Oceania Cruises celebrated two milestones on February 26 at the Fincantieri shipyard near Genoa. The building dock for its new 1,258-guest, flagship Marina began filling with water and the first steel was cut for Riviera, a sister ship. Marina is scheduled to sail her maiden voyage on January 22, 2011; plans call for Riviera to debut in April 2012.
Oceania Cruises' Marina and Riviera will offer 629 accommodations that are among the largest at sea, ranging from 174 to a palatial 2,000+ sq ft. Their top suites, destined to set new industry standards, will feature furnishings from Ralph Lauren Home and designs by Dakota Jackson and Tocar New York.
The sister ships will also feature a Lalique-designed grand lobby, 10 dining venues and several bars and lounges. Facilities will include a full-service Canyon Ranch SpaClub and fitness center, Bon Appetit Culinary Center, swimming pool and hot tubs.
During the festivities, a bottle of prosecco wine was smashed on the hull of Marina by the shipyard madrina in a nod to Italian maritime tradition. The official naming ceremony for Marina will take place in Miami; her godmother has not yet been announced.
In her inaugural year, Marina will cross the Atlantic, transit the Panama Canal twice, visit ports in Mexico, as well as Los Angeles and San Francisco, and call at a host of Caribbean island gems, sailing round-trip from Miami. Marina will sail along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard and call at Bermuda before repositioning to Europe for summer 2011.
(www.OceaniaCruises.com)