Luxury Cruise Holidays | Caribbean Sea Cruises | Oceania Cruises

Ship Reviews

The following is a review of the Oceania Allura - February 19-26, 2026. Completely my own opinions. I come from a place where we have over five hundred actual cruise days on Holland America and several other days on Seabourn as well as several singleton cruises on other lines. Oceania was one of those singletons, a Med cruise in 2009, until this week. You will notice that I cannot, occaisonally, refrain from making comparisons. So, I was once again in my happy place - on a veranda, at Sea. We were on the Oceania Allura in the Caribbean, heading for Cozumel. We flew into Miami two nights early and stayed in a hotel with a direct view of the Port of Miami - so we woke up on cruise day to the Allura docked at Terminal J. Our weather in Miami was seventies and sunny. So much better than last time we had a pre-cruise stay in Miami when it rained heavily and there were ominous flood warnings and closed streets. We had a pleasant stay. On cruise day, we headed for the port an hour and a half before our scheduled check in time as we had to check out of our hotel room. The ride to the port was short and sweet. Upon arrival no one seemed to care that we were not there at the designated hour. As for Port Security - we give them a hearty “Fail”. Security did not take long but was troubled. The metal detector portal at our security line was beeping uncontrollably and could not be fixed by the agents that were present - so we were sent through a scanner far away from our belongings as they chugged through the x-ray machine. When we returned there was my small wheelie bag sitting on the conveyor smeared with raised globs of black grease - we think from the rollers on the conveyor. Not happy. Next step was upstairs to check in - since we are in a penthouse we got to avoid the lines around us and walk down the golden carpet to check in with the next available agent. All went smoothly and we were able to just walk on board. We took seats in Martini’s which, conveniently is also our muster station so we were able to check in there for muster. It was only about a half hour later that suites were called to their now ready cabins. Notably another half hour and Concierge class was called and another half hour the rest of the cabins were called. It is clear, on board, that better service and perks are reflected by the dollars spent on your cabin purchase. I’ll get to our butler later. Our penthouse cabin was wonderful. Since this ship is barely 6 months old we are enjoying the “newness” of everything. We have experienced Neptune Suites on HAL which we very much enjoyed and we would say are on par, in many ways, to our penthouse. Compared to Seabourn’s standard veranda cabins and our Oceania penthouse came in a little better. HAL wins for storage space. Oceania wins over both lines in the bathroom with a decent sized shower that has both a rain shower head and a hand held - enclosed in glass with a glass door, not a curtain. A very well designed bathroom - not huge but very functional with a great shower. Seabourn has a lovely large soaking tub - but a tiny shower. I guess it depends on what you prefer. We are delighted to have the free internet on board however we have to say that we are somewhat disappointed in it as it is very slow and some of what I wished to do on line did not load - and I am not talking about streaming or elaborate applications. At this price point I would have expected a much more usable free internet like we have received on Seabourn or HAL’s basic internet (which, admittedly, you do have to pay for but is faster than this). I am somewhat confident that if we spent $9.99 pp/day for the first internet upgrade might be happier. But we were being cheap this trip. The ship sails well - we have been making good speed but we do not have any sense of motion most of the time. Occasionally we experience a bit of a wobble, more noticeable in the aft dining room, but very minor. However we are having beautiful seas. Dinner in the dining room was slow the first night (over two hours) but the food was truly lovely. So far a step above HAL IMHO but food is so subjective - about on par with Seabourn which we last encountered in 2025. My only comment was that after finishing the appetizer on the first night of the cruise (an incredible pork pate) that required a fork, our forks were returned to us to reuse with the next course, the salad. That should not have happened. Will have to see if this is a daily occurrence or just a one off. Note - the fork issue was a one off. Did not happen again. On our last night on board they served a beef bourguignon that should not have been served. The chunks of beef were dark crusted and dry and there was very little sauce on the noodles. What you might get if the food was left in the oven too long. It was, however, only one of two food “misses” that we experienced the whole week. In general in the main dining room we have the impression that they may be understaffed. Either the dinner took over two hours, or as it happened on one of the nights the meal moved more rapidly but we had no assistant waiter - just an excellent waiter who ran from place to place to keep everyone served and happy. Breakfast in the dining room was also lovely. I do, however, have to comment that the first Eggs Benedict that I ordered was a flop. The eggs were done just as I ordered them, the Hollandaise Sauce was tasty even though too much for my taste had been slathered on the eggs - the problem, however, was that the English muffin was so dense I could not cut it into bite sized pieces - a steak knife might have done it but the knife offered surely did not. So I had Eggs Benedict sans muffin for breakfast. The fruit plate was fresh and the fruit was all properly ripe and tasty. The pastry tray was also excellent. Oceania’s pastry tray beats out HAL by a mile or seven. To be fair, a few days later I once again ordered eggs Benedict and all was fine - nice English Muffin - but again a little heavy on the sauce which almost seemed more like a cheese sauce than a Hollandaise sauce. For us this cruise was designed to warm us up - not for sight seeing - when it comes to Caribbean ports we have pretty much been there, done that so this cruise was about the ship and the warm. The only port that we disembarked at was Cozumel - hoping to get to wander around the old Mexican town a bit and return to the ship. Instead we wandered around the artificial shops at the port and try though we might we were unable to find an exit that they would allow us to use - so it was back to the ship. The next day we were in Belize, a very pretty port but it was very warm out so we chose not to leave the ship at all. Our third port was Roatan, an island off of Honduras. We were greeted by drummers and dancers - the port area was very attractive and we would have welcomed a walk around the port - but - we were warned about malaria by the cruise line. Looking up Honduras and Roatan both were colored red on the cdc malaria maps - so we decided that we would be prudent and stay on board. The captain had warned us that there might be rain on and off all day and that a big storm was coming later in the day so he moved the all aboard time up two and a half hours. The islanders were very appreciative of our visit and once again danced and drummed as we left. About 40-50 folks gathered on the pier and yelled “Thank You”. A charming place with the kind of welcome that we normally experience at small ports that only occasionally have tourists, not in the Caribbean. Though we did not experience rain in the port - we sure did experience weather once we were at sea. As the Captain predicted as we left the winds were over 50 knots and the sea swells were about 5 meters contributing to a lively evening at sea. Our last port was Costa Maya and we were warned by the Captain the night before that we might not make it in as it is not a natural port but one built by cruise companies and the docks are not particularly protected. And sure enough we arrived to 2 meter swells which the Captain said would have made getting on and off the ship very difficult. We booked this cruise less than two weeks before we sailed. As such there were virtually no specialty dining room reservations available to us on line before we left. Our Butler was able to get us reservations at each of the four specialty restaurants at 8:30 pm (better than 9 pm). We had a very nice meal at Toscana, and another nice meal at Polo though by dessert we were the only ones still there besides the waiters who were setting up for the next night. We also very much enjoyed Jacques - we ended up canceling Red Ginger as it was on the last night at 8:30 - we were stressed about getting the suitcases out and everything we needed to get done on time. Next time we will go to Red Ginger. We were delighted to find the touch screen in the cabin that allows you to indicate, by means of a small light outside the room “do not disturb” or “make up room”, as well as control the cabin temperature. Nice touch, however actually getting someone to make up the room is a different question. On both HAL and Seabourn we are used to our cabin attendant getting to know our time preferences and returning from breakfast to a clean cabin on most days. About half of the time, or less than half of the time our room was cleaned during breakfast - however the other half of the time it was cleaned around noon. Noon is not really acceptable to us as it interferes with our choices of what and where to do things during the day and our use of the cabin facilities. Evening turn down was always complete by the time we returned to the cabin. Other than making our room reservations and bringing us a bottle of sparkling water once or twice a day we have not needed our butler. Canapés at 5 pm are too close to dinner for us if we want to eat a nice dinner. He, never-the-less checked in on us once or twice a day and brings us a bottle of sparkling water. When he knocks, however, he doesn’t wait long enough for us to get to the door (or even get decent) before letting himself in. That was a bit annoying. Except for the dinner reservations the butler didn't, for us, do anything more than what a Seabourn or HAL cabin steward does. And the dinner reservations could have been handled by the concierge. It should be noted that we had room service breakfast on our last morning (the only time we used room service) and that was delivered by the butler. Not sure if he would have delivered other room service meals had we requested them. We sent one laundry bag in and the clothes came back folded and not ironed - which for what we sent was just fine. As far as comparisons go, there is no comparison here to HAL’s free unlimited laundry which we have had for years where clothes are not just cleaned but also ironed. Seabourn also does a nice job washing and ironing the laundry however after our first bags on Seabourn we have to pay. And, I must mention, the iron on laundry tags used by Oceania are stuck on so tight that we cannot remove most of them - and they are made of a plastic material that is very scratchy when left in - to say nothing of ironing them in across seams that then tear when we have removed the few that would budge. Around the ship we really liked the creperie which unfortunately is not open for breakfast but we have used it daily for dessert after lunch. We have enjoyed eating in Waves and Aquamara for lunch as there is table service there and a menu with several options that in one week we have not yet tired of the choices. Oceania also offered many good choices at its lunch buffet, the Terrace Grill, however we avoid buffets as we do not wish to share serving implements with others. One day at sea we did enjoy a very nice lunch in the dining room. The lunch choices are heads above the choices for lunch offered by Seabourn as most days the dining room on Seabourn is closed for lunch forcing one into the buffet or eating hot dogs and burgers outside. If you tolerate buffets HAL does a good spread at lunch time, but if you don’t the selections are limited unless you are on a ship that offers the New York deli and Pizza where options are a bit better but not up to what is offered on Oceania. Even better if you are on one of the two HAL ships that offer the Dutch Cafe. We really appreciated dining room breakfast every day - something that Seabourn has stopped doing but HAL still does. Breakfast on Seabourn in the buffet was always crowded and of extremely mediocre quality. Baristas’s coffee bar is very nice but not as good, in our opinion, as the coffee bar selections and quality at Seabourn Square. Oceania uses powders to produce their Chai teas and doesn’t offer much in the selections of the teas - unlike Seabourn’s wonderful London Fog. As you can tell I am a tea drinker. DH enjoyed his coffees at Baristas but also feels Seabourn Square offers a better product. Just like on HAL and Seabourn we do not attend the shows on board so cannot speak to their quality. Oceania does have a string quartet on board that plays, oddly, contemporary music. DH walked by the string quartet during a performance the other day and they were playing “Pretty Woman” - and it was as bad as you might imagine. Nice to have the strings but nowhere near the quality of the Vivace strings on HAL. It should also be mentioned that we really appreciated the abundance of comfy lounge space on board. Martini's, the Grand Lounge and Horizons. Three spaces just there to enjoy and when the bar is open indulge and at times to also enjoy live music. Horizons is what the HAL Crows Nest used to be. And we really appreciated the space, the view and the calm. HAL has removed most of these spaces by connecting them with monetary concerns like art auctions and photography. There were other spaces on board like the game room, art studio, and a lovely real library with both fiction and reference materials. We were told that the ship was virtually full but we never would have known. There was always empty space to sit in the dining areas and a only very few short lines here and there. What a pleasure. We had a good, mellow cruise - good enough to purchase a future cruise certificate. We hope to be back on Allura next winter.

Just off the Allura yesterday and I feel compelled to write this review after seeing the most recent negative reviews of the Allura. It was our first experience on Oceania but we've sailed Crystal, Celebrity and Windstar for comparisons. Ship-absolutely beautiful! Very tastefully done throughout (based on my wife the designer). Is there a bottleneck coming out of the show lounge on deck 5? Yes. Do the elevators get overwhelmed? Yes. Is there a design flaw because people can not transit deck 5 from forward to aft? Yes. We found these flaws to be a minor inconvenience. Staff-specialty restaurants (4) had very good service throughout. The servers did seem hurried at times but the food always arrived hot, water glass always was refilled and they were all polite and smiling. Baristas-the best! Always attentintive service from 2 happy baristas. The drinks were always well prepared. It's open from 630AM-6PM. And yes, after the show there is no place to get coffee, tea, eats & sweets. Oceania should consider a change to fix this. Buffet breakfast & lunch-very good selection and variety. Made to order station. Attentive staff always came to our table to get our drink order. We always found a table and we ate there most days for breakfast and lunch and twice for dinner. At dinner they have made to order steaks, lamb chops, shrimp, fish, burgers, chicken. Not to mention 2 nights they had very good sushi! One evening I ordered lamb chops and lobster tails. They delivered it to our table and it was excellent. Polo-delicious porterhouse steak cooked perfectly. Filet mignon was also excellent. Red Ginger- very good food. Jacques-excellent french onion soup. Dover sole was delicious. Toscana-veal shank was very good. The pizza at Waves is Great!! Crepes and waffles-wow! I just have to contradict all those negative and mediocre reviews. For my money, we were more than satisfied with our Allura experience!

We chose to go on this cruise to celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary, which is later in the year. Therefore we wanted to have a truly special experience. For the most part the ALLURA met our expectations. The Concierge Stateroom and its great bathroom did not disappoint. We had no issues with noise, although there was a constant vibration which we’ve not experienced on other cruises. We were Deck 10, 10074. Also on a choppy sea it felt like turbulence. The public areas are all beautifully decorated and furnished. Due to the sun-bed hoggers, we were only able to get a sun-bed on the Aqua spa terrace in the morning on port days. On sea days it was difficult to find anywhere. Dining The Grand dining room was very disappointing. From the queues to be seated, even when sharing, to the service, and the poor variety on the menu, it did not meet the standards of a five star resort. The chicken we chose one evening was dry, chewy and very poor. They are just too overwhelmed. They need to organise access better. On Celebrity they had two seatings. This worked better. Plus you could elect to be in the same area of the dining room each time, so you could build a relationship with the staff. The Terrace cafe was much better. Better service, more relaxing, more choice. Being able to have as many vegetables as I wanted, instead of a very meagre quantity given in the GDR. Our experience of the Aquamar cafe was good. Great smoothies. I only discovered the lunch menu on the last day. We only tried the Polo Grill speciality restaurant. This was good. Our steaks were perfect and service excellent. Barristas was great for an after lunch beverage. This has the most comfortable chairs on the ship. The Gelato ice cream at the Crepery is delicious. Room service was okay..they made a couple of mistakes. Also the menu is limited. We mainly used the Martinis Bar and Horizons lounge. The Pianist, Alex, was excellent. The Fortunes band was good, with a variety of music. We went to one show, which was okay. A couple of the singers had very good voices. The theatre was comfortable. As we were Concierge class we had access to the Concierge lounge. This was a dark unappealing space. There is a hot and cold drinks station, but no cold water dispenser. We got admonished for trying to fill our water bottles with a Vera water bottle. Also the snacks were repetitive and not appetising. The Concierge himself was aloof and not very personable. The Horizons lounge is a good space. Plenty of seating. Service was hit and miss. There is a hot drinks station in one corner, which is nice for a pre bed night cap. The afternoon tea was good. As with all cruise ships the Spa treatments were extortionate. So we didn’t experience those. The complimentary Art classes were brilliant. The artist Frank Ryder was brilliant and very popular. The pool and pool area was nice. We didn’t partake in any of the on board activities, mainly due to the strong wind on the upper deck. The embarkation and disembarkation were both excellent. Overall we had a very good time. We did our own excursions through Viator and Get your guide in Puerto Rico and St Lucia. We were lucky with an advocated tour on Dominica too. I would recommend doing your own tour arrangements. Comments about the ship’s excursions were mixed. Would we sail with Oceania again? I’m not sure. Improvement needs to be made. Concierge class is only worth it for priority embarkation. Otherwise it isn’t worth the extra money. Also an App would be good, instead of all the information sheets of paper every day. I would give it 4*, not 5*. One of the best things were the lovely people we met!

Accommodation

Ultimate Seagoing Luxury

With a metropolitan flair and spacious character akin to a treasured coastal residence, our Owner’s Suites, Vista Suites, Oceania Suites and Penthouse Suites welcome you with expansive private verandas, sumptuous bedding, lavish baths and abundance of living and dining spaces. Guests who desire only the best need not look further than these extravagant suites. As you would expect, your personal Butler is the mere press of a button away. Discover Allura’s large sublime suites, where the sea is never far and you can survey the world from the pinnacle of luxurious living and oceanview cruising.

Upgrade Your Experience

Concierge Level Veranda Staterooms offer an unrivaled combination of luxury, privilege and value. A wealth of benefits and complimentary amenities, such as room service from The Grand Dining Room and free laundry services, elevates your travel experience to the sublime. On board Allura, you will also have the services of a dedicated Concierge and private Concierge Lounge access. Located in the most desired of locations, each Concierge Level Veranda Stateroom is much more than simply an oceanview cruise – it’s an experience.

Elegant Oceanview Staterooms

Space is perhaps the ultimate luxury, and that is something all the accommodations aboard our oceanview cruises provide in lavish excess. Defined by their elegance, our staterooms feature tasteful furnishings and a serene ambiance. All staterooms also offer an oversized bathroom with a rainforest shower. You will appreciate the refrigerated mini-bar, copious closet and drawer space and our revolutionary Tranquility Bed, a luxury our guests consistently describe as heavenly.

Accommodation Types

Owner's Suite

Vista Suite

Oceania Suite

Penthouse Suite

Concierge Level Veranda Stateroom

Concierge Level Solo Veranda Stateroom

Veranda Stateroom

French Veranda Stateroom

Dining

The Finest Cuisine at Sea®

Allura presents an irresistible take on The Finest Cuisine at Sea® with inventiveness and variety, showcasing a remarkable selection of onboard dining choices. Menus span from the casual to the opulent. Alongside the beloved classics cherished by guests, Allura features three exquisite new establishments like her sister ship, Vista – a new specialty restaurant, Ember, as well as Aquamar Kitchen and The Bakery at Baristas. Refusing to settle for the ordinary, Oceania Cruises continually elevates and evolves each culinary experience. Aboard Allura, cruise and dine like never before.

A World of Options

A tantalizing array of options is always on offer aboard Allura – from the wellness-inspired cuisine of Aquamar Kitchen to the ever-changing array of international dishes at Terrace Café. Enjoy scenic ocean water views with lunch as you enjoy refreshing poolside fare at Waves Grill. Whether savoring a poolside burger, a scoop of Humphry Slocombe’s bourbon-flavored cornflake-studded Secret Breakfast ice cream for dessert or a perfectly prepared cappuccino accompanied by freshly baked biscotti at Baristas, you’ll notice our culinary team’s attention to detail, passion for artisanal ingredients and dedication to technique, no matter the occasion. You’ll savor delicious cuisine renowned as the finest at sea no matter where you choose to cruise and dine on Allura.

Dining Types

The Grand Dining Room

Ember

Polo Grill

Toscana

Red Ginger

Priveé

Terrace Café

Aquamar Kitchen

Waves Grill

Afternoon Tea

Baristas

In-Room Dining Experiences

Jacques

Crêperie

Bakery

Enrichment

Irresistible Enrichment

From the amusing to the cerebral, the spectrum of enriching activities and relaxing havens invites you to discover a world of enchantments on board our new cruise ship, luxurious Allura. Learn from celebrated guest speakers how French Impressionists forever changed the world of art. Discern the elegant nuances of Champagne makers’ techniques with a special tasting. Discover the depths of your knowledge with trivia tournaments or uncover the culinary nuances of the Greek Isles at The Culinary Center. Feel the creative vibe of the Artist Loft or master digital photography at LYNC Digital Center.

Enrichment Types

Artist Loft

Excursions

The Culinary Centre & Culinary Discovery Tours

Guest Speakers

Destination Services

Entertainment

Life On Board

From sipping a selection of fine vintages at a wine tasting to attending a show-stopping performance in the ship lounge, a delightfully engaging spectrum of enriching activities and lively entertainment awaits you on board Allura, our newest luxury cruise ship. Join one of our passionate Guest Speakers to discover unique cultural insights of upcoming ports of call, delve into your wellness at Aquamar Spa + Vitality Center or join a hands-on cooking class at The Culinary Center. As the sun sets, one of the sparkling bars is a perfect place to gather with friends or toast to adventures, while spectacular production shows and world-class musical performances are just steps away as well.

Captivating Entertainment

Entertainment that both captivates and inspires seasoned travelers demands a kaleidoscope of talent orchestrated into something truly magical. Aboard Allura, world-class musical performances will dazzle you, showcasing a wide variety of guest entertainers such as pianists, classical string quartets, dynamic vocalists and spectacular headliners. A unique lineup of rousing onboard shows, charismatic entertainers and special performances encourage you to celebrate the moment and celebrate your journey. The world is yours for the taking.

Bars & Lounges

From chic Martinis to the laid-back poolside Waves Bar, there's a perfect enclave on board Allura for every mood. Visit the elegant Grand Lounge for a pre-dinner cocktail, catch a headline act in the Lounge or watch the sun set in Horizons accompanied by a glass of wine and lively music. New and innovative cocktail experiences await at Martinis, the Casino Mixology Bar and beyond. As you explore the world, these bars and lounges are the place to unwind, gather together, laugh and take in one-of-a-kind shows and musical performances.

Immersive Mixology Experiences

When you join us aboard Allura, enjoying a drink will be an experience unto itself – from the beauty of watching a skilled bartender smoke an Old Fashioned to the tableside preparation of a Manhattan. Our new onboard bar program has been designed to mirror the elevated quality and innovation The Finest Cuisine at Sea has come to represent. The latest cocktail-crafting trends and techniques have inspired an array of experiences, drinks and beverage offerings such cocktails topped by flavored smoke bubbles, Negronis aged in wooden barrels, delightfully entertaining rum mixology experiences, the ultimate in wine pairings, unique specialty beverage cart experiences and more.

Entertainment Types

Martini's

Grand Lounge

Horizons

Waves Bar

LYNC Digital Centre

Library

Boutiques

Casino

Mixology Bar

Onboard Shows

Founders Bar

Allura Lounge

Concierge Lounge

Executive Lounge

Drink Experiences

Grand Staircase

Health & Fitness

New Paths to Wellness

Explore the complete array of holistic programs, specialized services and experiences available at Aquamar Spa + Vitality Center – book rejuvenating massages, facial treatments, nutrition and lifestyle consultations and so much more. It’s all at your fingertips. Keep up with your exercise routine at our state-of-the-art fitness center or try something new at one of our free fitness classes. Of course, complete relaxation awaits on the gleaming Pool Deck – the perfect place to unwind between destination explorations.

Allura