Our first cruise with Oceania found us docking in Stockholm, Sweden on the beautiful Oceania Marina. I was so excited to try Oceania. They claim to be a foodie’s dream cruise line with excellent service, and they lived up to their claims! With a staff ratio of less than 2:1, they are able to offer great service.
What did I especially enjoy about Oceania and this ship?
- There were no official formal nights. Dress was cruise casual during the day and smart casual throughout the entire voyage in the evenings.
- Staff was attentive to our needs, friendly and accommodating but never overbearing.
- There are no photographers trying to take your photo every time you turn around.
- There are no sales pitches for beverage packages, shore excursions, boutiques, etc., even on embarkation day. This cruise line assumes if you want to purchase something extra, you will ask.
- We booked a Concierge class balcony stateroom
Check in was a breeze. Our documents said our boarding began at noon, so we planned it to arrive at noon. We dropped off our checked bag when our taxi left us at the terminal. In Stockholm, the port terminal was not in a building but in a large tent. We showed our passports and cruise documents to someone with a passenger list and they directed us to a security screening line. Once our carryons were screened, we walked up the gangway. A ship’s security officer checked our documents again and compared our names to the passenger manifest and then we were onboard. I think it took all of 15 minutes.
We were directed to the theater for check-in. There were lots of workers ready to check us in. The aisle contained the line to the stage, and it moved quickly. We were directed to a person behind a computer monitor who took our photos and gave us a room key and ship map in a nice little pocket folio, then we were told we could go up to the buffet for lunch until it was announced that staterooms were ready. We were also told to stop by Guest Services sometime within the next couple of days to put our credit card number on file. We forgot and got a friendly reminder call on our stateroom phone.
What did I love about the buffet? Guests see the selections and then the servers place the items on the plate. All clean serving utensils only touched by servers on board!!!!! There is a grill area where omelets and special order eggs were prepared every morning and cooked-to-order steaks, chicken and fish are prepared later in the day. There are also several ice cream flavors at lunch and dinner.
We booked cabin 9011 which is a verandah cabin and is located at the concierge level. The bedding is luxurious and the carpet, drapes and furnishings are in pristine condition.
They make very good use of storage space. The closet has a sliding door with a light inside. We were provided with lots of hangers, two robes, slippers, and an umbrella to use if needed. There was also a complimentary tote bag hanging in the closet. One panel beside the closet has the safe, three drawers and a refrigerator that opens into the little hallway.
The life vests are stored in the top of the closet along with two cashmere blankets that came in very handy when the weather turned chilly on the balcony. 
One of the drawers contain the hair dryer, a long shoe horn, a shoe bag, (for complimentary shoe shine at the concierge level) and a sewing kit.
Another thing I loved was the silent clock on the nightstand. No ticking. The clock face only lit up if I picked up the clock. And our cabin steward always changed the time when she did turn down service in the evening when we were crossing a different time zone. They still leave chocolates on the bed. Ours were dark chocolate, my favorite!
They even provided a printed TV and Movie guide for the sailing.
The balcony is large with nice, cushioned seating. The cabin steward brought the cushions inside every evening and stored them behind the closed drapes.
We really enjoy a balcony, and we ordered a cheese plate from complimentary room service to snack on as we sailed away. There is no extra charge for room service.
On a different day of early-morning touring, we ordered room service breakfast. What a spread! They even put out the white tablecloth.
On Oceania’s Marina class ships, all staterooms except interior rooms have a shower AND a tub in the bathroom. 
The concierge level comes with extra added amenities – my favorites included 3 bags of laundry during the voyage, early online booking privileges to the specialty restaurants, and access to a concierge lounge where there is a nice supply of canned soft drinks and snacks throughout the day and an ice dispenser, coffee/cappuccino/espresso/hot water dispenser, cocoa mix, and multiple varieties of tea bags and sweetener. I LOVED having this right down the hall from our stateroom. It also has menus for each of the restaurants, a couple of computers with a printer, and several daily newspapers.
Self-serve laundromats with ironing boards are on the ship, and Oceania provides the detergent. I never needed to use them since we had three bags of complimentary laundry.
The atrium. On either side is Guest Services and Destination Services. There is also a separate desk for restaurant reservations. 
Elevator banks are mid and aft in hallways connecting port and starboard. I kept getting turned around after coming off the elevators until I learned that the phone was hanging on the starboard side.
Several lounges are available for relaxation and meeting up with friends.
The Artist’s Loft offers complimentary art classes throughout the week.
The Culinary Center offers cooking classes for a fee. There are 12 work stations for 24 participants.
The class that hubby and I took was based on favorite recipes from Red Ginger, the Asian restaurant.
First, the instructor explained ingredients to adequately stock a pantry for Asian cooking.
As we met with the chef for a demonstration of each dish we would be preparing, her assistant chefs would prepare our cooking stations with all the needed ingredients for that course.
We prepared Pomelo Banh Trang Rolls – Ours were not quite as pretty as hers.
Duck Confit and Watermelon Salad
and, with noodles prepared by the staff in advance of our class, we made Lobster Pad Thai.
After each course was prepared, we ate our creations. I must admit, eating in Red Ginger was better than eating what we cooked ourselves, but this was a lot of fun. Several different cooking courses were offered throughout the voyage.
The library has several nooks with seating and a large selection of reading and reference materials.
The business center included multiple computers and even a separate section and a separate desk area perfect for using a personal laptop.
Near the library and business center there is a coffee barista and a setup of self-serve sweets replenished throughout the day.
Card and Game Room
The Casino is small and tucked away. I’m sure the gamers are glad that throngs of people are not walking through while they are playing, and I was glad not to have to walk through the casino to get from one part of the ship to the other.
They have a few shops and occasionally would have a display of items for sale in the atrium.
Spa and Fitness Area: 
There is a private sun deck reserved with key card access for those staying in the Concierge Class and higher. Our itinerary was so port intensive, we never used it.
Every evening there were three locations with live music: a string quartet and a piano player were located in areas close to the grand dining room, and a band was located in Horizons.
Other outdoor areas:
Grand Dining Room – This is the main dining room serving breakfast every morning and dinner every evening . I think they probably also serve lunch on sea days, but we only had one sea day, and I didn’t pay attention if it was open. The tables are not as crowded together as I have seen on other cruise lines.
The Marina has four specialty restaurants, and there is no surcharge to enjoy them. Each guest is allowed one visit to each of them during the voyage. Concierge level cabins could make reservations well in advance, and this was nice because we enjoy eating early, and those early times seem to book up quickly.
Jacques is French
Toscana is Italian
Polo Grill specializes in prime cuts of beef
The prime rib and the trilogy of homemade marshmallows
Red Ginger is Asian
The lamb chops and a chocolate-coconut dessert
Horizons is the observation lounge on an upper deck. In this photo, it is set up for afternoon tea, but other times throughout the day it is a calm place to relax and watch the view. In the evening a band performs in this venue.
We absolutely loved the experience and look forward to sailing with Oceania again!