Ain’t about the cha-ching, cha-ching, Ain’t about the ba-bling, ba-bling

As I’ve stated in previous posts, I’ve recently been on 2 ship visits with Oceania – a six-star cruise line.  On 10th August it was the Marina and Tuesday, it was the Nautica.

The ships themselves are beautiful and the staterooms and Suites are some of the best I’ve seen.

What makes the Suites so much nicer, I think, is the fact that they’re not just large square rooms.  They have separate areas and little nooks and crannies.

The Marina is the newest and larger of the two ships.  They’re both very different and have their own ‘personalities’.

Marina is very…..how can I put it…? ‘Flashy’.  Yes.  Swarovski Crystal encrusted bar stools worth $10,000 each!!  I’m sure they said the Ralph Lauren Sun Loungers were $100,000 a pop but is that even possible?  And if so, why?  Don’t get me wrong – everyone likes a bit of luxury but is this taking it too far?

The artwork around both ships is lovely and very different.  Murano glass adorns the walls and the centre-piece of the main dining room is a beautiful luminous crystal chandelier.

We were given lunch whilst onboard and the opportunity to try a dish from each of the restaurants. (Click on the menu to make it larger).

The Lobster comes from a private ‘Lobster Farm’ in Maine and Oceania are their only customer so it’s produced exclusively for them.  The same with the beef and any lamb dishes offered (although that doesn’t come from Maine).  The food is flown to the ship so it’s nice and fresh.

Now, I’m a vegetarian but I could see that this menu looked good.  As a vegetarian, I was given the first course without the caviar and for the main, on the Marina a pasta dish in a tomato sauce with broccoli and cauliflower (not great) and on the Nautica, a waffle with a dressing and white and green asparagus.  The option on the Nautica was definitely better but then coming from a family of Italians, it is hard to please me with pasta.

One thing that really stood out for me during the dinner was the plates and cutlery.  We’d been told that the plates cost $350 each!!!

Then I turned it over (very, very carefully) and realised why…..

More ‘bling’.

The cutlery – $1000 per knife, fork and spoon!

The staircase on Marina cost $3 million.

There’s a lovely little private dining venue on Marina called Privee.  It costs $250 to hire out this venue and it seats 10 people so only $25 each which is around the price you’d pay to eat in a Speciality Restaurant on another ship.  The table in this restaurant was custom made and craned onto the ship before the roof was added.  I’m not so sure about the baby crocodile chairs mind you (that’s the vegetarian animal lover in me again).

Moving onto the Nautica, there was a lot less ‘bling’ and it felt a lot more classic/traditional/comfortable but still clean and of a very high standard.

She still has the Versace plates and expensive cutlery but it just didn’t have that ‘OTT’ feel about it like the Marina did.

Horizons Lounge was a nice area to go for a cuppa.

Or maybe a dip in the jacuzzi?

There are also private cabanas that you can hire out for $100 per day (for a double one) but these get booked up very quickly so book before you go if you fancy it.  They’re in a separate area close to the jacuzzi so you get a nice tranquil surrounding and magnificent views off of the back of the ship.

The Speciality Restaurants are lovely – tastefully decorated according to their speciality and plenty spacious.  All food is cooked ‘a la minut’ so is always fresh and hot.  Not heat lamps or hot plates in sight.

If you’re a steak lover, this one’s for you.  From the meal we had, I was told the steak was ‘AMAZING’.

Basically, I just felt a bit like with the Marina, Oceania were….I don’t know….showing off a bit maybe.  ‘Look how much money we’ve spent’.  Is it all a bit unnecessary or is it just me?  I think I’d be too scared to sit on a $10,000 bar stool or lounge on a $100,000 sun lounger!

It’s not to say I wasn’t impressed.  I was impressed.  Very!  They are beautiful ships and I would definitely sail with them and recommend them.

They’re offering a 180 night (!!!!) World Voyage which goes on sale in the next few weeks.  If you’re going to do a World Cruise, this is the way to do it!

There is so much I could write about these ships but I’d go on forever.  If you’d like to ask any questions or need to know anything specific, I’m more than happy to help.  You can call me on 0800 408 6118 or email [email protected].

I’d also be very interested to hear your thoughts on the ‘bling’.  Is it for you or is it too much?