Review--Insignia First Timer

[RetiredinPrescott]

We just returned from the Insignia (Venice to Lisbon). I am 59, wife is 52 and we took my mother who is a healthy 83. My wife and I were among the younger members of this trip.

First of all let me start by saying we loved much about the Insignia. The ship is beautiful, the cabins are nice, if a bit smaller than some other ships, and the beds are great. All three of us are prone to seasickness so I wanted cabins as close to center of gravity of ship as possible. We ended up with inside cabins, dead center of ship. We hadn't tried inside cabins before on previous cruises but didn't find them to be a detraction. November in the Med is fairly cool and I didn't see a lot of people using the balconies while at sea.

We loved the fact that this ship never seems crowded. We were always able to get tables at the Terrace Cafe (unlike on the Princess large ships), in the library and at the fitness center the equipment was usually empty. What a pleasant surprise.

I can't say enough good things about the crew. Everyone from the cabin steward through the Captain was friendly, courteous, pleasant and we got the feeling it was genuine, not forced.

Also, the food was the best I've had at sea (compared with Princess, Celebrity, HAL, Cunard QE2, etc.) The QE2 Princess Grill was a close second but the menu on Insignia was better, more varied. The two specialty restaurants were superb. The Polo grill had some of the best steaks I've had, comparable to excellent on shore restaurants. My wife comes from a traditional Italian cooking family and she pronounced the Italian food in Toscana and also in the grand dining room to be some of the best she's had and was totally shocked. Her brother owns an Italian restaurant in Napa California and she whispered to me that the food was better on the ship. That's close to Blasphemy in my wife's family.

I loved the ports and the port intensive nature of this cruise. The Insignia handled the mediterranean quite nicely although we did go through a gale the last night and all three of us did get sick for about 8 hours. Some of our fellow passengers who have sailed Oceania repeatedly said that the storm was a bad one and it almost never gets worse than what we felt the last night going to Lisbon. Winds must have been 60mph with 20 ft seas.

 

To be fair, there are a few areas where Oceania could improve. Entertainment was mediocre compared with larger ships. There were a few real bright spots like the Impreza String Quartet who played every day and they were wonderful....I even purchased their CD.

The main entertainment was spotty. Most of the singers/dancers would probably have been booted from American Idol and told to "get a job on a cruise ship". They were enthusiastic, energetic but definitely not memorable. However we didn't sign up for this cruise for the entertainment.

My biggest gripe was the Internet Service. I am an internet addict. My wife and I self-retired 7 years ago and we gave up pensions and health care to do so on our own (isn't that the good 'ol American Way?). Therefore I feel a constant need to stay in touch with investments, financial markets, etc. or I'll be greeting the rest of you at WalMart by the time I'm 70. I found the Internet access on Insignia to be very very slow (again, compared with other lines like Princess) and THREE times more expensive per minute. Yes, they do offer packages but only at a slight savings. We did try to find Internet cafes on shore but were only successful in one port due to the nature of the tours we were on. I ended up spending a couple of hundred dollars for internet access on the ship that would have cost one tenth as much at the Internet Cafe.

 

One other minor gripe was the Oceania supplied flights. We flew Phoenix, to Washington Dulles to Frankfurt to Venice to get to the ship and it took 24 hours. A terrible grind for us, especially my mother. In hindsight I should have taken the air deviation or just booked all my own flights. This is mostly my fault but you can't get flight info from Oceania until it's just about too late to change anything.

 

So what's my overall impression......I guess I'd have to say "Great" with minor reservations as outlined above. The seasickness issue of sailing on a smaller ship is personal and has nothing to do with Oceania.

 

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that the shore excursions were a mixed bag. I've been to Great Britain numerous times (where I feel quite comfortable) but not to this part of Europe. We therefore chose the Discovery package to get an overview of each port. We found the tours to be spotty with some very good and others awful. A lot depended on the particular local guide assigned to your bus. Many of the guides seemed fixated on spending most of the time detailing the history of all the local patron saints and Churches. After a while this got to be a bit overwhelming as we really wanted to see as much of the sites as possible and have time for shopping. Also, many of the tours were labeled strenuous but that didn't keep elderly passengers in walkers and some wheelchairs and scooters from signing up. Some of them then complained endlessly about the cobblestoned streets and walking distances while holding up the other 30 passengers on the tour. Again, this is my personal gripe and many of you may feel differently. I can see while some chose to sign up for small private tours but my family felt uncomfortable deviating from the ship's tours on our first visit to unfamiliar countries.

 

So, will we sail Oceania again...... you betcha, just as soon as I can bury the memory of a night of sea sickness. The plusses certainly outweigh the relatively minor gripes.

Hope some of you find this useful.

[mike35]

What a terrific, in-depth review! We've been on three Oceania cruises, with a fourth planned for next February, and your "plusses and minuses" certainly parallel ours.

 

Just curious - was Shani Reay the cruise director on your cruise? She is an incredible entertainer and a wonderful, warm person.

 

Mike

[RetiredinPrescott]

What a terrific, in-depth review! We've been on three Oceania cruises, with a fourth planned for next February, and your "plusses and minuses" certainly parallel ours.

 

Just curious - was Shani Reay the cruise director on your cruise? She is an incredible entertainer and a wonderful, warm person.

 

Mike

Mike,

The Cruise Director was Tony Scher who was called out of retirement to help improve the entertainment experience (so I was told). He was great and friendly. Shani Reay was onboard as part of his staff. I got the chance to speak with her a bit and she was very nice. She was also the best overall entertainer and quite versatile. This was Tony's farewell cruise so it's very possible that Shani will take over. The Assistant Cruise director was very young (I think in his early to mid 20s) and we didn't hear much from him.

[scdreamer]

Thanks for the review and the detailed information! My husband and I will be taking our first Oceania cruise next October (Oct 17, 2007, Athens to Venice) and we are in the same age bracket as you and your wife. We are looking forward to the port-intensive itinerary, and since we are very fit and active, we will definitely take into consideration your observations of the participants taking the ship's tours. More than likely we will either research ports and just go on our own, or hire a private guide.

 

We put up a post on the Roll Calls board for our cruise, but so far there hasn't been any response. We were hoping to possibly connect with others who might be in good physical condition and looking to share tour guides.

[curiouscat]

Thanks for the review. We have yet to try Ocenia but are getting close if we can find timing itinerary etc. We are mid 40's and still corporate slaves.

 

I just think there are trade offs for getting superior food and service with great entertainment etc.

 

I have read many times on CC about problems with Oceanias flights and advice about booking flights on your own. Our TA told us they could credit you off the sailing price if you book your own flights.....

 

CuriousCat

[shoshona2]

To scdreamer,

 

You have made a wise choice picking Oceania for your cruise in October 2007.

I'm sure you will like the staff, atmosphere, friendly people and food aboard the ship. Go to their website and order the free DVD showing the different areas of the ship. You are really early to pick up some people for your cruise. Have faith, people will start posting after the holidays. We have sailed three times on Oceania -- each time a different ship and loved our experiences aboard. We do our own tours and they have been wonderful -- no waiting for 30 people to board a bus and we have NEVER missed the ship's sailing. You can use the search mode at the top of the page to search for guides in the ports. Cruise Critic also has the "Ports Section" at the bottom of their webpage. I use it all the time to search out info.

 

By the way, we always take the air allowance offered and do our own air. We like to have control over that part of our cruise!!!

 

Happy sailing!!!

 

Sheila

[Aussie Gal]

RetiredinPrescott,

 

Thanks for writing such an in depth review. We have always wanted to try Oceania and are about to book a 35 day cruise on Nautica from Hong Kong to Athens in April, 2008.

 

We have always sailed on HAL and Princess. The last cruise was on the Veendam for 34 days in September and October this year from Vancouver through the Panama and up the Amazon. We had a great cruise but decided after that trip that we wanted to return to the smaller ships.

 

We have sailed on the Tahitian Princess and will be on the Pacific Princess in January so know the size and layout of the ship well.

 

We are looking forward to trying Oceania and also to the wonderful itinerary.

 

If you can tell us anything else about the ships please do so.

 

Jennie

[mdmourges]

Nice review RetiredinPrescott. Different question. My wife (44) and I (50) are hoping to semi retire in the 4-5 year timeframe and are looking hard at relocating to AZ. We are DC area people now. We have been to AZ a number of times, mostly Phoenix, but only for short trips staying at local resorts. How do you like it as a retirement area? We are fairly active people and enjoy going to pro sporting events, concerts, etc. Thanks.

 

Mark

[Logoladytcs]

Thanx for the great review -

 

We are going on the Insignia in April from Athens down to Rome. Have been on HAL in the past and am looking forward to this. I especially like the size of the ship - none of those floating cities for me!!

 

Barbara

[Liat]

Unrelated Comments:

Shari Reay was our Cruise Director on Insignia for our Amazon cruise from Manaus to Barbados in March 2005. We thought she was a good director, a great entertainer and, as Mike noted, a warm and friendly person. And she had all the gals on board just waiting to see each jazzy new outfit every night.

Re Prescott. We have lived in Phoenix since 1958, and have seen amazing growth in Prescott. In fact, too much, for some people. On the other hand, it is a little far away if you are heavily into symphony or other concerts, opera, ballet, major league or college sports etc. Still, it has some stuff of its own, a nice climate and a fairly relaxed pace, unlike Phoenix.

This was a good review, and we welcome you to the growing body of Oceania fans. Our next with them is on Insignia in March 2008 from Rio to Barcelona!

[laing1]

Thanks for that great review! We are first time cruisers and will be on Insignia in Oct. 7- 17th for the Barcelona to Athens cruise. I've got a question. Is the only way to take tours from the ship ( with the ship) by using the package deal? Do they separate them or again, is it all or nothing???

[LHT28]

Thanks for that great review! We are first time cruisers and will be on Insignia in Oct. 7- 17th for the Barcelona to Athens cruise. I've got a question. Is the only way to take tours from the ship ( with the ship) by using the package deal? Do they separate them or again, is it all or nothing???

 

They offer separate trips you do not need to buy the Discovery package . Just look under Destination on the O site

EG: http://www.oceaniacruises.com/T_MainContentPage.aspx?PageUID=364acc44-0314-42b8-8f11-2d80c0991b3d&DestPortUID=3f48af6f-870a-4a7d-a3c1-e53204cc83a4

Then you can also do private tours if you get a group and a private guide.

[laing1]

Thanks for the site! I'm really an organized person and wanted to arrange everything ahead of time. The problem with the site is they don't give you any prices so I don't know how much to save up for all our excursions! Is there a ball park figure people use when going on these "off ship" trips? Is $100.00 each an average price?

Obviously Rome would be more because of the distance to travel but when just planning say 5/6 hours or so off the ship (I'm afraid to venture to far for fear of the "unknown!") is that a "normal" price?

[LHT28]

Thanks for the site! I'm really an organized person and wanted to arrange everything ahead of time. The problem with the site is they don't give you any prices so I don't know how much to save up for all our excursions! Is there a ball park figure people use when going on these "off ship" trips? Is $100.00 each an average price?

Obviously Rome would be more because of the distance to travel but when just planning say 5/6 hours or so off the ship (I'm afraid to venture to far for fear of the "unknown!") is that a "normal" price?

 

You may want to ask in the yahoo group.. lots of people have "been there done that" and can give you an idea of costs of private tours.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OceanaCruiser/

Also the "Roll Call" for cruise date you can maybe share tours with others.

 

Try not to over plan and just enjoy the cruise.

[laing1]

I have never seen that Yahoo site! thanks so much. I've just signed on to that one too!!

[RetiredinPrescott]

Nice review RetiredinPrescott. Different question. My wife (44) and I (50) are hoping to semi retire in the 4-5 year timeframe and are looking hard at relocating to AZ. We are DC area people now. We have been to AZ a number of times, mostly Phoenix, but only for short trips staying at local resorts. How do you like it as a retirement area? We are fairly active people and enjoy going to pro sporting events, concerts, etc. Thanks.

 

Mark

We self retired fairly young (52 and 46) about 7 years ago. Before doing that we searched the country to find a locale with a mild 4-season climate, friendly people, low humidity, lots of trees and a laid back relaxed lifestyle. Prescott stood out in those regards. Part of Prescott is high desert but the SW side is in the Prescott National Forest with loads of tall Ponderosa Pine trees. Temperature runs about 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix at the 6000 ft level.

If you enjoy big city nightlife you probably won't like Prescott. There is some local theater and visiting Symphony Orchestra but it's a pretty quiet town. We moved here from Rochester NY and I have never regretted it.

Hope that helps you.

[mdmourges]

Thanks.

 

It does help. We are taking a "drive around" for 2 weeks in late April in the southwest and will check out Prescott.

 

Mark