Oceania Insignia

[prairiesailor]

We are looking at a cruise on the Insignia after 5 cruises on Royal Caribbean & 10 on Celebrity-4 on "S" class ships. Would like to know what people think of this ship & cruise line compared to Celebrity & their "S" Class ships. Thanks. Alfred

[JimandStan]

We are looking at a cruise on the Insignia after 5 cruises on Royal Caribbean & 10 on Celebrity-4 on "S" class ships. Would like to know what people think of this ship & cruise line compared to Celebrity & their "S" Class ships. Thanks. Alfred

 

The Insignia has been chartered to another cruise Line for two years now, any review that you get here will be sadly out of date.

[karska]

We are booked on the Insignia this Sept. It will be refurbished and back this spring. This will be our first Oceania cruise. We're looking forward to a small ship experience. Have cruised with Princess, Celebrity, and NCL.

[LHT28]

You may not get recent reviews of the Insignia but the Regatta & Nautica are the same size & have similar experiences

Not sure what you are looking for I have not been on the 2 main stream lines mentioned but would think the size of the ships & the ambiance would be totally different than on Oceania

 

If you are more specific in your question it may help getting the answers you seek

 

JMO

 

Lyn

[hondorner]

We are looking at a cruise on the Insignia after 5 cruises on Royal Caribbean & 10 on Celebrity-4 on "S" class ships. Would like to know what people think of this ship & cruise line compared to Celebrity & their "S" Class ships. Thanks. Alfred

I've never sailed with Royal Caribbean nor on a Celebrity "S" class ship (not even sure what that is -- maybe Solstice?), but I don't need that experience to make the first comparison that comes to mind: those ships are BIG and Insignia is small. I have sailed on Celebrity Mercury and Century while they were still in the fleet, and while they were the smallest ships with Celebrity at that time, they were still more than twice the size of Insignia.

 

Solstice is more than 4 times larger (121,000 tons to 30,000) and carries more than 4 times the passengers (2850 to 684). Obviously, then, the experience on Insignia is going to be different -- but it will be up to you to determine if that difference is good or bad.

 

For most experienced Oceania cruisers, the difference is wonderful -- the ship is more intimate, one begins to recognize fellow guests almost immediately, service is fabulous, simple things like leaving the ship or tendering are much less chaotic, and the smaller ship is able to visit many more ports.

 

Economic differences abound -- while there are just two specialty restaurants, there is no additional fee to dine in them, all non-alcoholic beverages are included, airfare is included (but you can get a small credit if you book your own), many travel agents include complimentary gratuities -- and some current offers include complimentary gratuities and/or internet. On the other hand, the fares are likely to be more "pricey".

 

Oceania spends more per person for food than any other popular cruise line, and the difference is recognized by most passengers as the "best food at sea". Fellow passengers tend to be well-traveled, "been there, done that", and have little regard for formal nights, ship photographers and other things they consider nuisances on the main stream cruise lines. Dress code is definitely "country club casual" with the option of sports coats purely personal.

 

For more specific information about the ship, as others have mentioned, sister ships Nautica and Regatta are as nearly identical as possible, and information about them applies to Insignia as well. All three are going through identical refits and upgrades this Spring.

Edited February 25, 2014 by hondorner

[MVPinBoynton]

Here is a LINK to another thread on the differences from Celebrity to O. I had looked at it when I was also interested in finding out the differences. It discusses differences between both classes of O ships; but it should be the same basically. I wish I could help you more; but our first O cruise is in April. I have been on the Azamara Quest and Tahitian Princess, which are the same size as the Insignia, Nautica and Regatta. The size was quite nice and we enjoyed them. We are looking forward to enjoying O even more.

[urlaub]

I know both Nautica and S class Celebrity. You cannot compare. Just because of the very different sizes. I like both. The modern big ships with lots to do and lots of space. Insignia has the same size as Nautica and after some hours onboard you saw everything. Service ist better on Oceania but we always had also nice service onboard the big ships. Also the itineraries are very different. With the small ships you can visit smaller ports.

For my taste food is better on Oceania, but on Nautica ( Insignia) there are only 2 special restaurants, Steakhouse and Italian.

Hope this helps a little bit . You cannot do anything wrong.

[pacheco18]

I know both Nautica and S class Celebrity. You cannot compare. Just because of the very different sizes. I like both. The modern big ships with lots to do and lots of space. Insignia has the same size as Nautica and after some hours onboard you saw everything. Service ist better on Oceania but we always had also nice service onboard the big ships. Also the itineraries are very different. With the small ships you can visit smaller ports.

For my taste food is better on Oceania, but on Nautica ( Insignia) there are only 2 special restaurants, Steakhouse and Italian.

Hope this helps a little bit . You cannot do anything wrong.

 

I agree. We love the Oceania r ships but have sailed celebrity s class ships and enjoyed them. Two distinctly different experiences at very different price points

[GeorgesGal]

I agree. We love the Oceania r ships but have sailed celebrity s class ships and enjoyed them. Two distinctly different experiences at very different price points

 

I wholeheartedly agree with Pacheo. Sailed O r and o ships, X's s class, as well as AZ two ships. They all have their own place - for the Caribbean, X's s class are fun ships, but for European cruises, I really prefer the r and o ships of Oceania and the r of AZ.

 

Donna

[mskaufman]

On the big ships we rarely feel any motion. Is that the case on the smaller ships?

[LHT28]

On the big ships we rarely feel any motion. Is that the case on the smaller ships?

 

Depends on the sea conditions & your location on the ship

 

Some motion issues bother me but most of the time I never notice it

[mskaufman]

Sounds like the same as on larger ships. Sea conditions and location affect feeling motion. On ten cruises we have never had a problem. Was just wondering if feeling the motion was more likely on the smaller ships.

[orchestrapal]

Sounds like the same as on larger ships. Sea conditions and location affect feeling motion. On ten cruises we have never had a problem. Was just wondering if feeling the motion was more likely on the smaller ships.

 

We have had two horrible experiences while on the front of the R ships going in and out of Barcelona. We have since only cruised in the back, aft, cabins and feel much much less motion . We do love the smaller ships but never again in the front.

[MVPinBoynton]

We have had two horrible experiences while on the front of the R ships going in and out of Barcelona. We have since only cruised in the back, aft, cabins and feel much much less motion . We do love the smaller ships but never again in the front.

 

I couldn't agree more. We avoid the front of the ship at all costs. I have watched too many ships in rough weather with the front going up and slamming down.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Running away from a typhoon near Osaka on a 500' foot ship - really didn't matter where you were.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[mskaufman]

[ATTACH]304982[/ATTACH]

Running away from a typhoon near Osaka on a 500' foot ship - really didn't matter where you were.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Ouch

[Jasper50]

We are cruising with Oceania, Insignia on 20 June 2014. Cruised with Oceania in 2012 on the Regatta from Rome to Venice and found that to be excellent. Tried Royal Caribbean in December 2013 (South Pacific) and would go back to a smaller ship anytime. Oceania more personal, more inclusions in the overall price with excellent service.

[A Knitter]

Here is a link on The Insignia returning to O fleet.

 

 

http://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/oceania-cruises-rechristens-insignia-cruise-ship-43766

[NU/Fan]

Jasper,

We are booked on the Insignia this coming summer for 50-days. I just found out that we are only allowed two specialty restaurant reservations. Is getting into the specialty restaurants on a stand-by basis a "big deal?"

[no fuss travel]

No, make friends with the concierge and go down early in the morning daily to see if you can get extra bookings. Try the host at the door to each restaurant as well. We lucked out several times just by going and seeing the host at night to see if we could get an extra reservation.

[LHT28]

Jasper,

We are booked on the Insignia this coming summer for 50-days. I just found out that we are only allowed two specialty restaurant reservations. Is getting into the specialty restaurants on a stand-by basis a "big deal?"

 

You will probably be able get more reservation ..the World cruisers will be sick of the menu after a while unless they change them after a few months ;)

 

Just go to the Terrace podium in the mornings & ask

[roothy123]

Agree with nofuss travel's advice. We almost always cruise in inside cabins, so depending upon the length of the cruise, very often only get two reservations per cruise. My husband has successfully gotten at least one extra one using what nofuss advises. We have never really wanted more than that, as we love the food on the Terrace (including Insignia's new made to order grill) and with that and the main dining room, we are fine. There's also, of course, room service if you're looking for a change of venue! The menu is limited, but I usually order it once per cruise just for the variety - and not having to go anywhere!

 

Make your 2 alloted reservations early on the first day you can make them. Assuming you're in the last group to be able to book (inside rooms and I think many of the verandas, too, but I forget) you won't want to wait much after that. Yes, you'll get reservations, but they may not be at the best times. I go on the website pretty soon after the window opens up and have always gotten good nights and times, usually sharing a table. (If sharing, it can be a table for 4 or a table for more; just depends. If you want to dine alone, and you'll be asked that early on in the online booking process, those tables tend to go really quickly, especially on at sea days. Of course, if you like to dine really early or really late, you can probably wait much longer to book and still find plenty of openings.

Edited November 21, 2014 by roothy123

[NU/Fan]

Agree with nofuss travel's advice. We almost always cruise in inside cabins, so depending upon the length of the cruise, very often only get two reservations per cruise. My husband has successfully gotten at least one extra one using what nofuss advises. We have never really wanted more than that, as we love the food on the Terrace (including Insignia's new made to order grill) and with that and the main dining room, we are fine. There's also, of course, room service if you're looking for a change of venue! The menu is limited, but I usually order it once per cruise just for the variety - and not having to go anywhere!

 

Make your 2 alloted reservations early on the first day you can make them. Assuming you're in the last group to be able to book (inside rooms and I think many of the verandas, too, but I forget) you won't want to wait much after that. Yes, you'll get reservations, but they may not be at the best times. I go on the website pretty soon after the window opens up and have always gotten good nights and times, usually sharing a table. (If sharing, it can be a table for 4 or a table for more; just depends. If you want to dine alone, and you'll be asked that early on in the online booking process, those tables tend to go really quickly, especially on at sea days. Of course, if you like to dine really early or really late, you can probably wait much longer to book and still find plenty of openings.

Thanks Roothy123, it really is that difficult to get in on a stand-by basis? There are 650 passengers and the specialty dining rooms hold about 90. I would not have thought that it would be that difficult.

[LHT28]

Thanks Roothy123, it really is that difficult to get in on a stand-by basis? There are 650 passengers and the specialty dining rooms hold about 90. I would not have thought that it would be that difficult.

 

It is not usually difficult on longer cruises

It all depends on how many other want to eat there the same night as you

 

they usually turn over the restaurant twice in the night so that is 180 passenger out of 650 for each restaurant

 

Once is enough for me

YMMV

[NU/Fan]

Thanks!