)) or 70 SF +/- (PH3, C3) my wallet emanated a strong magnetic pull towards booking a concierge class cabin (thus, I could now rationalize generous alcohol and excursion purchases or even

a 2-3 day precruise stay in Rome (bride wants to do)). The wonderful Oceania rep talked me through best concierge location (C3--mid ship) both decks above

and below have suites (i.e no pool deck, lounge where noise can emanate from)..9060 to 9070 (also concierge lounge is on deck 9 for what it's worth)...She was very knowledgeable (e.g. did know 13 laps equal I mile on the jogging deck..(hope this does not violate CC rules..but since she is not a TA), the Oceania rep's name is Colleen at Oceania Cruise 800 # (531-5638) X 6979 in case u want to call.

[poss]

oops-- I think that it's the B1's that I'm looking at, not the B3's. (My color recognition was off. Too bad, because I like the price better at B3. And if we're going to have to do B1, heck, why not go up to an A3, mid-ship, deck 9 (unless my color is off again).

 

And I wonder-- will there really not be a CD player in any of the cabins we're talking about?? (We never use DVD, but we sure do use the CD.)

[LHT28]

And I wonder-- will there really not be a CD player in any of the cabins we're talking about?? (We never use DVD, but we sure do use the CD.)

 

I am going to take a wild guess but the DVD players in the regular cabins on the current ships also play CD's so I cannot see them changing that on the Marina

I do not think you would have a problem booking a cabin next to an * most people do not book 3 to a cabin ...but it may be just your luck to get a cabin with 3 people better stick to the ones without a sofabed;)

[poss]

Ah, LHT: thanks for the note about the DVD/CD combo. In fact that's exactly the way it is on Regent: I'd been told there was no CD player, didn't bring any CD's-- et voila, there it was, part of the DVD equipment!

 

The only time we heard our neighbors on board was the one time it happened to be a three-some. I think that now that O cabins are larger, there may significant numbers who do book 3 to a cabin. I'm going to avoid neighboring there if possible.

 

Wes: thanks so much for the new input. I'm getting pretty near ready to call O and I'll ask for that extension. Btw, you always speak of "my bride," and I'm wondering whether you really are a newly-wed. If so, congratulations! I even ask the question because my husband and I are coming up on 40 years, and I STILL think of myself as a bride (and still even feel a kind of frisson when I speak the word "husband.")

 

Lucky people who enjoy those words and have cruising into the equation as well!

[WesW]

Poss, u'r very welcome. I use the word bride as a term of endearment for my wife of 25 years (in fact we renewed our vows on the SS Spirit this Jan at sunset on the bridge..(the avatar above taken on the open portion of the bridge (yep, SS served us champagne & canapes) was right after the ceremony. Have fun booking the Marina!

[LuAnn]

Thanks to Don's advice (and guessing there will be very high demand to book the Marina from the Public and TA's tomorrow precisely at 8:30am), instead of waiting for our TA to book our Marina TA, I just called Oceania and spoke to a wonderful OCR (Oceania Customer Rep) who talked me through best concierge cabin (mid ship to book) noted our preference (port side) and as bookings open at 8:30 am, she will book our cabin and then send me an email with the booking #, I in turn will forward the booking# to transfer to our TA (her office does not open until (after 10 am).

 

Called my TA and she called O and we are all set for first thing tomorrow morning!! My TA was really happy because now she doesn't have to get up at 5:30 AM PST!!! And I'm really happy because I should get the cruise/cabin I want!! You're a peach !! LuAnn

[cruzmaven]

The only time we heard our neighbors on board was the one time it happened to be a three-some.

:eek:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry.....I couldn't let that go by without a comment.:D

[hondorner]

Poss, sounds like you're getting a pretty good handle on it. From here out, it's personal preference, and analysis is not going to help much. Good luck getting the booking you want, and I hope we get a chance to meet one of these days.

[poss]

We're booked! (B1, July 15, 2011) When we pop the champagne tonight in celebration, I will raise a glass to all you fine folks who piped me aboard. Thank you!

 

cruzmaven: Yeh, I noticed that also, but decided to let it stay. :-)

[stevens397]

Surprised this hasn't come up yet!

 

Since the Marina will have a separate lounge, does anyone know if there will be a bar that serves complimentary drinks? We've only taken one cruise but it was Silversea and when we left, all we had to pay for was a couple of massages. We are looking at a Baltic cruise and already signed on for a fully cancellable one in July 2012 so we could get the room type we wanted. They seem to be the only line that has summer 2012 cruises loaded into the system. But Oceania is about the same money for 10 days instead of 7, the room does seem a tad smaller (and the closet/storage seems less - right?) and I can't imagine we woud spend more than $500 or so on liquor. But free drinks in the lounge would be great!

 

Thanks.

[LHT28]

Surprised this hasn't come up yet!

 

Since the Marina will have a separate lounge, does anyone know if there will be a bar that serves complimentary drinks?

 

Thanks.

since the Marina just started her maiden voyage on the 22nd no one knew what the perks were going to be in the concierge lounge

I am sure someone will post soon but in the mean time you can ask on this thread

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1339111

It appears on this voyage the drinks are complimentary so might be a moot point at this stage ;)

 

Lyn

[Mura]

The only time we heard our neighbors on board was the one time it happened to be a three-some. I think that now that O cabins are larger, there may significant numbers who do book 3 to a cabin. I'm going to avoid neighboring there if possible.

 

I agree that it's always better to be safe than sorry but I have to say in all our cruises on the "R" ships (with Ren and O), we've never encountered people who were really booking 3 to a cabin. (Okay, parents traveling with a child no doubt did but I never talked about it with such passengers.)

 

I can't believe that it will be that much more common on Marina, but of course it's definitely possible. Unless you are in a really large cabin, while 3 to a cabin can be done, it doesn't give you much privacy.

 

I remember why back when asking a Renaissance rep about the possibility of booking an OS and sharing it with my mother as a third. I was definitely discouraged from doing so! And having been in an OS now (only once), I agree that it would NOT have worked very well. While there is a second bathroom, it is only a half bath.

 

OTOH the "family penthouse" we had on the NCL Gem last April could work because it had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a large living room. But that second bedroom/bath was clearly intended for children, not another pair of adults.

[wripro]

First of all, in answer to the OP's original question on the Marina I would seriously question the need to book a concierge cabin as opposed to a verandah cabin since there is no difference in the number of alternate restaurant reservations as there is on the R ships. The other few perks do not warrant, imo, the extra money.

 

As for the lounge, I think people who sail in a concierge class on mass market lines are expecting the same kind of difference between regular and concierge class that exists there. On mass market lines regular cabin perks are much more basic and subject to nickel and diming, so the refuge of the lounge is an escape. They are also paying significantly more for the cabins or suites which grant them access to the lounge. On the Marina everyone on the ship is treated similarly (with the exception of top suites where they get extra restaurant reservations) so the lounge is not so much of an escape from the hordes as a place to accomplish certain functions. Therefore it's not necessary to provide constant refreshments which can be had throughout the ship. JMO.