Last week, I was invited aboard Oceania Allura for a special shakedown voyage. It was a chance to experience the ship before she officially welcomes guests. As the newest addition to Oceania Cruises’ fleet, expectations were quite high. From the moment I stepped aboard, I sensed this wasn’t just another new ship – it was something special.

Oceania prides itself on its incredible food offerings and now I can fully understand why they have won the prestigious “best cuisine at sea” as Allura is a culinary wonderland. Like its sister ship, Vista, Allura offers guests the chance to enjoy breakfast at popular healthy eating spot Aquamar Kitchen with its popular poke bowls, tuna tapas and fresh smoothies. Look out too for the new creperie (situated just by Baristas café on deck 14). Here you can enjoy a delicious taste of France.   For dinner, you’ll be spoilt for choice. The Grand Dining Room offers a daily changing menu and for a more casual dinner, you can also eat at The Waves Grill and Terrace Cafe. Oceania Allura also offers four speciality restaurants – Jacques, Polo Grill, Toscana and Red Ginger. These are free of charge and can be booked in advance once per restaurant and I can honestly say the food was out of this world and better than any top London restaurant I have been to.

We  were lucky enough to stay in a Penthouse Suite so had our own personal butler who was absolutely fantastic in every way. Incredibly attentive, constantly happy to go out of his way to ensure we were happy. Top Tip is some of the aft located Penthouses have much larger balconies with 2 sun loungers, instead of a table and 2 chairs like most have.

Martini Bar was one of our favourite venues for pre-dinner drinks as we relaxed and listened to one of the ship’s onboard musicians as he played relaxing piano remedies. The unique cocktail menu was styled and dedicated to many famous Hollywood names too! Founders Bar was a lovely little bar, somewhat of a ‘hidden gem’ on board as it’s quite a small area of the ship but great for a relaxing beer, wine or cocktail pre or post dinner. Undoubtedly the most popular area for drinks & entertainment each evening was Horizons up towards the top of the ship – a wide area with many seats full 180-degree views of the ocean in front.

The best bits of Vista have been transferred over to this ship. If you’re looking for a proper luxury cruise experience that’s modern and unstuffy and just happen to love food and an incredibly relaxed atmosphere, this is the ship for you. Allura is a ship that delivers something memorable, a refined-yet-relaxed luxury experience that feels easy to love.

Katie Worth

Director