If you let a bunch of foodies run a cruise line what you end up with is Oceania Cruises.   The company’s top execs — CEO Frank Del Rio and President Bob Binder — were in town to announced that renowned chef Jaques Pepin will have his own restaurant on Oceania’s Marina, a 1258-passenger cruise ship scheduled to debut December, 2010.

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.

Jacques Pepin* 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.