This New Luxury Cruise Ship Is a Great Pick for a Wellness Getaway
Oceania Allura is the new 1,200-passenger luxury cruise ship from Oceania Cruises. (Photo by Colleen McDaniel)
I’ve been on nearly 150 cruises, trying all kinds of ships styles and sizes.
As I get a little older, I find that I gravitate toward a smaller and more intimate cruise experience. I don’t need the big crowds and an overwhelming number of activities packed into the daily cruise program. Instead, I really enjoy finding my own pace on these trips. Maybe I’ll relax for the day, or get really active with some workouts or intense shore excursions.
Mostly, I seek out some mix of both. The ship just need to be a great home base for how I’ll approach each day during my trip.
And the new Oceania Allura from Oceania Cruises really hits the sweet spot for me.
More and more new ocean ships are built as massive floating cities, packed with something for everyone, and carrying in excess of 4,000 to 5,000 cruisers.
However, Allura offers space for up to 1,200 passengers and an elegant and roomy design filled with everything I love about ocean cruising.
This means that Oceania Allura is not too small, either. It features wonderful restaurants and amenities that make the trip especially entertaining and relaxing.
The best parts of the ship for me, though, are the various wellness-focused amenities and activities cruisers can enjoy.
I had a fantastically refreshing Caribbean voyage during my cruise on Oceania’s newest ship.
Here are five reasons why Oceania Allura is a perfect ship for active cruisers.
1. The Pickleball Court
Pickleballers will love this dedicated pickleball court on Oceania Allura. Paddles and balls are provided on the ship, too. (Photo by Colleen McDaniel)
The top decks on Oceania Allura offer a variety of fun activities and sports for cruisers. But I know that people are especially crazy for pickleball, so you’ll be happy to hear that the ship features a beautiful enclosed court for pickleball and paddle tennis action. There is plenty of equipment on hand in the lockers outside the court for cruisers to use while on their vacations, too.
Oceania Allura is another in a growing list of ships with this popular sport. Check out our complete guide to the cruise ships with pickleball.
2. Golf, Mini Golf and More
In addition to the pickleball court, you’ll find a beautiful 18-hole miniature golf course, croquet/bocce field and shuffleboard courts.
The ship also has a permanent spot for cornhole (the bean-bag toss game), ping-pong and a “driving range” net and clubs for golfers who want to work on their swings.
These activities are all located on Decks 15 and 16. There is a spacious walking/jogging track area up on Deck 15 with great views and 10 laps per mile.
3. Healthy and Delicious Food
AquaMar Kitchen is the healthy food-focused eatery on Oceania Allura. (Photo by John Roberts)
Excellent cuisine is always front and center on an Oceania cruise. And Oceania Allure offers a range of excellent venues that all cruisers will love.
I especially enjoy the variety of healthy choices that you can find on all the menus. Sure, we’re all going to splurge a bit and enjoy the decadent and delicious meals you’ll find at the onboard restaurants such as Jacques, Polo, Toscana, the Pizzeria and Waves Grill.
Oceania Allura also features a brand-new casual food concept called Creperie, which serves an enticing selection of crepes, waffles, bubble waffles and gelato sundaes. (Ok, so this menu might be strictly for vacation splurging.)
But each spot also offers some healthy choices, such as Maryland lump crab meat salad with horseradish and a blood-orange sauce and jumbo bay scallop and watercress carpaccio with green apple tartare and caramelized hazelnut, as found on the menu at Jacques, which is the restaurant named for longtime Oceania partner and world-renowned chef Jacques Pepin.
My favorite spot, though, is AquaMar Kitchen (located outside Terrace Cafe on Deck 12 (pool deck).
This restaurant is open for breakfast (7 a.m. to 10 a.m.) and lunch (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and has a wellness- and nutrition-forward menu.
We went here for breakfast each day of our cruise and had items such as egg-white omelets with scallions, peppers and onions, muesli bowl, fruit smoothies, juice shots, avocado toast and banana pancakes with oats, fruits and nuts to start our days.
For lunch, the menu features an amazing array of healthful option, such as poke and Buddha bowls with fresh ingredients like yellowfin tuna, sweet potato, free-range chicken breast, quinoa and salmon gravlax, as well as an assortment of fruits, veggies and nuts to build your own meals.
4. AquaMar Spa and Vitality Center
I believe that a nice spa area is essential to make a luxury ocean cruise ship measure up. Oceania Allura features a beautiful space called its AquaMar Sp and Vitality Center.
The AquaMar Spa Terrace on Oceania Allura has a thalassotherapy pool, hot tubs, sun loungers and amazing sea views. (Photo by John Roberts)
This spa offers a wide variety of massages and other treatments, just as you would expect. It also has a brilliant relaxation room, spacious outdoor AquaMar Spa Terrace (with hot tubs, sun loungers and a thalassotherapy pool) and men’s and one’s locker rooms, each with experience showers, steam rooms and saunas.
Need even more self-care? You also can get treatments at the facility’s barber or hairstyling salon.
5. The Fitness Center
The gym on Oceania Allura features all the necessary equipment to keep up with your fitness routine while on your cruise. (Photo by John Roberts)
Within the spa complex is a well-equipped fitness center. The gym on Oceania Allura features a large bank of treadmills with ocean views, as well as a rowing machine, elliptical machines and exercise bikes.
There is a separate studio for classes such as yoga and spin led by the ship’s fitness staff.
The gym also has kettlebells, boss balls, foam rollers, yoga mats and resistance-training machines, as well as benches and dumbbells that go up to 75 pounds.
Additionally, I was impressed that Oceania gives its cruisers souvenir water bottles and has a large number of filling stations all over the ship, including in the gym and on the outer decks adjacent to the pickleball court and other sports activities.
Colleen and I tried as many of these experiences and amenities as possible during our cruise on Oceania Allura and returned home rejuvenated and happy.