Live Bermuda Bliss Insignia September 20-27th

[seachelt]

Happy 10th ladies, nice milestone! We are also onboard Insignia now, and 100% agree about the food. We’re very disappointed with the soups and sauces, thin and bland. Bread excellent, breakfast at the Terrace is varied and tasty. This is our fourth Oceania cruise, food on the other 3 was superb. This cruise is a long way from the finest cuisine at sea.🙁 Insignia is our first small ship and we like it despite the tiny shower.

Take care and happy trails.

seachelt

[calicakes]

Today has been a low key day.  We both took in a bit too much sun yesterday so we decided to stay onboard.  Julie was also concerned about the bus schedule on Sunday.  She didn't want us to be sitting at a bus stop in the hot sun for an hour if we had missed the previous bus.  I walked the track for 30 min after breakfast( oatmeal).   We sat by the pool in the shade, then had lunch at the buffet.  

 

The turkey burger was on the menu, it was a "Bombay spiced" burger.  We shared that and it was quite good.  Not dry at all, unlike the horrible turkey burgers at the Mast Grill on X.   

 

Julie is going to get a massage( we had 600 OBC to burn), a portion of that went to the gratuities, another portion to upgraded internet.   I've been waiting to see some SPA specials, but they haven't offered any.  A 50 minute Swedish is 200.00.  Plus a 20 percent gratuity.  Extremely overpriced, but there is nothing else we can really spend $$ on.  We'll have about 30 bucks left so maybe will pick up some sunscreen( some of them are marked down) at the gift shop when it opens.   We also have 125 in refundable OBC.  

 

Tonight we'll go to the cocktail party and then we have reservations in Pollo Grill.  The buffet is having a British Bermuda special menu.  

[calicakes]

6 minutes ago, seachelt said:

Happy 10th ladies, nice milestone! We are also onboard Insignia now, and 100% agree about the food. We’re very disappointed with the soups and sauces, thin and bland. Bread excellent, breakfast at the Terrace is varied and tasty. This is our fourth Oceania cruise, food on the other 3 was superb. This cruise is a long way from the finest cuisine at sea.🙁 Insignia is our first small ship and we like it despite the tiny shower.

Take care and happy trails.

seachelt

Thank you.  Where have you been eating? 

[calicakes]

Yesterday, I wanted to get a pair of shoes that I saw in town on our way to the bus station.  I thought I'd go on the way back, however, the driver let us out at the ship, so we didn't walk down hill past the store.  I thought the price was a "deal", since there was no tax.  I found the shoes on Zappo's for a few bucks less ( tax included).   I see one restaurant that is open, but it doesn't seem like there are a lot of stores open today.  

[seachelt]

57 minutes ago, calicakes said:

Thank you.  Where have you been eating? 

We have eaten at Polo, Toscana, MDR, Terrace. Waves for Humphrey Slocum…it is delicious! Afternoon tea was also very nice but we only went once.

seachelt

[calicakes]

Dinner in Polo. I sure wish this ship had red ginger.  This meal was a lot of missus. The soup was bland, had no discernible clam flavor. Lobster was bland. Overcooked. Onion rings were swimming in grease. My wife's filet was like shoe leather.  We passed on dessert.

[takemewithyou]

3 hours ago, calicakes said:

Dinner in Polo. I sure wish this ship had red ginger.  This meal was a lot of missus. The soup was bland, had no discernible clam flavor. Lobster was bland. Overcooked. Onion rings were swimming in grease. My wife's filet was like shoe leather.  We passed on dessert.

I see lobster shell.  Where is the lobster?  Is this how it was presented or after you ate?  getting concerned! 

[calicakes]

@takemewithyou

 

I ordered the lobster gratined? It was split open with breadcrumbs, herbs and garlic.  It could also be ordered steamed.  The server came over and removed the shell after it was presented.  He had a very difficult time getting it out of the shell.  LOL.  He was trying for about 5 minutes.  I almost said " Just let me do it", but I did not.  

 

The crab cake is supposed to be lump crab.  It was not. It was tiny little shreds of crab. 

[ToxM]

As I said earlier i am sorry you are having an unfortunate time with the food. I hope you have or will mention something on the midcruise comment card. 

[takemewithyou]

4 hours ago, calicakes said:

@takemewithyou

 

I ordered the lobster gratined? It was split open with breadcrumbs, herbs and garlic.  It could also be ordered steamed.  The server came over and removed the shell after it was presented.  He had a very difficult time getting it out of the shell.  LOL.  He was trying for about 5 minutes.  I almost said " Just let me do it", but I did not.  

 

The crab cake is supposed to be lump crab.  It was not. It was tiny little shreds of crab. 

Note to Self…….Maybe it would be better to just order the steamed lobster.

[JFontaine]

26 minutes ago, takemewithyou said:

Note to Self…….Maybe it would be better to just order the steamed lobster.

They call it Maine lobster, but it tastes nothing like Maine lobster that we are familiar with (summers in Kennebunk for 40 years) - even steamed.  And it's not the full lobster.  If you want good lobster, order from a Maine lobster company for next day delivery.  

[Charles4515]

On 9/23/2023 at 10:57 AM, LHT28 said:

There are some nice shops  at Royal Dockyard    if you  want a bit of  a change

we took the ferry from Hamilton over  for a few hours

 

Better shops in Hamilton. The Dockyard is a tourist trap geared to cruise passengers and there will be 6000 so there. 

[LHT28]

23 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Better shops in Hamilton. The Dockyard is a tourist trap geared to cruise passengers and there will be 6000 so there. 

Well this tourist  enjoyed looking  in the shops 👍

 

[takemewithyou]

45 minutes ago, JFontaine said:

They call it Maine lobster, but it tastes nothing like Maine lobster that we are familiar with (summers in Kennebunk for 40 years) - even steamed.  And it's not the full lobster.  If you want good lobster, order from a Maine lobster company for next day delivery.  

I am a Mainer.  I don’t live there now.  I was hoping for a real Maine lobster.  😢
 

Edited to add…..it’s almost impossible to get any lobster at all on a cruise anymore…..I was hoping Oceania’s would be good.

Edited September 25, 2023 by takemewithyou

[calicakes]

2 hours ago, ToxM said:

As I said earlier i am sorry you are having an unfortunate time with the food. I hope you have or will mention something on the midcruise comment card. 

Thankfully, food is not the number one reason that we cruise. And I did mention it on the survey that Hass to be filled out before you leave, in order to be eligible for the drawing.

[calicakes]

We are on the way back to New York, we left Hamilton at 6 AM. They are expecting some rough weather, maybe that’s why we’re going so slow. I observed barf bags by all the elevators. Personally, I wish we could get back today and have an extra day in New York City. Tonight’s buffet dinner is the same as yesterday.. British Bermuda theme.  Everything is exactly the same. They told me it is so all passengers can experience it. 
 

thankfully, the weather is nice, and we are laying out by the pool.

[shepherd really]

1 hour ago, takemewithyou said:

I am a Mainer.  I don’t live there now.  I was hoping for a real Maine lobster.  😢
 

Edited to add…..it’s almost impossible to get any lobster at all on a cruise anymore…..I was hoping Oceania’s would be good.

The lobster tails on O are Carribean lobster, tougher and not as tasty.  The whole lobster used are Homarus americanus, "real Maine" lobster, but they are frozen so they will never compare to the fresh lobster you are used to in either texture or taste, but with enough butter they will do.  

[takemewithyou]

51 minutes ago, shepherd really said:

The lobster tails on O are Carribean lobster, tougher and not as tasty.  The whole lobster used are Homarus americanus, "real Maine" lobster, but they are frozen so they will never compare to the fresh lobster you are used to in either texture or taste, but with enough butter they will do.  

So no Maine lobster even in Jacques?

 

[shepherd really]

30 minutes ago, takemewithyou said:

So no Maine lobster even in Jacques?

 

They are real Maine lobster (or at least from somewhere in the Northeast or Canada), but frozen, so not as good as fresh.  There is a reason you see live lobsters in tanks, the quality degrades drastically when frozen.  

[LSuzQ]

4 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

Better shops in Hamilton. The Dockyard is a tourist trap geared to cruise passengers and there will be 6000 so there. 

There is, however, a lovely local coffee shop tucked in there, and a marvelous potter. We visit both every time we’re there.

[rxlowry]

3 hours ago, calicakes said:

We are on the way back to New York, we left Hamilton at 6 AM. They are expecting some rough weather, maybe that’s why we’re going so slow. I observed barf bags by all the elevators. Personally, I wish we could get back today and have an extra day in New York City. Tonight’s buffet dinner is the same as yesterday.. British Bermuda theme.  Everything is exactly the same. They told me it is so all passengers can experience it. 
 

thankfully, the weather is nice, and we are laying out by the pool.

I noticed the sign up two day in a row promoting this and thought maybe a mistake.  Kind of odd to me to offer same theme twice on short cruise. 

[tropicalkerry2002]

They did the same British Bermuda theme for 2 nights last week, also. And we didn't even get to Bermuda!

 

[AMHuntFerry]

1 minute ago, rxlowry said:

I noticed the sign up two day in a row promoting this and thought maybe a mistake.  Kind of odd to me to offer same theme twice on short cruise. 

There are two reasons that occurred to me...a significant number of passengers will have specialty reservations on one of the nights, and if the special dinner is popular seating may be difficult to find (especially if sitting outside is unavailable/undesirable); it was a zoo during the Alaska-themed dinners in June.

[Charles4515]

3 minutes ago, tropicalkerry2002 said:

They did the same British Bermuda theme for 2 nights last week, also. And we didn't even get to Bermuda!

 

What do they serve that is British Bermuda? I was on a Insignia Bermuda Bliss sailing a few years ago and don't recall having that. 

[tropicalkerry2002]

Sorry, I don't know, didn't go either night.