“Marina”, Del Rio’s first Genoese ship / GALLERY

Venice - Oceania Cruises, currently part of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), is a cruise company catering to the upper-premium cruise segment, founded in 2002 by Frank Del Rio, the current CEO of the entire group.

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The brand has also been launched in Italy’s cruise market, offering cruise passengers a travel experience that is a notch above that of most other cruise lines operating in Italy, by virtue of aiming for the upper tier of the market, with corresponding higher-than-average prices. We visited the Marina, one of the two largest ships in Oceania’s fleet, during a cruise in the Eastern Adriatic. The ship has a special connection with Fincantieri and especially with the Sestri Ponente shipyard, where it was built.

Its debut in 2011 marked the beginning of the relationship between Del Rio and Giuseppe Bono, CEO of the state-owned shipbuilding group, which led to two Oceania cruise ships being built in Liguria, as well as the luxurious Seven Seas Explorer built for Regent Seven Seas Cruises. A twin of the latter has already been ordered, and will be built at Ancona’s shipyard for delivery in 2020; increasingly insistent rumours point to an upcoming announcement by Fincantieri of a new order from Norwegian Cruise Line, the better known brand within NCLH. Let’s return to the statistics of Marina: its gross tonnage is 66,000 gt, and it measures 239.30m in length and 32.19m in width.

It has 626 cabins (90% of which have balconies) that can accommodate up to 1,258 passengers in double occupancy; there’s a crew of over 700, which translates to a ratio of about one for every two passengers. Its power source consists of four Wärtsilä engines accounting for 42 megawatts of installed power; for propulsion it’s equipped with two 12 megawatts Converteam electric motors allowing a maximum speed of over 21.5 knots.

The main feature of the ship, however, is the elegance of its interiors designed by Yran & Storbraaten: the light-filled atrium and the main restaurant with a magnificent chandelier are the most exquisite areas. The ship also endeavours to ensure the best dining experience for guests: so the four additional restaurants have also been designed with painstaking care in every detail. A French and an Asian restaurant are located on the lower decks, while on the upper decks there is an Italian restaurant and a steakhouse. Finally, the Wellness Centre and the observation lounge at the bow are two other must-see highlights for passengers who want to experience the ship to its fullest. In the course of this winter the Marina will first sail South America routes to the southern tip of the continent, and then navigate up along the Pacific coast. Starting in January the ship will operate out of Miami, offering Caribbean sunshine to its guests until spring, when the cruise ship returns to Europe, with an itinerary for 2017 mainly centred on the North Sea.

The bond that this company has with Italy is very strong; proof of that was finding on our cruise on board the Marina, a commander from Trieste, Igor Bencina, a second-class officer from Genoa, Edgardo Cossu, and an Apulian chief engineer, Giuseppe De Lucia. The Toscana restaurant’s staff should also be mentioned, made up mainly of Italians, led by Bruno Squarzoni.