Oceania's parent company, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), announced on November 25 a definitive agreement to purchase the 15-year-old vessel, with the transfer scheduled for March 2016.
Originally designed for the now defunct Renaissance Cruises, the Ocean Princess is sister to the other three former R ships already in the Oceania fleet: Insignia, Regata and Nautica.
Upon joining Oceania, the Ocean Princess will undergo a massive, 35-day, $40 million dry-dock refurbishment similar to the recent makeover of the Insignia. The ship will also be renamed Sirena.
The acquisition of the Ocean Princess will allow Oceania to offer a wide variety of new itinerary options, explained Oceania President Kunal Kamlani in a statement accompanying the announcement. Oceania currently has only five ships with capacities ranging from 684 to 1,250 passengers, and no new ships have been ordered.
At 30,277 tons, the Ocean Princess and its sister ship, the Pacific Princess, are much smaller than most of the company's 2018 ships and are increasingly out of step with the company's current focus on ever-larger vessels. Princess acquired the two ships in 2002 following the cessation of Renaissance Cruises' operations and has frequently used them for itineraries outside its typical routes to Asia, Africa, and the South Pacific, as well as Europe.
The itinerary for the Sirena's first season with Oceania will be announced at the end of February 2015, with bookings opening on March 4, 2015, according to the company.
