insignia cruise ship coming to tampa bay
The new Insignia ship will be heading to the Caribbean and the Panama Canal out of Tampa.
News

Oceania Cruises Is Launching Luxury Cruises From a New Homeport: Tampa

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - August 28, 2024 - 4:45 pm

Looking for a luxury cruise to the Panama Canal? Or a 20-night jaunt through the wider Caribbean? Oceania is adding cruises from a new homeport, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

Beginning in 2026, the company will become the first luxury cruise line to homeport in Tampa’s Port Tampa Bay. 

Oceania is launching cruises to both the Caribbean and the Panama Canal beginning in “early 2026,” starting with the company’s Insignia ship. 

So what does that include?

Oceania’s Tampa cruises will range from seven to 20-night voyages, some including transits of the Panama Canal (and an overnight stay in Panama’s fascinating capital). 

The news represents a “new chapter as Oceania Cruises becomes the first ultra-premium cruise line to have dedicated voyages from Tampa,” said Frank Del Rio, the president of Oceania Cruises. 

Del Rio said the move was a natural expansion for the line, joining Miami as a Florida homeport. 

The Insignia ship has capacity for 670 guests (along with 400 crew), with everything from a sports deck with putting greens to gourmet eateries like the popular Polo Grill. 

The first Tampa cruises will sail on March 3, 2026, with a 15-day itinerary that sails from Tampa, across ports like Antigua, ,Dominica and St Croix, and then returns to Tampa. 

(If you want to get the first voyage, you can fly to Barbados for a nine-day sailing in February 2026 to Tampa). 

Book now. 

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