Heidi BucoloWe just got back from a week on Oceania Marina sailing the Iberian coast. It’s not often we have an itinerary where every single port is new to us, but this one was. We started with two pre-cruise days in Lisbon, then set off on a 7-night cruise that called in Porto, Portugal, before sailing along the northern coast of Spain to Vigo, A Coruña, Gijón, Santander, and an overnight in Bilbao.
Our quick verdict? If you want a port-heavy week through a part of Europe most itineraries skip, on a small, adults-only ship where the food is a highlight and most things are included, this is an easy one to recommend. The one thing that surprised us though was the lack of enrichment, given Oceania Cruises is very destination-focused. The weather might not be what you’d expect either; much of this region is more similar to Ireland or Scotland than the Mediterranean with greener landscapes, lots of rain, and cooler but humid temperatures.
The Sailing at a Glance
- Ship: Oceania Marina, 66K gross tons, 1250 passengers
- Length: 7 nights
- Embarkation: Lisbon, Portugal
- Disembarkation: Bilbao, Spain
- Sailed: September 2026
- Cabin: 8050, a Veranda Stateroom
- Ports of call: Lisbon → Porto → Vigo → A Coruña → Gijón → Santander → Bilbao
- Inclusions: accommodations, all dining, non-alcoholic beverages, basic WiFi, gratuities, and self-service laundry; guests can also choose EITHER wine & beer at meals or shore excursion credit
Two Pre-Cruise Days in Lisbon
Since this was our first time in Lisbon, we built in a couple days before the cruise to explore the city, and we are glad we did. We booked two full day tours through Shore Excursions Group to cover as much ground as possible. Here is a travel confession: we have used Shore Excursions Group in cruise ports around the world for years, but we did not realize until this trip that we could use them before a cruise too. We’re certainly glad that we finally figured this out!
Day One – Lisbon Highlights
For our first full day in the city, we booked a small-group Lisbon Highlights tour, which turned out to be just the two of us. With our guide, we explored several neighborhoods including Alfama, Baixa, Graça, and Belém. We made several photo stops along the way at panoramic lookout points and some of the city’s most famous landmarks. We also strolled the cobblestoned alleys in the oldest neighborhood and enjoyed a Pastel de Belém. For a first visit, having a guide made it easy to get our bearings while learning the history behind what we were seeing.
Day Two – Sintra and Cascais
Day two we headed out of the city on the Full Day Sintra Deluxe tour. We’ll admit that it was a very long day and not one that could have been accomplished during just a cruise ship port stop. With travel time to and from our hotel to the meeting point in Lisbon, the day spanned nearly 12 hours!
But we did get to see a lot including Cabo da Roca (the westernmost point of continental Europe), the town of Sintra with free time to explore and sample the famous Travesseiro and Queijadas at Casa Piriquita, the colorful Pena Palace, and the beach town of Cascais. This is exactly why we like organized tours. Instead of working out transportation between all of those stops ourselves, we booked one tour and had the whole day handled for us.
Embarkation in Lisbon
Embarkation with Oceania Cruises in Lisbon was a breeze. We stayed at the Áurea Museum hotel which is conveniently located near the Lisbon Cruise Port. While we could have walked, we decided to get an Uber instead of dragging our luggage over cobblestones.
When we arrived, we dropped off our luggage with the porters and headed into the terminal for check-in. The check-in process was efficient, and we were onboard Oceania Marina in no time.
Knowing there were no sea days on this itinerary, we took advantage of the afternoon to secure our dining reservations for the week, explore the ship, enjoy some lunch, and get settled into our stateroom prior to sailaway. With 6 new ports ahead and 6 tours scheduled, thankfully, there’s also complimentary specialty coffee at Baristas to fuel up!
Porto, Portugal
Our first stop was in Porto. Here, we booked Oceania’s Highlights of Porto by Land and River tour to see the city from two different perspectives. We started on the Douro River, cruising through the heart of Porto and admiring the colorful Ribeira district lining the waterfront.
We then took in some of Porto’s most recognizable sights (via bus and walking). They included the Chapel of Souls, Clérigos Tower, Lello Library, São Bento Railway Station to see the incredible azulejo tiles inside, the Bolhão Market, and the colorful streets and architecture that make this city so photogenic.
With only one day in port, this 6-hour tour was a nice way to experience both sides of Porto without having to choose. However, the tour’s description made it seem that we would have more of a walking tour than we actually did. We only saw a few of these sites from a bus window.
Vigo, Spain
In Vigo, we skipped the ship’s tour and went with Shore Excursions Group on a more personalized tour to Santiago de Compostela, heading through the Galician countryside to one of Spain’s most historic cities. Once there, we explored the UNESCO-listed Old Town and the final destination of the ancient Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route on a guided walking tour. We learned more about its centuries of history and still had some free time to wander around on our own and make an inside visit to the church.
One of the reasons we’re comfortable booking tours with Shore Excursions Group is their return-to-ship guarantee. If one of their excursions is delayed and you miss your ship, they’ll get you to the next port of call. That extra peace of mind is especially important on a day like this when you’re venturing quite a distance beyond the cruise port. For us, it meant we could explore Santiago in a smaller group, and spend our day focused on the destination instead of worrying about getting back to the ship.
A Coruña, Spain
Our next port brought us to A Coruña, in the Galicia region of Spain. We spent the rainy morning getting our first look at this coastal city on an Oceania Cruises shore excursion. And it doesn’t take long to see where A Coruña gets its nickname, “Glass City”. Throughout the city, buildings are lined with distinctive glass-enclosed balconies that give the waterfront and historic center a look all their own.
This 3-hour tour took us through the historic streets, Maria Pita Square, and San Carlos Gardens before the main event, the Tower of Hercules. This UNESCO World Heritage Site dates to Roman times and is the only fully preserved Roman lighthouse still in use today. Impressive for something originally built nearly 2,000 years ago.
Today’s shorter tour meant we were finally able to relax a bit and enjoy an afternoon on the ship.
Gijón, Spain
Next up on the itinerary: Gijón, in the Asturias region of Spain. Our day in Gijón was part sightseeing, part history, and part learning that we had no idea how to properly pour cider. We started the day at a traditional Asturian cider cellar for a tour and tasting. Here, sidra isn’t simply poured into a glass. The bottle is held high overhead and the cider falls into the glass below, helping to aerate it and bring out its flavor and aroma. Yes, it looks much easier when the professionals do it.
We then continued the tour with views over Gijón and the Asturian coastline from the Providencia viewpoint, a visit to the Universidad Laboral, and a walk through Gijón’s Old Town.
This 4-hour tour was unique and definitely something we’d book again. It also gave us another free afternoon to catch up on work and do some laundry. (Self-service laundry rooms are available and complimentary to all guests on Oceania Marina.)
Santander, Spain
Another day, another port stop. This time, Santander in Spain’s Cantabria region. Pre-cruise, both tours to Santillana, the historic medieval town, were sold out. But we were able to secure the 4.5-hour Santillana and Comillas tour with Oceania once onboard the ship.
From Santander, the capital of Cantabria, we headed inland to see two of its best-preserved villages, Santillana del Mar and Comillas. First was Santillana del Mar, where cobblestone streets, centuries-old towers, and stone buildings made it feel like we had stepped back into the Middle Ages. We visited the town’s 12th-century Collegiate Church, one of the highlights of this remarkably well-preserved medieval village.
Then the scenery and the architecture shifted completely in Comillas. This seaside town became a fashionable summer spot for Spain’s elite in the early 20th century. Today, it’s filled with some pretty impressive architecture, including Sobrellano Palace, the Pontifical University, and El Capricho — one of Antoni Gaudí’s earliest works. Its colorful sunflower-adorned, brick-and-ceramic exterior definitely gives you a glimpse of the distinctive style he would later become famous for.
Bilbao, Spain (Overnight)
Bilbao was a change to our original itinerary, since our scheduled stop in St. Jean-de-Luz was cancelled due to swells. Oceania replaced this stop with an overnight in Bilbao instead. Because the swap was last minute, the cruise line wasn’t able to pull together many shore excursions. So, we did something we had never done on a cruise before. We had ChatGPT map out a walking route that hit the city’s highlights.
The route ran about 4.5 miles, starting and ending near Palacio Euskalduna, the ship’s shuttle location. While Oceania did offer complimentary shuttle service into town, there was some miscommunication about the schedule. Thus, we ended up taking an Uber from our ship in Getxo to the Guggenheim Museum to start our day.
Our self-guided walking tour took us past the exterior of the Guggenheim Bilbao, across the striking Zubizuri bridge, and past Bilbao City Hall. We then continued into the Casco Viejo, Bilbao’s old town. We wandered through Plaza Nueva, admired Santiago Cathedral, and explored the narrow pedestrian streets, before finishing at the Mercado de la Ribera. From there, we worked our way back through the newer part of the city before catching our shuttle back to the ship.
What started as an unexpected itinerary change turned into a fantastic day of sightseeing. Bilbao was a great port to explore independently, with so many of its major sights within walking distance of each other. And while a little sunshine would have been nice, the overcast weather didn’t stop us.
Because Bilbao was our final stop and the ship was docked here overnight, we were not rushed. We took our time on the walk, then headed back onboard to pack and have a last dinner, and disembarked the next morning in Bilbao for our flight home.
What Oceania Marina Is Like on a Port-Heavy Sailing
With a new port every day, Oceania Marina was a great backdrop to the destinations.
Food is a big part of the Oceania experience, and there was no shortage of it on Marina. Between the four specialty restaurants, the Grand Dining Room, and the casual spots, with plenty of coffee stops and desserts along the way too, we had a hard time sampling it all in seven days.
One thing we love is that the specialty restaurants are not an extra charge on Oceania Cruises. Guests can dine at the Polo Grill steakhouse, Red Ginger Pan Asian restaurant, the Italian Toscana, and the French-inspired Jacques with no cover charges. This is in addition to the Grand Dining Room featuring rotating menus each evening, the Terrace Cafe buffet which featured a special Chef’s Market dinner, Aquamar Kitchen serving up healthier options for breakfast and lunch, and the Waves Grill with delicious options like the surf and turf burger. There’s also complimentary room service, ice cream, a pizzeria in the evenings, and snacks at the coffee house Baristas.
Beyond dining, much more is included in the Oceania fare. It includes things like specialty coffee, soda, basic WiFi, gratuities, and the self-service laundry that we definitely put to use after all those days ashore. Guests can also opt for complimentary wine and beer with lunch and dinner, or take a shore excursion credit instead. While not fully all-inclusive, Oceania Cruises definitely includes more in its fares than mainstream cruise lines.
Not to mention, this was also our first time sailing Oceania since the line became adults-only earlier this year. And it made the whole week feel more relaxed and grown-up.
With long days ashore, we did not miss the other activities and amenities that you’d find on contemporary megaships. The destinations are the whole point. That said, the one real miss was enrichment during our sailing. Beyond the upcharge cooking classes in the Culinary Center, there were no talks, lectures, or activities tied to the itinerary.
Still, there was plenty to do between ports. From cocktails and live music in the evenings (with 2-for-1 Happy Hour specials); to daily trivia, quizzes, and games; outdoor activities like pickleball, shuffleboard, and golf; and mediocre productions in the theater, we were never bored. Not to mention, there’s also a pool, hot tubs, fitness center, and a spa.
Heads up for anyone booking soon: Marina is heading into dry dock for a major refresh October 2026. Every stateroom will be redesigned with new layouts, furniture, and bathrooms. Enhancements will be made across all public spaces as well, including the addition of the Founders Bar (replacing the Casino Bar), a new Chef’s Studio (replacing the Artist Loft), and The Bakery (being added to Baristas).
Our full Oceania Marina ship review is coming soon!
Should You Book a Portugal and Spain Cruise with Oceania?
If you want new-to-you destinations, a small adults-only ship, and great food, you will likely love this Iberian coast itinerary and Oceania Cruises.
It is probably not the right fit if you want sea days to relax, big-ship entertainment and activities, or if you are traveling with kids, since Oceania is adults-only now.
Seven ports. Two countries. A lot of walking. Probably even more eating. And a corner of Europe that was entirely new to us. This made our week on Oceania Marina hard to beat! While the weather was rainy most of the trip and we were exhausted by the end, we wouldn’t hesitate to book a similar itinerary again.
Comments
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