During the spring the three original ships in the Oceania Cruises fleet, all former Renaissance Cruises vessels, will undergo major renovations in what might be thought of as a mid-life refit. With a budget of $50 million, all of the ships will have significant upgrades to suites, cabins and public rooms, bringing them in line with the interiors of the newer ships in the fleet, Marina and Riviera.
The three 30,277gt ships, Insignia, Nautica and Regatta, were delivered to Renaissance Cruises as R One in 1998, R Five in 2000 and R Two in 1998 respectively, but their time with that company was short-lived due to the slump in American tourism in particular after the terrorist attacks in the USA in September 2001.
The dry-dockings will take place between 24 April and 6 June, with Insignia (currently in the final months of a charter to Hapag-Lloyd as Columbus 2) returning to service first on 8 May. Nautica will follow about a week later. Both will be refurbished in Marseille. Regatta will have her refit in Vancouver and will be back in service on her Alaska itineraries on 6 June.
