Among the main cruise lines, Oceania Cruises especially known for its varied itineraries.
Despite operating only six ships, the premium brand offers sailings to all corners of the globe, from North America and Europe to Africa, Asia and Australia. Its ships visit more than 450 different ports.
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Oceania has a particularly large footprint when it comes to European cruises, with four or five of its six ships spending at least part of spring, summer and fall in Europe in a typical year.
Oceania also typically deploys at least one of its ships to Alaska in the summer.
In winter, Oceania moves at least two of its ships to the Caribbean while placing another in Asia and a fourth in South America. A fifth ship will be sent out on a round-the-world trip over the winter.
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This route usually offers one or two trips per year out of Cape Town.
Among its voyages are everything from seven-night cruises in the Caribbean to 200-day round-the-world trips. The company typically doesn’t make short trips of just three or four nights, unlike mass-market routes.
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Overwhelmed with options? Here are our picks for the five best travel destinations in Oceania.
Northern Europe
Some of Oceania’s most exciting itineraries are around the UK, Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea.
Each year from late May to early September, the line sends at least two ships to the area and offers itineraries from just eight nights to a whopping 56 nights.
The voyages visit ports in Germany, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, all in one 10-night cruise. Or you could spend 10 nights visiting the many ports in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
Other trips focus on Scotland and England.
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Note that trips to Oceania in the Baltic traditionally include a multi-night stay in St. Petersburg, Russia, is considered the highlight of any excursion in the Baltic. However, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Oceania halted all stops in St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg returns as a call on the Baltic Sea voyages in the coming years will depend on whether there is a resolution to the conflict.
Meanwhile, Oceania has cut back on trips to the Baltic and changed its port list for Baltic voyages it still keeps.
In Northern Europe, Oceania ships mainly sail from Southampton, England; Amsterdam; Hamburg, Germany; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Copenhagen; and Oslo, Norway.
Mediterranean
Many of Oceania’s most popular cruises are in the Mediterranean, where it sometimes deploys up to 5 ships during the summer.
Mediterranean cruises last from about 10 nights to 22 nights. These include trips with a particular focus on the Western Mediterranean or the Eastern Mediterranean, and some include stops across both areas.
Typical of the latter is the 12-day “Mediterranean Splendors” route, a one-way trip between Istanbul and Lisbon, Portugal, with stops in Turkey, Greece, Malta, Spain and Portugal Portugal.
More focused Mediterranean itineraries include the nine-day “Cultural Crossing” voyages between Athens, Greece, and Civitavecchia, Italy (Rome’s port), mainly focusing on stops along the shore west coast of Turkey and west coast of Italy.
In the Mediterranean, the main hub of the service is Barcelona; Monaco; Valletta, Malta; Civitavecchia and Venice, Italy; Piraeus (port of Athens), Greece; and Istanbul.
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Asia
Oceania typically sends one of its six ships to Asia each winter to make Asia-focused voyages from cities like Bangkok, Singapore and Tokyo.
The service also regularly dispatches a second vessel on a round-the-world cruise that includes multiple segments in Asia, resulting in two of its ships heading to Asia during the winter.
The ships often offer many different itineraries, never staying in the same part of Asia on so many consecutive voyages.
The Asia itineraries offered by Oceania include a 10-night cruise between Bangkok and Singapore with stops at Ko Samui, Thailand; Sihanoukville, Cambodia; and Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
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The line also typically offers several 10-night “Immerse into Japan” trips each winter out of Yokohama, Japan (the port of Tokyo), with stops at Nagoya, Kobe (for Kyoto), Hiroshima , Nagasaki, Kochi and Shimizu in Japan, as well as Busan, South Korea.
Longer Asian itineraries include 18-night “Spiritual Temple” trips from Bangkok to Tokyo that include stops in Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan.
Caribbean
Oceania is not a big player in Caribbean cruises, unlike its sister company Norwegian Cruise Line. However, it typically sends two ships to Miami each winter to operate warm-weather-focused voyages to popular Caribbean ports. It also offers several Caribbean sailings from other regional ports, including Bridgetown, Barbados.
Typically, Oceania Caribbean cruises last 10 or 12 nights, with the typical 10-night trip having stops in St. Kitts, St. Vincent, Dominica, St. Barts, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Several shorter, seven-night Caribbean itineraries are also available, with routes typically centered on the Western Caribbean and with stops in Mexico, Belize and Honduras.
Among its farthest Caribbean itineraries next year is a 12-night trip out of Miami, offering visits to the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, St. Barts, Dominica, Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia and Antigua.
South America
Oceania typically bases only one ship in South America per year and only for about five months in winter. However, it also often has a second ship that briefly visits the area as part of a round-the-world cruise.
As a result, the line typically offers about a dozen departures from South America in any given year from cities like Rio de Janeiro; Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina; City of Lima, Peru; and Miami.
Many of Oceania’s South American voyages are quite lengthy, with some lasting as long as 24 to 30 nights.
Among these longer trips are 24-night trips between Santiago and Buenos Aires that offer a visit to Antarctica, as well as stops in Chile (including in the Chilean fjords), Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.
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