The Oceania Cruises fleet might be small but it is one of the most luxurious lines on the high seas. Currently, there are four ships in the fleet but that number will balloon to five when Insignia comes back to the fold in May, 2014 after being leased out for the past two years.
Insignia is part of the Regatta Class of ships, a small trio at just 30,277 gross tons each. The Oceania Class consists of the first two ships built new for Oceania Cruises, Marina and Riviera. The cruise line was founded in 2002 and evolved from the remnants of Renaissance Cruises.
Today, we’ll take a look at the well-travelled Oceania Class ships, ms Marina and ms Riviera. Both were built by Fincantieri in Italy, are registered out of the Marshall Islands and have pretty much identical dimensions.
Oceania Marina
The Ship
As mentioned, the ship was built by Fincantieri on the northern shores of the Adriatic Sea. The first ship built new for Oceania, Marina made her maiden voyage on January 22, 2011. She has a gross tonnage of 66,084, almost exactly double the weight of the Regatta Class ships.
Marina is 785 feet or 239 metres in length and has fifteen decks, eleven accessible to passengers. The staff to guest ratio on the ship is a definite sign of the exclusive luxury of the ship. The passenger capacity is 1,250 with 800 crew members to make things run smooth. The best room on the ship is the Owner’s Suite with 2,000 square feet of living space. There are three Owner’s Suites on the ship.
2014 Schedule
Through April, Marina spends her time mostly based in Papeete in French Polynesia running Tahiti, South Pacific and Australia/New Zealand cruises. On April 19, she leaves Papeete for a 17 night journey across the Pacific Ocean to Lima, Peru.
Marina doesn’t stay in South America long, leaving Peru on May 6 for a 16 night journey to New York City via the Panama Canal. Along the way, the ship makes port calls in Peru, Equador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Belize, Mexico, Key West and South Carolina.
Not one to rest long, Marina takes off from New York on May 22 to cross another ocean. This time, she takes 16 nights to cross the Atlantic, with her final destination being Dover in the United Kingdom. Along the way, she makes port calls in Maine, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Newfoundland and Ireland.
For the rest of the summer months, Marina remains in Europe. Home ports vary widely and include Stockholm, Sweden; Copenhagen, Denmark; Southampton, United Kingdom; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Barcelona, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Rome, Italy and Venice, Italy.
On November 4, 2014, Oceania Marina begins her migration back to the South Pacific with a 16 night journey to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, making port calls in Spain, Morocco, along with several on the Brazilian coast. On December 17, Marina sets out from Valparaiso, Chile for an 18 night cruise back to Papeete in French Polynesia.
Want to book a cruise on Oceania Marina? You will not get a room for much less than $3000 to start. The March 26 ten night Tahiti cruise out of Papeete starts from the low, low price of $9,364.
Oceania Riviera
The Ship
Nearly identical in every way to her sister ship, Riviera made her maiden voyage in May, 2012. Built by Fincantieri and registered in the Marshall Islands, the ship has the same gross tonnage of 66,084, the same length of 785 feet or 239 metres and the same number of passenger accessible decks at eleven. Guest and crew capacity is identical to Marina and the ship also contains three 2,000 square foot Owner’s Suites.
The Schedule
Riviera is a bit more grounded than her sister ship. The vessel calls Miami, Florida home port until April 7, running a variety of Western, Eastern and Southern Caribbean itineraries. On April 7, 2014, Riviera takes off from Miami on a 14 night Transatlantic cruise, ending in Barcelona, Spain.
The ship remains in Europe through the summer until November 15. During Riviera’s time on the other side of the Atlantic, she has several home ports. Included are Istanbul, Turkey; Piraeus, Greece; Barcelona, Spain; Venice, Italy and Rome, Italy.
On November 15, 2014, Riviera leaves Barcelona for a 14 night Transatlantic cruise back to Miami, making stops in Spain, the U.K. and the Bahamas along the way. For the rest of 2014, Riviera carries on with her selection of Caribbean cruises. Pricing is a little lower on Riviera, compared to Marina. Cruise prices start from $2,660 to $6,600 and go up from there.
