Oceania Cruises bills itself as the “world’s leading culinary- and destination-focused cruise line,” but after sailing on several highly anticipated ships that served mediocre meals, I was not taking this tagline at face value. Spoiler alert: I was wrong.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to check out Oceania Cruises’ latest ship, Vista, during a brief press sailing of the cruise line’s initial Allura class ship, which launched this past May. It was a whirlwind two days of eating, drinking, lounging by the pool during the day and winding down with a show in the ship’s state-of-the-art theater at night. Somehow, we packed in two lunches, a sprawling buffet breakfast, in-room canapes and a couple of multi-course dinners. So, let us dig in.
The weekend was all pretty pedestrian cruise stuff, albeit elevated to Oceania Cruises’ five-star standards (the in-room amenities are Acqua di Parma—can you even?), but what really struck me about the whole experience was the food. Vista’s godmother is none other than TV chef and food personality Giada De Laurentiis, which already bodes well. To that, add its 11 culinary venues, a mix of restaurants, cafés and buffets that spoil its passengers with choices—plus top-shelf spirits and an extensive wine collection.
We boarded on Saturday afternoon and went straight to deck 12 for lunch at the outdoor section of the Terrace Café. We helped ourselves to a glass of Heidsieck Monopole champagne from the pop-up bar at the entrance and ordered a surf-and-surf sandwich with lobster and filet mignon to share. Medallions of meat and chunks of shellfish were stuffed inside a ciabatta roll and topped with lettuce and tomato, and served with a side of french fries. The sandwich was good in theory but the whole was not greater than the sum of its parts: we fork-and-knifed the steak and lobster when the whole thing fell apart after two bites.
Our first proper meal was at the ship’s main dining venue, the Grand Dining Room, serving a global menu led by the cruise line’s octogenarian culinary director, Jacques Pepin. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and seating is open; this is where you’ll wind up if you forget to make reservations for Vista’s specialty restaurants, which are included in the price of your cruise but do require advance notice to dine. The Grand Dining Room doesn’t feel like a backup plan, however. It’s impressive and buzzy and reminded my guest, who’d never cruised before, of the Titanic, which is basically a compliment. Dinner this evening was a haughty mix of caviar and potatoes, shrimp cocktail, prime rib and pistachio soufflé.
Just the right amount of decadence before we hit Martinis for a namesake drink. I’m happy to report my extra-dirty gin martini with blue-cheese-stuffed olives was perfect, rivaling anything I’ve had on land. Recently, while traveling through Moab, Utah, I ordered a vesper martini from one of the nicest restaurants in town. The server, confused, politely asked me if that was the martini with two spirits (yes) and what exactly was in it (oh boy). That kind of thing never happened once during my time on Vista, where even my guest’s mojitos arrived with sprigs of fresh mint every single time.
Breakfast the next morning was indoors at the Terrace Café, where we greeted the day with a massive buffet. The best part: the staff serves you. Pre-pandemic, and perhaps still now on other cruise lines, self-service was common as passengers handled the same serving spoons to load their plates, which has always made me uneasy. Here, I requested a made-to-order omelet from behind a glass partition, pointed to the golden hashbrowns I wanted to be placed next to it, and then made my way around gathering crispy bacon, biscuits and other sides, all served on separate plates. It was as delightful as the yellowfin tuna tacos and avocado toast I had for lunch at Aquamar Kitchen just next to the pool—the right amount of fuel to scope out the pickleball courts on the ship’s top deck in the afternoon.
I requested canapés be sent up to the room to enjoy before dinner. (I know, overkill after a full breakfast, lunch and several Aperol spritzes.) I liked the idea of having a quick appetizer on the balcony and the chocolate-covered strawberries tempted me to order. Still, the rest of the snacks provided weren’t memorable. Also, what was I thinking, ordering more to eat before dinner? Unlimited food on demand is how cruises zap your brain of self-control.
I kept it together long enough to enjoy dinner at the Polo Grill, a truly stunning, lowly-lit American steakhouse serving all the standards—prime meats, lobster in various preparations and lamb, among other options. Here's where I tucked into my second filet mignon of the trip. Lucky me.
Generally speaking, the portions served on Vista are small enough for passengers to enjoy an appetizer, entrée and dessert and not feel like they might collapse from overeating. It’s a nice contrast to American standards, where getting to sample various dishes is limited to tapas restaurants and happy hours, and those annoying small plate menus that drive your boyfriends/husbands nuts. On the flip side, the drink pours were very generous—the staff knows when not to hold back.
Oceania Cruises sailings are seven days or longer, so you won’t have to cram so many meals every day as I did to get the complete dining experience. Other onboard restaurants you’ll want to try include Toscana for Italian, Red Ginger for Asian and Ember for New American. There’s also a culinary center on board where you can flex your culinary skills or learn to make something new. It's three times larger than those found on Marina and Riviera ships and it has a test kitchen with 24 individual cooking stations and a second space that can be utilized for lectures or dinners.
The cruise line's culinary program has received quite a few accolades. Recently, its Senior Culinary Director, Chef Alexis Quaretti, was inducted into the prestigious echelons of the Maîtres Cuisiniers de France, which already includes Oceania Cruises’ Vice President of Culinary EricBarale, who served as Quaretti’s godfather into the program.
So much about cruising is the food, and most of the time, it's quantity over quality. Even the booze is bottom-shelf stuff you're probably too drunk to notice. Still, travelers deserve better and with cruise prices on the rise, you should get your money's worth at mealtimes. You might be too tired for the onboard activities, too hungover to try another world-class wine or too sunburned to care about the multiple pools. But you’ll never go without eating on a ship, even if you’re not hungry (I sure didn't), and you shouldn't have to lower your standards on the high seas.