Vista Replacing Insignia on 2026 ATW Cruise

[halfapair]

11 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

Absolutely they do.   However I would not want to join a ship for a segment of a RTW cruise unless it were the first one.  From what I read the RTW passengers get very "tight knit" and it can be awkward

for "short timers" on board.  But then maybe this is a smaller ship thing ?  

We were on the Insignia at the beginning of the ATW this year, and there were many ATW passengers on board. We got along very nicely with them - no problems socializing or playing Trivia, etc.

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

Man, I was hoping for Marina or Riviera, Vista would be amazing.  We would look at that very seriously. 

O would be crazy to use a ship that can often be filled to (or almost to) capacity with segment and multi-segment cruisers. 

Look at the comparative pricing and you’ll see what I mean.

[Beagle5]

Vista is appearing on the Port of Darwin cruise ship schedule for April 2026.

Possibly lines up with the ATW2026 theory?

Interestingly Riviera is also on the schedule to make three stops in Darwin as well in February and April 2026.

More visits by the bigger ships potentially planned for Australia it would seem.

 

[Cruise Junky]

1 hour ago, Beagle5 said:

Vista is appearing on the Port of Darwin cruise ship schedule for April 2026.

Possibly lines up with the ATW2026 theory?

Interestingly Riviera is also on the schedule to make three stops in Darwin as well in February and April 2026.

More visits by the bigger ships potentially planned for Australia it would seem.

 

Riviera is on the Sydney port schedule a few times in 2026 too so looks like she’s doing AU/NZ. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Beagle5 said:

Vista is appearing on the Port of Darwin cruise ship schedule for April 2026.

Possibly lines up with the ATW2026 theory?

Interestingly Riviera is also on the schedule to make three stops in Darwin as well in February and April 2026.

More visits by the bigger ships potentially planned for Australia it would seem.

 

Conventional wisdom would suggest that there will be an O class ship regularly serving all four Pacific quadrants, since at least one of the new A class ships will focus on the Atlantic “milk runs” replacing that transferred O ship. 
That said, it doesn’t mean that any Oceania ship would never venture out of its “comfort zone.”

That surely would keep things interesting!

[PaulMCO]

Spells only one thing...  Retirement of the R class ships on a phased basis.

[bob brown]

2 hours ago, PaulMCO said:

Spells only one thing...  Retirement of the R class ships on a phased basis.

While I haven’t heard of any specific retirement dates for R class ships from “O” insiders, I did hear that they will not receive any more extensive drydockings from Oceania…only what is necessary to keep them going until sold/retired…

[Flatbush Flyer]

13 hours ago, Beagle5 said:

Vista is appearing on the Port of Darwin cruise ship schedule for April 2026.

Possibly lines up with the ATW2026 theory?

Interestingly Riviera is also on the schedule to make three stops in Darwin as well in February and April 2026.

More visits by the bigger ships potentially planned for Australia it would seem.

 

4 hours ago, PaulMCO said:

Spells only one thing...  Retirement of the R class ships on a phased basis.

2 hours ago, bob brown said:

…..I did hear that they will not receive any more extensive drydockings from Oceania…only what is necessary to keep them going until sold/retired.

R Ships ain’t going anywhere for a very long time. The soon to be total of 4 small (R) and 4 medium (2 O + 2 A) ships is the almost right sized fleet for O’s traditional itineraries and the expected continuing demand. The only thing that’s missing is an expedition ship for the SouthWestern “quartersphere.”

 

Vista will not do an ATW. That would mean deleting too many cabins from the better revenue generating stock of segment cabins.

 

Riviera (or Marina) moving permanently to a Pacific homebase (most likely L.A. [though I’d selfishly prefer SF) makes good sense since Vista (and, eventually, Allura) will now handle the “Atlantic” milk runs. And “Marina in the Pacific” years ago was a touch premature due to O’s youth. Cruising on the Pacific Rim today has sufficient demand from both West and East.

The R ships will do what they do best- add flexibility in addressing the rest of the globe.

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by Flatbush Flyer

[LHT28]

Time will tell  the true story 😄

[mauibabes]

IMHO, unless your last name is Del Rio, I do not think absolute statements are credible.  From what we have been told, there a future ship building plan in operation and you will see more Allura Class ships added to the fleet and replace the aging R Class ships.  With Allura in 2025, you can expect more for Oceania and Regent will also be adding ships. That said, Oceania does an excellent job of maintaining their ships so don’t be surprised if in coming years you hear of some being sold to lower end cruise lines. And for the Azamara lovers, this could impact them as well because the ships have a 30 year life according to Exec’s I have talked to. 
Again, JMHO  and a bit of insight. 
Mauibabes

[the more ports the better]

I agree that R ships are on their way out.  There is too much pressure, both economically and environmentally, on the cruise lines to be more efficient.  You can only do so much to an older ship.  Eventually, the engines, HVAC systems, generators, water filtration, ventilation, etc become so outdated that they will not net meet today’s expectations for efficiency.

 

Cruise lines are retiring older ships now more than ever. 

[pinotlover]

Just a few facts on the issue.

 

FDR told the double diamonds that at least one more A ship is planned beyond Allura making it three. 
 

Those three new A ships with 1200 passengers capacity will represent a 32% total capacity increase over the four replaced R ships. 2720 capacity.

 

Insignia was refurbished in 2018. By 2026, that’s eight years since refurbishment. Even with two of the years in cold storage, that’s pushing the envelope. Regatta and Sirena were refurbished in 2019.

 

I believe FDR when he said Oceania won’t be spending any more money refurbishing or overhauling the R ships. By 28 or 29, they’ll be gone from the fleet.

 

I believe, on a separate note, this really calls into question Sycamore Partners objective of trying to keep an entire fleet of 20+ year old ships going very long into the future. Not sure how many O customers will leave for Az to follow the R ships. Highly doubtful there is much love for those R ship bathrooms among the pre 65 year old. The current Cruisers reminiscing about Renaissance is quickly diminishing.

[Woofa]

Only my opinion but I also think that as O moves into the future looking to try and develop a younger demographic the larger ships seem to me, to fit better.  Certainly the R ships have their fans, and having never been on one, I can't comment from experience but when we were looking for our first cruise we thought the larger ship, still small compared to the main lines would be the perfect fit.  I know from various threads that the bathrooms in the base veranda cabins on the R ships are small and if you are going from a mainline suite I don't think it is a favorite.   Viking ships are about the same size I believe and it seems clear they feel this also about the perfect size for a premium line.

Having said that I don't know of any reason the R ships will be leaving anytime soon.  I would personally not be surprised if at least one is still in the fleet at the end of the decade.  These things don't happen overnight and as long as they are filing them and don't have major repair issues...

[Flatbush Flyer]

52 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Just a few facts on the issue.

 

FDR told the double diamonds that at least one more A ship is planned beyond Allura making it three. 
 

Those three new A ships with 1200 passengers capacity will represent a 32% total capacity increase over the four replaced R ships. 2720 capacity.

 

Insignia was refurbished in 2018. By 2026, that’s eight years since refurbishment. Even with two of the years in cold storage, that’s pushing the envelope. Regatta and Sirena were refurbished in 2019.

 

I believe FDR when he said Oceania won’t be spending any more money refurbishing or overhauling the R ships. By 28 or 29, they’ll be gone from the fleet.

 

I believe, on a separate note, this really calls into question Sycamore Partners objective of trying to keep an entire fleet of 20+ year old ships going very long into the future. Not sure how many O customers will leave for Az to follow the R ships. Highly doubtful there is much love for those R ship bathrooms among the pre 65 year old. The current Cruisers reminiscing about Renaissance is quickly diminishing.

Oh that FDR- such a kidder.😉 Don’t make me   drag out his Sail Safe promises.

 

As for Sycamore, by the time they’re ready to get rid of the Azamara fleet, they’d have already profited significantly on their measly $200M purchase. Perhaps those ships will end up beached in Bangladesh where so many ships go to die. 

In all seriousness, while a third A ship might reduce overall ship ops expenditures compared to 2 or 3 R ships, the accompanying reduction in hardware means a significantly negative impact on the breadth and depth of the traditional itinerary offerings. Regardless of passenger load, the current fleet (including the upcoming Allura) is/will be eight ships covering the globe. Jettisoning the Rs while adding a third A ship to two existing ones and the two O ships will mean only five ships at sea (instead of eight) and not a one of them capable of visiting all of O’s current ports.

As a regular O passenger, that doesn’t sound very encouraging or responsive to the need for smaller ships capable of doing the most exotic itineraries.

 

After all, a lot of O’s rep is based on its smaller ships’ itineraries. And regardless of the bathroom size, O is O in large part because of that small ship advantage.

[shepherd really]

23 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Oh that FDR- such a kidder.😉 Don’t make me   drag out his Sail Safe promises.

 

As for Sycamore, by the time they’re ready to get rid of the Azamara fleet, they’d have already profited significantly on their measly $200M purchase. Perhaps those ships will end up beached in Bangladesh where so many ships go to die. 

In all seriousness, while a third A ship might reduce overall ship ops expenditures compared to 2 or 3 R ships, the accompanying reduction in hardware means a significantly negative impact on the breadth and depth of the traditional itinerary offerings. Regardless of passenger load, the current fleet (including the upcoming Allura) is/will be eight ships covering the globe. Jettisoning the Rs while adding a third A ship to two existing ones and the two O ships will mean only five ships at sea (instead of eight) and not a one of them capable of visiting all of O’s current ports.

As a regular O passenger, that doesn’t sound very encouraging or responsive to the need for smaller ships capable of doing the most exotic itineraries.

 

After all, a lot of O’s rep is based on its smaller ships’ itineraries. And regardless of the bathroom size, O is O in large part because of that small ship advantage.

So, they'll announce a new expedition ship class that has a passenger capacity of 400-600 and solve that problem while expanding into a lucrative market.  Buy four of those, problem solved (except for the resulting increased debt load).

[Flatbush Flyer]

51 minutes ago, shepherd really said:

So, they'll announce a new expedition ship class that has a passenger capacity of 400-600 and solve that problem while expanding into a lucrative market.  Buy four of those, problem solved (except for the resulting increased debt load).

They only need one (two max) expedition ships. But, that wouldn’t solve the problem of the missing 750+\- class for the segment of unusual (non-expedition) itineraries (think Nautica perhaps more than the other R ships)  that earned O its reputation. 

[the more ports the better]

I agree with Shepherd, new expedition ships seem to be the trend.  Also, Seabourn’s 450 passenger market is very strong.  I can see O with six or so O and A ships and smaller new builds planned in the future for exotic ports and expedition sailing.

 

There is a significant premium that can be charged on smaller ships, however, they have to have, minimally, adequate bathrooms!

 

I am booked on the Auckland to Singapore sailing in 2025 on Regatta.  If Vista is doing that itinerary in 2026, I will move to Vista in a heartbeat!

[bob brown]

19 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Vista will not do an ATW.

I’m going to save that quote for the release of the 2026 itinerary…😉

[Flatbush Flyer]

45 minutes ago, bob brown said:

I’m going to save that quote for the release of the 2026 itinerary…😉

Looking forward to seeing how it all pans out.

[YoPhilly]

On 7/5/2023 at 6:56 AM, Tranquility Base said:

A few years back we joined an ATW for 40 days at the half way point of the ATW.

We had a great time.

The roll call was active.

We joined a couple of tours organised by ATWers.

I organised a tour on which all who joined were ATWers.

We joined a trivia team of ATWers.

( perhaps the different nationality from most onboard helped)

My wife went to a popular activity group and fitted in with well the ATWers.

( they gave her lots of ‘O points’ to use before we got off )

Had pleasant conversations at the bar with many ATWers without any awkwardness.

Would happily do it again, but the itinerary / time of year hasn’t suited.

 

I'm glad to hear this.  We're on the 30-day LA to Auckland segment of the next ATW, and I was a little concerned about this very thing.  Thanks for posting.

[cruisemom42]

On 7/8/2023 at 5:05 PM, pinotlover said:

Highly doubtful there is much love for those R ship bathrooms among the pre 65 year old. The current Cruisers reminiscing about Renaissance is quickly diminishing.

 

As a pre-65 year-old I can confirm the small bathrooms do not bother me at all and I love the smaller ships. To me, 1200+ pax is NOT a small ship; those ships are not far off from carrying twice as many passengers.

 

I do agree the R-class ships will face certain issues when they reach 30. I will sail them happily until then and I hope some line(s) will continue to build and operate smaller ships.

 

 

On 7/8/2023 at 6:24 PM, Woofa said:

Certainly the R ships have their fans, and having never been on one, I can't comment from experience but when we were looking for our first cruise we thought the larger ship, still small compared to the main lines would be the perfect fit.  I know from various threads that the bathrooms in the base veranda cabins on the R ships are small and if you are going from a mainline suite I don't think it is a favorite.   Viking ships are about the same size I believe and it seems clear they feel this also about the perfect size for a premium line.

 

 

Viking ships carry about 900 passengers. Adding another 300 passengers is not a small difference in feeling onboard. And as mentioned elsewhere, there is a finite size for ships that want to reach the smaller ports that make for interesting itineraries for seasoned cruisers.

 

[osandomir]

I hope it’ll be enough people who are interested in small ship experience so it’ll make sense for Oceania to continue offering more cruises to out of the way places for those who are looking forward to broadening their horizons. Will it be R-ships or even better new builds. It’s great that there’re options for all different people. Some love to cruise to Caribbean or Mediterranean every year, others prefer more exotic destinations that sometimes are reachable by the small ships only. 

[pinotlover]

6 hours ago, osandomir said:

I hope it’ll be enough people who are interested in small ship experience so it’ll make sense for Oceania to continue offering more cruises to out of the way places for those who are looking forward to broadening their horizons. Will it be R-ships or even better new builds. It’s great that there’re options for all different people. Some love to cruise to Caribbean or Mediterranean every year, others prefer more exotic destinations that sometimes are reachable by the small ships only. 

I agree. Having Options are wonderful! Currently there are a multitude of O cruises on R ships waiting and available to be booked. Love for those ships is more quantified by cruises booked, not CC posts made. Show your love!

[redraider1966]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

I agree. Having Options are wonderful! Currently there are a multitude of O cruises on R ships waiting and available to be booked. Love for those ships is more quantified by cruises booked, not CC posts made. Show your love!

Plus 1.

[Flatbush Flyer]

On 7/8/2023 at 8:31 PM, the more ports the better said:

I agree with Shepherd, new expedition ships seem to be the trend.  Also, Seabourn’s 450 passenger market is very strong.  I can see O with six or so O and A ships and smaller new builds planned in the future for exotic ports and expedition sailing.

 

There is a significant premium that can be charged on smaller ships, however, they have to have, minimally, adequate bathrooms!

 

I am booked on the Auckland to Singapore sailing in 2025 on Regatta.  If Vista is doing that itinerary in 2026, I will move to Vista in a heartbeat!

I always chuckle when anyone says an R ship bathroom is too small. 
On behalf of all yachties who tread these boards, those R ship marine bath/head facilities are significantly more than adequate.