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Oceania Cruises plays the culinary card in targeting French cruisers

PHOTO: Oceania Cruises
French master chef Jacques Pépin is Oceania Cruises' longtime executive culinary director
Relatively unknown to the cruising public in France but convinced of its growth potential there, Oceania Cruises is expanding its presence in the market.

Atlas and website in French

The line, which carried some 1,000 French passengers this year, has been sold until now by a few cruise agencies in the country.

Oceania Cruises has just published, for the first time, a full atlas in French with some 450 voyages up to November 2020. A website in French has been launched and, for travel agent partners, an e-learning program includes seven training modules.

Cuisine by Jacques Pépin

To attract French passengers, Oceania highlights its award-winning gastronomy, supervised by internationally renowned French chef Jacques Pépin as executive culinary director. Other features emphasized are open-seating dining and multiple restaurant choices at no extra cost, menus and daily programs in French, itineraries with many overnight stays and late departures from ports of call, along with the intimate size of the six ships, ranging from 684 to 1,250 passengers.

Ship tours at French ports

For the time being, however, no embarkations are planned at French ports, the nearest options being Monte Carlo, Barcelona or Civitavecchia. Ship visits will be organized for agent partners during calls at Monaco, Bordeaux, Brest and Le Havre.