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Itineraries and Ports of Call: Alaska • South America & Antarctica
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Insignia Review
A cruise on Oceania's Insignia raises the question: "What makes a cruise a luxury experience?" The cruise line, founded by now-defunct Renaissance Cruises' Frank del Rio and Crystal Cruises' Joe Watters, adamantly rejects the notion that it's a luxury line. Yet Insignia does offer a mid-sized ship (frankly, these days, we're beginning to feel that 700-passenger vessels qualify as small ones) experience with decidedly upscale touches. Dining venues offer Jacques Pepin's gourmet cuisine and open seating with no additional charges for alternative restaurants. Service throughout is impeccable. Most cabins offer balconies.
On the other hand, Insignia, like its fleetmates Regatta and Nautica, is dabbling in the kind of big-ship features that the mega vessels introduce as luxury elements. A concierge-level verandah category offers passengers special perks, such as in-cabin mini-fridges, priority embarkation, and restaurant reservations in Toscana and The Polo Grill. Private, top-of-ship cabanas with waiter service can be rented by the day or by the cruise. A new line of exclusive culinary shore excursions mixes the local experience with fabulous wines and lunches for a unique day out.
Ultimately, two things keep the ship from rivaling the vessels of Crystal and Regent, and they go hand in hand: cabin size and price. Unlike the all-suite, all-balcony ships on other lines, Insignia's introductory cabins are small insides and outsides. Even its standard balcony cabins are smaller than comparable staterooms on luxury ships. And the ship is not all-inclusive -- charging for bottled water, soft drinks, alcohol and gratuities -- and with none of the free shuttles or shoreside events of the luxury lines. But while some guests may complain of being "nickel and dimed" (Insignia's onboard charges did strike us as a little higher than average), others recognize they're accessing Insignia's upscale experience at a cruise fare that's significantly lower than offered by the more traditional luxury lines. Even after you add up all the a la carte wine and water, a comparable cabin can be cheaper on Oceania than on a true luxury line. And the range of cabins (and cabin prices) makes the ship accessible to both premium cruisers wishing to upgrade and luxury travelers looking for a deal.
Call it what you will, but Insignia won me over from the first moment I stepped onboard and into an inviting living room area that could have been in someone's home, but was actually just the ship's reception area. My jet-lagged body blessed the ship for its luxurious linens and mattresses. My ever-growling stomach found solace in poolside milkshakes and some of the best pasta and Parmigiana Reggiano this side of Italy. Every teak lounger, easy chair or leather couch on the ship seemed to coo "sit on me," whether located in the gorgeous library with its ceiling murals and artfully placed telescopes or on the pool deck under a shady overhang. And while the line's hallmark port-intensive itineraries (mixing been-there-done-that destinations with more offbeat ports of call) kept me enthralled with Europe's diverse delights, I almost wished for a few more sea days, just to spend more time appreciating the little "luxuries" of deluxe, upscale or whatever-you-want-to-call-it Insignia.
 Read Complete Insignia Review
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Oceania Ships: Insignia • Marina • Nautica • Regatta
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