I couldn't fault Oceania Allura
Space on board – never struggled to find a sunbed in our preferred location, or a seat/table in our chosen venue, restaurants/entertainment venues never felt cramped or overwhelming yet they didn’t feel empty to the point where they were lacking atmosphere
Service – we stayed 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. A couple of nice personal touches were that he stocked our suite with our favourite food/drink that we like, even though we never asked for them. Service on the whole across the bars, lounges, restaurants etc were all 10 out of 10 also. Each crew member came across so approachable and caring, made us feel right at home.
Who would this ship/itinerary be perfect for?
The ship would be perfect for guests who are both well-experienced and new cruisers. I’d recommend Allura to guests aged 50+ who, while they enjoy a relaxed country-club modern luxury feel to their holidays, also enjoy evening entertainment and a great atmosphere – as Allura offers both! Another type of holiday goer Allura would be great for is a foodie. Allura boasts a wide range of specialty dining venues from Asian, Italian, steakhouse, French and more – as well as easy going yet incredibly high-quality ‘grab and go’ type of dining options – and the best part is they’re all included in the cost! Itinerary wise, these destinations would appeal to guests who enjoy learning about the history of the area but also enjoy unique Mediterranean coastal scenery.
Benefits of the Penthouse Suite:
As mentioned above the 24hr personal butler is an amazing touch and enhances the luxury experience to another level. Other perks include the room in the suite (very spacious both internally and externally including the en suite bathroom), suite location (we were midship so felt very little motion with the waves, and also Deck 10 meaning that we were in close proximity to our favourite areas of the ship up top). Our other favourite Penthouse Suite benefit was the choice of in-suite dining – we weren’t able to get a reservation in Red Ginger (Asian cuisine specialty dining venue) however Penthouse Suites have the option for complimentary in-suite dining even from specialty dining venues, so we took the opportunity and enjoyed this very much!
I also had the opportunity to take a look round the Owners suite and the Vista suite on board the lavish ship which was nothing less than sensational. Take a look below.
Destination highlights:
We had a 1nt hotel stay in Genoa before the cruise. Admittedly there’s not a great deal happening in Genoa and other guests did comment similarly. Although it’s still quite a nice, quaint, quiet Italian city, there’s little to do for tourists. However we did stay in a nice hotel on the marina so had beautiful coastal views for the evening, and could see our ship from the hotel which was exciting. Our only port of call mid-cruise was Split in Croatia. Split was absolutely beautiful in many ways. We walked from the ship to the old town in around 10-15 mins, a nice flat easygoing stroll also despite it being very hot and sunny. We enjoyed exploring the maze of narrow & winding streets which were packed with shops, eateries, bars, and more. A huge appeal to this area was the history it boasts – also known as Diocletian's Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site with many Roman ruins. We stopped for photos and a drink, and also a Game of Thrones museum (I’m a big fan!) since some of the famous TV series was actually filmed in Split – a must see for any fan of the show.
Our cruise came to an end in Trieste after 4 nights on board, but we took the opportunity to visit Venice as first-time visitors where we stayed for 2 nights in a hotel. This was a wonderful way to end our holiday as Venice is such a unique city like no other. We stayed in a hotel in the Rialto area, just yards away from the world-famous Rialto Bridge, which proved to be a very busy and central part of Venice which worked well for us! As there’s no transport available other than water taxi/gondola, and many strenuous steps often included, we were happy to be within close proximity of not only a wide range of local authentic Venetian bars/restaurants but also beautiful viewpoints for us to enjoy the scenery the canals of Venice present. For our first evening we spent some time enjoying rooftop terrace views from the H10 Hotel and a cocktail in the sun, before experiencing a journey through the canals in a gondola (an absolute must for any first-time visitor!). Venice was so unique not only due to the canals and water transport, but also it’s characteristic buildings as our hotel, like many in the city, have a very dated and old fashioned style to them – literally like stepping back in time to the 1800’s! This was something we found so interesting, as opposed to many hotels around the world now which focus solely on a modern feel. We completed our Venice experience with a visit to the famous central hub of the city – St Mark’s Square (known locally as Piazza San Marco). Beautiful architecture and fascinating monuments, home to the iconic Clock Tower and St Mark’s Basilica which are both open to visits to the public. We didn’t struggle for gelato shops, souvenirs or restaurants to choose from and enjoyed live music too.
I would book again with Oceania Cruises without hesitation. This was my second time sailing with them and I was just as blown away as the first time. As a massive foodie, a lot of my overall satisfaction from cruises depends on the onboard cuisine and I can comfortably say Oceania offer one of the best (if not the best) food I’ve ever experienced on a cruise ship. The service was again a huge highlight which would encourage me to sail with them again. The ship’s style & décor, public areas/venues, the suite, friendliness of both crew & guests, the simplicity of everything, I couldn’t fault it.
Dining:
On day 1 we embarked at lunchtime and enjoyed a visit to Waves Grill, a ‘buffet style’ dining venue which even though it’s deemed ‘casual’ still maintained a luxury dining experience to it (table service, everything cooked to order, extensive drinks menus, etc). I was instantly drawn to the surf & turf wagyu burger, which I remembered from my first Oceania sailing and remembered how amazing it was – and it didn’t disappoint this time! For our evening meal we headed to Grand Dining Room – the open dining venue which doesn’t require reservations. Although not a ‘specialty dining venue’ there was absolutely nothing basic about the whole experience – we still felt like we were dining in a Michelin-star restaurant. The aesthetics of the room, the service, the menus, everything all completely mirrored the unique cuisine experience that Oceania proudly boast. This venue has recently had 270 NEW dishes added too, so guests certainly won’t go hungry!
Each morning we enjoyed in-suite breakfast being delivered to us at our chosen time by our butler, and were never left disappointed. The extensive breakfast menu offered a wide range of hot & cold cooked to order exactly how we like them, and different drinks to begin our day the perfect way.
For lunch most days we headed to the Terrace Café – the ship’s main dining venue for easy going meals at all times of day, breakfast lunch & dinner. This again was like no other ‘buffet style’ venue I’d ever experienced on a cruise ship as it still maintained such a high quality standard of dining. A huge variation of hot & cold foods were available, cuisines from various parts of the world, with many specialist chefs located at their dedicated stations to cook and serve your dish to your preference right in front of you within moments. The Terrace Café also has a beautiful outdoor seating area for those who wish to dine al fresco. The food was that good that we returned one night for our evening meal, and were again left completely satisfied with the experience. That night we enjoyed lobsters, steaks, pastas, pork belly, all absolutely delicious!
As mentioned earlier we ordered in-suite dining from Red Ginger on another evening to ensure we could take in the specialty dining experience and were left completely amazed by it. Our butler arrived with all dishes freshly prepared, detailing what each one was so we knew which to keep warm as we ate, all after preparing our table beautifully next to the veranda to ensure we still had a luxury dining experience despite not even leaving our room! The food itself during this meal was a personal highlight for me – the crab bao buns being my favourite dish! Between me and my partner we also shared thai red curry, chicken skewers, crispy ginger calamari, lamb rack, and more.
Our other dining experience was Toscana, the Italian cuisine specialty dining venue. This was an amazing way to round off our cruise, and certainly did not leave without feeling full! Between us we enjoyed many dishes – mushroom risotto, lobster tail with Taglioni pasta, handmade cheese & spinach tortelloni, prime beef tenderloin strips, and more. Service throughout the meal was impeccable as always onboard. A memorable highlight was when the waiter came over to talk us through the wide variation of olive oils & balsamic vinegars, going into fine detail on their tastes and combinations and recommendations – something I’ve never experience before!
Spa:
We were lucky enough to have complimentary access to the Aquamar Spa Terrace as Penthouse Suite guests. On day one we gave ourselves a look around the ship, we visited the Aquamar Spa Terrace and were given a very kind and interest tour from one of the staff members upon arrival. They talked us through their treatments and showed us the amazing treatment rooms, saunas, steam rooms, salon, skincare room, before showing us the outdoor pool area which we instantly took to – to the point where we returned the next day to relax in the sun by the pool as it was such a quiet & quaint area.
Bars/Entertainment:
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. Horizons was the common go to area after dinner or the shows as it became the party area – bands would play live music before the DJ would play a wide selection of tunes into late night while guests enjoyed chatting and dancing.
