Newly christened Oceania Vista coming to California

Wonderful as they may be, Princess Fiona, Pitbull and Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger are slightly odd choices to serve as cruise ship godparents, the ceremonial figurehead who christens a new ship. But it’s true: Shrek’s wife is the godmother of Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, rapper Pitbull is godfather of the Norwegian Escape, and Scherzinger, former lead singer of one of the best-selling girl groups ever, recently made the most of her largely honorific duty by blessing P&O Cruises’ flagship, Arvia.

Which brings us to the cruising world’s newest godmother, and unlike the aforementioned or the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders — collective godmother of the Norwegian Getaway, really? — this one makes sense.

Giada De Laurentiis, the Italian-American chef, writer and television personality, was in Malta on May 8 to christen Oceania Cruises’ newest flagship, MS Vista. With two cups of charm, a pint of grace and a splash of Champagne off the portside bow, the Food Network star followed a centuries-old recipe that symbolizes good luck and protection for the vessel and its passengers.

Like her godmother, the magnificent 1,200-passenger Vista was born in Italy, demonstrates mastery in the kitchen and has California ties — or at least it will in a few months. Those commonalities were not lost on the UCLA alum and Los Angeles resident when she was approached on the ship soon to bear her portrait in the stately Atrium on deck 5.

“I’m so proud to be godmother of this beautiful ship, and it’s so exciting that we share an Italy-L.A. connection having been born in one and about to be together in the other,” De Laurentiis said on the eve of the christening ceremony in the Maltese port of Valletta.

Oceania’s first new ship since the Riviera debuted in 2012 arrives at San Pedro’s World Cruise Center this fall. Guests on Vista will be able to enjoy two of De Laurentiis’ recipes in its Italian specialty restaurant during a 16-night Panama Canal cruise that embarks on Nov. 3 and includes stops in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia and Cayman Islands before pulling up to Miami. Too soon? Then how about January 2025, when Vista returns to L.A. for a near-identical cruise to Miami through the Panama Canal?

The first of two planned Allura-class vessels for Oceania — Allura gets her sea legs in 2025 — Vista comes with a number of impressive introductions to the upper-premium-class cruise line, so much so, the line between Oceania’s category and its upper-luxury sister Regent Seven Seas blurs. Both are subsidiaries of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

Since food — and lots of it — is synonymous with cruising, let’s start with the savory and sweet. Three of Vista’s 11 culinary venues are new concepts for the fleet.

While cold-pressed raw juices and super-food smoothies aren’t new to cruise breakfast fare, Aquamar Kitchen’s spa cuisine kicks things up a notch with terrific healthful drinks, including a Morning Sea smoothie made with passion fruit, pineapple, orange and banana, as well as ship-made granola and organic power bowls. For lunch, the Oceania Signature with Mexican-spiced shrimp and avocado on rustic farmers bread gets a big thumbs up.

The eye-catching Ember dining destination cooks up elevated American food at lunch and dinner, including braised short ribs on polenta, grilled swordfish with asparagus, and crab cakes with spicy aioli.

The third new concept is The Bakery at Baristas. You’ll find wonderful quiches and petite sandwiches here and croissants so flaky and fresh, they’ll have you saying, “Atkins schmatkins.”

The menus and décor of the new trio of restaurants should feel nice and cozy to California foodies. “When the new dining venues were in their conceptual stage, we took guest feedback and crew suggestions into consideration along with what we learned on our visit to restaurants in the Napa Valley and San Francisco,” said Bernhard Klotz, Oceania’s vice president of food and beverage. The itinerary included Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch, Rutherford Grill, Bouchon Bakery, Perry Lang’s, ONE65 and Wildseed.

Three fleet favorites on Oceania’s new flagship are the Polo Grill steakhouse, where the Flintstones-size Galician veal tomahawk for two is sublime; Red Ginger, home of amazing lobster pad Thai and other Asian-inspired dishes; and the Toscana, whose Italian menu features De Laurentiis’ pomegranate branzino and lemon spaghetti — absolutely fantastico.

Inside the gorgeous Grand Dining Room, you’ll find signature Jacques Pépin classics and an all-new Executive Chef’s Tasting Menu. Rounding out the core dining venues are the casual indoor-outdoor Terrace Café for all-day dining and Waves Grill for burgers, shakes and the like.

From high-carb comfort food to pleasing clean cuisine, the chow served on the christening cruise was vastly improved from what guests were fed from Malta to Israel less than a year ago on Oceania’s MS Nautica. With post-COVID supply chain and labor issues now mostly in the past, the cruise line’s trademarked slogan of “The Finest Cuisine at Sea” is closer to the truth. Helping with this claim is an industry-low guest-to-chef ratio of 10 to 1.

That’s not counting the amateur chefs who learn tricks of the trade at the ocean view Culinary Center. Up to 24 passengers can partake in hands-on classes ($89, early reservations recommended) led by a personable chef instructor. Pair a class with a culinary tour from the shore excursion list to learn more about the ingredients used in the two-hour classes. Sealing the deal for some: Each class has at least one cocktail on the day’s curriculum.

Speaking of which, Oceania’s debut mixology program aboard the Vista offers the latest cocktail-crafting trends and techniques including entertaining rum mixology experiences, specialty beverage carts and innovative alchemy-applied cocktails at the Founders Bar.