Oceania Cruises releases 2023 itineraries featuring Africa and Arabia
Oceania Cruises‘ European and North American voyages for 2023 aboard its seven-ship fleet will sail to 260 cruise destinations on 179 itineraries, including a Dubai departure and two Cape Town cruises.
Oceania Cruises will be featuring the Middle East and Africa on dozens of its 179 cruise itineraries for the 2023 cruise season, with the Dubai and Cape Town departures among 25 itineraries that will also feature port calls in both regions.
Nautica will sail a 20-night itinerary from Dubai to Barcelona on May 30th, 2023, calling at seven destinations along the way, including Muscat, Salalah, Safaga (for Luxor), Aqaba (for Petra), and Jerusalem for three nights. Nautica will also cruise from Cape Town twice, one of which will be a roundtrip itinerary departing January 6th, for 12 nights, visiting Walvis Bay, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Richard’s Bay and Mossel Bay before returning to Cape Town.
The second departure, on January 18th, is available in three different itineraries of 64, 32 or 18 nights, with the passengers able to choose to end the cruise in Tokyo, Bangkok, or Mumbai respectively. Oceania’s other global itineraries chart the coastlines of the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Baltic and Scandinavia, Alaska, and Canada, visiting off-the-beaten-path villages and natural wonders.
“These new voyages are ideal for discerning travelers seeking to re-discover the world,” said Bob Binder, President & CEO, Oceania Cruises. “Whether they are retracing familiar paths or setting off to uncharted territories, they will find endearing smiles, enthralling cultural elements, and fascinating culinary experiences.”
The itineraries feature 190 overnight/multi-day stays with hundreds of evening and late-night departures where guests can experience the cities and towns by night.
Nine new, off-the-beaten-path ports of call include: Kalundborg, Demark; Nordfjordeid, Norway; Oban, Scotland; Runavík (Faroe Islands), Denmark; Torbay, UK; Limnos, Greece; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Lipari, Italy; and Eastport, Maine. The calls in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia come after the Kingdom opened to cruises for the first time this year, with MSC Cruises becoming the first cruise line to homeport in the city and sail roundtrip Red Sea itineraries.
However, a growing number of cruise lines have indicated their intention to call into Saudi Arabian ports in the coming years, especially from 2023 onwards, including Oceania, Silversea, and Phoenix Reisen.
