My husband Lance and I recently returned from our first cruise with Oceania, on the Oceania Marina. We chose the British Isles Medley, which took us around the UK for 12 nights, with stops in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Here is my review of the experience.
If you appreciate great wines, the wines offered by most cruise lines can be a bit disappointing. Not so on the Oceania Marina. They have a great wine list with selections from the major wine regions of the world. Although not inexpensive, I found the wine markup to be reasonable, about what you would expect in restaurant in any major city.
Our first night on board, we dined at Jacques and ordered a Grand Cru Chablis for around $70, a fair price for a wine of that caliber.
If you just want to drink wine by the glass, the beverage package may be a good way to go. But I found that most of the wines included in the package were not the ones I wanted to drink. Since my husband and I drink wine mainly at dinner, the bottle package was a better option for us. But if you like to spend time in the ships lounges and entertainment venues and enjoy a cocktail or scotch, the beverage package may make more sense for you.
Crystal offers the amenities and activities of large ship cruise lines with the intimacy of a small ship cruise line. You will enjoy personal service and fine dining, along with a variety of entertainment, enrichment, and fitness activities, without having to fight big crowds.
As part of my continuing obsession with world cruises, I am excited to share with you the 2017 Regent Seven Seas World Cruise. The Regent Seven Seas Navigator will set sail on January 5, 2017 on a 128-night. The adventure begins in Miami, and will visit 31 countries, 62 ports, and 29 UNESCO World Heritage Sites before ending in Miami.