Marina - "Reveal With Appeal"

totally self-serving, but I always enjoy Peter's prolific prose, no matter who or what the cruise line.

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Originally posted by NAL:
Her interior, while handsome, has too much brown for my taste. Hopefully the wood will be more attractive in reality. No doubt she will be a great success with the Oceania regulars.

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I would like to have seen the Edwardian style of the R-ships to continue to the Marina. Not that I love Edwardian but Oceania is the only line to offer such and a passenger will not forget the ship he/she took and the line.

[ 02-05-2010: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

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Originally posted by desirod7:
I would like to have seen the Edwardian style of the R-ships to continue to the Marina. Not that I love Edwardian but Oceania is the only line to offer such and a passenger will not forget the ship he/she took and the line.

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I don't think passengers who may have sailed more than one of these ships with Princess, Pullmantur, Swan, Renaissance, TMR, Oceania, Azamara etc would have a clue which line was which as far as the decor goes, only the service distinguishes them. Apart from minor differences they are even now mostly the same.

Marina looks far far different and really rather super imho. Nice to see something not following the run of the mill trends and I am sure she is the one which will be remembered over and above the rest.

Pam [I still can't watch the video clips, all day been getting This Video is currently not available. Please try again later - for all of them?].

[ 02-05-2010: Message edited by: PamM ]

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Originally posted by desirod7:

I would like to have seen the Edwardian style of the R-ships to continue to the Marina. Not that I love Edwardian but Oceania is the only line to offer such and a passenger will not forget the ship he/she took and the line.

[ 02-05-2010: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

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Originally posted by Ernst:

That's of course a question of taste. Beside other shortcomings it's actually the ugly, tacky interior that keeps me from traveling aboard R-ships.

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Having sailed the Regatta, it looks better in person than in photos. The only uncomfortable looking rooms were La Toscana which was Texas Cattle Baron is redone. Horizons which is a Mesian space, Edwardian is simply the wrong outfit and suggested a redo in early Frank Lloyd Wright which is period equal.

The materials are real, architectural orders correct, furnishings may have changed since 2005, and a far better execution than Tillberg's ersatz English pubs and Caronia dining room that disgrace the Cunard Queens, and the NCL Dawn class. IMO Queen Victoria is a visual peanut butter and mayonaise sandwich of Art Deco and Edwardian cliches all done in plastic.

Don't know what's up with the video clips. They worked last night -- I think it is an issue with Blogspot. Will monitor.

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Originally posted by Midshipcentury:

Peter, head spinning from a double flu shot...

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I had my double flu shot last Friday-not to pleasant

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Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:

As for Marina, I agree that she is as goodlooking as a 65,000 ton newbuild will be. She's not small-same basic tonnage as QE2.

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Now that is almost mind-blowing when you think about it; a deluxe, relatively small-ship product with roughly the same tonnage as FRANCE or QE2!

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Originally posted by Linerrich:
Now that is almost mind-blowing when you think about it; a deluxe, relatively small-ship product with roughly the same tonnage as FRANCE or QE2! Rich

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Originally posted by dmwnc1:

How would the CRYSTAL SERENITY compare to this new deluxe wonder? They are both approximately the same size.

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SERENITY comes in at nearly 69,000 GRT. But the Crystal ships were always positioned as large vessels in the luxury market, so their tonnages weren't surprising.

[ 02-06-2010: Message edited by: dmwnc1 ]

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Originally posted by Linerrich:

Now that is almost mind-blowing when you think about it; a deluxe, relatively small-ship product with roughly the same tonnage as FRANCE or QE2!

Rich

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[...]Tillberg's ersatz English pubs and Caronia dining room that disgrace the Cunard Queens, and the NCL Dawn class. IMO Queen Victoria is a visual peanut butter and mayonaise sandwich of Art Deco and Edwardian cliches all done in plastic.

Ernst, and others, do not let the interiors stop you from sailing the last of the 30k tonners where the crew know you by name.[/QB]

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The interiors are just one (and not the most important) reason why I do not consider the R-ships. As you point out other - actually most - contemporary passenger ships do have tacky interiors (although the R-ships seem to be a bit extreme). The major reason why I would not want to travel aboard R-ships is the limited open deck space and the lack of an unobstructed forward facing view (as said many times before). Luckily they are not the last nice vessels in that size range - there ARE actually quite a few.

However, it is very good to see that Oceania finally getting a nicer ship. Marina seems to 'fix' some of the problems of the R-ship and the photos and renderings are indeed promising. A 'reasonable luxury' ship of her size is something that has been missing for quite a while. I am very optimistic about her becoming a success.

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Originally posted by Ernst:

Right now Marina is of course a new, unique design but if she turns out to be as nice as the pictures promise I would not have a problem with her design becoming another series of ships.

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As everyone knows, it's expensive to design a new ship, so it's rare that only one is ever built (QM2 is the exception). I think the plan with most companies is to build at least two of a particular design, and possibly more. Oceania was supposed to build at least two of this design, and Regent would be using the design as well but adapted for their own product. It appears the plans for additional ships are on hold for the time being, but eventually I would expect to see more of this same design.

I agree with Ernst regarding the shortcomings of the R-Class ships, and I share many of the same reasons for having little desire to sail on one. They just don't inspire me, inside or out. Some of those shortcomings still exist on MARINA, but overall she looks lovely. It's also important to understand that Oceania does not market itself as a luxury product. The ship really should not be compared to the likes of Crystal, Silversea, Seabourn, Regent, etc. which do market their ships as luxury, and charge substantially more. This being said, I think MARINA is leaning more towards the luxury end just because of the cabins. They are large and have huge and well fitted out standard bathrooms, more in line with a luxury ship.

As far as larger luxury ships go, I think it's hard to top Crystal. The design dates back to ROYAL PRINCESS, but the fact it includes a full wrap-around promenade deck and expansive pool areas is appealing to me. The cabins tend to be more "average" but I hear food and service is excellent. I also like the recent updates performed on the ships. They look very stylish now. I've just never felt the product offered enough value for the prices they charge. After all you still tip, have two dinner sittings, and pay for all drinks ... yet prices are often higher than Silversea which is much more inclusive. Crystal realizes this and is now offering substantial onboard credits on every sailing in 2010. I guess it helps make the product more inclusive.

In any case I wish Oceania the best of luck with MARNIA. I have not doubt she will be quite successful for them.

Interior wise Nautica was not tacky. I loved all these big comfy armchairs and sofas. Lounge space is small but somehow the older clientele doesn't seem to use it a lot. This must have been one of the most sedate boring cruises I've been on.

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Originally posted by Linerrich:

Now that is almost mind-blowing when you think about it; a deluxe, relatively small-ship product with roughly the same tonnage as FRANCE or QE2!

Rich

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Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:

And the 'yacht size' Seabourn Odyssey comes in at 32,000 tons. The Seabourn yacht has greater tonnage than liners such as Andrea Doria, Independence etc. and close to the 'mid-size' ss Nieuw Amsterdam, Mauretania (2) and ss America.

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I remember back in 1978 when FESTIVALE was introduced. She was the largest ship sailing the Caribbean out of Miami. I thought she was huge and could not wait to sail on her. Of course she was eclipsed a short time later by the ss NORWAY. Even MARDI GRAS and CARNIVALE were considered quite large. The competition was the white ships of NCL and the new Royal Caribbean ships, all around the 16,000-18,000 gt range. Those ships were considered medium sized at the time.

Boy times have changed! I'll say this, OASIS today feels far more spacious then any NCL white ship, even though she carries 7-8 times the passengers.

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Originally posted by oslo dutch:
This must have been one of the most sedate boring cruises I've been on.

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This doesn't really surprise me, and it's kind of how I imagine an Oceania cruise being. There is no real nightclub, so I can't imagine dancing until the wee hours like you can even on Cunard.

I picture the typical Oceania passenger being a retired, caucasian, middle class couple. They probably live in the midwest and drive a Cadillac. Actually, very similar to a typical Holland America passenger but perhaps a bit more well traveled.

Besides the ships themselves, the sedate atmosphere is something that has kept me away. On Silversea the atmosphere can also be sedate, but there always seems to be a small group that likes to stay up late and have fun. Also the passengers seem very well traveled, sophisticated, and are not all couples.

I do hope to try out Oceania for myself, hopefully on MARINA in the not too distant future.