Oceania Cruises' Marina: Where luxury, value and outstanding food create the perfect cruise balance

If you were Goldilocks, you'd be very pleased with Marina, and get far more than just a bowl of porridge and a comfortable bed. This isn't a ship trying to wow you with ridiculous waterslide gimmicks or bling or sheer bulk. It isn't too small for pleasantries such as a spa, theatre and multiple dining venues, yet not so large that you feel as if a chunk of Las Vegas has slipped its moorings and floated out to sea. After you've experienced it from bow to stern, you might conclude there's a lot that is just right about this well-imagined vessel.

Oceania Cruises has created an interesting niche for itself. It's a step above upper-premium big ships but not quite at the increasingly all-inclusive, luxury small-ship level. With 1250 passengers, it sits in the middle for size, too. For its price point, it does exceedingly well. Fares are reasonable and, though you'll still be charged supplements for the likes of shore excursions, alcohol, Wi-Fi and gratuities, you do get complimentary soft drinks and coffee, and all but one of its specialty dining experiences are included.

The latter is more than just a nice perk. On some cruise ships, you cough up $60 extra for a meal that doesn't match what you'd get in a decent onshore restaurant. Marina's dining experiences are generally excellent. If you're the sort of traveller to prioritise good food over free-flowing cheap wine or the dubious delights of free Wi-Fi, look no further.

Oceania claims "the finest cuisine at sea" and only occasionally falls short. Its culinary credentials extend to food-themed shore excursions, wine seminars and hands-on cooking classes at the on-board Culinary Centre, also featured on sister ship Riviera. Depending on the destination, you can tackle knife skills and grilling techniques, or learn to cook Nordic, Spanish or Greek cuisine, after which you can tuck into your own creations.

One of the culinary classes invites you to tackle some of specialty restaurant Red Ginger's favourite dishes, such as lobster pad thai and spicy duck and watermelon salad. Red Ginger is undoubtedly the best pan-Asian restaurant at sea and the most popular of the on-board specialty restaurants.The others are Jacques for French bistro fare and traditional country cuisine, Toscana for Italian (with particularly good pastas), and Polo Grill for steaks, chops and seafood. Only La Reserve attracts a supplement, and it's well worth the splurge. It provides possibly the best dining experience on any ship, with a seven-course menu and matching wines. Just 24 guests an evening tingle their taste buds with the likes of lobster soufflé, fillet of sole and beef tenderloin with stuffed mushrooms, a showcase of classical 19th-century French cuisine.

Regular dining venues, including buffet venue Terrace Café, are also impressive. In the evenings in the Grand Dining Room, the main restaurant, you can tuck into the likes of mussels in white wine, red onion soup with ginger foam or peppercorn steak in brandy sauce, then finish with a citrus tart and pistachio ice-cream, or chocolate-passionfruit volcano with caramel lava. The restaurant has an attractive brown and gold décor and, being at the ship's bow, is flooded with light, abetted in the evenings by a huge central chandelier.

The odd Murano chandelier that sparkles like a disco ball in choppy seas, plus a Grand Staircase in the atrium created by Lalique, provide the only real bling. The ambience is country-club relaxed and the décor designer-chic without being brassy. Built in 2011 and refurbished in 2016, Marina is spacious, elegant and upmarket, yet avoids the reverent atmosphere of some luxury lines. It's a lovely ship that never sets out to provoke but offers graceful, satisfying décor almost everywhere you look. And it's worth looking. Some of the artworks include sketches by Picasso, Miró and Damien Hirst. Impressive contemporary sculptures grace stairwell landings, wrought-iron railings have a gracious art deco sensibility, and arresting glassware is everywhere.