OCEANIA CRUISES Ship


Regatta, Nautica Marina, Riviera


Rating Type


5*-Plus Boutique 5*-Plus Boutique


SR


Dining Tonnage P / C


44.10 Open 30,200 684/370 40.44 Open 66,000 1258/800


This stylish brand took over three ships from the former Renaissance Cruises (in 2003) and reintroduced them as more upmarket and intimate cruisers, with a relaxed, informal ambience and top-notch cuisine in four fully open-seating restaurants (Insignia has now joined Hapag-Lloyd as Columbus 2). Service is equally smooth and cabins feature high-quality fixtures and furnishings, while entertainment varies from the low-key to the glamorous, with a series of enrichment programmes and guest lecturers. New ships Marina and Riviera (2011 and 12) add a distinctive and expansive edge to the Oceania style, pushing a six-star rating, with two more restaurants for their already gourmet-quality selection (giving the ships 6 in all), a Canyon Ranch SpaClub, the Bon Appetit Culinary Center and some lavish accommodations. In the Mediterranean, northern Europe and Alaska in summer, with winter seasons in the Caribbean, South America, Africa and Asia. Gratuities not included. No under 12s allowed. www.oceaniacruises.com


ORION EXPEDITION CRUISES Ship


Rating Type Orion Orion II SR


PAUL GAUGUIN CRUISES Ship


Rating Type


Paul Gauguin Moana


5*-Plus Boutique 5*-Plus Boutique


SR


Dining Tonnage P / C


57.83 Open 19,200 332/215 38.88 Open 3,500


90/50 Dining Tonnage P / C


5*-Plus Adventure 37.73 Open 4,000 5*-Plus Adventure 40.77 Open 4,077


105/65 100/65


A terrific ‘soft’ expedition cruise offering, with an Australian accent, featuring top-notch cuisine, accommodations and facilities, plus excellent itineraries and low-key entertainment. All expeditions include expert onboard lectures and presentations, cruising the ‘hidden’ treasures of Australia (the likes of Tasmania, East Timor and the Northern Territory) as well as Tahiti, Borneo, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and Fiji, the Great Barrier Reef, South-East Asia and down to Antarctica in the austral summer. At once both high-tech and outrageously luxurious, it is small-scale Adventure cruising that borders on Boutique for those looking for something different. Second ship Orion II (ex-Clelia II of Travel Dynamics International), an all-suite vessel originally built for Renaissance Cruises in 1990 and heavily refurbished, joined in 2011, with itineraries further into Asia, including Vietnam, Cambodia, China and Japan. Gratuities not included. www.orionexpeditions.com


This operation becomes a 2-ship fleet in December 2012 with the addition of MV Moana (formerly Le Levant of Compagnie du Ponant). The original ship is a South Seas fantasy, a deluxe and highly personal adventurer based year-round in Tahiti. Formerly with Regent, the award-winning Paul Gauguin is now a solo proposition as part of the Pacific Beachcomber hotel group, offering voyages year-round in the South Pacific to the Cook Islands, Marquesas, Tonga, Fiji and New Zealand. The ship is purpose-designed for the shallow seas of French Polynesia and features a relaxed, informal style highlighted by the onboard Gauguines – a local Tahitian group who serve as cruise staff, entertainers and storytellers to enhance the efficient, friendly service. Heavily refurbished in late 2011, Gauguin is beautifully fitted and furnished, with excellent cabins and a good choice of public rooms for such an intimate vessel, including a superb Carita Spa and a casino. Fine dining in three different venues is another highlight, with the French art of joie de vivre firmly to the fore as well as genuine tastes of Polynesia. Cruises vary from 7-15 nights and include a wide variety of watersports as well as all soft drinks, bottled water and select wines and spirits, plus gratuities. Moana will add deluxe winter voyages in the Caribbean and South America, with summers in the Med. www.pgcruises.com


P & O CRUISES Ship


Oriana Aurora Oceana Adonia Arcadia


Ventura, Azura


Rating Type 4*


SR Resort


4*-Plus Resort 4*-Plus Resort 5*


Boutique


4*-Plus Resort 4*-Plus Resort


Dining Tonnage P / C


37.80 Two 69,000 1830/760 41.00 Two 76,000 1900/875 37.70 Open 77,500 2050/900 45.07 Open 30,200 710/360 43.54 Two 85,000 1952/984 37.66 Open 116,000 3080/1230


The all-British cruise line continues to offer a winning combination of slick style, quality entertainment and modern ships dating back to the introduction of Oriana in 1995. Both the onboard activities and food pander expertly to the UK palate and maintain an element of traditional cruise formality. Adonia – the former Royal Princess – is a child-free ship, and provides an additional element of smaller-scale, classic style with excellent alternative dining, while the chic Oceana was previously Ocean Princess of sister line Princess Cruises. Ventura and Azura (2008 and ’10) added a whole raft of novel facilities and smarter Resort style, plus the option for open-seating Freedom dining (also on Oceana), as well as five excellent alternative dining choices, including Marco Pierre White’s White Room on Ventura and Ocean Grill on Adonia and Atul Kochhar’s Sindhu on Azura. Children’s facilities are particularly good and the big production shows among the best at sea, while there are big-name British entertainers periodically. P&O’s vessels are based in Southampton for most of the year, sailing extensively to the Med and northern Europe, with fly-cruise winter operations to the Caribbean and South America, plus four grand world cruises and Adonia’s 85-night South America circumnavigation. Gratuities not included. www.pocruises.com


Winter 2012-13 I WORLD OF CRUISING 87


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