Top 10 Cruises: 2023 Europe & North America Collection

As my team and I navigate Marina along the beautiful western coast of France and to the south along Portugal, I am happy to share a special dispatch with all of you on our exciting new 2023 Europe & North America Collection. This new collection release is particularly meaningful for us this year as a team since we are back at sea and doing what we really love – exploring the world with all of you. These voyages represent the best of what’s yet to come.

It is a pleasure and, I will confess, also a bit of a challenge to share with you highlights from our 2023 Europe & North America Collection. A pleasure because there is nothing that I love more than navigating our ships on these unique itineraries we have become known for, and a challenge because there are really so many memorable voyages to choose from in this collection of 179 voyages across our seven luxurious ships.

Port Collector’s Itineraries: Off-the-Beaten-Path Destinations & More Overnights
Now those of you that know me may think that I’m partial to my native country of Italy and my longtime home country of Norway. And maybe I am? Jokes aside, I have selected some voyages that I feel really illustrate the unique regions Oceania Cruises sails to and the kind of destination-intensive itineraries you can expect in this collection. And let me tell you this: After years of being an Oceania Cruises Captain and many more years in the cruise industry, these are what we call true port collector’s itineraries – we call on rare and off-the-beaten-path destinations you just will not see on usual cruise itineraries.

We do not just spend the summer cruising to the typical marquee Mediterranean ports, we visit ports of call throughout the season that are not accessible to larger ships and are more boutique-style – Capri, Amalfi and Syracuse in Italy; Propriano and Port-Vendres in France; Igoumenitsa, Chania and Kavala in Greece and so many others. Likewise, we have Marina and Riviera exploring Northern Europa for the entire summer, so we visit the favorite Baltic destinations of course, but we also devote more time to more deeply exploring the British Isles, sailing farther to Iceland, Greenland and the far north of Norway, along with calling on all of these remote islands in between – thinking of the Orkney Islands, the Faroe Islands and the Shetland Islands. Our Alaska cruises and itineraries in Canada and New England go beyond the expected ports too and also combine regions for attractive longer getaways.

What’s more is that there are a total of 190 overnights in the collection and this kind of extra time in a destination really gives you a chance to experience more of the local rhythms in a place, more time to find special moments and memories in these destinations.

Without further ado, here’s a look at some of my favorite itineraries, my top 10 cruises, in the 2023 Europe & North America Collection.

Picturesque Mediterranean | April 14, 2023
Riviera: Venice to Barcelona, 10 Days
This is bound to be one of the most popular itineraries for our guests and our staff and crew. It offers a great combination of beautiful landscapes, historical sites and excellent food – hint, look at that trio of Italian ports. Rome, Taormina in Sicily and then the Amalfi Coast, which is such a gift…what more can I say? If you have never been there, make 2023 the year you experience our beautiful Amalfi. Kotor is always unforgettable, a stunning walled medieval town – and you’ll sail on the only fjord existing in southern Europa!

Turkish & Hellenic Gems | May 4, 2023
Marina: Athens to Istanbul, 7 Days
This is a voyage overflowing with history and several classic Turkish Riviera ports that are gorgeous but still not as many travelers know about them as, for example, the more popular French Riviera ports. This is actually very nice for us when we visit. These are cities that still have areas of tranquility – la serenità, as we say in Italy – during the height of summer. Sailing into Istanbul is an incredible sight to behold and even better, we spend an overnight here. We also visit Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and a must-visit, in my opinion.

Scandinavia & Baltic Allure | June 2, 2023
Marina: Amsterdam to Copenhagen, 12 Days
I love this itinerary because it is a perfect example of the beauty and the wealth of culture that the great Baltic capitals are known for, with some interesting contrasts, too, in cities like Oslo, Aarhus and Berlin. And during our overnight in St. Petersburg, you get the special opportunity to experience the White Nights festivities…a really special time of year with cultural events, concerts and performances. June is the perfect time to visit these ports – great seas, bellissima scenery and fascinating history.

British Isles Discoveries | June 11, 2023
Riviera: London to Belfast, 18 Days
We take you all around the picturesque British Isles on this voyage, with 16 ports in 18 days – incredible. There’s an intriguing balance of marquee ports like Edinburgh, Belfast and Dublin with more hidden ports like Killybegs in Ireland and Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands, which offer some very nice surprises. As I always say, wander off the prescribed path sometimes and you will be very glad you did.

Vikings, Fjords & Legends | July 1, 2023
Marina: Oslo to London, 10 Days
Here we find ourselves on the return routes of the Vikings – there is so much history and beauty in this region. I always tell my two sons that sailing into the Norwegian Fjords feels like we’re bringing the ship up in the mountains, a really fantastic landscape. Trondheim is one of the most picture-perfect Norwegian cities and the fjord is very easy to access from the city. Then from our new port of Nordfjordeid, you have the famous Geirangerfjord, which needs no introduction. And after your excursions in fjord country, of course you must unwind with a cold Ringnes beer or a bit of aquavit for the daring. As we say in Norway, “Skål!”

Greenland & Nordic Gems | July 21, 2023
Riviera: Reykjavik to Oslo, 15 Days
This is a cruise where nature plays the game and the itinerary takes on a life of its own just with the scenery alone. You get to experience the rapid change of weather as we cruise from the geysers and hot springs of Iceland to the beauty of the unspoiled glaciers of Greenland, touch on ancient archipelagoes in the North Sea and North Atlantic and ending in the beautiful Oslo. A true masterpiece.

Alaska & California Treasures | September 7, 2023
Regatta: Vancouver to Los Angeles, 20 Days
Top Alaska ports, Hubbard Glacier, the Inside Passage, Astoria and an overnight in San Francisco come together in a great adventure with a lot of variety. The Inside Passage is one of my favorite parts of the world to return to, we can’t forget Victoria and the glaciers are treasures indeed.

Legendary European Adventure | September 26, 2023
Riviera: Amsterdam to Venice, 34 Days
This encompasses so many of the top iconic and incredible places you can visit along the North European Atlantic and northern Mediterranean coasts – an overnight in Bordeaux and Venice, plus Bilbao, Lisbon, Seville, Barcelona, Provence, my dear Portofino, Florence, Dubrovnik and more. This will be 34 days of full adventure, for sure. Fantastic scenery, delicious food and wine, and amazing history…in a word, bravo!

Holy Land & Aegean Majesty | October 6, 2023
Nautica: Jerusalem to Rome, 11 Days
Ah, now this is a true historical itinerary at 360 degrees…filled with standout classics like Rhodes, Ephesus, Athens and Santorini. You have the opening act of an overnight in Jerusalem – always an experience one does not forget – and the crossroads of Sicily and dining fit for kings in Naples as the closing. Magnifico!

Canada & New England Charms | October 19 & October 30, 2023
Insignia: Boston to Montreal, 11 Days
The beauty of the fall foliage is incomparable. This itinerary is filled with romance and great cuisine with calls on French Canadian ports, places like Bar Harbor and maybe a bit of a surprise, Prince Edward Island. The temperatures may get a little chilly, but for me, this adds even more charm and amore to the region. It really is one of the best times to visit Quebec City and these parts of Atlantic Canada and New England.

You can explore the full 2023 Europe & North America Collection here. I would love to hear what your favorite itineraries are – share your comments on Facebook. Ciao!

About Captain Luca Manzi
Captain Luca Manzi was born in Chiavari, ten miles east of Portofino. Fascinated by a life at sea, he graduated from the Marine Academy in 1987 as well as the Navy Academy after serving in the Italian Navy as Lieutenant. Two years later, Captain Manzi decided to leave the Navy for the Merchant Marine. After six years aboard cargo ships, he joined the cruise ship industry in 1996. When Oceania Cruises appeared on the horizon, Captain Manzi was delighted by the innovation the company represented and joined the Oceania Cruises family. In his spare time, Captain Manzi loves to spend time with his wife and two sons, enjoys long drives on his motorbike as well as swimming and snorkeling.