Another major cruise line to offer free Internet
Source: Gene Sloan

Add Oceania to the list of upscale cruise lines offering top customers free Internet access on ships.

Oceania today announced it would provide complimentary Internet access to passengers staying in either a suite or a Concierge level room on any of its five vessels, starting in late 2015.

Passengers staying in Owner's, Vista and Oceania suites will receive unlimited free Internet during voyages. Passengers in Penthouse suites and Concierge Level rooms will receive a fixed amount of free Internet time that starts at 200 minutes for a seven-night cruise and extends to 500 minutes for voyages over 16 nights.

Oceania says more than 55% of passengers on its two newest ships, Marina and Riviera, will qualify for the free Internet. Nearly half of passengers on the older Regatta, Insignia and Nautica will qualify.

Oceania's move comes just a month after a similar announcement from sister line Regent Seven Seas, which caters to the luxury market. Luxury line Crystal Cruises this year also has begun offering free Internet to top customers, and soon-to-debut upscale line Viking Cruises has announced it will offer free Internet.

While common on river cruise ships operated by AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways and other river lines, free Internet access until now hasn't been available on even the most upscale ocean-going vessels. Ocean-going lines must contract with satellite companies to provide Internet access on ships, which is expensive.

Oceania's free Internet rollout will be staggered across the fleet, tied to the official start of each ship's winter schedule. The first sailings with the offering will be on Nautica starting on Oct. 25, 2015 and Marina on Nov. 3, 2015. Regatta and Riviera will begin offering free Internet on Nov. 4, 2015 and Dec. 2, 2015, respectively. Free Internet on Insignia will begin on Jan. 4, 2016, when the ship sets sail on a 180-day around-the-world voyage.

For a deck-by-deck look inside an Oceania ship, click through the carousel below.


Christened in Miami on Feb. 5, 2011, the 1,250-passenger Riviera was Oceania Cruises' first newly built ship since the line's founding in 2002. What's it like on board the vessel? USA TODAY's Gene Sloan sailed on a preview voyage and offers a photo tour. (Photo: David Adame, AP)