Meals & Wine Finest New Cooks Alumni, Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Katie Button, Calvin Eng, Aisha Ibrahim, George Mendes and Lawrence “LT” Smith, Christen Oceania Allura at Glittering Miami Ceremony
COURTESY Oceania: MIAMI – November 14, 2025 – Oceania Cruises®, the world’s main culinary- and destination-focused luxurious cruise line, final evening christened its latest ship, Oceania Allura, with a stunning Miami pierside ceremony, culminating in a first-of-its-kind godparent christening.
Acclaimed cooks Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Katie Button, Calvin Eng, Aisha Ibrahim, George Mendes and Lawrence “LT” Smith had the consideration of representing the distinguished Meals & Wine Finest New Cooks franchise as godparents throughout the christening ceremony with the time-honored custom of breaking a Champagne bottle throughout the ship’s bow, bestowing success on Oceania Allura and all who sail aboard her.
The fanfare commenced with a ship-wide cocktail reception and an beautiful dinner earlier than transferring to the pier for the ceremony and heartfelt remarks from dignitaries together with the road’s Chief Luxurious Officer, Jason Montague, and Chief Industrial Officer, Nathan Hickman, in addition to Meals & Wine writer Tom Bair. Company then rejoined the ship for a three-day celebratory round-trip Miami voyage.
The occasion brimmed with esteemed visitors together with previous godmothers Giada De Laurentiis (godmother of Oceania Vista®), Cat Cora (godmother of Oceania Riviera) and Claudine Pépin (godmother of Oceania Sirena and daughter of the luxurious cruise line’s first Govt Culinary Director, the famend Chef Jacques Pépin).
“We couldn’t be extra thrilled to formally welcome Oceania Allura to our fleet,” mentioned Jason Montague, Chief Luxurious Officer of Oceania Cruises. “It’s only becoming that she be christened in our hometown of Miami – a metropolis that embodies vibrancy and class. We’re deeply honored to rejoice this momentous event alongside her distinguished godparents, marking a brand new chapter in our historic collaboration with Meals & Wine.”
Tom Bair, writer of Meals & Wine, added: “That is the start of an inspiring partnership between Meals & Wine and Oceania Cruises. We each share a easy however highly effective perception: that excellence by no means goes out of fashion. For many years, we’ve every stood for craftsmanship, for creativity and for a deep respect for the culinary world – previous, current and future. By naming Meals & Wine’s Finest New Cooks franchise as godparent of this stunning ship, Oceania Cruises celebrates the way forward for eating. These cooks are innovators – redefining how we expertise meals – and now they’ll deliver that creativity to the ocean.”
Oceania Allura’s Inaugural Season sailings span greater than 92 locations on an array of 7- to 34-day voyages, from iconic cities to lesser-known gems. Sister ship to Oceania Vista, which launched to nice acclaim in 2023, Oceania Allura is the road’s eighth ship. Boasting essentially the most spacious normal staterooms at sea, which measure greater than 290 sq. ft, she is 791 ft (241 meters) lengthy and weighs greater than 67,000 tons. With a capability for 1,200 visitors at double occupancy, Oceania Allura has two crew members for each three visitors, with half devoted to culinary operations.
Among the many 12 onboard eating experiences is the glamorous Grand Eating Room, that includes 270 new recipes throughout all three meal providers, and the Crêperie, a totally new idea for the road, providing a number of tempting French crêpes, Bruxelles waffles and bubble waffles, alongside gelato sundaes.
As well as, the cruise line reprises its authentic French restaurant, Jacques, named for Chef Pépin. The menu for the brand new iteration of this much-loved eating venue is a collaboration between Chef Pépin himself and the road’s present Govt Culinary Administrators and Grasp Cooks of France, Alexis Quaretti and Eric Barale, mixing new flavors with well-loved dishes which have been visitor favorites since Jacques was first launched aboard Oceania Marina when the ship launched.
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About Oceania Cruises
Oceania Cruises®?is the world’s main culinary- and destination-focused luxurious cruise line. The road’s eight small, luxurious ships carry a most of 1,250 visitors and have The Most interesting Delicacies at Sea®?and destination-rich itineraries that span the globe. Expertly curated journey experiences can be found aboard the designer-inspired, small ships, which name on greater than 600 marquee and boutique ports in additional than 100 international locations on seven continents, on voyages that vary from seven to greater than 200 days. Oceania Cruises®?has 4 Sonata Class ships on order scheduled for supply in 2027, 2029, 2032, and 2035. Oceania Cruises®?is an entirely owned subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: NCLH).
cowl photograph Oceania Allura Christening credit score Oceania
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