New culinary experiences unveiled for Oceania Cruises’ newest ship, Sirena

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 05 October 2015 05 October 2015

Oceania Cruises announced last week that Sirena – the newest member of the Oceania Cruises fleet set to debut in April 2016 – will feature two new specialty restaurants: Tuscan Steak and Red Ginger. Additionally, the line recognized for serving the finest cuisine at sea will transform the Grand Dining Room into Jacques Bistro for lunch, offering an exclusive menu featuring some of legendary chef Jacques Pépin’s signature dishes.

The overwhelming popularity of Red Ginger and Jacques on the line’s recent new builds, Marina and Riviera, led Oceania Cruises to add variations of these remarkable dining experiences to the more intimate, 684-guest Sirena.

“The addition of Tuscan Steak, Red Ginger and Jacques Bistro to Sirena further exemplifies our commitment to epicurean excellence and steadfast focus on serving our guests the finest cuisine at sea,” said Jason Montague, president and chief operating officer for Oceania Cruises. “These new dining experiences, along with Sirena’s collection of unique, destination-rich itineraries will provide guests with another exciting choice within the Oceania Cruises’ portfolio.”

Sirena will be the first ship in the Oceania Cruises fleet to offer this collection of exquisite dining options, providing guests with new culinary indulgences to explore.

Tuscan Steak, a completely new restaurant concept inspired by both Oceania Cruises’ traditional steak house, Polo Grill, and the line’s authentic Italian restaurant, Toscana, is destined to become an instant classic. The innovative and diverse menu offers succulent steaks and seafood with a Tuscan flair, cooked to perfection and expertly served in an elegant, contemporary setting. Its eclectic menu will offer authentic favorites that celebrate the passion and tradition of Italian dining, while continuing to offer savory steakhouse fare. Among its varied and delectable offerings will be the signature Tuscan porterhouse, bistecca alla fiorentina; iberico de bellota pork chop with gaeta black olives; and Maine lobster fra diavolo.

Featuring glossy wood paneling with a platinum and silver color scheme and hardwood floors, the motif at Tuscan Steak is a modernized treatment of the classic steakhouse. Adorning the entrance will be a stunning wine cellar featuring an extensive selection of the fine vintages to perfectly complement the meal.

Red Ginger, the beloved contemporary Asian-inspired restaurant currently available on Marina and Riviera, will offer familiar culinary delights such Miso Glazed Sea Bass and Lobster Pad Thai. The restaurant’s décor features vibrant red crystal chandeliers, ebony wood furnishings and a striking collection of modern Asian artwork. The stylish, contemporary décor is a study in feng shui, and perfectly complements the restaurant’s Pan-Asian cuisine.

Available for lunch, Jacques Bistro will transport guests to an authentic Parisian bistro in Sirena’s Grand Dining Room. Inspired by Oceania Cruises’ Executive Culinary Director and world-renowned Master Chef Jacques Pépin’s namesake restaurant on Marina and Riviera, the bistro will offer simple and elegant French fare. As evidenced by its hand-written chalkboard displaying the day’s specialty items, Jacques Bistro will convey a comfortable and warm mid-day charm.

The menu at Jacques Bistro will be seasonal in nature, with its hot weather menu focused on grilled and short-cooked fare, and its cold weather menu featuring more sauce- and stew-oriented dishes. Menu highlights include lemon sole fillet with seafood cream sauce, free-range chicken fricassee, and braised oxtail terrine.

The 684-passenger Sirena will offer diverse and destination-rich itineraries appealing to both seasoned world travelers and passionate cruisers who crave a more intimate and luxurious cruise experience. Before entering service the ship will be elevated to Oceania Cruises’ standard of elegance by undergoing a 35-day, $40 million refurbishment. The ship’s decks will be resplendent in the finest teak, custom stone and tile work; and its lounges, suites and staterooms will be completely refreshed, including major design changes to the Owner’s Suites, Vista Suites and Horizons Lounge.

Following the design blueprint of its sister ships Regatta, Insignia and Nautica, Sirena will feature a world-class fitness center and spa, six lounges and bars, a casino, and 342 lavish suites and luxurious staterooms, nearly 70% of which feature private verandas.

Sirena is scheduled to enter service on April 27, 2016 with a 14-night cruise from Barcelona to Venice. During its inaugural season, the ship will feature a mix of classic destinations and exotic new ports of call, including the famed beaches of Gaeta, Italy; the pristine rainforest of Golfito, Costa Rica; and the well-preserved provincial township of La Paz, Mexico.

The recent expansion of OLife Advantage, the line’s early booking incentive program, provides guests who book any suite or stateroom category on Sirena or any of its sister ships by Dec. 31, 2015 with numerous complimentary amenities, including free shore excursions, unlimited Internet and pre-paid gratuities.

CLIA Spain launches weeklong online campaign

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 05 October 2015 05 October 2015

Alan Lam reporting

From 5th to 11th of October, six major cruise brands operating in the Spanish market will make available to their customers various discounts, special promotions and competitive offers via CLIA Spain website.

For the first time in its brief history, CLIA Spain will roll out the so-called “Vente de crucero” campaign, which is known in other European markets as “CLIA Cruise Week. The objective of this exercise is to promote a greater awareness among the Spanish population in general “the offers, experiences and itineraries” of this form of holidaying, which is so far enjoyed by about half a million Spaniards each years.

During the week, potential cruise customers will be able to benefit from special promotions and discounts by visiting CLIA Spain website and make bookings “under conditions very advantageous over offers by any travel agents”.

“We are very proud to launch in our country an initiative that has been, for years, proven to be successful in other markets such as those in the USA, Australia, the UK and France,” said Alfredo Serrano, Director of CLIA Spain. “With this move we hope to bring cruises closer to the public so that they may be able to enjoy the variety of possibilities and services the industry has to offer.”

“Vente de crucero” is exclusively an online campaign, participated and endorsed by Costa Crociere, CroisiEurope, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Pullmantur, and Royal Caribbean International. It is a heavily social media oriented initiative, developed by Ontwice, involving YouTube and Twitter, with hashtag #Ventedecrucero. The move is quite a departure from CLIA’s usual travel agent focused strategy.

Costa Cruises presents its Sustainability Report and Plan

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 05 October 2015 05 October 2015

Costa Cruises has presented its "Sustainability Report -- Results for 2014 and Outlook for the Future" and outlined its corporate social responsibility plan for the coming years.

Divided into three sections titled "SEA," "YOU" and "TOMORROW," the report highlights the main sustainability results achieved by the company. The final section, dealing with the plan, defines Costa's objectives and route for the future in terms of both the product and innovation, and the path to sustainable growth.

The report can be downloaded from the new "Sustainability" section of Costa Cruises' website at www.costacruise.com/sustainability.

"SEA": Costa Cruises is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of its operations. The line achieves that through a series of initiatives aimed at careful use of energy resources, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption, and efficient waste management.

The main results in the environmental field obtained in 2014 were:
(year-over-year percentage reduction)
-9 percent decrease in fuel consumption per passenger/day
-3 percent reduction in the company's carbon footprint
-Emission reductions equal to -4 percent tons of sulphur dioxide, -7 percent tons of nitrous oxide and gases produced during fuel combustion processes
-9.7 percent reduction in energy consumption
-Installation of the exhaust gas cleaning system for abatement of emissions on seven ships in the fleet
-Replacement of existing light globes with lower-consumption LED lights on all the ships in the fleet: 450,000 globes were replaced, resulting in 80 percent energy savings
-100 percent of materials and products consumed on board collected and separated for disposal and recycling
-1.36 percent reduction in water consumption on the ships, 68 percent of which is produced directly on board by means of special desalination plants

"YOU": Costa works constantly to build solid relations with local organizations to create economic and, above all, social value. Indeed, the links with local communities go beyond simply taking many thousands of tourists to the finest destinations all over the world. The presence of the Italian company brings significant benefits to the local economy in each place visited, generating new opportunities for business and employment, both directly and through the development of allied industries.

To give an idea of the scale of this positive impact, Costa has over 8,800 suppliers on five continents and its ships sail to 261 ports of call located all over the world, with 21 new destinations added in 2014.

Specific examples include development and expansion of operations in the homeport of Savona, Italy, where Costa Cruises opened a second terminal building at the Palacrociere, and the partnership with the Municipality of Genoa promoting the city's UNESCO World Heritage–listed Palazzi dei Rolli (once used to provide accommodations to visiting dignitaries).

Costa's operations lead to the creation of jobs both indirectly and directly through the recruitment of company employees: in 2014 Costa Cruises provided work for 4,000 new shipboard hires in the 18- to 30-year-old age group employed under industry-specific contracts.

"TOMORROW": Costa's commitment for the future translates into the planning and implementation of highly innovative corporate social responsibility projects. In July, Costa Cruises announced it had placed orders for the construction of the first two cruise ships in the world to be powered by liquefied natural gas, the world's cleanest burning fossil fuel. The ships are due to enter service in 2019 and 2020.

That entails a substantial investment and ushers in a new era of sustainable fuels. Costa Cruises' pioneering decision to introduce these vessels is a prime example of the way the company initiates industry trends, while guaranteeing environmental compliance and protection.

Costa is committed to promoting a healthy and sustainable food experience for guests and crewmembers by fostering local culinary traditions and sourcing local ingredients, with a particular emphasis on Italian dishes and the Mediterranean diet. Accordingly, priority is given to supplies of fresh food in different ports of call, with 25 percent of fresh produce purchased locally, thus bringing about a substantial reduction in the impact generated by logistics activities. The involvement of partner suppliers committed to responsible management of the supply chain also testifies to the Italian company’s policy of adopting and promoting a sustainable food model.

The 2014 Sustainability Report is audited by Price Waterhouse Coopers. It is drawn up in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)-G4 guidelines (disclosure at Core application level), setting it apart from similar documents issued by other cruise lines.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. opens Australia office

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 01 October 2015 01 October 2015

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. today marked the opening of the company’s first office the Pacific Region, with a new sales and marketing centre based in Sydney, Australia. The new office signifies the further international expansion of the company to support a growing worldwide demand for cruise travel.

The office represents the company’s three brands: Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Industry veteran Steve Odell is leading the office as Senior Vice President and Managing Director Australia & New Zealand for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. and is joined by a leadership team with broad travel industry experience including: Lisa Pile, Vice President of Sales Australia/New Zealand for Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises; Nicole Costantin, Vice President of Sales Australia/New Zealand for Norwegian Cruise Line; Ben Angell, Vice President Marketing Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Australia; and Elizabeth Krstevski, Operations/Contact Centre Manager Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Australia.

“Today marks an exciting day in the history of our company, as we further expand our global team to serve the greater Australasia region,” said Odell. “With this new office, we can now better support our travel partners as they serve their guests across the spectrum from contemporary to luxury cruising, offering sales and marketing support and a dedicated Sydney based call centre for our three brands.”

Odell will be responsible for the continued growth of the company’s presence in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands and differentiating each brand’s unique offerings.

He has played a key role in the establishment of the luxury cruise segment in Australasia since 2000, with various positions in the luxury cruise sector and CLIA in the region.

Pile, most recently the Executive Director of Global Luxury Sales for Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, brings a strong base of knowledge from the luxury sector, managing more than 600 high-yield accounts across the globe in her previous role. In her new position, she will offer sales and marketing support within Australasia for upper premium line Oceania Cruises and luxury line Regent Seven Seas Cruises, with a focus on the line’s newest ship, Regent Seven Seas Explorer, the most luxurious ship ever built, debuting next summer.

Costantin brings a wealth of knowledge from her seven years leading sales and marketing efforts for Star Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line in the region to her new role as Vice President of Sales. In this new role, she will focus on providing travel partners with the tools and education necessary to be successful in selling Norwegian Cruise Line’s unique proposition of offering freedom and flexibility to guests during their cruise holiday.

Angell joins NCLH from Virgin Australia and will bring more than seventeen years of award-winning experience. He will support the company’s three brands with strategic planning, marketing and engagement campaigns for both trade and consumers.

Krstevski, joins from The Cruise Team with previous key positions in product management and operations. She brings more than ten years of cruise industry experience to the company and will be responsible for managing the call center for the three brands and ensuring the highest levels of customer service.