She was built in 2000 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, for Renaissance Cruises as MS R Five.

At 11:00 the ship's mooring lines parted and it broke free, getting blown into the Tail of the Bank area of the firth where tugs came to its assistance.

She sailed out of Brazilian port during the northern hemisphere winter seasons as a part of Pullmantur's joint service with CVC.

[2] On 30 November 2008, the Nautica was sailing from Safaga, Egypt, to Salah, Oman, on the Maritime Safety Protection Area established in the Gulf of Aden due to persistent pirate attacks on the area, when at approximately 9:28 AM UTC+3, the ship encountered two Somali pirate skiffs.

[10] Nautica is scheduled to undergo a significant renovation in June 2020 as a part of the company's $100 million OceaniaNEXT program.