Oceania Cruises is set to introduce Your World Included, which will encompass shipboard gratuities for room stewards, butlers, and dining staff as part of the cruise fare for all guests. This marks a significant change from previous policies where gratuities were included only under specific conditions such as for certain travel partners, loyalty members, or guests from select regions.
Additionally, the cruise line will continue to provide complimentary Wi-Fi, in-room dining, a selection of fruit smoothies, gelato, and artisan ice creams, group fitness classes, and laundry services to all guests.
These updated benefits will apply to all new bookings for cruises departing on or after 1 January 2025, starting from bookings taken on or after 1 October 2024. Consequently, the current simplyMORE package, which includes a shore excursion credit and beverage package, will end on 30 September 2024.
This initiative was inspired by guest feedback, revealing a preference for inclusive offerings that focus on the most valued services, notably the inclusion of gratuities for all guests.
For a 10-day cruise, guests can enjoy amenities included in their package valued at over $1,800 per stateroom, in comparison to similar offerings from luxury cruise lines.
Frank A. Del Rio, President of Oceania Cruises, commented: “Oceania Cruises’ promise to show our guests Your World. Your Way has been at the heart of our business since we launched more than 20 years ago. The change has come following feedback from guests, highlighting that they would prefer that we include amenities valued by all versus amenities valued by some. Not surprisingly, our guests place the greatest value on our core inclusions such as free specialty dining and free Wi-Fi; including gratuities creates the richest possible array of amenities and benefits for our guests globally.”
2 thoughts on “Oceania to Expand Inclusive Offering”
Prior to the introduction of Oceania’s ‘YourWorld’ initiative’, free gratuities we’re a very significant and highest value loyalty benefit enjoyed by Silver Members and above. Now that this loyalty reward is being discontinued and will be available to all, even first time cruisers, how do Oceania, if at all, intend to ‘compensate’ for the significant and valuable depreciation to the reward that had been built up by those members that had loyally invested in at least 10 cruises or the qualifying equivalent thereof? Regardless of the reasoning and spin being put forward by Oceania in justification of this change, I would think a lot of hitherto loyal guests will be very discontented with this move and perhaps consider it to be a cynical backdoor price increase.
I think al gratuities should be free our included in the price