Oceania Insignia – Cruise Ship Review

David, our Commercial Director, recently went aboard Oceania's Insignia. This is what he thought about his four day trip.

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I was lucky enough to join Oceania’s Insignia, for 4 nights from Lisbon to Bordeaux, during its world voyage. The ship is around 30,000 GT and carries around 650 passengers, which means there is plenty of space onboard given its size and the number of passengers onboard.

I was staying in one of the concierge level verandas which are mostly located in the most desired locations of the ship. You get a wealth of amenities including the services of a dedicated concierge. Staterooms are approximately 216 square feet with a private veranda, fridge stocked with soft drinks and bottle water, TV with movies and plenty of television channels, and a very comfortable bed - in fact, a seven-zone mattress featuring 400 springs and two inches of memory foam – it makes for a very good night’s sleep! Overall the cabin was fabulous. The bathroom was a little on the small side and only featured a shower, with no bath.

Other privileges included with a concierge level stateroom include:

• Priority Noon ship embarkation with priority luggage delivery
• Complimentary welcome bottle of Champagne
• Priority speciality restaurant reservations
• Unlimited access to Canyon Ranch Spa Club
• FREE unlimited internet
• Variety of Bulgari amenities
• Complimentary pressing of clothes

Once unpacked I went to explore the ship. This really didn’t take that long, as already previously mentioned, she is a smaller ship, and comprises of 11 decks. However, the ship had everything you could need. Reception, Destination Services and Concierge are located on Deck 4. The Show Lounge, Casino, Martins Bar and the Grand Dining room are situated on Deck 5. The Terrace Café (the buffet), Waves Grill (a burger bar), pool area and Canyon Ranch Spa are on Deck 9. Deck 10 has two speciality restaurants, the Toscana & the Polo Grill, as well as a library and the Horizons bar, whoch offers views overlooking the front of the ship.

Before coming onboard, I knew a few people who had cruised with Oceania and they raved about the food. Well they weren’t wrong. I must say, during my 4 nights, it was the best food at sea I’ve ever had. Starting with the first night in the Polo Grill with a menu that you needed a day at least to read! The French Onion Soup was a meal in its self, however the 20oz porterhouse steak was the icing on the cake, cooked just how I asked and so big I couldn’t finish it or possibly think about eating a dessert! The other restaurants were equally as pleasing, with fresh Ravioli and Lamb Chops in Toscana, and Duck Confit in the Grand Dining room - and this was just for dinner! Breakfast and lunch did not disappoint, with a full waiter service breakfast option available in the Grand Dining room or an extensive buffet selection in the Terrace Café, where Eggs Benedict is cooked to order. For lunch, I mainly dined at the Waves Grill, where fresh burgers and sandwiches are available - the burgers were to die for! One thing's for sure, on this ship you’re not going to go hungry, even if you have missed breakfast, lunch or dinner you always have the option of 24hr room service which is at no additional charge.

There was a range of entertainment onboard. Two comedians, a girl group from X Factor, and an entertainments team who put on a Beatles tribute act. In addition to this, you also had the usual pianists and a string quartet playing in bars throughout the ship. There was no fancy nightclub, but the casino and several bars were open until the early hours. The bars offered an extensive range of drinks and the staff were very attentive. I would recommend buying a drinks package if one isn’t included (they often are), these start at $59 per person per day, but pretty much includes everything.

If you want a premium cruising experience on a mid-size ship which offers mouth-watering food, then look no further and book yourself an Oceania cruise today.

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