Depending on the voyage and venue, appetizers might include Fresh Halibut Velouté – a creamy fish soup with saffron rice and julienne leeks – or Alaskan King Crab Legs, sure to be a guest favorite. Entrées may include Alaskan King Crab Risotto, Grilled Halibut with orange and red onion chutney and Thai-spice Encrusted Alaskan Halibut Filet.

From May 12 through August 26, 2011, Regatta will sail on 10- to 14-day voyages from Vancouver and San Francisco. Highlights include two full days of glacier cruising and a mix of marquee and off-the-beaten-path Inland Passage ports.  Fares for a ten-day voyage start at $3,499 per person, double occupancy and include round-trip airfare.

2011 Alaska Itineraries

• Majestic Alaska – 14 days roundtrip from San Francisco, a maiden port for Oceania Cruises, visiting Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia; Sitka, Hoonah, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, Alaska; and Astoria, Ore. Departures: May 12, Aug. 26.

• Alaskan Grandeur – 12 days between San Francisco and Vancouver. Ports include Astoria and Victoria, as well as Wrangell, Juneau, Hoonah, Sitka and Ketchikan. Departures: May 26, Aug. 14.

• Frontiers and Glaciers – 10 days roundtrip from Vancouver, calling at Sitka, Hoonah, Kodiak, Wrangell and Ketchikan. Departures: June 7, Aug. 4.

• Glacial Wilderness – 12 days between Vancouver and Anchorage, with visits to Ketchikan, Wrangell, Juneau, Hoonah, Skagway, Sitka, Seward and Homer. Departures: June 17 and 29, July 11 and 23.

Visit Oceania Cruises’ website for additional information.

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Called  “Pillars of Distinction”, the program centers on the three hallmarks of the Oceania Cruises experience: comfort, cuisine and service.

Nautica, the first Oceania Cruises ship to undergo its Pillars of Distinction update, re-entered service June 4. Sister ship Insignia will incorporate Pillars of Distinction this November, followed by Regatta in January 2011. All work will occur during regularly scheduled dry-docks.

You’ll find the amenities on Oceania’s two new ships, currently under construction in Italy. The 1,258-guest Marina joins the fleet in January 2011 and a sister ship, Riviera, is scheduled for delivery in April 2012.

Staterooms and Suites

Prestige Tranquility Beds raise the standard even higher. The bed is composed of 400 encapsulated springs in seven zones that are covered by two inches of memory foam; a two-inch thick cushion filled with gel and wrapped in Chamomile-infused fiber tops the mattress. In addition, all beds will be dressed with 1,000-thread-count, Egyptian cotton linens and duvets and a plush down comforter.

All accommodations will also be outfitted with refrigerated mini bars, wall sconces and bedside reading lamps, as well as updated furnishings and bath amenities.

Oceania Cruises’ staterooms and Penthouse Suites will be enhanced with more luxurious amenities and stylish new décor highlights. Custom, tufted headboards with nail-head trim mounted on floor-to-ceiling Wenge walnut panels provide the dramatic focal point.

Steakhouse, Spa Cuisine

Acclaimed for its gourmet cuisine and no-charge specialty restaurants, Oceania Cruises will refine its culinary offerings with new décor in Polo Grill, enhanced menus in Terrace Café and Toscana, and the introduction of sublime Canyon Ranch Spa Cuisine.

Polo Grill is Oceania Cruises’ most popular alternative restaurant where passengers  enjoy the finest dry-aged prime beef, chops and poultry, plus seafood such as Maine lobster. Pillars of Distinction enhancements include new leather chairs, carpeting and drapes in hues of crimson, claret, gold and hunter, which evoke the glamor of a sophisticated, yet classic American steakhouse.

Terrace Café, a casual venue with both indoor and al fresco seating will expand its lavish breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets. Sushi, sashimi and made-to-order pasta dishes will be complemented with regional delicacies in selected destinations.

Toscana, the line’s upscale Italian venue, will enhance its menu with the addition of a gourmet olive oil menu and new favorite family recipes from staff and crew.

In the second phase of its proud partnership, breakfast, lunch and dinner menus in both the Grand Dining Room and Terrace Café will feature “Spa Cuisine” selections developed by the culinary team at Canyon Ranch Health Resorts, the number one healthy living company in the world. Canyon Ranch opened the onboard spas in 2009.

Visit Oceania Cruises’ web site to see photos of the ship and itineraries.

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Bob Binder positively glowed when describing the lengths Oceania will go to in creating the best food at sea:  “We hired a consultant to tell us how to make the best croissants on earth.  When he told is we must use a rare flower and extra high-fat butter (only available in France) to make them, we quickly brought those ingredients aboard our ships.”

In fact, the 66,000-ton Marina will lead the pack in terms of on-board culinary innovations:

* Marina will offer a state-of-the-art culinary studio with 12 work stations — each with its own oven — so passengers can have hands-on cooking classes.   Bon Appetit magazine is working with Oceania to develop classes that run from 45 minutes to three hours.

* Passengers will have the option of dining in six open-seating restaurants, none with an extra charge.

* The new “Jacques” restaurant will offer  Jacques Pepin’s favorite French bistro fare from his home town, Lyon France, with savory dishes like freshly roasted chicken plus duck and lamb cooked on Marina’s rotisserie.   Before you even look at a menu a waiter will deliver a bread basket with three different baguettes along with Country Petit Pate, Rillettes of salmon and foie de volaille.

* In addition to a steak house and Italian restaurant, another specialty dining experience aboard Marina will be the Pan-Asian Red Ginger, where passengers may dine on a five-course tasting menu of Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese cuisine.    Start with spicy Thai lemongrass-flavored coconut soup with prawns then move to entrees with mouth-watering choices like roasted Chilean Sea Bass marinated plum-miso sauce, Lobster Pad Thai or Asian-spiced Rack of Lamb with truffle oil.

Starting this September, all spas aboard Oceania Cruises ships will be designed and operated by Canyon Ranch.  Canyon Ranch SpaCuisine will debut aboard Regatta, Insignia and Nautica in April and May, 2010 and aboard Marina in late 2010.  Those with the courage to bypass rich croissants and Jacques Pepin’s savory fare can actually loose weight during their cruise.

Marina’s passenger/staff ratio is exceptionally high:  787 officers and staff will serve 1,258 passengers.  Staterooms will boast flat-panel TV’s, laptops with wireless access, “Tranquility Beds”, French-milled toiletries and high-end linens.  Passengers traveling in suites will have butler service, Hermes and Clarins bath amenities plus 42″ Plasma TV’s.  And, if you can’t tear yourself away from television, simply order food from any of the ship’s restaurants.

Oceania CEO Frank Del Rio insists that none of Oceania’s ships — including Marina — are luxury vessels despite the trappings of single open seating dining and one of my favorite features, evening dining on deck beneath the stars.  Add to this Jacques Pepin, Oceania’s Culinary Director, has overseen the culinary offerings aboard ships in the fleet since 2003, the line’s inception.

Del Rio describes the experience as “upper premium”.  It’s true that Oceania’s  two-for-one fares (which include airfare) are comparable to Holland America’s suite rates and are significantly lower than the price of a Seabourn, Crystal or Regent cruise.

Personally, I don’t think one dines aboard Oceania’s ships, you gourmandize.  Add to this, no one tells me when I can dine or sticks me with strangers. I don’t have to travel with formal attire.  So if this isn’t luxury, it’s certainly good enough for this cruiser.

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But this is the third time cruise ships have been approached by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden so the situation bears exploring.   First of all, cruise ships either repositioning (the Mediterranean to Asia) or on a world cruise cross the Suez Canal because the only alternative would be to sail around Africa, a continent loaded with very boring ports.    

 Cruise lines have a firm policy of never discussing security.  Those East Asian men checking you on and off the ship are typically Nepalese Ghurkas, considered to be the finest soldiers on earth.  You may spot an Israeli, also top notch.  Prior to 9/11, this was the extent of a cruise ship’s security force.   And while European warships patrol the gulf, the Somalis have been very successful at stoping ships and boarding them. 

According to the web site ShipTalk, there have been around 95 pirate attacks in 2008, with 40 freighters held for ransom. 

 By the way, when you think about Somali pirates trying to capture a cruise ship, do not envision Johnny Depp.  Somalia has no government, its population is starving, so some citizens try to make a living by capturing a ship — cargo or passenger, it doesn’t matter — to hold for ransom.   The pirates, who apparently feel misunderstood, recently agreed to be interviewed by the New York Times saying they only want food and money. 

Shiptalk reports that companies around the world are increasing private security firms to accompany vessels through this area.   Nick Davis, chief executive of the Anti-Piracy Maritime Security Solutions, says his company has 10 teams on board ship in the region.   According to Davis, when pirates approached a ship with his men aboard, they abandoned the vessel upon discovering that there were professionals aboard.    Personally I won’t be surprised if cruise ships start carrying weapons for self-defense when cruising in the Gulf of Aden.

Seabourn Cruises’ ships have been approached twice by pirates.  During the first incident in 2005, officers turned a Sonic Gun on the pirates.  Created by the U.S. Defense Depart, the device emits an hellishly loud sound that repels pirates.   While the government is sharing its technology I have no way of knowing which cruise lines use it.

So, should you be concerned enough to avoid cruising in this area of the world?  It wouldn’t stop me.   You see there’s a big difference between a freighter carry a crew of 10 who know how to tie ropes and a cruise ship with hundreds of staff, including the best soldiers in the world. 

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Oceania will continue its policy of single open seating and aboard Marina, passengers will have six restaurants to choose from, none carrying a surcharge.  Staterooms will be 50% larger than those currently found aboard the cruise line’s Regatta-class ships; standard cabins will be 312 square feet and Penthouse Suites will be 429 square feet with a living room, separate sleeping area, walk-in closets and space for in-suite dining.  All staterooms will have marble bathrooms with separate shower and tub.

Oceania’s sister ship, still unnamed, will enter service in July, 2011.

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Sailing from Dubai to Singapore, Nautica’s revised itinerary is Dubai (two nights); Bombay (one night), Goa, Mangalore and Cochin (India); Phuket, Thailand and Penang Malaysia.  The cruise line has also added an optional three day overland tour to the Taj Mahal.

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Noted wine experts, cookbook authors, and critically acclaimed food and wine academe will lead the tours, which will be limited to 25 or 30 passengers.  Featured half- and full-day tours will be available in Venice, Florence La Spezia, and Sorrento, Italy; Corfu, and Santorini, Greece and Provence, France

The culinary shore excursions, available on all 2008 and 2009 Mediterranean cruises, offer one-of-a-kind experiences providing an up-close and in depth look at local food and wine legacies.

Each tour showcases its culinary treats at magnificent estates, centuries-old wineries and traditional restaurants; many of which are not open to the general public or only known by the most seasoned of travelers. Many of the tours include meals at some of the world’s best wineries or private homes – settings that enhance both food and drink, and will leave guests with a true taste of southern Europe. 

Oceania Cruises’ ships include the 684-passenger Regatta, Insignia and Nautica, the line will introduce two new mid-size Oceania Class ships to its award-winning fleet in 2010 and 2011.  All ships feature single, open seating dining in a choice of four restaurants, none with an extra charge.

For additional information, to make a reservation, or to order a brochure, contact your travel agent or Oceania Cruises at 800-531-5658.  The cruise line’s web site is Oceania Cruises. 

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While the Homeland Security folks have a tarnished reputation, they outdid themselves yesterday in Miami.  A little birdy told me the bizarre details.

This week the Seatrade Conference, an annual confab of cruise line executives, journalists and travel agents, is taking place in Miami.  Oceania Cruises’ Regatta paid one of her rare visits to Miami so that travel agents and travel writers could board and tour the ship for a few hours.  As a matter of procedure, Oceania invited the agents and press, obtained the proper ID information and provided a list of names to port officials in advance. 

Press and travel agents, issued visitor’s passes, boarded Regatta with no problem.  However a Homeland Security agent doing a random search stopped Oceania execs and angrily informed they wouldn’t be allowed to board their own ship even though they had photo and cruise line ID’s, visitor passes and their names were on the list.

The reason?  There’s an obscure local law that cruise line staff and executives must also have clearance from the Port of Miami.  The law is so obscure that hardly anyone in the cruise industry knows about it.  It certainly isn’t enforced as a matter of course.

“You’re working for the company and should know better,” the angry Homeland agent  told the dumbfounded executives.  He was so irate that the Oceania execs turned to a Miami-Dade police lieutenant and asked  “are we going to get arrested?”  The police officer sheepishly said, “no, we’re not going to arrest you.”

It turns out that Oceania’s executives weren’t considered a security risk but were told by the Homeland Security agent they were guilty of …..trespassing.  Keep in mind that Oceania Cruises owns Regatta.   So, they sat on the pier for three hours until the last of the travel agents and journalists disembarked. 

Homeland Security may think it is protecting cruise ship passengers but this incident will make me feel even less secure the next time I sail from Miami or any other U.S. port.

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At present, Oceania operates three 720-passenger ships, all ex-Renaissance Cruises vessels, and has made a name for itself with very high levels of food and dining and fabulous itineraries (most with an overnight stay in at least one port).   How popular are these ships?  In January, 90% of the cruises are sold out for the year.

Like the popular Regatta-class ships, the new ships will be awash in rich, dark woods, Italian marble, fine wool carpets and leather furnishings.  The color palette will feature a mixture of dulcet tones which will be accented and offset by earthen and jewel tones.

For this cruiser, the most exciting feature of the new ships is six single-seating restaurants which include an elegant Italian restaurant plus a French, Asian and steak house.  Add to that a large main dining room with continental fare and a spot for casual dining.  

The new Oceania-class vessels will carry 1,252 passengers in 626 staterooms and suites (96% with private teak verandas).  The 66,000-ton ships will each carry 780 staff members so there will be a high passenger/space ratio. This translates into a high level of personal service.  The cruise line will keep its policy of not dictating formal nights – ”country club casual” recommended instead.

The only negative I can see is that we’ll have to wait until the fall of 2010 for Oceania 1 to enter service.

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The Oceania and Regent brands will remain separate and Mark Conroy will continue as president of Regent, which will maintain it’s fleet of small luxury vessels which have been sailing in the black for some time. 

Earlier this year Apollo bought a $1 billion stake of NCL Holdings, parent company of Norwegian ruise Line, which is not part of Prestige Cruise Holdings.

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