Oceania insignia need info please

[Balcony Lounger]

We have taken many cruises but never on Oceania. We are looking at a 90 day cruise on the Insignia. I was ready to buy until I read the Cruise Critic reviews. Only 53% of the passengers rated their trip as a positive experience! Carnival has better reviews than that! We took a world cruise on Princess which was about the same size ship so I was expecting this to be on par ... or based on the price, better than that. I really like their itinerary. We are pretty easy passengers. We want interesting ports, good food, a good bed and good service. I don't care about entertainment. We are readers and photographers. The size of the ship and the casual atmosphere appealed to me. I thought maybe Oceania passengers were just hypercritical but all of Oceania's other ships got a 70%-80% rating. If anyone has done an extended Princess and Insignia cruise and could compare them, that would be great. Really if anyone has taken a recent cruise on the Insignia that would be helpful. It seems like the Insignia reviews went downhill in the last year. I know Oceania was bought out but then if that were the cause, all their ships ratings should have declined. Could the fire influence people even though it has been completely refurbished? Anyway, any relevant information would be appreciated. P.S. I do know how to spell balcony ... It is a typo I don't know how to fix!

[hondorner]

As you stated, Oceania's other ships received far better ratings. Consider this -- three of the ships, Insignia, Regatta and Nautica, are so identical that old timers search for possible differences -- for example, one ship used to have chairs in the laundry room, while the other two had small sofas. The staff rotates among the ships, the food is identical, the entertainment is the same. There is no logical reason for one ship to have substantially different reviews, except itinerary -- which is not dependent on the ship.

 

In other words, it's possible more people did not like where Insignia went, and let that color their review of the entire ship. That may not be the reason, but it's the best I can come up with using logic.

 

I've sailed on Insignia twice and Regatta 3 times, and have noticed absolutely no difference between the ships, the staff, the food and the entertainment. Plus, we are booked on the entire 180 days on Insignia starting in January.

 

Yes, Oceania was "bought out" last year (it was more of a merger, as the same management company owned the majority of NCL, Oceania and Regent before the transaction), but the founder and CEO of Oceania, Frank Del Rio, is now the CEO of the entire NCL Holdings corporation. If management had gone the other way, with Kevin Sheehan still in charge, there would likely have been change. But, FDR is overall CEO and Oceania's President is Jason Montague, who has been with Oceania since the beginning in 2003. Some back office procedures have been changed (with Oceania and Regent procedures leading the way), but the shipboard experience on Oceania ships is virtually unchanged (things are different at NCL, where changes are many).

 

I think the fire has had no effect, other than the world cruisers (like me) who have had to wait another year.

 

Your self description virtually guarantees a good experience on Insignia. Take solace in the fact that for whatever reason, more Insignia passengers liked it than didn't. I don't read the reviews anymore so I can't point to any specifics, but one of the reasons I don't read them any longer is because so many are nonsensical.

[Floridiana]

I have read horrible reviews of a different ship of another line and it turned out to be just fine, not everything was perfect but none of the specific complaints were true on our cruise. Some people let one thing color their entire experience.

 

We have cruised on Princess ships, have decided not to return. The cruises were fine because of the ports, but our last Princess ship should have gone to dry dock months before the cruise.

[LHT28]

I look at the reviewer's past cruises or what line they are comparing the ship to

If they sail on a luxury line then yes Oceania will not measure up

If they sail on a larger ship with all the bells & whistles Oceania may not be for them

Since you say you were on the same size ship on Princess you have a good idea of the size & limitations of the ship

 

One thing on Oceania it is open dining ..so you will not usually sit at the same table with the same people each night (unless you choose to)

Some people do not like this & prefer the set dining times & table mates

 

I actually prefer this dining method ...of course you can choose to dine alone if you like

 

I would take a short cruise 10 days maybe & see how you like Oceania compared to your other cruises

You do not want to be stuck on a ship you hate for 90 days

 

YMMV

[Paulchili]

I am Elite on Princess - so I know Princess very well. We like them for itineraries. However, our preferred cruise line is Oceania by a huge margin.

Oceania is so much better than Princess in every way that it's hard to even express. While Princess' R ships are the same size, Oceania's R ship are so much better maintained that despite being "identical" there is no comparison between them

Chances are excellent that if you liked Princess, you'll love Oceania.

Don't let a few strangers, whose preferences you do not know, dissuade you from trying Insignia. Try it and then you will know for yourself if they were right or wrong.

PS I like Lyn's suggestion to try Insignia for a short cruise to see if you would like it for a much longer one.

Edited October 17, 2015 by Paulchili

[Balcony Lounger]

I am Elite on Princess - so I know Princess very well. We like them for itineraries. However, our preferred cruise line is Oceania by a huge margin.

Oceania is so much better than Princess in every way that it's hard to even express. While Princess' R ships are the same size, Oceania's R ship are so much better maintained that despite being "identical" there is no comparison between them

Chances are excellent that if you liked Princess, you'll love Oceania.

Don't let a few strangers, whose preferences you do not know, dissuade you from trying Insignia. Try it and then you will know for yourself if they were right or wrong.

PS I like Lyn's suggestion to try Insignia for a short cruise to see if you would like it for a much longer one.

I am feeling better already!

[piscean]

We have sailed Azamara, Regent, Crystal and others.

We tried Insignia shortly after it was returned to Oceania and it was lovely. We had a PH suite which is gorgeous although the bathroom is a not over large but perfectly OK. The food was excellent and nothing was too much trouble everyone was so friendly.

Unfortunately we can't find an itinerary that we would like but happily we are trying Nautica next........

[zoncom]

Balconey, Someone mentioned that Insignia had been sublet to that German line for a year or two and just back after refurb. Perhaps the bad reviews are from cruisers when run by other company.After Ruby my BF announced he would never cruise on Princess again due to lousy food. I see others here have same opinion. I gained 12 lbs on Insignia.I actually got tired of Lobster. Some included things I especially enjoyed were the speciality coffees, Fruit smoothies and milkshakes, automatic coffee machine in top lounge which even did Cappachinos Exotic fruits from S,Pacific in buffet..Ever changing menus, open seating, two alt. dining rooms, all included. 32oz steaks in alt.DR. I like lectures; most were good esp. the History ones. I now have 19 needlepoint kits from needlepoint class run by Claudia, our social hostess who also taught dance and exercise classes as well as solo/ single wine dinners. My roommate played Bridge about 4 hrs, daily. Same small pool as Princess. But great gym with new equipment.Excellent mix of cruisers from all over World. One scooter on whole ship. These folks were in shape .Insignia Caribbean10 niter is Jan.4,16!

[Balcony Lounger]

Thanks, good information.

[kuldalai]

Oceania is fabulous line in every regard . Best of all no wretched ships photographers . Oceania's R class boats are much better maintained than Princess remaining two . Cant wait for Ocean Princess to become Sirena with Oceania and get the long overdue update it deserves .

 

Oceania is fabulous in every regard , relax and their R class boats are just fabulous .

Edited October 18, 2015 by kuldalai

[paradiseken]

Balconeylounger, this is Ken and Sara. We were on the Pacific Princess World Cruise in 2012 (also 2010 and 2011). You are from Houston. Might this be Roberta and Dennis I am addressing? We are on the Insignia 180-day World Cruise starting this January. We love the small ships and can't wait to be on one again!

[Balcony Lounger]

Balconeylounger, this is Ken and Sara. We were on the Pacific Princess World Cruise in 2012 (also 2010 and 2011). You are from Houston. Might this be Roberta and Dennis I am addressing? We are on the Insignia 180-day World Cruise starting this January. We love the small ships and can't wait to be on one again!

It is rather amazing to be aboard that small of ship, for that long and not to have met each other ... but no, this is Sue Ann and Jim. The reason we may have missed you is because we spent the majority of our time, when not in port, on our balcony reading, editing pictures and watching the ocean go by! As my Cruise Critic name implies, I am truly a balcony lounger! I think we are leaning toward Oceania's "Ultimate Quest" 90 day cruise this time. We have not been to Russia and Iceland and feel it is a gap in our travels we want to fill. Although, I must admit I like balcony days better in the south seas. I would love to hear about your Oceania World Cruise. If you write a blog and are willing to share, I would love to read it. We are always looking for someplace new and interesting to experience.

[mediator]

My husband and I did the World Cruise 2015 on Pacific Princess.

 

We love the Itinerary on the 90 Insignia in July 2016. Like you, I was concerned about Oceania. So.... we are test cruising a 10 day on the Riviera in Decembe . Iknow that is not their R ship, but we are familiar with the size etc. . We wanted to see if the Oceania product was a good match for us. As someone so elequently

said it would be hard to do 90 days if it was not a good fit.

 

Good luck with your decision and perhaps we will meet on the Insignia.

[Balcony Lounger]

My husband and I did the World Cruise 2015 on Pacific Princess.

 

We love the Itinerary on the 90 Insignia in July 2016. Like you, I was concerned about Oceania. So.... we are test cruising a 10 day on the Riviera in Decembe . Iknow that is not their R ship, but we are familiar with the size etc. . We wanted to see if the Oceania product was a good match for us. As someone so elequently

said it would be hard to do 90 days if it was not a good fit.

 

Good luck with your decision and perhaps we will meet on the Insignia.

Do post a note and let me know what you think. I would be interested to hear about your December cruise. I too really like the itinerary of their 90 day cruise. I lived in Europe for 10 years so that made for easy travel around the continent but was I pleased to see how many of the ports of call would be new to me. Russia and Iceland were on our bucket list so it seems like a pretty good match. We have a cabin on hold and will probably make a decision this week. It may be brave/ foolish to take a 90 day cruise on a ship you have never been on before BUT nothing like the couple we met on the 120 day world cruise for whom that was their first cruise ever! Now that is brave!!

[mediator]

I will post after the 10 day cruise. With that said we had never sailed on a ship as small as Pacific Princess, but we knew the princess product. We are elite on Princess,.

 

We can hardly wait to try Oceania. We have a 5 day and a 7 day thanksgiving cruise booked on RCL to help pass the time!

[Jancruz]

I am Elite on Princess - so I know Princess very well. We like them for itineraries. However, our preferred cruise line is Oceania by a huge margin.

Oceania is so much better than Princess in every way that it's hard to even express. While Princess' R ships are the same size, Oceania's R ship are so much better maintained that despite being "identical" there is no comparison between them

Chances are excellent that if you liked Princess, you'll love Oceania.

Don't let a few strangers, whose preferences you do not know, dissuade you from trying Insignia. Try it and then you will know for yourself if they were right or wrong.

PS I like Lyn's suggestion to try Insignia for a short cruise to see if you would like it for a much longer one.

 

Paul, in speaking to a lot of our O staff who saw Princess before O bought Sirena they couldnt believe what shape she was in..for instance..the back of the two specialty restaurants where all the wonderful windows are were storerooms..it will all be changed back but it truly was in bad shape..I also am Elite on Princess but havent been on in a couple of years..actally going on my 2nd NCL in February on a family vacation and then back to O on Sirena..

Jancruz1

[PhillyGirl2]

Since we cruised R ships when it was Renaissance, we were familiar with the ship and it continued to be one of the quietest ships (staterooms) we have ever had--even the insidious flushing of toilets from adjoining cabins was more quiet. The food was good, lectures were good, shore excursions were o.k.--not great for the price--always better to try to find private excursions if you can. Many passengers on our 16 day cruise were continuing on from the 180 day cruise that had to be shortened to 90 days due to the drydocking because of the fire. No one, I spoke to had any issues, even the people who were in an inside cabin (I can't imagine for 90 days being inside). Would I cruise Oceania again, it would depend on the itinerary.

[Paulchili]

Paul, in speaking to a lot of our O staff who saw Princess before O bought Sirena they couldnt believe what shape she was in..for instance..the back of the two specialty restaurants where all the wonderful windows are were storerooms..it will all be changed back but it truly was in bad shape..I also am Elite on Princess but havent been on in a couple of years..actally going on my 2nd NCL in February on a family vacation and then back to O on Sirena..

Jancruz1

 

Jan - I know as I have cruised on all of Princess' and Oceania's R ships at one time or another and the difference is very obvious.

We are doing Princess' Japan cruises B2B as O does not offer anything like that.

I suspect they will eventually do something like that as has been the case for many other itineraries (Indian Ocean, Circumnavigation of Australia, West coast of Africa, etc) - Oceania will do the eventually if I was willing to wait long enough :D I choose not to wait as tomorrow is not guaranteed for any of us :)

Edited October 19, 2015 by Paulchili

[LHT28]

I suspect they will eventually do something like that as has been the case for many other itineraries (Indian Ocean, Circumnavigation of Australia, West coast of Africa, etc) - :)

Isn't O doing the circumnavigation in 2017 ?

[Paulchili]

Isn't O doing the circumnavigation in 2017 ?

 

Yes - they are finally doing it many years after Princess and P&O have been doing it for some time.

We did it with Princess several years ago, That was the point I was trying to make - apparently unsuccessfully :D

[LHT28]

Yes - they are finally doing it many years after Princess and P&O have been doing it for some time.

We did it with Princess several years ago, That was the point I was trying to make - apparently unsuccessfully :D

I guess ;)

[silkman]

Do post a note and let me know what you think. I would be interested to hear about your December cruise. I too really like the itinerary of their 90 day cruise. I lived in Europe for 10 years so that made for easy travel around the continent but was I pleased to see how many of the ports of call would be new to me. Russia and Iceland were on our bucket list so it seems like a pretty good match. We have a cabin on hold and will probably make a decision this week. It may be brave/ foolish to take a 90 day cruise on a ship you have never been on before BUT nothing like the couple we met on the 120 day world cruise for whom that was their first cruise ever! Now that is brave!!

 

If either of you decide to take the 90 day July 2016 Insignia cruise, I am on one leg of it ...Iceland to Stockholm, and am looking for others to join me on private excursions. My roll call is quite sparse, and I am having difficulty finding others to join. I have never had this problem previously.

 

BTW, I have been on the Insignia 3 times , and we LOVE it!

 

Richard

Edited October 19, 2015 by silkman

[Paulchili]

I am on one leg of it ...Iceland to Stockholm, and am looking for others to join me on private excursions. My roll call is quite sparse, and I am having difficulty finding others to join. I have never had this problem previously.

Richard

 

Did you check out the previous or following segments for your cruise.

Some people may be on longer segments of the world cruise and are planning trips during your segment as well on a different roll call.

Just a thought - roll calls for world cruises and their segments are sometimes a bit different from regular cruises.

[silkman]

Did you check out the previous or following segments for your cruise.

Some people may be on longer segments of the world cruise and are planning trips during your segment as well on a different roll call.

Just a thought - roll calls for world cruises and their segments are sometimes a bit different from regular cruises.

 

Thanks...I did think of that.Actually it is a 90 day cruise,and not a world cruise. The only other segment where there is a roll call is the Northern Crossing which is the 1st "segment". Most people seem to be just on that segment. There is some talk of people wanting to be part of private excursions , but no one planning anything. I guess I will post on that roll call, as I am getting somewhat frustrated.

 

Thanks again,

 

Richard

[Balcony Lounger]

We might be interested in the tours, if we go. We get 28 free tours- I am sure they are their basic ones but I was kind of waiting to see what those were before I made other plans.