Upper-Premium Line To Debut Private Country Estate Aura On Marina

By Avid Cruiser Contributing Editor Susan J. Young, who operates the web site Southern Cruising (full credits and more about Susan at the bottom of this story)

After visiting Fincantieri Sestri Ponente yard in Genoa, Italy, I’ve changed my perspective about what to expect on Oceania Cruises’ new, 66,000-ton Marina. Frankly, I assumed the new design would simply replicate a pampering boutique hotel feel; that’s certainly trendy these days.  Read more... (1741 words, 9 images, estimated 6:58 mins reading time)

Why I Wish I Were Frank Del Rio

I’m successful, well-educated (go Tar Heels!), well-traveled, have fulfilled most of my dreams, parent two lovely children and enjoy a good lifestyle. But despite all of those trimmings of a happy life, I’ve decided that I no longer want to be me. No. I’m finished with this persona. From now on, I want to be Frank Del Rio.

FDR, of course, is the out-spoken Chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings, parent of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. I say outspoken because FDR, with all respect, has no filter. He says what’s on his mind, and most times that’s refreshing and insightful, as you’ll read in the Q&A below.

He has made a fortune, rising from the ashes of Renaissance Cruises, which, in failing financial health, ceased operations on September 25, 2001. Like the mythical Phoenix, FDR flapped his expansive wings (with two former Renaissance vessels tucked underneath) and launched the upper-premium brand Oceania Cruises in 2002. It was pure genius.

FDR and company had found an untapped niche tucked between the premium brands and the luxury brands. Oceania’s positioning of upper premium not only had marketing cachet, but also appealed to a whole lot of people, which is why eight years later, Oceania’s three vessels still have a huge and loyal following, and why the company is building not one, but two, new ships.

The reason I want to be FDR is not because he’s rich (though I wouldn’t mind having a bulging wallet) but because of his passion and commitment. FDR knows what his brand stands for, and equally important, what it does not. I only wish I had such clarity of focus.

Thinking about it, it’s probably a good thing I do not inhabit FDR’s persona, because let’s be frank (ha!), I would have done something really dumb, like positioning the company as “lower luxury” instead of “upper premium.” And that would have never worked. Or would it? Let’s leave that for contemplation and go have a chat with the chief.

Q & A With Oceania’s Frank Del Rio

During a walkthrough of Oceania Marina, under construction in Genoa, Italy, Frank Del Rio, Chairman & CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings, talked with the Avid Cruiser about the new ship, the Oceania brand and the line's upper-premium positioning.

Ralph Grizzle: With Marina, you’re nearly doubling the capacity of your existing ships. What impact will that have on the guest experience?

Frank del Rio: There is an 80 percent increase in passenger capacity on Marina, but a 120 percent increase in the size of the ship, so the size makes for a more comfortable ship. The guest-to-space ratio is much higher on Marina than on our existing vessels.

[Editor's note: Oceania's newest ship will have similar capacity to Holland America Line "S Class" vessels, such as Maasdam, but Marina will have 25 percent more space.]

Also, we will have a higher crew-to-passenger ratio than we have on our existing ships [800 crew to 1,258 guests]. We’re elevating the Oceania experience by improving everything that we can — entertainment, the number of restaurant offerings, the guest-to-space ratio and so forth.  Read more... (1837 words, 1 image, estimated 7:21 mins reading time)

Owner's Suite On Oceania's Marina

Today, I head to Genoa for a preview of Oceania’s Marina, which will be floated out Friday at 12:15 Central European Time.

Please join the discussion by leaving comments and feel free to ask me questions to ask the Oceania execs.

Welcome to Toscana, one of two specialty restaurants on Oceania’s ships. There’s no additional charge to dine here, although there is a limit to the number of times you can dine at Toscana on a single cruise, not always rigidly enforced, depending on which category cabin you booked.  Read more... (178 words, 8 images, estimated 43 secs reading time)

As I turn 52 years old today, I take a moment to look back and where I’ve been and where I am headed.

“So do you have the best job in the world?” The question was asked by a waitress a few weeks ago in Toscana, the reservations-only restaurant on Oceania Cruises’ Regatta. I was there to photograph a few of the dishes, as I have done on many of the 200-plus cruises I’ve been on during the last two decades as a travel writer/photographer.

I always feel inclined to tell people that I am “on assignment” and not just some potentially weird guy traveling alone. It’s a strange introduction, I know, but I feel so privileged to do what I do for a living that I am almost embarrassed by it. Essentially, for the past 20 years, I have been paid to do something extraordinary: take vacations.  Read more... (515 words, estimated 2:04 mins reading time)

Over dinner in Regatta’s main dining room, an impeccably dressed man at the end of the table says, “I gain ten pounds every contract, and lose eight when I go home.”

Meet Bruno Haag, the knowledgeable and affable concierge on Oceania’s Regatta. He has an adult lifetime of experience at sea: seven years with venerable Royal Viking Line, three years with Silversea, and six years and counting at Oceania, where it appears he has found a permanent home. (Swiss-born, Bruno’s terra-firma home is in Australia.)  Read more... (342 words, 1 image, estimated 1:22 mins reading time)

For some passengers on Oceania Cruises, the favorite of four evening dining venues is the Terrace Cafe, especially when the ships overnight in destinations, such as Bordeaux, France (pictured in the background).  Read more... (93 words, 6 images, estimated 22 secs reading time)

If there is one document that symbolizes Oceania Cruises’ commitment to its customers, it’s the Mid-Cruise Comments form. Delivered to staterooms within the first few days of the cruise, the form allows guests to put forward suggestions that can “further enhance” their cruise experiences or to voice concerns about problems that can be rectified while on board.

 Read more... (177 words, 2 images, estimated 42 secs reading time)