Fincantieri Floats Out Oceania Sonata, First of a Five-Ship Class
The 86,000 gt ship is 30 percent larger than the previous class but carries only 15 percent more guests
Fincantieri and Oceania Cruises have marked the float-out of the first of a new generation of cruise ships, as parent Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings pushes a fleet strategy built around a higher luxury positioning for the brand. The launch fell on the same day that the oldest ship in the fleet finished her final cruise for the line.
The new ship, Oceania Sonata, was christened and floated out at the Fincantieri yard in Marghera and moved from the assembly dry dock to the fitting-out berth for completion of her interiors. She is scheduled to enter service in 2027.
The float out of Oceania Sonata is an incredibly exciting moment as we move one step closer to welcoming our first guests aboard next August, said Jason Montague, Chief Luxury Officer of Oceania Cruises, describing the ship as the first of a new Sonata class.
At 86,000 gross tons the ship is about 30 percent larger than the Allura and Vista class of 68,000 gross tons, but capacity rises only 15 percent, from 1,200 to 1,390 guests, through the addition of 90 staterooms. A third of the accommodation will be suites, including four Owner's Suites and two new suite categories, and the ship will carry 13 dining venues.
Steel cutting began in June 2025. NCLH has since expanded the order to five ships in total, with sistership Oceania Arietta now starting construction for delivery in 2029 and three more following in 2032, 2035 and 2037.
At the other end of the fleet, Oceania Regatta, at 30,000 gross tons, completed her final cruise for the line in Istanbul on August 27 and begins a two-year charter to Australia-based My Cruises for 365-day world cruises, with the first departing from Italy on September 1. The charter can be extended or the ship sold on. Oceania Sirena has been sold for delivery to new owners in spring 2028, and Oceania Nautica will be reworked as Oceania Aurelia in 2027, with cabin numbers cut from 340 to 238 to create more suites.
