It was with great excitement that I attended the Christening and launch of Oceania’s Vista in Malta, which also included the retirement of Oceania’s founder and President, Frank del Rio.

After setting off for Civitavecchia from Rome, we enjoyed an easy drive through local towns and countryside. The Port of Civitavecchia was prettier than expected, with hotels and a waterfront area including shops and restaurants – For those who don’t want to visit Rome pre-cruise, this would be a charming place to spend a night. As beautiful as the port was, nothing could compete with the first impression of Oceania Vista.

Boarding was very simple, and from leaving the coach to stepping onboard it took around 20 minutes. Vista is considered a medium sized ship at 67,000 tonnes and 1200 guests. Being the ship’s launch and christening the ship was at capacity however it is so well designed that we often wondered where everyone could be. The public areas felt very spacious and as you would imagine for Vista, stunningly appointed.

Our stateroom was a Concierge Verandah – this gave us access to the Concierge Lounge which had refreshments available throughout the day. Concierge class also gave us priority boarding, unlimited access to the Aquamar Spa Terrace, a bottle of champagne and three bags of complimentary laundry, which is very handy on a 7 day cruise. Internally our stateroom was the same as the other Verandahs. We loved were how spacious it was, the quality of the bedding, clever storage, but most impressively the largest bathroom I’ve experienced at sea, with a luxurious and large shower, lots of storage and quality showerheads. It definitely seemed no detail had been overlooked in every stateroom.

The evening of the Christening ceremony was unforgettable – it was clear Frank Del Rio (FDR) wanted every detail to be memorable. We were all treated to an opulent set menu, before heading shoreside in Malta where a large marquee was set up for the 1200 guests. We were treated to speeches from FDR’s inner circle and heard of how this man turned a dream into a reality, in launching Oceania Cruises 21 years ago.

Oceania Vista represents not only the first new ship for Oceania in 10 years, it also introduces a number of new concepts to the Oceania fleet. With Oceania’s mission of offering the Finest Cuisine at Sea, they have added to their already rich dining offerings with 3 new venues. Ember introduces a modern steakhouse experience. The other 2 new dining experiences are Aquamar Kitchen which offers healthy modern options for breakfast and lunch – this proved to be very popular at each meal, and also had low-and-no (low sugar no alcohol) cocktails – who knew there were so many ways to stay healthy at sea and not feel like you’re missing out?   The Bakery is the 3rd new option and had French pastries on offer throughout the day, offering dine in or take away – again very convenient and when located beside the Café was very busy each morning as people lined up for their caffeine hit. The barista made coffees were also very good.

Our cruise continued for a week in total, visiting Naples and Corsica, both of which have their own appeal. We had one sea day with strong winds and light rain, and I was very impressed with the stability of the ship – you could barely feel a wave despite 40 knot gusts. This gave me the chance to visit the spa – my favourite place on any ship. The staff were skilled, and I appreciated there was no hard-sell on products, which happens at times elsewhere. What I love most about the spas onboard, in addition to the thermal pool, jacuzzies, steam room etc is the very high-quality products and services available – not something we easily find on land these days.

We finished our cruise adventure back in Civitavecchia before flying home again. Vista sets a very impressive standard for Oceania, and with Allura, Vista’s sister ship joining the fleet next year, it’s easy to see that Oceania are confident in offering the best standards of cruising around.