Insignia review -- Iceland/Greenland/Canada

[cruisemom42]

Before I plunge into my review, let me set the stage. I've wanted to try O for a while but hadn't found the right combination of cruise, timing, and itinerary. I'm also a long-time solo cruiser and until recently, O's pricing for solos wasn't a great value proposition. But on this cruise I was in one of the designated "solo" cabins (sideways, obstructed OV). I've cruised since age 8 and with many lines (including Azamara); however not with any true luxury lines or with Viking. Finally, I really like smaller ships and have been looking for a new "home" since Voyages to Antiquity (one 350 pax ship) stopped operating.

 

The Ship:  I really liked the size and layout of Insignia. She is a well-kept ship with high end finishes evident throughout. Some of the original hard decor looks a little over-the-top "country house" today but Oceania has done a good job in giving it a more contemporary update where possible with soft furnishings. I hardly saw a nick, scratch, tear or stain anywhere. From cruising on Azamara I was somewhat familiar with the general layout. The Grand Dining Room is a pretty space and Oceania has clearly spent some $$ to dampen the sound as it remains fairly quiet even when full. (Helped by the fact that there didn't seem to be bus staff careening madly by with stacks of plates as seen on some other mass-market lines.) Lovely heavy draperies match the Versace china and the snowy white tablecloths with proper place settings and glassware reminded me of cruising a couple of decades ago.

 

The other spaces on 5th floor were equally pretty. I had to giggle when I saw that O has an upholstery and pillow fluffer who drops by on a regular rotation to ensure pillows are plump and inviting and that chairs stay in their proper places. Most of the chairs were very comfortable as well.

 

 

 

The Insignia Lounge could do with a raked floor, but with that said, most of the sight lines for shows were not bad. The specialty restaurants are well laid out and the library is amazing for the size of the ship. On this particular itinerary I didn't really utilize the pool area (the daily highs were around 55 degrees!) other than to eat at Waves a couple of times. The Horizon lounge reminds me very much of the same space on Holland America ships; this is a wonderful space that seems very necessary on ships and yet some do not have them (or only allow certain categories of passengers to access them on newer ships -- I'm looking at you, Celebrity). Having afternoon tea there is, literally, the icing on the cake -- or should I say the jam on the scone.

 

Barista's became a favorite morning haunt on sea days. The location seemed very convenient and better than having the specialty coffee kiosk in the forward-looking lounge as HAL does...

 

I'm not a gambler, so I have no idea about the casino other than to say that there is one and that it looked very clubby.

 

One other note:  I never smelled the slightest whiff of cigarette (or other) smoke at any time during my 17 days aboard.

 

The exterior of the ship looks trim and has aged well. Paint seemed fresh and I much appreciated that windows were very clean -- at least when we started the voyage. (Some heavy seas and winds we encountered tried to change that...)

 

We tendered at a number of the ports in Iceland and Greenland with few facilities and the ship tenders were handled well and professionally -- never felt unsafe. 

 

Overall I felt Insignia was a very good match for my preferences in terms of size, decor and functionality of the ship overall.

 

Cabin:  I do not spend a lot of time in my cabin other than to sleep. I prefer to be out and about the ship or on shore if docked. Having a balcony or a large room is thus not a priority. My cabin was compact but very well thought out. The bed (two twins pushed together) was extremely comfortable. The furniture (end tables, desk/vanity, stool, closet/storage doors) and fixtures were stylish and in great repair. Yes, the bathroom is small. I see no point whining about it -- we know what it is, and there's not much that can be done about it. I found the storage to be very generous, there were even a few drawers I didn't use.

 

Overall: Cabin was pleasant, quiet, functional, and I was very happy with it and with the location.

 

Food:  Where to start?  Overall I found the food to be very good. From reading posts here before sailing, I think I went in with reasonable expectations and due to that, the food often exceeded them. The bread was excellent almost everywhere, with a special callout to the croissants and the sticky buns (OMG!).  I ate the majority of my meals in the GDR because I liked the service and pacing of meals there. That included most breakfasts, more than a few lunches, and most dinners. There were a few days after we missed a port (and a container of food the chef was expecting) in Greenland where the choices seemed to narrow a bit, but at the end, they hit their stride again. Soups were good although I wasn't overly fond of the ever-present lobster bisque. Many appetizers were inventive. If being picky, salads could have been more interesting. Mains were usually quite good, I especially found it helpful to ask the wait staff if I was having difficulty choosing between a couple of options -- I felt they rarely steered me wrong. Desserts were better than on most other cruise lines I've sailed. No one warned me about the daily souffles -- really enjoyed those. Below a few photos from the penultimate dinner of the cruise: caviar served on potatoes with creme fraiche, foie gras in a rich mushroom sauce with croutons, and beef Wellington (never had such a thin slice of it in the past, but it was good nonetheless):

 

 

 

 T

 

 

The Terrace Grill seemed a bit crowded at lunch on the few times I went; possibly because of the cooler weather -- no one wanted to eat outside. They offered a few themed dinner nights (New England theme, etc) but I did not partake.

 

Waves was a bit disappointing. I tried a couple of burgers and a sandwich but didn't think they were anything spectacular. On the other hand, I believe I tried every flavor of Humphrey Slocumbe ice cream, from Secret Breakfast to Fernet Fudge. Did I mention I like ice cream? 

 

I ate at each specialty restaurant once. Polo was having an off night; they did not impress me but I'm not really a steak junky. My filet mignon seemed small, a bit dry, and came medium-well instead of the requested medium. The crab cake appetizer was unmemorable. Service was slow and not very personable. On the other hand, service at Toscana was great. Although the food is more Italian-American than Italian, I still had a very good meal there. 

 

Afternoon Tea:  A nice afternoon tea seems to have been all but abandoned on most cruise lines, so I was pleased to find Oceania still keeps up the tradition in a fine way -- in the Horizons (front-facing) lounge most days at small tables with linen and lovely china. The music provided by the string quartette makes it extra special. Trolleys are rolled around and guests are offered a selection of tea sandwiches and pastries including scones with clotted or whipped cream and jam. 

 

 

 

Room Service:  Room service is a place where mass market lines are beginning to charge. Some only provide a limited breakfast (at no cost); some charge for delivery at certain times of the day; some charge for specific items. I appreciate that Oceania doesn't do this. There is a breakfast menu and a 24-hour menu and both are free of charge to any cabin category. I used the breakfast option a few times -- there were lots of choices and food arrived hot, on time, and orders were 100% correct each time. I only used room service for one other meal (back late from an excursion and didn't want to go up to Waves) and it was also fine although the French Onion soup I ordered had no cheese topping (?).  

 

Overall:  Food options on the ship were varied and generally quite good. In my opinion, the quality of the items was at least a step above what lines like Celebrity and Holland America are offering in their main dining rooms and in terms of the ambiance of the dining experience and how they were plated and served (e.g., proper butter in proper butter dish with a butter fork), probably two steps up. I know food is subjective but I appreciate the French/Continental influence of many of the food choices. If you like plainer food, there are everyday items that can fulfill that too -- salmon, steak and chicken usually, with the occasional boeuf bourguignon. After sampling a few Asian dishes, I mostly avoided them as they lacked the level of spiciness I would expect. At the end of the day, is it the greatest meal I ever ate? No, of course not. But definitely the best food I've had on a ship since a number of years before Covid.

 

More to come tomorrow:  Entertainment, Enrichment/Activities, Excursions, Fellow Guests and Staff

 

[tropicalkerry2002]

As if I wasn't excited enough to be getting on this ship 2 weeks from today!!!! Thanks so much!!!

[FetaCheese]

@cruisemom42

Did you sample any GDR Lunch "around or taste of the world" platters? Can't remember exact name, but served on a large round platter with about 6 or 7 items.  Different country each day.  Really liked these on prior O cruises.

 

Will be on Regatta soon, port heavy.  Also enjoy being served, pacing, ambiance as you do.

 

Was GDR open on any port days?

 

Thank you for such a balanced review.

[cruisemom42]

9 minutes ago, FetaCheese said:

@cruisemom42

Did you sample any GDR Lunch "around or taste of the world" platters? Can't remember exact name, but served on a large round platter with about 6 or 7 items.  Different country each day.  Really liked these on prior O cruises.

 

Will be on Regatta soon, port heavy.  Also enjoy being served, pacing, ambiance as you do.

 

Was GDR open on any port days?

 

Thank you for such a balanced review.

 

I'm happy to say that the GDR was open on about half of our port days. I'm not sure if it was a specific decision due to the nature of our particular cruise (smaller ports often meant many were done exploring and back to the ship by lunchtime; also very few places to eat in some ports, e.g., in Greenland). Either way, it made me happy.

 

They did have the platters you mentioned. I never tried them because the menu description said that it was served for two as a taster or for one as an entree and it just seemed like a lot of food at lunchtime for one person. They did sound interesting though. Perhaps if I'd seen someone mention them ahead of time here I'd have been more likely to give it a try.

 

[PhD-iva]

Thank you so much for your detailed review. I also cruise solo on Oceania, and I really enjoy the experience. Did you partake in any solo get togethers? I had a great time on Riviera and Sirena since Covid.

Thx again!

[rxlowry]

Great review so far!  With one week to go until I board Insignia, this is perfect!  Thanks for sharing!

[cruisemom42]

10 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

Thank you so much for your detailed review. I also cruise solo on Oceania, and I really enjoy the experience. Did you partake in any solo get togethers? I had a great time on Riviera and Sirena since Covid.

Thx again!

 

Thanks; working on the second part and I'll cover some of that. 😄

[LabMom57]

Great review so far @cruisemom42. I'm glad you enjoyed your trip. I can't wait for our Insignia sailing in December!

[cruisemom42]

Insignia Review Part Deux

 

Entertainment (Evening):  Oceania isn't a hotbed of entertainment and wisely doesn't try to compete with mass market lines here. If entertainment is a major reason for cruising, I would suggest Oceania might not be the line for you. Vegas-style shows or off-Broadway productions aren't a big draw for me, so I was (mostly) happy with the options. I just enjoy having something to watch/listen to in the evenings after dinner. Insignia featured one "main" evening entertainment option at 9:30 nightly. (No repeat.)  These offerings varied from "fairly good and entertaining", such as the two British singers, man and wife, who put on both separate and joint shows, to the frankly pretty cringey, such as the magician who did two shows. There were several shows featuring the ship's own cast but fewer than I would've anticipated during the 17-day cruise. The performers were backed by a talented Insignia band.

 

Other low-key but successful entertainments included the bar pianist (excellent at what he does) and the classical string quartet who played -- in addition to afternoon tea -- on the main deck (5th floor) area near the shops several times nightly. 

 

As a first timer, I was invited to the general "Welcome aboard" party, which includes a generous 2-hour period of free drinks at most of the ship's bars. There was also a newcomer's party on a different night and I was aware of various repeaters' functions being held at different times. 

 

Late night entertainment mostly takes place in Horizons lounge after the main show. Not a huge amount of participation but each night did have a theme such as Latin night, 70s night, and of course the much-beloved seventh annual "Nuuk night" event (in honor of the one port call we didn't make, ironically) on which our intrepid cruise director, Ray Carr, dressed up as a beaver and Nuukies were enjoyed. (Don't ask!). Following the late night featured event, there was continuing music/DJ in the same location.

 

On two nights, instead of live entertainment, a movie was shown in the Insignia Lounge -- once due to very rough seas and on the last evening.

 

As mentioned above, I don't gamble, but the casino was open each night.

 

Overall:  Entertainment was about what I expected on a ship the size of Insignia, but with bonus points for the excellent music provided by the string quartet, pianist and other musicians. IMO my previous Azamara experience had higher quality guest performers.

 

Enrichment/Daytime Activities:  My Insignia cruise featured a number of sea days, and I was especially curious to see how Oceania would handle these days. Those who've read my posts may know I am a big fan of enrichment activities that are more in-depth than basic -- one of the things that has made my previous VTA experience hard to replicate. 

 

On sea days there were often two lectures each day. The cruise featured two lecturers; one of which provided most of the information relevant to the ports visited and one who provides a series of presentations and activities on photography, very relevant for this cruise which had many opportunities for outstanding natural photography in the ports visited. I was not impressed at all by the port lecturer, who mostly read his presentations from slides and rarely went beyond the very basic information that I would think the average "O" passengers would have already sussed prior to the cruise. The photography expert, on the other hand, was quite good and gave a lot of practical advice and info.

 

Other activities held regularly on sea days included a group that met to do needlepoint, daily trivia competitions and brainteasers, Bingo, various casino & spa offerings, etc. At the beginning of the cruise various meet-ups were advertised -- e.g., for solos, for LGBTQIA -- and I know for solos in particular there were other scheduled meet-ups and activities during the cruise and a solo table at dinner for those interested. To answer an earlier question, I didn't participate in these activities as I have a strong contrarian streak that makes me rebel against the idea that I am only compatible with other solos. I prefer to just make organic connections with others throughout the cruise.

 

Special presentations included a cooking demonstration by Executive Chef Farid Oudir in which he both cooked and answered a number of audience questions. Also a future cruise presentation which, as a relative O newbie, I found interesting.

 

I know there were some activities like ping-pong and pickleball offered, but did not participate in any. There were also for-pay activities such as various wine, whiskey and cocktail tastings.

 

Of note: daily crosswords, sudoku, and Mensa challenges were available near the main desk. 

 

Overall:  All the offerings were pretty standard. Not very many active events relative to some other lines, but in fairness the weather conditions outdoors when at sea were often not conducive. The fit for me was not as great as I might've liked. On a premium line I had hopes of better quality lecturers and perhaps activities like a book club. I also had expectations of cooking classes and art activities that are apparently not featured on the smaller ships. No line comes close to VTA for me, although I've heard Cunard has better than average offerings. I might avoid a cruise with so many sea days on Oceania going forward -- or at least on the smaller ships -- but most passengers seemed happy to find a comfortable seat with a book, ereader or phone and while away the hours.

 

Excursions:  Itinerary is often mentioned by O regulars as a key reason for liking the line. The happy news to most O regulars might be that on our ship there did not appear to be any shortened hours ashore. We did have to skip one port, but it was quite clear that weather was the reason for not stopping in Nuuk -- it was mentioned later by the Executive Chef that they were expecting to re-supply there and were missing some key food items due to the cancellation, so I don't think there was any ulterior motive. Happily, Oceania automatically refunded the amount I paid for the tour scheduled for this port and did not upcharge me for the remaining tours (as I now had fewer than required for the discount). I appreciated the ease of this.

 

Despite being a savvy traveler who often does things on my own in port, I found these ports challenging to plan for given limited infrastructure and tourism resources. There were only so many English-speaking guides and tourist boats in places like Gründerfjorder Iceland and Qaqortoq Greenland. Because of this, I did my homework and scheduled just enough Oceania tours to get my 25% discount. Overall the tours ran fairly to plan for the ones I selected, although I did hear a fair amount of talk about some tours that were more active than the description would lead one to think. The ports are access points to various natural wonders and on different tours I saw volcanoes, glaciers, wildlife, small charming ports, and historic Viking sites. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    I booked this cruise a long time in advance as it had just the itinerary I wanted, and watched the offered tours assiduously, as I was particularly wanting to ensure that I could get to L'Anse aux Meadows (the only North American Viking site) from St. Anthony, Newfoundland. Oceania never posted a tour here until very shortly before boarding, so I managed to locate one of the two local taxis in town and reserve a ride. The O tour used school buses and was the same length -- however instead of the approximately $90 I paid, O was charging $279. Take from it what you will; they still filled three busloads. 

 

Overall:  I always do a lot of research on ports and sites I'll be visiting and I think I made good choices overall for when to DIY and when to take a ship tour. Oceania excursions are expensive, more so than most other lines I've sailed with. After putting in a fair amount of time learning about the various options, I feel a little annoyed that O has now changed the game with the new "Simply More" -- remains to be seen how this will impact my willingness to book other itineraries as I more typically take fewer ship excursions than I did on this particular cruise.  I also think it's strange that Oceania did not offer any excursions to the one real "not to be missed" sight in St. Anthony until practically the last minute -- someone dropped the ball. 

 

One other small quibble is that the cruise director in particular, while I came to like him, started off on the wrong foot with me for his frequent put-downs of the various smaller Iceland and Greenland ports. Yes, I understand these ports are NOT major tourist draws, but there is a reason those of us on the cruise booked it -- because we are interested in seeing them. I understand keeping expectations reasonable, but there is a fine line between that and making fun of or not taking seriously the interests of your passengers!

 

Last and Final Installment to come with thoughts on fellow passengers, staff, and some miscellaneous wrap-ups. Oh, and how could I forget to say something about wine?

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by cruisemom42

[cruisemom42]

I just realized that I left out something above in terms of daily activities:

 

For bridge players, there seemed to be a lively bridge program offered for at least two levels (beginner and intermediate) daily on sea days. 

[Hanoj]

27 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Excursions: 

I also think it's strange that Oceania did not offer any excursions to the one real "not to be missed" sight in St. Anthony until practically the last minute -- someone dropped the ball. 

 

In fairness, perhaps “the ball” was not fully in play. This is a plausible explanation for smaller, less traveled ports especially after the shutdowns. Oceania may not have been able to contract with a provider (sounds like they may have gotten creative with the school bus excursion you described) until very late. 

 

We had a similar situation for Waterford, Ireland last week. The Waterford On Your Own was never offered until on the ship and there were three large coaches used. I was happy this was offered since getting to Waterford since a long time coach service serving Dunmore East (where Vista anchored) and Waterford ceased business in October 2022 has become increasingly challenging as taxi services are not consistently available. Cruise itineraries are scheduled well in advance and when operators are not available once the ships visit certain ports, this has to cause havoc for Destination Services.

 

I would like more transparency in communications from cruise lines about this. From what I read, this is not a challenge unique to Oceania. 

[LHT28]

Did you see any Ice bergs  near st  Anthony's NFLD ?

 

[Nashna]

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.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Did you see any Ice bergs  near st  Anthony's NFLD ?

 

 

I don't recall that there were any that were extremely close to St. Anthony, but I think we did see some sailing while cruising the Labrador Sea, from Qaqortoq to St. Anthony.

 

I saw the most icebergs near the entrance to Prince Christian Sound, near Nanortalik and near Qaqortoq. 

 

 

In case you wondered how close they are to ship:

 

 

We also saw some fantastic glaciers between the scenic cruising in Prince Christian's Sound and the bonus cruising we enjoyed on the day we couldn't make Nuuk, which took us into another gorgeous fjord.

 

 

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by cruisemom42

[Jancruz]

17 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

@cruisemom42

Did you sample any GDR Lunch "around or taste of the world" platters? Can't remember exact name, but served on a large round platter with about 6 or 7 items.  Different country each day.  Really liked these on prior O cruises.

 

Will be on Regatta soon, port heavy.  Also enjoy being served, pacing, ambiance as you do.

 

Was GDR open on any port days?

 

Thank you for such a balanced review.

Feta thats my favorite lunch Just a few I dont eat..

Jancruz1

[cruisemom42]

Insignia Review -- Part Three

 

All good things come in three's I'm told, so this will be my last installment, although I'm happy to answer any questions if I can.

 

Fellow Passengers:  No getting around the fact that my fellow passengers were definitely on the older side. This was not unexpected from both the reputation of Oceania and also the fact that this 17-day cruise is probably one that's going to attract mostly retirees (due to the length) and those who are well-traveled and looking for something different (due to the itinerary). As a solo traveler, I talked with a lot of people over the course of the voyage and found the majority were Oceania repeaters, although there was a substantial minority of new cruisers. Most were friendly, welcoming, and were interesting conversationalists although I did run across a small minority who seemed on the verge of not being able to cope with the rigors and inconveniences of travel much longer. 

 

I'm going to say this next as delicately as I can: I noticed a real lack of diversity in the passenger base on this cruise. Very few passengers that I saw who were not white upper-middle class couples or solos. It was just a tiny bit off-putting for someone who resides in a very diverse area. I know cruising in general isn't the most diverse, but this O cruise was probably the most homogenous I recall.  

 

The "country club casual" dress code was adhered to by most; I certainly didn't notice any egregious offenders. While I am past the stage of wanting to dress up formally for evenings, it was nice to see most making an effort to not just skate by.

 

Staff and Crew:  Perhaps because I've been reading the Oceania boards for while before my cruise, I had developed a feeling that service on O was perhaps a bit less personal than some other lines that pride themselves on having a warm and friendly crew (e.g., Holland America) or visible staff & officers (e.g., Celebrity). I was actually pleasantly surprised with what I found: service was professional everywhere but also friendly. Within a day or two, servers and others that I interacted with regularly knew my name and preferences. Every question I had was answered politely and any small issue was dealt with quickly, including interactions with the shore excursions and main desks. I'm a fan of the kind of friendly, professional service provided -- I don't need or want crew members to be my new best friends, just to do their jobs well and with a smile, and that's what I observed.  (I will also add that crew members were very good with those passengers who needed a little extra assistance, such as those using scooters or walkers.)

 

The cruise director, as I mentioned earlier, was Ray Carr. I didn't immediately love Ray, but his delivery grew on me. The entertainment and activities staff isn't large but do a lot. As I mentioned, I expected to see at least another performance or two from the production company and felt they might have been a little underutilized on this voyage.

 

Finally -- and I'm not quite sure where to direct this praise -- but I was very impressed with whoever put this particular itinerary together initially. It can't be easy managing some of these small ports with little infrastructure and few port/tendering facilities to speak of such that we did not often find ourselves struggling to compete with larger ships for resources. Also, there were several "scenic cruising" opportunities such as the Prince Christian Sound and the Cape Cod Canal that were offered during prime daylight hours -- not always the case on other cruise lines I've been on that will highlight a particular transit, only to have it scheduled at 5:00 am!  The navigational team were also able to "zag" very quickly when Nuuk was canceled by providing another day of beautiful scenic fjord cruising that also got us away from the stormy seas.

 

Wine:  I spent a fair amount of time prior to my cruise figuring out all of Oceania's various choices (now sadly out the window with the introduction of Simply More) including options for wine and alcohol. Oceania has a generous bring-aboard policy that I might otherwise have taken advantage of, but leaving from Iceland -- one of the most expensive places to purchase wine -- I decided I would just keep the option of the basic beverage package that enabled me to order beer or wines by the glass at lunch and dinner. This proved a good option for me. The choice of wines by the glass, while it's not going to win awards, is better than that offered on mass market lines by a long shot in my experience. I appreciated that wine stewards in the GDR seemed to understand that I wasn't necessarily going to stick with the same wine throughout the meal and a few times were helpful with suggestions based on what was available. I may be wrong on this, but it seemed that on some nights additional wine by the glass was available (when it was featured in the menu pairings) -- at any rate, I felt I had enough variety to satisfy me. Once or twice I had to wait a bit longer for a wine switch or refill than was acceptable, but mostly service was frequent and pours were adequate.  It was certainly much better than on HAL where there are no longer wine stewards and if you order a wine by the glass it arrives at your table via your assistant waiter in a tiny carafe with a pre-measure pour -- you never even get to see whether the bottle it came from matches what you ordered, let alone taste it. 🤦‍♀️

 

Miscellaneous:

 

-- Laundry:  Insignia has a free laundromat onboard, which is nice for longer trips. They also have regular laundering available for a price. I was pleased to find out that they DO offer laundry specials during the cruise -- on our cruise there were 4-5 days where you could get 20 pieces of clothing laundered for $24.95. I hate hanging around in a launderette during vacation, so this was perfect for me to get several items I couldn't hand-wash easily taken care of.

 

 

 

-- Water:  Oceania offers Vero Water (still or sparkling) throughout the ship including in the dining rooms, in cabin, etc. Each passenger is provided with a complimentary metal water bottle, and there are refill stations located in several places around the ship. Personally I found these water bottles to be overly large and clunky, and I don't normally carry one around the ship anyway. For shore excursions I had a small collapsible bottle that I travel with and I just used it instead. However, it's a nice touch.

 

 

 

 

 -- In-cabin Amenities: Cabins come with plush white robes, slippers, a safe, a large golf umbrella, and a bedside clock. There is also a high-power hair dryer tucked away in a drawer, but no magnification mirror for make-up application. Bathrooms have Bulgari toiletries (individual bottles and solid soaps -- no large wall pumps. There is a built-in night-light in the bathroom. Bathrooms have shelving and medicine cabinets as well as some storage under the sink. Showers have glass doors (but, as we all know, are tiny.) I particularly liked and appreciated the fluffy and VERY white towels that showed no wear and tear from endless washes like some I've seen on other lines.

 

 

 

-- Internet:  I had the basic included Internet package (which is for one device at a time but I gather that is changing). Given where we were cruising, I was not expecting the connectivity to be as good as it was, most of the time. I could IM, check emails, browse websites and make wifi calls, which was basically all I needed on this trip. Oceania doesn't have an app, which -- after using it on both Celebrity and HAL, I kind of missed.

 

So: Is Oceania for Me?

I disembarked Insignia very happy with my experience, but I am not sure I would say that O is my new "home". Most things were a good fit for my requirements, ESPECIALLY the ship itself, a lovely small vessel that I could be perfectly happy on for longer cruises. The food more than lived up to my (prepared) expectations.

 

However, the kind of (perhaps nerdy) enrichment that I like was not really in evidence, and while the passengers were mostly very well traveled, I did not find many with the kind of travel wanderlust I have that supersedes most other topics of conversation. Truthfully, I would like a bit more in the area of activities/entertainment on cruises much longer than this one.

 

But Oceania will very definitely be in the mix, as long as I can find cruises that fit my itinerary and budget requirements. In fact, I've already booked another O cruise, also on Insignia. 😁

 

Thanks to those of you who helped answer my pre-cruise questions and thanks to those onboard who made it a great experience. IMO, the ONLY way to see Greenland is on a SMALL ship!

 

 

 

Edited September 1, 2023 by cruisemom42

[LHT28]

24 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

I'm going to say this next as delicately as I can: I noticed a real lack of diversity in the passenger base on this cruise. Very few passengers that I saw who were not white upper-middle class couples or solos. It was just a tiny bit off-putting for someone who resides in a very diverse area. I know cruising in general isn't the most diverse, but this O cruise was probably the most homogenous I recall.  

 

 

I really do not understand your comments

People  will choose  a cruise that suits  their  wants/ needs /budget  

 

Unless you are implying some sort of conspiracy  by the cruise line??

 

[cruisemom42]

8 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I really do not understand your comments

People  will choose  a cruise that suits  their  wants/ needs /budget  

 

Unless you are implying some sort of conspiracy  by the cruise line??

 

 

I didn't mean anything other than what I said. It was just an observation and to me seemed a little surreal. I thought it might be a heads up to others on what to expect.

 

[jonthomas]

To get back to the itinerary of this cruise.

 

It is amazing, just wish it was offered in May and September. We are otherwise busy in the summers.

 

Iceland and Greenland are on our bucket list, but because the optimum temperatures are in the summer months , we are not able to do it.

 

Same with Alaska, although we are going next week. A bit colder is ok with us. 

[BermudaBound2014]

Excellent comprehensive review. Well written. Thank you.

[HappyInVan]

Very interesting. Might try Oceania after all.

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 I thought it might be a heads up to others on what to expect.

 

Each sailing can be different  in the  demographics

Even on B2B   each segment was a different vibe than the other

 

 We have sailed with  pax from 1 to 90+ yrs old

All shapes & sizes

all Nationalities  & colours

No cruise  was the same as another sailing 

JMO

 

 

[QuestionEverything]

Thanks OP.

I was on the same voyage.

I share much of your analysis.

I am doing a review shortly. 

My concern was the degradation of the food quality.

Regards.

[jonthomas]

5 minutes ago, QuestionEverything said:

Thanks OP.

I was on the same voyage.

I share much of your analysis.

I am doing a review shortly. 

My concern was the degradation of the food quality.

Regards.

Now THAT is important to us. Food IS the main reason we sail O.

[LabMom57]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

But Oceania will very definitely be in the mix, as long as I can find cruises that fit my itinerary and budget requirements. In fact, I've already booked another O cruise, also on Insignia. 😁

 

Thanks to those of you who helped answer my pre-cruise questions and thanks to those onboard who made it a great experience. IMO, the ONLY way to see Greenland is on a SMALL ship! 

 

 

Thank you for your honest and balanced review. We are on the Insignia in December and I am more excited after your posts. In fact, I would love to do a similar trip to the one you did and may do so in the future.

 

One note I have for your future reference on Oceania's ships is that you would also enjoy the other R-class ships. We have sailed on the Regatta and Sirena and (other than the tiny bathroom!) enjoyed the experience very much. 

 

Like you, we do not have a favorite line anymore and cruise based on the itinerary and price/value/experience. I'm glad you enjoyed the experience.