Regent and Oceania’s top executives Steve Odell, Lisa Pile and James Sitters sat down with Karryon to talk about the booming market of luxury cruise, what the term really means and destination trends.
“Our three brands – Regent, Oceania and Norwegian Cruise Line – are celebrating 10 years of operating in Australia. We’ve just opened a new office in Sydney and our business has grown from 20 to almost 200 people,” says Steve Odell, SVP International & Consumer Sales for RSSC and Oceania Cruises.
“We have 13 new ships on order. Four for Oceania, six for NCL and currently two for Regent – probably another one, too.
“The company has big expansion plans for the next 10 years – we are ordering all the way through to 2035 – and Australia plays a big part in that because it’s our third-largest market.
“Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific are bucket-list destinations for our European and US markets, and it’s an important local source market for guests who want to travel with us, but don’t want to fly too far. So we will always be here.”
Scale of luxury
Defining “luxury” in travel, particularly in the cruise sector, is always interesting, says Odell.
“The term luxury gets used loosely. Everybody wants to use it because it positions nicely, but you can’t deliver the same kind of experience when there are 2,500 or 3,000 guests that you can when there are 600 to 1,200. A lot of it is about service. Attention to detail. Luxury lines aren’t using a QR code at the bar – the bartender remembers what you drink.”
So how do both Oceania and Regent fit into the luxury category when Regent is ultra-luxe and Oceania is known as upper premium?
“When Jason Montague returned to NCL Holdings as Chief Luxury Officer earlier this year after a two-year break, one of the first things he said was Oceania really is a luxury brand in terms of its delivery, modern ships, architecture and cuisine,” explains Odell.
“At one end of the scale, you’ve got an all-inclusive luxury, which is the Regent brand. And at the other end, you’ve got luxury, which is Oceania.
“You could call it ‘entry level’ luxury; you’ve got all the beautifully designed hardware and amenities, but the price point is lower and guests buy extras such as shore excursions and drinks packages.
“Jason refers to it as ‘luxury by choice’. So that enables us to put both brands in the luxury space, and I think that also addresses some of the confusion.”
What luxury cruisers want
Odell says luxury cruisers are spending more and they’re focusing on the “must-haves” such as increased personal space, a residential ambience, wellness facilities, extended voyages and personalised service.
“When bookings opened for Seven Seas Prestige, the AU$40,000 a night Skyview Regent Suite sold out for 10 of the first 13 voyages. Pricing doesn’t always matter – it’s really about the experience.”
RSSC VP Sales & GM for Asia Pacific Lisa Pile adds that Prestige offers a “lot more space” than the Explorer-class ships; at 77,000 tonnes, she is 40 per cent larger but only accommodates 80 more guests.
“She has larger suites, larger balconies, the first duplex Skyview Regent Suites, two more dining concepts and a new bar, Galileo’s, which reflects the demand for a more communal socialising space.”
Prestige and her sister ship are due at the end of 2026 and 2029 respectively, while Oceania’s four new Sonata-class ships are due in 2027 (Oceania Sonata), 2029 (Oceania Arietta), 2032 and 2035.
“While design details for the Sonata-class ships are yet to be finalised, they will accommodate about 1,200 guests, consistent with Marina, Riviera, Vista and Allura,” says Oceania’s Director of Sales James Sitters.
“The ships will be significantly larger than Vista and Allura and will feature more spacious staterooms and suites, new public spaces and amenities and provide a higher space-per-guest ratio than their fleetmates.”
Destination trends
Odell says cruise seasons are becoming longer and demand for cool-weather cruising is on the rise.
For the first time, Oceania Nautica is cruising in the Mediterranean until December 2025 and Odell says there are plans for Allura or one of the newer ships to follow in the coming years.
“Visiting cities such as Rome and Barcelona when they’re not so crowded is very appealing to seasoned travellers and the quality of ships sailing ‘off-season’ is improving,” he says.
“Fares are well priced and many Mediterranean cities host Christmas markets, which have proved so popular with river cruisers.”
The term “shoulder season” is out of date, Pile adds.
“Regent now operates from March to November in Europe, but the airlines aren’t keeping up. We rely a hundred per cent on airlift and need more seats from Australia to cater to the booming fly-cruise market.”
Odell says Japan continues to be a “hot ticket” for both brands, while a big surprise was the popularity of Regent’s coastal Antarctica cruises.
“When we launched our 2027-28 Grand Voyages, the 65-night South America Miami round-trip was the No.1 seller, followed by 2027’s Grand Arctic, and then the 32-night round-Australia cruise in January 2028.”
Itineraries to note
The planning cycle for cruise itineraries works about three years in advance, and Odell is involved with itinerary planning for both Regent and Oceania.
“We usually work on Regent itineraries first because Regent goes on sale earlier,” he explains.
“There is a degree of overlap between the two lines in some regions, but we try not to do two similar things at the same time because one dilutes the other.”
Sitters says Seven Seas Mariner is sailing around Australia in 2028, while Oceania Vista will depart Sydney on the new 129-day Kangaroo Route in February 2027.
“They’re different but complementary voyages; the same group of people check out itineraries for longer itineraries.”
He says Oceania Riviera will be in Australasia from November 2025 to March 2026 for a series of cruises ranging from 14 to 35 days.
“That almost doubles capacity from previous years’ 700-guest ships sailing locally and is a sign of our confidence in the market.”
In March 2026, the freshly refurbed Seven Seas Mariner will visit Australia during her world cruise; there is still some availability on the 18-night Auckland to Benoa, Bali cruise and Jason Montague will be onboard and spending some time in Australia and New Zealand.
As for plans for Regent or Oceania to diversify into river or expedition cruising, Odell says that’s an emphatic no.
“Harry Sommer’s (President and CEO of NCL Holdings) philosophy is that we want to be the best at what we do in our niche: innovating in the ultra-luxury and luxury cruising sector.”
For more information, visit rssc.com, oceaniacruises.com
