Sailing on the Oceania Insignia from San Diego to Miami – Musings, Reviews, and Thanks

Some general thoughts on ocean cruises

As I was waiting to disembark this morning, I was surrounded by a couple of dozen people who had been on the Oceania Insignia since January 5.  That’s 194 days of sailing around the world, visiting ports on every continent save Antarctica.  They all loved the experience; at least two already said they plan to do another world cruise with Oceania.

You might think I would find the prospect of such an adventure enticing, but  I don’t.  Shipboard life is wonderful in many respects.  You only need to unpack once, your meals are consistently good, there’s entertainment every night, and you get a taste of a multitude of places.

It’s that last aspect of cruising that is beginning to disenchant me.  Six, or eight, or ten hours in a port lets you see the top two or three attractions of the surrounding region.  That’s fine on a small island, but it doesn’t afford an opportunity to get a true feel for a place, explore more deeply, and most important, establish some connection with the people. 

When I think back on my trips of the past few years, the most memorable and rewarding ones involved spending a week or more touring a country by land or on a river cruise, which offers much the same experience.  Portugal, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Cuba, Vietnam – all left a lasting impression because I was able to see and enjoy so much more of each nation than I would have, had I just spent a few hours in a city or two in each country.

Plenty of people find ocean cruises the best way to travel.  They may want to sample a variety of places, perhaps with an eye to spending more time somewhere on a future trip.  (As mentioned in my Costa Rica post a few days ago, I fell in love with the country and look forward to a more extensive visit n the future.)  Or they may put a premium on convenience and relish the relaxation of sea days. 

I’ll continue to take ocean cruises, perhaps checking in on some of the Caribbean’s lesser-known islands or new (to me) parts of the South Pacific.  And, as I mentioned in my last post, I can’t wait to take our grandkids on Caribbean or European cruises once they’re old enough.

Going forward, however, I’ll focus more on land tours.  In fact, I already have four planned: an AMA Waterways river cruise in Provence coupled with a train trip in Switzerland (late September-early October), an Odysseys Unlimited land tour in Egypt (November), a Gate 1 journey through Chile (including Easter Island), Argentina, and Brazil (February 2026), and an Odysseys Unlimited safari in Kenya and Tanzania (August 2026).

A review of this cruise

I put Oceania on roughly the same level as Azamara – both companies take good care of their passengers and offer a fine cruise experience.  Here’s my rundown of some key considerations.

Solo cabins.  I chose this cruise because I could get a solo cabin and thus avoid a punitive single supplement.  Not all Oceania ships have solo cabins, and I understand that the company plans to sell the Insignia to a company that will convert it into a residence-at-sea.  But if Oceania continues to offer solo cabins on some of its ships, it enjoys a big plus in my book over lines that do not reserve accommodations for solo travelers.

Cabin size and comfort.  My cabin was small but not cramped.  The bed was comfortable and there was abundant storage space.  I’ll note two drawbacks.  First, there are only two US-style outlets, and they’re narrow and next to each other, which means that it’s impossible to use more than one.  (There are also four European-style outlets and 4 USB receptacles.) 

Second, the shower is tiny.  I am not a large person, but maneuvering in the shower was difficult.  I thought this might just be an issue in the solo cabins, but several passengers in larger cabins said the same thing.

Food and dining service.  The food was very-good-to-excellent, and there are plenty of vegetarian options, particularly at lunch.  Both specialty restaurants (Polo Grill and Toscana) were top-notch.  However, service can be glacial in the main dining room, and even in the Terrace (the buffet dining area), service isn’t as attentive as it should be. For example, getting a refill on water can take ten minutes or so.  This is an area where Azamara has a significant edge.

Public areas.  The lounges are comfortable and attractive, and the pool deck doesn’t get as crowded as I’ve seen on other ships.  The temperature in the public areas borders on frigid, so bring a sweater for inside the ship.  And the public bathrooms are small.  In fact, outside the Insignia lounge – the main venue for entertainment – there is only a single-person bathroom for each sex.

Internet.  Far and away the best I’ve ever had at sea.  It’s still slower than terrestrial Internet, but it’s not poky, which has been my usual experience.

Library.  Many ships don’t have libraries; Insignia has the best library I’ve ever seen on a cruise ship.  It’s quiet, comfortable, and has an excellent collection of both fiction and non-fiction.

Entertainment.  I can’t really review the entertainment because the shows didn’t start until 9:30.  I’m an early-to-bed, early-to-rise type, and particularly after a drawn-out dinner, I was ready to retire to my cabin before the shows began.  I did catch the show the day before I disembarked – a musical revue called “Yacht Rock” – and was blown away by the band (particularly the guitar player and pianist).  The individual singers ranged from good to fantastic, and they shone when singing as an ensemble; the harmonies were gorgeous.  The lounge pianist, Stephen, is quite entertaining, and I also enjoyed the violin/cello duo who played in the late afternoon and early evening.

Fitness center.  Another plus.  It’s well-equipped, well air-conditioned (often not the case on cruise ships), and never got crowded. 

Environmental awareness.  Kudos to Oceania for providing each guest with a metal water bottle and positioning refill stations all over the ship.  I wish other cruise lines would follow suit and discontinue single-use plastic bottles!

Maintenance.  Inside the ship, all is clean and well-maintained.  The first day, I had an issue with my cabin air-conditioning, which the maintenance department promptly repaired.  Outside, there is evidence of minor neglect, perhaps because the ship is slated to be sold. 

None of these issues interfered with anyone’s enjoyment of the cruise, but there were several cracks in the running/walking track on deck 10, buckled floorboards on deck 11, and what looked like rust and a bent housing on what I think is one of the radar enclosures.

Gratitude

One of my favorite things about traveling is meeting so many interesting, fun people, and this trip was no exception.  Thanks to all of you – trivia teammates, dinner partners, those whom I discussed books, travel, and music with – you know who you are!

A special thank you to Darek Barquero, a wonderful cruise consultant with Oceania.  Darek matched me up with this cruise and checked in with me during the trip to make sure everything was gong well.  His follow-up assured I received all the discounts/benefits I was due.  If you’re interested in cruising with Oceania, I encourage you to get in touch with him.  His email is dbarquero@oceaniacruises.com.

Bottomless thanks to my wife, Sandy, who encourages me to fulfill my travel dreams even though she won’t travel herself.   I am fortunate indeed to have such a supportive spouse!

And of course, thanks to all of you who read this blog.  I write it because doing so lets me combine my passions for travel, writing, and photography.  Knowing that there are readers who find my posts enjoyable means the world to me.

See y’all in September!