“LIVE FROM” 2019 Oceania Insignia World Cruise, Jan. 11-July 11

[cbb]

  Please tell staff thank you for bringing local singers and dancers on board.  We hope they do so for ATW20!!!

 

 

[Go-Bucks!]

9 hours ago, bob brown said:

She took it all rather well, laughing hysterically....

 

Yeh, me too. After I kissed Mr. Charlie Tuna I just bowed my head, closed my eyes and accepted whatever my fate would be...but I expected he would pour the ice over my head so down my back was a shocking surprise!  It was really fun though!!  So far, this cruise has far exceeded my expectations and we've only been onboard for 2 weeks!  Living the life....🤩

Edited February 13, 2019 by Go-Bucks!

[Go-Bucks!]

5 hours ago, cbb said:

  Please tell staff thank you for bringing local singers and dancers on board.  We hope they do so for ATW20!!!

 

 

 

Princess has done this often on our cruises with them so I was so happy that O did it too.  

[Go-Bucks!]

For my fellow passengers....there is a Bible study that will meet on sea days approximately weekly. Connie and I attended today....there were 16 people there.  Unfortunately Oceania will not publish it in the Currents so it's becoming known by word of mouth and being announced at the church service. There are Bibles onboard and the leader also has printed sheets with each class passages on it.

[Go-Bucks!]

delete

Edited February 13, 2019 by Go-Bucks!

[bob brown]

7 hours ago, cbb said:

  Please tell staff thank you for bringing local singers and dancers on board.  We hope they do so for ATW20!!!

 

 

I’ll pass that on to  Leslie and Damien...

I have seen similar on previous cruise’s, but this was the best.  I was even motivated to get in on the act, when invited by the performers.😄

[Mura]

58 minutes ago, Go-Bucks! said:

For my fellow passengers....there is a Bible study that will meet on sea days approximately weekly. Connie and I attended today....there were 16 people there.  Unfortunately Oceania will not publish it in the Currents so it's becoming known by word of mouth and being announced at the church service. There are Bibles onboard and the leader also has printed sheets with each class passages on it.

Why wouldn't they announce this in Currents?  If they can mention Friends of Bill, I don't see why a Bible study group would be off limits.  It's not as if they would be forcing people to go!

 

Mura

[warburg]

Welcome to the world of PC, Mura. Anything to do with Religion is verboten.

Mary

[Go-Bucks!]

17 minutes ago, Mura said:

Why wouldn't they announce this in Currents?  If they can mention Friends of Bill, I don't see why a Bible study group would be off limits.  It's not as if they would be forcing people to go!

 

Mura

 

I totally agree with you and plan to put this on my mid-cruise comment card.

 

The leader and his wife said that he's been leading an onboard Bible study for 3 years on Oceania ships and they have been told "no" to his request for having it listed in the Currents for all their cruises.  Not sure why O won't since, as you said, the Friends of Bill, LGBT group, Jewish Sabbath service, military group, and Nondenominational church service have all been listed....good question but I don't have the answer.

[RJB]

Great pictures.  Just like when we were there a few years ago.  Nice to see again.   Really want to go back. 

[Mura]

53 minutes ago, warburg said:

Welcome to the world of PC, Mura. Anything to do with Religion is verboten.

Mary

I figured that was a good part of the reason but I'm still befuddled.  I'm not particularly religious myself although I worked in churches and temples as a singer for many years and I don't see any problem with announcing a private group meeting.  Maybe they figure if they allow one such group, they would have to allow everyone else ... scratching my head.

 

By the way, it appears my first comment was deleted and then restored.  Giving support to your theory!

 

Mura

[LinnieRed]

Hello cruisers, I am really enjoying following you along on this adventure! 

Today I received an email from Oceania for the ATW21 and we are considering our options. This would be a huge stretch for us but not unattainable.  

 

Question: current option is to pick one of the following:

70 shore excursions 

drinks package

$7000 onboard credit.

 

Where’s the smart money  in these choices? 

 

Concierge level: is it a great difference in cruise experiences? We have been on NCL, both in the Haven and in gen pop and have enjoyed both, but of course prefer the Haven amenities. Maybe Oceania is so “sophisticated” that you don’t need the concierge level (although I did see those pics of the ladies unmentionables so am rethinking the sophistication ) 😂

 

thanks for your “on the ground” feedback.

 

 

[Go-Bucks!]

53 minutes ago, LinnieRed said:

although I did see those pics of the ladies unmentionables so am rethinking the sophistication 

 

I think this was done by a small group of people...most of us had no idea it was done. I just happened to walk by once...it doesn't seem to have been up long. But I do think people need to lighten up and not insist that everything has to pass the PC police scrutiny....JMHO.

 

About amenities...we priced what private excursions in 81 ports would cost and it was astronomical (for us). The potential value of 70 ship tours is probably going to be more than $7,000 because you can book excursions priced up to $199 each. We chose that option and have a few private tours and quite a few DIY days.

[ilsun]

Hi all, we are looking for 2 to join us on private excursions - 8 hour private tour car+guide in Taipei and we have a driver to Petra and Wadi Ram, can pick a guide up in Petra. Price less then half the ship's for Teipei and even less for Petra.

Please call me/leave a message 7014.

Assaf

Edited February 14, 2019 by ilsun

[Damicom]

4 hours ago, LinnieRed said:

Hello cruisers, I am really enjoying following you along on this adventure! 

Today I received an email from Oceania for the ATW21 and we are considering our options. This would be a huge stretch for us but not unattainable.  

 

Question: current option is to pick one of the following:

70 shore excursions 

drinks package

$7000 onboard credit.

 

Where’s the smart money  in these choices? 

 

Concierge level: is it a great difference in cruise experiences? We have been on NCL, both in the Haven and in gen pop and have enjoyed both, but of course prefer the Haven amenities. Maybe Oceania is so “sophisticated” that you don’t need the concierge level (although I did see those pics of the ladies unmentionables so am rethinking the sophistication ) 😂

 

thanks for your “on the ground” feedback.

 

 

I’ve been on a number of Oceania cruises and have appreciated that the travelers have been well behaved, sophisticated, very intelligent and delightful. I was shocked and dismayed by the underwear. I’ve been on other cruise lines where I might expect that  behavior. Hopefully this was first and a last for Oceania. 

I haven’t been on the world tour but I’ve been on segments of it and will be on a 25 day segment of this one in March.  I usually book the B1 veranda category. The rooms are exactly the same as concierge. There are some amenities in concierge that might be nice. There is access to a spa deck that you would otherwise have to pay to use.  I’ve found B1 to be just fine. The Insignia does not have a Concierge Lounge like the larger Oceania ships have. There’s room service and generally all service is excellent. Insignia is a much smaller ship than NCL and is very intimate and comfortable. In March I will be at Concierge  level, only because it was all that was available when I booked. So I’ll see if the difference is worth it. We’re considering the 2021 ATW Cruise as well.

As for the options, I’m not much of a drinker so I can’t say how the drinks package would work out. I take the excursions option.  On an ATW Cruise you’ll be doing lots of excursions and they can get expensive. That would probably be the best bang for your buck.  There are also several overland excursions during the trip that, if you chose them, add some expense.

[Damicom]

10 hours ago, Mura said:

I figured that was a good part of the reason but I'm still befuddled.  I'm not particularly religious myself although I worked in churches and temples as a singer for many years and I don't see any problem with announcing a private group meeting.  Maybe they figure if they allow one such group, they would have to allow everyone else ... scratching my head.

 

By the way, it appears my first comment was deleted and then restored.  Giving support to your theory!

 

Mura

I’m guessing they won’t promote any activity that isn’t sponsored by the ship.

[Mura]

That could well be but I'm quite sure I've seen notices in Current announcing "private" meetings, but they were never religious ones.  I'm not saying it's been a frequent occurrence.

 

Mura

[bob brown]

Here’s the Currents, from February 11th.

Notice the two activities at 11:00 AM, in Martinis...

Both organized by passenger’ s...

[rigs32]

On 2/8/2019 at 8:27 AM, decafnights said:

We disembark in Rome ... Does anyone have any suggestions for something different do (we've seen the major sights) or interesting places to eat or shop? Pretty sure we will be toured out.

 

Trastevere!  It’s a beautiful cobblestone neighborhood filled with shops, bars, and restaurants.  If I ever go back, I’ll stay in that area.

 

Have dinner at an aperitivo joint.  You pay for a drink and get access to the buffet for free.  We went to Frenie e Frizzioni in Trastevere.  The buffet is from 7 to 10.  I believe I paid 6 euro for a glass of wine and my boyfriend paid 5 euro for a beer. Cocktails were slightly more.  The food was mostly vegetarian and the salads were delicious.  It can be a little tough to find as it was up a few stairs from the street, but we heard people talking above us and found it.

 

We also went to Momart for aperitivo in the NE part of the city. 10 euro got us a cocktail and a massive spread of food,

including fresh wood fired pizza, lots of veggies, and a build your own brownie sundae station.

 

if I go back to Rome, dinner will likely be at an aperitivo place every night.

[BabySis]

 This is actually quite funny! I cannot imagine after weeks on the insignia that we will be interested in all you can eat buffet. But if you’re still hungry at the end of the cruise, check these places out. 

 

Looking forward to seeing all our friends on the insignia. We will be boarding in Singapore and sailing with you to Rome… No all you can eat buffet in Rome for us. 

[LHT28]

6 hours ago, Damicom said:

I’m guessing they won’t promote any activity that isn’t sponsored by the ship.

AFAIK  they stopped putting  meetings other than Friends of Bill  in the Currents  a few years  back

Some complained about the FOD  meetings were not advertised 

The RTW  cruise may be  an exception for some events  as noted in the photo

EG: Becky's book club

 

Maybe a better option would be to have a board set up someplace  where people could ad their meetings  for those interested  in attending

especially on  a RTW cruise

JMO

[cbb]

 ATW16 people asked for a website bulletin board where we could leave notes for each other, place notices as to change of plans or hours of a tour or meet in town for lunch.  We resorted to placing 'sticky' notes on each other's doors since we didn't get one. 

 

Heck, O could even monitor it if they wished--there were no secrets or shenanigans  

 

 

[bob brown]

29 minutes ago, cbb said:

 ATW16 people asked for a website bulletin board where we could leave notes for each other, place notices as to change of plans or hours of a tour or meet in town for lunch.  We resorted to placing 'sticky' notes on each other's doors since we didn't get one. 

 

 

 

 

That is one of the purposes of this thread...as a means of communication between us, on board.

While only a fraction of passengers belong to CC, I have been recruiting people I meet, to join in and participate. 

Some were never aware of CC’s existence beforehand...

Rather than leaving sticky notes on doors, I will leave messages on cabin phones...

Edited February 14, 2019 by bob brown

[cbb]

we had problems with our cabin phones on Regatta this winter--didn't receive several messages so Reception left notes at the foot of the bed and called the electricians in to check the phones.  Wiring was gone!!!

 

but yeah, CC is a good way to stay in touch as long as other people decide not to report the messages for deletion (it has happened!)

[Mura]

I've discovered on various cruises that the vast majority of other passengers are unaware of Cruise Critic, just as they were unaware previously of Oceania's yahoo board.  Or Trip Advisor, or just about anything available online.  I would explain it to them and they expressed great interest ... but no one ever asked how to join.  (The first time I discovered this was on a Viking riverboat cruise in October 2003.  The vast majority of travelers had been just about everywhere, and most were independent travelers.  So maybe they didn't feel the need!)

 

That was many years ago and perhaps people are more aware of things computer these days.

 

But it remains a fact that the majority of cruise passengers are unaware of the benefits of Cruise Critic, Trip Advisor, and many other sites.

 

Mura