Transatlantic on the Insignia

[CAVE MAN]

Would so value your advice on a transatlantic sailing on the Insignia. Have been on many transatlantic sailing but on much larger ships.

Many thanks!!!

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 minutes ago, CAVE MAN said:

Would so value your advice on a transatlantic sailing on the Insignia. Have been on many transatlantic sailing but on much larger ships.

Many thanks!!!

Hard to advise you without knowing your preferences, expectations, experience, etc.

That said, what you’ll find on any Oceania ship is a passenger demographic of generally well traveled folks who have worked hard for their money and seek/appreciate excellent crew and space ratios on smaller ships with many unique itineraries.

Most importantly, O food has no equal in the cruise industry.

And, yes, there’s plenty to do on the added sea days for a transoceanic cruise. (IMO, the Pacific is far more interesting than the Atlantic)

BTW, also consider what you don’t get on an O ship: nickel/dimed, phony art shows, pesky photogs, too many kids, thundering herds, self-served food....

I suggest that you peruse the various O forums here on CC where you’ll get some idea of pro/con perceptions and info about how best to assemble the elements of an O cruise (e.g., O Life choices). And do take the time to find and use a TA who knows O well and who is a member agency of O’s Connoisseurs Club or is designated an O “preferred partner.”

[Hlitner]

We have done more then 2 dozen crossings including several on smaller ships (about the size of the Insignia) although none with "O."  DW and I love TAs and Transpacifics because we truly covet lots of sea days.  While some cruisers will cruise for ports, there are many other cruisers (including me) who cruise because we love ships and the sea.  There are few things more relaxing then many sea days in a row.  We just booked a Seabourn cruise that has 9 straight sea days :).  

 

So lets be honest about big vs smaller vessels.  The big ships generally have more activities and the space for lots of events.  Smaller ships will still have busy schedules, but they must deal with the limited space.  For DW and I the activities are not very important since we are able to keep ourselves happy by just relaxing and doing a lot of reading.  I think our favorite TAs were on HAL's Prinsendam (now retired) which was about 38000 tons.  We had less then 600 passengers on those crossings which is pretty similar to what you might expect on the Insignia.  

 

Hank

[CAVE MAN]

21 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We have done more then 2 dozen crossings including several on smaller ships (about the size of the Insignia) although none with "O."  DW and I love TAs and Transpacifics because we truly covet lots of sea days.  While some cruisers will cruise for ports, there are many other cruisers (including me) who cruise because we love ships and the sea.  There are few things more relaxing then many sea days in a row.  We just booked a Seabourn cruise that has 9 straight sea days :).  

 

So lets be honest about big vs smaller vessels.  The big ships generally have more activities and the space for lots of events.  Smaller ships will still have busy schedules, but they must deal with the limited space.  For DW and I the activities are not very important since we are able to keep ourselves happy by just relaxing and doing a lot of reading.  I think our favorite TAs were on HAL's Prinsendam (now retired) which was about 38000 tons.  We had less then 600 passengers on those crossings which is pretty similar to what you might expect on the Insignia.  

 

Hank

Thank you Hank for your reply,

We are with you on loving those sea days!!!! We have been on the Insignia before and enjoyed it very much. I guess I was just wondering about how it would  feel on such a small ship going across the Atlantic. I know it probably depends so much on the weather. We just got off the Apex on the 24 (big ship) and the weather was spectacular, and the waters were so calm you hardly felt like you were on a ship. 

Nice to know that you were on a crossing on a small ship and it was one of your favorites.

 

Carlotta

[Knittingbabe]

Crossed the North Atlantic from Ireland to St Pierre and Miquelon on Insignia June 2017. At least 17-20 foot seas for 5 days!  I will not tell you it was comfortable however with waves hitting the 10th floor windows Insignia did just fine. Captain slowed the ship to a slightly lower speed for passenger comfort and we missed our covered St Pierre port which was very unfortunate but...I love this ship. We will spend 77 days crossing the Pacific next year in sister Regatta. 

[tgg]

If you're a person who is prone to motion sickness and you hit bad weather, you'll be happier on a larger ship.

[FetaCheese]

Not on O, but took a westbound TA from BCN to SJU on AZ Journey, also an R ship.  Was a fine ship to handle crossing, maybe 1 sea day was a bit rough. Seas conditions really depend on many factors.

[LHT28]

On a crossing on Marina   we were t inbetween 2 storm fronts ..it was a rough night

 

No matter what ship you are on  if King Neptune & Mother Nature are not happy  you will not be happy either 😉

 

[Norseh2o]

We look forward to 1 or 2 Transatlantic trips on Oceania every year. The Marina, November, 2021, was great with a fine crossing, of course we were so happy to be back on board an Oceania  ship. 😊 The Insignia, June-July, 2022 offered rough seas, cancelled ports, fabulous food, staff and plenty to do. We are counting the days until we board the Sirena in October for one more 2022 transatlantic trip!

[Mura]

We've done a number of Trans-Atlantics although NOT Trans-Pacifics.  It took some time but we love the sea days now.  When we were first cruising we didn't like them at all.

 

North Atlantic crossings can be more "seaworthy" than more southern ones, but I have to say that we had some of our most difficult times going from Miami to Aruba.  That was a long time ago ... and we survived. Although there was one day when I stayed in bed and even our cabin stewardess was ill as well.  (And please explain to me why no matter how I try to type our with an "O" it kept on coming out as a "Q"?  I was typing the right letter!!!)

 

Most of our TAs were on the smaller ships although we've done a couple on Marina.  Didn't notice much difference since none of these ships are really HUGE.  We were supposed to do a NY-Southampton TA in 2018 (I think it was 2018) -- we had to cancel but Lyn who was on that cruise spoke about a snowstorm ... she posted a number of photos of the pool area as I recall.

 

If you don't like sea days then don't take one of these cruises!  Then again, doing one could convert you to loving sea days as happened to us many years ago. Even on the smaller ships, there are activities planned.

 

Mura

 

[PhD-iva]

10 hours ago, Mura said:

We've done a number of Trans-Atlantics although NOT Trans-Pacifics.  It took some time but we love the sea days now.  When we were first cruising we didn't like them at all.

 

North Atlantic crossings can be more "seaworthy" than more southern ones, but I have to say that we had some of our most difficult times going from Miami to Aruba.  That was a long time ago ... and we survived. Although there was one day when I stayed in bed and even our cabin stewardess was ill as well.  (And please explain to me why no matter how I try to type our with an "O" it kept on coming out as a "Q"?  I was typing the right letter!!!)

 

Most of our TAs were on the smaller ships although we've done a couple on Marina.  Didn't notice much difference since none of these ships are really HUGE.  We were supposed to do a NY-Southampton TA in 2018 (I think it was 2018) -- we had to cancel but Lyn who was on that cruise spoke about a snowstorm ... she posted a number of photos of the pool area as I recall.

 

If you don't like sea days then don't take one of these cruises!  Then again, doing one could convert you to loving sea days as happened to us many years ago. Even on the smaller ships, there are activities planned.

 

Mura

 

I love the bridge lessons and the ample opportunity to play bridge. On the November 2021 Rome to Miami Crossing on Riviera I played lots of bridge morning and afternoon on nine of the 10 sea days. Met some great people and had a lot of fun!

[ChadnKate]

We have a TA next year on the Vista _ it's and our first. Hope for reasonable weather for our early September crossing. If not, the Oceania beds are very comfortable and their TV's now have lots of movies!

[shepherd really]

10 hours ago, Mura said:

 We were supposed to do a NY-Southampton TA in 2018 (I think it was 2018) -- we had to cancel but Lyn who was on that cruise spoke about a snowstorm ... she posted a number of photos of the pool area as I recall.

 

It was 2019, I was on that cruise too.  It was sporty one night and we ended up missing a couple of ports but in all it was an excellent trip.