Oceania Marina

On Saturday February 5th, Sylvia Berman and I boarded the brand new Oceania Marina.
We went to our cabin, a very nice Deluxe Verandah cabin, on the concierge level, 282 sq. ft.-very comfortable, lots of storage, tub and shower in the bathroom, dropped off our bags and went to see the ship. Mary Hart, the ships godmother, was all over, filming segments of her show to be broadcast later in the week.

The first stop was the pool deck, deck 12...lot's of Balinese day beds, comfortable lounge chairs, a good sized swimming pool, showers, hot tubs, The Wave Bar, and a smoking area. Also on Deck 12 is the Terrace Grill, with indoor and outdoor seating areas. Multiple food stations served fresh made food of all types...(as a matter of fact, we had dinner there our first night, (we were not ready for a 2 hour meal that night) and had delicious lamb chops, lobster, crab legs, fruits and vegetables. there was hand made pasta, pizzas, and anything else you would want. The food was wonderful.) Also on Deck 12 is the Bon Apetit cooking school, which holds 24 students for a rousing fun filled cooking lesson. There is also a painting and photography studio available for classes. After grabbing a quick bite to eat for lunch, we went to the next deck up, 14, and visited the Canyon Ranch Spa....beautiful, spacious, with many treatment rooms, good sized gym, and beautiful, private, resting areas overlooking the bow of the ship. You can lay on heated tiled lounges inside, or comfortable lounges outdoors. Towards the back of the ship is the computer room, available for lessons and access to the Internet. One of my favorite parts of the ship is the Library...dark woods, many small areas surrounded by well stocked bookshelves, with very comfortable leather chairs, and a small fireplace to read by. A perfect place to put your feet up and read your favorite novel. On Deck 15 is the Horizon Lounge, a large bar, lot's of seating and the other smoking lounge on the ship. There is also a putting green, tennis, bocce ball, table tennis, and many other light sports available.

At 3:30 we all disembarked the ship to take our seats for the christening of the ship. Some nice entertainment, hor douerves and champagne preceded the formal christening by Mary Hart. Frank Del Rio, President of and other notables made brief but impassioned speeches, describing the attention to detail and passion for design that went into the Marina. Mary hart was noticeably excited about being the godmother of the Marina, and took great joy in the christening.

After reboarding the ship, we all gathered on the pool deck to watch the fireworks as Marina pulled out of port...a few cocktails, then dinner, then an early bedtime. The beds are extremely comfortable, as are the sheets, TV has a good choice of stations, and off to sleep we went. Early morning for a day at sea, and more seeing the ship. Beautiful shops around a more beautiful Grand Staircase, all Lalique glass...we stopped in each of the 4 specialty restaurants, Red Ginger, (Asian fusion and gorgeous!) Jacques, (Jacques Pepin's first cruise ship restaurant, French, obviously) The Polo Grill, (Steakhouse perfection) and the Italian restaurant, whose name escapes me at this moment! All 4 restaurants are no charge, but reservations are required. There are 2 more food spots...Privee', a private dining experience for up to 10 people at $1000, including all courses and wine pairings, and La Reserve, sponsored by Food and Wine Spectator, another private dining experience by reservation only. Lunch was a Virtuoso hosted lunch at Jacques...fabulous, fabulous, fabulous!!!! Virtuoso as a consortium is the leading seller of Oceania cruises, which made us all very proud to be a part of Oceania's success. After lunch, a short nap, since Sunday night was the Super Bowl party and I wanted to make sure I could stay up for that.

I joined some friends in the Horizon Lounge, which has a very big screen TV, and watched the game, drank lot's of cocktails, and smoked to my hearts content in the smoking lounge. It had to be midnight before I got back to our cabin. But I was happy with the new friends I had made, and the outcome of the game.

The next morning we landed in Nassau, and after a quick breakfast, disembarked to visit The Cove, Atlantis, and the One and Only hotel properties. Lot's of walking before we got smart and got a shuttle between the properties and were fortunate to get 2 very good guided inspections at the Cove and One and Only, both beautiful Virtuoso properties. Then back to the ship to inspect the other cabins on board. The penthouse suites are large, and have spacious everything! Including exercise equipment in the cabin, and private media rooms. The Owners Suite is the most beautiful suite I have ever seen on any ship...it takes up the whole back of the ship, with a balcony all around...HUGE bathrooms, exercise room, really masculine, comfortable living room area, with leather furniture, area rugs, seating areas, desk....everything you could ever want for your time at sea. The artwork throughout the Marina is eclectic and wonderful....we looked very hard to see if we could find anything wrong with this ship and the answer is yes...we found 1, yes ONE thing wrong....when the elevator doors open on any "floor" (that's what the elevator says) it is very hard to see the sign that lets you know what deck you're on...that's it...we couldn't find anything else anywhere on the ship that needed improvement! The staff was incredible, the ship beautiful, the food fabulous. I would send any client on this ship with utter confidence that they will have a marvelous time. Oh, this is not a ship for children at all...there is nothing for them to do and no facilities to take care of them, so leave the kids at home and give yourself a well deserved vacation from the world. Enter the world of Marina....