A Guide to Shore Excursions and Land Programs with Oceania Cruises
Published July 24, 2026
Updated July 24, 2026
Travel Experts
at The Cruise Web
An Oceania cruise doesn't end at the gangway. With shore excursions in more than 600 ports, hand-picked hotel stays, and land programs reaching everywhere from Machu Picchu to the Himalayas, exploring ashore is built right into the journey.
Here's our breakdown on exploring ashore with Oceania.
Key Takeaways
- Shore Excursions: 8,000+ tours across 600+ ports; transportation, guides & admission fees included
- Booking Options: Choose wine & beer by the glass, or a shore excursion credit ($400–$1,200 per stateroom) through Your World Included
- Pre- and Post-Cruise Hotels: Hand-selected hotels in the cities where your voyage begins and ends, with an onsite Oceania hospitality desk
- Land Programs: 80+ programs, 1–5 nights, spanning iconic destinations and natural wonders across the globe
- Booking Through The Cruise Web: No booking fees, ever; 24/7 support from the first call through the trip and beyond
Shore Excursions: What's Included
Every port stop on an Oceania cruise comes with excursions curated by the line's own team of Destination Specialists, drawing from more than 8,000 tours across more than 600 ports worldwide.
Because Oceania's ships are smaller and more nimble than most, they can dock in boutique ports and remote harbors that larger ships pass by, and overnight and extended stays in many of those ports mean there's real time to explore instead of a rushed few hours ashore.
The lineup spans several specialty collections:
Shore Excursion Types That Oceania Offers
Executive Collection and Oceania Exclusive
A private car, van, or minibus with your own driver & English-speaking guide (Executive), or small groups capped at 16 guests (Oceania Exclusive).
Wellness Discovery Tours by Aquamar
Rejuvenating experiences curated by Aquamar Spa + Vitality Center, from practicing tai chi to meditation experiences with a monk.
Evening Excursions
After-dark experiences like sunset catamaran cruises & twilight wildlife safaris, made possible by more overnight port stays.
Culinary Discovery Tours
Market visits & hands-on cooking classes with a Chef Instructor, from shopping the market to plating the dish yourself (aboard Oceania Marina, Oceania Riviera, Oceania Vista & Oceania Allura).
Beyond Blueprints
Behind-the-scenes architecture tours led by historians & insider guides at iconic landmarks such as the Sagrada Familia and Barcelona's Cathedral.
Go Local
Small-group visits to local homes & businesses for real conversation, not a scripted stop.
Food & Wine Trails and Go Green Tours
Tastings & sustainability visits led by sommeliers, chefs, wine writers & local conservation experts.
Every excursion includes:
- Transportation: Licensed and insured coaches, mini-vans, automobiles, and watercraft are used for all excursions.
- Guides: Licensed, English-speaking local guides accompany every excursion.
- Admission fees: All required admission fees are included where applicable.
- Meals and refreshments: Included only when specifically indicated in the excursion description, so it's worth a quick check before you head ashore hungry.
With guides, transportation, and admission fees already built into the price, the only real decision left is which experience calls to you.
How Booking Oceania Shore Excursions Works
Every Oceania voyage includes a long list of built-in amenities, specialty dining, gratuities, WiFi, and more, covered in full in What's Included with Oceania Cruises.
Beyond that baseline, Oceania's Your World Included program lets guests choose one additional amenity at the time of booking:
- Wine & beer by the glass, available at any onboard venue or through room service during lunch and dinner hours (certain exclusions apply)
- Shore excursion credit, per stateroom, scaling with voyage length:
Voyage Length | Credit (Per Stateroom)* |
|---|---|
Up to 9 Days | $400 |
10–13 Days | $600 |
14–19 Days | $800 |
20–25 Days | $1,000 |
26+ Days | $1,200 |
*Shore excursion credits are accurate at time of publication and subject to change.
For guests who choose the credit, it applies to any of Oceania's more than 8,000 small-group tours, making excursions like Wellness Discovery Tours by Aquamar close to cost-neutral.
Choosing between the two amenities, and which excursions are worth it, is exactly the kind of decision The Cruise Web helps sort out, matching the choice to how each guest plans to spend their days ashore.
Pre- and Post-Cruise Hotel Program
The days before boarding and after disembarking are just as easy to turn into vacation as the cruise itself. Oceania's Pre- and Post-Cruise Classic Hotel Program extends your trip into the cities where your voyage begins and ends, giving you more time to explore before or after you're at sea.
Every hotel in the program is hand-selected by Oceania for its location, ambiance, standards of service, cuisine, and amenities, and many have earned recognition from Michelin, AAA, Condé Nast Traveler, and Travel + Leisure. An Oceania hospitality desk is also available in the lobby of each hotel, ready to help with anything guests need during their stay.
The program includes hotels in destinations such as:
Whether it's a few extra days to acclimate before boarding or one last taste of a city before flying home, the hotel stay becomes part of the trip rather than just a layover.
Pro Tip: The lineup shifts by voyage, so The Cruise Web is the fastest way to confirm which hotels apply to your cruise.
Oceania Cruises' Land Programs
With more than 80 pre-, post-, and mid-cruise land tours to choose from, Oceania's land programs open up historic cities, legendary landmarks, and natural wonders well beyond what a port call alone could cover.
Programs run one to five nights and can include:
- A journey through the Sacred Valley of Peru to the ruins of Machu Picchu
- Overnight stays in major metropolises such as Hong Kong, Sydney, London, and Cape Town
- Overland explorations of iconic sites in Southeast Asia like Angkor Wat and Chiang Mai
- A glass-domed train through the Canadian Rockies, with an Ice Explorer ride across the Athabasca Glacier and a stop at Lake Louise
- A luxury safari on one of Africa's most sought-after private reserves
- An expedition into the Himalayan Mountains
Whichever direction you go, a land program turns the days surrounding your cruise into an extension of the journey itself, not just a stopover on the way to the ship. With more moving pieces than a single hotel stay, syncing program timing with flights and embarkation is another place The Cruise Web keeps the details in order, so exploring inland never puts the rest of the trip at risk.
Why Book Through The Cruise Web
With this many programs, credits, and add-ons to weigh, having someone who does this daily makes the difference. With The Cruise Web, you're matched with a cruise consultant who specializes in luxury and destination-focused cruising, ready to compare land programs, confirm excursion availability before it sells out, and answer the questions Oceania's own site won't walk you through one-on-one.
Here's what working with The Cruise Web gets you:
- Support from the first phone call through the trip and beyond. Questions don't stop once you've booked, and neither do we.
- Answers the website can't give you. Fleet-wide policies, port-specific details, and fine print get clarified before they become surprises.
- Access to exclusive perks. As one of Oceania's top-producing agencies, The Cruise Web can offer exclusive perks and onboard credit that aren't available booking direct.
- No booking fees. Ever. Planning support and everything above, at no added cost.
Ready to start planning your Oceania voyage? Call 1-800-377-9383 or visit cruiseweb.com to talk through your options. No pressure, no fees, just honest help from people who know Oceania inside and out.
Browse Oceania Cruises DealsNote: The contents of this article are accurate as of the publication date. Oceania Cruises itineraries, inclusions, and prices are subject to change at any time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why book an Oceania cruise through The Cruise Web instead of directly?
Booking through The Cruise Web costs nothing extra; there are no booking fees, and it comes with a dedicated cruise consultant who can compare land programs, confirm excursion availability, and answer questions Oceania's site won't walk you through one-on-one. The Cruise Web has been booking cruises since 1994 and is affiliated with CLIA, ASTA, and IATAN, with access to exclusive perks and onboard credit not available when booking direct.
What is included in every Oceania Cruises shore excursion?
Every Oceania shore excursion includes transportation via licensed and insured coaches, mini-vans, automobiles, or watercraft, along with a licensed, English-speaking local guide and any required admission fees. Meals and refreshments are included only when specifically noted in the excursion description.
What is the Executive Collection on Oceania Cruises?
The Executive Collection is a private touring option that pairs guests with their own driver and an English-speaking guide, with a choice of car, van, or minibus, for a half-day or full-day itinerary designed entirely around their interests. It's offered in nearly every region Oceania sails, from Europe and Africa to Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific.
What are Wellness Discovery Tours by Aquamar?
Wellness Discovery Tours by Aquamar are shore excursions curated by Oceania's Aquamar Spa + Vitality Center, designed around mind-body practices, cultural movement, and natural therapies. The collection spans more than 50 tours across Asia, Europe, and South America, from tai chi in Bangkok to thermal bathing near Rome to hot springs in Patagonia. Availability depends on the ports a given itinerary calls on.
What is Oceania's Your World Included program?
Your World Included is Oceania's amenity program that lets guests choose one additional perk at the time of booking: complimentary wine and beer by the glass at lunch and dinner, or a shore excursion credit that scales with voyage length. It applies to all sailings and all categories for bookings made since September 2025.
How does Oceania's shore excursion credit work?
The credit is issued per stateroom and scales with voyage length: $400 for voyages up to 9 days, $600 for 10 to 13 days, $800 for 14 to 19 days, $1,000 for 20 to 25 days, and $1,200 for voyages of 26 days or more. Solo travelers, or guests booked with a single supplement, receive the credit at the full per-guest rate.
What is Oceania's Pre- and Post-Cruise Hotel Program?
The Pre- and Post-Cruise Classic Hotel Program extends a cruise into the cities where a voyage begins and ends, with hotels hand-selected by Oceania for their location, service, and amenities. An Oceania hospitality desk is available in the lobby of each hotel throughout a guest's stay.
How many land programs does Oceania Cruises offer?
Oceania offers more than 80 pre-, post-, and mid-cruise land tours, ranging from one to five nights, covering destinations such as Machu Picchu, the Canadian Rockies, Alaska's Denali National Park, African safari reserves, and the Himalayas.
