SonuvaBeach

On 9/27/2023 at 7:14 AM, calicakes said:

Photo dump now that I have cell service.

The waves look familiar! 😃

2 hours ago, calicakes said:

  I heard someone getting into a taxi, asking to be taken to Elbow Bay.  I'm going to look that up on Trip Advisor. 

We went to Elbow Beach, September 5, 2023..We had it basically all to ourselves...No chairs, umbrellas, food, or PEOPLE!! but there is a Portolet if you need it. $5 per person by bus each way, $15( total) for a cab each way.

7 hours ago, calicakes said:

Thank you.  We embark on Wednesday!!  So excited. We have a concierge level balcony cabin. 

You are quite welcome. You will love the Insignia. Have a great cruise!

5 hours ago, Barbara60 said:

Do you have any pics of your stateroom? We are in that category also in couple of months

 

I only have a couple...scroll to 1:45 or so on the video. There are a couple of pics of the cabin.

4 hours ago, Nashna said:

We will be sailing out of NYC next July to Reykjavik.  I love the shots of NYC!  The video music is so upbeat!

I am glad you enjoyed the video and the music. Adding the music is the hardest part of making the video and I am pleased you appreciated it! You might want to check out our Greenland/IceLand/Canada videos from our cruise on the Celebrity Summit in 2022! it may give you some shore excursion hints!  here is the link:

18 hours ago, deck chair said:

HI!  What a nice video!!!  Wasn't long enough!!!!   Thank you for taking the time to post.  I will be on the Insignia for 40 days starting in January.   A bit concerned that I hear there is no piano player in Martinis from 7:15-to about 10.   Is that the case on your cruise?   It was on the Sirrena this past January.  I hope not because Martinis is a dead zone if no live music.   Not everyone eats early so for passengers like me who enjoy drinks with music before dinner who needs a dead zone.    It's also true for passengers who eat early and would like to enjoy some after dinner drinks with live music.  Thanks again.  

Deck Chair.

I am very glad you enjoyed our video. The piano player was there  for Happy Hour every day, and then off and on after  6 PM . We also eat dinner late , and always managed to find live music somewhere for before dinner drinks.

19 hours ago, daydreamer62 said:

We are booked in the same cabin on a cruise next year. How did you find it.? I was a little worried about noise drum whatever is in front and above it .

The cabin was very nice..the bathroom/shower  is very very small, but other than that a very comfortable room. ..No noise whatsoever!

1 hour ago, cruisecountess said:

Thank you for a delightful and comprehensive video.  You’ve helped to make me even more excited about my cruise on Insignia next July. 
Harriet

Thank you for your kind words...

I am glad you enjoyed it! I have no doubt you will love the Insignia as much as we did.

On 9/12/2023 at 6:23 AM, LP24/08 said:

I am looking for reassurance from passengers who have sailed recently on  or are at present on Riveria that the dreadful reviews on the bords are not all accurate mainly the poor  quality of food, lack of interest from front desk staff and crew in general. We are sailing on Riveria end October in a penthouse suite for our golden wedding and hoped it would be special, we have not cruised with Oceanaia since Decemeber 2019 pre covid and are now very concerned and considering cancelling 

We read similar BAD reviews on the INSIGNIA a few weeks before we boarded her to go to Bermuda on August 30 to September 6, 2023. We have been on over 130 cruises, and so also considered cancelling because the reviews were so bad. It was to be our first OCEANIA cruise.  WE LOVED THE CRUISE..even during Hurricane Franklin and Idahlia!! We found NONE of the negative issues we read about..okay, except the tiny bathroom/shower. It really was quite small. Food was great, service was great. never had to wait for anything, no lines anywhere...and the ship was lovely. I think you will have a similar experience on the RIVIERA...JUST GO!!

For anyone interested, here is our youtube video for this INSIGNIA  cruise to Bermuda, starting with our train ride to the ship and finishing with returning to New York.  It was our first OCEANIA cruise. I hope you enjoy the video!

How rough was it coming back to New York on Sept. 4? Well, here is a short video through our ocean view cabin window on deck 4, 30 (maybe 40 feet..not sure) above the ocean. The wave at about 3 minutes into the video was amazing.Make sure your sound is turned way up 🙂!

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

I apologize but only traveled with phone and I’m not prepared to type that much!

 

Quick summary: food, for my tastes and preferences, has been very good despite missing a re-supply in Nuuk (port canceled due to weather). I’ve tried both specialty restaurants and preferred Toscana. Polo seemed to be having an off-night when I went and steaks aren’t really my jam. Several have mentioned issues getting the correct temperature for their steak as ordered.

 

Two guest lecturers onboard is nice to have. Entertainment very mixed but one couple provided some decent shows (he did two, she did two, they did one together). One cooking demo by head chef. I am very much enjoying classical musicians. My focus has been on the ports, but sea days have been good too.

 

The state of the ship considering her age, is impressive. Hard to find a scratch or stain anywhere. Lovely thick white towels. Nice art and upholstered pieces, quiet in Grand Dining Room speaks to attention to details that deaden sound. Here’s a fun fact: Insignia has a fluffer— I’ve watched him go round the main public areas regularly straightening chairs and fluffing pillows. They always look pristine and inviting. 🤣

Fellow passengers very friendly but skew older. There seem to be a number of sick passengers onboard and mask wearing has increased (voluntary) since boarding.

 

Hope this gives you an idea.

THANK YOU!! Yes..my wife was kind of concerned...the Insignia has not been getting sterling reviews. You have allayed some of her fears! I hope your enjoyed Your trip from Reykjavik. We did a similar cruise last year and loved every minute of it.

On 8/21/2023 at 1:04 PM, QuestionEverything said:

Greetings everyone:

Hope things are going well for each of you.

This is my 1st O voyage, so this is a mid cruise report from my perspective.

I am on Insignia off Greenland. We have missed 1 port Nuuk due to "high winds" which would impact tender operations. Checking the marine forecast, seemed plausible.

I have no historical record to compare to, so I am asking cruisers aboard their thoughts of todays product aboard Insignia versus the past O product.

First, the vast majority of the long time O cruisers have clearly stated the food has significantly declined in choice, quality and complexity. 

Second, there is much pushback against the Simply More with people stating they are leaving O.

My observations based on O's marketing materials statements/insinuations of what I should expect:

GOOD:

*The bread offerings are awesome. I am not supposed to have gluten, but I can not help myself, truly!!!!!

* The dining staff, simply 100% - kind, energetic, smiling, professional, will do anything. I wrote my mid cruise report only about the staff!

* Horizons is fabulous, the space, the view is essential for a sea voyage. I will never patronize a ship that does not have a forward view for all

* Full access to the ship for all, again, I will not patronize a ship that segregates guests

* High tea, amazing, just love it,  very well done

* The class and decorum of the ship and guests, it is an elegant, civilized experience where people are adults

* The shower head is beyond awesome, best shower head and shower ever!

* Grand Dining Room is magnificent, a splendor

*A1 cabin, well done indeed, less that tiny shower

SO SO:

* I am in an A1 with the tiny shower, oh my, that is small and I am a tiny lady, yikes for bigger folk

* Organization. Todays schedule was delivered last evening. This morning at 8:30 am we were informed of the schedule changes for the morning, events moved back or forward by an hr or more due to...the emergency drill for all staff this am. Q - how did they not know about the impact on guest activities....could we not have been informed last evening? Many talks were poorly attended as a result

* Excursions - well not that impressed. Two days ago, had a walking tour in a tiny Greenland town, the guide knew 5 words of English, the dear sir, to be expected given the locale.  Well we could not understand anything....so could O not have attended to assist with the historical presentation. It was a waste of our $85 x 2......

NOT ACCEPTABLE:

* Food. I must concur with the longtime O patrons, the food does not come close to "the best at sea". I am disappointed in the selection, quality, lack of complexity, taste. The Terrace, or as a group of guests just now commented at the next table, the "terrorist cafe", has never had shrimp anywhere. The soups are watery, chicken soup was actually chicken broth, stirfries are pieces of chicken in a broth, not a sauce with no snow peas etc, small thin steaks, beef mole on Mexican night was square cubes of something in a thick brown paste 0 appeal, there are no appetizer canapés, mushy vegetables obviously from frozen, desserts are obviously mostly pre made and bland, Yes, there are the discarded cookies everywhere around the ship some with 1 bite out of them.....on a good note, the salad power bowels are 100%, excellent food and greens, I have 1 every lunch, offered in the Grand Dining room as well, good sushi, ceasar salads always well done with plenty of cheese, the fresh roasts/chicken at the Terrace are 1st class, generous pours of single servings of wine. 

* Management Approach. I have to concur with other posters, O mgmt is basically non existant to guests, if they happen to be in public areas they ignore guests. The exception is Claudio, the Hotel Mgr, who is everywhere and is friendly and always a big smile.

_____________________

While I am mostly satisfied, I reserve judgement until the end of the cruise. 

My husband and I do not plan to purchase O again given the Simply More situation - we drink little alcohol and never at lunch nor dinner as it affects sleep. We have a glass of wine around 5, so the Simply More will force us to pay for wine we will not use, unless we get it at lunch, put it in the fridge till 5. We can not consume enough wine to justify the plan.

Also, we usually plan some of our own tours, so forcing us to pay for tours is  not acceptable. 

I hope you all find this helpful.

Kindest Regards till after the cruise. We have 1 port in Greenland yet to go, 2 in Newfoundland, Halifax, Bar Harbour Maine, canal transit.

Who knows what will happen!

Stay well! 

LOVE your review so far! We board the Insignia when you  disembark in New York...This will be our first O cruise...We are very interested! I hope you are enjoying Greenland/Iceland/Canada...we did a similar cruise last year. We LOVED it..and we are Caribbean Beach devotees! Franklin is heading you way. Let's hope the seas are not too too rough!

52 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

I’ve been enjoying it very much. Don’t want to take over another’s post here, so I will post a review once the cruise is over on this forum. 

My wife and I are boarding the Insignia ( our first O cruise) when you disembark in New York....SO tell us your thoughts  NOW!! PLEASE??? 😃I hope you do not hit rough seas with Trop. Storm Franklin coming you way....

21 hours ago, QuestionEverything said:

Greetings. We are underway.

About 1/4 of the ship, guests and crew, on the starboard side affected.

They have fixed the A/C, but it took 7 hrs. It got much better when we opened the balcony door and underway. Spoke to others in my row of cabins, 7 deck A1, they are ok now.

Some bit of cool air coming through the ceiling vent, not much.

Nothing from O acknowleging the issue or apologies.

So, the immediate issue is resolved.

I thank you all for your posts and taking time from your personal life to assist others.

I will post 1/2 way through with a mid way analysis.

Good sleep everyone.

Please keep us informed...We board the Insignia to Bermuda on August 30, 2023 ( the day you disembark in new York) and have an ocean view cabin...I can not imagine being in an ocean view cabin in BERMUDA with no A/C. I'm afraid...

20 minutes ago, LSuzQ said:

Please report back on your Bermuda cruise! Doing the same in ‘24 and looking forward to hearing about your experience.

 

I shall do so..I make youtube videos of our cruises...here is my youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/existentialtraveler.  Follow me there:)

On 6/7/2023 at 12:23 PM, SATaxman said:

 

We are looking forward to our first Oceania cruise. My post regarding RCL was a response to a post regarding the difference in price with other lines. RCCL ships are tooooooooo big. We have only cruised with them as "guests" who worked hard to "earn" the trips. Although on one of the 2 RCCL cruises we paid for, we met a group of people through Cruise Critic. Spent 10 days on private excursion with the group, hung out in the concierge lounge, and really did not see the crowds until we disembarked in Rome to wait for our driver. My husband said: who are all of these people?

Hi..my wife and I are on the Marina with you in October.We have to agree..RCL  ships...especially the new ships..are just TOO.... TOO BIG, TOO MANY PASSENGERS, TOO MANY KIDS, TOO MUCH LIKE AN AMUSEMENT PARK! We had a similar experience on the Voyager of the Seas back in February...we spent a good deal of our ship time in the elite/concierge lounges. When getting off the ship to catch a cab back to the airport in San Juan, my wife asked.."Where did all these people come from?" Probably our last RCL cruise. We will be on the Insignia to Bermuda in a couple weeks...our first O cruise...only 640 to 680 passengers...CAN'T HARDLY WAIT!! See you in a couple months on the Marina!

On 6/3/2023 at 2:21 PM, danogg said:

I am interested in taking this cruise in 2025 .  The ship is the Koningsdam . Has anybody taken this cruise? Would you recommend it?

 

YES! We took a simialr cruise on the Noordam in 2022...and are curently book on the K'dam for Feb.2024.. It is an awesome cruise!! Judge for yourself...here is our youtube video of our 2022 cruise:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTY8CPGV3T9cgBKvJ04-OLyBkSLoxyRjG

2 hours ago, DOJO466 said:

While sitting at the bar in Martini’s one evening a gentleman seated at the bar asked that my husband stop talking. He said “it is not that you are loud, I just don’t like the timbre of your voice”. Hmm..okay

wow

3 hours ago, AMHuntFerry said:

(e.g., did you know that you can be held responsible fiscally if you cause the ship to leave a port late?)

I did know this🙂

18 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

18 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

It doesn't matter how "loud" or whatever a person or group is, what the venue is, or whatever else is happening there...   To have someone make a threat to "take my face off" is so far beyond any possible understanding of appropriate behavior...!??   😡

 

GC

Agreed...For most cruise lines,  there is a section in the cruise contract that states  obnoxious behavior, the use of foul language, and threatening another passenger are grounds for being thrown off the ship at the next port. Does O have this in the contract?

3 hours ago, LHT28 said:

it  depends  on how many others want a 2 top  at that time

 

I would say  in the Specialties  that is prime time  so maybe  an issue

Dinners seem to take 1.5 to 2 hrs  average so the turnover is not as fast  then

We have had 6:30 res & are still there at 8pm

 

GDR  should not be  a problem they have lots of 2 tops

JMO

Thank you!

We just booked our first  cruises on Oceania...Bermuda with the Insignia for August/September, and Greece, Croatia, Italy on the Marina for October. My one question ( for now) is: How difficult is it to get a table for TWO in the GDR and Specialties? We usually have dinner at 8PM. Thank you in advance!

19 hours ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Well, thats not gonna happen so what's the 2nd best?

I agree...unfortunately for the stateroom attendants, what is going to happen is that we will no longer give EXTRA  cash gratuities  to them, which we have always done for the past 40 years of cruising.  I know this does not affect RCI's bottom line at all, but I can not bring myself to pay even MORE for even LESS.

11 hours ago, CroozinFamily said:

Does Ft. James beach have chair rentals or somewhere to get refreshments?

Beach Limerz  rents chairs and has refreshments. Further up the beach, next to the building from where the horseback riding tours leave ,  there is a little group of stores. They also rent chairs and have water and soda, etc.