I wanted to like this tea. I really wanted to like this tea.

I was having a fabulous time on the christening cruise for Oceania Cruises’ Allura. “The Finest Cuisine at Sea®” is Oceania’s tagline, and the cruise line maintains a close alignment with the Jacques Pépin Foundation, so excellent dining and high culinary standards are very much part of the Oceania experience.

Everything had been very good, even if my husband and I were beginning to wonder whether the presence of so many celebrity chefs onboard for this special sailing had something to do with it. My husband, himself a chef, declared it his favourite cruise, while I had enjoyed every meal we’d eaten. I wrote enthusiastically about our overall experience on jaynewithers.com.

So I was hesitant to share my candid opinion about the afternoon tea.

Oceania makes a point of promoting its daily afternoon tea in the Horizons Lounge, and I was very much looking forward to it. If I had lowered my expectations beforehand, I might have been a little happier.

The Setting

Horizons is on Deck 14 of 15 (although the ship is rather amusingly numbered up to 16), right at the bow. It is a comfortable, attractive space and a lovely place to linger while taking in the endless horizon for which it is named.

Tea is served at low tables, which is actually more historically accurate for afternoon tea than the high tables often associated with it. The distinction between low tea and high tea is frequently misunderstood, but I’ll save that particular tea lecture for another day.

The dress code is Country Club Casual, although this was being interpreted rather generously. “Sundresses, skirts, tailored shorts, or smart pants” is the official suggestion, but it certainly isn’t enforced. The country club was missing; the casual was well represented.

The Presentation

Rather than presenting afternoon tea on a traditional tiered stand, the savouries and sweets are brought around on elegant trolleys. The idea is that you can enjoy as much or as little as you like.

In principle, I like this.

In practice, it works best if you happen to be in the line of sight of the servers. I wasn’t, and consequently ended up with one sandwich. When I finally caught someone’s attention, I decided to move on to the scone course. The server disappeared into the kitchen. I suspect the intention was to bring out a warm scone, as the Oceania website promises, but mine was not warm.

The scone arrived on a plate with dollops of jam and clotted cream. Traditionally, I would expect these to be served separately so that each can be added as desired. Had my scone actually been warm, the clotted cream would have melted across the plate. I suspect this is simply a practical choice: individual pots create more dishes, more handling and, potentially, more waste. Practical, certainly; quite as elegant as I would have liked, less so.

Desserts are also offered from the trolley.

Overall, I found the trolley presentation an interesting departure from traditional afternoon tea. It is certainly preferable to a buffet, and Cunard uses a similar approach for its tea desserts, although the sandwiches there are served from platters to the table. For me, however, the service felt a little impersonal, particularly when I was not in the servers’ line of sight.

The Food

Choose from a selection of three sandwich types: egg salad, cucumber and cream cheese, and smoked salmon. The sandwiches were quite large by afternoon-tea standards. Dainty takes time and more staff, so this may well be another reason the sandwiches aren’t plated individually. They simply wouldn’t have looked quite right on a traditional tiered stand. And, of course, dainty is time-consuming.

The scone was perfectly acceptable, if a little dry, although there was only one. I usually serve two small scones per person. Afternoon tea can involve quite a lot of food, so I prefer to keep the scones small, while offering two varieties. Traditionally, that would be a plain scone and a sultana (golden raisin) scone, giving guests the opportunity to try both.

Speaking of dainty, the desserts were not. I tried a peanut butter confection, which struck me as rather out of place at afternoon tea, and by this point I decided I’d had enough. I went to the pool bar instead.

The Tea

This was where my heart really sank.

Once seated, the server brought me a box containing a selection of Twinings tea bags and a small stainless-steel pot of hot water.

To be clear, I enjoy Twinings. My objection was not to the brand; it was to the method.

For proper tea service, water at the appropriate temperature should be poured over the tea—preferably loose leaf, although a good tea bag is perfectly acceptable. The tea should then be allowed to steep for the appropriate amount of time, with the tea bag removed before drinking.

Being handed a pot of hot water and a tea bag to dunk myself was not what I expected from a luxury cruise line that makes such a feature of its afternoon tea.

There was also no receptacle for the used tea bag. I wasn’t about to put it directly on my saucer or on the white tablecloth, so I took advantage of the table being set for four and commandeered another plate for the tea bag and its wrapper.

And, if I’m being picky—which I obviously am—the tea was served in coffee cups.

The Verdict

I was disappointed.

Not because I expect afternoon tea to be an elaborate production every time I sit down for one, but because Oceania places such emphasis on the experience and because the rest of my Allura experience had set the bar so high.

The food was disappointing. The tea service was disappointing. The service itself was inconsistent.

Afterwards, I mentioned my experience in a Facebook group where another guest had posted enthusiastically about the wonderful afternoon tea onboard. I was quickly assured that my experience wasn’t representative. Other Oceania guests told me that afternoon tea on the cruise line’s other ships is excellent, with fine china, proper teapots and correctly prepared tea.

I hope they’re right.

There is also something worth considering here: Allura was brand new and this was her christening cruise, with celebrities, media and industry partners onboard. If this was simply a case of a new ship’s service finding its feet, perhaps things will improve.

And I’m willing to give Oceania the benefit of the doubt.

My husband loved Allura so much that I’m sure we’ll sail with Oceania again. When we do, I’ll make a point of trying the afternoon tea on another ship. I shall arrive with an open mind—and considerably lower expectations.

The Details

Afternoon Tea: Daily at 4 PM in Horizons Lounge
Price: Included in the cruise fare
Reservations: Not required
Dress code: Country Club Casual
Special diets: Accommodated; dietary requirements should be advised prior to your cruise. When you attend tea, remind your server of your requirements.

Would I recommend it? I’d give it a try, but I’d temper my expectations. My experience aboard Allura was disappointing, particularly given Oceania’s reputation for culinary excellence. However, I’ve heard enough positive reports about afternoon tea on the line’s other ships that I wouldn’t tell an Oceania guest to skip it altogether.

Perhaps I’ll have better luck next time.

And, of course, I’ll report back.