Currently on Marina for the first time….impressions

[YoPhilly]

We’re currently on Marina for the first time, and I have a few thoughts to share.  First of all, everything I’ve heard about Red Ginger is true; the food is phenomenal.  The duck and watermelon salad perfectly complemented each other. The miso-glazed sea bass melted in my mouth.  Kudos to O for a great menu.  Not so much for the WI-FI which is sloooow-to-none.

 

Having previously cruised only on the R ships with O, I’m happy to see the many lounge chairs all over the outside decks.  No need to worry about that.  I’m always able to find one tucked away in the shade.

 

The staff all over the ship have been great - how they remember I ordered a bottle of wine three nights ago in Terrace Cafe is a marvel.

 

I do wish there were more daily activities.  It’s the same thing everyday: golf putting, bean bag toss (really????), shuffleboard and table tennis.  The demographics on this cruise skews very old.  Very old.  There are too few lectures.  Very few Artist Loft classes.  I expected more variety in a 2-week cruise, especially in the Caribbean where so many passengers stay aboard ship.

 

I told my husband we have to eat lighter for a couple of days after our Red Ginger meal last night.  In fact, we had rez at Jacques tonight but I was able to rebook for another night.  Too much rich food!  I’ve been ordering light breakfast from room service as a preventive measure!

 

We haven’t been to the Concierge Lounge yet…we’re pretty low-maintenance, although Ken would never say that about me! 😁

 

We saw something in San Juan I’ve never seen before.  Virgin Valiant Lady was docked next to us and had started backing out of her berth…maybe 50 yards…then she stopped, pulled back in and tied up again.  There must have been a sudden mishap b/c they brought someone out on a stretcher with a backboard and put her in an ambulance.  Virgin’s passengers couldn’t see what we were seeing so we were shouting status reports across the dock!

 

Today we’re in Dominica and heading to Barbados tonight.  Another day in paradise.  We are so fortunate.  
- Nancy

[basenji56]

Thanks for your review.  I am booked on Marina next year but had heard that the Wi-Fi was very poor on its recent crossing.

 

But then someone posted that the Wi-Fi problems had been fixed.  Apparently not.

 

[MEFIowa]

9 minutes ago, YoPhilly said:

...

I do wish there were more daily activities.  It’s the same thing every day: golf putting, bean bag toss (really????), shuffleboard and table tennis.  The demographics on this cruise skews very old.  Very old.  There are too few lectures.  Very few Artist Loft classes.  I expected more variety in a 2-week cruise, especially in the Caribbean where so many passengers stay aboard ship.

 

Did the 10-night on Sirena in the E. Caribbean 11/18-28/22 so be glad you have the Artist Loft and the extra two specialty restaurants on Marina. (We did a 10-night W. Caribbean on Riviera late last year.)  Our guest lecturer gave 5 lectures over 4 sea days. She was quite good. Hard to assess whether it is age or location in regard to passengers staying on board. Being in our late 50s, we did serious excursions/activities for all five of our ports/islands. [Personally, I went stir crazy with the extra sea day when we had to make an unscheduled stop in Puerto Plata going south so a passenger could go to the hospital; captain then skipped St. Kitts. For the life of me, I can't see the attraction of spending days on a ship. I only want the port-intensive cruises. Can't wait for our 20-day BTB in the Med later in 2023.]

[Calypso54]

We are also currently on Marina. Our wifi works great. We booked this cruise to see if we would like Oceania. To be honest we are not convinced yet. The speciality restaurants are OUTSTANDING! The MDR and Terrece are lacking. This is also an older demographic than we expected. Love a lot of the little things (cokes in room,library, coffee shop, etc) ,but the lack of menu options is a concern for longer cruises. Also the shows are better than expected and we like the more casual atmosphere and absence of a snobby class system some other lines have.

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 minutes ago, Calypso54 said:

We are also currently on Marina. Our wifi works great. We booked this cruise to see if we would like Oceania. To be honest we are not convinced yet. The speciality restaurants are OUTSTANDING! The MDR and Terrece are lacking. This is also an older demographic than we expected. Love a lot of the little things (cokes in room,library, coffee shop, etc) ,but the lack of menu options is a concern for longer cruises. Also the shows are better than expected and we like the more casual atmosphere and absence of a snobby class system some other lines have.

You’ll find that GDR and Terrace menu repeat rates are not bad for long O cruises. Also, be on the lookout for regional food nights in the Terrace and the occasional GDR brunch on select sea days. Note as well that reasonable special requests (with advance notice to the chef) are sometimes possible to have filled).

[susiesan]

I'm also onboard now. My fave activity is trivia and it's not so good on this cruise. There have been no music themed trivia, just reading off questions. Each trivia is 15 questions, used to be 20. 

[ORV]

1 minute ago, susiesan said:

I'm also onboard now. My fave activity is trivia and it's not so good on this cruise. There have been no music themed trivia, just reading off questions. Each trivia is 15 questions, used to be 20. 

Who is your CD?

[susiesan]

3 minutes ago, ORV said:

Who is your CD?

John something. He looks like Len Goodman from Dancing with the Stars.  He's kind of blah. I don't really care much who the cruise director is on ships,doesn't affect me much.

Edited December 9, 2022 by susiesan

[JPR]

Jacques has lighter items on its menu. I would never miss a night there!

[ORV]

9 minutes ago, susiesan said:

John something. He looks like Len Goodman from Dancing with the Stars.  He's kind of blah. I don't really care much who the cruise director is on ships,doesn't affect me much.

If your favorite activity is Trivia I would think it would affect you quite a bit. It would me if they were lousy at it. 

[1985rz1]

5 hours ago, YoPhilly said:

 The demographics on this cruise skews very old.  Very old.  

Even young whipper-snappers eventually become very old...if they live long enough.  Old is relative to one's own age. 🤔😉

Edited December 9, 2022 by 1985rz1

[1985rz1]

51 minutes ago, susiesan said:

 Each trivia is 15 questions, used to be 20. 

Post Covid supply chain issues. 🥸

[YoPhilly]

2 hours ago, 1985rz1 said:

 

3 hours ago, susiesan said:

Service in all the restaurants is so slow. It takes 2 hours for a meal. I'm happy with the food.

I agree.  Service has been unusually slow. In fact, last night in red Ginger, our waiter came over three times to apologize for the delay in bringing our entrées.

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, YoPhilly said:

I agree.  Service has been unusually slow. In fact, last night in red Ginger, our waiter came over three times to apologize for the delay in bringing our entrées.

Are there  staff  shortages?  or just inexperienced staff ?

[YoPhilly]

9 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Are there  staff  shortages?  or just inexperienced staff ?

There doesn’t appear to be a staff shortage. They are certainly plenty of staff, and they are bustling and busy.

[susiesan]

14 hours ago, YoPhilly said:

I agree.  Service has been unusually slow. In fact, last night in red Ginger, our waiter came over three times to apologize for the delay in bringing our entrées.

Dinner last night in Jaques. In at 6;30 out at 9:00 with a table of 4. Barely made the show.

[pinotlover]

5 hours ago, YoPhilly said:

There doesn’t appear to be a staff shortage. They are certainly plenty of staff, and they are bustling and busy.

Seems to me to be similar to the situation we encountered on Sirena. The issue wasn’t actually staffing levels, but the mere fact , that for whatever reason, they had overbooked the restaurant. Typically, there are empty tables planned to process the various time slots through in an efficient manner. Overbooking creates problems including slower service.

 

We typically enjoy a nice leisurely dinner with wine and conversation. Two to 2.5 hours isn’t outrageous. If one prefers a rapid meal then perhaps the buffet line is more suited for them. We hate “ Flip that Table “ restaurants!! Each to their own.

[susiesan]

One thing that needs to be improved on a full ship sailing, which this is, is lunch food availability hours. Terrace closes at 2:00 and Waves is open only until 3:00. So when hundreds of people come back after 2 and try to get something from Waves it can take over 30 minutes to get a burger. Terrace should be kept partially open longer, maybe just the salads and desserts.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, susiesan said:

One thing that needs to be improved on a full ship sailing, which this is, is lunch food availability hours. Terrace closes at 2:00 and Waves is open only until 3:00. So when hundreds of people come back after 2 and try to get something from Waves it can take over 30 minutes to get a burger. Terrace should be kept partially open longer, maybe just the salads and desserts.

Interesting. Waves is usually open until 4 pm.

[YoPhilly]

In Barbados today, we were berthed in front of Sirena.  In all honesty, I have to say I prefer the R ships.  I’m surprised.  I was really looking forward to Marina.  In the plus column, The food in every restaurant has been excellent.

[CintiPam]

6 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Interesting. Waves is usually open until 4 pm.

And it is on the current Marina cruise. I eat lunch there every day around 3 pm. Today I returned from my delightful beach time at Harbour Lights on Carlisle Bay at 3:30 pm and enjoyed my later than usual “double surf, no turf, no fries no bread” with lettuce salad right before closing. One server came around to ask for any final requests at 3:55.

[susiesan]

Currently in Horizons at happy hour. Day 9 of the cruise after restocking in Miami and they are out of ginger beer and clamato juice 🥤.  No mules, no bloody Caesars. Slightly annoyed.

[basenji56]

Has the WiFi improved?

 

[susiesan]

2 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

Has the WiFi improved?

 

Not sure. Because we are in port so long I'm just using the data on my cell. I have T Mobile so data and texting are free and included in my plan. I'll let you know from the 2 sea days at the end of the cruise.

[YoPhilly]

2 hours ago, basenji56 said:

Has the WiFi improved?

 

It seems a bit more stable than last week.  I’ve tried to avoid using it in the late afternoon.  Night-time is better.