Monthly Archives: April 2017

Award-winning Oceania Cruises itineraries visit over 300 ports in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Australia and New Zealand aboard line's luxurious ships. Oceania's cruise vessels stand apart from other midsize ships with low 1-to-2 crew-to-passenger ratios and comprehensive itineraries.

During warm weather months Oceania Cruises ships ply the waters of Eastern and Western Mediterranean, Western Europe and British Isles, Northern Europe's Baltic Sea and Norwegian Fjords. During the winter, Oceania spans the globe with sailings to Asia, Australia, South America, Panama Canal and the Caribbean.

Oceania Cruises appeals to affluent retirees who look for a no-frills and refined experience. That said, the sophisticated atmosphere of the line also attracts solo travelers and young couples who are looking for an experience sans kids. Regardless of which voyage you choose, expect to sail with American crowd.

In 2016 Oceania Cruises sails around the world, with trips spanning Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, South America, South Pacific and Alaska, among other places. The shore experiences of the line are just as varied as its cruises, ranging from culinary endeavors such as tapas tastings in Barcelona, Spain to active pursuits such as glacier sea kayaking in Juneau, Alaska. If passengers wish to extend their time on shore, they can sign up for pre- or post-cruise land tours with Oceania, including all lodging, transportation and dining costs.

Oceania Cruisesis planning 7 maiden port calls in its summer 2017 and winter 2017-2018 programs. Nearly 120 of the 172 cruise itineraries are new. The maiden port calls include Bastia (Corsica), Villefranche and Nantes (both in France), Husavik (Iceland), Rijeka (Croatia), Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas Island) and Sept-Iles (Canada).

Select Oceania sailings to Asia and Africa offer the option of free 3-night pre- or post-cruise land tours. Examples include 'Roman Wonders,' to Rome and Vatican City; 'Beijing & the Great Wall,' exploring some of China's top historical sites and 'Winelands & Wildlife,' out of Cape Town.

In November 2016,Oceania Cruisesrevealed plans to homeport one of its smaller cruise ships,ms Insignia, inNew Yorkduring summer and fall seasons in 2017 and 2018. This way Oceania will become the only upscale cruise line to offer regular cruises from the city.

In April 2017 the worlds leading destination-focused cruise line,Oceania Cruises,unveiled its most extensive tropics and exotics itineraries to date.Boasting an astonishing array of cruises to Asia and Africa, Australia, the South Pacific, Mexico, Caribbean,and South America, they providea refreshing mix of destinations, boutique ports, and off-the-beaten-path gems unmatched by any other cruise line. Extended and overnight port stays allow for in-depth exploration and immersion into the history, culture and cuisine of more than 240 ports of call.

Oceania Cruises' 2018-2019 program "Tropics & Exotics Collection" features as highlights:

In December 2016, the line's owner NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings) received permission to operate cruises to Cuba, with two Oceania ships -Marina (starting in the end of 2016) and Regatta (starting in 2017). Cuba currently lacks the infrastructure to support largecruise ships, so the 684-passenger Regatta and 1,258-passenger Marina are small enough to work with what exists there now. Both ships will sail a variety of itineraries, including circumnavigation of Cuba (with stops in Cienfuegos and Havana) andvisitingCuba would aspart of some Panama Canal transition cruises.

In March 2017Oceania Cruisesannounced 10new itineraries to Cuba in 2018. Cruises are roundtrip Miami, range 7 to 10 days in length and all include visits toHavana, Santiago de CubaandCienfuegos.

The current list of passenger shipping lines offering cruises to Cuba in 2017-2018 includes:

See the article here:

Oceania Cruises - Ships and Itineraries 2017, 2018, 2019 ...

The first two matches of the Oceania U20s went as expected, with New Zealand and Australia well in control throughout comfortable wins.

The Kiwis blitzed Fiji in the first half before taking their foot off the gas and the same could be said for the Aussies in their win against Samoa.

Through the eyes of the respective captains and Australia coach Simon Cron, here's what we learned from Day One.

New Zealand skipper Luke Jacobson was particularly pleased with his team's defensive effort.

"Really happy with the match actually - we managed to get some good points up there but to keep them try-less as well - we were really happy with that," he said.

Fiji captain Temo Mayanavanua is adamant his team will improve with time together and they will need to after a lacklustre opener against the Kiwis.

"The boys have just come back from Fiji Schoolboys and they were pretty new to the atmosphere," he said.

"Many of us also haven't played many afternoon matches and I think that's a major factor for us."

Australian U20s captain Reece Hewat was impressed by the team's dominant scrum and lineout play but said their core skills must improve going forward.

"The rain doesn't help that but our skills can definitely pick up a bit," he said.

"Just the simple catch and pass and sticking to our structures but as I said, I think that will pick up."

Samoa U20s captain Ivan Fepuleai pointed straight to the set piece when asked what went wrong in his team's 43-20 loss.

"If we fixed up our set pieces the game would have been a lot more free flowing," he said.

"I think when we had the ball in hand we were deadly but full credit to Australia, they really brought it to us today."

Cron was pleased with his team's defensive work but that was about it last night.

The conditions were probably as treacherous as you will find on Australian soil but as a Kiwi, Cron wasn't having that as an excuse for handling errors.

"It was our first game so we were always going to be a little bit rusty in learning structures and patterns," he said.

"But I feel like we probably went into our shell a little bit at times there and there were too many dropped balls for my liking.

"A little bit of rain is no excuse - the ball doesn't change - so I would rank us a 40 out of 100 which in terms of our processes, isn't that high."

Read more:

Oceania U20s Day One: Five things we learned - Rugby.com.au

ANDREW VOERMAN

Last updated11:11, April 29 2017

DAVID JOSEPH/PHOTOTEK.NZ

Auckland City's Ryan De Vries has returned from injury and will be fit for the OFC Champions League final

Will Auckland City win the OFC Champions League for a seventh year in a row, or will Team Wellington win it for the first time, and become the seventh team from Oceania to complete the domestic-continental double?

That's what's atstake over the next week or so, as they meet in a two-legged home-and-away final beginning on Sundayat Kiwitea St, that will not only answer that question, but also determine which of them qualifies for December'sClub World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

It has been four weeks since Team Wellington won the national league final between the two sides, 2-1 at QBE Stadium in Auckland, and in that time, they each won their two-legged Champions League semifinals easily, and in the fashion you would expect - Auckland City 2-0 and 2-0 over AS Tefana of Tahiti, and Team Wellington 2-2 and 7-1 over AS Magenta of New Caledonia, scorelines that reflect the greater firepower the men from the capital posess, but also their greater potential to concede - they've kept just threeclean sheets all season.

REUTERS

Ramon Tribulietx and Auckland City are seeking a seventh OFC Champions League title in a row.

The Stirling Sports Premiership decider was an even affair, which Team Wellington edged because they created the better chances, and were better at finishing them. They pressed high up the pitch, and while they couldn't deny Citytheir usual lion's share of possession, they did make life more difficult.

READ MORE: * Robertson hopes third time's thecharm * OCL final an all-Kiwi affair *Vital away goals for TW *Team Welly reinvent themselves to triumph

But there was enough there that City coach RamonTribulietx was not too despondent about his side's performance. He was annoyed, understandably, by their failure to deal with aerialballs into the boxand with set pieces, which were how Team Wellington scored, but believed they had done more than enough to put themselves in a winning position.

PHOTOSPORT

Auckland City celebrated hard after beating Team Wellington in last year's OFC Champions League final.

"We had morepossession, and we had more shots, so we didn't play too bad, actually, bearing in mind that in finals, teams often don'tmanageto playfantasticallywell - there's a lot of nerves around and a lot of tension, so that makes these games hard."

The story of Auckland City againstTeam Wellington during Tribulietx's time in charge is one with two distinct chapters - bearing in mind that the team from the capital have had three different coaches and far higher turnover of playersin that seven-season stretch.

In round robin games, Tribulietx's sides have win 10, drawn three and lost one, but in semifinals and finals, they have won four, drawn one (that they won on penalties)and lost four,a much less lopsided return.

SHANE WENZLICK/PHOTOTEK.NZ

Team Wellington coach Jose Figueira says his side have plenty of reasons to be confident.

They are unbeaten in the Champions League, however, where they are buoyed by their historic six-year winning streak, and by their strong connection to the Club World Cup, which has done more for Auckland City's profile than any of their domestic achievements.

This is the third year in a row where these two have met in the decider, but the first where it will be played over two legs - the second is next Sunday at Dave Farrington Park in Wellington. Team Wellington got close in Fiji in 2015, taking an ugly, bitterly-fought game to penalties, but were well off the pace in Auckland last year.

Yet there is a sense they are as well placed as they are ever going to be, having gone undefeated for 11matches in a row across the national league and the Champions League, while scoring 50goals to 17 in that stretch.

JOWN COWPLAND/PHOTOTEK.NZ

Ben Harris scored both of Team Wellington's goals in the national league final four weeks ago.

Combine that runwith the head-to-head result in the national league final four weeks ago, and Team Wellington coach Jose Figueira has plenty of reasons to be feeling good.

"We can go into these games full of confidence. Looking back at the national league final, as well as doing well without the ball, we created a lot of dangerous attacks, and quality goalscoring opportunities.

"There's always going to be areas to work on, and Ramon's a top coach and [City] are a top team - we've got to be ready for the potential that they will throw something slightly different at us."

Team Wellington's lineup portends to be nearly identical to theone that won in Albany on April 2 - Guillermo Moretti (who was suspended) should be infor Taylor Schrijvers at the back as the only change -but Auckland City's is harder to judge. For one, the change ofcompetition means they no longer have to include eight local players in their match-day squad, but on top of that, injuries have had their sayin recent weeks.

Ryan de Vrieswent off injured in the national league final, and played no part in the Champions League semifinal, but is ready to return; Fabrizio Tavano missed the second leg of the semifinal with injury, but should also be back; and Micah Lea'alafa, who missed the national league final, is also fit - his dribbling ability could be a game changer.

All White Clayton Lewis is likely to play a more prominent role than he did in the national league final, having been hampered by international commitments in the buildup to it, but there are concerns over fellow midfielder Marko Dordevic, who took a knock asAS Tefanagot overly physicalin the OCL semifinal.

AT A GLANCE

OFC Champions League final - first leg

Auckland City v Team Wellington Kiwitea St, Auckland Sunday, April 30;2pm

OFC Champions League final - second leg

Team Wellington v Auckland City Dave Farrington Park, Wellington Sunday, May 7;1pm

ROAD TO THE FINAL

Auckland City Group stage: 2-1 win v Western United, 2-0 win v Lae City Dwellers, 11-0 win vMalampa Revivors Semifinal v AS Tefana: 2-0 away and 2-0 at home (4-0 on aggregate)

Team Wellington Group stage: 4-1 win v Puaikura, 3-1 win vHienghene Sport, 8-0 win v Ba Semifinal v AS Magenta: 2-2 draw away and 7-1 win at home (9-3 on aggregate)

-Stuff

See the original post:

Can Auckland City march on in Oceania or will Team Wellington ... - Stuff.co.nz

The second split of the Smite Oceania Pro League kicks off on May 13, Hi-Rez Studios has announced.

The split has a prize pool of AU$25k, and will run every Saturday from May 13 until its LAN finals at Cybergamer Studios in Adelaide on June 2526.

Teams competing in Smite Oceania Pro League Split Two are current regional champions LG Dire Wolves, alongside Legacy Esports, Dark Sided, Avant Garde, Team Noxide, and Kanga Esports.

An open Challengers Cup season will run simultaneously, and for the first time will feature a cash prize for its grand finals.

In another first, the Challengers Cup winner has a path to the Pro League LAN finals, but it must defeat a number of Pro teams to get there.

Prior to Split 2 of the Pro League, there is a mid-year exhibition tournament at IEM Sydney on Saturday 7 May with a prize pool of AU$10,000.

The rest is here:

Dire Wolves to defend Smite Oceania Pro League title when Split 2 begins May 13 - Gameplanet

The next major Paladins tournament for Oceania is a six-week, AU$10,000 affair, Hi-Rez has announced.

In addition, the victorious team will be sent to Dreamhack Valencia to compete against the world's best.

The tournament, Path to Dreamhack, runs from May 8 to June 12, and is open to all teams in the Oceania region.

There will be a three week open bracket stage, after which the top four teams will enter a two week round robin to determine the Grand Finalists.

The finalists will battle at a live LAN event on June 25.

The favourite for the event is Kanga Esports, which is currently ranked third in the world.

"[Oceania] has been one of the strongest internationally since early on and we look forward to continuing to develop the passionate Paladins scene down under," said Hi-Rez Studios senior esports manager Dan McHugh.

The competition will be broadcast each Monday at 711pm AEST (9pm1am NZT) on the official Paladins Twitch channel.

Original post:

Hi-Rez announces Oceania Road to Dreamhack Paladins tournament - Gameplanet