Insignia Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Our recent Nordic cruise on Oceania's Insignia will be remembered as one of our favorite cruises among the many that we have taken.  The itinerary was a perfect introduction to this part of the world -- taking us to places we hadn't been before.  It was a nice blend of ports that featured stunning natural wonders (geysers, waterfalls, mountains and fjords) as well as cosmopolitan cities and historic neighborhoods worth exploring on foot.  We enjoyed a variety of experiences on the ship's shore excursions and on our own.  The ship won our hearts with its tasteful and refined decor, outstanding cuisine, and excellent service.  We found it to be the perfect size for us:  not too big and not too small.  We appreciated its quiet, relaxing atmosphere, smoke-free venues, and the fact that there were very few children on board.  I overheard one passenger complaining about the lack of activities onboard, but we rejoiced that there was no rock-climbing wall, no non-stop disco, bingo, karaoke, art auctions, and all the other noise and nonsense of big cruise ships.  We cruise for the sheer pleasure of cruising and to visit interesting ports of call.  We don't need a floating amusement park.  We look forward to sailing on Oceania's Insignia again someday.

First, the itinerary was exceptional. An 18 day adventure including 3 stops in Canada Maritimes, 3 stops in Greenland, and finally Reykjavik. Next was the food on the ship. There are 2 specialty restaurants, Tuscana and Polo, as well as the Grand Dining Room, the Terrace Cafe (buffet), and the Waves Grill. We ate at all of them several times and the food was varied, fresh, well prepared, attractive, and tasty. Special requests were always accommodated and the service was personal, attentive, and professional. Then, I felt that everyone on the staff was personally invested in seeing to it that we enjoyed ourselves. If we had an issue, it was immediately addressed, no matter how minor. Next, our room, a penthouse suite, 322 sq ft, was very well laid out and functional. Our room staff was very efficient, friendly, and helpful. Also, we met a lot of new people. Not everyone you meet on a cruise will be your new bestie, but we met several who we will stay in touch with in the future. We were so happy with the ship, crew, and overall experience that we booked 3 more cruises before leaving the ship.

So much beauty to experience in each island, so many interesting and fun people I met along the way. The experience of having a fruit buffet before returning to the pier in Nuku Hiva was unforgettable; the tour guide in Kauai was the best lecturer on the island's history (better than a book); and the afternoon on the glass bottom boat in Rangiroa was fun with lots of laughter. I met amazing and interesting people and made new friends. The staff are highly professional, committed to high standards of customer services. The only aspect that Oceania needs to improve is travel arraignments: scheduled flights, connections, and time between connections were the number one complaint from the majority of people on this trip.  

The best part of the cruise was the low key atmosphere and nightly string quartet. 

Several items need improvement most notably:

1. Air travel in all aspects.

2. Last day of trip in hotel which is what leaves last impression.

We left Miami on January 4, 2016.  We were booked on the first two legs of an 'Around the World Cruise', cruising for 36 days from Miami Florida to Cape Town South Africa. We have selected Oceania as our preferred cruise line, having sailed with them on five cruises in the past three years.  Again they met and exceeded our expectations - the staff, the crew, and the itinerary.  Approximately 600 guests and 400 crew.  We visited 19 ports in 36 days, and took excursions in 17 of the ports in the Caribbean, Brazil, and in West Africa. 

Oceania dinning rooms are open seating, and the food is exceptional.  The Grand Dining Room is open seating, as a couple or with friends.  The specialty dining rooms are also open seating, and at no extra charge.  The food is excellent in all of them.

We have our next two cruises already booked!!

we sailed on the Insignia ship from Oceania. Because we had previously sailed on one of their newer ships, we were disappointed in this ship.  Suites were much smaller, restaurant choices were fewer, entertainment was less, and other amenities such as concierge room was absent.  We did find the service to be excellent throughout the ship, the food to be delicious, and the ports satisfactory.  We were however displeased with most of the excursions, and have decided that for future cruises we will book our excursions independently with private tour guides.

Well run, very attentive to passenger needs, wonderful food, eating arrangements and informality a great plus.

My husband & I took his parents on this Mediterranian cruise because of the 2 for 1 and free air fare value.We are used to going on Crystal Cruises for the small occupancy and guaintness and Oceania has that same guality.We celebrated my in-laws 60th anniversary and every one on the ship(even guests) made them feel so special.We laughed and cried and all our memories will last forever.They are all ready talking about going again with us on our next cruise before we left the ship.We also enjoyed the 2 extra dining experiences we had in your specialty restaraunts.I want to thank the people of Ocenia Cruises for making my husbands parents anniversary,a cherished one!

Beautiful ship, excellent crew and great choices of ports.

This was the best cruise we’ve ever taken. Life aboard the ship itself was very relaxing; exactly what we wanted. The combination of the highest quality of meals and the amazing crew who waited on us was outstanding! The shows were amazing, varied, and performed by very talented people who obviously enjoyed what the did and gave 150% effort while doing it! I simply can’t say enough good things about our experience aboard Oceania’s Insignia and can’t wait for our next Oceania cruise!

I have been cruising for over 30 years and really enjoyed Oceana. The service, and food are the best I’ve ever had!! The entertainment and cruise director are great!!

Very nice itinerary. We are mobility challenged so left the ship only once. Ship was very accessible and staff was helpful. Our suite was comfortable and our attendants considerate. Small ship easy to get around. Relaxing without a lot of activity. Two for one Happy Hours a plus.

I was hesitant to go on Oceania again after a somewhat less than 5-star rating from the last cruise I took with them. But this cruise changed my mind. They came through and the feeling from the first cruise have been replace by happy smiles.

Great ship, but rougher seas than most cruises. I’m presuming because Insignia is smaller. We cruise often and for different reasons. This ship is great for relaxing and an older crowd. There was art class, great library,and tours. Personnel is the best and the food is the best of many lines. I would probably book larger cabin, because it is small

Been on many cruises this one was the very best. You may be picky but you will find it hard to dislike the ship and crew.

I would highly recommend Oceania because of food quality, excellent staff service, and recently renovation of ship, Insignia.

The good things were the art classes with Graham Denison, Cruise Director Leslie , our stewards and some from the bar! The bad ones are the ones that bully the guests because they have no rules and they can make their own rules and the ones that talk bad about the guests that pay their salaries in their native language thinking that nobody understands them! Overall we are not happy with our cruise and the management team is as bad as the crew! If you complain about something the crew ignores you and you never hear an apology for their mistakes! I wouldn’t suggest to anyone to go on Oceania Cruises!

Great. Trip of a life time. Great ship and great people!!!!!

We enjoyed this cruise and would definitely recommend it.

We had a good time, enjoyed our first small ship, we will probably not go back to Cuba.