Nashna

In January, Celebrity only offered Fre which is a very poor-quality non-alcoholic wine...sold in local US grocery stores for $7.99. There are so many excellent non-alcoholic wines available now that I don't understand why a better quality is not stocked. While the NA wine was always available in the restaurants, we had trouble getting non-alcoholic wine in the various bars. We are sailing on O. in January. They offer a fairly good selection along with non-alcoholic spirits.

Sailing In the Yacht Club on MSC, along with a group of twenty Jazz enthusiasts, was an experience—one man dressed in amazing-colored tuxes with shoes to match in red and yellow. (My favorite was the red velvet with the pointed toe, which reminded me of the pope's. Seriously, I have never seen such elaborate tuxes in colors and prints. The ladies wore stunning slinky gowns adorned with sparking jewelry and spiked heels. My dressiest outfit was a black jumpsuit with pearls. My husband wore his navy blue blazer with gray slacks. Fortunately, most passengers followed the country club casual dress code, and we weren't out of place. We met some passengers sailing in this group, and dressing up was a significant part of their identity. They were delightful and we looked forward to the fashion show each evening. To each their own.

Thanks for posting. We are not interested in the ship's tours and were thinking of just spending the time wandering around Torshavn. How long was the bus ride to Klaksvik?

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

We did not have an issue when we docked sailing on a 144-passenger Winstar ship. Perhaps it was because its size was comparable to a Saudi yacht.

I'm glad to hear that. While some folks might know they have COVID-19 and choose to be silent and infect others, I'm sure some reluctance to face the COVID test is a "wishing it wasn't so."

You really can't blame them. It is an amazing place to stay. I'm surprised they allow day charters and cruise ships to dock.

I wonder if St. Bart's disdain for day trippers is due to the ferry that drops off passengers from St. Martin. While researching options for St. Bart's, I was struck by the number of day sails to St. Bart's offered at very low prices. On a recent stop in St. Bart's, we rented a jeep and drove around the island. It was an enjoyable day, but we don't wish to repeat it. We had signed up for a ship's catamaran excursion. However, the local tour operator does not allow people over 70 to sail on their boats. Our best option at this point is to do as you suggested. Take a walk around Gustavia and have a nice lunch.

Check with O. Your cruise might be part of a continuation of another cruise. I just called them about the same issue. I am taking the first two segments of a six-segment cruise. O. sent me the offerings for Reykjavik from the fully extended cruise. I will call back with the excursion I want, and they will place it in my reservation.

I've sailed on Seabourn, Windstar, Azamara, and Regent. However, this is my first experience with O. Having sailed on much smaller ships than O, I believe I have a good idea of what to expect on O. I will have my phone with me most of the time on my O sailing. I use my phone to take photos, take notes (a great way to remember the names of the ship's staff and fellow passengers we meet), catch up on the latest news, and stay in touch with family. Plus, I serve in a leadership position in several organizations that might require my input while I'm traveling. If Oceania had an app, I would certainly make use of it. However, I don't think using the app should be essential to sail.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. Your answers were very helpful. We were also considering the Whale Watching in Nuuk. Since we have so many sea days, we hope to make that port. I like your suggestions on clothing. Many have said they used rain pants, but I'm not a fan. Our first segment begins in NYC and the second ends in Copenhagen. Normally, I don't stress about packing. However, the various climates in this itinerary force me to seriously consider what to pack.

We tend to sail on many different types of ships as we accompany friends and family when they cruise. Our grands prefer the larger ships, and some of our old friends can't afford the premium lines. We enjoy all different types of cruising as we love being on the sea. It will just be the two of us on our following O sailings.

We used our Celebrity apps constantly on our 2021 and 2022 sailings. Celebrity has four different GDRs, each featuring a diverse selection each night. The menus were listed, allowing you to pick a restaurant to suit your taste that evening. The app was used for everything, including registration. We were able to download our health information and arrange for specialty dining reservations on the same day. Since Celebrity had many different activities co-occurring, having them listed on the app was convenient. One night, we didn't enjoy the band that was performing, we just checked the app and went to another venue. The feature I enjoyed the most was our complete itinerary on the app. We could make and follow our schedule. Example: Monday 10:00 a.m. Lecture in lounge 12:15 pm lunch at Tosca 2:00 pm Meet & Greet lounge 4:00 pm Afternoon Tea - 5:00 pm Sunset Sail Excursion, meet at the pier. Guest could then click on the excursion information. The app was helpful on the larger Celebrity ships with its myriad offerings. Typically, at least one of us always carries our mobile phone with us so it is not inconvenient. We are 76 and 77 years old and embrace the new technology when it makes our lives easier. O. ships are not large and have fewer options than the mass market ships. Knowing how well the app can work, we would like to have one offered on O. However, it is not a deal breaker for us.

Thank you for your excellent review. You encouraged us to book the New York to Reykjavik segment as an add-on to our Reykjavik Copenhagen July 2024 cruise. Would you be so kind as to answer a few questions? Did you go off on your own in Greenland or do ship excursions? Did you find the library selections adequate? Did the library selection feature books or guides on the itinerary? Were you able to spend time on deck? What was the lowest and highest temperature you experienced on the sailing? Were there articles of clothing that you found essential for the climate? What port was the highlight of your voyage? Your observation on the makeup of the Insignia clientele was the same mix (or lack thereof) that I experienced on Seabourn and Regent. I'm sure that O. and the rest of the premium cruise lines have prioritized diversion, as expanding their base is the key to their financial success while it makes for a more inclusive clientele.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful report. I am following anxiously as we contemplate adding the New York to Reykjavík portion to our Reykjavik to Copenhagen voyage next summer. Your photos are amazing.

We are booked on the Reykjavik to Copenhagen July 2024 cruise and are considering adding the NYC to Reykjavik segment to our reservation. While reading the Insignia reviews on CC, I noticed they were very negative. Considering that folks might be more inclined to report negative experiences than positive ones, the negatives were much higher than expected. Our first O. cruise will be in January on the Vista. As the Insignia is an older ship, I expected the ambiance to be less than the Vista. The reviews mentioned poor food quality, ship condition, shore excursion options, and their fellow passengers. I would appreciate hearing impressions of Insignia from recent passengers.

Thank you for posting. We have an Insignia cruise from Reykjavik to Copenhagen booked for next year. I have just begun searching for the itinerary options. Were you able to visit all of the ports?

I've done three Regent sailings before 2018. At the time, the Regent CC posts were helpful and not at all snarky. I found the passengers to be interesting and engaged. I was still working then and liked their multiple offerings of 7-day cruises. At the time, Regent offered some excellent last-minute discounts that suited our work schedules. Now that we have the time to take longer cruises, the Regent pricing is a bit over what we wish to spend.

We had a similar experience with the CC Celebrity site. I don't mind cheerleaders, but snarky, rude comments are totally unacceptable. I wish the moderators would enforce the rules. We are going on our first O cruise in January. Our friends have been enthusiastically recommending O for years. Our b2b Celebrity cruises in January caused us to rethink our loyalty. I truly never considered the importance of food quality and selection until it was terribly off.

I had planned a trip to an AI in the DR with two other couples who have been friends for over 55 years. My husband had a medical emergency three days before the trip, and we nearly lost him. Knowing my friends are not savvy travelers, I gave them oral and written instructions along with a detailed daily itinerary with nightly dinner reservations, show dates and times, spa services, and how to reach the charter day sail. The first night's dinner was a disaster as they showed up at the elegant restaurant in Bermuda shorts. Maitre de made them change (I had listed (long pants for men) on the itinerary...which they didn't read. The resort was very large and consisted of various sections. They never visited the spa because they couldn't find it. They never saw a show because...it was next to the spa. They canceled the Day Sail because it was too confusing to leave the resort. They discovered both the spa and the theatre as they departed the resort. They now get cancel for any reason insurance when traveling with us just in case we can't make it.

So sorry...I should have typed Regent. Since I live in a community with Regency in the title...my fingers made a mistake.

I agree; we are still experiencing the fallout from Covid throughout the hospitality industry. I'm glad you are enjoying Vista, as we will sail on her in January.

Hi Sthrngary, I anticipate the voice of reason when I read one of your posts. Since we are both trying O. for the first time after disappointing sailings on our former favorite lines, we truly appreciate the advice we have received from O. passengers. I do not expect perfection. When I expected perfection, it never materialized. For years, I wanted to sail on Seabourn. When I finally got the opportunity, I was greatly disappointed. It was a pleasant sailing, but it did not live up to my expectations. We met frequent Seabourn guests on that sailing who were unhappy with the sailing, so it wasn't just me. Interestingly, I had high expectations for our Regency cruise, and they were all met. Unfortunately, their pricing in the last few years has put them out of our consideration. I'm confident we will enjoy our O. Vista cruise; I booked us on an O. Reykjavik to Copenhagen cruise next summer.

For twenty-five years, I managed a mid-sized travel agency specializing in luxury tours and cruises. I have been retired for eight years. The agency I worked for was sold to another company, no longer in business. I use a travel agency. I research, book, watch for price decreases, and plan my airline travel. I opted to go with a Virtuoso Agency as they have tremendous clout in the travel industry. When I was interviewing agencies, I was upfront about looking for perks. The current changes in the travel industry have made travel agents more valuable than ever.

I am surprised there is so little information on spending the day in St. Bart's. We visited St. Bart's on a Windstar Cruise about eight years ago. We rented a car, drove around the island, had lunch in a lovely seaside restaurant, and sat on the beach. We are visiting St. Bart's again this January. We were excited to sign up for an Oceania ship excursion for a catamaran sail to a beach. Just found out that the age limit for the tour is 70, and we are too old to go...which is rubbish as we are active adults. Looking to do a day sail excursion and have found absolutely nothing that isn't in the thousands of dollars. On other islands, we have been able to rent chairs and umbrellas and spend the day on the beach. On another site, they mentioned that beach chairs were $100.00 per person and required food and drink purchases. Has anyone done this?