Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Are Offering New Inclusions for Future Voyages

After recently acquiring Silversea Cruises, Royal Caribbean Group (formerly Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.) holds the unique position of owning one brand within each cruising market category: Royal Caribbean International for standard mainstream; Celebrity Cruises for premium; Azamara for upscale; and Silversea for luxury.

And now that the entire playing field is covered, Celebrity and Silversea are further differentiating themselves from competitors in their respective categories with even more recently added inclusions to the base fare.

Premium brand Celebrity has introduced its new Always Included program, which bundles unlimited drinks, complimentary Wi-Fi access and complimentary daily gratuities into the cruise price.

“After this challenging year, ease and peace of mind have become even more invaluable commodities,” said Peter Giorgi, vice president and chief marketing officer of Celebrity, in a press release. “People want to spend more time being inspired, not getting lost in a myriad of booking options. Our new Always Included approach makes the purchase process simple and incredible — [it’s] one decision, and the wonder of a Celebrity cruise awaits.”

Customers also have the option to upgrade, either with Celebrity’s Elevate package (to add unlimited premium drinks and shore excursions, up to $200 per person) or its Indulge package, which enhances the former package by adding unlimited Wi-Fi access and up to $400 per person in onboard credit.

(Note: Any guests reserved in The Retreat — the cruise line’s all-suite accommodations and all-exclusive experience concept — will receive the perks in the latter package at no additional cost.)

The Always Included program applies to all new Celebrity bookings, with the exclusion of Galapagos Islands itineraries.

Meanwhile, in the luxury category, Silversea Cruises is boosting its bonuses, as well. As part of every 2022-2023 itinerary, the brand is upping the ante with at least one complimentary shore excursion in every port and roundtrip airfare for all 10 of its ships (including the line’s new Silver Moon and Silver Origin ships). The addition of the tours and airfare are enhancements to Silversea’s classic ships, while airfare is an added upgrade to Silverse Expeditions voyages (which already included shore excursions).

“We are enhancing our already comprehensive all-inclusive offering for the convenience of our guests, while leveraging our destination leadership to take travelers deeper into over 900 of the world’s most amazing destinations on included shore excursions,” said Roberto Martinoli, president and CEO of Silversea.

In addition to complimentary shore excursions, Silversea will offer special Silversea Selected tours for an added cost. Business-class upgrades will also be included for certain destinations and voyages. For clients who wish to make their own travel arrangements or for those coming from excluded regions, Silversea will extend a non-use air credit. Depending on air scheduling, guests may also benefit from one or two free hotel nights or the utilization of a day room. But perhaps the biggest draw for travel advisors booking future Silversea voyages?

Cruise fares that reflect included shore excursion and roundtrip airfare costs will make travel advisors eligible for a higher overall commission on bookings. Even in 2020, perhaps change can be a good thing.

The Details
Celebrity Cruises
www.celebritycruises.com

Silversea Cruises 
www.silversea.com