Tag Archives: Insignia

NCLH To Remove 5,000+ Berths from Fleet by 2027

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Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings will remove over 5,000 berths from service by 2027, with four ships now set to exit the line’s trio of brands.

After previously announcing the departures of Regent’s Seven Seas Navigator and Oceania’s Insignia, NCLH confirmed on Monday that it is also retiring the Norwegian Sky and the Norwegian Sun.

Currently in service for Norwegian Cruise Line, the 2,000-guest sister ships will be handed over to Cordelia Cruises in 2026 and 2027, respectively.

With the Seven Seas Navigator and the Insignia being handed over to Crescent Seas in 2026 and 2027, the NCLH fleet will see a reduction of roughly 5,200 berths over the next two years.

Pursuing an aggressive newbuild strategy, the company will add new vessels to offset this reduction.

All of NCLH’s three brands are welcoming new ships over the next three years, including Oceania, which is taking delivery of new vessels in 2025 and 2027, adding 2,650 berths to its fleet

Regent Seven Seas also welcomes a new vessel, the Seven Seas Prestige. The 850-guest ship is scheduled to enter service in 2026.

Norwegian Cruise Line is set to take delivery of two Prima-class ships during the timeframe, including the 3,571-guest Norwegian Luna in 2026. The company will also welcome a fifth ship in the Prima series in 2027. This follows the new Norwegian Aqua, which was delivered by Fincantieri in March.

According to CIN data, the five new vessels will add more than 10,000 berths to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ fleet.

For a breakdown of the company’s fleet, see the Global Cruise Ship Index by Cruise Industry News,

Oceania Cruises plans to completely revamp two of its ships, Riviera and Marina

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Oceania Cruises plans to completely revamp two of its ships, Riviera and Marina, and give them a full “stem-to-stern” overhaul.

The undertaking, which will be completed over the course of this year and next, is the next step in its ongoing OceaniaNEXT programme.


Once completed, Oceania said it would proudly deploy a fully refreshed fleet comprising brand new or “better-than-new” ships in every destination.


Oceania expects Riviera to re-enter service in December 2022 and Marina in November 2023. Each ship will accommodate 1,210 guests.


Every suite and stateroom will be renovated, while public spaces will feature a refreshed colour palette, new fabrics, furnishings and light fittings.


“At Oceania Cruises, we continue to raise the bar and elevate the guest experience at every opportunity,” said president and chief executive Howard Sherman.


He added the work would extend to new culinary concepts and “immersive new destination experiences”.

Riviera will debut on 7 December sailing a 16-day Mediterranean, Atlantic and Caribbean cruise from Rome to Miami.


It will then resume sailing seven- to 14-day trips from Miami to the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America before returning to Europe in late March 2023. An inaugural Far East season will follow in late 2023 and early 2024.


Marina, meanwhile, will return to service on 13 November 2023 sailing a seven-day cruise from Barcelona to Lisbon. From Lisbon, Marina will sail to Miami to sail its annual South America season, starting 3 December 2023.
Details of Oceania’s 2024 itineraries will follow in the coming weeks.


Oceania’s other ships – Insignia, Regatta, Sirena and latterly Nautica – have all been refreshed, with Nautica returning to service on 1 April.

Nine weeks on the dock for fire-damaged cruise ship

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The damage caused by a fire that broke out on Oceania Cruises’ Insignia will take nine weeks to repair.

On December 11th 2014, the engine room of Insignia went up in flames while the vessel was docked in St Lucia, during its ten-day voyage that departed from San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Two contractors and an Insignia crew member who had been working in the engine room died as a result of the fire. One other crew member suffered injuries and was treated in hospital for smoke inhalation, but released a day later. Fortunately, no passengers were hurt.

Subsequently, the remainder of the sailing was cancelled and those on board were evacuated and flown to Miami.

The ship has been taken out of service, with the expected nine-week repairs leading to the cancellation of a 24-day voyage which had been scheduled to depart Miami on December 17th 2014, along with the first three legs of Insignia’s Around the World in 180 Days cruise, which was scheduled to leave Miami on January 10th 2015.

A picture of the Oceania Insignia fire

Insignia’s Around the World cruise has been rescheduled to commence on March 22nd 2015 and will depart from Singapore.

Kevin Sheehan, president and chief executive of Norwegian Cruise Lines – parent company of Oceania Cruises – said: “The timing of repairs has unfortunately required the cancellation of Insignia’s holiday voyage along with the modification of the world cruise.

“We understand how disappointing this news must be to our valued guests and we extend our sincere appreciation for their cooperation and understanding.”

Passengers who have already booked to embark on the world cruise can choose to go on the new date and receive a full refund for the cancelled days, along with an additional 25 per cent of the refunded amount in the form of a future cruise credit.

Or, they can opt for a full refund and a 25 per cent future cruise credit based on the pro-rata cruise fare on the three cancelled segments.

For those who choose to continue with the cruise, Oceania will provide free business class airfare to Singapore and a one-night pre-cruise hotel stay.