Oceania Cruises’ Ship to Sail Inaugural Season Down Under
For the first time, Oceania Cruises will deploy its 1,250-guest Riviera to Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific for seasonal sailings beginning in November 2025.
Oceania Cruises, a boutique luxury line operated by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, is widely known as a foodie cruise brand. The itineraries Down Under will strongly reflect its reputation for celebrating local cuisine.
Guests will be treated to a new culinary experience — Down Under Abundance, a menu of cuisine choices that will highlight the foods and wines of Australia and New Zealand. Cruisers also can enjoy the hands-on cooking instruction offered in the ship’s Culinary Center.
Immersion into local and regional cuisine continues with a wide selection of shore excursions that will feature explorations of local markets, truffle farms, and other unique culinary venues.
“We are incredibly excited to bring Riviera to Australia and New Zealand for the first time,” said Jason Montague, Chief Luxury Officer at Oceania Cruises.
“Riviera’s voyages will offer travelers an unmatched opportunity to savor the finest local cuisine while exploring some of the world’s most iconic destinations in unparalleled comfort and style.”
The ship’s seasonal voyages will continue into March 2026. Her schedule will begin with the 22-day “Komodos & Kangaroos” cruise, sailing from Singapore to Sydney on November 18, 2025. The voyage positions the ship in the South Pacific following a series of Asia sailings earlier in the fall of 2025.
The itinerary will take guests to Indonesian destinations, including Komodo Island, before reaching Australia and calling at ports such as Fremantle, Margaret River, Albany, Kangaroo Island, Adelaide, and Melbourne.
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Shorter itineraries offered during the seasonal deployment include two 14-day cruises: “Maori Heritage Route,” from Auckland, New Zealand, to Sydney departing on January 25, 2026, and “Outback to Verdant Bali,” sailing from Sydney to Bali on February 8, 2026.
Other options include 18-, 19-, and 21-day voyages across the sun-splashed South Pacific region. The 18-day “Azure Atolls to Auckland,” for instance, explores the exotic ports between Papeete, Tahiti, and Auckland, such as Moorea, Bora Bora, Pago Pago, and Suva, among others.
Regatta Also Will Sail South Pacific Region in 2025
Riviera, which underwent a major renovation in 2022, will not be the only Oceania Cruises’ ship sailing in the region during the November 2025 to March 2026 timeframe.
The 670-guest Regatta will be in the area as well, sailing one lengthy — 74-day — cruise that explores a slew of Asia destinations as well as a few ports in Australia.
That sailing, from Los Angeles to Hong Kong from November 26, 2025 to February 9, 2026, will feature visits to the Down Under destinations of Cairns, Darwin, and Cooktown.
Onboard Riviera, guests can dine at no less than eight restaurants — offering a variety of cuisine choices sure to please any foodie. They include Toscana, serving Italian dishes; Polo Grill, a steakhouse; Jacques, a French bistro by celebrity chef Jacques Pépin; and Red Ginger, for those seeking Asian influences.
Guests also can enjoy the ship’s Grand Dining Room; Terrace Cafe, where the Chef’s Market Dinner is served; Waves Grill, a casual diner venue; and Horizons, featuring an elegant high tea service.
The deployment to Australia and the South Pacific comes on the heels of another maiden assignment for Riviera, as the ship will sail her inaugural Alaska season in 2025. Riviera will offer embarkation in Seattle, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Whittier, Alaska for those Last Frontier cruises.
The ship’s Alaska series represents an expansion in capacity for Oceania Cruises, since Riviera will replace the smaller Regatta, which has sailed the Great Land in recent years.