I’m one of the first onboard Oceania Allura – here’s a look inside

• Jane Archer is one of the first onboard Oceania Allura.
• She gives us a sneak peek inside the restaurants and public spaces.
• You can still get onboard the ship’s inaugural season.

I’m reminded of the saying about small acorns and mighty oak trees as I step aboard Oceania Cruises’ new ship Oceania Allura. When it launched in 2002, Oceania was that ‘small acorn’. Now it is mighty indeed.

The company still has the two small ships it started with and they are not only lovely but much loved, but wait until you see Allura. “It’s luxury from top to bottom,” says Jason Montague, Oceania’s boss. Just to emphasise where Oceania pitches itself, he has taken the title chief luxury officer.

He’s on board this inaugural sailing, a short jaunt from Genoa to Trieste, to make sure all is well on Allura and is struggling to contain his enthusiasm.

He is biased of course, but it’s hard to argue with him. It’s not just that the ship looks gorgeous, which it does, but the quality look and style of the build, and the way that nothing has been overlooked.

There’s a niche here with a lovely piece of artwork, a corridor transformed into a beautiful Grand Lounge and staircases throughout the ship adorned with beautiful cut glass.

In the atrium, a spectacular two-deck-high floor-to-ceiling glass sculpture leads your eye to a sweeping staircase up to the next deck. In Red Ginger, an Asian restaurant, there’s a wall of ‘floating’ glass lanterns.

Those who have cruised on Oceania Vista will feel right at home on Allura. There’s the culinary centre where you can learn to cook, Horizons’ observation lounge and the classy Martini Bar.

And then there are all the places to eat – almost a dozen, which is an extraordinary number for a vessel that holds just 1200 passengers but fully in line with a company that has never wavered from a mantra boasting ‘the finest cuisine at sea’.

The Polo Grill, Toscana, Aquamar Kitchen, the Grand Dining Room; they’ll be familiar to those who have cruise with Oceania before, but there’s also some new stuff for passengers to get their teeth into (pun intended).

For one thing, there’s French restaurant Jacques. A favourite on Oceania’s ships, Marina and Riviera, it was replaced on Vista by casual eatery Ember to the dismay of Jacques fans. So kudos to Oceania for listening to its customers and switching back.

The restaurant still looks like Ember – I suspect the decision to change came too late to add a bit of French flair to the décor – but no matter. The menu was excellent and the food unmistakably French with lobster, onion soup and bouillabaisse alongside a selection of Jacques classics such as goat cheese soufflé, filet mignon with seared foie gras and crêpes suzette.

There’s also a crêperie, an all-new venue for Oceania that serves French crêpes, waffles and Italian ice cream. It’s next to Baristas, a favourite haunt for coffee lovers, so you can move seamlessly from getting your mid-morning caffeine fix to a chocoholic indulgence. Perfect planning!

To make space for the crepes, they have moved the library to a new venue at the front of the ship where you can still curl up quietly with a good book.

It’s hard not to be fixated on food on Allura (did I mention the new Japanese-Peruvian cuisine in Red Ginger and the 270 new dishes in the Grand Dining Room?), but I managed to tear myself away from eating for a quick peek at the accommodation.

Oceania has done away with inside cabins and instead has a great selection of rooms with either French balconies or verandas that suit all budgets. Aim towards the top and you get a butler, free laundry and unlimited access to the Spa Terrace. If space matters, the Owner’s Suite spans the width of the ship. Book quick though as there are only three and they sell out fast.

Allura is in the Mediterranean until the end of August, when it moves to Canada, New England and then the Caribbean for winter. It returns to Europe from May to November 2026. Prices from $1270 per person include tips, soft drinks and fitness classes.