Introducing Oceania Aurelia

It’s hard to believe that Oceania Cruises could possibly have yet another exciting announcement, but here we are. 

This week, the world’s leading destination and culinary focused cruise line have announced the upcoming launch of Oceania Aurelia - already dubbed ‘The Ultimate Explorer’ – a vessel purpose-designed to take adventurous guests on long-haul, globe-spanning journeys in style. 

Now, it’s important to note that Oceania are not constructing this new ship from scratch (safe to say it would probably not be ready in time for its projected 2027 launch if this were the case) but instead, are reimagining their beloved Oceania Nautica who has sailed with the line since 2005. Fans of the vessel will doubtless be thrilled to hear that far from planning to wave goodbye to Nautica, Oceania Cruises are writing an entirely new chapter, refurbishing, redesigning and refreshing her, ready for a string of Grand and Around The World voyages. Her updated design will be specifically tailored for guests on those extended itineraries, those who will come to regard Oceania Aurelia as their home-away-from-home.

“Oceania Aurelia has been specifically designed for guests seeking more space, more suites and a higher level of personalised service, especially on extended stays,” said Jason Montague, Oceania Cruises’ Chief Luxury Officer. 

“She will be a smaller ship with the feel of a private club, one that truly feels like a home at sea, offering travellers a deeper connection to the ports they visit,” he added. 

As we mentioned above, the idea behind Oceania Aurelia is that she’ll feel like your very own home at sea—and no one wants their home crammed full of people, do they? To that end, Oceania Cruises’ are cutting down the ship’s capacity from 670 to 500 guests, plus a crew of 400. For those doing the maths, that’s a pretty impressive crew to passenger ratio, one that guarantees the most attentive and personalised service you’ll find anywhere. In addition, reduced passenger numbers make it much easier to connect with your fellow cruisers and forge friendships that last a lifetime.

This of course means that the number of cabins will also be reduced, coming in at a grand total of 238, 179 of which will be sumptuous suites, complete with elegant décor and a butler service, as well as spacious living and dining areas in select suite categories. Categories will include Owner’s, Vista and Penthouse suites, as well as two all-new suite categories: the Horizon Suite and the Oceania Suite.

Of course, if there’s one thing Oceania Cruises are famous for, it’s their food. After all, you don’t get a reputation for ‘The Finest Cuisine at Sea’ unless you’re serving up something pretty special. This is good news for those on extended itineraries, as you’ll be eating on board every single day.

All the fan favourites will be there, including The Grand Dining Room, Toscana, the Waves Grill, the Pizzeria and The Polo Grill. For those who simply can’t get by without their morning cappuccino and a freshly-baked pastry, you’ll be pleased to hear that Baristas will be making a reappearance at Horizons, whilst the sweet-toothed passengers will surely be heading to the creperie for crepes, waffles and ice cream sundaes.

The epicurean experience extends into onboard activities, including workshops, culinary enrichment programmes and demonstrations at the Chef’s Studio and mixology classes at the new Founder’s Bar.

If you can manage to tear yourself away from the food, you’ll find even more enrichment activities at the Artist’s Loft and the LYNC Digital Centre as well as endless opportunities for R&R at the Aquamar Spa Terrace.

Dates and itineraries for Oceania Aurelia have yet to be announced, but the line have revealed that she will be taking guests on two 180-day Around The World sailings in 2028 and 2029, bringing their famously destination-focused travel to six continents. You can find out more about Oceania Cruises here.