Random thoughts from Marina's 3rd voyage

[Senior Citizen]

When we were on the maiden voyage, Nolan told us that Oceania was going to do away with the current O point system and that once we claimed our "prize", we should give our extra points to someone who needed them. I believed him and gave my extra points to someone who was short of points---not that I regret it because the lady really, really, really wanted an item that she didn't have enough points for.

[Mother Country Cousins]

TV – Yesterday was Sunday and a sea day. Perfect time to relax, catch up on some reading or maybe on March madness back home (today are several important conference finals in college basketball). Instead the ESPN channel shows THREE B2B2B European soccer games. How many people on this ship really care what the score was in the Napoli vs Sampdoria game? Maybe 6 or 8? This was followed by car racing in Europe and then by everybody’s favorite - rugby. If Oceania is going to have an ESPN channel (and presumably pay for it) why not have a US/Canadian version of it, considering that the vast majority of passengers are from N. America? After all, there is already a sports channel called Sky Sports News that constantly talks about soccer, rugby and cricket. What is the point of having two “European” sports channels on an N. American cruise ship with predominantly N. American cruisers and who makes these decisions? I know, one does not come on a cruise to watch TV, but sometimes I like to catch up with news (even if it is BBC and not ABC/NBC/CBS) and watch some sports as well.

 

Being a reader on CC rather than a poster I always make a point of reading any posts by you Paul in whichever thread they may appear as I have learned over time that they are always interesting, always informative and often amusing. We are Europeans and are very soon to join Marina for the Colonial Crossing and I can't tell you how delighted we are to hear of the TV sports coverage on Marina. On this occasion however and if I may I would like to chide you a little not only for your sweeping assumption that 'O' has nothing to do with the 'global community' and is a cruise line predominantly for North Americans but on your assertion that European sports hold no appeal. As an example, football, or soccer as you call it, is a global game which far outreaches anything globally that the USA has to offer as a spectator sport. Why even the USA national team acquitted itself reasonably well at the last World Cup. I should say that 'World' in this context really does mean world rather than the 'World Series' baseball for instance which has nothing whatsoever to do with the world and is a misnomer. Football has also been around for about a hundred years more than your sport of the same name. Now I may not enjoy watching grid iron or baseball or basketball or hockey but I do not condemn them because I do not understand them and if this is all that Oceania has to offer on its sports channels I would view this as being just bad luck and do something else. Rugby?....now there really is my passion!

 

As far as who makes these decisions is concerned, I must say that I am not that well informed but 'O' is relatively young and having now returned from two 'O' cruises (the upcoming will be our third) and seen their intense marketing effort going on in Europe and elsewhere in the world I have to say that I think they are trying to appeal to a wider community than to just North Americans. This may have been evidenced by our dear American friends from Prescott, Arizona (aka Mountain Grandma on CC) who mailed us recently from Nautica on the Bangkok/Beijing cruise and mentioned that there were 200 European guests on board from all over. On this basis you guys had better pull up the drawbridge because the Europeans are coming!

 

If good luck would have it and you are staying on board for the Colonial Crossing I would love to meet up with you and continue this debate and thanks so much for your live reports from Marina. I have read them all.

 

Alan (from that big place called Europe)

[hondorner]

I think it's more simple than has been suggested -- I don't think that ships all over the world can access the satellites that carry American TV. All of their stations are the "foreign" (to us xenophobic Americans) versions. We watched the Superbowl on an Asian version of ESPN that showed the game but none of the amusing advertisements. Even CNN is the "foreign" version.

[CAG]

The old points were still being accepted through the Inaugural Passage. We got twin Oceania Umbrellas. :D

 

Aren't you impressed with our frugality? TWO UMBRELLAS for only 60K!

 

You forgot that Stan gave me some of your points so you now have a partial interest in my t shirt as well.

Cenia

[Paulchili]

A few more final random thoughts:

We were able to secure 3 extra specialty restaurant reservations – which is pretty good. We could have had one more for Monday at Toscana (that would have made it 2 for each), but it was for 8:30 and that is too late for us. Besides, the show that night was at 9:30 and we wanted to see it.

There are some extra benefits for sailing with Oceania. There were 3 other large ships in port of Grand Cayman (RCI, Princess and Carnival). There were 2 tender embarkation points in town used – one by Oceania alone and one by the other 3 cruise ships together. As the result, there were HUGE lines for their tenders and none for us J.

The unofficial rumor mill onboard confirms that RG is the most popular restaurant and the shower size is the most common complaint onboard Marina.

Unfortunately, there is a bit of a GI “thing” going on for the last couple of days, but not a full blown Noro virus. Some people have been ill, they have noticeably changed the serving procedures in the Terrace Café, TV channel 7 is showing a CDC produced segment about washing hands, etc. No announcements have been made and it seems to be minor – let’s hope it stays that way with all the protective measures they are taking.

I will repeat again that the Marina singers and dancers are definitely among the top 2 or 3 best we have ever seen at sea.

PS – we got a reservation to Jacques for tonight. It is for 8:30 but on the last night it does not matter (as long as we manage to get packed up before dinner J).

MQ - our last big O poits were from a cruise a year ago and are identical to those being handed out now (at least so far)

[yorkiemomjn]

Will do! LuAnn

 

After discussing with our TA, we have decided to upgrade from B4 to B3 so we will be assured of

not having the extended balcony stateroom. With just a guarantee for another B4, we might end up with what we have.

[LuAnn]

Being a reader on CC rather than a poster I always make a point of reading any posts by you Paul in whichever thread they may appear as I have learned over time that they are always interesting, always informative and often amusing. We are Europeans and are very soon to join Marina for the Colonial Crossing and I can't tell you how delighted we are to hear of the TV sports coverage on Marina. On this occasion however and if I may I would like to chide you a little not only for your sweeping assumption that 'O' has nothing to do with the 'global community' and is a cruise line predominantly for North Americans but on your assertion that European sports hold no appeal. As an example, football, or soccer as you call it, is a global game which far outreaches anything globally that the USA has to offer as a spectator sport. Why even the USA national team acquitted itself reasonably well at the last World Cup. I should say that 'World' in this context really does mean world rather than the 'World Series' baseball for instance which has nothing whatsoever to do with the world and is a misnomer. Football has also been around for about a hundred years more than your sport of the same name. Now I may not enjoy watching grid iron or baseball or basketball or hockey but I do not condemn them because I do not understand them and if this is all that Oceania has to offer on its sports channels I would view this as being just bad luck and do something else. Rugby?....now there really is my passion!

 

As far as who makes these decisions is concerned, I must say that I am not that well informed but 'O' is relatively young and having now returned from two 'O' cruises (the upcoming will be our third) and seen their intense marketing effort going on in Europe and elsewhere in the world I have to say that I think they are trying to appeal to a wider community than to just North Americans. This may have been evidenced by our dear American friends from Prescott, Arizona (aka Mountain Grandma on CC) who mailed us recently from Nautica on the Bangkok/Beijing cruise and mentioned that there were 200 European guests on board from all over. On this basis you guys had better pull up the drawbridge because the Europeans are coming!

 

If good luck would have it and you are staying on board for the Colonial Crossing I would love to meet up with you and continue this debate and thanks so much for your live reports from Marina. I have read them all.

 

Alan (from that big place called Europe)

 

Please come join us on our Roll Call thread...we have a great group going and yes, Paul will be on board! LuAnn

[CintiPam]

Library – ...While it is nice to have the “honor system” in place for checking out books without a dedicated librarian, it also has its pitfalls. The books are filed in a random fashion (by whom?). Thus, if you are looking for a book on Morocco it may very well be next to Copenhagen (as in fact it was when I checked). There should be a better (easier) filing system that would make it easy to place books on proper shelves in proper order. This should be looked after by a designated staff person that would correct this situation on a regular basis.

• Trivia – This is one of our favorite pastimes on a cruise (and by the looks of it, we are not alone). It has been made clear from the beginning that teams are composed of no more than 8 players. Yet, at least 4 teams have consistently more players (anywhere from 10 to 12). More players does not automatically equal more knowledge, but as in all games 1st, 2nd and 3rd places are almost always decided by one point, the extra players on those teams just might make the difference. The Trivia is meant to be fun and a learning experience but cheating (such as using electronic devices, etc) is not allowed. Playing with 3 or 4 extra players is not fair play and amounts to cheating in my book. Why these teams don’t think that they are cheating is beyond me. When this was pointed out to Leslie and Natalie, they just shrugged their shoulders but did not address the issue. It certainly is not my place to say anything to these teams if Leslie chooses not to do so. The prizes are not a big deal but cheating is never nice, IMO.
  

 

Re: library. On our previous cruises (all on the "R" ships), it was the assigned responsibility of one of the entertainment staffers to replace books on proper shelves in proper order on a daily basis and also check that reshelved books were in their correct places. (I always hang out in the library if it is too cool to be on the pool deck, and I ran into the staffer several times there, so I got the low-down on this task.:))

 

Re: trivia. That is cheating in my book as well. How annoying!

[Paulchili]

A few replies:

wripro – yes we did but to no avail

Alan (from that big place called Europe) – Thank you very much for your compliments. Also, thank you for pointing out some obvious facts to me. I am afraid I did not make myself entirely clear. I realize that there are a number of people on board at any given time that are interested in football (soccer), cricket, rugby, etc. However, I also mentioned that there already is a channel to cater to that contingent, however large or small it may be – namely Sky Sports News. They only cover those sports that you and other non N.A. residents are interested in. It would be nice if ESPN (which is a US sports channel) would cover “our” sports predominantly. While it is true that Oceania is reaching out to a wider global audience (and I applaud it, as I enjoy meeting people from all over the world), the fact remains that, at least on this voyage, about 90% of passengers are from NA; this number, I am told, will be even larger on the next segment, as it is a Caribbean cruise.

FYI, currently there are some 1,127 passengers onboard of which some 157 are not from N.A. (the largest group represented there are Aussies, followed by British and Kiwis).

We’ll keep the drawbridge down and continue to welcome guests from all over the world J.

BTW, I was born in Europe and I spent the first 18 years of my life there - so I do know about and like “soccer”. But I switched teams now J.

I will be on the Colonial Crossing and look forward to meeting you.

After all the “random” thoughts, it is now time for some final thoughts on the Marina.

Plenty of Odes have been sung about Marina’s beauty, most notably by David on her maiden voyage; and Marina is fully deserving of all the praise heaped upon her.

I wanted to look at Marina from a slightly different, more critical angle and scratch a little bellow her shiny surface. Much of this was done to give some insight for future travelers on Marina, but more importantly, to try to change/correct what I perceive as needing change or correction – if not on the Marina then hopefully on the Riviera.

First of all, I want to make it clear (and it goes without saying) that what follows is neither the gospel nor the absolute truth – just MY observations and impressions. We are all entitled to our opinions and those who feel differently from me have the same right to their opinions. All opinions are welcome here on this thead.

After completing my first cruise on the Marina, I have little doubt in MY mind that I prefer the R ships. That does not mean that I did not like the Marina nor that I would never cruise on her – in fact, we have 2 segments coming up shortly and we look forward to those cruises (especially as one segment will be in a PH). It simply means what it says – we prefer the R ships.

Marina comes in on top as far as food is concerned – much of that is because of the 2 new restaurants as well as the larger selection in the Terrace Café. It might have come in on top in décor as well if only appearances were considered. The Marina is visually stunning, but when it comes to practicality and usage, she comes in second to the R ships. Not that being second to R ships is a bad thing. Marina reminds me of a perfectly decorated model home – walking through it you cannot stop oooohing and aaaahing; but when you start using those spectacular chairs and sofas, you might discover that they are not as functional as they are beautiful. Many of the chairs are very large (as in immovable objects), but are either too low (especially for us older folks) or lean too far back to be comfortable.

The most extreme example of this is a leather “sofa” in one of the gift shops that is practically on the floor. In fact the back end of it IS on the floor – the front portion is about 6 or 8 inches off the floor. Anyone over 60 (and there are a few of us in that category onboard) might injure themselves by just sitting down and may never get up again without a helping hand. Now, I know that gift shop is not a place where people come to “hang out” and sit, but if that is the perception of Oceania, then why put a sofa there in the first place? OTOH, if you do decide to put a sofa there, for whatever reason, then make it one that people can actually use. As it is now, it’s more like a large decorative statue than a piece of functional furniture. The reason I spent so much time on this rather insignificant inconvenience is that it is symptomatic of so much of Oceania’s seating accommodations to some extent – they are Italian decorative masterpieces, but did anyone actually sit on them before they decided to use them?

Another example is the Terrace Café (where I love the food and the overall look of the

place and where the chairs ARE as comfortable as they look), but the tables and chairs are much too close to each other to navigate between them comfortably, unless you sit at a table that is next to the main aisle. A further example is the library which, again, looks great but doesn’t have the quiet ambience, functionality and grace of the libraries on the R ships. The theater also looks good but is not very comfortable either for seating or viewing; the chairs are too narrow with no elbow room at all (unless your name is Twiggy). In fact, I have noticed that couples often leave an empty chair between themselves and the next couple, whenever possible, for this very reason. Also, when it comes to any presentation involving the screen, the single screen in the middle of the stage is often partially obstructed, depending on where you sit. This was the case for the lecture with slides, even when we sat as close as in the third row – the screen was partially obstructed and I had to move. On the R ships, where they have 3 screens, you will see the screen regardless of where you sit. I already referred to the very awkward setting for the trivia in the theater with fixed seats as compared to comfortable arrangement in the R ship theaters. Trivia happens to be a very important part of our shipboard activities and thus it matters to us. In this, we seem not to be alone.

But the most important difference for me is in the size of the ship itself. Not only does Marina’s size involve much more walking (which some, but not all people, might actually enjoy), but it also can feel more crowded at certain times. The Marina has almost twice as many passengers and several more stories to service, yet it has only half as many more elevators than the R ships do.

The verandah cabins may be larger in square footage but do not look or feel any larger for all practical purposes; ditto for the bathrooms. We need meow’s expertise for this J.

In fact, the storage space in the verandah cabins is less than on the R ships, IMO. This is a repeating theme – looks great, but……

To be sure, the Marina does offer some new experiences that are not available on R ships (La Reserve, Privee, culinary classes, etc). These may be more important to some than to others.

Most importantly for me, however – and this factor tipped the scales in favor of the R ships - is that this larger number of passengers (and staff) creates very different dynamics in interactions between the passengers themselves as well as between the passengers and the staff. Unavoidably, it is no longer a closely knit community onboard like it tends to be on the R ships. The service, while outstanding, no longer feels as personal as it is on the R ships. This is just a matter of simple math and we have experienced the same phenomena on other cruise lines that introduced ships “larger” than those that gained them their reputation in the first place (Silversea comes to mind). Not everyone will mind this, but we did.

Here I want to state very clearly that Marina is a magnificent ship and a great addition to the Oceania family, giving us all another option when cruising with Oceania. However, when all is said and done and all the pros and cons are added up, WE prefer the R ships. Others will undoubtedly feel differently.

Those of you who have booked cruises on the Marina and are looking forward to them, please do not despair! You will love her – many of the things that we did not like, you may not even notice or care about. After all, we all have different perceptions, needs and preferences.

In summary, we will happily sail on the Marina/Riviera for the right itinerary, but will give preference to the R ships, when all other things are equal.

When I have free access to the internet, I will consider setting up a poll (once I figure out how to do it) for those passengers that have already sailed on the Marina to express their preferences on subject of the Marina vs the R ships. Not to start a contentious discussion but as a simple poll so that others can express their opinion. That will be much more representative than an individual opinion, like mine.

Happy sailings on whichever O ship you may choose.

[dwelsh]

It was refreshing to read such an honest and critical review of the Marina.

It is to be hoped that the management of "O" will take the views of the demographic center of their clientel into account before the furnishings of the Riviera are finalized. I would suggest to them that a focus group of Marina customers be consulted in the near future.

hanks Paul

[CintiPam]

Thanks, Paul, for your very thoughtful and insightful posts. I truly appreciate your taking the time while onboard to provide your views.

[CAG]

With regards to the table and chairs in the Terrace cafe and the maze one must go through to get to a table, I was told that they will be looking at a smaller footprint of a table for Riviera. The "powers that be" are aware that this is an issue. Let's see what happens when Riviera debuts.

Cenia

[nvgal]

Thanks Paul for your insight. I have sailed on the R ships 8 previous times and will be on the Colonial Crossing with you. Looking forward to meeting you. Laura

[WesW]

Hi Paul, thanks for your candor; and very special thanks for taking your time/resources to post. Enjoy you next voyage!

[Mura]

I, too, appreciated your comments, Paul. I was especially interested in your comments about the low seating because that was one thing that bugged us on our NCL Transatlantic last year. True, the passengers tend to be younger on average since many children can be on board (although there weren't that many on our cruise), but even so the seating in the buffet restaurant seemed to be low, lower and lowest.

 

I also agree somewhat with your comments about sports TV. I'm not a huge sports fan but I do follow some sports ... but not the European ones. Just as with you, I'm not saying ignore the non-North American guests ... just give us some of OUR sports as well. I wouldn't say anything about this if they didn't have two sports channels available.

 

We're looking forward to trying out the new ships but I suspect from what you have said that we will continue to prefer their older sisters.

[yorkiemomjn]

A few replies:

wripro – yes we did but to no avail

Alan (from that big place called Europe) – Thank you very much for your compliments. Also, thank you for pointing out some obvious facts to me. I am afraid I did not make myself entirely clear. I realize that there are a number of people on board at any given time that are interested in football (soccer), cricket, rugby, etc. However, I also mentioned that there already is a channel to cater to that contingent, however large or small it may be – namely Sky Sports News. They only cover those sports that you and other non N.A. residents are interested in. It would be nice if ESPN (which is a US sports channel) would cover “our” sports predominantly. While it is true that Oceania is reaching out to a wider global audience (and I applaud it, as I enjoy meeting people from all over the world), the fact remains that, at least on this voyage, about 90% of passengers are from NA; this number, I am told, will be even larger on the next segment, as it is a Caribbean cruise.

FYI, currently there are some 1,127 passengers onboard of which some 157 are not from N.A. (the largest group represented there are Aussies, followed by British and Kiwis).

We’ll keep the drawbridge down and continue to welcome guests from all over the world J.

BTW, I was born in Europe and I spent the first 18 years of my life there - so I do know about and like “soccer”. But I switched teams now J.

I will be on the Colonial Crossing and look forward to meeting you.

 

After all the “random” thoughts, it is now time for some final thoughts on the Marina.

Plenty of Odes have been sung about Marina’s beauty, most notably by David on her maiden voyage; and Marina is fully deserving of all the praise heaped upon her.

I wanted to look at Marina from a slightly different, more critical angle and scratch a little bellow her shiny surface. Much of this was done to give some insight for future travelers on Marina, but more importantly, to try to change/correct what I perceive as needing change or correction – if not on the Marina then hopefully on the Riviera.

First of all, I want to make it clear (and it goes without saying) that what follows is neither the gospel nor the absolute truth – just MY observations and impressions. We are all entitled to our opinions and those who feel differently from me have the same right to their opinions. All opinions are welcome here on this thead.

After completing my first cruise on the Marina, I have little doubt in MY mind that I prefer the R ships. That does not mean that I did not like the Marina nor that I would never cruise on her – in fact, we have 2 segments coming up shortly and we look forward to those cruises (especially as one segment will be in a PH). It simply means what it says – we prefer the R ships.

Marina comes in on top as far as food is concerned – much of that is because of the 2 new restaurants as well as the larger selection in the Terrace Café. It might have come in on top in décor as well if only appearances were considered. The Marina is visually stunning, but when it comes to practicality and usage, she comes in second to the R ships. Not that being second to R ships is a bad thing. Marina reminds me of a perfectly decorated model home – walking through it you cannot stop oooohing and aaaahing; but when you start using those spectacular chairs and sofas, you might discover that they are not as functional as they are beautiful. Many of the chairs are very large (as in immovable objects), but are either too low (especially for us older folks) or lean too far back to be comfortable.

The most extreme example of this is a leather “sofa” in one of the gift shops that is practically on the floor. In fact the back end of it IS on the floor – the front portion is about 6 or 8 inches off the floor. Anyone over 60 (and there are a few of us in that category onboard) might injure themselves by just sitting down and may never get up again without a helping hand. Now, I know that gift shop is not a place where people come to “hang out” and sit, but if that is the perception of Oceania, then why put a sofa there in the first place? OTOH, if you do decide to put a sofa there, for whatever reason, then make it one that people can actually use. As it is now, it’s more like a large decorative statue than a piece of functional furniture. The reason I spent so much time on this rather insignificant inconvenience is that it is symptomatic of so much of Oceania’s seating accommodations to some extent – they are Italian decorative masterpieces, but did anyone actually sit on them before they decided to use them?

Another example is the Terrace Café (where I love the food and the overall look of the

place and where the chairs ARE as comfortable as they look), but the tables and chairs are much too close to each other to navigate between them comfortably, unless you sit at a table that is next to the main aisle. A further example is the library which, again, looks great but doesn’t have the quiet ambience, functionality and grace of the libraries on the R ships. The theater also looks good but is not very comfortable either for seating or viewing; the chairs are too narrow with no elbow room at all (unless your name is Twiggy). In fact, I have noticed that couples often leave an empty chair between themselves and the next couple, whenever possible, for this very reason. Also, when it comes to any presentation involving the screen, the single screen in the middle of the stage is often partially obstructed, depending on where you sit. This was the case for the lecture with slides, even when we sat as close as in the third row – the screen was partially obstructed and I had to move. On the R ships, where they have 3 screens, you will see the screen regardless of where you sit. I already referred to the very awkward setting for the trivia in the theater with fixed seats as compared to comfortable arrangement in the R ship theaters. Trivia happens to be a very important part of our shipboard activities and thus it matters to us. In this, we seem not to be alone.

But the most important difference for me is in the size of the ship itself. Not only does Marina’s size involve much more walking (which some, but not all people, might actually enjoy), but it also can feel more crowded at certain times. The Marina has almost twice as many passengers and several more stories to service, yet it has only half as many more elevators than the R ships do.

The verandah cabins may be larger in square footage but do not look or feel any larger for all practical purposes; ditto for the bathrooms. We need meow’s expertise for this J.

In fact, the storage space in the verandah cabins is less than on the R ships, IMO. This is a repeating theme – looks great, but……

To be sure, the Marina does offer some new experiences that are not available on R ships (La Reserve, Privee, culinary classes, etc). These may be more important to some than to others.

Most importantly for me, however – and this factor tipped the scales in favor of the R ships - is that this larger number of passengers (and staff) creates very different dynamics in interactions between the passengers themselves as well as between the passengers and the staff. Unavoidably, it is no longer a closely knit community onboard like it tends to be on the R ships. The service, while outstanding, no longer feels as personal as it is on the R ships. This is just a matter of simple math and we have experienced the same phenomena on other cruise lines that introduced ships “larger” than those that gained them their reputation in the first place (Silversea comes to mind). Not everyone will mind this, but we did.

Here I want to state very clearly that Marina is a magnificent ship and a great addition to the Oceania family, giving us all another option when cruising with Oceania. However, when all is said and done and all the pros and cons are added up, WE prefer the R ships. Others will undoubtedly feel differently.

Those of you who have booked cruises on the Marina and are looking forward to them, please do not despair! You will love her – many of the things that we did not like, you may not even notice or care about. After all, we all have different perceptions, needs and preferences.

 

In summary, we will happily sail on the Marina/Riviera for the right itinerary, but will give preference to the R ships, when all other things are equal.

When I have free access to the internet, I will consider setting up a poll (once I figure out how to do it) for those passengers that have already sailed on the Marina to express their preferences on subject of the Marina vs the R ships. Not to start a contentious discussion but as a simple poll so that others can express their opinion. That will be much more representative than an individual opinion, like mine.

Happy sailings on whichever O ship you may choose.

 

Wow! Paul, you are good! You gave some well- thought-out, constructive criticism. Thank you so much for all of your reports. I always enjoy your postings.

Judy:D

[dwelsh]

I think it's more simple than has been suggested -- I don't think that ships all over the world can access the satellites that carry American TV. All of their stations are the "foreign" (to us xenophobic Americans) versions. We watched the Superbowl on an Asian version of ESPN that showed the game but none of the amusing advertisements. Even CNN is the "foreign" version.

Hey Don:

 

It's CNN International which is a lot better for real news content than the US programing. IMHO.

[MightyQuinn]

Paulchili, thanks so much for your random thoughts on Marina, which proved to be anything but! I really enjoyed your thoughtful and balanced assessment of the good, the bad and everything in between. So after your first sailing on Marina, you didn't change your mind about preferring the R ships!

 

I find your analogy of Marina to a perfectly staged model home very interesting. I had somewhat the same impression in looking at on-line pictures. A little bit of look but don't touch. I still wonder if the gorgeous white leather chairs in Privee are comfy for a leisurely dinner, but nobody's talking so far! But there's no denying the ooh-aah factor.

 

I look forward to reports from your continuing voyages. Thanks for keeping it real.

[minz56]

Hi Paulchili - I think your final analysis is extermely well considered. As they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and many like to look a little deeper before assessing the beauty of something. Marina is new and it will take a little time before she becomes comfortable in her own skin and develops a feel of her own. Beauty comes in many shapes and forms ...

[hondorner]

Paul absolutely hit the mark on many of his comments. Some of them can't easily be changed, such as the seating in the theater. It has it's good points -- the distance between the rows is great enough that servers can walk through with minimal discomfort to those seated -- but the seats are a bit too narrow, and the fold out tables (like school desks) are a bit awkward and do not allow much motion when they are extended. I found the sight lines good from any seat, and I didn't have trouble with the screen, but if others do, that's easily correctable.

 

In fact, and I'm certain from his level-headedness that Paul would agree, most of the "problems" aboard the ship can be corrected, and I'm willing to place a heavy bet that they will be corrected over time. The last I heard, Oceania had collected a list of more than 2,000 items to be corrected -- I'm certain that all of those things that have been mentioned, and hundreds more that have escaped attention by anyone but the fussbudgets at Oceania, are on the lists.

 

So, Paul is absolutely correct in saying, "Those of you who have booked cruises on the Marina and are looking forward to them, please do not despair!" There are some problem areas, but none which will directly affect the overall quality of your cruise. I've got quite a list myself, but I'm holding it in abeyance until I see how well Oceania does in correcting them.

[YoHoHo]

Paul absolutely hit the mark on many of his comments.

<SNIP>

So, Paul is absolutely correct in saying, "Those of you who have booked cruises on the Marina and are looking forward to them, please do not despair!" There are some problem areas, but none which will directly affect the overall quality of your cruise.

 

I've got quite a list myself, but I'm holding it in abeyance until I see how well Oceania does in correcting them.

I too agree. Paul's comments are well thought out. From the beautiful but not so comfortable furniture in some of the public areas and as you mention, the fold out tables in the theatre (I do so much appreciate the leg room and easy access for pax to pass by) to others. All in all I am sure it will all get settled and Marina & Riviera 'personalities' will come out and shine.

 

Oceania pays attention. Note something on a mid-cruise comment card and action is taken. I have seen the cards that were collected just the night before, already marked with items highlighted being sorted in groups for the various departments the following morning.

 

As you say, you will wait and see how well O does with all this. I am optomistic they will respond as needed to the many suggestions and I am sure CC members will keep O up to speed if not.

 

Those early Marina cruisers who will also be on Riviera's MV will certainly know.

[Mother Country Cousins]

I will be on the Colonial Crossing and look forward to meeting you.

 

Likewise Paul and I'll have my tongue out of my cheek when we do...! Thanks again for your superbly written insights into Marina.

 

LuAnn.....thanks.

[findacruise]

Paul, thanks for your honest evaluation. Looking forward to meeting you on the crossing. My husband has already posed the question as to whether or not we will be able to get the NCAA final basketball game on Monday night April 4 at sea. We are huge college BB fans - must be our Hoosier blood!

[LuAnn]

Paul, thanks for your honest evaluation. Looking forward to meeting you on the crossing. My husband has already posed the question as to whether or not we will be able to get the NCAA final basketball game on Monday night April 4 at sea. We are huge college BB fans - must be our Hoosier blood!

 

didn't realize it would still be "on"....Kenneth would hate to miss that too..I know!!!:eek: Here's hoping!!! :p LuAnn

[Emdee]

Hi Paul,

 

Enjoying your review .... I am off Oceania for now but may try them again some time.

Miriam