Live Report from the Marina (7/15/11)

[What A Market]

Let's move on to the first day in port, and that would be Edinburgh. The ship is scheduled to anchor in Leith. From my research, Leith was fairly close to the city center of Edinburgh. Well guess what, that's not where we anchored. We actually anchored in South Queensbury. Now here's something odd. There was zero news given that our anchorage had changed. While waiting for the tenders, I actually listened to a concierge standing near the Destinations desk answer some questions posed by a couple who were looking to confirm their plan to walk to the Britannia once they got off the tender. The concierge was discussing this like we were in Leith (and I guess making the walk to the Britannia is possible is relatively easy if docked in Leith). The concierge had no idea we weren't in Leith! Heidi and I only realized we weren't in Leith once we got ashore. Did we miss something? I hope so, but the vast majority of the passengers seemed equally flummoxed by the change. So our plans for the day? Do a ship's tour in the morning and then go into Edinburgh in the afternoon for some private touring, except that plan was changed when we received our tickets for the ship's tour. Now the ship's tour is scheduled for the afternoon. Again, no forewarning or direct communication of this change. No matter flip flop our game plan and it's off to Edinburgh. The city provided some buses to provide transportation to the city center. O did not give any info on this, you had to figure that out after you got off the tender. The cost was 10 British Pounds roundtrip for the 20 minute ride. A private cab was 18 BP's for the trip into the city. We opt for the bus because I can't convince anyone else to split a cab. Once off the bus we are looking forward to stretching our legs and making the hike up to the castle. The castle is a ways off in the distance so there is plenty of “stretching” to come. (I think we were dropped off at the edge of New Town in Charlotte's Square, close to Princess Street, which is a shopping area.) The nice thing about Edinburgh is that the castle is visible from most any place in the city, so getting you bearings is pretty simple. Oh another detail – it's raining. At times quite hard. Not that we didn't expect it on this cruise. The hike complete (all up hill), we visit the castle and then do the Royal Mile so Heidi can do a bit of shopping. We don't have too much time to spend on the Royal Mile given our previously arranged ship's tour, so shopping time is somewhat restricted (my wallet sighs with relief). Back down the hill and to the bus. BTW, if anyone taking the bus thought they were going to dropped off close to the castle or the Royal Mile, they were in for a rude awakening.

 

Quick side bar here as it has been on my mind. We just left Lerwick on the Shetland Islands heading on a course to Norway. (As you will see, I'm a day or more behind in this running travelogue.) The wind is absolutely howling outside. I'm not sure what the seas are running. As the saying goes there is no distinction between sea and sky – all slate gray. So here's the thing: I am absolutely sure I would rather be on the Marina right now versus one of the “R” class ships. No debate on this point while you are bobbing around in the North Sea: Size Matters!

[Paulchili]

I am absolutely sure I would rather be on the Marina right now versus one of the “R” class ships. No debate on this point while you are bobbing around in the North Sea: Size Matters!

 

That may be true, but with the R ship you would not be tendering but docking in Rosyth? or Leith? and you'd be off the ship in a wink and closer to town :) (or in town center as in SPB, Bangkok, etc)

You win some, you lose some...size does matter :D

[jtamchay]

keep the reports coming...they are quite interesting and you seem able to "roll with the changes".

[A Knitter]

Prior to dinner that evening we had two events to attend. The first was the was the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet. Shout out to Billie for organizing. She provided everyone with name tags and a print out of everyone on our Roll Call. The M&G was held in lounge area immediately across from the “purple” bar. (Forgive me for not knowing the names of these areas yet.) BTW, the purple bar is a trip. And yes, for those of you who came of age in the 60's and 70's, I mean that kind of trip. Ha! We had just over 100 people for our M&G. The ship provided staff for handling drink orders from the bar. The function began at 4:00PM so most were not indulging in cocktails at this point. Silly people. :) From reading the Oceania Forum, I thought two things were going to take place at the M&G: (1) the ship would kick-in for a champagne toast for the group and (2) senior ship's staff would attend for at least a quick introduction. Neither happened. I may be confusing Oceania's protocol for these functions with Azamara's. Anyway, it was it was well attended and fun to meet the people that participated in our Roll Call.

 

Thank You soo much for your reports. Can you provide me with the name of the "purple bar" so we can plan our roll call for November 24th sailing from Rome. Sounds like a neat place to have it. Also what preparation did you have to do once onboard to schedule the lounge? Thanks in advance. Maria

[skigrams]

Strangely enough the purple bar is name "The Grand Bar." It is not a very large bar. You would have to use the area outside the bar which is also called the Grand Bar. It is the walkway to the Main Dining Room, so there will be people walking to dinner. It is all according to the size of your group. Personally I think if your group is large, there are other places to consider on the ship.

 

Aside from the purple bar, wait until you see the bar stools and matching chairs that are done in silver with pointed studs on the seats. It's amazing that you can't feel the studs when you are seated. It is an interesting room. The casino is on either side of the bar!

 

Have a good cruise and a fun CC party.

 

Bobi

[A Knitter]

Strangely enough the purple bar is name "The Grand Bar." It is not a very large bar. You would have to use the area outside the bar which is also called the Grand Bar. It is the walkway to the Main Dining Room, so there will be people walking to dinner. It is all according to the size of your group. Personally I think if your group is large, there are other places to consider on the ship.

 

Aside from the purple bar, wait until you see the bar stools and matching chairs that are done in silver with pointed studs on the seats. It's amazing that you can't feel the studs when you are seated. It is an interesting room. The casino is on either side of the bar!

 

Have a good cruise and a fun CC party.

 

Bobi

 

Thanks Bobi. I think we have well over 100 but the color purple intriques me plus the silver chairs will match my hair. :D If you or anyone else has any other suggestions other than Horizons, please let me know. Looking forward to the cruise. Planned it over a year ago and now starting to get goose bumps. :)

[LHT28]

Thank You soo much for your reports. Can you provide me with the name of the "purple bar" so we can plan our roll call for November 24th sailing from Rome. Sounds like a neat place to have it. Also what preparation did you have to do once onboard to schedule the lounge? Thanks in advance. Maria

The Purple bar is the Casino bar & not a very big space ...may work if you have a small group

the GRAND BAR is more like a hallway with chairs & sofas

 

A poster has pictures of both on their webpage

[LHT28]

Aside from the purple bar, wait until you see the bar stools and matching chairs that are done in silver with pointed studs on the seats.

 

Bobi

I believe the "silver" is Swarovski crystals ;)

[yorkiemomjn]

........ But here is the deal, at least for me: this event seems like an invite to the Captain's “home.” He is wearing his full dress uniform. So are the other officers. Why would you wear shorts, t-shirt and sandals to an event like this? Kind of insulting to your host.

 

What A Market,

I agree. IMO that is taking advantage of the country club casual dress code. We noticed the same thing on our cruise.

[Mura]

The second event of the evening was the Captain's Cocktail Celebration. (O's term for the event.) At this event the alcohol was flowing freely. There was a choice of red and white wines, champagne, and a few different types of cocktails. Given the size of the Marina, this reception was held simultaneously in all the bars. The dining staff was on hand to pass canapes, which were varied and of a good quality. We were introduced to the Captain as he was being dragged around by the ship's social hostess. [bIG SNIP] But here is the deal, at least for me: this event seems like an invite to the Captain's “home.” He is wearing his full dress uniform. So are the other officers. Why would you wear shorts, t-shirt and sandals to an event like this? Kind of insulting to your host.

 

Did this happen???? I'm astonished if so. We do tend to avoid the captain's reception but whenever we've attended one, passengers have been well dressed. I don't mean in formal gowns! But certainly not t-shirts and shorts (or flip-flops).

 

If the officers are in full dress, the guests should be as well! (Again, I wouldn't expect formal gowns on Oceania ... but nice country casual!)

 

Mura

[A Knitter]

The Purple bar is the Casino bar & not a very big space ...may work if you have a small group

the GRAND BAR is more like a hallway with chairs & sofas

 

A poster has pictures of both on their webpage

 

Thanks Lyn. We have about 150 for our group so far. I like this location and the area surrounding it makes it more personal. I imagine like in other lounges there are nuts and munchies which is sufficient. :)

[CintiPam]

What a Market, I am having a wonderful time reading this thread all in one sitting. I cannot wait to read more.

 

BTW, be sure to take a closer look at the artwork hanging on the wall in the short hallway to the "purple bar". Pretty sweet!

[LHT28]

Thanks Lyn. We have about 150 for our group so far. I like this location and the area surrounding it makes it more personal. I imagine like in other lounges there are nuts and munchies which is sufficient. :)

If you have that many people I would choose Horizons

The Grand bar is a long hallway like area where people pass through on the way to/from dinner & not all that wide for mingling

 

Lyn

[gillianrose]

There was a choice of red and white wines, champagne, and a few different types of cocktails.

 

Do you mean that there was an assortment of cocktails that were already made and on a serving tray brought around or that you had a list of cocktails from which you could choose and they would be made to order? What were the cocktails? Could you order something complimentary of your own choosing?

[JimandStan]

Do you mean that there was an assortment of cocktails that were already made and on a serving tray brought around or that you had a list of cocktails from which you could choose and they would be made to order? What were the cocktails? Could you order something complimentary of your own choosing?

 

All of the above.

Waiters walk about with trays of champagne, and the "typical cocktails (screwdrivers, bloody marys, etc); but there are also waiters circulating to take drink orders.

[yorkiemomjn]

Do you mean that there was an assortment of cocktails that were already made and on a serving tray brought around or that you had a list of cocktails from which you could choose and they would be made to order? What were the cocktails? Could you order something complimentary of your own choosing?

 

Our our Baltic cruise in June, I was able to order a Cosmo!

[Paulchili]

If you have that many people I would choose Horizons

The Grand bar is a long hallway like area where people pass through on the way to/from dinner & not all that wide for mingling

 

Lyn

 

Also, this is the area where the classical quartet plays late afternoon/early evening. Lots of people passing through - not ideal for a large group, IMO

[What A Market]

Hey gang

Sitting in a bar in Allesund, Norway drinking a local beer because it is ABSOLUTELY pouring rain. OK, that isn't the only reason I'm sitting in a bar. :) Allesund is very pretty. Made the hike up to the lookout.... in the rain. Beautiful. Off to Geiranger tomorrow to go kayaking. Probably in the rain. Ha!

 

The questions you guys just asked were correctly answered by the Oceania experts. The Captain's party was exceptional by the standards of the cruises I have been on before. There were only a few people not "dressed."

 

Need to jump. Busy chatting with daughter on Facebook. She just got back from counter-terrorism school in Jerusalem. Yep, that is definntely a "wow" moment for mom and dad.

[rhohea]

Hey gang

Sitting in a bar in Allesund, Norway drinking a local beer because it is ABSOLUTELY pouring rain. OK, that isn't the only reason I'm sitting in a bar. :) Allesund is very pretty. Made the hike up to the lookout.... in the rain. Beautiful. Off to Geiranger tomorrow to go kayaking. Probably in the rain. Ha!

 

The questions you guys just asked were correctly answered by the Oceania experts. The Captain's party was exceptional by the standards of the cruises I have been on before. There were only a few people not "dressed."

 

Need to jump. Busy chatting with daughter on Facebook. She just got back from counter-terrorism school in Jerusalem. Yep, that is definntely a "wow" moment for mom and dad.

 

What time did Marina finally get away from Alesund this morning. Love reading your daily reports. Just wish I was still on Marina. Thank you.

[luv2travel100]

I have a question about the boarding process. And booze........ I see where Oceania's FAQ says there's a limit of 3 bottles per stateroom per port of call.

 

When boarding for the first time at check-in, are all the suitcases and backpacks x-rayed or inspected before being delivered to the room? If so, does anyone know if the 3 bottle rule is strictly enforced? I wouldn't want to try to smuggle a few extra bottles onboard if they're going to end up being taken away. Just curious.

 

Thanks!

[JimandStan]

I have a question about the boarding process. And booze........ I see where Oceania's FAQ says there's a limit of 3 bottles per stateroom per port of call.

 

When boarding for the first time at check-in, are all the suitcases and backpacks x-rayed or inspected before being delivered to the room? If so, does anyone know if the 3 bottle rule is strictly enforced? I wouldn't want to try to smuggle a few extra bottles onboard if they're going to end up being taken away. Just curious.

 

Thanks!

Although all of the luggage is x-rayed, Oceania does not strictly monitor the amount of liquor that passengers may bring onto the ship.

 

The three bottle rule is included in "the fine print" so that Oceania has recourse in case somebody tries to take an inordinate amount aboard, or they become overly inebriated on the ship.

 

We often have private parties on the ship, and I've had cases of liquor delivered to my cabin without any kind of a problem.

 

You wont have to smuggle anything onto an Oceania ship, they treat us like adults. ;)

[TKS]

A funny story about our first O cruise. Our friends, who were also O first-timers, wanted to bring their vodka onboard. They put it in a Scope bottle and worked to get it just the "right" blue so they could smuggle it onboard. We laughed for the entire cruise about their Scope blue drinks, particularly after we discovered just how lenient O is about their liquor policy, as long as you act like a responsible adult.

[golubika]

We disembarked on the 15th of July.

 

The Marina was exceptional. Baristas was utilized every morning at 6:30 AM right after exercising in the gym.

 

Fred from France is the best Barista even though Italians make the best cappucino.

 

The gym is a huge improvement over the R ships. The young lady from Serbia that is there early in the mornings is wonderfully pleasant.

 

I can't imagine why anybody would want to ruin a good espresso trying to make it American.

 

gtragitt,

 

How big is the gym on Marina and what are the hours? Thank you!

[wripro]

I brought a dozen bottles of wine onboard with no problem at all.

[Senior Citizen]

gtragitt,

 

How big is the gym on Marina and what are the hours? Thank you!

 

The gym is a good size for a ship. At least 8 treadmills. Bikes. Weight machines. Bring your headset so you can watch tv while on the treadmills. Sorry I'm sketchy about the equipment because I only use the treadmill. Open from 6 am to 10 pm. Free refrigerated bottled water and sports drinks. Towels provided.