WHY IT RATES: The newly re-built Sirena provides new additions to ensure guests spend their vacations in style. – Mackenzie Cullen, Editorial Associate
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Oceania Cruises, the world’s leading culinary- and destination-focused cruise line unveiled the better than new Sirena, fresh from her dramatic re-inspiration. The top to bottom re-build, which has resulted in a better than new ship, is part of the $100+ million OceaniaNEXT brand enhancement program.
Boasting 342 completely new staterooms and suites along with dramatically transformed public spaces, Sirena debuts some additional refinements above and beyond what was done to the line’s Insignia, the first of six ships to undergo the re-inspiration process.
“The re-inspired Sirena is perhaps the best expression of our team’s Kaizen culture which focuses on implementing constant incremental change that continually elevates the guest experience. That’s the heart and soul of our OceaniaNEXT initiative,” stated Bob Binder, President and CEO.
Some of the additional enhancements above and beyond the work carried out on Insignia includes:
– Brand-new entry doors for all suites and staterooms
– Full-length mirrors in all suites and staterooms
– Additional 100-volt sockets on each side of the bed in all accommodations
– New wall sconces in the Spa
– Additional crystal chandeliers in the public spaces and stair lobbies
Topping off the awe-inspiring transformation of the Sirena are elements of the multi-million-dollar art collection that are unique, even personal expressions that are emblematic of the brand’s very personal nature.
Hanging prominently in the re-styled Bar Istas, the ship’s social hub and coffee bar, is an original by the legendary Jacques Pepin which was specially commissioned for the Sirena. Pepin, best known for having been chef to numerous heads of state, dozens of cookbooks, and of course, his long-running and Emmy-award-winning cooking shows on PBS, has always found cooking and painting to be remarkably similar forms of artistic expression.
“I don’t know whether my painting has helped my cuisine, or whether my cooking has helped my painting, and I don’t know if one borrows from the other. All I know is that, certainly for me, cooking and painting can live in harmony together. Both are different expressions of who I am, and both enhance my life considerably,” stated Pepin.
He also found a very special joy in doing a piece for “his daughter’s ship” as Claudine Pepin christened the Sirena when she entered service in 2016.
“I like to work with shapes and colors in semi abstract composition where I do not have to reproduce true reality,” added Pepin who is also the line’s Executive Culinary Director.
At the center of the ship, the deck and a half tall French-glass mirror that crowns the ship’s Reception Lobby and iconic Grand Staircase contains a hand-painted willow tree that symbolizes balance, learning, growth, and harmony. Insignia, the first of the ships to be re-inspired, aptly features a Tree of Life which portends positive energy and a bright future.
Nearby in the Reception Lobby, is a commissioned piece by Soumiya Lakshmi Krishnaswamy that hangs next to the portrait of Claudine Pepin, the ship’s Godmother. This piece is particularly meaningful as Soumiya is a life-long friend of Claudine Pepin and was her roommate in college.
“I knew I was creating something that would be living aboard the Sirena. I love the water, and to be out on the middle of an ocean. I made this piece as part of collection that seeks to capture the spirit of adventure that lies in the sea, and with people who follow in pursuit of it,” stated Soumiya.
For more information about Oceania Cruises, call 855-OCEANIA (855-623-2642) or contact a professional travel agent.
SOURCE: Oceana Cruises press release.
