Eat, Drink & Be Merry With Oceania

Epicureans will want to make a note of two special Oceania Cruises voyages early this summer, as the pair of Wine & Food Celebration sailings will enjoy presentations from celebrated chefs and wine connoisseurs, culinary demonstrations, wine tastings and more.

On Marina’s May 6 voyage, South American wine expert Daniel Soto will host wine lectures and tastings featuring the best of South American wines. Soto will be joined by chef and culinary author Paulette Mitchell, who will demonstrate classic South American dishes.

On Riviera’s June 23 cruise, Chef Kathryn Kelly of the Bon Appetit Culinary Centre will be joined by several culinary experts, including the the Culinary Institute of America’s Master Baker Eric Kastel, who will share the secrets of great bread making. Renowned New York wine educator, businessman and sommelier Tony Didio will lead a series of wine lectures, tastings and wine pairing presentations throughout the voyage. To complement the wine experience, Master Cheese Expert Max McCalman will be on board to share the secrets of great cheeses and advice on wine and cheese pairings.

Marina “Grand Panama Canal” – May 6; 20 days, Lima to New York City.

Riviera “Mediterranean Grandeur” – June 23; 10 days, Monte Carlo to Rome.

Another special cruise to look out for is a Wine Connoisseur voyage on Marina in September. The "Baltic Odyssey" sailing will enjoy master winemaker Armando Fumanelli, owner of the famed Italian winery Marchesi Fumanelli, who will host a series of wine lectures, tastings and pairings featuring the best of Italian wines and flavors. Located near Verona, the setting of Romeo and Juliet, the Fumanelli winery has been creating exceptional wines since 1470. Young actors from Verona’s drama academy will be on board to perform during select Fumanelli wine dinners offered at La Reserve by Wine Spectator.

Marina “Baltic Odyssey” – September 3; 10 days, Copenhagen to Stockholm.

For bookings, follow this link to The Cruise Line, the UK's luxury cruising specialists.

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Oceania Expands Culinary Tours To South Pacific

Oceania Cruises is expanding its Culinary Discovery Tours to the South Pacific in 2013, on the award-winning mid-sized luxury cruise ship Marina. Uniquely designed for each port, Culinary Discovery Tours provide guests with the opportunity to explore local food markets, vineyards and farms in small groups, side-by-side with an expert chef from the ship’s Bon Appétit Culinary Center. Participants then join the chef in the fully equipped cookery school for a hands-on cooking lesson of the regional cuisine in one of 24 workstations.

The new South Pacific Culinary Discovery Tours are offered in the Bay of Islands and Tauranga, New Zealand on the 18-day South Pacific Paradise cruise. Departing Papeete, Tahiti, on February 7, the cruise calls on 11 ports throughout French Polynesia, Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia before arriving in New Zealand.

“A Chef-Insider's Food & Wine Feast” Culinary Discovery Tour in the Bay of Islands visits Kerikeri, a horticultural centre and home to Ake Ake winery for a tasting with the head vintner and a meal created from locally grown foods depending on what's fresh that day. Guests might expect a regional dish prepared with seafood from the Bay of Islands, such as Pan-Roasted Snapper with Capsicum Coulis.

The Culinary Discovery Tour in Tauranga, “Maori ‘Kai’ Cooking Demo and Kiwi Fruit,” explores a flourishing kiwi orchard followed by a trip to the lakes of Rotorua for a traditional Maori luncheon featuring native herbs and ingredients used by the indigenous people of New Zealand.

Marina also sails three additional South Pacific voyages with highlights that include overnight calls on Easter Island and Bora Bora, cruising the Tuamotu Archipelago and crossing the international dateline. Additional sailings include:

Ancient Legends – a 20-day holiday sailing between Valparaiso, Chile, and Papeete, visiting Robinson Crusoe Island, Hanga Roa (Chile), Adamstown (Pitcairn Islands) and Fakarava, Moorea and Bora Bora (French Polynesia). Departure: December 27, 2012.

Tahitian Breeze – an 11-day voyage round-trip from Papeete, with visits to Bora Bora and ports in the Marquesas Islands. Departures: January 16 and January 27.

With free air, bonus savings of up to £3,184 per stateroom and free pre-paid gratuities, guests will find exploring the exotic South Pacific with Oceania an extraordinary value. Bonus savings and free pre-paid gratuities are offered on bookings made by December 31.

The Bon Appétit Culinary Center on Oceania's Riviera and Marina features 24 fully equipped workstations. Induction cook-tops and convection ovens afford participants the opportunity to gain a hands-on cooking experience. Classes cater to all levels of aptitude, from beginner to master-chef level.

For bookings, follow this link to The Cruise Line, the UK's luxury cruising specialists.

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Marina's Russian Debut

Two full days in St Petersburg are included on Oceania Cruises first-ever Baltic voyages on the line’s recently launched new ship, Marina, cruising to Scandinavia and Russia. Limited availability is offered on three 10-day “Baltic Treasures” cruises, with cruise-only rates from £1,219 per person, including $500/stateroom onboard credit, free flights, all meals, complimentary soft drinks and bottled water. Departures are on July 22, August 1 & 11.

The cruise offers the opportunity to take part in Oceania's Culinary Discovery Tours to shore-side markets. The Farm-to-Table excursion visits two family-run farms, one that grows root vegetables, the other raising free-range cattle. After a three-course lunch in Visby, guests meet in the ship’s Bon Appetit Culinary Centre (the only hands-on cookery school at sea) for a “Joy of Grilling” class.

Latvian delicacies are showcased in Riga, where a local chef leads a tour of the Central Market. Back aboard ship, a “Romantic Riga” class completes the immersive experience. While in Helsinki, guests learn to make Finnish sausages and cinnamon rolls, then return to the ship for a class – and tasting – of smoked and cured salmon.

Marina’s other signature features include a Canyon Ranch SpaClub; six gourmet restaurants, including a French bistro by Chef Jacques Pépin; and a wine-tasting facility developed in cooperation with Wine Spectator magazine.

The “Baltic Treasures” itinerary, from Copenhagen to Stockholm, also includes visits to Warnemünde (a gateway to Berlin); Bornholm in Denmark; Gdynia, Poland (the port for Gdansk); and St Petersburg, where an overnight aboard Marina allows guests ample time to discover the magnificent Hermitage and Petrodvorets, Peter the Great’s imperial palace. 

For bookings, see this link for The Cruise Line Ltd, the UK’s leading luxury cruise specialists.

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Oceania's New Culinary Discovery Tours

With the debut of its new luxury cruise ship Riviera this May, Oceania Cruises is expanding and enhancing its culinary enrichment programme with the introduction of Culinary Discovery Tours to more than 25 ports worldwide.

Uniquely designed for each port, the new tours provide guests with the opportunity to explore local food markets in small groups, alongside an expert chef. Guests will have the opportunity to visit an artisanal cheese maker, a chocolatier, a wine vineyard or a fish market. Tours also incorporate mini-lectures, demonstrations or lunch before returning to the ship’s Bon Appétit Culinary Centre for a hands-on cooking class, drawing inspiration from the local market. The Culinary Centres feature 24 fully-equipped work stations with induction cook-tops and convection ovens to provide participants with the opportunity to gain a hands-on cooking experience. Classes cater to all levels of aptitude, from beginner to master-chef level.

The Culinary Discovery Tours will launch this spring aboard the 1,250-guest sister ships Riviera and Marina and can be booked prior to departure.

The programme will roll out in Asia, South America and the Caribbean in winter 2012-13. Prices start at $175 per person, including the escorted market tour and cooking class. On Oceania's smaller, 650-guest ships – Regatta and Nautica – the new tours will combine excursions to local markets with hands-on cooking experiences at a shore-side cooking school or a well-known restaurant kitchen. In Istanbul, for example, guests will follow their tour with a cooking class at Cooking Alaturka.

For booking details, be sure to check out this link with the UK's luxury cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

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Oceania Cruises Appoints New Culinary Enrichment Director

Oceania Cruises, who are renowned for offering some of the finest cuisine at sea, has named former businesswoman and passionate chef Kathryn Kelly as the company’s Culinary Enrichment Director.

In this newly-created position, American-born Kelly is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Bon Appétit Culinary Center, the first hands-on cooking school at sea on Oceania's recently-launched luxury ship Marina. The Center will also feature on sister ship Riviera, launching in April 2012.

Chef Kelly was previously the executive chef of the Culinary Center and will now develop the curriculum, recruit instructors and guest chefs, as well as integrate cooking classes with the shore excursion programme, in addition to teaching classes. Her love of cooking began in her grandmothers’ kitchens, and she was awarded a scholarship from Pillsbury as a “promising young chef,” subsequently working her way through college at Seattle’s prestigious Northwest Passage restaurant, where she discovered the bounty of the region.

After a fulfilling career that included founding one of the earliest healthcare software ventures, leading a multi-billion dollar global outsourcing company and being named one of the Top Female Executives by the YWCA, Chef Kelly returned to her passion, cooking.

Kelly has completed her ProChef certification from the American Culinary Foundation and is a member of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, Women Chefs and Restaurateurs and Chefs for Sustainable Agriculture. She holds two master’s degrees in Public Health and Community Medicine and completed her doctoral studies in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.

For more information on Oceania Cruises or to order a brochure, visit www.oceaniacruises.co.uk or The Cruise Line Ltd.

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Oceania's Marina: The first ship built for Epicureans

Oceania Cruises’ new Marina, which makes its debut later this month, looks poised to set new standards for culinary excellence at sea with no less than TEN dining venues, six of which are gourmet restaurants and offer culinary excellence at no supplement.

The 1,250-guest ship has been designed for food and wine lovers, with the aim of offering dining experiences comparable to the very best shore-side restaurants.

Oceania’s president Bob Binder explained: “Marina is the first ship purpose-built for epicureans. Unlike many lines, all of our meals are cooked to order, a la minute. We are committed to serving cuisine that rivals some of the world’s very best restaurants.”

Here's how this phenomenal array of deluxe dining choice will be offered.

Continental Cuisine, Asian Fusion & American Favourites

Marina will offer six, open-seating gourmet restaurants, two private-dining venues and two casual eateries. The décor of each is distinctive, yet a common design thread is evident in the extensive use of rich woods, marble and granite, fine wool carpets and supple leather. There will be no less than eight no-charge dining venues and two exclusive additional options:

1. The Grand Dining Room (above)– Tuxedo-clad wait staff serve a six-course menu in a classic setting reminiscent of a five-star restaurant at one of Europe’s grandest hotels. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

2. Toscana – Three illuminated etched-glass panels provide a dramatic backdrop to savoury specialities, many of them family recipes handed down from Oceania Cruises’ staff and crew. Open for dinner; reservations suggested.

3. Polo Grill – Plush and supple leather upholstery, a rich palette of crimson, gold and green, and gold-edged mahogany wall panels evoke the glamour of a vintage Hollywood steakhouse. Fine cuts of Prime, dry-aged beef, as well as chops and fresh seafood, are featured. Open for dinner; reservations suggested.

4. Jacques – The first-ever restaurant at sea for its namesake, internationally renowned chef Jacques Pépin, draws inspiration from fabled brasseries of Paris and his hometown of Lyon. Open for dinner; reservations suggested.

5. Red Ginger – Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese flavours are showcased in a contemporary setting that features three Buddhas carved from a single piece of backlit glass as a dramatic centrepiece. Open for dinner; reservations suggested.

6. Terrace Café – Shades of burgundy, burnt orange, gold and lemon create a bright and pleasant ambiance, or guests may dine al fresco. Regional delicacies and sumptuous buffets are served for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

7. Waves – This relaxed, open-air bistro serves gourmet burgers, swordfish, chicken and other grilled items and features a salad bar and home-made ice cream bar. Open for lunch (weather permitting).

8. Baristas – This coffee bar adjoining the Library is the place throughout the day to enjoy Illy espresso and cappuccino, homemade biscotti and coffee cake.

Optional Wine Dinners & the Ultimate Chef’s Table

9. La Reserve by Wine Spectator – La Reserve is an intimate venue that hosts wine tastings and seven-course pairing dinners with premium wines selected in consultation with Wine Spectator editors. Extra charge for wines; reservations required.

10. Privée – An exclusive private dining room that offers the ultimate Chef’s Table. Eight fortunate guests can create a personalised menu featuring such specialities as Kobe beef, Brittany lobsters, foie gras, caviar and truffles. Room charge is $1,000. Open select evenings; reservations required.

Marina also features a Bon Appétit Culinary Centre and full-service Canyon Ranch® SpaClub. Interior design highlights include a Lalique-designed grand lobby, luxurious suites designed by Dakota Jackson as well as Owner’s Suites furnished exclusively in Ralph Lauren Home.

To find out more about Oceania Cruises, visit http://www.oceaniacruises.co.uk/ or contact the luxury cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

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