Impressions of Insignia, March - April 2015

Would I sail Insignia again? You bet I would!

Here's a summary for those who don't want to read the long thread "Live from Insignia".

This was our third Oceania cruise. We'd sailed on Regatta from Rome to Venice and on Riviera from Istanbul to Venice. The first trip was great but the second itinerary was magical and I loved our extended balcony cabin on Riviera and the bigger choice of speciality restaurants. I was concerned that most of the staff on Insignia would only have joined a few days before we did and would still be training on the job, and I wondered how I would feel about going back to a small ship after Riviera. Finding out that our room steward was to be the one we'd had on Riviera last year helped set my mind at rest about the staff.

From the minute our taxi drew up at the Harbourfront Terminal in Singapore we were extremely well looked after. Nothing was too much trouble. I'll admit we had a couple of service fails in the Grand Dining Room, and one in the Insignia Lounge, which is nothing considering the length of time we spent on board, but we also had some outstanding service. The staff seemed happy and cheerful when serving us, although some of them didn't quite have enough to do since there were around 400 staff to 360 passengers.

We recognised several staff members from Riviera. Newcomers seemed very happy to be on board. Some staff left us in Hong Kong to join Nautica, which was sad as they included one of the best waiters we'd had. I found out it also impacted on some of the friendships that had developed among the crew. I felt sorry for the staff in Waves and on the pool deck when the weather turned cool in China, since they had virtually no customers that day. I know from my days as a "Saturday girl" in a local department store that very few customers makes the days seem rather long.

I was blown away by the condition of the ship, which has been beautifully renovated. The food was excellent. We ate most breakfasts al fresco at the Terrace Cafe while lunch was either at Waves (mainly, what's not to love about Kobe beef burger and fries followed by ice cream?!!) or the Terrace Cafe, usually outside. Some of our most memorable evening meals were our "late nights" out on the back of the boat at the Terrace Cafe, simply because of the location in which the ship was tied up and the cheerfulness of the staff. However we also enjoyed Toscana, Polo Grill and the MDR since we like being waited on.

We spent an average of $64 per day on drinks which included beer during the day (OH), cocktails in the evening and at sail away (me), wine with dinner and the odd liqueur. During the day I mainly drank tonic water and I had the odd virgin cocktail, both of which are complimentary. We bought the 7 bottle wine package for $297.50 but once it ran out preferred to buy wine by the bottle from the wine list. Prices started at $40.12 including gratuity. I found a Sauvignon Blanc I liked at $42.48, which is just under the price of the package and we could buy it whenever we felt like it. The problem with the package was remembering what we had left! Wine by the glass started at $10.62, beer at $7.67 and my cocktails were usually $12.39, although the cocktails of the day were on offer at $6.49, all including gratuity.

There were plenty of daytime activities to keep me occupied and I really appreciated being able to learn new skills. I loved the artist's loft, and I hope they extend this to all the small ships. I never made it to Trivia though I was invited to join a team - I just didn't have the time, but I would have enjoyed it.

Mah Jong was taught by a CC member and there were "official" bridge instructors on board. Social hostess Claudia organised needlepoint sessions and also napkin folding (which I decided I could manage without) and ribbon roses. She also did the line dancing and stretch classes. There were other exercise classes provided by the Spa some of which were charged to your account. I like to say I didn't have time for those or the gym, or the walking track. You'd be looking at me for a long time before the phrase "natural athlete" sprang to mind, so maybe that had something to do with it too :D. On the plus side I also avoided the tastings of gin, whisky, wine and martini, and resisted the urge to play bingo or go to the Spa Seminars.

OH read his Kindle and went to some enrichment lectures. Chacun a son gout as we say in NW England.

We had some great evening entertainment, some of which I've already mentioned in the other thread. I was disappointed when it turned out that the couple who were left behind in Hong Kong were not passengers, but the duo Livewire, a young British couple who payed electric violin and guitar and sang a mixture of songs with a Celtic vibe. They were my favourite act of the trip, and were due to perform a second show, but Hong Kong proved a really unfortunate place to "miss the boat" as our next stop was in China and visa regulations there are very strict. Instead of re-boarding Insignia they headed off to Nautica where they were due to go next. This was also the end of the line for the artist in residence Kris Smith, due to a visa problem. However we had many great acts, including Audio Vixen, a close harmony sibling act from Australia and Jim Barber a hilarious ventriloquist. The final performer in our segment was Kateryna Sychova a virtuoso violinist who I felt was too good looking for those gentlemen in the audience who had heart conditions :eek:! I wouldn't say she was poured into her dresses but I don't think she had anywhere to keep her handkerchief :). She played the violin very well.

I think the idea of bringing on different acts every few days was a good one. Usually they would perform their first show shortly after arrival and their second and final show a few days later before leaving the ship. These cabaret style acts suited the space and were never on board long enough for us to get bored.

In between performances from visiting artists we had Movie Nights in the Insignia Lounge, Dancing Under the Stars on the Pool Deck, an evening of Liar's Club, which was fun, and shows by Andy and Tammy, CD and Assistant CD, Vladimir Markowski, who normally played the piano in Martini's but on one evening treated us to "The World of Romantic Piano" in the Insignia Lounge; and a show entitled "Classic Rock" by the string quartet which I would have loved to have seen but we were late getting back from touring and very tired.

Not long into the cruise the evening show was brought forward to 9pm since so many people were struggling to stay up on busy tour days. It was sometimes a struggle to make it on time but on the whole I think it was a wise idea. The after show activities like "Name That Tune", Karaoke, and Jukebox Hits were poorly supported.

By contrast the Oceania Club Cocktail Party was very well attended and there was a great convivial atmosphere (drinks were on the captain!). Given the relatively small number of years Oceania has been operating OH and I were struggling to work out how some people had managed to amass so many cruise credits.

Shuttle buses were provided wherever we needed them and we were given a printed timetable to let us know when the bus would depart both going and coming. These were well organised with not only a driver but also a guide giving hints and tips on the location we were visiting and who was often there to make sure we got back on the right bus. Be aware, though, that the buses work on a first come first served basis and if it fills up early it leaves early!

We either did DIY or private tours in each port. One of the benefits to us of so many people cancelling the World Cruise was that we were able to join private tours that had been fully booked when we first joined the roll call. One big advantage of private tours is the far smaller number of passengers means everything is done faster with much less queuing, and a mini bus can often get much nearer the entrance than a coach can, so less walking. Add in the difference in price and it becomes a no brainer for us. The way the sea days fell made this our perfect style of trip with an ideal itinerary.

I've posted in great detail about each of the ports we visited on the "Live from Insignia" thread. Every single one had a highlight of some sort. I don't feel I need to tick off each and every tourist site but I do like to "just be" in a place. We, as a couple, like to go off and explore and we love people watching and drinking in the atmosphere of a place. Having said that we saw some fabulous sights - The Gardens by the Bay in Singapore was one. If you're thinking of visiting SE Asia - just go! Don't hesitate, and go sooner rather than later, before it changes too much.

And if you're thinking of trying Oceania, I hope I've given you enough information to make up your own mind. If you're a fan of Oceania - it's as good as it always was, if not better. Finally, if you want to know anything else, just ask.

Sella

So nice you had a great time..Thanks for all the info on both threads..

Jancruz1

Thought this one would answer a lot of questions people ask about entertainment, food, shuttle buses and drinks!

Thank you so much for posting this Sella Vee. I did read and enjoy many of your postings on your other thread, but as this is not an area of immediate interest to us, I didn't linger as long as I otherwise would have. I feel sure I will spend much time reading it in its entirety if and when the time comes for us to cruise that part of the world. In the meantime, really useful to have your take on the smaller ship so thank you again:)

You're welcome, DaisyUK. We were on the same Riviera cruise as you last year and I did enjoy reading your review of that cruise as it brought back memories.

"She played the violin very well."

I've enjoyed all your posts, especially your port descriptions since we'll be there next year on the WC, and very much your understated sense of humor. But, your description of the heart-breaking violin player produced my loudest guffaw!

Well take note, Mr Horner, I could have been talking to you!

I was trying to stick to the facts on this particular thread but my sense of humour got the better of me :rolleyes:.

I'm only jealous because I can't get a tune out of the violin.

Well take note, Mr Horner, I could have been talking to you!...

You certainly could have! I -- er -- love the violin!

you certainly could have! I -- er -- love the violin!

lol

It's a shame we never met.. maybe our paths will cross again:)

Thank you Sella for such a lovely review. We are about to join Insignia in Sydney in 2 weeks time and are really,looking forward to it.

Sella - Thanks so much! You answered a number of my questions - down to whether I should consider a beverage package. :) This will be our first Oceania cruise and it will be on Insignia. I'm looking forward to it even more now.

Thanks for the live from and review. They are very helpful in planning for next year.

A few questions re the shuttles.

Can the shuttles handle a folding wheelchair?

If you had a private tour booked, would pick you up at the ship or at the end of the shuttle run?

For some ports I'm planning to do a DIY walk about. How far ahead did you now which ports would have a shuttle and where they were going?

The shuttles tended to be full size coaches, so although I didn't see any in use, they'd have had luggage space underneath with plenty of room for a folding wheelchair.

Our private tours picked us up at the port.

I didn't know in advance about the shuttles. They came as a pleasant surprise even though it does mention shuttles as a selling point in O's publicity. Someone on our roll call had posted that the shuttle in Bangkok would go to the Central World Shopping Plaza, but in fact it went to the Eastern Bus Terminal some distance away from there. I don't know if you could contact O in advance to find out.

I was impressed by how well the shuttles were organised, but bear in mind that the ship was only half full. Previously in the Med the shuttles didn't work so well for us, as in Corfu, for example, we couldn't get on the first shuttle and there wasn't another for an hour. This was on Regatta.

In one of our ports on this trip the shuttle left 20 mins early as it had filled up. Great news for us as we were already on it, not so good for those that turned up when it was due to depart.

A useful tip if you are doing DIY in Asia: the reception desk will give you a slip of paper with the location of the ship written in the local language - very handy if you need to get a taxi back.

One thing I forgot to mention is the temperature on board. If you see men in jackets at dinner it isn't that they're being formal, merely preventing frostbite! The air conditioning was set to Arctic for the first two weeks and no one seemed able to change it.

One couple turned up at the Insignia Lounge in their down jackets just to make a point. It did get better, but if you're wondering what to pack, ladies, a pashmina or two should be on the list :).

Could you give me the names, email addresses or websites of any of your private tours? I so enjoyed your review and blog and will be taking a similar cruise next year.

Thank you again.

Could you give me the names, email addresses or websites of any of your private tours? I so enjoyed your review and blog and will be taking a similar cruise next year.

 

Thank you again.

Glad you enjoyed my postings.

I joined private tours that were organised by others on our roll call and I'd strongly recommend that you join yours as you may find people organising tours already.

I did find out who the guides and companies were.

In Vietnam we used Zoom, who guided us himself in Saigon and who used an associate to guide us in Hanoi/HaLong Bay, and in Xiamen we used Apple Travel.

We stayed on in Shanghai and I organised my own cooking class through Cook in Shanghai.

Google and/or Tripadvisor should turn up details and reviews of all of the above, but if you need any more help just ask.

Hi

I read your review of your Xiamen tour with Apple travel. Can you tell me if you paid in advance for this tour or cash on the day? Thanks

For the Xiamen tour, the roll call member who organised it gave her credit card details as a guarantee and that meant we could all pay on the day.

This tour was booked a very long time in advance and Apple Travel did increase the price, which had previously been agreed, on two occasions. Some of this we knew was due to increases imposed on them - for example the way the ferry was operated changed. We were disappointed but still felt the tour was worth the money and we didn't want to miss out. We could have cancelled but chose not to.

Well take note, Mr Horner, I could have been talking to you!

 

I was trying to stick to the facts on this particular thread but my sense of humour got the better of me :rolleyes:.

 

I'm only jealous because I can't get a tune out of the violin.

All I can say is that it is ESSENTIAL, I say ESSENTIAL, that a drop-dead gorgeous violinist should at least play well ...

Of course that might be more important to a violinist whose looks would stop clocks ...

Mura

all i can say is that it is essential, i say essential, that a drop-dead gorgeous violinist should at least play well ...

 

Of course that might be more important to a violinist whose looks would stop clocks ...

 

Mura

lol