2002: Oceania Cruises was founded by Frank Del Rio and Joe Watters. The cruise line started by chartering two former Renaissance Cruise ships, R1 and R2, that were renamed Regatta and Insignia.
2004: In late 2004, Oceania Cruises chartered a third Renaissance Cruises ship, R5, and renamed it Nautica. Nautica entered service in 2005.
2005: Oceania Cruises purchased all three ships; Regatta, Insignia and Nautica.
2007: In 2007, the cruise line was acquired by Apollo Management, an investment company, and managed by Prestige Cruises International. Following the acquisition, Oceania Cruises placed an order with Fincantieri for its first 1,250-passenger ship.
2011: In February, the cruise line’s first-ever new build ship, Marina, was christened.
2012: By May 2012, Marina’s nearly identical cruise ship, Riviera, debuted. During this time, Insignia was leased to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, later returning to Oceania Cruises in 2014.
2014: Norwegian Cruise Line acquired Prestige Cruises International from Apollo Management and Oceania Cruises joined the publicly traded corporation, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. Also in 2015, the cruise line spent more than $50 million to refurbish the original vessels, Regatta, Insignia and Nautica.
2016: In 2016, another Renaissance Cruises ship joined the fleet as Sirena.
2018: News of the OceaniaNEXT project was released. As part of the project, the cruise line planned a $100 million investment in modernising its fleet.
2019: Oceania Cruises announced the all-new Allura Class and two brand-new 1,200-passenger ships.
2023: In February, Oceania Cruises announced that Allura would launch in 2025. While in May, Vista set sail on her inaugural voyage.
Future: We can’t wait to see what’s in store for Oceania Cruises!
