MIAMI -- With seven ships in its fleet, Oceania Cruises can already go pretty much wherever it wants to go. The Allura, coming in July, represents the icing on the cake.
"We go to 500 destinations across the world," said Jason Montague, chief luxury officer at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, in charge of Oceania and its sister brand Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The Allura, he said, enables the line "to give more variety and options for our guests. It's just giving people more options to experience the world the Oceania way."
Celebrity chef Jacques Pepin is the inspiration for Jacques, a restaurant coming to the Allura. Photo Credit: Oceania Cruises
Montague spoke at PortMiami, where Oceania was offering a preview of new cuisine coming to the Allura. Oceania served lunch to media aboard the line's latest ship, the 1,200-passenger Vista, which was embarking on a cruise to the Caribbean.
One of the big changes scheduled for the Allura is the return of the line's celebrity chef, Jacques Pepin. The 89-year-old, French-born author and chef is the inspiration for Jacques, a restaurant that will replace Embers on the Allura.
When Oceania was created in 2003, co-founder Frank A. Del Rio recruited Pepin as the line's first culinary director; he was charged with executing Del Rio's vision of a cruise line with the finest cuisine at sea. In 2011, a restaurant named for Pepin was created on Oceania's first two 1,200-passenger newbuilds, the Marina and the Riviera.
Helping to bring Jacques to a new generation of ships will be Alexis Quaretti and Eric Barale, Oceania Cruises' two executive culinary directors and master chefs of France.
Chefs Eric Barale (left) and Alexis Quaretti, Oceania's executive culinary directors and master chefs of France. Photo Credit: Oceania Cruises
What's on the menu
At the preview lunch, guests were served several of the new dishes that will be on offer on the Allura.
One of them is Tartare de Boeuf au Couteau, also known as steak tartare, which was prepared at the table in a bit of tableside theater. We watched as one of the ship's chefs blended a mixture of ground strip loin, chopped onions, cornichons and capers in an elegant steel bowl. The strip loin, the chef explained, gives the dish a bit of firmness that would be lacking if a softer cut of beef, such as tenderloin, was employed.
In a minute or two, we were presented with the mixture spread across toast. The steak tartare had been preceded by a chunky loaf of French bread served with salty French butter; a pair of Barbajuan aux Epinards, a Provencale spinach fritter; and Oeuf Mimosa, a deviled egg topped with smoked trout rillettes and caviar.
Lobster thermidor will likely be a popular entrée at Jacques. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
Among the main courses likely to be popular at Jacques will be Homard Thermidor, or lobster thermidor, a tail of baked lobster meat served in the shell and topped with a mushroom cream sauce. At our lunch, the rich seafood specialty was followed by a Medaillon de Veau aux Morilles, or veal medallions in morel sauce.
The meal ended with Profiteroles a la Chantilly, two whipped cream-filled pastry balls drenched tableside in a warm chocolate sauce.
Montague said that Jacques, which will also be installed on the Vista later this year, represents more than a reprise of the restaurant's greatest hits.
"We're kind of revisiting Jacques," he said. "They're taking some of the classic menu items that guests love, reimagining some of the other ones and creating entirely new ones. So it really is the next iteration of how we view Jacques and how it's evolving itself."
Oceania's Allura will prepare Bruxelles waffles at a new creperie. Photo Credit: Oceania Cruises
More French flavor will be coming to the Allura on Deck 14, where a creperie will make its debut. Carved out of space now occupied by one of the larger libraries at sea, the eatery will serve the classic crepes Suzette as well as trendy bubble waffles and Bruxelles waffles with fresh banana, salted caramel sauce and whipped cream.
Quaretti and Barale have created more than 20 recipes for the outpost, which will be one of 12 dining venues on the Allura. Oceania said it planned to employ one chef for every 10 guests, ensuring 50% of crew members are dedicated to culinary experiences.
Demand for the Allura
Sales for the Allura, which opened 18 months ago, have been proceeding "in line" with sales for the Vista a few months before its 2023 debut, said Nathan Hickman, senior vice president of global marketing for Oceania.
The Vista was the first new Oceania ship in 10 years, so there was a lot of pent-up demand. Also, the Vista debuted when travel interest was rebounding after Covid shutdowns. "We've seen sort of a normalization of bookings for Allura," Hickman said.
In addition, the Allura has more Caribbean sailings in its first year, which tend to book closer to departure than other itineraries.
"She's well booked up, and there's nothing that we're worried about," Hickman said, "but there are some sailings in the fall where we still have space."