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Among major cruise lines, Oceania Cruises is particularly known for its diverse array of itineraries.
Despite operating just six ships, the upscale brand offers voyages in every corner of the world, from North America and Europe to Africa, Asia and Australia. Its vessels visit more than 450 different ports.
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Oceania has a particularly large footprint when it comes to Europe itineraries, with four or five of its six ships spending at least parts of their spring, summer and fall in Europe in a typical year.
Oceania also typically deploys at least one of its vessels to Alaska in the summer.
In the winter, Oceania moves at least two of its vessels to the Caribbean while basing another ship in Asia and a fourth vessel in South America. A fifth vessel will be sent on an around-the-world voyage during winter.
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The line typically also offers one or two sailings each year out of Cape Town.
Among the line’s voyages, there’s everything from seven-night cruises in the Caribbean to 200-day globe-circling voyages. The company generally doesn’t do very short sailings of just three or four nights, unlike mass-market lines.
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Overwhelmed with the choices? Here are our picks for the five best Oceania cruise destinations.
Northern Europe
Some of Oceania’s most interesting itineraries are around the United Kingdom, Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea.
Each year from late May to early September, the line sends at least two ships to the region and offers itineraries ranging from just eight nights to a whopping 56 nights.
The voyages visit ports in Germany, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, all in a single 10-night cruise. Or you could spend 10 nights visiting multiple ports in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
Other voyages focus on Scotland and England.
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Note that Oceania voyages in the Baltic traditionally have included a multinight stay in St. Petersburg, Russia, considered the highlight of any Baltic cruise. However, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Oceania has pulled all St. Petersburg stops for now. Whether St. Petersburg will return as a call on Baltic sailings in coming years will depend on whether there is a resolution to the conflict.
In the meantime, Oceania has cut back on Baltic sailings and changed up its port list for the Baltic sailings it has kept.
In Northern Europe, Oceania ships mostly sail out of Southampton, England; Amsterdam; Hamburg, Germany; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Copenhagen; and Oslo, Norway.
The Mediterranean
Many of Oceania’s most popular itineraries are in the Mediterranean, where it sometimes deploys as many as five ships during parts of the summer.
The Mediterranean trips range from about 10 nights to as many as 22 nights. They include voyages focused specifically on the Western Mediterranean or Eastern Mediterranean and some that include stops across both areas.
Typical of the latter is the line’s 12-day “Mediterranean Splendors” routing, a one-way trip between Istanbul and Lisbon, Portugal, that brings stops in Turkey, Greece, Malta, Spain and Portugal.
More-focused Mediterranean itineraries include the line’s nine-day “Cultural Crossroads” voyages between Athens, Greece, and Civitavecchia, Italy (the port for Rome), which mostly concentrate on stops along the west coast of Turkey and the west coast of Italy.
In the Mediterranean, the line’s main hubs are Barcelona; Monaco; Valletta, Malta; Civitavecchia and Venice, Italy; Piraeus (the port for Athens), Greece; and Istanbul.
Related: The best Mediterranean cruise for every type of traveler
Asia
Oceania typically sends one of its six ships to Asia every winter for Asia-focused sailings out of such cities as Bangkok, Singapore and Tokyo.
The line also typically sends a second ship on an around-the-world cruise that includes multiple segments in Asia, resulting in two of the line’s ships sailing in Asia during the winter.
The vessels typically offer a relatively wide mix of itineraries, never staying in the same part of Asia for too many voyages in a row.
Asia itineraries that Oceania offers include 10-night voyages 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 “Japanese Immersion” sailings each winter out of Yokohama, Japan (the port for Tokyo), with stops at Nagoya, Kobe (for Kyoto), Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Kochi and Shimizu in Japan, as well as Busan, South Korea.
Longer Asia itineraries include 18-night “Spiritual Shrines” sailings from Bangkok to Tokyo that include calls in Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan.
Caribbean
Oceania isn’t a huge player in Caribbean cruises, unlike its sister company Norwegian Cruise Line. However, it typically sends two vessels to Miami every winter to operate warm-weather-focused getaways to well-known Caribbean ports. It also offers some Caribbean sailings from other regional ports, including Bridgetown, Barbados.
Typically, Oceania’s Caribbean sailings are either 10 or 12 nights in length, with a typical 10-night voyage featuring stops in St. Kitts, St. Vincent, Dominica, St. Barts, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
A few shorter, seven-night Caribbean itineraries also are available, with routings generally focusing on the Western Caribbean and bringing stops in Mexico, Belize and Honduras.
Among the line’s most far-flung Caribbean itineraries for the coming year is a 12-night voyage out of Miami that brings visits to the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, St. Barts, Dominica, Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia and Antigua.
South America
Oceania typically bases just one ship in South America each year, and only for about five months in the winter. However, it also often has a second ship visiting the region briefly as part of an around-the-world cruise.
As a result, the line typically offers around a dozen South America cruise departures in any given year out of such cities as Rio de Janeiro; Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Lima, Peru; and Miami.
Many of Oceania’s South America sailings are quite lengthy, with some extending for as many as 24 to 30 nights.
Among these longer sailings are 24-night trips between Santiago and Buenos Aires that bring a visit to Antarctica, as well as stops in Chile (including in the Chilean fjords), Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.
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