Oceania Cruises named the Italian-American chef, restaurateur, author, and Emmy Award-winning TV host Giada De Laurentiis as godmother of the fleet's newest vessel - Vista (debuting in May 2023). The celebrity chef owns two restaurants in Las Vegas (Nevada USA) - Giada (2014-opened, in The Cromwell Las Vegas Hotel & Casino) and Pronto by Giada (2018-opened, in Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino).
The American singer and pianist Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. is expected to appear alongside the Godmother at the naming ceremony, scheduled for May 8th to be held in Port Valletta (Malta).
Connick is due to perform an exclusive concert for VIP guests at the event in Valletta Harbour during Vista's 7-night roundtrip from Civitavecchia-Rome (Italy). Chef De Laurentiis will officiate the breaking of a Champagne bottle on the ship's bow to bestow good luck over the ship and to all guests and crew members.
Giada will create two signature dishes to be served exclusively on Oceania Vista and only in Toscana (dinner-only Italian specialty restaurant) and The Grand Dining Room.
Providing a new way of seeing the world and featuring all-balcony accommodations, Vista's interiors and stylish lines reflect a new perspective through organic elements inspired by the sea.
As Oceania's first newbuild in 10+ years, the debut of the 1200-passenger/16-deck Vista is highly anticipated, with her inaugural summer season in the Med already sold out. In September 2023, Vista will sail to Canada and New England prior to heading south for a series of winter itineraries exploring the Caribbean, Mexico, and Bermuda.
Vista's 2024 summer season will see her sail on a series of Grand Voyages in the eastern Mediterranean, Aegean and Adriatic Seas, calling at an array of iconic port cities and smaller locales throughout Italy, Greece, Turkey, and the Holy Lands.