Tag Archives: Regatta

Oceania Cruises plans to completely revamp two of its ships, Riviera and Marina

Posted on by
Reply

Oceania Cruises plans to completely revamp two of its ships, Riviera and Marina, and give them a full “stem-to-stern” overhaul.

The undertaking, which will be completed over the course of this year and next, is the next step in its ongoing OceaniaNEXT programme.


Once completed, Oceania said it would proudly deploy a fully refreshed fleet comprising brand new or “better-than-new” ships in every destination.


Oceania expects Riviera to re-enter service in December 2022 and Marina in November 2023. Each ship will accommodate 1,210 guests.


Every suite and stateroom will be renovated, while public spaces will feature a refreshed colour palette, new fabrics, furnishings and light fittings.


“At Oceania Cruises, we continue to raise the bar and elevate the guest experience at every opportunity,” said president and chief executive Howard Sherman.


He added the work would extend to new culinary concepts and “immersive new destination experiences”.

Riviera will debut on 7 December sailing a 16-day Mediterranean, Atlantic and Caribbean cruise from Rome to Miami.


It will then resume sailing seven- to 14-day trips from Miami to the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America before returning to Europe in late March 2023. An inaugural Far East season will follow in late 2023 and early 2024.


Marina, meanwhile, will return to service on 13 November 2023 sailing a seven-day cruise from Barcelona to Lisbon. From Lisbon, Marina will sail to Miami to sail its annual South America season, starting 3 December 2023.
Details of Oceania’s 2024 itineraries will follow in the coming weeks.


Oceania’s other ships – Insignia, Regatta, Sirena and latterly Nautica – have all been refreshed, with Nautica returning to service on 1 April.

Western Australia Committed to Growing Cruise Business

Posted on by
Reply
Ovation of the Seas arrives in Perth

“The State Government (of Western Australia) is committed to growing the cruise industry by addressing regulation and infrastructure issues,” said Tourism WA (Western Australia) Acting CEO Stephen Wood.

Among the changes for cruise operators, casino operations are permitted when ships are traveling between WA ports.

With nine ports, including Perth as a key homeport, WA is in close proximity to ships coming from Southeast Asia, offering a variety of niche destinations.

Mid-West Ports recently installed two sets of shore tension units for Geraldton, Wood said, to ensure reliable berthing. There is also funding heading to Kimberly Ports to purchase an all-tide gangway system for the Port of Broome.

In Exmouth, a steering group has been formed to enhance anchor and tender operations. Wood said Exmouth was a transformational cruise port that holds the key to growth for WA.

“Perth and the port city of Fremantle are also undergoing massive transformations, thanks to unprecedented levels of public and private investment, making both more attractive places to visit,” Wood told Cruise Industry News. “Perth has seen redevelopments on a huge scale including improvements at Perth Airport and the Elizabeth Quay waterfront precinct. Fremantle is undergoing major redevelopment, with more than $1 billion in the investment pipeline. New small bars, restaurants, cafes and retail precincts have popped up in both cities, giving cruise visitors many shore options for dining and shopping.”

Recent highlights included the Queen Mary 2 making a visit to Busselton, with a return call planned in February 2018. The Ovation of the Seas called in Fremantle last December and comes back earlier this year, with a November call on the books.

This coming season will see 44 cruise ship visits for Fremantle, a small decline as some capacity has been moved elsewhere. Cruise & Maritime Voyages is a key customer, homeporting the Astor for a fifth consecutive season.

Inaugural visits are scheduled by the Regatta, Ocean Dream, Azamara Journey, L’Austral, Seven Seas Navigator and Golden Princess.

Tourism WA is pushing its strategy to make its nine ports a key cruise destination, by developing the necessary infrastructure to serve industry capacity, according to Wood.

“Since 2012, Tourism WA has helped to deliver 30 ‘Welcoming Cruise Passengers to the West’ workshops to more than 1,000 tour guides/drivers and volunteers across the state,” he said.

In addition is a newly accredited training program for tour guides funded by Tourism WA, which will debut in Geraldton, Busselton, and Albany.

Oceania touts new O Life incentives

Posted on by
Reply

Oceania Cruises is consolidating and expanding its early booking incentives programs under a new name, O Life Advantage.  “The O Life Advantage is a dramatic shift in the way to go to market,” said Jason Montague, Oceania’s president and CEO.Oceania has previously had incentives to encourage early bookings at favorable prices, but some sailings were excluded and programs varied in exact benefits, Montague said. 

Jason Montague
Jason Montague

The new, streamlined program is being offered on the 2016 summer season on veranda cabins and above for bookings made by Sept. 30.In addition to being more comprehensive, the O Life package of incentives includes a more robust offering of free shore excursions. O Life provides three free excursions per person on sailings up to nine days, four free excursions on journeys of between 10 and 13 days, and five free excursions on itineraries of 14 days or more.Prepaid gratuities and complimentary Internet are also part of the offer.Montague said bookings for the summer 2016 season opened in March.  With the addition of O Life benefits starting July 6, prices will rise about $300 per person, he said.Guests who are already booked and who qualify for O Life benefits can either rebook at the higher rate or stick with the more basic cruise, he said.Montague said agents will benefit from selling the more-inclusive O Life program because more of what would be onboard spending is bundled into Oceania’s commissionable fare“It gives them the ability to earn commissions on a good price point,” Montague said.

The details will also be easier to remember than the current lineup of incentive programs, he said.