Oceania Cruises to send Riviera and Marina for major refit and refurbishment

After completing its major fleetwide upgrade program OceaniaNEXT in 2019, Oceania Cruises has now announced that Riviera and Marina will be refurbished again in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Marina and Oceania are sister ships built in 2011 and 2012, both were refurbished prior to the pandemic as part of the OceaniaNEXT initiative, but will be upgraded further in December, 2022 and November, 2023, according to Oceania.

The luxury cruise line said in a statement that the ships will get new suites and staterooms and updated public spaces during the refit, which is intended to make both vessels “better-than-new ships”.

RELATED: Oceania Cruises to retrofit more solo staterooms across the fleet

RELATED: Oceania Cruises releases 2023 itineraries featuring Africa and Arabia

“At Oceania Cruises, we continue to raise the bar and elevate the guest experience at every opportunity,” said Howard Sherman, President & CEO of Oceania Cruises. “Whether it’s innovative new culinary concepts, immersive new destination experiences, or presenting our guests with ships that are not just better, but better than new, Oceania Cruises sets the standard by which others are judged.”

Riviera will debut on December 7th, 2022, on a 16-day Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Caribbean cruise from Rome to Miami. She’ll then resume her seven- to 14-day Caribbean sailings from Miami to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America for one final season before returning to Europe in late March 2023. The ship will then reposition for an inaugural season of Far East explorations during late 2023 and early 2024.

The Marina will debut on November 13th, 2023, on a 7-day cruise from Barcelona to Lisbon. From Lisbon, Marina will cruise to Miami, where she will commence her annual South America season on December 3rd, 2023.

Riviera and Marina’s suites and staterooms will be reimagined to provide a radiant and “even more decadent degree of lavish residential comfort while leaving no surface untouched, no design detail wanting,” according to a release.

“Lighter, brighter, and even more spacious, every suite and stateroom onboard will glow from a floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall re-inspiration,” the company added.

Public spaces such as lounges, bars, and dining venues will also undergo an elegant restyling.

The Grand Dining Room will be made grander and more opulent with plush new carpets and leather-covered armchairs, while the Polo Grill steakhouse will retain its rich leather chairs and polished wood paneling, but will get plush new carpeting, wall coverings, and drapes.