Cruise - I enjoyed the cruise a lot. The Marina is a nice ship. The upgraded cabin, 8001, was large enough for 3 people. It had lots of storage. Being located in the front of the ship, it got windy at times. However, if i sat on one of the two chairs, the wind was not that bad. The wind was felt mostly based on the speed of the ship. I joined the Marina in Miami, Florida. The Marina still prints the information rather than having passengers use an app on their phone/Tablet to find out what is taking place daily. The "Currents" (see copy below and on page L-1) was placed on our beds with a chocolate every night. We also received a two-page newsletter letting us know what was happening in the rest of the world.
Cabin - Like I said above, it was a large veranda cabin. However, I found the room to be very dusty. I wish I had walked with a Swiffer. Though the cabin steward "cleaned" daily, he missed many spots. Since the issue was minor, I didn't inform him since he cleaned the bathroom daily. The cabin had a shower plus a tub with a shower. I didn't use the tub/shower. Like I said before, the cabin had lots of storage space. A robe and slippers were available for use during the cruise.
Activities - If you have sailed on other cruise ships and can't do without the constant activities, the Marina is not for you. At 9:15 p.m. daily there was a show in the Marina Lounge. There was a singer/tap dancer, a comedian, another singer, a pampas/tango duo, and the ship's production company. Nothing like a Las Vegas/Broadway show. I was happy with what was offered. There was a dance floor but no discotheque-like area. No constant games by the pool, no ice-carving, etc. If I remember correctly, Bingo, I think, was played twice. I lost twice. There was a small casino available. And the best thing, there were no photographers following your every move. No photos to watch at night to decide which would be purchased. No photographs taken getting off the ship. Most lines have a mascot/theme when getting off the ship to entice passengers to purchase the photograph(s). At no time did I miss the photographers that are on other cruise lines. There was an expert lecturer on board who talked about the ports being visited. I attended only the lecture about Lima. It was very informative.
Food - All restaurants were included in price of cruise. However, a reservation was needed for the Specialty restaurants - Red Ginger (Deck 5, the best), Jacques (Deck 5, disappointing), Toscana (Deck 14, lots of pasta, loved it), Polo Grill (Deck 14, great food). My favorite? Red Ginger. There was also The Grand Dining Room (Deck 6), Waves Grill (Deck 12, loved the burgers and breakfast, both to order), and the Terrace Café (Deck 12). The Terrace Café served breakfast, lunch and dinner, and so did the Grand Dining Room. The Terrace Café, I found had more to choose from. The desserts in the Terrace Café were miniature but delicious. I usually had more than one dessert to make up for the size. All in all, I was happy with the food and there were enough restaurants to choose from. And by the way, there was no midnight buffet. But if you got hungry between meals, there was always the 24 hour Room Service. The menu could be found on the TV in the cabin. There is definitely no "midnight" buffet. You should note that the Marina is referred to as a "foodie" ship.
Excursions - The excursions I chose were all perfect. The guides were informative and friendly, even though at times it was hard to understand their English. Luckily, I spoke Spanish. The guides and locals were happy to speak Spanish to me. The Roatán pier is nothing like it was when I first visited the island. Major overhaul and the construction still continues. We visited Costa Maya (México), Harvest Caye (Belize, an NCL island), Puerto Tomás (Guatemala), Puerto Limón (Costa Rica), Roatán (Honduras), transit of the Panamá Canal (boy is it a slow process), overnight in Panamá City, Manta (Ecuador), Salaverry (Perú) and Lima/Callao (Perú). You like beaches? I think every port had a beach, but I was more interested in seeing what the countries had to offer. Though I took a prophylaxis for malaria with me, I did not use it. After some tours, I would walk back to the town and/or waterfront to take photos and ran into very nice and helpful locals.
Lima/Cusco/Machu Picchu - The 4 days spent in Lima/Cusco were like no other. I loved Cusco a lot. The streets are narrow and many are one-way. What I found odd was that on some intersections there was a traffic light. But these lights controlled the traffic differently than in the US. In essence they made a one-way street into two way. The people drive like mad men and come close to other cars but they do not hit each other. Machu Picchu was nothing like I had expected. Seeing it in person is beyond description. How could the Incas build something so spectacular so high on a mountain? It is mind boggling! And why would the Spaniards do so much damage in the name of God and wealth? It appears that an earthquake removed the plaster on most buildings constructed by the Spaniards, including churches, to reveal what the Spanish had done to cover up the Inca structures. Many buildings were built over Inca sites. The two hotels we stayed in, El Monasterio and the Country Club, were superb!! Being part of the deluxe tour, was the best. The foods we ate throughout the tours were exquisite and we were constantly being fed!! Due to the altitude of places we visited, oxygen was always available. Some passengers said they were taking "oxygen medication". Have no idea what it is. Luckily, I did not need oxygen. Every local I met on the streets, places we visited, etc., were very friendly.
