Princess ship headed for Oceania Cruises fleet

Princess Cruises has agreed to sell the Ocean Princess to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings for its Oceania brand. The ship will be renamed the Sirena upon delivery in March 2016.

The 684-passenger Ocean Princess is an R-class ship, and it will fit right in with the three R-class ships already in Oceania’s fleet (Insignia, Regatta and Nautica).

“The acquisition of Sirena provides measured capacity growth based on the proven platform of Oceania Cruises’ highly regarded midsize ships,” said Kevin Sheehan, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. “Our belief in the Oceania Cruises brand and our commitment to its growing base of loyal guests were the rationale behind our decision to bring Sirena into the fleet.”

After Oceania takes delivery of the ship, it will undergo a 35-day, $40 million refurbishment in Marseille, France. The ship will feature the Toscana and Polo Grill specialty restaurants as well as the Baristas coffee bar.

The ship’s first cruise as the Sirena is scheduled to depart in late April 2016. Oceania said the inaugural season for Sirena will be released in late February 2015 with reservations opening on March 4, 2015.

The vessel entered service in 1999 for Renaissance Cruises, which went bankrupt in 2001. Princess acquired the ship in 2002, and renamed it the Tahitian Princess. In 2009, it was again renamed, to the Ocean Princess.