First Impressions Of Oceania Allura

This was my first time with Oceania Cruises after selling it for many years so I thought I knew what to expect, but every aspect of the cruise exceeded my expectations.

I embarked on the ship in Izmir. After speaking with reception and collecting my room pass, I made my way to my Concierge stateroom 9028.

Just a few staterooms up I had the Concierge Lounge, which was stocked with soft drinks, self service tea and coffee and some light snacks to help myself to—which of course I made full use of. During the day there is a member of staff in there to answer any of your questions.

I then immediately felt the hunger as you do on a cruise, so I made my way to the Terrace Café for a little buffet style lunch. What I was not expecting was the quality of the food and the service.

There are other lunch spots I used over my time onboard such as Waves Grill and the healthier Aquamar Kitchen on the opposite side. 

I decided to stay on the ship in Izmir to get used to my surroundings and explore before my first speciality dining at Toscana. The staff were amazing as you would expect, but went above and beyond with a huge selection of olive oils to go with your bread and a selection of drinks. The food here in my opinion was the best I had onboard – the steak was unbelievable!

My first port of call was Nafplion. The tender service to the port was great with the fantastic Palamidi Castle coming into view. You can choose to walk up by climbing nearly 1,000 steps or you can take a short drive if you prefer.

My favourite port was the beautiful Santorini. I woke up early as the ship was sailing in for sunrise, but as the Allura got closer, the sunrise would not come into view with the cliffs topped with the white buildings taking over the skyline. On the island itself I took the cable car up to the top and the views were amazing. There are some really lovely boutique shops up here too.

I also had dinner in the main restaurant and the food there - as with everywhere on the ship - was great. Surprisingly, it was really quiet compared to what I was expecting and the layout and the style for me was ultra luxury.

Overall, would I recommend Oceania Cruises and Allura? Absolutely yes!