- Oceania Cruises will be building two more Sonata Class ships.
- The announcement was made at the delivery ceremony of its latest ship, Oceania Allura.
- This marks NCLH’s huge expansion plans across all three of its brands.
The expansion of Oceania Cruises’ heralds in a new dawn for the line as it aims to takeover the luxury market with more boutique sized ships.
Their latest vessel, the Oceania Allura was delivered this week, and with that, the announcement the line will be building two more ships on top of the two new Sonata Class vessels announced in April.
At the ceremony in Genoa, Italy, Jason Montague, the Chief Luxury Officer of Oceania Cruises confirmed the Sonata ships will be delivered in 2032 and 2035 respectively.
“I am delighted to confirm we will be adding two more Sonata Class vessels to our fleet. We are proud to continue our legacy of innovation alongside Fincantieri, our shipbuilding partner for close to 20 years,” he said.
“These four Sonata Class ships will herald the next stage in the evolution of the Oceania Cruises brand of exceptional small-ship luxury experiences.”
This comes as the company has moved Oceania Cruises into the luxury sector from the upper premium category, while Regent Seven Seas has been elevated to an ultra-luxury category.
Oceania Allura‘s launch will be followed by the line’s first Sonata Class vessel, Oceania Sonato and Ocenia Arietta. These vessels will be larger than the Allura Class ships, with the capacity for 1390 guests.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, the parent company of the ultra-luxury brand, Regent Seven Seas, Oceania Cruises as well as the contemporary Norwegian Cruise Line earmarked huge growth plans earlier this year.
The new ships ordered across all three cruise lines over a ten-year period, between 2026 and 2036. Following the delivery of four Prima-Plus class ships from 2025 through 2028, Norwegian Cruise Line is expected to take delivery of four approximately 200,000-gross-ton ships, each with a capacity of nearly 5,000 guests, in 2030, 2032, 2034 and 2036, which are subject to financing.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises is scheduled to take delivery of two 77,000-gross-ton ships, each with a capacity of 850 guests, in 2026 and 2029 after the success of its Explorer class vessels.
What’s onboard the new Oceania Allura?
Some of the highlights of Oceania Allura is a focus on the dining experiences with new venues and revamped menus.
The Crêperie, a first for Oceania Cruises will serve French crêpes, delicious Belgian and bubble waffles and decadent Italian ice cream sundaes.
Oceania Allura also sees the return of the line’s beloved signature French restaurant, Jacques, named for legendary chef Jacques Pépin, the line’s first-ever executive culinary director.
This new iteration features refreshed menus that reflect a refined take on French classics like duck à l’orange with Grand Marnier, plus innovative new experiential dishes such as tableside preparation of hand-cut beef tartare.
A dozen Japanese-Peruvian dishes have joined the expansive menu at Oceania Cruises’ popular pan-Asian specialty restaurant, Red Ginger. Known as Nikkei cuisine, these exciting menu items celebrate the best of Japanese-Peruvian fusion cuisine and feature plates like tuna ceviche with leche de tigre; a braised short rib with lomo saltado and a miso sweet potato mousseline; and crispy soft-shell crab tempura in bao buns.
The Grand Dining Room on board Oceania Allura features more than 270 new recipes from the culinary team at Oceania Cruises, led by its two resident Master Chefs of France and Executive Culinary Directors, Chefs Alexis Quaretti and Eric Barale.
This staggering number of dishes includes more than 30 additions to the breakfast menu, with an all-new signature eggs Benedict section offering guests variations on the brunch favourite like eggs Benedict Florentine or eggs Benedict with smoked salmon.
Launching with Oceania Allura is the new Gerard Bertrand Wine Pairing Luncheon, which will provide a sommelier-curated journey through the portfolio of this celebrated French winemaker, pairing each glass with dishes that highlight the wine’s unique character.
Related Posts
-
It will be the biggest vessel in the Oceania Cruises fleet with the capacity for 1460 passengers.
-
Oceania Cruises has revamped its menu for The Grand Dining Room, which will be rolled out on the line’s 1200-guest ship Allura.
-
Oceania Cruises has unveiled more than 100 enticing sailings across Alaska, the Mediterranean and Northern Europe in 2026. Bookings open on 24 October.
-
Oceania Cruises has added 12 new creative dishes to its signature Pan-Asian restaurant, Red Ginger.
