Oceania announces “industry’s first” gluten-free ocean voyage

Oceania Cruises is putting gluten-free dining at the centre of an entire sailing, announcing what it says will be the cruise industry’s first entirely gluten-free ocean voyage.

The 12-night sailing will depart May 31, 2028, aboard Oceania Vista, operating roundtrip from Southampton and visiting destinations across England, Ireland and Scotland.

The itinerary includes calls in Cork (Cobh), Dublin (Dún Laoghaire), Glasgow (Greenock), Stornoway in the Hebrides and Edinburgh (Newhaven).

For the sailing, every onboard dining venue aboard Oceania Vista will offer entirely gluten-free menus, eliminating the need for guests to navigate menus or raise questions about preparation and potential cross-contact.

That will extend across the ship’s specialty restaurants, including Toscana, Polo Grill, Red Ginger and Jacques, as well as more casual venues such as Aquamar Kitchen and Waves Grill.

Afternoon tea, in-suite dining and freshly baked pastries from The Bakery will also be entirely gluten-free.

“As a brand with food at its heart, we believe every guest should be able to experience the joy and discovery that define dining with Oceania Cruises,” said Jason Montague, chief luxury officer of Oceania, in a press release.

“This voyage gives our culinary team an extraordinary opportunity to reimagine our acclaimed onboard dining experiences through an entirely gluten-free lens while remaining true to the creativity, quality and abundance at the heart of our philosophy to serve The Finest Cuisine at Sea. Most importantly, it will allow guests to relax into their vacation knowing the entire culinary experience has been created with them in mind.”

The voyage is being developed in collaboration with Celiac Cruise, which specializes in creating travel experiences for the celiac and gluten-free communities.

The organization is providing expertise and insight into the needs of gluten-free travellers and will also serve as an official booking partner for the voyage.

“For travellers with celiac disease, food is something that has to be considered at virtually every stage of a journey – where to eat, what to order, how something has been prepared and the potential for cross-contact,” said Maureen Basye, founder of Celiac Cruise, in a statement.

“The opportunity to board a ship knowing the culinary experience has been designed to be entirely gluten-free fundamentally changes what travel can feel like for so many. Instead of planning their vacation around food, guests on this sailing can focus on the destinations they are exploring, the people they are traveling with, and the simple joy of travelling well.”

Oceania says the sailing will give its culinary team an opportunity to demonstrate that an entirely gluten-free program can offer the same variety and creativity guests expect from the cruise line.

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