Oceania Cruises’ Newest Ship Just Hit a Major Milestone Ahead of Its Caribbean Debut
The new Oceania Sonata has been floated out in Italy, bringing the 1,390-passenger ship closer to its 2027 debut and a season that will include Caribbean sailings from Miami.
Oceania Cruises has reached a major construction milestone on its newest ship, the Oceania Sonata, ahead of a debut that will eventually bring the new luxury vessel to the Caribbean.
The ship was floated out at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, moving from dry dock to a fitting-out berth as work continues on its interiors. Oceania Sonata is scheduled to enter service in August 2027, with a wide-ranging inaugural season that will include the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexico, Central America and South America.
The ship will have 695 rooms and suites, accommodating about 1,390 passengers, and will be the first vessel in Oceania’s new Sonata Class.
Oceania Sonata is also significantly larger than the company’s recently launched Oceania Allura. At about 86,000 gross tons, the new ship will be nearly 30 percent larger than Oceania Allura, despite having only 90 additional accommodations.
Construction will now focus on the ship’s interiors and onboard spaces before its first voyage.
“The float out of Oceania Sonata is an incredibly exciting moment as we get one step closer to welcoming our first guests aboard next August,” said Jason Montague, chief luxury officer of Oceania Cruises.
A New Class of Oceania Ship
The Sonata Class is a major expansion for the luxury cruise line, with five ships currently planned.
The first will be followed by Oceania Arietta in 2029, while three additional Sonata Class vessels are slated for delivery in 2032, 2035 and 2037.
The new class will continue Oceania’s focus on smaller luxury ships while adding substantially more space. One-third of the accommodations aboard Sonata will be suites, including four Owner’s Suites with two bedrooms, a first for the company.
The ship is also introducing two new suite categories. The Horizon Suites will span more than 600 square feet, with separate living and sleeping areas, walk-through closets and oversized verandas.
The new Penthouse Deluxe Suites will measure 488 square feet, with larger interiors and floor-to-ceiling sliding doors facing the sea.
Oceania Sonata will have an adults-only environment, with an expanded collection of bars, lounges and public spaces.
There will be 13 food and beverage venues aboard the ship, including two new concepts: La Table par Maîtres Cuisiniers de France and Nikkei Kitchen. Returning Oceania restaurants will include Jacques, Red Ginger, Polo Grill and Toscana.
Caribbean Sailings From Miami
The ship’s inaugural season will run from August 2027 through April 2028 and cover more than 90 destinations.
After beginning service in Europe, Oceania Sonata will eventually cross to the Americas, including a January 2028 Panama Canal itinerary that finishes in Miami.
The 16-day Los Angeles-to-Miami voyage, departing Jan. 6, 2028, will visit Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica before making a daylight transit of the Panama Canal. It will then call in Cartagena, Colombia and George Town, Grand Cayman before reaching Miami.
Sonata will make a more extensive Caribbean run beginning March 1, 2028, when it launches a 10-day roundtrip voyage from Miami.
The itinerary will visit Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Basseterre, St. Kitts; St. John’s, Antigua; and Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
The itinerary also includes three days at sea before returning to Miami.
The Caribbean season will give passengers their first chance to experience Oceania’s newest class of ship on a traditional warm-weather itinerary from South Florida — and bring one of the line’s most significant new vessels yet to a region that remains central to the luxury cruise market.
