Oceania Cruises has some interesting new features for its new 1258-passenger Oceania Marina, which was launched in January 2011.

Culinary Studio at Sea
First, the Oceania Marina offers a state-of-the-art culinary studio with fully equipped individual work stations, each with induction cook tops, a first at sea, affording guests the opportunity to gain a hands-on learning experience.

Oceania Cruises' curriculum, designed in part by Bon Appétit, will appeal to a wide range of tastes and incorporate regional cultures and cuisines.


Depending on the itinerary, classes may range from 45 minutes to three hours, and cater to all levels of aptitude, from beginner to master-chef level. The culinary experience is also brought ashore with market tours where guests can shop for local ingredients with the chef. Additionally, guest chefs may arrange for students to have private tastings at wineries and access to famous shore-side kitchens.

Oceania Marina Dining Venues
Marina features a total of 10 open seating dining venues, including six gourmet restaurants, all at no additional charge. Two of the new restaurants are Red Ginger and Jacques.

Oceania Marina - Red Ginger Asian Fusion Restaurant
Guests on Oceania Cruises' new Marina can enjoy a five-course menu de gustacion (tasting menu) at Red Ginger, a Pan-Asian specialty restaurant featuring Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese cuisine. There is no supplement or surcharge and a full a la carte menu is offered as well.

Red Ginger offers both traditional and fusion dishes with seating for 126.

The stylish, contemporary décor includes ebony woods, bronze and glass light fixtures and eclectic, modern Asian artwork. Three Buddha heads, carved from a single piece of glass and lit with multiple colors from within, comprise the venue's dramatic centerpiece.

The leisurely five-course feast at Red Ginger includes soup, salad, appetizer, choice of main courses accompanied by a selection of side dishes, followed by dessert. A typical menu might begin with spicy Thai lemongrass-flavored coconut soup with prawns, followed by a salad of duck and watermelon with cashews, mint and Thai basil. The starter course may showcase selections from the daily sushi platter or tuna tartar with black and white sesame seeds and wasabi cream. Entrée choices should satisfy a range of palates and include roasted Chilean Sea Bass marinated in plum-miso sauce, cooked in a Hoba leaf, or Asian-spiced Rack of Lamb with kohl robi, cream spinach and truffle oil. Sole Tempura, Braised Beef with Malay Curry, and Lobster Pad Thai are also main courses. Side dishes include stir-fried Asian greens with oyster sauce, baby Bok Choy and shitake mushrooms, fried rice with prawns and steamed Jasmine rice. For dessert, guests can savor an East-West synthesis such as chocolate-lemongrass or litchi-raspberry crème brulée, green tea banana cake with toffee-hazelnut sauce, steamed ginger cake with apple-cardamom ice cream, or an exotic fresh fruit plate.

The Red Ginger wine list features both European and New World vintages chosen to enhance the exotic Asian flavors, along with a wide selection of sake. Beers from Thailand and Japan, and a full cocktail menu are also available. The restaurant's signature libation – Ginger Blossom – blends Charbay blood orange vodka, passion fruit and orange juices and Grenadine, served shaken and poured over ice.

Oceania Marina - Jacques French Bistro
Master Chef Jacques Pépin has opened Jacques – his first ever restaurant at sea – onboard Oceania Cruises' new Marina.

Pépin's namesake restaurant draws inspiration from bistros in his home town of Lyon and the fabled bistros of Paris. Guests entering the restaurant are greeted by the aroma of freshly roasted chicken, duck and lamb wafting from the grand rotisserie. Custom Jacques Pépin signature china, antique flatware and Lalique glassware adorn the tables while chandeliers fashioned from crystal decanters add a whimsical shimmer to the room. An art collection comprised of some of Pépin's favorite personal pieces and original works Pépin created especially for Marina, grace the room and adds a warm, personal touch.

Dining in Jacques is reminiscent of dining in a favorite bistro that is run by a long-time friend. The service, while professional and polished, is friendly and endearing and in the tradition of fine French dining, a leisurely pace is de rigueur, thus ensuring a relaxing dining experience.

Upon arrival at the table, guests are greeted with a bread basket of three different freshly baked French baguettes along with Country Petit Pâté with gherkins and traditional Rillettes of salmon and foie de volaille. Highlights of the menu include an appetizer of homemade Pumpkin Soup á l'Anglaise served in a pumpkin shell, fresh Mussels Marinière, freshly roasted free range chicken, duck, lamb and other specialty cuts of fine meat. In addition, the chef's "specialités de la maison" are presented each day, having been hand-selected from local markets in the ports that Marina visits.

To cap off the evening, Jacques features a choice of nine classic French desserts and a cheese tray with 12 AOC French cheeses locally procured from the regions they were produced.

Page 2 > > Oceania Marina Canyon Ranch Spa > >