wenjoyjack

Thank you fellow fishes. We do drink like fishes (how is that!) so we think the drinks package is the way to go having experienced it. Just want to know if we can suspend it while we are on the Oceania overland trip.

Yes! And I'm amazed you you have not done it, I thought you would have done everything Oceania has offered, you are the gurus!

Thanks stanandjim. It is an Oceania overland organised trip.

Can you suspend the package. We will be off the ship for four days on an overland excursion. Can we suspend and restart on return?

We were on Insignia in May and June and really loved her. The bed was amazing, the linens glorious - best bed on the ocean. Yes, the bathroom was small but how much time do you spend there? She is a mid sized ship, so, as in life which is a series of trade-offs and compromises, you have the luxury of less people to contend with, can always have a lounge by the pool, the food is fabulous and so are the staff. Insignia has a beautiful decor. You will really enjoy your cruise - wish I was aboard right now!

I think the main difference between the Prestige package and the other cheaper one is the Prestige includes alcohol throughout the day whereas the cheaper model is for dinner only - more experienced cruisers please correct me if I am wrong

The addition of the free Prestige package to our fare was a surprise - we only found out when we received our documentation. As the cruise was a segment of the RTW cruise on Insignia, I think this was one of the inducements to attract people to fill the ship.

There were very few Australian and New Zealand wines on the list. Only one Marlborough Sav Blanc which DH did his best to deplete the stock of. But there many very good wines from all over the world, especially in the red categories, which I did my best to sample. The sommelier's recommendations were always a good guide - especially the boys that hailed from Goa.

Perhaps you weren't looking hard enough....:cool:

The cruise was out of Sydney so there a lot of Aussies and Kiwis on board for whom tipping is not part of their culture due to the way wait staff is paid in our countries. No one we met on board tipped the sommeliers but we didn't meet everyone!

I am reading these comments with great interest as we are taking our first Oceania cruise in late Sept in a Vista suite on Regatta. Previous cruises have all been with lines where everything is included, so the whole beverage package and tipping thing is new to me (also, we are from Australia, where tipping is not as prevalent nor as expected as in the US).

 

AND, we are in the wine business, so we like good wine as well as a cocktail before dinner.

 

We are still trying to weigh up the prestige package: we like the idea of not being nickled and dimed for the 10 days, and that gratuities are included. We looked at the by-the-bottle package but my husband says the wines are not that great (remember, he's in the industry, not trying to show off here....).

 

We do not mind at all paying corkage.

 

I suppose my questions are, how many bottles of wine can we reasonably bring on board when we first embark? Can we then bring another couple on board from various ports?

 

When you all talk about tipping sommeliers etc, do you mean EVERY NIGHT? Every time you feel you get good service, or do most people do as the previous person mentioned, re the envelopes (which sounds better to me)?

 

Thanks, and I'm hoping the weather is not rough (Montreal to NYC) since the suite is forward...

We took our first Oceania cruise in May this year. We are Aussies and a not comfortable with the tipping situation as it is foreign to us. We had intended to purchase the Prestige package but luckily just before embarkation this was added to our cruise package along with free wifi.

We are booked on Nautica in October this year and will definitely purchase the package. Like you, we had only cruised on all inclusive cruises before with Seaborn and were not looking forward to signing for every drink. We also did our sums - we love our wine and often have a bottle between us for lunch and certainly more with dinner. I also love my cocktails and the Big O martini in Martinis bar is definitely recommended. The Big O coffee with liqueurs is also very yum. DH sticks to his love of white wine. By the time you calculate this and the gratuities, we were way ahead buying the package. Add to this the hassle free experience of just presenting your card once, it is definitely worth it. As we love our wine, we did buy some bottles on shore sometimes when we saw something special and there is no trouble bringing them on board.

We never saw anyone tipping the sommeliers and we certainly didn't. We did find some of them very, very good and communicated this in our comments and summaries of our cruise to Oceania, mentioning people who had given us great service by name. In our cruise fare all gratuities were included, so does this not mean that some part of the fare paid goes into the gratuities bucket?

We absolutely loved Oceania and I'm sure you will too. Have a great cruise!

It is NAUTICA no L.

 

Have a wonderful cruise on her.

Sorry that was a typo - of course it is Nautical!

We sailed from Sydney to Papeete (yes we were segmenters!) This was our first Oceania cruise (we were refugees from the RTW cruIse Capetown to Singapore which was cancelled - we have rebooked for October). We loved the whole cruise - it exceeded our expectations even though they had been built up by the loyal Oceania fans on CC. The food was excellent, the cruisers delightful and we found more than enough activities and entertainment on board - sometimes it's just nice to chill out and watch the world and sea slip by and there were books to read and films to watch. We thought if there is a heaven, then we would love it to be like this. The staff were amazing and service and friendliness top notch. We have only sailed Seabourn before and we considered the food superior, the relaxed atmosphere so much better and the friendliness of the cruisers we met, ate and drank with very enjoyable. We We are now really looking forward to the Nautical in October 30 plus days Yum!

We are just off a cruise on Insignia and we had the prestige wine package. Strangely, if you wish to have a glass of wine in your stateroom, they will not bring a bottle but you can order up to 4 glasses per person at one time! 8 glasses! We tried every cocktail (I think) in Martinis. We thought it a great thing as we love our wine, cocktails, special coffees and liqueurs and would not take a cruise in future without the package. Enjoy!

Thank goodness we were advised not to take this cabin. Seas were rough and the movement and banging were much much worse in this location. We met another couple who rejected it also. Just before we embarked in Sydney due to big seas, some people in this location slept in the library and Martinis. Thank you for the good advice.

We always use our excellent TA AND HAVE FOR 20 years! She gets the best prices and gives OBC. We have recently had some problems with a cruise line and our TA has sorted it all out and obtained refunds for us, complimentary drinks package and perks. She is with a big prestige agency and the cruise lines court their business. It certainly never costs us more than going direct and if you encounter any problems, she has more 'pull' in sorting them out.

Thank you so much - have booked the tickets!

As a Hobart resident and Oceania traveller I look forward to seeing Insignia in port here on 18 May. We last travelled on her in Europe last September and look forward to joining her again in July for the Montreal to London segment of the next world cruise.

 

 

 

I see that you already have the link to Hobart port details. The ship will berth at Macquarie Wharf No 2 which is almost in the city itself. Hobart receives around 40 - 50 cruise ship visits a year. Volunteers are usually in the cruise centre to assist with questions and advice. Many lines provide shuttles to the city centre, but this is hardly necessary as the walk from the wharf around the waterfront area is extremely attractive and is adjacent to the city. The area is atmospheric and historic (meaning post 1804 here which hardly qualifies compared to many other places.)

 

 

 

If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to try to answer.

We have been to Tassie a few times as our best friends lived in Devonport for many years and we love everything about it. This time we want to visit MONA as we have seen quite a bit of Hobart, Richmond etc. is this quite doable in the time we have available?

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.

Thank you - straight after I posted I found the website and the answer! Yes and I love Mr Google!

Can anyone tell me how I can find the answer to this question.

I thought all staterooms did

 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/ships/regatta/suites-staterooms/

Thanks for that link, it's certainly tells it all!

Thanks SellaVee. Really enjoying your 'live from Insignia. We are boarding in Sydney - will you still be aboard?

I seem to have read somewhere there is not one.

Is it too windy or too rough. The cabin looks larger than other B1 cabins.

Thank you so much - all that is such valuable information

So it would seem that the only advantage of A1 2 and 3 is hot breakfast in stateroom and location?

Thinking of joining the cruise in Sydney - is there room for us?