Phoenix Reisen to Add Insignia as Alvara in 2027
Online bookings open October 23, 2026, with seven Hamburg roundtrips planned; Alvara’s first sailing leaves November 11, 2027, for Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Phoenix Reisen has confirmed that Oceania Cruises’ 700-guest Insignia will join its fleet as Alvara, with operations beginning in November 2027. The addition will give the Bonn-based operator a fourth ocean ship, alongside Amadea, Amera and Artania.
The agreement follows residential cruise start-up Crescent Seas’ cancellation of a planned long-term charter of Insignia that was due to begin in late 2027. Financial terms of the Phoenix deal were not disclosed.
Alvara is scheduled to enter Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven in September 2027 for modifications to its onboard facilities and a repaint in Phoenix’s turquoise livery. BSM will handle ship management, while sea chefs will oversee hotel services; both companies are established Phoenix partners.
“It is exceptionally well-maintained, in excellent technical condition and is already equipped for shore power,” Phoenix Reisen Managing Director Benjamin Krumpen said of the ship.
Built in 1998 by Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, the 30,277-gross-ton vessel originally sailed as Renaissance Cruises’ R One. It began operating for Oceania in 2003 and underwent a major OceaniaNEXT refurbishment in 2018, including work on accommodations, public spaces and décor.
Hamburg roundtrips open the program
Online bookings are scheduled to open October 23, 2026, with seven initial voyages offered as Hamburg roundtrips. The opening program combines short North Sea and Scandinavian cruises with seasonal Advent departures.
The first sailing departs November 11, 2027, on a five-day itinerary calling at Rotterdam and Amsterdam. A subsequent five-day English Channel cruise will visit Dover and Antwerp.
A separate weeklong Advent itinerary in the English Channel will call at Le Havre, Dover, Rotterdam and Ijmuiden. The northern program also includes a five-day Scandinavian sailing visiting Oslo, Gothenburg and the Kiel Canal.
Another five-day Advent cruise will visit Gothenburg, Copenhagen and Kiel, with a Kiel Canal transit. A seven-day Norwegian departure in mid-December will call at Bergen, Stavanger, Kristiansand and Oslo.
Beyond those initial departures, Phoenix’s inaugural program for Alvara includes a Christmas cruise and two longer Mediterranean voyages. The company will publish cruise details in its magazine on November 6, 2026, followed by the “Seereisen 2028” catalog on December 18, 2026.
Phoenix will hold Alvara’s christening in Hamburg on November 26, 2027, the 54th anniversary of the company’s founding, continuing its practice of separating the naming ceremony from the maiden voyage. A four-day roundtrip cruise to Oslo is scheduled to depart that day.
