In mid-July, Oceania Cruises’ Allura said arrivederci for the first time to its birthplace in Genoa, Italy, and sailed around the coast of the boot-shaped peninsula to get to Trieste.
This short, pre-official journey—known in the industry as a “shakedown cruise”—gave the new ship and its 800-member crew a chance to find their sea legs and work out any kinks before welcoming the first guests. It also gave me and other journalists four days to tag along and get an up-close look at Allura, the eighth member of Oceania’s fast-growing fleet.
Here’s what to expect on the new 1,200-passenger luxury vessel, whose inaugural season will call on nearly 100 ports in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, the East Coast, and Canada.
Short take: If you’re hungry or bored on Allura, that’s a you problem.
Oceania Allura: One chef for every 8 guests
Oceania is so confident in its culinary offerings that the company trademarked the tagline “The Finest Cuisine at Sea.” That bold claim is debatable, but there’s no denying that a lot of thought and effort went into Allura’s food and beverage program, and it shows.
Half of the crew is dedicated to culinary operations. There’s one chef for every eight guests. Ten restaurants mean customers have a lot of choices. Acai bowls and avocado toast at the wellness-focused Aquamar Kitchen. Steak at Polo Grill. At Waves Grill, Neapolitan-style pizza. Fancier Italian food at Toscana and elevated French fare at Jacques.
The latter, named for famed chef Jacques Pépin, Oceania’s first executive culinary director, was left out of the lineup on Allura’s older sister ship, Vista, when it debuted in 2023. But Jacques, which is on two other Oceania ships, is back by popular demand on Allura. (And it will finally be added to Vista later in 2025, with new offerings like hand-cut beef tartare prepared tableside.)
These dining venues might sound familiar to past Oceania cruisers. But Allura’s versions often come with a twist. Pan-Asian favorite Red Ginger—one of four specialty restaurants that require a reservation, but no surcharge—amped up its menu with a dozen Japanese-Peruvian fusion dishes known as Nikkei cuisine. Some 270 recipes have been added to the breakfast, lunch, and dinner rosters in the elegant Grand Dining Room.
Thankfully, no one tinkered with the ship bakery’s baguettes, made with flour milled specifically for Oceania. I’d put these loaves of crusty goodness up against the best boulangeries in Paris.
Allura is the launch pad for a brand-new Oceania concept, Crêperie. It dishes up Belgian and bubble waffles, delicate crêpes, and eight flavors of gelato. The location and footprint of the ship’s library was changed to make room for this sweet addition on Deck 14.
“There are no ships built to this size that have this many dining options,” Oceania’s chief commercial officer Nathan Hickman told a room full of reporters and travel agents onboard.
Guests have plenty of picks in the drink department, too. Allura’s five bars include the requisite poolside watering hole and the expansive Horizons lounge—also the setting for afternoon tea—with panoramic windows, a dance floor, and a stage for live entertainment. For creative cocktails, the intimate Founders Bar next to the casino is the jackpot. Mixologists use smoke, foam, and other magic to make cocktails that look as good in photographs as they taste.
Allura’s alcohol beverage package costs $70 a day, per passenger, and unlike a lot of cruise lines, Oceania doesn’t require everyone sharing a stateroom to opt in if only one person wants to buy it.
Oceania Allura's features
Allura is an adult-oriented luxury ship, and it looks the part. Earth tones, hues of blue, and Art Deco touches define the sophisticated decor. The ship is swanky and elegant, but not in a stuffy, don’t-touch-or-you-might-break-it kind of way. Staterooms and common areas have a residential feel that invites you to make yourself at home and stay a while.
The lion’s share of the 600 cabins are veranda staterooms. They measure a generous 291 square feet (27 square meters) and have a private balcony, sitting area, marble bathroom with a rain shower, and queen bed. All beds are topped with line’s mattresses designed for more comfortable, cooler sleep. Mission accomplished.
Upgrading from a standard veranda to the concierge level doesn’t get you more space. But it does get you perks like access to a dedicated lounge and Aquamar Spa Terrace, an exclusive deck at the front of the vessel that offers more privacy than the main swimming area mid-ship. The spa terrace, like the spa itself, is well appointed and serene, tricked out with whirlpools, a thalassotherapy pool filled with sea water, and lots of room to relax.
Penthouse suites are a step above concierge level and are considerably larger at 440 square feet (41 square meters). I stayed in one of these on Deck 11, under the pool deck. Which brings me to my only complaint: I occasionally heard people walking above me.
So, is it worth upgrading? Let’s look at a 7-day roundtrip Miami cruise in February. At publication time, the advertised price of veranda staterooms started at $2,660 per person. Concierge level began at $3,277. Penthouse suites were $3,657—almost $1,000 more than the veranda. We all like perks and more cabin space. But at least compared to other Allura categories, the standard veranda is tough to beat in terms of value, especially considering that rates also include gratuities, Wi-Fi, and laundry. Instead of paying hundreds more to upgrade to Concierge, passengers without access to the spa terrace can just buy a day pass for $25.
Everyone has access to the well-equipped gym and can sign up for complimentary group fitness classes. Allura gets creativity points for launching immersive yoga sessions that take place on stage in the lounge, where big screens broadcast nature scenes in sync with zen music. Decks 15 and 16 at the top of the ship serve as an outdoor playground, with a pickleball court, putting greens, croquet, bocce ball, and a fitness track.
Learning is part of the adventure
Most Oceania guests are 55-plus. Half of them are between 65 and 75 years old and typically retired or semi-retired. And they want to do more on a cruise than just play shuffleboard and lay out by the pool, company executives say.
“The adult mind wants to learn,” said Kathryn Kelly, executive chef and director of culinary enrichment for Oceania. Kelly started the line’s popular hands-on cooking school nearly 15 years ago on Marina.
Allura leans in to that craving for continuing education. The ship has an Artist Loft, where passengers can take free workshops led by visiting professionals. Another classroom is dedicated to technology. The LYNC Digital Center hosts sessions on smartphone photography, social media basics and understanding artificial intelligence, among other topics.
A new class called "Shots, Sips and Snacks" teaches passengers an essential skill for modern diners: taking pictures of food on their phone. That tutorial is followed by a visit to the ship’s culinary center, where they make a snack and a cocktail and put their newfound photography skills to the test.
Oceania’s traditional culinary center has been expanded on Allura to include a Chef’s Studio. It’s a place where up to 18 passengers can sit around with a glass of wine and learn, for example, how New World ingredients like the tomato shaped Mediterranean cuisine.
“That’s the newest evolution of our program,” said Kelly, who piloted the studio concept on Vista.
Kelly and her team still run a robust collection of hands-on cooking classes—more than 60. She was in the middle of one, demonstrating how to make crêpes, when the microphone on her headset started acting up. It made a weird noise when she got too close to the induction burners.
A staff member reassured her that they’ve ordered new mics to fix the problem.
Kelly smiled, shrugged and said, “That’s why they call it a shakedown cruise.”
Oceania Allura quick facts:
Launched: 2025
Passengers: 1,200 (at double occupancy)
Crew: 800
Number of staterooms: 600
Size: 68,000 gross tons, 804 feet (245 m) long, 120 feet (36.5 m) wide
Booking: 855/623-2642; www.oceaniacruises.com
