Oceania Cruises premieres its first Allura-class ship

Mr Ruiz says a key element to the interior design was the use of textures, patterns and materials to make spaces feel airy, open and relaxing.

“As the first space guests see when boarding Oceania Vista, the atrium introduces a sense of calm and spaciousness,” he explains. “It’s like a great opening scene in a movie that introduces the overarching themes and recurring motifs. It is artistic and referential, the materials are sophisticated and used in creative ways, the colours are muted and the textures subtle. There’s a lot happening, but everything has a fluid, organic order to it, like the lines of a nautilus shell.”

With 11 passenger decks, and a 2:3 crew to passenger, Mr Ruiz says spaces have been created with the guest at the centre of the equation. He also emphasises that over the years the studio has moved away from perceiving the design of interiors for a cruise ship as a constraint.

“We see it as liberating,” he continues. “We rely on our knowledge and portfolio, but we’re also obsessed with the guest’s expectations, and that means raising the bar. Everything we do has to meet or surpass those expectations.”

This philosophy is certainly highlighted in the aptly named Grand Dining Room, where the ceiling is almost two decks high. Mr Ruiz says the regal design was inspired by the world’s finest conservatories, incorporating garden motifs, natural elements, custom-designed parquet floors, hand-painted wall coverings and huge hydrangea-inspired chandeliers. Other speciality restaurants also have themed detailing including the Polo Grill steakhouse, inspired by the heritage and nostalgia of a British sports club, a modern mosaic tile interpretation of temple frescoes in the Italian restaurant Toscana and pagoda-shaped lamps and hand-crafted Chinese landscapes in the Asian eatery Red Ginger.

Intricate and insightful design features aside, no area on the ship has been overlooked including empty - or negative - spaces around chairs, beds and in corridors to make every area welcoming and comfortable.

“Negative space is not an easy concept to grasp because we’ve been conditioned to think of design as things, like furnishings or wall coverings,” explains Mr Ruiz. “In our minds, design has a lot to do with that visceral or emotional response we have when we walk into a space or a room. We know when a place makes us comfortable or relaxed or even energised. That often has less to do with objects than a response to the negative space.”

Oceania Vista’s 591 outside cabins and 147 suites include the line’s first concierge-level veranda rooms for solo travellers. The largest staterooms on the ship are the three 223-m² owner’s suites. An understated palette of neutrals and greys has been used throughout the accommodation. 

Mr Luiz says, “Our design approach with the staterooms was to think of them as an oasis, a respite from the energy and activities of the rest of the ship, and to give them a genuine but heightened residential feel. This is not how most people live, of course, but we wanted them to feel like a fine home where the stress and cares of the world and work simply melt away.”

He adds that Studio DADO and Oceania Cruises shared a vision for a new approach to luxury on Oceania Vista based on an understanding of what modern-day travellers look for in a upmarket cruise experience.

“Luxury doesn’t have to be stuffy or traditional or even aligned to a certain style,” he says. “It has more to do with confidence and sophistication. We still select rich materials and fabrics and vibrant art where appropriate, but we are just as concerned with how our spaces make people feel as we are with how those spaces look. To us, that is what true luxury means. It whispers.”

The ship is spending the first part of its inaugural season in the Mediterranean and French Riviera before a transatlantic crossing in August to spend the rest of 2023 cruising between Los Angeles and Miami. Oceania Allura, the sister ship to Oceania Vista, is currently under construction at Fincantieri and will enter service in 2025.

While Oceania Vista may whisper luxury, Oceania Cruises has plenty to shout about when it comes to this new-generation flagship.

Sign up for Riviera’s series of technical and operational webinars and conferences in 2023:

• Register to attend by visiting our events page.
• Watch recordings from all of our webinars in the webinar library.