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Making Dreams Come True
By Land & Sea!
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blog post
March 13th 2010
The recent Marina float-out and Riviera steel cutting visually demonstrated the strength of today's cruise industry. We were invited to see Oceania Cruises' first ever purpose-built ship, the Marina - weighing 65,000 tons able to carry 1,252 passengers, which will begin operation in January 2011. How appropriate to visit the hometown port of Christopher Columbus where he dreamed of sailing the same seas that the Marina and Riviera will soon voyage upon.
On our arrival to the Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa, Italy, we saw the Marina in a dry dock, a sloped concrete birthplace, propped-up and awaiting the four to seven days it needs to fill with water. After a heart-warming ship-yard ceremony, where both the Italian and the American anthems were played, we left Genoa with three epiphanies:
1. If you ever want to keep a secret it's best to tell Oceania. No one knew about the Riviera and it was a total surprise! So was being able to sign the steel on behalf of Cruise Planners. Will there be a third ship? Oceania has a non-exercised option for a third ship, and if the pent-up demand for cruising that our agencies are experiencing in 2010 is any indication, there will likely be another visit to Genoa.
2. If you thought Oceania paid attention to detail before - your customers haven't seen anything yet. Frank Del Rio, chairman and CEO of parent company Prestige Cruise holdings, Bob Binder and the rest of the team have personally selected unique interior design elements down to the smallest detail, making the BIG vision of Oceania come alive. For example, they've created a new Tranquility Bedding package with chamomile infused linens and a gel (versus memory foam) mattress, which takes the 'best sleep at sea contest' to the next level.
These decisions were not made in a vacuum. They sought out their top repeat guests and travel professionals to approve the final design of accommodations. They even went so far as to take a select group to the Italian shipyard to view full-scale stateroom mock-ups. Those selected 'kicked the tires,' so to speak, by unpacking suitcases to test the storage space, along with the showers (where a 6'4" agent was very pleased to see that he fit quite nicely) and of course, try out those new beds.
According to Del Rio, "The staterooms and suites were universally described as glamorous. Our guests said 'wow' the moment they opened the door."
3. Lastly, food, cuisine, gastronomy, whatever you want to call it, they are doing it, and in double the number of restaurants than their other three ships. From individual galleys throughout the ship making every item from scratch, to the only true Bon Appétit Culinary Center at sea where you make your meal with a master chef, it's all about the food! Oceania's signature "finest cuisine at sea" will be experienced in six restaurants, including two new gourmet venues - Jacques and Red Ginger. Her new La Reserve holds enlightening wine and food pairings. For special coffees and snacks, there is Baristas Coffee Bar.
Bringing this experience back home to our agents so they can sell this innovative new product is what's most important. We took over 60 videos onboard the Marina and in the shipyard so they can understand the essence of Marina before she ever sails because we know Oceania will deliver!
Where will the Marina be cruising? Its maiden voyage departs Barcelona to Miami on January 22, 2011, a 13-day voyage with pricing starting from $1,499. In terms of destinations and ports of call, the Marina will pick up the Regatta's current itinerary visiting the Caribbean, the Amazon and the Panama Canal in the winter. In spring and fall, Marina will visit the Western Med and in the summer, Scandinavia and Russia.
Oceania has broken the "R ship" mold with the Marina and Riviera. They took the best of both worlds: the successful features that are enjoyed today on Oceania's fleet and the added "F Factor" - or the Frank (Del Rio) Factor - to make these two new ships unparalleled in their class. What could make it even better? A third ship, of course!
Story by Terri Burke, CTC, Cruise Planners
On our arrival to the Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa, Italy, we saw the Marina in a dry dock, a sloped concrete birthplace, propped-up and awaiting the four to seven days it needs to fill with water. After a heart-warming ship-yard ceremony, where both the Italian and the American anthems were played, we left Genoa with three epiphanies:
1. If you ever want to keep a secret it's best to tell Oceania. No one knew about the Riviera and it was a total surprise! So was being able to sign the steel on behalf of Cruise Planners. Will there be a third ship? Oceania has a non-exercised option for a third ship, and if the pent-up demand for cruising that our agencies are experiencing in 2010 is any indication, there will likely be another visit to Genoa.
2. If you thought Oceania paid attention to detail before - your customers haven't seen anything yet. Frank Del Rio, chairman and CEO of parent company Prestige Cruise holdings, Bob Binder and the rest of the team have personally selected unique interior design elements down to the smallest detail, making the BIG vision of Oceania come alive. For example, they've created a new Tranquility Bedding package with chamomile infused linens and a gel (versus memory foam) mattress, which takes the 'best sleep at sea contest' to the next level.
These decisions were not made in a vacuum. They sought out their top repeat guests and travel professionals to approve the final design of accommodations. They even went so far as to take a select group to the Italian shipyard to view full-scale stateroom mock-ups. Those selected 'kicked the tires,' so to speak, by unpacking suitcases to test the storage space, along with the showers (where a 6'4" agent was very pleased to see that he fit quite nicely) and of course, try out those new beds.
According to Del Rio, "The staterooms and suites were universally described as glamorous. Our guests said 'wow' the moment they opened the door."
3. Lastly, food, cuisine, gastronomy, whatever you want to call it, they are doing it, and in double the number of restaurants than their other three ships. From individual galleys throughout the ship making every item from scratch, to the only true Bon Appétit Culinary Center at sea where you make your meal with a master chef, it's all about the food! Oceania's signature "finest cuisine at sea" will be experienced in six restaurants, including two new gourmet venues - Jacques and Red Ginger. Her new La Reserve holds enlightening wine and food pairings. For special coffees and snacks, there is Baristas Coffee Bar.
Bringing this experience back home to our agents so they can sell this innovative new product is what's most important. We took over 60 videos onboard the Marina and in the shipyard so they can understand the essence of Marina before she ever sails because we know Oceania will deliver!
Where will the Marina be cruising? Its maiden voyage departs Barcelona to Miami on January 22, 2011, a 13-day voyage with pricing starting from $1,499. In terms of destinations and ports of call, the Marina will pick up the Regatta's current itinerary visiting the Caribbean, the Amazon and the Panama Canal in the winter. In spring and fall, Marina will visit the Western Med and in the summer, Scandinavia and Russia.
Oceania has broken the "R ship" mold with the Marina and Riviera. They took the best of both worlds: the successful features that are enjoyed today on Oceania's fleet and the added "F Factor" - or the Frank (Del Rio) Factor - to make these two new ships unparalleled in their class. What could make it even better? A third ship, of course!
Story by Terri Burke, CTC, Cruise Planners
Oceania surprised guests at the Marina's float-out with the steel cutting of the Riviera
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