Oceania Cruises floats out new ship Oceania Sonata – marking a new era of luxury

• Oceania Cruises has floated its upcoming ship Oceania Sonata.
• This will be the first of five ships in Oceania’s new Sonata class.
• The ship is set to start taking passengers from August 2027.

Oceania Cruises has taken a big step towards beginning its new era, floating out Oceania Sonata out of Fincantieri shipyard in Italy. 

This is the first of five Sonata-class ships that will roll out between 2027 and 2037, redefining Oceania’s fleet. Sonata’s sister ship Oceania Arietta is already confirmed for 2029, with the other ships unnamed for now. 

These ships will be much larger than most of Oceania’s fleet, for example, Oceania Sonata will clock in at about 30% larger than Oceania Allure. However, it’ll only take about 200 extra guests, meaning that space will be maximised for guests on this new generation of Oceania ships. 

It also marks a move towards larger ships in general for Oceania. Currently, their fleet is split between smaller ships of around 600-700 guests and larger ships around 1200 – 1250 guests. 

Sonata will have capacity for 1390 guests at double occupancy. 

The Sonata ships signal that Oceania is leaning towards the larger-capacity ships, but as mentioned, is making them bigger to give the small-ship feel, but take more passengers at a time.

The new ship will lean towards more suite accommodation, without about one-third of all rooms being suites. 

Sonata will also feature two new suite categories. This includes Horizon suites which offer a more residential feel with more than 600 square feet on offer. AS well as an almost 500 square foot Penthouse Deluxe Suite, decked out with floor-to-ceiling windows looking over the ocean.

In general, Oceania has been leaning into the luxury side of things, establishing itself as an adults-only ship and crafting its new ships to be more spacious and glamorous. Check out the video below to see more about Oceania’s fleet-wide upgrades.

More details are still to come on the ship, including the specifics of new dining concepts, La Table par Maîtres Cuisiniers de France and Nikkei Kitchen.

The ship will begin sailing from August 2027, with sailings on offer in Europe, the Caribbean, down into Central America and more. The ship will continue back and forth between Miami and Europe until April 2029. 

Jason Montague, Chief Luxury Officer of Oceania Cruises said: “The float-out of Oceania Sonata is an incredibly exciting moment as we move one step closer to welcoming our first guests aboard next August.

“We are tremendously grateful to our partners at Fincantieri, whose expertise and craftsmanship are bringing Oceania Sonata to life. As the first ship in our new Sonata Class, she represents the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the brand and a defining milestone in the continued evolution of Oceania Cruises.”