BARCELONA
— Oceania Cruises’ newest ship, the Sirena, was christened Wednesday afternoon by its godmother, chef and author Claudine Pepin.
The 672-passenger Sirena,
the former Ocean Princess, was acquired from Princess Cruises and underwent a refurbishment before sailing for Oceania.
Like three other Oceania vessels (the Regatta, Insignia and Nautica), the Sirena is an R-class ship that was originally built for Renaissance Cruises, a line that ceased operations in 2001.
“I really
love these R-class ships. They're regal. They're elegant,” said Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (Oceania's parent company). Del Rio also is the founder of Oceania Cruises and one-time CEO of Renaissance.
Del Rio
said Oceania spent $50 million refurbishing Sirena, and that the cruise line’s
goal with any of its refurbishments is to give each ship a “new-car smell” and
make it better than when it initially went into service.
Sirena’s
refurbishment was a quick one, noted Jason Montague, president of Oceania
Cruises, taking place in the 35 days since it was acquired from Princess.
While
Sirena is similar to its sister ships, it offers several new dining options. Specialty
restaurant Red Ginger, Oceania’s popular Asian restaurant on the
Marina and Riviera, is located on Deck 10. It is the first time Red Ginger has
been located on one of Oceania’s R-class ships.
Restaurants
Polo Grill and Toscana, found on other Oceania ships, were removed and
essentially combined into specialty restaurant Tuscan Steak, also on Deck 10.
The restaurant combines a traditional steakhouse with an Italian
trattoria.
Each
afternoon at lunch, the Grand Dining Room will transform into Jacques Bistro, serving dishes inspired by the family recipes Oceania’s executive culinary director,
Jacques Pepin (the father of Sirena's godmother, Claudine Pepin).
Oceania
prides itself on its culinary offerings. Del Rio claims that the cruise line “spends
more money per guest, per day, on food than any other cruise line in the
world.”
Sirena's
inaugural voyage will sail from Barcelona to Venice over the course of 14
days.