Luxury cruise line ยท Founded 2002
Oceania Cruises Review: The Food-First Premium Line
Short answer
Is Oceania Cruises a good cruise line?
Oceania Cruises is the best food at sea below the ultra-luxury lines, on mid-size ships of 670 to 1,200 guests with long port days and no children's programme. Fares start near $310 per person per night including the Simply More bundle of drinks, WiFi and shore excursion credit.
Key takeaways
- The best food of any line short of Regent, Seabourn and Silversea, and it is not close.
- Mid-size ships of 670 to 1,200 guests, so ports are docked rather than tendered and disembarkation is quick.
- Simply More fares include drinks with meals, WiFi and a shore excursion credit of $400 to $1,200.
- Long port days: overnight stays and 10pm departures are routine, not exceptional.
- No children's programme at all, and the passenger profile is overwhelmingly 55 and up.
Overview
Oceania was founded on a straightforward premise: put a serious kitchen on a mid-size ship, hire more chefs per guest than anyone else, and let the food do the marketing. Twenty-four years later that is still exactly what it is, and the food genuinely is the best you will eat below the ultra-luxury tier.
The other half of the proposition is the itinerary. Oceania ships carry 670 to 1,200 guests, which means they dock in places larger ships cannot and they stay late. An Oceania Mediterranean sailing routinely has 10pm departures and overnight port stays, so you can have dinner ashore in Split or Kotor rather than being back onboard by five.
It is not for everyone. There is no children's programme, entertainment is modest, and the passenger profile is firmly 55 and up. Our reviewers have sailed three Oceania ships since 2022, including Vista in the Mediterranean in June 2026.
Oceania sits above Celebrity and below Regent and Seabourn. It is often called upper-premium, and the distinction that matters is that it includes more than a premium line and less than an all-inclusive luxury line.
Simply More is the current fare structure and it is genuinely generous: it includes drinks with lunch and dinner, unlimited WiFi, gratuities on some fares and, most significantly, a shore excursion credit of $400 to $1,200 per guest depending on cruise length. On a port-heavy Mediterranean sailing that credit covers most of your excursions.
The fleet splits between the two Allura class ships, Vista and Allura, at 1,200 guests, the older Marina and Riviera at 1,250, and the four small R class ships at 670 guests, which are the ones that reach the most interesting ports.
Our Oceania Cruises score
4.6 / 5
Averaged across the six criteria below, each scored independently by our reviewers after sailing the line. It is an editorial judgment, not a user poll.
- Value for money
- 4.2
- Cabins
- 4.5
- Dining
- 4.9
- Entertainment
- 3.8
- Service
- 4.7
- Family friendliness
- 2.2
Judged on fare versus what is included before you spend a cent onboard.
Judged on square footage, storage, bathroom and balcony quality at each grade.
Judged on included restaurant quality, not just the specialty venues.
Judged on range and production quality across a full sea day.
Judged on crew ratio, consistency and how problems get resolved.
Judged on kids clubs, cabin configurations and pool space for children.
The fleet
Oceania has three groups of ships and the choice between them matters more than on most lines because the smallest ships go to the most interesting places.
Allura class is the newest and most comfortable. Marina and Riviera are the mid-size pair with the fullest restaurant roster. The four R class ships at 670 guests are older but reach ports nothing else can.
| Ship | Class | Guests | Launched | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allura | Allura | 1,200 | 2025 | Newest ship, with the full restaurant roster and the best cabins in the fleet. |
| Vista | Allura | 1,200 | 2023 | Introduced Ember and the redesigned Aquamar spa terrace. Mediterranean and Caribbean. |
| Riviera | Oceania | 1,250 | 2012 | Full six-restaurant roster including Jacques and Red Ginger. Excellent Mediterranean deployment. |
| Marina | Oceania | 1,250 | 2011 | Sister to Riviera with the Culinary Center hands-on cooking school. |
| Sirena | R | 670 | 1999 | Small, refitted in 2016. Reaches Adriatic and Aegean ports the large ships cannot. |
| Nautica | R | 670 | 2000 | Long, exotic itineraries through Asia, Africa and the Indian Ocean. |
| Insignia | R | 670 | 1998 | Operates Oceania's around-the-world voyage. |
What Oceania Cruises costs
Oceania is expensive and the fare includes more than the number first suggests. Simply More fares bundle drinks with lunch and dinner, unlimited WiFi and a shore excursion credit that runs $400 per guest on a seven-night sailing to $1,200 on a longer one.
Once you net the excursion credit against what you would spend anyway, an Oceania Mediterranean week at $2,170 per person is closer in real terms to a Celebrity week at $1,715 plus $400 of excursions than the headline gap suggests.
Gratuities run $18.00 per person per day in standard cabins and $23.00 in suites, and are included on some promotional fares but not all. Check the specific fare terms.
| Item | Typical price | What it covers | Worth it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inside cabin | $225 to $290 per night | Cabin, all restaurants, Simply More inclusions | Rare and often sold out; good value |
| Ocean view cabin | $250 to $310 per night | As above with a window | Sensible on port-heavy routes |
| Veranda cabin | $310 to $420 per night | As above plus verandah | The core Oceania booking |
| Concierge Veranda | $355 to $470 per night | Adds priority reservations and a private lounge | Worth it for the restaurant reservation priority |
| Penthouse Suite | $620 to $890 per night | Butler service, larger cabin, priority everything | Only for long voyages |
| Simply More excursion credit | $400 to $1,200 per guest | Applied against Oceania shore excursions | Genuinely valuable on port-heavy routes |
| Gratuities | $18.00 per person per day | $23.00 in suites; included on some fares | Check your specific fare terms |
| Premium drinks upgrade | $29.95 per person per day | Drinks outside meal times | Only if you drink outside lunch and dinner |
Included in the fare
- Every restaurant onboard including all specialty restaurants, at no charge
- Drinks with lunch and dinner, including wine and beer, on Simply More fares
- Unlimited WiFi on Simply More fares
- A shore excursion credit of $400 to $1,200 per guest
- Room service from the full restaurant menu, 24 hours
Costs extra
- Drinks outside lunch and dinner unless you buy the premium upgrade
- Gratuities at $18.00 to $23.00 per person per day on most fares
- Spa treatments and the Aquamar thermal terrace on some ships
- Excursions beyond the Simply More credit
- Culinary Center hands-on cooking classes at about $79
Pros and cons
What it does well
- The best food at sea below the ultra-luxury lines, with no surcharge for any restaurant.
- Mid-size ships that dock at ports larger ships cannot reach.
- Long port days, overnight stays and late departures as standard.
- Simply More shore excursion credits are large enough to change the total cost meaningfully.
- Room service from the full restaurant menu, around the clock, at no charge.
Where it falls short
- Entertainment is modest: a small theatre, a cabaret and a pianist, and that is largely it.
- No children's programme of any kind, so families are effectively excluded.
- R class ships are 25 years old and show it in the bathrooms.
- Drinks outside lunch and dinner cost extra unless you buy the upgrade.
- Pool decks are small relative to the guest count on warm-weather itineraries.
Who it suits
Book Oceania Cruises if you are
- Travellers for whom food is the primary reason to take a holiday
- Destination-focused cruisers who want long days ashore
- Adults aged 50 and up who want a calm, sociable ship
- Travellers moving up from Celebrity or Princess who want more included
- Mediterranean and Asia cruisers who want smaller ports
Look elsewhere if you are
- Families with children of any age
- Travellers who want strong evening entertainment
- Anyone who wants a large ship with extensive facilities
- Budget-focused travellers
- Guests who drink heavily outside meal times without buying the upgrade
Cabins
Oceania cabins are well specified: proper mattresses, good bathrooms with real showers, and considerably more storage than a premium-line equivalent. Allura class veranda cabins are the best in the fleet.
Concierge Veranda is the category worth paying for. It adds priority specialty restaurant reservations, which matters because the best restaurants book out, plus access to a private lounge with free espresso and pastries.
R class cabins at 216 square feet are smaller and their bathrooms are dated. They are on ships that reach exceptional ports, so the trade is often worth making, but go in knowing.
- Concierge Veranda buys priority restaurant reservations, which is the real benefit.
- Allura class veranda cabins are the fleet's best.
- R class cabins are 216 square feet with dated bathrooms.
- Bathrooms across the fleet have proper showers and good water pressure.
- Penthouse Suites include butler service and unpack-for-you service.
Dining
Every restaurant on an Oceania ship is included in the fare, which alone separates it from every premium line. On Marina, Riviera and the Allura class ships that means six or seven restaurants at no charge.
Jacques, the French restaurant, and Red Ginger, the pan-Asian one, are the standouts and are as good as most land restaurants at their price point. Toscana handles Italian properly and Polo Grill is a serious steakhouse.
The Grand Dining Room is the main restaurant and is better than most lines' specialty venues. Even the buffet, Terrace Cafe, grills fish and steak to order in the evening. The Culinary Center on Marina, Riviera and Vista offers hands-on cooking classes at about $79, which is the best enrichment activity at sea.
- Every restaurant is included; there are no specialty surcharges anywhere.
- Jacques and Red Ginger are as good as comparable land restaurants.
- Terrace Cafe grills fish and steak to order at dinner, unusual for a buffet.
- Room service delivers the full restaurant menu 24 hours a day at no charge.
- Culinary Center hands-on classes at about $79 are the best enrichment at sea.
Entertainment
Entertainment is the weakest part of the Oceania product and the line does not pretend otherwise. There is a small theatre running cabaret-scale shows, a string quartet, a pianist in the Martinis lounge and a headline act on some evenings.
What replaces it is the destination programme: lecturers, culinary classes, an artist-in-residence studio and, on port-heavy itineraries, simply being ashore until 10pm.
If your evening entertainment expectations were set by Royal Caribbean, calibrate downward significantly before booking.
- Small theatre with cabaret-scale shows rather than production musicals.
- String quartet and Martinis piano bar are the main evening music.
- Destination lecture programme is strong on exotic itineraries.
- Artist Loft and Culinary Center replace much of the evening programming.
- Set expectations well below the contemporary lines.
For kids
Oceania has no children's programme, no kids club, no babysitting and no facilities for children. The minimum age is one year, and children are permitted but nothing is provided for them.
In practice this means very few children sail. Our reviewers have seen fewer than five children across three sailings.
If you are travelling with children, this is a clear no.
- No kids club, no children's programme, no babysitting.
- Minimum sailing age is one year.
- Very few children aboard on any sailing.
- No family cabins or connecting cabin programme of note.
- A clear no for families with children.
For adults
Oceania is entirely adult in practice. The atmosphere is sociable and conversational, with a Country Club casual dress code that means no formal nights but no shorts at dinner either.
The Aquamar Spa Terrace on Vista and Allura is an adults-only outdoor thermal area with a hydrotherapy pool and heated loungers, included for Concierge and suite guests and available as a pass for others.
Martinis, the piano bar, is the social heart of the ship in the evening, and the Horizons observation lounge forward is the best daytime space.
- Adult by default, with no children's facilities at all.
- Country Club casual dress: no formal nights, no shorts at dinner.
- Aquamar Spa Terrace is an adults-only thermal area on newer ships.
- Martinis piano bar is the evening social centre.
- Horizons observation lounge is the best daytime room in the fleet.
Terms worth knowing
- Simply More
- Oceania's fare structure, bundling drinks with lunch and dinner, unlimited WiFi and a shore excursion credit of $400 to $1,200 per guest.
- Upper-premium
- The segment between premium lines such as Celebrity and true all-inclusive luxury lines such as Regent, where more is included but not everything.
- Country Club casual
- Oceania's dress code: no formal nights, but no shorts, jeans or trainers in the restaurants after 6pm.
- Concierge Veranda
- A cabin category adding priority specialty restaurant reservations and private lounge access, typically $45 to $60 per night above a standard veranda.
| Line | Veranda, per night | Specialty dining | Drinks | Excursion credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celebrity | $185 to $245 | $55 to $95 per meal | Extra or bundled | None |
| Oceania | $310 to $420 | All included | With lunch and dinner | $400 to $1,200 |
| Silversea | $560 to $780 | All included | All drinks, all day | Some included |
| Regent Seven Seas | $690 to $960 | All included | All drinks, all day | All excursions included |
Should you book Oceania?
Oceania is a straightforward decision because its strengths and gaps are both extreme. Answer one question honestly: how much does food matter to you?
Book Oceania
Choose it when: Food is a primary reason you travel. Nothing below the ultra-luxury lines comes close, and every restaurant is included.
Book an R class ship
Choose it when: You want ports the big ships cannot reach, in the Adriatic, Aegean or Asia, and can accept a 25-year-old cabin.
Book Concierge Veranda
Choose it when: You want priority specialty restaurant reservations. On a busy sailing the best tables go to Concierge and suite guests first.
Book Regent instead
Choose it when: You want everything included including flights and all excursions, and the fare difference is acceptable.
Book Celebrity instead
Choose it when: You want good food at a materially lower fare and can live with paying for specialty restaurants.
Ready to price a Oceania Cruises sailing?
Lead-in fares from $245 per person per night in our latest sampling. Compare live fares, then come back and check our cost guides before adding packages.
BestCruiseDeals.us earns a commission when you book through some links on this page. It never changes your price and never changes our rating.
Oceania Cruises questions, answered
Is Oceania food really better than other cruise lines?
Yes, measurably. Oceania runs a higher chef-to-guest ratio than any premium line, cooks in smaller kitchens serving 670 to 1,250 guests rather than 5,000, and includes every specialty restaurant in the fare. Jacques and Red Ginger are comparable to good land restaurants. Only Regent, Seabourn and Silversea are in the same conversation.
What does Simply More include on Oceania?
Simply More bundles drinks with lunch and dinner including wine and beer, unlimited WiFi, and a shore excursion credit of $400 per guest on shorter sailings up to $1,200 on longer ones. Gratuities are included on some fares but not all. Drinks outside meal times require a $29.95 per day upgrade.
How much does an Oceania cruise cost?
A ten-night Mediterranean veranda cabin runs about $310 to $420 per person per night, or $3,100 to $4,200 for the cruise, including the Simply More inclusions. Once the $400 to $800 excursion credit is netted off, the real gap against a premium line like Celebrity is smaller than the headline fare suggests.
Does Oceania allow children?
Children over one year old are permitted, but Oceania provides nothing for them: no kids club, no children's programme, no babysitting and no family facilities. Very few children sail. If you are travelling with children of any age, choose a different line.
Oceania or Celebrity, which should I book?
Choose Oceania if food is your priority and you want long port days on a smaller ship, and you accept weak entertainment. Choose Celebrity if you want better design, a proper theatre, a lower fare and are comfortable paying $55 to $95 for specialty restaurants. Oceania costs roughly 70 percent more per night before excursion credits.
How big are Oceania ships?
The four R class ships carry 670 guests, Marina and Riviera carry 1,250, and the two Allura class ships, Vista and Allura, carry 1,200. All are small enough to dock at ports where 4,000-guest ships must anchor and tender, and disembarkation at a port typically takes under twenty minutes.
About the author
Senior Cruise Editor
Mara Vance has been writing about cruise travel since 2011, first for a regional newspaper travel desk and, since 2019, as the senior editor at BestCruiseDeals.us. She sets the review framework every cruise line page on this site is scored against.
71 sailings logged across 10 cruise lines.
This page was fact-checked by Captain Alberto Ruiz, marine and operations reviewer, on . Prices and policies are re-checked against cruise line sources at least every 90 days. Read our editorial policy.