Oceania Insignia
On 11Jul16, the Oceania Insignia made a stop in St John's while sailing from Miami to Iceland and even though the weather was less than ideal, I had the opportunity to tour the ship for a few hours. If you have never heard of Oceania, they are a unique cruise line that has been operating for 13 years and are known as the "foodie" cruise line. They started with 1 ship in 2003 and now have a fleet of 6 that fall into 2 categories, R Class and O Class. The Insignia is an R Class ship that carries 684 guests and a crew of 400 which means an exceptionally high guest to crew ratio.
Oceania as a company falls into a category between the premium cruise lines (Celebrity, Princess, Holland) and luxury cruise lines (Crystal, Regent Seven Seas, Silverseas) with a very country club resort/at home feel along with exceptional service. As I boarded Insignia and made my way up to the 5th deck for a reception in the main lounge, the décor and atmosphere quickly struck me that Oceania has an outstanding cruise experience awaiting their guests with amazing value. The crew is hand selected from top rated dining venues and leading hotels of the world so they know how to anticipate their guests desires.
The Insignia sails the 180 days Around The World itineraries so ensuring guest comforts is a top priority for Oceania. The staterooms onboard are designed to have you feeling like your home away from home no matter your choice of Inside, Oceanview, Verandah or Suite. Amenities do vary based on the category of stateroom, but all include daily water/soda and bedding that will ensure you are well rested for your next day's adventure.
With time to explore the ship and the rare opportunity to view a few staterooms, I found the ship very easy to navigate. Deck 4 was the reception hall where you found the concierge, a couple of cozy meeting areas and a grand staircase to Deck 5, the Upper Hall. At the top of the staircase, you find additional seating areas to mix/mingle with other guests, a couple of boutique shops, the piano lounge Martinis, a Monte Carlo style casino and the Grand Dining room. With the rain still falling, I ventured to decks 9 where you find the pool, whirlpools, chaise loungers and plenty of space for all the guests to enjoy once the weather improved. Also located on deck 9 is the Canyon Ranch SpaClub, Fitness Centre, card room, internet centre and the buffet dining option, Terrace Café.
Deck 10 combines outdoors, dining and evening entertainment as you find the fitness track overlooking the pool area while dining venues Toscana and Polo Grill are located at the aft of the ship. In the evenings, Horizons Bar offers a variety of music and dancing or the opportunity to just enjoy the views off the bow of the ship as you sail to your next port of call.
There is so much value included with an Oceania Cruise, I could go on and on so instead, I invite you to contact me so we can discuss your cruise vacation.
