What's new for 2012?

New ships are released year on year with 2012 being no exception. The problem that faces each and every cruise line, is keeping their new product up to date, unique and getting potential customers excited about the new release. The Queen Elizabeth did this fantastically selling out top to bottom in under 30 minutes. It did have a little help being "billed" as the next QE2, so we can probably discount this as being one of a kind, but what do the new cruise ships and brands of 2012 have to offer us?.....................

Over the next few weeks I will look into a few of the new vessels launched this year and try to give you an overview of what to expect on board and what unique selling points are on offer. This week I will be looking at Oceania Cruises.

Oceania Cruises are releasing their second mid-sized new build in April. The new ship will be called the Riviera. Anyone who has travelled with Oceania before can agree that cuisine on board is as good as any other brand out there but, what is new?

The Riviera is actually the same as her older sister Marina. The official tag line that the Riviera is one of the most beautiful, elegant and sophisticated ships to debut over the past 50 years, is probably not as far from the mark as you may think, considering she is the same as Marina. There are Designer touches through out, from the magnificent Lalique Grand Staircase and stunning Owner's Suites furnished in Ralph Lauren Home.

The first thing you will notice is that this class of vessel, is a mid-sized ship. It is over twice the size of it's predecessors. There is still plenty of emphasis on deck space as the ship is 66,000 tonnes, yet she still only holds at maximum capacity 1250 guests. The staff to guest ratio is 1.56-1, so ther is one staff member to look after every 1.56 guests. Both Marina and Riviera offer guests a total of 10 dining venues, of which six are open-seating gourmet restaurants with no surcharge. This is brilliant news's for all foodies. The style on board is still country club casual, so no penguin suites are expected. There are also all the usual facilities you will come to expect also, libraries spa, gym etc.

In a nutshell, the Rivera has everything you have come to expect of the Oceania product and more. There is more great food, more destinations, a larger more modern ship offering  the fine, glamorous style of times passed. The unparallelled service is still the same and each and every aspect of every cabin has been carefully thought out and designed to please you, the customer. I for one cannot wait to see what this ship is like, but for now we will just have to look at her older sibling or wait until April!