I went on Norwegian's newest luxury and ultra-luxury ships targeting wealthy travelers — see how a $685 per night cruise compares to a $210 per night one

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings' premium Oceania and ultra-luxury Regent Seven Seas brands both target wealthy travelers.

• Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has two high-end brands: premium Oceania and ultra-luxury Regent Seven Seas.
• Both prove NCLH can successfully target two types of wealthy travelers.
• See how Oceania and Regent Seven Seas' newest ships compare.

When you think of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, you probably think of its giant amusement park-like cruise ships with 10-story-tall slides, go-kart tracks, and many families.

Norwegian Cruise Line is its parent company's bread and butter. But what the average cruisers might not know is that NCLH also manages two premium cruise lines: upscale Oceania and ultra-luxury Regent Seven Seas.

You'll be hard-pressed to find waterslides across either of these brand's ships. You will, however, find truffle-topped dinners, peaceful pool decks, afternoon tea, and sailings that start at over $200 a night.

After spending at least one night on both operators' newest ships, it's easy to see how they differ while targeting the same demographic: wealthy travelers.

Oceania Cruises — the "aspirational wealth" brand

Think of Oceania as the bougie (but at the level of owning a rare Hermes Birkin) cousin of Norwegian. According to its parent company, Oceania is known for its food and "diverse itineraries." It recently announced a two-month cruise that would sail to less frequented ports along Africa and Asia.

While still in the premium category, in 2023, Oceania inched closer to the ultra-luxury segment with its "simply more" package. This move, akin to an all-inclusive model, means travelers now get dining, shore excursion credits, house beverages, roundtrip flights, airport transfers, and on board WiFi all in one fare.

Like all cruise lines of this caliber, Oceania's fleet of seven ships has a relatively low guest capacity, accommodating between 684 to 1,250 travelers per ship. Its newest Oceania Vista ship, which debuted in May 2023, is at the higher end of the range with a 1,200-guest capacity.

Say goodbye to repetitive Caribbean and Mexico itineraries. As a self-proclaimed "destination-focused" operator, the ship is scheduled to visit ports in countries like Greece, Italy, Spain, and Turkey throughout 2024.

Four months after the Vista's debut, the cruise line invited me to spend one night on the vessel while it was docked in New York City. At the time, my assigned veranda stateroom on the Oceania Vista was the most luxurious and spacious cabin I had ever stayed in, complete with Bulgari toiletries, marble bathroom walls, and a large balcony.

The latter isn't particularly special for the ship: Every cabin on the Vista has one.

The food better be decent for a "culinary-focused" cruise line. Fortunately, it was — and included in the fare.

For breakfast, travelers can order various avocado toasts and fresh juices.

Come nightfall, options include porcini-dusted bone-in ribeye steak at the modern American Ember, and ceviche with hummus foam at the Grand Dining Room. The latter also serves favorites from the company's executive culinary director, famed chef Jacques Pépin.

In between meals, guests can fuel up at the coffee shop. When lounging around the pool starts to feel repetitious, travelers can instead take art and cooking classes, attend guest lectures, or try their hand at pickleball.

Liquor isn't included in the fare. But for guests who can't cruise without it, the Vista has options like a martini bar, flashy bourbon and rye-centered Founders Bar, and "beverage carts" with bloody Marys and bubbles.

But no matter where you look, it's easy to notice how modern, high-end, and clean Oceania Vista's common spaces look.

The cruise feels ship like a bid to both the wealthy and "aspirational wealth" travel categories. It's the perfect option for people interested in exploring the luxury cruise segment.

While 2024 fares are expensive — starting at $2,300 per person for an 11-day itinerary — they're not as out of reach as Regent Seven Seas' newest ship. Despite this more "affordable" fare, many features still mirror the ultra-luxury segment: inclusive dining, excursions, and flights.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises — the true ultra-luxury option

Oceania says it excels in food and destinations. Regent Seven Seas does this and more.

NCLH's ultra-luxury brand embraces its "all-inclusive" model, which includes everything Oceania has, plus: liquor, laundry services, roundtrip business class flights for intercontinental travel, a one-night pre-cruise hotel stay, and unlimited excursions.

Travelers won't have to reach for their wallet once they board the ship, save for a fancier bottle of wine, non-included excursion, or spa service.

The Grandeur joined Regent's six-ship fleet in 2023. Compared to the Oceania Vista, this ultra-luxe vessel has a smaller guest capacity of 746 travelers. But like its less expensive counterpart, every cabin has a balcony.

In December 2023, the cruise line invited me to stay in the Grandeur's concierge suite during its three-night "christening voyage." Here, comforts included a thin walk-in closet and a bathroom with a bathtub. I've never had the latter in a cruise cabin before. And the living room was so large, I didn't know what to do with the extra space.

The Grandeur's dining rooms' themes are similar to the Oceania Vista's. However, while the Vista has a modern American option, the Grandeur has a French venue and a main dining room with a customizable menu.

And whereas the Vista had objectively high-end dishes, the Grandeur served up next-level luxury: Every menu included truffle, foie gras, caviar, or all three.

There's a little hint of luxury everywhere you look. The steakhouse has three original Pablo Picasso pieces, the pool deck has waitstaff dropping off drinks to sunbathers, and the coffee shop and library have daily newspapers.

The on board art collection costs $6 million, over 500 chandeliers line the ship, and almost 308,650 pounds of marble accent spaces like the cabins' bathrooms. Numbers like that make the Grandeur sound more like a five-star hotel than a cruise ship.

The ship will sail to the Caribbeans, Turkey, France, Spain, Greece, and Nicaragua in 2024.

While the Oceania Vista could appeal to the aspirational wealth category, Regent Seven Seas is exclusively for wealthy travelers: 2024 itineraries start at $4,800 per person for a seven-night cruise. That's both shorter and more than double the cost of the Vista's cheapest itinerary.

It's easy to see how NCLH has attracted wealthy travelers

At their core, luxury ships don't differ much from the average cruise. All offer food, beverages, on board amenities, and the opportunity to see several destinations in one vacation.

The difference? High-end ships like the Oceania Vista and Seven Seas Grandeur have palatial balcony-lined cabins, some level of all-inclusiveness, and common spaces with an upscale flair. And both vessels — built without loud water slides or arcades — exude a feeling of peace and quiet not often experienced throughout larger family-friendly cruise ships.

NCLH's mass-market eponymous brand still has more ships in its fleet than Regent Seven Seas and Oceania combined. But its luxury segment is growing: In the last quarter of 2023, the cruise giant had more "luxury and ultra-luxury" ships than at the same time in 2019, Mark Kempa, its CFO and executive vice president, told investors in a call in November 2023.

With this, it's no wonder NCLH's two brands have appealed to the wealthy and wealthier. Both Oceania and Regent hit all the marks of a premium cruise line.

Yes, one is more plush and expensive than the other. But no matter the brand, travelers with Norwegian's two high-end operators still get luxurious meals, a pleasant ambiance, and a stateroom with a private outdoor space.

So far, this is enough for fans of both operators to stay loyal to NCLH. In the same call, Harry Sommer, the company's president and CEO, told investors that NCLH had "not seen any change in the trajectory of bookings" for either brand despite the growing number of luxury cruise competitors like MSC Group's Explora Journeys.