My date with Marina – Part 1

Recently I was very lucky enough to be invited to the spend the day on the 5 Star Luxury Oceania Marina when she came into my home port of Newcastle and I have to say that after my first date with her I think I’m in love.

As you will know I am a big fan of all cruise lines and ships and probably make no secret of the fact that my Celebrity is probably my favourite in the 5* Luxury market. Well maybe not anymore as having spent the day on the Fabulous Ocean Marina I can now see why people who have been with Oceania rate them so very highly.

The stunning Oceania Marina

I always enjoy driving to the port and the first glimpse of the ship and the first impression that you get and on this occasion it was one of simply wow, what a great looking ship elegent ship which looked a lot bigger than expected, It had massive curb appeal. Now first impression can be deceiving for example when I first saw the 6 Star Crystal Symphony and thought she looked very old and tired from the outside but was completely blown away when I was on her as she is so luxurious. The Harmony of the Seas which I thought I would hate due to her massive size but again I was so wrong I loved her layout which at times felt more of a resort than a ship.

So back to Marina and Oceania and yes she certainly had the curb appeal and then you step on aboard and instantly you just see and feel quality everywhere. The decor is simply stunning with high quality art on display all around the ship including 10, yes 10 original Picasso’s so you can understand why a ship like this costs $650 million to make and furnish. Now that is a lot of money for a ship that is at best a midsize 66,000 tonnes but what you get with that is a feeling of space as she only holds 1250 guests which is a lot less than similar sized ships who would hold around a thousand more. The ambiance is great and you feel welcome everywhere you go.

As you can see quality is everywhere

Quality is very much the order of the day and I remember commenting that I don’t think I have ever seen so much marble on a cruise ship and the attention to detail is fabulous. I have never seen anywhere that has place settings that cost a staggering $12,000 per person with Versace crockery and cutlery which was just to die for.

$12,000 just to eat your dinner off!

I have so much more that I want to tell you about the ship and photo’s to share so look out for part 2 when I tell you why the is the ship for foodies and show you the ultimate in on board bling!