If you’re looking for a luxury cruise, you’ve almost certainly considered Oceania Cruises.
For good reason too – Oceania Cruises is known for providing a fantastic, premium experience, and whichever ship you end up on, you can be sure of a refined and relaxed atmosphere. With hundreds of destinations available, you’re able to explore most of the globe on board an Oceania ship.
While each cruise will differ, and we’d encourage you to check the specifics of any cruise you’re currently considering, as a rule of thumb, here’s what you can expect to be included in your Oceania Cruises price:
- Gourmet dining at several onboard restaurants
- Soft drinks, bottled water, speciality coffees, teas, and juices
- Free fitness classes and fitness centre access
- 24-hour room service
- In-room minibar with soft drinks (replenished on a daily basis)
- Complimentary shuttle service from the ship to many city centres
- Enrichment programs, including lectures, classes, and workshops
- Unlimited WiFi
- simplyMORE™ package
That simplyMORE package is the real game-changer for Oceania. While technically described as a ‘special offer’ by the cruise line, it’s currently included on all cruises – though this might change in future.
With the simplyMORE package, you get everything above PLUS the following:
- Free airfare
- Free gratuities
- Free transfers from the airport to the ship
- Shore excursion credit – up to $1,600 per stateroom (depending on how long your cruise is)
- Free Champagnes, wines and beers during lunch and dinner
It’s a little confusing, because Oceania claims that the simplyMORE package also includes unlimited WiFi and unlimited speciality restaurant dining, but those were already included anyway.
Now, let’s take a closer look at exactly what you get for your money…
1. Food
Oceania Cruises includes a variety of gourmet dining options in its onboard restaurants as standard, so whichever cruise you’re on, you’ll have a great choice of where to eat, and the cuisine that suits you.
One of the hallmarks of Oceania Cruises is its exceptional culinary offerings, curated by renowned chefs.
Guests can dine at multiple onboard restaurants without any additional charge, enjoying a diverse array of international cuisines, from Italian delicacies at Toscana to French-inspired dishes at Jacques. The Grand Dining Room also offers exquisite meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Oceania Cruises prides itself on offering an unparalleled dining experience that rivals the finest restaurants on land.
The emphasis is on freshness and quality, with menus designed by acclaimed chefs like Jacques Pépin. Each dish is carefully crafted to provide an unforgettable dining experience, making every meal a highlight of the cruise.
There is one exception, which is La Reserve – a private dining experience for groups of up to 10 guests. This one does have a charge, which varies, but expect to pay between $250 and $400 per person (before gratuity).
Yes – all speciality restaurants are included!
One of the things that makes Oceania Cruises stand out is that their speciality restaurants are included, so you don’t need to worry about being charged an additional fee to eat at speciality restaurants on board.
Reservations may be required, especially for popular venues, but the meals themselves are part of the cruise package.
The inclusion of speciality restaurants in the cruise fare means you’re able to enjoy diverse culinary delights, from Asian fusion at Red Ginger to the classic American steakhouse experience at Polo Grill. This inclusive approach ensures that dining remains a central, worry-free pleasure of your experience.
2. Drinks
Oceania Cruises includes a range of non-alcoholic beverages in your cruise fare, including soft drinks, bottled water, speciality coffees, teas, and juices.
Plus as part of the simplyMORE package, you’ll also get a House Select beverage package included, which means you can enjoy a wide selection of beers, wines and Champagnes – but only during lunch and dinner.
If you want to enjoy these drinks when relaxing by the pool, or you’re interested in cocktails or spirits, you’ll need to pay for them individually or upgrade to the Prestige Select beverage package for $30 per person, per day.
3. Tips / Gratuities
You don’t have to worry about paying daily gratuities on your Oceania cruise – with the simplyMORE package, they’re included. Normally they would cost between $18 and $23 per person, per day depending on your accommodation choice, but now they’re included.
There is a 20% gratuity that’s added to any drinks you buy, any spa treatments, or to La Reserve dining reservations.
It only applies to anything you need to pay for – so the drinks that are included in the House Select beverage package don’t incur the fee, those gratuities are covered.
And if you upgrade to the Prestige Select drinks package, then you won’t pay the gratuity on any of those drinks.
But whenever you’re paying a fee onboard – for an individual drink outside your package, or for spa treatments, then 20% extra will be added on top of the advertised price.
4. WiFi
Oceania Cruises offers complimentary unlimited internet access, so you can stay connected with family and friends, keep up with work and browse the web during your voyage.
The WiFi service is accessible throughout the ship, including in staterooms and public areas, so you’re able to use your devices whenever and wherever you need to.
5. Airfare
Oceania Cruises offers deals that include round-trip airfare from select gateway cities, ensuring that you can easily and affordably travel from your home to the destination where you get on board.
These airfare-included packages simplify the travel planning process, so you’re able to book your entire journey with one provider.
6. Transfers
Many cruise lines offer transfers at an additional cost, but with their simplyMORE™ package, Oceania Cruises offer transfers from the airport to the ship at no extra cost.
Inclusion of transfers will help ensure you have a smooth start and end to the cruise, and eliminate the stress and hassle of arranging separate transportation.
7. Shore Excursions
With Oceania Cruises’ simply MORE™ package, you’ll receive up to $1,400 shore excursion credit per stateroom. This gives you the flexibility to choose whichever shore excursions you’d like. The amount you get depends on the length of your cruise:
- 7-9 days = $400
- 10-13 days = $600
- 14-18 days = $800
- 19-24 days = $1,000
- 25-30 days = $1,200
- 31+ days = $1,400
Oceania Cruises offers a range of fantastic shore excursions, so guests are free to use their shore excursion credit on whichever tours and activities they would like. One thing is for certain — Oceania Cruises offer an immersive destination experience on every itinerary!
Not everything is included though…
Some items and services are not included in the standard fare on Oceania Cruises, such as spa treatments, wellness services, some shore excursions, travel insurance, and some speciality activities and classes.
By offering all of the above as extras, Oceania Cruises provides total transparency and value for money, allowing you to choose the things that are important to you.
In addition, there may also be high-end experiences for an extra cost, such as premium dining events, premium wines and spirits, and personalised excursions.
The best way to book an Oceania cruise…
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Final word
When you’re sailing with Oceania Cruises, it’s clear that there’s definitely more included than not. You could easily cruise without paying a penny extra, provided you’re happy sticking to non-alcoholic drinks in between meals and you don’t need extras like spa treatments.
And if you do want those extras or that drinks package upgrade, you know that there’s not a huge amount extra to budget for on the run-up to your cruise.
Oceania manages to offer a luxury cruise experience that is still good value – and so is definitely worth considering for your next cruise getaway.
If you are interested in cruising with Oceania, I recommend speaking to the luxury cruise experts at Panache Cruises who will be happy to help you plan your trip.
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.