We hopped on board a shiny new ship. Here's what we found

Back in May, celebrated songman Harry Connick Jr performed at the christening in Malta of Oceania Cruises' luxury 1200-passenger, 241-metre Vista. This month, Explore had the chance to hop on board the shiny new ship for a two-night jaunt out of Los Angeles - and boy, how the grande new dame glowed, from the glossy finishes in staterooms to the fairytale-like sparkle of the Grand Dining Room.

There were many wow moments. We loved the glamorous sweep of Horizons bar, the enormous day beds on the pool deck and the cruise line's new restaurant offering Ember, where we dined from a menu of "elevated" American cuisine (everyone's pick: the Maine lobster roll).

Only the privileged few will stay in one of the truly extravagant owner's suites, or even the 170 sq m Vista suites, but our concierge level veranda stateroom (27 sq m) did us very well, with sitting areas inside and out, a marble bathroom and a welcome bottle of chilled champagne. oceaniacruises.com

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