On Oceania’s World Cruiser You Can Settle in for Half a Year

Can you fall in love with a cruise ship? A lot of the guests on Insignia clearly have.

We’ve just boarded, but striking up conversations with fellow passengers, it turns out many have already been aboard for months and some plan to be on for three more. And they’ve settled in like this before.

Recently emerged from an renovation that pretty much turned it into a brand new ship, Insignia has become Oceania Cruises’ designed world cruise ship, which might not repeat a port for eight months at a time. At least 100 of the guests on this cruise have also done world circuits on Insignia in years past.

What is it about this ship that inspires such loyalty? We’re about to find out.

1) It’s like home away from home

The theme is luxury, from the rich bath robes and Bulgari toiletries, to the high thread-count Italian bed sheets, you’d be hard pressed to create a plusher living environment if you were designing your own dream home.

Insignia recently emerged from an Oceania NEXT overhaul that refreshed everything, while maintaining many of its yacht-like spaces that feature rich paneling and carved trims. All the cabins were stripped to the frames and given a more residential, contemporary look with new cabinetry, furniture and premium beds that feature floor to ceiling headboards. Most suites feature large verandas with wicker chairs and a table ideal for room service breakfast or afternoon cocktails.

Wall finishes and carpets now are in shades of blue and cream or pale green throughout the ship. There’s ample closet and drawer space for settling in for a long voyage; so much in fact that it’s a good idea to have a system in mind when you unpack, so you don’t find yourself hunting for that thing I know I brought later.

2) It’s in the right comfort zone

With only a maximum of 684 guests, the ship is not too big, not too small. It’s easy to find your way around, but with 10 decks, there are plenty of options to find the spaces that suit you. In a world of ever-expanding cruise ships, Insignia is also nimble enough to dock in ports others can’t. This cruise segment from Athens  to Barcelona includes stops in Durres–the port for Albania’s capital; Crotone in Calabria and the charming Italian town of Ancona, that are seldom on cruise itineraries. We’re often the only ship in ports we visit.

On sea days, guests are encouraged to learn a new skill. Two bridge instructors are on hand to coach novice and experienced players. There’s an artist in residence in a dedicated art studio, a computer lab and daily Mensa quizzes. There’s also a large casino for challenging lady luck and a Steiner spa offering a fully equipped gym for staying in shape and vast range of expert treatments for those who prefer to  pamper themselves.

3) Obsessive attention to detail and cleaning

Little things become big on this ship. The charger plates in restaurants are by Versace. Waiters replace the white napkin with a black one for those wearing black. And a cleaner with a nearly silent vacuum immediately whisks away crumbs from the happy hour snacks.

The ship is immaculate, thanks to obsessive maintenance and cleaning of every surface every day. Cleaning crew seem to be continuously polishing the brass railings in staircases and sanitize elevators. When a table is reset in a restaurant, both the table and chair are wiped with sanitizer and left for a prescribed time to dry before being reset.

4) They take it very personally

Your World your Way is Oceania’s motto and even if you’re not a repeat guest, with such a small ship the crew get to know you and your preferences.

Many of the crew have served for years on Insignia and they are like part of an affable family.  There are a number of novice crew on board now because of the extended lockdown and ongoing travel restrictions,  but they seem eager to learn the Oceania style.

5) There’s an ocean of entertainment

Before dinner there’s a pianist in the club-like lounge Martini’s, a classical string quartet in the atrium, and a dance band in the Horizons lounge with its wraparound view. They’re here for the long haul, but there’s also an ever changing roster of entertainers from around the world who are flown in for  guest performances.

One night on our cruise around Italy featured a headlining Italian comedy magician, the next a variety act and the next the latest hot tenor. By the time we get to Spain, there’s a dazzling flamenco duo. The stage in the intimate theater features all the latest sound and light wizardry to make it feel like a much larger venue.

6) The ever-tempting, ever-changing cuisine

There’s much to say about the quality of food on Oceania Cruises and it deserves a separate story when this cruise is over. Along with the consistent quality, the variety of options stands out. While on some ships menus repeat once a week, on Insignia, menus don’t repeat for as much as a month and with sometimes more than half a dozen options for each course, you could go for three months and never eat the same entrée twice.

For those sampling the world, there’s daily global cuisine menu with three courses from a different region every day. Even in the specialty Polo Grill steak house and Toscana Italian restaurant that offer consistent menus, there are daily specials built around local cuisines.

7) Every year is like a new box of chocolates

If you’ve got the urge to see the world in 2023, you could board Insignia in San Francisco on Jan. 15 and not repeat a port in an unprecedented 199 days before the ship arrives in New York on Aug. 2.

That takes Insignia on an encyclopedic circuit around South America then across the Atlantic to visit ports around Africa and the islands of the Indian Ocean. Then it’s on to intensive exploration of Asia and then across the Arctic Ocean to early summer in Alaska and down the West coast, then through the Panama Canal and around the Caribbean and up the east coast. And from New York you can tack on two weeks exploring Canadian ports, Greenland and Iceland cruise to Bermuda and then finally disembark in New York after more than seven months on the ship.

Do people book a cruise that long? You bet they do. On our current cruise part of the 2022 world cruise there were veterans of previous world treks who have already also signed up for next years’. 

In fact the 2023 world circuit is technically sold out and the 2024 extravaganza–which has a completely different itinerary–is reaching capacity as well. However, spaces can become available if you join a wait list and segments of the world circuit do also open up.

It’s tempting, because once you experience taking your home with you as you tour the world is immensely attractive. It’s easy to see why so many cruisers have an on-going affair with Insignia.

Story by Wallace Immen, Executive Editor of The Cruisington Times

You might also like:

Viking Star: An Attractive Blonde Turning Heads on the High Seas 7 Strategies for the Tastiest Dining Experiences on Oceania’s Sirena 5 Reality Checks on St. Tropez in the Excesses of High Season Silversea’s New Silver Dawn Promises Leisure and Wellness Star Legend: Longer, Sleeker Yet it’s Still Like a Private Yacht