Concerned about Insignia Reviews

[Nashna]

We are booked on the Reykjavik to Copenhagen July 2024 cruise and are considering adding the NYC to Reykjavik segment to our reservation.  While reading the Insignia reviews on CC, I noticed they were very negative.   Considering that folks might be more inclined to report negative experiences than positive ones, the negatives were much higher than expected.  Our first O. cruise will be in January on the Vista.  As the Insignia is an older ship, I expected the ambiance to be less than the Vista.  The reviews mentioned poor food quality, ship condition, shore excursion options, and their fellow passengers.  I would appreciate hearing impressions of Insignia from recent passengers.  

[LHT28]

Well  it is  hard to say  if by next year things will change or not

If you are  worried  then I would cancel  or just stop reading  the reviews

Some reviews are nit picks about   things  some are valid concerns

No point is stressing out for the next 11 months

 

I go with an open mind & hope for the best 

nothing in life is perfect   at least in my world

YMMV

[LHT28]

OK  so I had to go look at the reviews

 

 The officers were not friendly  common complaint for years

pax had to wear masks due to the Country regulations

they had children under 18 onboard  (past O cruisers)

the cabins were small

the a.c was not working     OK good complaint  needs fixing

the food was cold     good complaint  that needs attention

there is  a squeak in the cabin  

the bed was too soft

no down pillows

food  was not up to the usual standards  ..yes this is  a problem

 

[nuevowavo]

You can check out the reviews for any 5 star resort or restaurant in the world, and you will find many more negative reviews than you could imagine, especially if you thought the venue deserved the excellent rating.

For example, I recently stayed at a well-know hotel in Vegas for the first time. If you read the reviews on the "advisor" website, many complained about ridiculously long waits to check in or out. I was there when the place was fully booked and it took less than 10 minutes from the time I got to reception until I had my room key.

That being said, I've has a few bad experiences at supposedly excellent hotels and restaurants, which I chalk up as one-off events. It's gonna happen occasionally, even at the finest places.

I'm taking my first cruise on Insignia this December, and I've read the same reviews here that you have. But I can't wait to board - seems to me the if Oceania uses this ship for its Round the World cruise, it must be pretty good.

 

[njhorseman]

5 hours ago, Nashna said:

We are booked on the Reykjavik to Copenhagen July 2024 cruise and are considering adding the NYC to Reykjavik segment to our reservation.  While reading the Insignia reviews on CC, I noticed they were very negative.   Considering that folks might be more inclined to report negative experiences than positive ones, the negatives were much higher than expected.  Our first O. cruise will be in January on the Vista.  As the Insignia is an older ship, I expected the ambiance to be less than the Vista.  The reviews mentioned poor food quality, ship condition, shore excursion options, and their fellow passengers.  I would appreciate hearing impressions of Insignia from recent passengers.  

Please read this review, just posted today.  The poster, @cruisemom42, is someone who I've found to be a very intelligent and experienced traveler based on her posts elsewhere on Cruise Critic, and she isn't an Oceania "cheerleader", as this was her first cruise on O. My thoughts about Insignia are similar to hers in many respects, although I last cruised on the ship before its major refit a couple of years ago.

 

 

[Pandazoo]

I have found being on older ships and newer ships I prefer the new.  I think that will be the only difficult part for you.  If the itinerary is right that’s the most important thing. You may also get some more fellow passenger perspectives on Vista as many O cruisers are past passengers and are happy to share their insights.  

[Westbriar4915]

"Best cuisine at sea" shouldn't be mentioned.  Mushy, tasteless boiled vegetables (yellow broccoli), steaks in Grand Dining that couldn't be cut with a knife or chewed, menus in Polo Grill and Toscana never changed the 6 months I was on Insignia for World Cruise, brown congealed bits on salad greens in Terrace Cafe', hot food not hot and cold food not cold, dress code not enforced, lots of Asian foods.  Cabins are worn out - (no black out drapes, drapes 4" too short and hard to open and close, bedskirt ripped and torn, loveseat cushion like sitting on the wood frame, cushion clips for veranda seating broken, 110V plug at desk had 2 sockets but could only plug one appliance in at a time,  sometimes no hot water, WIFI is close to non-existent and limited to one device per cabin so don't lose your partner onboard, shore excursion descriptions often not what you get (i.e., museum was listed as a highlight but had been closed for 4 years), need I go on?...  

[Cape Hernlopen]

We sailed on Insignia May-June 2023 and we were pleased with the experience. This was our fifth Oceania cruise and we booked two more while on board. The service was excellent, food was very good especially in Toscana and Polo Grill.  Breakfast and lunch in the Terrace Cafe and Waves was generally good with a few misses. Main dining room service was excellent but food was subpar on several occasions but was promptly replaced with numerous apologies.  HS ice cream was superb!  Entertainment was O. K. but not memorable except for the Geisha show  which was fabulous.  We did a mixture of ship tours, private tours and self-tours.  The ship tours ranged from excellent to a waste of money. The only major negative was our loss of power while in port that required a 3+hour extended stay and reduced port time in our next stop by 3 hours. Overall we gave the cruise a B+ scoring.

Joel Barry

[PinonNoir]

22 hours ago, Westbriar4915 said:

"Best cuisine at sea" shouldn't be mentioned.  Mushy, tasteless boiled vegetables (yellow broccoli), steaks in Grand Dining that couldn't be cut with a knife or chewed, menus in Polo Grill and Toscana never changed the 6 months I was on Insignia for World Cruise, brown congealed bits on salad greens in Terrace Cafe', hot food not hot and cold food not cold, dress code not enforced, lots of Asian foods.  Cabins are worn out - (no black out drapes, drapes 4" too short and hard to open and close, bedskirt ripped and torn, loveseat cushion like sitting on the wood frame, cushion clips for veranda seating broken, 110V plug at desk had 2 sockets but could only plug one appliance in at a time,  sometimes no hot water, WIFI is close to non-existent and limited to one device per cabin so don't lose your partner onboard, shore excursion descriptions often not what you get (i.e., museum was listed as a highlight but had been closed for 4 years), need I go on?...  

 

We are on Insignia now:

 

• The food has been better than expected, so far.  We are on Day 3 of an 11 day cruise, so we'll see.
• We had lunch in the Grand Dining Room today.  The chilled shrimp and avocado starter was very good, and came promptly.  The Nicoise salad with Tuna was excellent!  The tuna was seared to perfection and there was a LOT of it.  I'm very impressed, and I really didn't want to even try the Grand Dining Room after the fiasco we had with breakfast there on the Riviera!
• A dress code in Terrace Cafe??  What were they wearing, a thong bikini or a moo-moo?
• Our cabin, a PH2, is in excellent condition.  We have blackout blinds, they aren't too short, easy to open and close (but then maybe I've got great dexterity?), nothing is ripped, loveseat is comfortable, cushion clips aren't broken, no issues with hot water.  However, there is a smell coming from the drains in the bathroom...swamp gas smell.  We ended up covering up the drains with wet washcloths and so far that has worked quite well.
• The Wifi is impressive!  Why can't Riviera's work like this??  We do get two accounts due to being in PH2, so if internet is important to you I'd try an upgrade in the future.
• We rarely use the ships Shore Excursions.  They are vastly over-priced and very crowded.  If you plan ahead you can book all your excursions on your own.  Tours-By-Locals has always been an excellent resource for us.

[tropicalkerry2002]

Pinon:

 

We had that smell on our very first O cruise in 2007. I called and they came and poured something down the drain. They had to come back and repeat a few days later. Problem solved!

 

[PinonNoir]

4 minutes ago, tropicalkerry2002 said:

Pinon:

 

We had that smell on our very first O cruise in 2007. I called and they came and poured something down the drain. They had to come back and repeat a few days later. Problem solved!

 

They tried pouring stuff down the drain....didn't take for more than a few hours.  My solution is working for now.

[Jancruz]

On 8/30/2023 at 11:43 AM, LHT28 said:

OK  so I had to go look at the reviews

 

 The officers were not friendly  common complaint for years

pax had to wear masks due to the Country regulations

they had children under 18 onboard  (past O cruisers)

the cabins were small

the a.c was not working     OK good complaint  needs fixing

the food was cold     good complaint  that needs attention

there is  a squeak in the cabin  

the bed was too soft

no down pillows

food  was not up to the usual standards  ..yes this is  a problem

 

Not if you dont know what the usual standards are..

 

1 hour ago, PinonNoir said:

 

We are on Insignia now:

 

• The food has been better than expected, so far.  We are on Day 3 of an 11 day cruise, so we'll see.
• We had lunch in the Grand Dining Room today.  The chilled shrimp and avocado starter was very good, and came promptly.  The Nicoise salad with Tuna was excellent!  The tuna was seared to perfection and there was a LOT of it.  I'm very impressed, and I really didn't want to even try the Grand Dining Room after the fiasco we had with breakfast there on the Riviera!
• A dress code in Terrace Cafe??  What were they wearing, a thong bikini or a moo-moo?
• Our cabin, a PH2, is in excellent condition.  We have blackout blinds, they aren't too short, easy to open and close (but then maybe I've got great dexterity?), nothing is ripped, loveseat is comfortable, cushion clips aren't broken, no issues with hot water.  However, there is a smell coming from the drains in the bathroom...swamp gas smell.  We ended up covering up the drains with wet washcloths and so far that has worked quite well.
• The Wifi is impressive!  Why can't Riviera's work like this??  We do get two accounts due to being in PH2, so if internet is important to you I'd try an upgrade in the future.
• We rarely use the ships Shore Excursions.  They are vastly over-priced and very crowded.  If you plan ahead you can book all your excursions on your own.  Tours-By-Locals has always been an excellent resource for us.

Throw her off the ship shes happy!!!

Jancruz1

[Westbriar4915]

I had a mosquito infestation in my cabin with that drain in the bathroom!  It was treated and they went away.  I heard at least 3 other cabins had raw sewage come up through that drain.  Dress code in Terrace is no swimsuits. Grand Dining, Toscana and Polo Grill it was no jeans or shorts.  All of that was present regularly.  I was in a Penthouse Suite.  One device per cabin was the rule and it wouldn't even connect more than that at a time.  It was so intermittent and slow that some said it was a deal killer for future travel with Oceania.  It worked with lightning speed when they wanted you to fill out the Review online a few days before each of the 8 legs ended though.  Being single I did shore excursions off the ship as I don't feel comfortable going alone with a taxi or locals in other countries.  I don't know anyone that had blinds in a Penthouse Suite on Insignia - it was all drapes.

[Brad1185]

On 10/10/2023 at 4:05 PM, Westbriar4915 said:

"Best cuisine at sea" shouldn't be mentioned.  Mushy, tasteless boiled vegetables (yellow broccoli), steaks in Grand Dining that couldn't be cut with a knife or chewed, menus in Polo Grill and Toscana never changed the 6 months I was on Insignia for World Cruise, brown congealed bits on salad greens in Terrace Cafe', hot food not hot and cold food not cold, dress code not enforced, lots of Asian foods.  Cabins are worn out - (no black out drapes, drapes 4" too short and hard to open and close, bedskirt ripped and torn, loveseat cushion like sitting on the wood frame, cushion clips for veranda seating broken, 110V plug at desk had 2 sockets but could only plug one appliance in at a time,  sometimes no hot water, WIFI is close to non-existent and limited to one device per cabin so don't lose your partner onboard, shore excursion descriptions often not what you get (i.e., museum was listed as a highlight but had been closed for 4 years), need I go on?...  

this is the kind of ridiculous reviews we were reading that had us thinking we made a mistake trying O. All of these type of reviews were completely unfounded and completely ridiculous in our opinion. In comparing food on O we found everything to be excellent and way above the main stream cruise lines in quality, taste and offerings.  We would say O does have the best cuisine at sea. 

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, PinonNoir said:

•  We do get two accounts due to being in PH2, so if internet is important to you I'd try an upgrade in the future.
•  

Is it just PH +  or  for  anyone with SM  now ?

[ak1004]

1 hour ago, Brad1185 said:

this is the kind of ridiculous reviews we were reading that had us thinking we made a mistake trying O. All of these type of reviews were completely unfounded and completely ridiculous in our opinion. In comparing food on O we found everything to be excellent and way above the main stream cruise lines in quality, taste and offerings.  We would say O does have the best cuisine at sea. 

 

Exactly my thoughts.

 

I don't know what kind of expectations people have, but we always found the food on O outstanding. In fact, personally I like O food better than old Crystal and SS (haven't been on the new Crystal yet and don't have plans to go).

[PinonNoir]

2 hours ago, Westbriar4915 said:

I had a mosquito infestation in my cabin with that drain in the bathroom!  It was treated and they went away.  I heard at least 3 other cabins had raw sewage come up through that drain.  Dress code in Terrace is no swimsuits. Grand Dining, Toscana and Polo Grill it was no jeans or shorts.  All of that was present regularly.  I was in a Penthouse Suite.  One device per cabin was the rule and it wouldn't even connect more than that at a time.  It was so intermittent and slow that some said it was a deal killer for future travel with Oceania.  It worked with lightning speed when they wanted you to fill out the Review online a few days before each of the 8 legs ended though.  Being single I did shore excursions off the ship as I don't feel comfortable going alone with a taxi or locals in other countries.  I don't know anyone that had blinds in a Penthouse Suite on Insignia - it was all drapes.

• If you had covered up the drains as we have, there is no way a mosquito could have made their way into the cabin.  I've not heard of any sewage coming up through the drain.
• It's Terrace Cafe, right next to the swimming pool.  Nobody goes to Terrace Cafe for the luxury ambiance.
• Jeans are allowed in Grand Dining, Toscana and Polo Grill.  They just can't be "casual jeans".  Nobody knows what "casual jeans" are, but jeans are indeed allowed.  I've worn jeans to dinner for 4 nights now.
• PH suites include two devices per cabin.  My wife and I have both been on the wifi all day.  I've been connected to either my cell or my laptop all day, and have had no disconnects like I did on Riviera.  It's been consistently fast.  Maybe something will happen between now and the end of the cruise, but so far I'm impressed.  You state you are single, so I'm curious why you would care if it was indeed limited to one device?  Switching from my cell to my laptop (while my wife remains on her cell) has been effortless.
• I have arranged Shore Excursions for multiple people, and then used Cruise Critic to fill the spots on my excursions.  There is never a reason to go alone on any excursion...as people are always looking for an alternative to the costly crowded trips provided by the ship.
• Blinds....drapes....same thing.  They are indeed blackout blinds (drapes if you must) and they work fine.  They are almost touching the floor, they couldn't be any longer.

Edited October 11, 2023 by PinonNoir

[PinonNoir]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Is it just PH +  or  for  anyone with SM  now ?

I'm not sure.  We were told by our Butler it was because we were in a PH suite.  I'll ask him tomorrow and let you know.

[PinonNoir]

45 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Exactly my thoughts.

 

I don't know what kind of expectations people have, but we always found the food on O outstanding. In fact, personally I like O food better than old Crystal and SS (haven't been on the new Crystal yet and don't have plans to go).

The food on our Riviera cruise this past July was NOT outstanding.  It was mostly fair to poor.  So far, our impressions on the Insignia have been quite a bit better.  Our dinner tonight in the main dining room was excellent, and they were packed, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the remainder of the cruise.  I want to love Oceania, I really do, but they need to stay consistent.  So far so good!

[ak1004]

21 minutes ago, PinonNoir said:

The food on our Riviera cruise this past July was NOT outstanding.  It was mostly fair to poor.  So far, our impressions on the Insignia have been quite a bit better.  Our dinner tonight in the main dining room was excellent, and they were packed, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the remainder of the cruise.  I want to love Oceania, I really do, but they need to stay consistent.  So far so good!

As we all know, food is very subjective. We sailed on the Riviera 3 times, last time this May, and one time on the Regatta. To us food was very consistent every single time (which is not necessarily true for some other areas). Last time we sailed with friends who are Celebrity refugees and they agreed with us.

 

but then again, I don’t expect everyone to agree.

[PinonNoir]

11 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

As we all know, food is very subjective. We sailed on the Riviera 3 times, last time this May, and one time on the Regatta. To us food was very consistent every single time (which is not necessarily true for some other areas). Last time we sailed with friends who are Celebrity refugees and they agreed with us.

 

but then again, I don’t expect everyone to agree.

I agree.  I think food quality has a lot to do with who is managing the kitchen and overall food operations at any one time.  There is a reason some restaurants are consistently good and some go out of business.  On Riviera, we had dishes that were over cooked, under cooked, bland and under seasoned, and some fish dishes that should never have been cooked as the fish was definitely past it's "sell by" date.  One lobster dish in particular was so bad that I can't imagine how it made it past the chef!  It was clearly meant for the trash and not a plate!  A lot of the issues were due to timing...cold coffee and cold eggs are a huge no-no, and that was in an empty GDR!  Cold food that is supposed to be warm, and food that is rotten, is not subjective.

Edited October 11, 2023 by PinonNoir

[1985rz1]

4 hours ago, Westbriar4915 said:

.  It was so intermittent and slow that some said it was a deal killer for future travel with Oceania.  It worked with lightning speed when they wanted you to fill out the Review online a few days before each of the 8 legs ended though.

There's a difference between the WFi speed and the internet speed.  For the survey, you are on the ship's intranet, which is the WiFi speed.

[ak1004]

So.. I just did a small exercise and compared Oceania reviews to some other lines. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So O is not in a bad shape - but just tells you to take those reviews with a grain of salt..

[Westbriar4915]

18 hours ago, PinonNoir said:

• If you had covered up the drains as we have, there is no way a mosquito could have made their way into the cabin.  I've not heard of any sewage coming up through the drain.
• It's Terrace Cafe, right next to the swimming pool.  Nobody goes to Terrace Cafe for the luxury ambiance.
• Jeans are allowed in Grand Dining, Toscana and Polo Grill.  They just can't be "casual jeans".  Nobody knows what "casual jeans" are, but jeans are indeed allowed.  I've worn jeans to dinner for 4 nights now.
• PH suites include two devices per cabin.  My wife and I have both been on the wifi all day.  I've been connected to either my cell or my laptop all day, and have had no disconnects like I did on Riviera.  It's been consistently fast.  Maybe something will happen between now and the end of the cruise, but so far I'm impressed.  You state you are single, so I'm curious why you would care if it was indeed limited to one device?  Switching from my cell to my laptop (while my wife remains on her cell) has been effortless.
• I have arranged Shore Excursions for multiple people, and then used Cruise Critic to fill the spots on my excursions.  There is never a reason to go alone on any excursion...as people are always looking for an alternative to the costly crowded trips provided by the ship.
• Blinds....drapes....same thing.  They are indeed blackout blinds (drapes if you must) and they work fine.  They are almost touching the floor, they couldn't be any longer.

As far as the drain being covered - it never occurred to me that I would have to consider covering a drain especially because of mosquitoes.

On the website it clearly states that the dress code is "after 6 in the restaurants no casual jeans (probably meaning blue jeans?), shorts, t shirts, baseball caps, sandals or tennis shoes".  All of these things were worn in the restaurants at night on the World Cruise. 

PH suites on Insignia World Cruise - I repeat were only allowed ONE device.  I have more than one device - laptop, iPad, iPhone - as do most people.  Maybe they upgraded since July 2023 for you all because I know other ships have excellent service and can use more than one device per cabin.

Anything else - I communicated what I experienced personally in my cabin on the 2023 ATW cruise.  And, unfortunately, what I mentioned was less than half of what I could have said.

Enjoy your cruise. 

[PinonNoir]

11 minutes ago, Westbriar4915 said:

On the website it clearly states that the dress code is "after 6 in the restaurants no casual jeans (probably meaning blue jeans?), shorts, t shirts, baseball caps, sandals or tennis shoes".  All of these things were worn in the restaurants at night on the World Cruise.

I know what the website states. However, nobody can define "casual jeans".  It can be inferred, as you have done, but since the color "blue" is not defined as casual, I'm going to keep wearing them. 💙

 

Once seated, nobody is looking at your pants, as they are mostly under the tablecloth.