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While an ocean cruise may be a time-honored bucket-list ambition, potential vacationers can be discouraged by the sheer size and anonymity of the typical cruise ship. But Florida-based Oceania Cruises has earned a reputation for much more personalized and immersive European and Australasian adventures enabled by their fleet of small, luxurious vessels. This style of cruising makes for a much more intimate guest experience – all enhanced by Oceania’s famously elevated cuisine program, port-intensive itineraries and incredibly low crew-to-passenger ratios.
Immersive
The regular “big boat” cruises often feel like they offer just cursory visits to the most touristy areas of well-trodden mega-ports. By contrast, Oceania Cruises delivers truly immersive experiences – both aboard and on shore. Their port-intensive sailings, ranging from seven days to more than two months, provide 30% to 50% more time ashore, including extended and overnight stays that allow for a deep dive into the local culture. Oceania’s broad range of small-group shore excursions focus on food and wine, history, nature, culture, architecture and more, allowing guests to tailor their activities.
While aboard an Oceania vessel, passengers can choose from an array of experiences to suit their interests and mood. As well as energized musical performances, comedians and cabaret-style production shows, Oceania invites engaging guest speakers to entertain and inspire passengers between ports. And, on select ships, hands-on cooking classes and wine tastings are offered at the onboard Culinary Center, as well as creative workshops at the Artist Loft studio space.
Five Oceania ships ply the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas, Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Their relatively compact size lets them berth at more exclusive ports that are too small or shallow for larger cruise liners. Accordingly, Oceania itineraries include stops like Messina and Syracuse on the Italian island of Sicily and Portofino on its mainland. Their ships can also access Argostoli in Greece, Antalya in Turkey, Sete in France and Almeria in Spain. Farther north, Oceania voyages berth at Trondheim, Norway; Gothenburg in Sweden; and even in the exotic and remote Faroe Islands (Tórshavn) and Greenland (Nuuk).
Oceania’s Connoisseur’s Collection of 2026 Mediterranean sailings offer carefully curated off-the-beaten-chart destinations. For example, one voyage takes guests to Mitilini, Thessaloniki, Kavala and Çanakkale, while another calls at Amalfi, Palermo, Porto Cervo, Bastia, Piombino and Saint-Tropez.
Adding to the sense of exclusivity, several Oceania ships extend their European sailing season into December, allowing for explorations with fewer crowds and cooler conditions.
Intimate
With their ships catering to no more than 1,250 guests (for comparison, the industry average is around 3,000 passengers – and rising), Oceania Cruises creates experiences that contrast sharply with those aboard the huge vessels often associated with vacation cruises, the largest of which can set sail with over 7,000 passengers.
Oceania’s ships are easy to get to know and to get around, creating a warm, personalized atmosphere and elegant-yet-casual ambience, rare among cruise lines. With two crew members for every three guests, individual needs are quickly recognized and met, contributing to unmatched standards of service.
Yet Oceania’s luxurious accommodations include the largest, home-away-from-home standard staterooms at sea. With nearly 300 square feet in which to relax and rejuvenate between activities and shore excursions, these banish any cramped “cabin” expectations and instead feel more like well-appointed apartments at sea.
Cuisine, Oceania Cruises (DEBORAH JONES STUDIO)
Indulgent
Food is at the heart of every Oceania experience and itinerary, with their self-declared “Finest Cuisine at Sea” being no idle boast. It’s a cruise line created for foodies by foodies, with a culinary philosophy first developed by celebrity chef Jacques Pépin, the line’s executive culinary advisor and former personal chef of French President Charles de Gaulle.
Oceania is the only cruise line employing two Master Chefs of France: executive culinary directors Alexis Quaretti and Eric Barale, both veterans of multiple Michelin-Star restaurants across Europe. The line’s luxe dining options benefit from a ratio of one expert chef for every 10 guests and a broad array of cuisine – and all at no extra cost. (One reviewer even jokingly recommended that passengers go on a diet prior to their Oceania voyage to offset the myriad tasty temptations ahead!)
Each Oceania ship offers up to nine gourmet dining options. As well as its signature Grand Dining Room, there are specialty restaurants such as Polo Grill (steakhouse), Toscana (Italian cuisine), Red Ginger (pan Asian) and – given the number of French chefs involved – an exquisite, contemporary twist on classic French fare at the sophisticated Jacques.
For more relaxed yet still refined dining, there’s Terrace Café (freshly prepared buffet); Waves Grill (burgers, sandwiches and more); and the wellness-inspired Aquamar Kitchen, where the menu provides plenty of indulgence while going easy on the guilt!
Even just enjoying a drink can be an experience unto itself aboard an Oceania cruise, with a bar program devoted to elevated quality and innovation. The very latest cocktail-crafting trends include concoctions topped with flavored smoke bubbles, Negronis aged in wooden barrels and entertaining rum mixology, as well as nuanced wine pairings and unique specialty beverage cart creations.
Onboard Oceania, you can forget any preconceptions about so-called “big boat” trips and instead enjoy the best of ocean cruising – multiple destinations, diverse onboard dining, activities and attractions – without the crowds or compromises of scale intrinsic to the impersonal mega ships offered elsewhere.
OCEANIA’S AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, and SOUTH PACIFIC ESCAPES
• North America’s winter season is summertime “Down Under,” so Oceania Cruises has your exploration covered year-round. The opulent Oceania Riviera is sailing her first-ever season of Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific voyages beginning in November 2025.
• Immerse yourself in the wonder of the region with itineraries ranging from 14 to 35 days, including storied destinations like Sydney, Australia, as well as hidden gems like Mystery Island, Vanuatu, and Dunedin, New Zealand.
• Optional Oceania pre- and post-cruise land programs let adventurous travelers make even deeper Down Under explorations.
• With 800 crew members serving no more than 1,250 passengers, the Oceania Riviera offers a guest-focused experience that includes the state-of-the-art Culinary Center cooking school at sea and hands-on workshops that tap into your creative side at its unique Artist Loft.
