Oceania Vista Ready for 2023 Debut

Oceania Vista Ready for 2023 Debut

Oceania Cruises' new ship, the Oceania Vista, is joining the fleet in 2023.

The cruise line’s newest ship is being constructed by Fincantieri, as is Oceania Vista’s sister ship scheduled to arrive in 2025. Both are part of the brand’s new Allura class of ships.

The Oceania Vista will deliver the “Finest Cuisine at Sea” according to the company, with personalized service and a range of dining options for guests to choose from.

Aside from casual dining experiences such as a poolside burger, the ship will also feature private dining venues as well as Privée, a special venue for bespoke culinary celebrations for a maximum of ten guests.

The 67,000-ton ship accommodating 1,200 guests will embark on its maiden voyage from Rome, Italy to Barcelona, Spain on April 14, 2023.

Itineraries include visits to 24 countries across four continents for in debut season.

The Oceania Vista’s inaugural 2023 season will include:
● Exploring the Spanish, French and Italian Rivieras
● Greek Isles
● Holy Lands of Turkey and Israel
● Canary Islands
● Wine Country of Spain,
● Portugal and France
● The British Isles and Ireland
● Colonial America and Panama Canal

The itineraries will feature overnight stays in Lisbon, Venice, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Bordeaux, Montreal and New York City. The ship will also explore off-the-beaten-paths such as Port-Vendres, Bodrum, Kavala/Philippi, Bozcaada, Chania, Izmir, Salerno, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Killybegs, Saint-Pierre, Shelburne, Martha’s Vineyard and Corinto.

On April 26, the ship will embark on a ten-day journey from Barcelona, Spain with calls to the ports of Grenada, Tangier, and Lisbon. On May 16, the Oceania Vista will set sail on a 14-day Mediterranean Visions voyage.

Viking Octantis Floats Out Ahead of 2022 Debut

Viking has announced its first expedition ship – the 378-guest Viking Octantis – was “floated out” at VARD, marking a major construction milestone and the first time that the new ship touches water.

Scheduled to debut in early 2022, the Viking Octantis will spend her maiden season sailing voyages to Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes.

A second, identical expedition ship, Viking Polaris, is set to debut in summer 2022 and will sail journeys to Antarctica and the Arctic. 

“Working with Fincantieri over the last eight years, we have built the world’s most beautiful ocean ships. We are pleased to continue our partnership with Fincantieri’s VARD and celebrate this important milestone in the construction of our first expedition vessel,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.

“In creating ‘the thinking person’s expedition,’ we are perfecting polar expedition cruising, and we will usher in a new era of comfortable exploration in the heart of North America. Viking Octantis and her sister ship, Viking Polaris, will allow our guests to explore further – to the ends of the earth as well as closer to home. I would like to thank our partners at VARD and everyone working at the yard for the hard work and dedication on the building of Viking Octantis; we look forward to welcoming her to our fleet in early 2022.”

The float out is significant because it denotes a ship moving into its final stage of construction. The float-out ceremony of the Viking Octantis took place on December 22; she was then moved to a nearby outfitting dock for further construction and interior build-out. After final outfitting, Viking Octantis will be delivered at Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard in Søviknes, Norway.

P&O Cruises' Britannia to make St Lucia debut in 2016

P&O Britannia

P&O Cruises' newest ship, Britannia, is to sail from St Lucia for the first time as part of its winter 2016-17 deployment in the Caribbean.

An expanded fly-cruise programme of new seven-night cruises alongside traditional 14-night winter sun itineraries went on sale yesterday (Thursday).

Britannia will run a total of 28 Caribbean cruises from St Lucia or Barbados during its second winter season in the region.

The ships will depart from the new Caribbean port for the first time on November 12, 2016 on a seven-night itinerary with calls into Dominica, Antigua, St Maarten and Barbados.

The line described St Lucia as a “must-see” Caribbean destination for its passengers.  

Marketing director, Christopher Edgington, said: “Introducing new itineraries which all depart or return St Lucia will offer a new dimension to our Caribbean cruises.

“St Lucia is a popular destination with passengers and no other cruise line has it as a home port, so we are looking to make the most of this by offering an exciting range of shore excursions to maximise the time there.

“It is also the first time we have offered a seven-night Caribbean cruise option. These new week-long itineraries will appeal to those wishing to escape the cold weather and see a number of destinations but who don’t have the time for a longer cruise.

“For passengers with more leisure time, our 14-night cruises provide the perfect opportunity to see more than seven islands in one holiday.”

Prices for seven-night Caribbean fly-cruises start at £1,099 per person for an inside cabin and a 14-nights from £1,299, including return flights from Gatwick.

Miami Dolphins cheerleaders to christen Norwegian Getaway

By Tom Stieghorst

South Florida's version of the Rockettes? That would be the Miami Dolphins cheerleading squad.

Norwegian Cruise Line announced that the cheerleaders for the NFL franchise will be godmothers of the Norwegian Getaway when the ship debuts in February.

Getaway is designed to sail year-round from Miami and be iconic of all things from South Florida. It has Latin restaurants, and a Miami artist designed the hull art.

As part of the package, Norwegian becomes the official cruise line of the Miami Dolphins and Sun Life Stadium, where the football team plays home games.

Previously, Norwegian picked Radio City Music Hall troupe The Rockettes to be godmothers of the New York-themed Norwegian Breakaway, which debuted earlier this year.

Regal Princess to arrive two weeks early

By Tom Stieghorst

Princess Cruises said the Regal Princess, a ship under construction, will arrive 13 days ahead of schedule, enabling the line to add two cruises.

Regal Princess' first cruise had been scheduled for June 2, but Princess has bumped that up to May 20.

The new maiden voyage will be a seven-day cruise from Venice to Athens with stops in the Greek islands of Corfu and Mykonos and an overnight call in Istanbul.

A second cruise will depart May 27 from Athens and spend six days calling on Kusadasi, Turkey; Santorini and Katakolon, Greece; and Dubrovnik, Croatia, on its way to Venice.

Passengers previously booked on the June 2 maiden voyage have until Nov. 15 to decide whether they want to take the new cruise instead of, or in addition to, their existing reservation.

Regal Princess will carry 3,650 passengers and is a sister ship to Royal Princess, which debut earlier this year.

Princess Cruises has announced that Captain Ed Perrin will be at the helm of its next new ship, Regal Princess, leading a senior officer team with more than 100 years of seagoing experience among them. The senior four-stripe team will also include Relief Captain Dino Sagani, Relief Captain John Foster, Chief Engineer Rosario Segreto, Hotel General Manager Dirk Brand, and Staff Captain Aldo Traverso.

Following in the wake of sister ship Royal Princess, Regal Princess launches in June 2014 for a season of Mediterranean cruising. The ship will offer the same dramatic features that have already made headlines on Royal Princess, including a soaring atrium, the dramatic over-water SeaWalk, the new Princess Live! television studio, a special Chef’s Table Lumiere, and balconies on all outside staterooms.

“It takes a talented team to bring out a new vessel of this caliber,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. “These skilled officers bring considerable seagoing and management skills to the new ship’s maiden season.”

Captain Ed Perrin – Captain Edward Perrin has been in command of numerous Princess ships since 2006, beginning with the former Tahitian Princess sailing in French Polynesia. Captain Perrin attended the College of Maritime Studies in Southampton and worked aboard several types of cargo ships before setting off aboard cruise ships. He then joined Princess in 1996. A native of Dorset on the South West Coast of England, Captain Perrin grew up watching the cargo ships and ocean liners sail from local ports, which sparked his growing desire to work at sea.

Relief Captain Dino Sagani – Captain Dino Sagani commanded a variety of Princess vessels, including Sea Princess, Dawn Princess, Sapphire Princess, Diamond Princess, and most recently as relief captain on Royal Princess. Sagani was born in Trieste on the North East Adriatic coast of Italy. Following the family tradition, he studied at the Nautical College in Trieste, which is one of the oldest Nautical Schools in Europe. On completion of his studies, he joined the Italian Navy, serving on a minesweeper during the first Gulf War. After the Navy, he joined Princess Cruises in 1995, where he quickly climbed the ranks and was promoted to captain in 2007.

Relief Captain John Foster – Captain John Foster has most recently commanded Sea Princess and Grand Princess. Foster started his seagoing career as an officer cadet with Esso tankers at the age of 16. After completing his cadetship, he joined his first Princess ship – the original Royal Princess. He was also assigned to the new build projects of Dawn Princess, Grand Princess and Island Princess. Foster was born in the maritime city of Liverpool, on the banks of the river Mersey, on the North West coast of England, where he still resides.

Chief Engineer Rosario Segreto – Chief Engineer Rosario Segreto has held this position for Princess Cruises since 1999 and is now one of the most senior chief engineers in the Princess fleet. In 2010, he was asked to participate in the design and development of the new class of ships, Royal Princess and Regal Princess, and has spent the past several years working extensively with the shipbuilding team. Segreto is from the small town of Villamassargia on the island of Sardinia, Italy, and graduated from the Nautical School in Cagliari, Sardinia in 1980. He began his career at sea as a cadet engineer on tanker and cargo ships. He joined Princess Cruises in 1988.

Hotel General Manager Dirk Brand – Hotel General Manager Dirk Brand will oversee all hotel functions aboard Regal Princess, a position he has held aboard a variety of Princess ships, including most recently Royal Princess and Ruby Princess during the ships’ inaugurals. He has also worked aboard the ships of sister company Cunard. Brand was born in Berlin, Germany and grew up in Munich. After completing his education and apprenticeship in hotel management, he served with the Air Force in Sardinia, Italy. Fluent in three languages, Brand began his career at sea in 1998 as a senior assistant food and beverage director during the inaugural season of Grand Princess. He currently resides in Spain.

Staff Captain Aldo Traverso – Head of the deck department and second in command to the captain, Staff Captain Aldo Traverso joined Princess in 1998 aboard the original Regal Princess. A native of Genova, Italy, Traverso graduated from that city’s Nautical Institute, after which he served in the Navy – first at the Naval Academy in Livorno and then on board a Navy vessel. His Princess career began as an able seaman fireman, after which he rose swiftly through the ranks to his current position. Today, Traverso resides in the Piemonte region of Italy.

Regal Princess, will debut on June 2, 2014 with a seven-day inaugural voyage from Venice to Barcelona. The ship will then sail on a 10-day Mediterranean & Aegean cruise, followed by a season of Princess’ signature Grand Mediterranean cruises, with two itinerary choices.