There’s always a ton of buzz when a new ship hits the water. You’re probably aware that Oceania Vista makes her Maiden Voyage from Rome on May 13. If you haven’t already heard about this, there will lots of coverage in the travel pages in the days between now and then.
First… some definitions:
- A Maiden Voyage is when a ship fully enters service. Paying customers are on board, and it is the first time the ship is running through its regular paces.
- An Inaugural Voyage is the first time a ship visits a region, or does a specific itinerary. A ship can have several inaugural voyages: Inaugural voyage to the Mediterranean; Inaugural voyage to the Baltic; North American Inaugural… you get the idea.
However… before a ship does any of these things, there is a naming ceremony where the ship is christened. Bob and I feel very privileged to be attending the Christening Ceremony of Oceania Vista on May 8 in Malta. Some of our clients are on Vista’s Maiden Voyage leaving May 13 – so maybe we’ll see you at the pier! We will do our best to bring the readers of this weekly newsletter along with us on the special journey.
The fun starts a few days earlier when we board Vista in Rome. She’ll be our home for a week, and the Christening Ceremony will be part of that week. Vista’s godmother is Italian celebrity chef and restauranteur Giada De Laurentiis – a fitting choice for the cruise line that promises the Finest Cuisine at Sea.
Along with the Senior Leadership Team at Oceania, and a handful of other lucky travel professionals, Bob and I will be joined in Malta at the Christening Ceremony by Grammy and Emmy Award winning artist Harry Connick Jr., who will be performing an exclusive private concert for those of us at the ceremony. Who knows… maybe we’ll even tip a glass of wine with him!
So we’re pretty excited to be part of all this hoopla.
Vista is the very first of Oceania’s Allura-Class Vessels. She holds 1200 people when fully loaded, and weighs 67,000 tons. For many, this is the Goldilocks-sized ship. Small enough to easily find your way around, and big enough to have lots of choices for things like restaurants.
There are several specialty restaurants on board Vista (all included in your cruise fare). Many of these choices are favorites of Oceania clients that make the cruise line live up to its billing as the cruise line for foodies. There are also some new options on board Vista that we’ll update you on when we’re on board. If you’d like to see the video blog we did on Oceania’s outstanding culinary program, here’s a link to our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/O0Que9codHo
It is always a challenge to provide live updates from a cruise ship, but we’ll do our best to report back to all of you about the experience on this exciting new ship, and the christening ceremony.
If you’re a fan of the Oceania brand, it’s worth noting that their Ultimate O-Life promotion will conclude at the end of the month. On select voyages, you can get the beverage package, shore excursions, and an onboard credit. When you layer these goodies on top of each other, it makes the value pretty hard to beat.
Today’s Travel Opportunities
Given the buzz around VISTA, I thought I’d highlight some of their promotions going right now, that will expire on April 30th. If you’re thinking about sailing with Oceania, this is a good time to book:
If You Want to Travel on Vista
Like many new ships, she’s pretty full for the first year, but here are some ideas if you want to try out this exciting new ship:
Panama Canal from Los Angeles to Miami departing November 3, 2023 for 16-days:
- Visit San Diego, Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, full daylight transit of the Panama Canal, Cartagena, Grand Cayman.
- Veranda rooms start at $5549 with air add-ons from $500.
Caribbean –– Miami round-trip departing February 11 for 7-nights:
- Visit Cozumel, Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya. – a great way to check out this new ship.
- Veranda Rooms start at $2599 with air add-on from $600
TransAtlantic — Miami to Rome departing March 27 for 15-days
- Visit Bahamas, Bermuda, Azores, Seville, Magala (Spain), Monte Carlo.
- Veranda rooms start at $3899 with air add-ons from $1000
If you’d rather take advantage of the Ulimtate O-Life offer before it expires on April 30th:
- On board credits ($200 – $400 per person depending on the cruise)
- Shore Excursions
- Beverage Package
Here’s the link to the list of eligible voyages: https://www.oceaniacruises.com/special-offers/olife-ultimate
Some Examples included in the Ultimate O-Life Sale:
Mediterranean — Monte Carlo to Athens departing August 6, for 10-days
- Visit Cinque Terre, Rome, Capri, Crete, Rhodes, Antalya (Turkey), Kos (Greece), Patmos (Greece).
- O-Life with Air Price $5799. Cruise Only $4399 (Veranda Room)
Mediterranean — Venice to Athens departing October 30th for 10 days.
- Visit Split, Bari, Kotor, Kavala, Istanbul (overnight), Izmir (Turkey), Crete.
- O-life with Air Price $4799. Cruise Only $3199 (Veranda Room)
Caribbean — Miami round-trip departing December 17 for 12-days
- Visit Bonaire, Curacao, Barbados, Antigua, St. Barts, BVI
- O-life with Air Price $5099. Cruise Only $4199 (Veranda Room)
Uniworld River Sale
Uniworld – The Boutique River Cruise Collection – is offering some fantastic deals for those that want to travel in 2023. The Catch: You have to book before April 30.
Here’s one that caught my attention:
Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam for 11-days departing September or October 2023:
- Visit Basel (overnight), Strasbourg, Speyer, Frankfurt, Oberwesel, Cologne, Arnhem, Harlingen, Amsterdam (overnight)
- Window Rooms from $2999. French Balconies from $4299 per person. (Represents a savings of $1500 each).
If you’d like to see what else in on offer, here’s the link, but remember these prices expire at the end of the month:
https://pamperedcruiser.uniworld.com/us/current-offers/2023
Remember that Uniworld includes transfers, a choice of shore excursion in every port, on board gratuities, an open bar, wifi on the ship, and 5-star service throughout your journey.
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If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
