Oceania ‘raises bar considerably’ with Allura 

Oceania Cruises has “raised the bar considerably” with Allura and will continue to “evolve” its next four ships on order, its sales chiefs have said.

 

Senior vice-president for international sales Steve Odell and vice-president of sales for UK and Ireland Paul Beale also revealed the line is aiming to cement its position in the luxury market, after focusing on “elevated premium” messaging in recent years.

 

Speaking on board the new 1,200-passenger ship in a Travel Weekly webcast, Odell said: “Oceania has been elevated premium in the past, but Jason Montague’s return has put us back into the luxury space.”

 

He added: “It is a repositioning and a lot of it is down to perception.

 

“We are entering a different level of experience with the range of cuisine [on Allura] and I think it has raised the bar considerably.”

 

Among the new additions on Allura is The Crêperie, which serves French crêpes, waffles and Italian ice cream sundaes from mid-morning throughout the afternoon, while French restaurant Jacques has been revamped.

 

Odell said Oceania’s approach with Allura is to offer “luxury by choice”, representing how passengers can “personalise their luxury” to their taste with optional add-ons such as shore excursions, culinary masterclasses, art workshops, educational lectures and drinks packages.

 

Speaking about the UK market, Odell said it remains “the most important” after the US, making up nearly half of the international business.

 

He added: “We are seeing strong growth from developing markets, but the UK is still in second.”

 

The move to dual leadership teams with Regent Seven Seas Cruises last year is already ushering in more cooperation between the brands, said Odell, although the sales teams in the UK market will remain separate.

 

As an example of this collaboration, Beale added Oceania will learn from Seven Seas Prestige’s inaugural season launch, which saw 40% of its inventory sold in the first four days.

 

Oceania will launch its 2027-28 season early in September to build up awareness and encourage agents to pre-register, he added.

 

Beale said ships in the Sonata Class series, the first of which is due to launch in 2027, will be “slightly larger” with capacity for 1,400 passengers, but emphasised they would still deliver on Oceania’s promise of “small-ship luxury” with more space per passenger on board.

 

He added the additional orders showed “great confidence in the brand”.

 

Speaking on a separate panel, Oceania Cruises chief commercial officer Nathan Hickman promised the Sonata Class ships would demonstrate “evolution”, saying: “What luxury is and what guests want evolves, and we’re meeting that.

 

“Without revealing too much about Sonata, it’s everything that seems to be working on Allura, Marina and Riviera and then moving it forward and evolving it so I’m excited about that.”

 

Odell highlighted the luxury market had expanded up 80% in terms of number of beds available since 2019, emphasising the opportunity for agents to “not be afraid” of selling in this market.

 

“I see the future as very bright,” he said.