My review of 2019 ATW cruise on Insignia

[bob brown]

Just came on here to let anyone interested know that CC has posted my review....I would hope to see some more from my cruise mates....

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=661007

[palakika]

Bob...Thanks for the great review.  You did, indeed, have the cruise of a lifetime:)  I really enjoyed traveling around the world with you.  Hope you are feeling very well now.

 

Francie

[Toranut97]

Marvelous review. It just made me happy to read it!

 

Donna

[lj77346]

Thanks for reporting on your eventful world cruise.  It's great reading a review with an exceptionally happy ending. Congratulations!  Cheers!

[DeeniEncinitas]

3 hours ago, bob brown said:

Just came on here to let anyone interested know that CC has posted my review....I would hope to see some more from my cruise mates....

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=661007

WOW BOB I WAS WAITING AGAIN AND HOPING YOU WOULD GIVE YOUR OWN PERSONAL TOUCH TO YOUR CRUISE! 

Love comeS once in a life time! I know true love and I so connect to your wonderful 

magical story. I am happy that you and Betsy met and fell in love especially with what happened to you! The pictures tell a wonderful story and the one picture with Betsy on your hospital bed with her back in the photo tells all!’ I will always remember that!! I knew she loved you!!

the wedding pictures are the best!!

HAPPY HAPPY LIFE TO THE BOTH OF YOU AND HAVE A MAGICAL JOURNEY!

please keep in touch here👍

Denise😊

[GICNJC]

Great review.  May you celebrate your 10th on another ATW

[Waynetor]

Great review Bob.

 

I'm curious how long were you on the wait list for a cabin?  I tried to get an accessible cabin which my wife needs for the 2019 sailing within a half hour of booking opening - ended up on the wait list. Never got a chance to get a cabin in over a year on the list.  When the 2020  cruise opened for booking I was on the phone when the agent said the booking were just opening.   By the time he could key in the request they were all gone.  I ended up getting one as somebody did not put down their deposit.  

 

O does not have a wait list for accessible cabins, the wait list is by cabin category so if an accessible cabin becomes available it can go to someone that does not need it.

 

Getting an accessible cabin for the 2021 w/c was more of a horror story but that's for another time.

[Go-Bucks!]

6 hours ago, bob brown said:

Just came on here to let anyone interested know that CC has posted my review....I would hope to see some more from my cruise mates....

 

I'll try to if I ever get home...I have stayed for the 2 cruises after the world cruise and am waitlisted for the third!  😂

[HilsTas]

Thanks for your review Bob - and congratulations on your new life!

 

Back to the cruise, there has been an alternate view of a segment of the cruise.  https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=659177

 

I am not going to get into the details, however, we noticed similar attitudes on our B2B legs from Rome to Miami - to such an extent that we both wrote on our final comments to the Insignia that we will cancel our two reservations on legs of the next two AWDs.  

 

Hilary

 

[bob brown]

2 hours ago, Waynetor said:

Great review Bob.

 

I'm curious how long were you on the wait list for a cabin?  I tried to get an accessible cabin which my wife needs for the 2019 sailing within a half hour of booking opening - ended up on the wait list. Never got a chance to get a cabin in over a year on the list.  When the 2020  cruise opened for booking I was on the phone when the agent said the booking were just opening.   By the time he could key in the request they were all gone.  I ended up getting one as somebody did not put down their deposit.  

 

O does not have a wait list for accessible cabins, the wait list is by cabin category so if an accessible cabin becomes available it can go to someone that does not need it.

 

Getting an accessible cabin for the 2021 w/c was more of a horror story but that's for another time.

I got on the wailist about a year before departure, even putting down a deposit.   As expected, on final payment date, six months out, there were several cancellation's.  

However....I found the wailist to be very unsatisfactory....Late at night, while the 'O' office was closed, I noticed an inside cabin available.  I thought, good, that means they must have assigned me one.   Not!  When I called the office as soon as they opened, they said I had not been assigned one, and that there were still none available.   I told them the cabin number I had seen available during the night, and they put me on hold for a while, and then apologetically told me someone had already 'grabbed it'.

I asked why they didn't hold cancelled cabins, for those in order on the waitlist, and they admitted that there 'system' was not programmed that way.....they apparently only go to the waitlist if cabins remain  unsold, so not knowing that, I missed my chance to grab it when I saw it.

I aked to speak to a manager, and voiced my displeasure with their whole operation, saying how disappointed I was, and to kindly refund my deposit.

 

A couple of days later, I got a call back from the manager, telling me they found another room for me.   It turned out to be the accessible one, which I suspect they were holding the whole time, and finally decided to give it to me, to make up for not doing it the right way to begin with.   I accepted it, and told them, that if someone needed it, I would be happy to trade for a regular room, but that never happenned...

[Go-Bucks!]

57 minutes ago, HilsTas said:

Thanks for your review Bob - and congratulations on your new life!

 

Back to the cruise, there has been an alternate view of a segment of the cruise.  https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=659177

 

I am not going to get into the details, however, we noticed similar attitudes on our B2B legs from Rome to Miami - to such an extent that we both wrote on our final comments to the Insignia that we will cancel our two reservations on legs of the next two AWDs.  

 

Hilary

 

 

I am sorry that you experienced that...it's disgusting behavior for adults. I will say, though, that I met many "segmenters" during the entire cruise and enjoyed them all. One couple is back onboard now and we've been having a great time again.

 

What many of the segmenters might not know is that the cliques mentioned in that review also excluded many "worldies" also!  I did not enjoy many of the social aspects of the world cruise but loved the adventure of seeing the world! And most of the private events were small groups of people (some were a group of previous world cruisers, some were solos), not all the worldies.  I read that review and much of it was grossly exaggerated...I was personally at the "needlepoint fiasco", and while it actually happened,  it wasn't at all like it was described.  And the offenders were the new women who had just embarked and didn't know the system of how the kits were distributed...those who had done this many times knew how it went and weren't the trouble makers. There was no violence either, unless you count the lady who tore the sign up sheet and pen out of my hand!

 

Taking a world cruise is VERY different than taking a 1, 2 or 4 week vacation!!  It's like moving to a new town! You have a new home, a new street (deck), new neighbors, new restaurants, theater, doctor, church, Bible study, etc. Obviously people made new friends and often these groups of friends stuck together tightly and excluded others...but many of the excluded ones were other worldies!!  I experienced it myself and it hurt me very deeply so I know that this attitude wasn't only directed towards the segmenters. 

 

Hope your future travels will be wonderful!

 

 

[bob brown]

1 hour ago, HilsTas said:

Thanks for your review Bob - and congratulations on your new life!

 

Back to the cruise, there has been an alternate view of a segment of the cruise.  https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=659177

 

I am not going to get into the details, however, we noticed similar attitudes on our B2B legs from Rome to Miami - to such an extent that we both wrote on our final comments to the Insignia that we will cancel our two reservations on legs of the next two AWDs.  

 

Hilary

 

Thank you.   I did read those negative comments in the other review's posted, and while my view is certainly from a different perspective than those doing segments,  I think that most of the ATW passenger's, or at least many that I knew, treated segment passenger's warmly, and friendly.   I can understand resentment for being excluded from certain ATW events, but there were usually no more than one or two of those, per segment, and there were plenty of other parties that were shared by all of the guests on board.   I have never seen any instance of crew showing any preferential treatment of any passenger's over any other.

[Go-Bucks!]

9 minutes ago, bob brown said:

I got on the wailist about a year before departure, even I asked why they didn't hold cancelled cabins, for those in order on the waitlist, and they admitted that there 'system' was not programmed that way.....they apparently only go to the waitlist if cabins remain  unsold, so not knowing that, I missed my chance to grab it when I saw it.

I aked to speak to a manager, and voiced my displeasure with their whole operation

 

I also had a very negative experience with the so-called "waitlist!"

 

I was on the waitlist for 9 months for a PH cabin but had a veranda already booked. Several others posted on CC that they just booked a PH suite but O told my TA that we were still #1 on the list!  Urrrgh!  Eventually a nice couple wanted to trade rooms with me so that's how I got one.  But that waitlist is a joke!!!

[bob brown]

The reservation system, if done properly, would not put any cancelled space on a wait-listed ship back on sale, until the wait list is polled,   If the wait list is cleared, only then should unsold space go back on sale.

 

Could be programmed automatically or done manually....

 

 

Edited July 24, 2019 by bob brown

[Go-Bucks!]

8 minutes ago, bob brown said:

I have never seen any instance of crew showing any preferential treatment of any passenger's over any other.

 

I totally agree...that review did not reflect anything that I saw or heard in 6 months onboard. I'm sure the author felt that it is accurate for themselves, but a couple times they wrote "all ATW passengers" which is inaccurate because it wasn't what I did or said...never a good idea to use the words "all", "always" or "never."

[portofrome]

Thank you for your review!

[vaitape]

We swore "Never Again" after doing a segment on a ATW Southampton-MIA. Relieved to know we weren't alone in our opinion.

 

Now find we are doing another segment of a ATW Jan 2020...hope our experience is different. If not, the NEVER part stands.

[Snidjud]

With respect to the negative comments from “leggers” on world cruises, I can tell you that our experience has been very different. We were on legs of both the 2015 ATW (3 legs) and the 2017 ATW (1 leg). In both cases, we found warm welcomes from all and, unless we asked, did not know who was on for the ATW and who was on for only segments. Yes, there were special events to which we were not invited but those events did not detract from our enjoyment. In fact, compared to our other Oceania cruises (Sirena and Marina), we found the “vibe” on the Insignia during the world cruises to be very enjoyable; it seems that the Oceania staff and passengers try harder given how long everyone is going to be together. Bottom line for us - we enjoyed our experiences on the segments so much that we are now booked for the 2020 ATW. And I promise to be friendly to everyone!

[kitty9]

Similar issues have been said about world cruises on different lines.  I've heard segment cruisers complain about second class treatment on Crystal, Cunard and Regent.  I've done many segments on various world cruises on Crystal, and never felt that I was treated any differently from the full worlders.  One has to admit, those who are doing the full cruise are entitled to receive perks that segmenters don't get----I've never had a problem with that because they spend a whole lot more money than I did.  And as far as the comment that clothes were stolen from the laundry, I'm sorry, but that's impossible to believe.  Who would steal clothes from a cruise ship laundry?  If  you can afford to cruise on Oceania, you can afford your own clothes.

[clo]

On 7/23/2019 at 7:45 PM, HilsTas said:

Thanks for your review Bob - and congratulations on your new life!

 

Back to the cruise, there has been an alternate view of a segment of the cruise.  https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=659177

 

I am not going to get into the details, however, we noticed similar attitudes on our B2B legs from Rome to Miami - to such an extent that we both wrote on our final comments to the Insignia that we will cancel our two reservations on legs of the next two AWDs.  

 

Hilary

 

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  He gave enough detail that you really can't argue with it.

[clo]

On 7/23/2019 at 11:32 PM, vaitape said:

Now find we are doing another segment of a ATW Jan 2020

How does one know that?  I'd be interested as we're going Rio to Buenos Aires and I know there are other segments after ours.

[Classiccruiser777]

On 7/23/2019 at 7:45 PM, HilsTas said:

 

Back to the cruise, there has been an alternate view of a segment of the cruise.  https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=659177

 

I am not going to get into the details, however, we noticed similar attitudes on our B2B legs from Rome to Miami - to such an extent that we both wrote on our final comments to the Insignia that we will cancel our two reservations on legs of the next two AWDs.  

 

Hilary

 

 

We did the last segment of the ATW cruise, Southampton to Miami, and didn’t experience any of the behavior described in that review. We were able to get specialty restaurant reservations at early times as well as additional reservations without any difficulty.

 

We met many of the ATW passengers, including Bob and “The Beach”, and everyone was pleasant. I certainly didn’t feel there were cliques or anything resembling differential treatment by the staff/crew.

 

We enjoyed this cruise as much as our previous O cruises and booked another one while on board the beautiful, stylish Insignia. Happy cruising!

[clo]

43 minutes ago, clo said:

How does one know that?  I'd be interested as we're going Rio to Buenos Aires and I know there are other segments after ours.

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/around-the-world-cruises/miami-to-san-francisco-INS200108H/