Cruise Lines

At last - some news from the will-it, won't-it new ship launch of 2010.

No, it's not the long-awaited itineraries or prices for Oceania's 1,258-passenger Marina, even though the ship is supposed to be launching at the end of next year, but news that the ship's Owner's Suites will be furnished entirely from the Ralph Lauren Home collection.

That means everything from the furniture to the fabrics, and from the lighting to the bedding will be a designer-label lover's dream.

The idea is to make these suites feel like a luxurious estate home, Oceania Cruises president Bob Binder said. If the pictures here are anything to go by they have certainly achieved that.

The ship has three Owner's Suites, each measuring more than 2,500 square feet, all with separate sleeping and living/dining areas and all sumptuously finished with inset wood panelling, marble, plush carpeting and walls of mirrors.

They each have a mahogony Mayfair dining table, caramel leather dining chairs, a baby grand piano, various chandeliers and a Bel Air bed littered with throw pillows and, of course, a marble master bathroom with separate shower and large soaking tub.

The release has a lot more detail but to be honest the pictures tell the real story. Namely that the suites are big and look fabulous. Well, they'll certainly do for me, anyway!

Interestingly, when I finally got to the end of the release, having read about all sorts of trimmings, edgings and faux this and thats, I discovered news that Marina's itineraries will be released in the coming weeks, with bookings from January 2010.

So maybe is going to happen next year after all. If they could just time the launch between Queen Elizabeth in October and Allure of the Seas in November/December, avoiding World Travel Market as well, it would be much appreciated!