Oceania Cruises review

About Oceania Cruises review

By the ULTIMATE Cruises Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Oceania Cruises has one obsession, food, under the motto The Finest Cuisine at Sea. Its specialty restaurants, gratuities and Wi-Fi are all in the fare, and two new ships arrive in 2027. Here is who it suits, how the ships differ and how to book well.

Oceania Cruises has always been about the table. Its founding Executive Culinary Director was Jacques Pépin, whose name is on the French restaurant of the larger ships, and today the culinary team is led by Alexis Quaretti and Eric Barale, both trained in renowned French kitchens. The detail runs deep: saffron comes from Castilla-La Mancha, and French flour is custom-milled to the line’s specification.

The line sails seven small and mid-sized ships, from the 337-suite Oceania Sirena to Oceania Vista and Oceania Allura, with two more, Oceania Sonata and Oceania Aurelia, arriving in 2027 (oceaniacruises.com, Oct 2026). Every specialty restaurant, shipboard gratuities and Wi-Fi are in the fare. Here is what you need to know.

On Oceania, the restaurant is the reason for the voyage, and every one of them is in the fare.

Who Oceania suits

Oceania is made for travellers who plan their day around lunch and dinner and their voyage around the ports. It suits food lovers who want small-ship itineraries without luxury-line prices, and experienced cruisers who enjoy a relaxed, country-club atmosphere: evenings in the Library, with its glass walls to the sea, afternoon tea to a string quartet, talks by historians, naturalists and former diplomats.

It is not a party line: if you want a lively nightlife or children’s clubs, a mainstream ship will suit you better.

The ships

The fleet falls into three groups. Insignia, Nautica and Sirena are the small ships, with 337 to 340 suites and staterooms each, and their scale suits port-intensive itineraries. Each has the Aquamar Spa + Vitality Center, eight lounges and bars and a casino; Sirena’s signature restaurant is Tuscan Steak, mixing favourites from Toscana and Polo Grill, alongside Red Ginger.

Marina and Riviera carry 624 suites and staterooms each and are known for their Lalique Grand Staircases. Both offer La Reserve wine-pairing dinners and private dining at Privée. Oceania Vista (2023) and Oceania Allura (2025), with 605 to 607 suites and staterooms, are the newest: Vista is 68,000 tons and 791 ft long, and the pair introduced Aquamar Kitchen, The Bakery at Baristas, an elevated mixology programme and Concierge Level Veranda Staterooms for solo travellers.

Oceania Sonata, the first of a new class, debuts in August 2027 with 695 suites and staterooms and two new restaurants: La Table par Maîtres Cuisiniers de France, a French chef’s table, and Nikkei Kitchen, with Peruvian-Japanese cooking. Oceania Aurelia, with 238 suites and staterooms, follows in November 2027, with light-filled lounges and wide decks designed for long voyages.

Staterooms and suites

Oceania’s Concierge Level Veranda Staterooms are its best-value step up, adding laundry and pressing and access to the Aquamar Spa Terrace. In the Penthouse and Oceania Suites, butlers trained by the Guild of Professional English Butlers serve dinner course by course in the suite and press your clothes, with a welcome bottle of Prosecco, or champagne in the Oceania Suites and above.

At the top, Vista’s Owner’s Suites span the full beam of the ship, at 2,200 to 2,400 sq ft depending on deck, with a 24-hour butler, the suites-only Executive Lounge, an in-suite bar of six full-size bottles, champagne on arrival, course-by-course in-suite dining from any restaurant and an optional private embarkation-day lunch. The Vista Suites, at 1,450 to 1,850 sq ft, share the butler and the Executive Lounge.

Dining

Every specialty restaurant is included, which is Oceania’s great distinction. On Oceania Vista that means Polo Grill, the classic steakhouse, with Angus beef aged at least 40 days; Jacques, with coq au vin and confit de canard; Toscana, served on custom Versace china, where many recipes come from the mothers and grandmothers of the line’s Italian chefs, from hand-rolled gnocchi with pesto to sea bass with Sorrento lemon; and Red Ginger for Asian flavours. Reservations are needed for the specialty restaurants; on Vista, Jacques and Polo Grill serve dinner from 6.30pm to 9pm.

The Grand Dining Room changes its menu daily, with at least ten starters and ten main courses, and needs no reservation; Aquamar Vitality Cuisine appears on every menu. On Vista and Allura, Aquamar Kitchen and The Bakery at Baristas add lighter, all-day choices.

The Culinary Center and life on board

On the larger ships, The Culinary Center is a hands-on cooking school, with classes that follow the itinerary and Culinary Discovery Tours ashore led by the chef instructors. On Vista it sits beside Artist Loft, where artists in residence teach painting, drawing, sculpture and photography. Afternoon tea arrives on four-tiered pastry carts to the sound of a string quartet.

The Aquamar Spa + Vitality Center carries the same idea of wellbeing; on Vista, the spa, fitness centre, fitness track and Spa Terrace share Deck 15.

Where Oceania sails

Oceania’s itineraries are built around the ports, and the small ships in particular suit voyages with a call almost every day. Its Africa voyages, for example, include Singapore to Cape Town, with calls at Mahé and Port Louis. Seasons change from year to year, so check each ship’s current deployment on oceaniacruises.com, and use our region guides for the ports themselves.

What’s included, and what isn’t

Oceania includes every specialty restaurant, shipboard gratuities, Wi-Fi, specialty coffees, sodas, cold-pressed juices, Vero Water and launderettes (oceaniacruises.com, Oct 2026). Each booking also picks one curated amenity: wine and beer by the glass at lunch and dinner, or a shore-excursion credit. Concierge Level and the suites add laundry and pressing.

The fare does not list spa treatments, shore excursions beyond any credit, or drinks beyond your chosen amenity, so budget for those. Oceania’s Best Value Guarantee applies a later promotion to your booking on request, which is worth remembering if fares change after you book.

How Oceania compares

Oceania sits between premium and luxury. Against the all-inclusive luxury lines, such as Regent Seven Seas with its unlimited shore excursions and drinks, Oceania asks you to choose between wine and an excursion credit, and its ships are larger. Against Viking’s ocean ships, which include one shore excursion in almost every port and, from the UK, return flights, Oceania offers more restaurants of real ambition and a more varied fleet, from 337-suite ships to the 695-suite Sonata. For a food lover, few lines at this price come close.

Booking tips

Book your specialty restaurants as soon as reservations open, as they are included and popular. Choose Vista or Allura for the newest spaces, or a small ship for the most port-intensive itineraries. Think carefully about the curated amenity: on a voyage with many ports you may prefer the excursion credit; on a voyage with long sea days, the wine and beer. And if a lower fare appears after you book, ask about the Best Value Guarantee.

Our advice: start on Vista or Allura in a Concierge Level Veranda Stateroom, the best-value step up, and plan the voyage around Jacques, Polo Grill and Toscana. You will understand Oceania by the second dinner.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Oceania Cruises review before you go.