Author and TV chef Claudine Pépin christens former Princess Cruises ship in Barcelona
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Sirena officially joined the Oceania Cruises fleet on 27 April when she was christened by author and TV chef Claudine Pépin at the Port of Barcelona, Spain.
Joining Pépin for the traditional naming and champagne bottle-breaking moment were her father Jacques Pépin, TV chef and Oceania Cruises’ executive culinary director; Frank Del Rio, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO; and Jason Montague, president and COO for Oceania Cruises.
“Sirena builds upon our epicurean heritage with new gourmet dining experiences, and in godmother Claudine Pépin who is a noted chef and member of the culinary world’s royal family,” said Del Rio.
Formerly Princess Cruises’ Ocean Princess, the 684-passenger Sirena follows the design blueprint of sister ships Regatta, Insignia and Nautica, offering four restaurants, six lounges and bars, the Canyon Ranch SpaClub, and 342 suites and staterooms. Before entering service, the ship underwent a 35-day refurbishment that cost nearly US$50 million and added new features such as the Owner’s and Vista Suites.
The ship debuts with two new speciality restaurants, Tuscan Steak and Red Ginger, a contemporary Asian-inspired restaurant currently available on Marina and Riviera. A third new dining option can be found in the Grand Dining Room, which will switch to become Jacques Bistro at lunch. It will offer an exclusive menu featuring some of Jacques Pépin’s signature dishes.
“The expansion of our culinary offerings on Sirena with Tuscan Steak, Red Ginger and Jacques Bistro further exemplifies our commitment to epicurean excellence,” shared Montague. “We have given our guests three new gourmet dining options, and more opportunities to enjoy the finest cuisine at sea.”
Sirena is also the first ship to showcase Oceania Cruises’ new entertainment offerings, which have been developed in collaboration with the entertainment team at Oceania Cruises’ sister brand Norwegian Cruise Line.
Taking place in the evening in the Sirena Lounge, the ship’s four new productions will include ‘Acoustic Sessions’, where an acoustic-style band will play popular music from the past 40 years, and ‘Tuxedo’, which features a nine-piece orchestra performing music from the Rat Pack and Great American Songbook era. Guests will also be able to enjoy songs and music from movies during ‘Cabaret Cinema ‘ and tributes to artists like Gloria Estefan and Michael Bublé in ‘Get On the Floor and Dance’.
“We are fortunate to be able to utilise the talented entertainment team at Norwegian to enhance the quality and diversity of shows offered on our ships,” said Montague. “Both the level of production and calibre of talent performing on our ships far exceed what we’ve been able to previously offer. I’m confident our guests will be pleasantly surprised the next time they visit our theatre onboard.”
Oceania Cruises will implement the new entertainment offerings across the rest of the fleet by spring 2017.