This past may in Malta, under a domed tent beside the Valletta harbor, I watched as Harry Connick Jr., bathed in the soft glow of chandeliers, crooned “It Had to Be You.” I’d come, alongside hundreds of other guests, to witness the christening of Oceania Cruises‘ Vista cruise ship, the company’s first new offering in more than a decade, which became official when TV personality Giada de Laurentiis, the godmother, pulled a lever that initiated the requisite whack of a bottle of Champagne against Vista’s hull. Like most baptisms, this was a multigenerational affair. “Family is the bedrock of this organization,” declared Frank A. Del Rio, Oceania’s new president. Standing beside him was his father, Frank Del Rio Sr., the outgoing Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO, who founded Oceania with two small ships more than 20 years ago. “And it will continue to be how we define ourselves.”
So consider the arrival of Oceania Vista, which will spend much of the summer in the Mediterranean before making its way to the Caribbean this winter, the passing of the torch to a new generation. Structurally, the ship, the first in Oceania’s new Allura Class line, resembles its predecessors, but its common spaces, designed by the Miami-based Studio Dado, are more elegant, modern, and open. The striking two-deck-tall chandelier over the grand spiral staircase stopped me every time I passed by. The suites and staterooms all have verandas, a first for Oceania, which has also made a concerted effort to court solo travelers by offering new perks like lounge access, free laundry, and priority restaurant reservations without a singles supplement.
Vista also has terrific entertainment and a top-notch spa, but its most distinguishing feature is the same one the line staked a claim to when it launched in 2002: food. The 11 eateries include beloved establishments found elsewhere in the Oceania fleet, including Toscana, an Italian spot where I had an entire oil-and-vinegar cart rolled out alongside my bread, and Red Ginger, a pan-Asian restaurant at which the duck-and-watermelon salad reigns supreme.
There are also a number of newcomers like Ember, where the sleek fireplace and arched exposed-brick ceilings made me think of Northern California, and I sampled New American plates like porcini-dusted rib eye and blackened crab cakes. Aquamar Kitchen, meanwhile, was more South Beach, with its palm-frond-printed cushions and health-conscious breakfast and lunch options—think superfood smoothies, avocado toast, and poke bowls. On Vista, Waves, which is a daytime-only spot on other ships, morphs into a pizza joint here come evening. Don’t skip the burrata.
