Just back from Insignia 4/23 Rome-Barcelona

[Gardyloo]

Just got home last night (extra day in Barcelona was worth it, as always.) I'll do an abbreviated report by and by, but happy to field any quick questions in the meantime.

 

Until Oceania Insignia 4/23 Rome - Barcelona

[jaltner]

How was the Insignia? I have not found any reviews and am booked on the May 31. There are many mixed reviews about the Regatta and am starting to get concerned about the Insignia. How were the tours? Any specifics?!

[Gardyloo]

The ship is lovely, only a couple of small quibbles, some personal - for instance, our cabin was directly over the show lounge, hence we got to hear the shows (and rehersals) whether or not we attended. But in general very elegant and comfy. Very nice size compared to the 2000 pax boats.

 

The food was very good for the most part, although I think if Jaques Pepin wants to lend his name to the kitchen operations he should do a bit of on-site monitoring. Given the specialty restaurants and the ship's size, my guess is that they've got too many menu items to be really good on all of them. Compared to our last experience on Celebrity I'd rate the Insignia's food as slightly better overall, sometimes awesomely so; but sometimes the oops moments were really notable.

 

The hotel and food staff were just the best. Experienced, professional, courteous without being fawning - any of them could find success in a big city US restaurant if only the green card came through.

 

We didn't take any tours save for the ship's bus into Florence for a "day on our own." However reports from some fellow pax confirmed what we had decided - way, way overpriced. It seemed like the great majority of the pax were experienced European travelers; however the tours seemed aimed at a less experienced set. Maybe that's just my own read.

 

We missed two tender ports, Porto Cervo (Sardinia) and Monaco due to rough water. Instead we went to Olbia and Nice respectively, where we could dock. At least in Olbia Oceania arranged for shuttle buses from the pier to the town center (sort of); in Nice folks were left to fend for themselves, with more or less zilch support from the cruise line. That was the most common complaint we heard - if you're not on a cruise line tour, fuggedaboudit. They really ought to have maps, taxi and bus guidelines, or shuttles for the majority of pax who don't sign up for the tours. So add a few bucks to the fares - believe me, this crowd won't mind.

 

Aside from a fine English singer (who we had seen previously on a Celebrity cruise) the main room acts were only so-so IMO. That was made up for by a young string quartet that was simply great, especially during the (wonderful BTW) afternoon tea when they could heat up the old Mozart once in a while and riff, if such a word can possibly apply to a cello.

 

I won money in the casino, even on the slots. Go figure.

 

The dress code or lack thereof is wonderful. Nobody turned up looking like snobs or slobs. As always, people who are duds aren't helped by fancy duds.

 

The passengers were overwhelmingly American, the average age probably around 55-60, very few under 30. Many ex-Renaissance cruisers.

 

The laundrette was 50% inop, but it was a fine place to hang out for hours waiting your turn.

 

Would we travel on Oceania again? Sure. Are there still some rough edges? Yes. Value for money? Absolutely.

[Juanito]

Did the weather limit al fresco dining on the

terrace for Tapas in the evenings? What is your opinion of the Tapas dining?

 

Juanito

[cruzemaven]

You said your cabin was directly over the show lounge. What was your cabin number? I think we are located in the same area. Thanks.

 

8/17Insignia Barcelona to Venice

[Emauss]

I'm on the June 29 Ragatta (Dover - Stockholm) in cabin 6003. I guess we will have a similar problem.

Were you in a Vista Suite? If so, how was the deck. It appears from the diagrams to be very large.

 

(e)

[Gardyloo]

1. Tapas on the Terrace is served throughout the buffet area, so if the weather's no good you can eat inside. The food was okay, but not especially different from the standard buffet layout, save for paella (blah) and various other "tapas-y" things, such as roasted vegies, olives, cold meats, etc. Frankly we weren't that impressed so didn't return after the first try. The Sangria was to die for.

 

2. 600X (forgive the anonymity) - anything 6015 and lower will hear the music. Also note the prow of the boat moves a lot more than midships - which we enjoyed but others might find urp-inducing.

 

3. No, not a vista suite. I looked inside briefly and it did look pretty big.

[drwong]

Welcome home! Hope you're making the adjustment of preparing your own meals, making your own beds, and sleeping on a stable surface! I'm surprised Oceania still hadn't fixed the broken washers on the Insignia. We were on the Inaugural (right before yours) and the staff told us they needed to obtain a replacement part that should have been available in the next port. Did they offer complementary laundry service for passengers who were inconvenienced by the lack of adequate washing machines? Or did they simply leave the room open after the posted 11pm closing time?

 

From the Insignia's Inaugural sailing (4/3/2004)

 

[Gardyloo]

We were told the parts for the broken machines were in Marseille. Evidently FedEx doesn't serve Rome, Sorrento, Livorno or Nice. After we left Marseille the machines were still inop. Maybe they were planning to fix them during the turnaround. Sure.

 

No, nothing free. I do know that the posted 9AM-10PM hours were not being enforced on the early end; don't know about late.

[Cre8]

We are doing the reverse in Sept. Would loved some info on the ports. Where you need a guide and where you can just wing it. Were there taxis at each port? What was a "do not miss"

Thanks for your help

[Gardyloo]

I'm probably not the best one to comment all that glowingly on the ports. This was our first European cruise (have been to and lived in Europe quite a lot) and I think it will be our last - just too brief a period of time to see anything other than the obvious and close-by. Florence for six hours? C'mon...

 

We diverted from tender ports twice - Olbia was substituted for Porto Cervo, Nice for Monaco - because the seas were too high for the tenders. Didn't bother us, but some folks were inconvenienced.

 

Yes, there were taxis at each port, although at a couple of ports you had to walk a ways to get to the cab stands. In Palma we used the city bus and the bus stop was a 15-min. walk to the port gate (the bus was a breeze.)

 

We are big believers in "winging it." The only time we used the excursion offerings was for a bus to and from Florence from Livorno, rather than hiring a driver for the day or getting across Livorno (a long way) to the train station. Otherwise we used public transportation or taxis from the dock to the center of the town, then headed out.

 

What to see? Gosh, where to start? What interests you?

[Marjean]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jaltner:

How was the Insignia? I have not found any reviews and am booked on the May 31. There are many mixed reviews about the Regatta and am starting to get concerned about the Insignia. How were the tours? Any specifics?!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Hi I am going on the Insignia May 31 too. Leaving from LAX this afternoon. The sister ship the Regatta has had good reviews so we are hoping for the best. Great Itinerary.

[mrsdoc]

marjean== We ar leaving tomorrow for Lisbon. Did you see that our ports have been changed somewhat? It is on the Oceania website.Looks like the weather in Portugal and Spain should be good at first. Have a safe trip.

[gillianrose]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> I'm probably not the best one to comment all that glowingly on the ports. This was our first European cruise (have been to and lived in Europe quite a lot) and I think it will be our last - just too brief a period of time to see anything other than the obvious and close-by. Florence for six hours? C'mon...

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Thank you for your honesty about this. You may have saved a lot of people a lot of money and flying time.

[chazaroo]

The food was very good for the most part, although I think if Jaques Pepin wants to lend his name to the kitchen operations he should do a bit of on-site monitoring. Given the specialty restaurants and the ship's size, my guess is that they've got too many menu items to be really good on all of them. Compared to our last experience on Celebrity I'd rate the Insignia's food as slightly better overall, sometimes awesomely so; but sometimes the oops moments were really notable.

 

It would be great if you could expand a little on the food situation. What was great, what was so-so, what didn't work? Because given the price, the whole dining thing should beat Celebrity by a wide margin. Did it?

[Gardyloo]

Well, we thought the food was generally quite good; but a "wide margin" over Celebrity? - No.

 

We always ate breakfast in the buffet, so can't comment on breakfast in the dining room. Breakfast choices were excellent and did not disappoint. If asked they would bring (no charge) cappucinos, which were way better than the standard jug coffee. The OJ tasted fresh-squeezed but can't confirm.

 

You can see sample menus for the main dining room and the specialty restaurants on the Oceania website. I don't recall that we had any "theme" dinners as such, but the food was always interesting and good. However, it's a big operation, serving 600-odd people at a time, and our feeling was that the range of choices was so broad that statistically they were bound to goof up now and then - cold when served, overbaked, whatever. But the slip-ups were relatively few - for example on the first night they served an apple strudel in the dining room that would have had any Austrian chef screaming and running away - the crust was like tortillas that have been microwaved too long - usable by Superman as a cape. Some macaroons had been prepared without benefit of sugar. Interesting.

 

But generally things were as advertised. A little too much flourish and focus on presentation rather than freshness or simple foods done elegantly. If you've watched Jaques Pepin on the TV you know that his thing is doing basic cooking to perfection. By the time we got to France we were looking for a simple roast chicken or steak frites in lunchtime brasseries or cafes, since we hadn't had such things on the boat.

 

The specialty restaurants were fine, the Osso Bucco in Toscana being pretty memorable, the pasta sauces a little on the gooey side for my taste. Polo was a good steak and chop house, but they're not sweating it at Morton's. The lobster served with the surf & turf was pretty average.

 

Tapas was a good idea but it seemed they toned down the stronger flavors in order to please the masses. Okay but we only went once. For what it's worth, the Sangria (not a typical Tapas beverage) was great, albeit pricey.

 

Ate a burger at the grill on the pool deck one day. Only okay.

 

The baked goods and mini-sandwiches served with the afternoon tea were excellent. Whipped, not clotted cream with the scones, but the scones were sure good.

 

So like I said, we didn't find the food that much better than on Celebrity; maybe that means we've been extra lucky on those cruises. But it was certainly good, sometimes excellent, and did not detract from an excellent cruise experience overall.

[gillianrose]

Could you comment on whether the people on board dressed resort casual or sloppy casual? To me, sloppy casual would include things such as men and women wearing blouses and shirts "outside" their slacks when they are not the specific design for "outside," if you know what I mean.

 

Also, one of the things I expect from Oceania is zero to very little smoking. Was that the case?

 

Did anyone smoke a cigar anywhere?

[Gardyloo]

I didn't see any sloppy dressers but perhaps I am not the most sensitive person on that front. I personally find fashionism on cruises to be a major waste of time. Certainly nobody we hung with or ate with commented adversely on anyone's attire, ever.

 

The smokers congregated on the pool deck near one of the elevator doors and in one of the corners of one of the bars, so you could usually get a decent blast of smoke when you passed, especially out on the deck. But if you detoured to the other side of the boat you could avoid it altogether. I didn't see anyone smoking a cigar but wasn't that much on the lookout.