Oceania Cruises' transition to being adults-only was “a natural progression” for the line, Chief Luxury Officer Jason Montague has told TTG.
“We were never equipped for children – there’s no kids’ facilities or dedicated spaces for them, and as such, we had a very small percentage of children onboard,” Montague said.
“We’ve gotten a lot of cheers and high fives from guests since going adults-only – they love it. There was a tremendous appetite for it.”
Oceania announced its 18+ policy in January, joining the likes of Virgin Voyages and Viking in their decision to cater exclusively to adults.
Montague assured clients that the move would bring “no changes” to its current fleet of eight ships, emphasising that the vessels had “not been designed for kids” in the first place.
He also highlighted Oceania’s family-friendly sister brands, Norwegian Cruise Line and Regent, as alternatives to travellers with children.
Oceania Sonata will launch in 2027, followed by Oceania Arietta in 2029
Fam trips and new ships
Montague, who was in London this week to meet Oceania’s UK trade partners, said that the brand is committed to hosting more fam trips for British and Irish agents this year.
“There’s nothing like being on it first-hand,” he said. “And that’s not just for the new ship launches but also during the year, when we have space available.”
Montague also discussed the evolution of Oceania Aurelia, formerly Oceania Nautica, ahead of its November 2027 debut.
The vessel – which dates back to 2000 – is currently being refitted to accommodate more penthouses and a reduction in capacity from 670 guests to fewer than 500.
“Oceania Nautica wasn’t purposefully built as a luxury ship, so it’s really special to be able to reimagine something from our early days,” Montague said. “You can’t even build ships of this size anymore because the economies of scale aren’t there.”
As for its new Sonata class, Montague described the fleet as “a continued evolution” of Allura. There are currently four ships in the pipeline, with the first, Oceania Sonata, setting sail in 2027.
“This will be slightly larger with more space per guest, 1390 passengers on a sailing and few more dining concepts,” he said.
Oceania Allura, the second of Oceania's Allura Class ships
All-inclusive changes
Montague also spoke about the benefits of Oceania’s ‘Your World Included’ programme, which replaced its ‘Simply More’ package in 2025.
“A key component is flexibility, allowing guests to tailor their perks based on their personal travel styles rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all amenity,” he said. “The beautiful thing about Oceania is the choice that we give.”
Under the refreshed package, guests receive all the baseline amenities (such as speciality dining and entertainment) but can now choose one of two additional perks to tailor their cruise.
The first choice offers complimentary wine and beer by the glass during lunch and dinner hours, while the second includes shore excursion credit (up to $600 per guest, depending on the length of the cruise).
“Some people don't like to drink, some people don't want to do the excursions or want to do something on their own – so we give the option of what they want and make it their choice, as opposed to defining what they're actually getting included in the package,” Montague explained.
Interestingly, the popularity of each option greatly depends on the market.
“The majority of our guests take the shore excursion credit, with the exception of a couple of areas... It happens to be here [the UK] and Australia, where maybe the beverage package is the primary choice!”
