Miami to Savannah

Miami to Savannah

The flights to Miami on Sunday were uneventful, although there were some delays at both 

Ontario and Dallas which meant no time for lunch and a late arrival in Miami. The hotel 

was very convenient to the harbor and we could see our ship from the hotel room when we 

woke up in the morning. There was a week-long music festival in Miami which ended the 

night we arrived and the area was full of young people in beads and various states of 

Miami dress and undress. The concierge at the hotel sent us off to an Italian restaurant 

a block away as we were starving.

Boarding was Monday morning at 11 am and we were lucky to be in the first group to board 

so we got on the Marina just after 11 am. Our cabin was in the process of being prepared, 

but the staff allowed us to drop off our carry-on bags so we could explore the ship 

unencumbered. 

And what a ship it is! First of all, our cabin or stateroom is actually a 

suite of 3 rooms and 2 bathrooms – a bedroom with a king bed and a dressing table, a 

walk-in closet, a full bath with Jacuzzi tub and separate shower; the living/dining room 

with bar set-up; a den or media room with big screen TV, stereo, couch and foot stools, 

art books and art glass; and the second bath which also has a shower. In the living area 

there is a couch and two chairs and more art glass, as well as a table for four with 

beautiful orchids in a pot. The desk is equipped with state-of-the-art telephones and a 

laptop. Ian, our butler, also brought us an I-Pad to try out and showed Rob how to 

download the LA Times and other newspapers every morning. He will also bring us a printed 

version of the NY Times each day. The cabin bar is equipped with vodka, gin, rum and 

scotch, plus both red and white wine....just in case. The refrigerator has mixers, beer, 

water and sodas, so we can drink our way across the Atlantic. 

Our cabin is one of only 10 

on deck 12. The Bon Appetit Culinary Center and the Artisan Loft are just through the 

doors to the public area, as are the elevators. Within a few yards we are at the pool 

area and as we walk across we are at the Terrace Cafe, the Waves Grill and La Reserve, 

where they hold the wine dinners for 24 guests only. Above us is the Spa and 

fitness center and above the Cafe are the Library, Toscana (Italian) and Polo 

Grill (steakhouse) plus Barristas (their version of Starbucks.) 

On deck 5, at  the base of the Lalique elevator area are the boutiques, Chez Jacques 

(French) and Red  Ginger (Asian fusion.) On deck 6 are a couple of bars and the Grand 

Dining Room (no reservations required – French influence.) 

On the very top above us on deck 15 is Horizons  Bar where the popular 2-for-1 cocktails 

from 5 to 6 takes place. 

A new ship is certainly nice and this one is extremely so.

We had a light lunch in the Terrace Cafe, which is the buffet area, as the Grand Dining 

Room was filled with a touring group of travel agents. Oceania is trying to introduce as 

many as possible to this ship and the whole fleet as it is not as well known as the 

larger lines. We saw a few people we have seen on previous cruises. Apparently over 80%

of the  guests on this ship are repeat Oceania customers. We then toured everything to 

familiarize ourselves with the differences in the larger ship. Finally we were 

able to unpack and move into our suite about 1pm. After that we hung out until dinner at 

8:30 in Chez Jacques.  The sailing to Savannah took Monday night and all day Tuesday, 

400 nautical miles. The weather was grey and windy after we left Miami's sun, but we were 

very comfortable in our wonderful home away from home.