Oceania Cruises, which positions itself as the world’s leading culinary-focused cruise line, has taken delivery of its newest ship, Vista, featuring three new dining concepts and an innovative beverage upgrade.
The 67,000-ton, 791-foot-long ship will host up to 1,200 guests from her inaugural trip in the Mediterranean this summer, spotlighting ‘The Finest Cuisine at Sea®’mission through 11 onboard culinary venues.
New to the mix are Ember, a signature restaurant featuring elevated American cuisine; Aquamar Kitchen, said to take wellness offerings to a new level with lean and healthy cuisine and alcohol-free beverage options; and The Bakery at Baristas, an expansion of the line’s coffee bars, now serving freshly baked French and Italian pastries. A new Moet & Chandon Champagne Experience will also debut, pairing three courses with three rare vintage Champagnes; and the six-course Dom Perignon Experience pairing dinner, seen on other vessels, will also be onboard.
An upgraded mixology programme will bring innovative speciality cocktails onboard with the Casino Mixology Bar debuting a concept focused on the art of the cocktail. There will be barrel-aged Negronis and eye-catching drinks topped with vapour-filled aromatic bubbles among the novelties on the menu. A 24-seat La Reserve wine bar will host daily wine tastings and there will be mobile branded beverage carts, including a roaming Bubbly Bar delivering Champagne cocktails, and an Ultimate Bloody Mary Bar.
Rolling out the new culinary offering will be newly-appointed Food and Beverage Director Susanna Cahyadi. Cahyadi was born and raised on a farm in the North West province of South Africa. She completed her studies in hospitality management in Phalaborwa and worked at various private game reserves and lodges before moving into cruise hospitality with Insignia in 2011.
Cahyadi will work with Executive Chef Frederic Camonin. After attending culinary school in Verdun, Chef Frederic worked in numerous outlets, including French restaurants and brasseries as well as in the catering sector, and has been a dedicated elevated cuisine chef at sea for the past 20 years.
