Ad/Invite. We were lucky enough to enjoy a group ship tour on Oceania Marina by kind invitation of Oceania Cruises and organised by CLIA UK & Ireland Travel Agents.
After a bit of dreary start travelling to Southampton, the rain eased as we arrived at the terminal. Having undertaken the necessary registration we were escorted onto the ship and taken direct to the Horizons Lounge. There we enjoyed welcome drinks and were shown a presentation about the product and some notable upcoming itineraries. This was very enlightening, particularly for those who were new to the brand.
We were then split into small groups and taken on an escorted tour of the ship covering as many of the areas as was operationally possible. This included a Penthouse Stateroom – which was very nice to see and would be a comfortable place to enjoy during a cruise.
Other areas included the viewing the complimentary speciality dining restaurants of Toscana, Red Ginger, Polo Grill and Jacques. We have been lucky enough to eat in each of these restaurants on a previous Oceania Riviera cruise and are aware of the quality of food served in each.
One restaurant we saw, but have not experienced personally is Privee. This is a private speciality dining venue with an upcharge and provides a very special dining experience.
We also saw many other public areas including the library, board room, Baristas, Martinis, the Casino, the Marina Lounge (theatre) the Grand Lobby and Atrium.
We were also given access to the Aquamar Spa and its outside area.
The food experience on Oceania Marina also extends to having a Culinary Centre where you can enjoy creating dishes with qualified chefs – and then tasting them.
Informal dining is included throughout the day at Waves Bar – which serves light bite breakfasts, burger/barbeque lunches and turns into a pizzeria in the evenings. It is adjacent to the Terrace Cafe at the rear of the ship which serves as the buffet restaurant on board.
There is a new addition the eateries in the form of the Aquamar Kitchen which offers a large choice of healthy options.
Our tour terminated in the Grand Dining Room – and boy it really looks Grand. Here we were treated to a tasting menu based on each of the speciality restaurants. The menu selection included:
Breaded Jumbo Shrimps from the Jacques Pepin Selection
Porcini Mushroom Risotto from Toscana
Beef Filet Mignon from Polo Grill
Miso-Grazed Sea Bass from Red Ginger
Buddha Bowl from Aquamar Kitchen
Triple Chocolate Brownie from Ember (this restaurant features on Oceania Vista
Free time was given after lunch to give the opportunity to film more of the public areas. Although we decided to head to Baristas to chat to some of our hosts, enjoy the views and of course their legendary coffee.
We had a lovely day and would like to thank all those involved in the organisation for their time and expertise. The welcome we received on-board from all of the staff was the same as if we had been guests on a cruise.
It was just a shame we had to get off!!!