Review: Oceania Marina Europe Cruise

I am writing this first of several blogs from my very nice Concierge Veranda stateroom on Oceania Marina (deck 10) as we cruise away from the Spanish port of Cadiz en route for Lisbon. It is day three of our jaunt through Europe on this lovely new ship – day five for everyone else as we had special permission to board late in Malaga instead of the official embarkation port of Barcelona.

As a result we have been hot-footing it around Malaga, Casablanca and Rabat in Morocco, and today Cadiz and Seville and haven’t had too much time to explore our temporary home on the high seas! So this blog will be dedicated to first impressions and what we have experienced so far, plus three very diverse ports of call.

So, as mentioned we boarded the cruise late in Malaga (blame it on my family in Spain), and made the mistake of arriving at the port in the throes of a very large and impressive Spanish festival, dedicated to the country’s military. I thought we were never going to get to the ship – our taxi entered the port and it was crawling with people visiting war ships, attending demonstrations….you name it. But eventually we pulled up at Malaga’s pretty impressive new terminal (almost complete…well it is Spain), and got on board Oceania’s spanking brand new flagship, Marina.

As we were set to leave port at 6pm, we headed back into town after a quick lunch al fresco on the Terrace Cafe at the rear of the ship. This is a lovely space equally dedicated to indoor and outdoor casual dining, and with a very impressive buffet packed with choice. On shore again we meandered through the old part of Malaga – having travelled to Andalucia and the Costa del Sol many times when I was a lot younger, I had no idea the much maligned city had such a pretty old quarter. We climbed the Gibralfaro fortress to the top – with me as usual in totally inappropriate shoes – but the view from the top across the beaches, the city and the bull ring was worth the effort in the heat.

Back on ship later, we quickly unpacked and settled into our stateroom. A Concierge Stateroom means you have a veranda, essential in this part of the world I reckon, and perks including a private lounge for your use on deck 9 including a concierge to help you with anything you need, magazines, flat screen TVs and refreshments all day. Very handy after a long, hot day exploring ashore.

Never known to do anything by halves, we’d pre booked dinner several weeks before sailing and were heading to Jacques that night – Jacques Pepin’s very own dining venue on board. First we had an excellent cocktail in Martinis, a lovely bar on deck six, then headed downstairs to the elegantly appointed restaurant. What a way to kick off a cruise, I say…..superb service, exquisite food (the fois gras casserole will linger long in the memory), and a late sunset through the windows to die for.

The next day we were up and at it early for a day-long excursion to the Moroccan city of Rabat, which was quite fascinating. It started off with a peaceful political demonstration, a visit to the very grand Palace, an authentic lunch in a local restaurant, and an afternoon visiting more sights including the Mausoleum and Kasbah (and yes, we did rock it!). Last, night, still recovering from all the exertion, we opted for room service – prompt, and very good even if the menu is quite basic.

Today was devoted to a day-long excursion of Seville, which is about a 1 hour 45 minute drive from Cadiz. I have to admit to sleeping on the bus most of the way (I even napped through the 10 minute “comfort” stop half way, so Ben says) but it set me up well for four hours of walking the alleys of the Jewish quarter, Santa Cruz, and meandering around the sights including the glorious Seville Cathedral and the very impressive Plaza de Espana…..all on the day of a fiesta for the city, which had it packed with people. Naturally we had to stop for tapas and a glass of rose….it’s the done thing here, you know.

Tonight, heading for Lisbon, we debated…..the Grand Dining Room or a casual dinner in the buffet? The dining room is winning by a neck right now, so I will report back in my next blog how that goes. Tomorrow we are exploring a city we had the pleasure of visiting last 14 years ago…..and we have back-to-back special dinners – tomorrow night at the Asian fusion venue, Red Ginger, then a sea day and the experience of the authentic Italian, Toscana….I can feel my clothes tightening around my waistline as I write this, but who cares, after all I am on a cruise of a lifetime, right? Until next time, happy cruising!

Biarritz darling…..sounds posh, and it is, but that’s where this second part of my blog live from Oceania Marina in Europe should have hailed from. Unfortunately the port from which you access the famous French surfing spot from, St. Jean de Luz, is one where ships anchor….and due to the swell, the captain deemed the us of tenders too dangerous so we upped anchor and continued on our way to Le Verdon, the port for Bordeaux.

Aside from our disappointment at missing Biarritz, it’s been a fascinating few days for sure. First we explored the beautiful Portuguese city of Lisbon on a stunning day, walking its cobbled streets, climbing up to the famous landmarks including Castillo Jorge, and enjoying a cold beer in a local “placa”.

After that, Marina headed out into the Atlantic and some inclement weather. Although the skies were deceptively blue and without a cloud to been seen, the seas were very rough and winds were gusting to 65mph at times. But it’s a good test of a ship’s metal and Marina handled it well, even if her design makes her a bit top heavy. Unfortunately it was also the first of only two sea days on a busy itinerary, so it didn’t turn out to be a sea day lingering on deck in the sun.

Back to food, briefly. We had booked ourselves into Red Ginger, another of the ship’s alternative venues which fuses many Asian cuisines into a highly eclectic menu. Before we’d gone beyond the first course we knew we would have to come back for more. This was really some of the most innovative and high quality cuisine we’ve encountered at sea.

Appetisers included a sushi and sashimi combo, which was melt-in-the-mouth fresh, followed by salads including a crispy duck and watermelon which was to die for. As for mains, choosing proved to be tricky, but we opted for an old favourite, red curry chicken, and an elaborate lobster pad thai, both of which were superb – the curry even made as spicy as we like which is usually around magnitude 8-9 on our heat richter scale.

So, on our bumpy sea day we had to abandon our plan to enjoy the deck and a spot of relaxing on either one of the super-comfy double sun loungers (a great idea Oceania), or hiding away in oases on either side of the pool one deck above as it was way too windy and chilly. Instead we explored some of Marina’s other facilities while idling the time away until dinner, which was going to be at another alternative venue, the Italian Toscana.

If you are up too late for lunch in the buffet, as we were, you can eat at Waves Cafe on the pool deck, which offers salads, burgers, hot dogs and toasted sandwiches done in style. The Margau burger, for example, is a piece of fresh seared tuna served with salad in a gourmet bun. The ship also has a nice cafe, Barristas, overlooking the pool deck and conveniently situated between the library and the internet cafe. It’s a lovely spot, but a shame they don’t serve coffees in a cup, only takeaway containers.

The shops down on deck five are also very upmarket, selling designer watches and jewellery, clothes, beauty products and so on….haven’t actually been in there yet, but have only passed by. As for the bars, favourites so far include Martinis, with its classic menu and contemporary design, for our pre-dinner cocktail of the day, a Manhattan, we headed up to Horizons. This is the bar with a view, and it was fascinating watching the rough seas before heading to dinner.

On our sea day we ventured to another alternative restaurant for dinner, Polo Grill. It has the design of a classic New York steak house with lots of dark wood and red leather upholstery, and a menu of sumptuous dishes including a wide variety of steaks, seafood and surf and turf options for those who can’t choose. Like all of Marina’s dining venues, it proved to be one to return to, and the maitre’d has promised to seat us again before the cruise ends if we can wait until late.

Today our port of call was Le Verdon, the port serving Bordeaux, and from here there are two main touring choices – the city of Bordeaux and the wine country, or the local beach town of Soulac sur Mer, which was in the throes of an annual festival Soulac 1900. It was a difficult choice, but we decided to go local.

The town was picturesque, with a pretty beach front, lots of bars and cafes heaving with people, and locals dressed up in Victorian costume – it was all very lively, festive and traditional French fun. There was a circus, a traditional market, bands playing and a chanteuse on stilts singing Edith Piaf hits. We spent half a day there enjoying the festivities with the locals and wine shopping…well, we were in Bordeaux!

Back on the ship later, Li Na had one the women’s French Open final in Paris but a late rainstorm thwarted our plans to eat al fresco at The Terrace Cafe. Oh well, it’s back to the main dining room for us….hardly shabby given the menu at our last visit and they always manage to find us a cozy table for two with a view….that’s life on Marina!

The next part of this blog will be on Tuesday after a few more French ports of call including La Rochelle tomorrow, Concarneau on Monday and St. Malo on Tuesday, unless the swells rule out the latter. And beyond that there’s still two great capitals to come – Paris and Copenhagen. Happy Cruising!

It’s a typical start to a European summer – one day hot, the next day wintry. It feels as though we are meandering through the seasons, but fortunately the changeable weather hasn’t hampered our explorations of western France!

Since my last blog we have visited two more fascinating ports of call, starting with La Rochelle. A small port town on the Atlantic coast, it’s a throwback to a bygone era in history with its fortresses and walled city, and on a Sunday in early summer it was abuzz with people enjoying the mild temperatures.

The day hadn’t started out so well, however. Throwing back the curtains of our stateroom that morning, instead of a view we were greeted by a blanket of thick fog! Seriously you couldn’t see beyond the verandah railings it was so dense. So we waited awhile for it to clear before venturing ashore, and it proved to be a pretty town worth the wait. Later, back on ship, we opted to dine al fresco at the Terrace Cafe, which name changes to View in the evening. The more casual buffet option for dinner, we were surprised at how busy it was….but when you consider the fine selection of foods it wasn’t really surprising.

The fresh sushi was a good pick, and they have a proper Japanese sushi chef on board who deserves a lot of credit. Then from the vast array of other choices I opted for some freshly grilled swordfish, a lobster tail and a small portion of paella….Spain is a way off now but still fresh in the memory. Later we were treated to a pretty sunset before the fog settled in again as we left port, the ship’s horn needing to be sounded every once in a while, but the ocean calm.

Today, we anchored off Concarneau, another pretty coastal village in Brittany. The weather was still a bit dismal, sadly, so again we waited awhile before venturing into port on the ship’s tender. As we arrived it started to drizzle, but held off just long enough for a quick exploration of the walled island. It’s a bit touristy, dotted with shops, restaurants and cafes, but has a certain charm and quaintness to it with plenty of photo ops. Unfortunately the weather became chilly and rather uninviting, so we didn’t stay long ashore.

Back on ship we explored a few areas we had yet to see properly this afternoon, including Bon Appetit cooking school, catching the new culinary arts director, Kathryn Kelly, in the middle of a class…..I think her eager students were about to make ratatouille. On the opposite side of the ship, in the Artists Loft, another group of students were painting….how nice that on a cruise you have so many options to entertain yourself, including the opportunity to learn something new.

Tomorrow we head for Brittany’s top tourist spot, St. Malo, from where we will visit the very old and very picturesque village of Dinan. From there we’ll head to Honfleur and our trip down memory lane – a full day excursion to Paris….until next time, Happy Cruising!

Since my last blog we’ve visited the famous port city of St. Malo, the historic village of Dinan, the French capital of Paris….and had a bit of a high seas drama. Not bad in a couple of days, eh?

First St. Malo and Dinan……after a morning at sea and a bit of a late arrival, we went on a shore excursion to an extremely old and famous village in Brittany called Dinan. The old quarter is housed inside the ramparts of castle walls, and to say there’s a photo op on virtually every corner you turn isn’t an understatement. We walked its narrow, cobbled streets, browsed at its art galleries and souvenir shops, had coffee, and marvelled at the architecture and churches.

Back in St. Malo hours later, it was fast approaching 6pm and we had a few hours to explore this fascinating walled medieval city perched on the Atlantic, and the top tourist site in Brittany (according to our guide earlier). Also picturesque, we walked its impressive ramparts end to end, offering views of the off shore islands, the ship at anchor outside the harbour and the expanse of the ocean beyond.

It’s rugged and exposed – we saw photographs in a shop which showed how big the surf can get here also, projecting wildly beyond the city walls. Eventually a combination of cold and fatigue got the better of us, so we took a tender back to the ship and enjoyed the view from afar.

Our next port of call was Honfleur, near Le Havre, and from there we took a long, full-day excursion to Paris…another trip down memory lane for Ben and me, as one of the last places we visited before moving back to Australia just over 13 years ago. It was a bit of a gamble to go…..a long bus ride there and back and a quick fire tour of one or Europe’s most expansive, impressive and grandiose cities, but it was well worth the effort.

We started with a bus ride through the green and pretty Normandy countryside, just shy of three hours including a “comfort” stop about half an hour outside of the city. Arriving around 11.30 we then saw some of the sights….unfortunately it was drive-by only – no op to stop – but for those who hadn’t been to Paris before they got to see Notre Dam, the Eiffel Tower, Place de Vendome and some other famous landmarks before being dropped off for an hour and 15 minutes of free time.

We were in the area of the Paris Opera, so headed for a simple cafe for a classic baguette with chicken and salad, and then explored the area briefly before heading back to the bus for some more landmark sightseeing. This time, however, the driver negotiated a couple of stops, one at the Place de Concorde and the other briefly at a spot which affords a fabulous view of the Eiffel Tower – it was only for five minutes, but we got the shots and everyone seemed happy enough.

From there we had the long bus ride back to Honfleur, which too, just on two and a half hours with no stopping. The ship left at 6.30pm, thirty minutes late due to a few missing passengers, but the real drama emerged during dinner a few hours later, our second visit to the fabulous Jacques. We noticed that the ship was banking significantly and it appeared to be turning around…..then the captain made a public announcement – we knew there was trouble afoot.

A medical emergency was forcing the ship back to Le Harve to offload a seriously ill guest to a helicopter. As we listened we all felt sad for whoever the person was, but as the sun set in glorious fashion it made us all the more determined to enjoy what proved to be another legendary dining experience.

Today we are at sea, in the North Sea to be precise, heading for Copenhagen. Even with the drama and time lost yesterday, the ship is running at full speed so we will make the Danish capital on time at midday. From there have the rest of the day to explore the city (again for us, a trip down memory lane), finish our packing and round off an incredible cruise with a return to Red Ginger for dinner.

On Saturday we fly to Brussels for a few days, and will then begin the long trek home to Sydney. My last blog will wrap everything up, including a report back from Copenhagen, and offer our final thoughts on Marina and the cruise. Right now, however, the other half of our celebratory bottle of champagne is waiting in an ice bucket, and the ice has shifted as if to remind us it’s time for a drink. So for now, cheers and happy cruising!

I got well behind in wrapping up my blog from this amazing cruise….and for good reason. For one, after our long day excursion to Paris we were pretty tired….we also had to go back to Jacques for dinner, start packing, explore Copenhagen in a day, go back to Red Ginger for dinner, finish packing and leave the ship!

But first, Copenhagen. It was another trip down memory lane for my husband and I, and the weather was definitely in our favour if a bit cool. We saw pretty much all of the best sights including the mermaid, the architecture, the downtown area and most of the impressive palaces. And of course we made time for a beer or three along the way, including doing what the locals do which is BYO to the Nyhavn!

Next day we left the ship early – and somewhat reluctantly, to head to Brussels for a few days of R&R before embarking on the long schlep home. It gave us plenty of time for reflection, both in terms of the destinations, and the Oceania cruise experience itself.

The itinerary was amazing, diverse and everything it had promised to be. It was super busy, however, with almost every day in port, and one or two overnight stops such as in Lisbon would have been fun. The weather played ball mostly, and the only disappointment was missing Biarritz due to the tenders not being able to tackle the swell.

As for Marina, she is a pretty ship for sure. She has plenty of style, space, and outside deck areas if her pool is a bit on the small side, and the overall setup reminds me of the luxury end of cruising in the days before the operators went all-inclusive. Where Marina excels, however, is in her cuisine, and that’s across the board. We tried it all, from room service breakfast and dinner to the specialty restaurants at night and the buffet for lunch and dinner, and she is a hard act to follow.

Also a mention should be given to Marina’s crew, who were superb. They hail from many places across the globe including Europe, the Philippines, Indonesia, India…..all delightful people who work really, really hard. Special mentions for the two baristas in Baristas….who quickly got to know our finicky desire for coffee, also our stateroom stewardess and steward, the concierge, and Ben from the Blue Mountains on reception.

All in all it was an amazing trip and experience. What would be interesting to know is what Oceania’s existing clientele thing of this new ship…..she’s twice the size of her siblings, and has all those fabulous restaurants, all included in the fare (except for two). As for me, I think I escaped without extra kilos, but certainly all the walking we did in all those ports of calls helped a lot. Until next week, happy cruising!

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