Tourism

What is the Regatta cruise ship and when does it visit Gibraltar?

The cruise ship Regatta
Photo: Ya, saya inBaliTimur, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Short answer

Regatta is a 684-guest ship built in 1998, owned by Oceania Cruises and chartered since September 2026 to the Australian agency My Cruises, which sails it as Explorations by Norwegian. Its upcoming visits to Gibraltar, with times and expected passengers, are listed on this page.

Upcoming visits to Gibraltar

  • Sunday 1 November 2026, in port 12:00–20:00, about 684 passengers expected

    Also in port: Artania. Combined: about 1,884 passengers where known.

From the Port of Gibraltar schedule, last checked 15 October 2026.

Detailed answer

Regatta was built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire and entered service in 1998 as R Two for Renaissance Cruises, briefly becoming Insignia before taking its current name in 2003. It has a gross tonnage of 30,277, a length of 180.96 metres, 684 lower berths and a crew of 386. Oceania Cruises sailed it for 23 years and still owns it. After its last Oceania cruise ended in Istanbul on Thursday 27 August 2026, it was chartered to My Cruises, part of an Australian travel group, which sails it under the Explorations by Norwegian brand. The ship kept its name and gained new hull and funnel branding. It is sold mainly to Australian and New Zealand travellers on a 371-day world voyage that left Rome on Tuesday 1 September 2026, with sections also sold separately. On board are a pool deck, spa, library, two speciality restaurants and free laundry.

How busy will town be?

The upcoming visits listed on this page show the passengers expected on each call and any other ships in port the same day. Town is busiest when several ships are in at once or a large ship arrives at a weekend. A ship carrying a few hundred passengers makes little difference on its own.

Can you sail on it from nearby?

The world voyage is sold in sections. A UK agent lists sections from Barcelona to Lisbon in late September 2026, calling at Palma, Valencia and Gibraltar, from Lisbon to Copenhagen, from Copenhagen to Southampton, and from Southampton to Mumbai at the end of October 2026. A further section from Southampton to Istanbul, calling at Malaga and Barcelona, sails on Saturday 4 September 2027. A second world voyage is planned from late 2027.