nuevowavo

Hyatt Regency last December, about $275 for a king including taxes. Nice hotel, decent little bar and restaurant, Miami Metromover right there, 5 minutes from port.

Well, if you can't afford Birkenstocks...😁

Aren't Keens like Tevas? Water shoes?

We got the streaming package on Insignia. It worked fine for YoutubeTV on our tablet (watching NFL games) but we had to use a VPN to get around the geographical restrictions.

Having our butler bring us breakfast in the PH - we hate getting dressed to go out to breakfast. And of course, pre-dinner martinis at Martinis! And we love going out to local restaurants at ports where the ship doesn't depart until late.

No bathtub, but a nice-sized shower.

We were on that cruise, PH1, with an assigned boarding time of 11:30 am. Received an email from Oceania that morning that asked everyone to wait until 2 pm to arrive at Terminal J, so we took our time, had some lunch, and showed up right at 2. As we walked into the completely full waiting area we were handed a card that put us in "Group 11". I believe it was around 3 that they announced that boarding would begin, with suite passengers to board first, so we got ready to go. But after a bit when they began boarding, they asked "Group 1" to get in line. Never mentioned cabin class again. We finally boarded around 5 pm. I don't think there was any way to get food and water for all those people, especially since the delay was a last minute thing. There was a vending machine with drinks in the waiting area. This was our first Oceania cruise, and beyond the minor inconvenience of having to wait to board (and we didn't have a seat) we enjoyed every other aspect of it thoroughly. Should we have been upset that they changed the procedure of suite passengers boarding first to first come, first served? Why let that spoil an otherwise excellent vacation?

That is most likely a blue. The NOAA page is referring to the Western Pacific stock. In Mexico you cannot fish for them commercially within 50 miles from shore. Costa Rica has banned removing them from the water, catch and release only, because of declining populations. As I said, it's not illegal for Oceania to serve them, but there are certainly better choices, in keeping with the spirit of U.S. law. And tuna tastes a whole lot better.

I wasn't on this cruise. Picked up the story on FB. I certainly would have brought it up to the chef if I was there. He was terrific on the previous cruise, where I met him.

On a recent cruise, Chef Farid on Insignia picked up some fresh marlin in Ensenada to serve at the Terrace. We were on the ship over Christmas in the Caribbean, where he did the same with yellowfin tuna. It was excellent and very popular. So why choose marlin when tuna is easily available in Mexico? Marlin populations are declining worldwide due to overfishing by non-U.S. commercial fleets, and the sale of marlin and all other billfish (other than swordfish) has been illegal in the U.S. since 2012 (except in Hawaii, which is exempt for historic cultural reasons). I understand that Oceania ships are not U.S. flagged, and this took place in Mexican waters, but shouldn't Oceania recognize that they shouldn't be promoting the consumption of endangered species? And for those who might be inclined to use the term "treehugger", I have fished recreationally for billfish for over 40 years, and have released every one I have every caught, with the exception of one striped marlin that came up dead. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/laws-and-policies/billfish-conservation-act?fbclid=IwAR2zhFMU71qooB7blpE7bP1evQTtWQI3HpYENfnpf0UmlnvLrTD_FAzN2jA

Not trying to get into an argument about the environmental impact (what I think you meant by "virtue signaling"), but the alternative is plastic water bottles. How many do you think Oceania would have to supply and then dispose of for 700-1000 passengers on a 7 to 28 day or longer cruise? But I agree that the aluminum bottles supplied are useless. We brought our own. BTW, there's a filling station in the gym, as well.

Felicia, it was great to meet you and Glen. We enjoyed our first cruise tremendously, and hope you put those couple of extra Big O points to good use! I'll be posting our impressions of Insignia shortly. Happy New Year! - Renee and David

If the sofa had been paid for but not yet delivered, absolutely. Just did that with a piece of furniture. The company canceled my purchase, refunded my money, and resold me the piece at the sale price. Some companies will just refund the difference.

The heck with an app. How about a functional corporate website? Baby steps...

You can check out the reviews for any 5 star resort or restaurant in the world, and you will find many more negative reviews than you could imagine, especially if you thought the venue deserved the excellent rating. For example, I recently stayed at a well-know hotel in Vegas for the first time. If you read the reviews on the "advisor" website, many complained about ridiculously long waits to check in or out. I was there when the place was fully booked and it took less than 10 minutes from the time I got to reception until I had my room key. That being said, I've has a few bad experiences at supposedly excellent hotels and restaurants, which I chalk up as one-off events. It's gonna happen occasionally, even at the finest places. I'm taking my first cruise on Insignia this December, and I've read the same reviews here that you have. But I can't wait to board - seems to me the if Oceania uses this ship for its Round the World cruise, it must be pretty good.