Firstly I'd like to note I have cruised over 25 times and have never written a review or written to a cruise company with a complaint. However this cruise did not deliver on many aspects of what was offered. This cruise was advertised as 'Falls Splendour'. Sadly it had no splendour and we didn't see any of the fantastic autumn colours which we expected in Canada in October. When the cruise was booked it featured 8 ports of call, but after booking one port of call was cancelled,and another 3 ports of call were cancelled whist on the cruise. The first two days of the cruise went to plan. Then the following 8 days were far from what Oceania had stated it would deliver. We endured circling around in very rough seas on the planned port day of Halifax. Apparently this was because the ship needed to bunker for fuel but could not enter harbour. Many passengers were very ill and glasses in the restaurant and coffee cups in the cafe were flying off surfaces and shattering. It was 10 o'clock on a Sunday night when we finally were able to get off the ship in Halifax. There were no Oceania staff around to give any information so after 10 minutes on dry land, and nowhere to go at that time of night we got back on board. The gangway had many kitchen staff carrying supplies onto the ship who just continued whist we were trying to use the gangway. An health and safety issue. We asked at reception if the decks were open after being closed all day because of rough seas. The only person at reception said he didn't know and there was no-one to ask! The notices informing that the decks were closed were still in place even though the ship was in port. This seemed like a further examples of poor communication and a lack of priority given to customer service. We experienced water seeping into our cabin on two occasions during the cruise and cabin staff just placed rows of towels to soak up the water. No maintenance staff came to seal up the problem, even though I asked the cabin steward The outside pool was drained overnight before our planned port of call in Halifax and on the next day instead of being refilled a maintenance team was busy repainting the pool. When I enquired as to why this work was been carried out on a lovely calm day when I wanted to swim, and when the ship was going in for a total refit two weeks later, I was given a feeble reason that was a good day to do this work. No regard for passengers like me who wanted to swim. The room service was hit and miss. On the third day the breakfast arrived with no knife and fork to eat my eggs. The same day our lunch order was 'lost' which meant a wait of 40 minutes for our main courses. That night we decided to try the new restaurant room service that Oceania were introducing on this cruise. After calls to room service, reception and the concierge desk no one on the ship knew anything about this new service! I spoke to the hotel manager and he also was surprised to hear about this and took a copy of the paperwork I had showing the new benefits for concierge passengers on this cruise. The Captain was not to be seen at any point throughout the cruise and refused to meet with passengers to explain why we had so many ports of call cancelled. I emailed Oceania on my return and received an email in reply that did not answer any of my questions. It appeared to be an email that had been sent to another passenger then sent on to me. I replied and received an automatic reply stating I would receive a reply within 28 days. No reply was received and when chased up Oceania claimed that the second email had not been received, which of course was not true as I had the automatic confirmation. After 50 days I received an email that still did not address any of my questions and offering £300 each off a further cruise, even though I had made it very clear that I would never book another Oceania cruise. A phone call to the sender of the emails explaining that I did not want money off a future cruise but I wanted the payment in a cash refund/compensation resulted in an email stating that this was not possible. The atmosphere on this cruise was one of very unhappy passengers who felt the Oceania were totally dismissive of their comments and complaints. The same is true of customer services in Southampton. Oceania claims to be a luxury brand ...in my opinion, comparing this cruise experience with others, this cruise and customer care was far from this!. Read Less

We chose this NEWEngland/Canada cruise because of the Oceania reputation and the quieter atmosphere of a smaller ship. Oceanis surely scored very high in terms of their wonderful staff, excellent dining room, and delicious food. While some aspects of the Fall Wonder tour were great, none of the great things included the ship itself and certainly not the poor decision made by the Captain to cruise into a Nor’easter. Best aspects include a wonderful team of servers, cabin stewards, and crew; these young people deserve an A +. Also excellent was the dining in the Grand Dining Room and the cuisine. However, while no one can blame the Captain for the terrible weather -including a nasty storm - the decision to leave a safely docked port in St John and cruise through a terrible storm in order to reach a destination which would not even allow us to dock was a reckless error. The night of the storm was no less than terrifying. The next day, as both glassware and unsteady humans fell to the floor there was not a word from the Captain to reassure anyone...only the messages announcing that we had no port to enter. Out of eight possible ports we missed four. Instead of one sea day we had four. No Happy hour offer could appease the disappointment of those who could admit to themselves that this trip was a loser.A valuable lesson for me was that for any future cruise I must do more research. Tonnage really matters in the middle of a Nor’easter. Insignia did not handle the Atlantic in a manner that helped six hundred passengers to feel safe.The loss of enjoyment with the port cancellations was disappointing, but the genuine fear for the personal safety of the people on that ship was a black memory I will never forget. Should I cruise again I will research the ship long before I book...and I will not return to Insignia. Read Less

We chose this cruise for its itinerary and to cruise again with Oceania. I've been on 24 cruises (ocean and river). Oceania to the Med was one of the best, and this one (Montreal to New York) was the only bad one. The buffet area was seriously understaffed. We were ignored at tea one day and then insulted by the maitre d when we asked (very politely and quietly) to be served. But the consistent problem was that bad weather meant no one could use any outdoor spaces and caused us to miss two ports. That mattered only because Oceania made NO provision for all the resulting crowding in all indoor areas and provided almost NOTHING extra for the two unexpected sea days (except for showing a movie that was already showing in the cabins and repetition of two craft activities). The food was good but not great. Two chefs did the best cooking demo I've seen on a cruise. We ate one nIght in the Italian specialty restaurant. It was excellent. We didn't try the other specialty restaurant. I've never before missed the evening show, but we skipped all the evening entertainment because it was only offered at 9:30 p.m. There was nothing we were interested in to do between dinner and then. Our cabin steward Min was the best I've had, but I suggest that you seriously reconsider sailing on the Insignia. Read Less

Since you asked... We chose this cruise because of a 30 day price reduction. Empty nest therapy sessions and convalescence from an injury at our stage in life was much desired and needed respite. Oceania was recommended by my In-laws. We had sailed on The Riviera and loved it. When we called the agent they had great incentives and the next thing we knew we were packing for a long week aboard the Insignia. We woke early and took a car to the Manhattan Terminal and set sail past the Statue of Liberty that afternoon. It was a beautiful cruise itinerary, stopping at different ports along the northeast corridor of the US and Canada into Halifax, Nova Scotia and then south to Bermuda. We had sailed the same Cruise to Canada, Nova Scotia and Bermuda during the 2017 hurricane a year earlier. The rains were wind driven. We were located on the forward of the ship facing the pummeling waves while the ship motored through choppy water. In the 2017 hurricane, the captain was heading right into the storm and navigating his course. We were pretty safe and Oceania provided plenty to do aboard the ship including shows and entertainment. They also had cards, miniature golf and games like bingo and trivia. In 2018, it turned out to be beach weather. Nice! We were on the beach in Bermuda and wearing summer clothes most of the time. Glad we brought our bathing suits-and suntan lotion. We swam in a beautiful cove in Bermuda. We parked our moped at the entrance lot and spent the day sunbathing. The evenings were a bit cooler. Bring a jacket, sweater or pretty wrap to keep you warm. The price of the Vista Suite was reduced 67%. Unbelievable! Perhaps because it was Hurricane season. You best have a sense of adventure. If the captain encounters a hurricane a number of people feeling less than confortable can be found at the bar or in the infirmary. One woman was buying a motion sickness patch to wear behind her ear because several others had recommended it. You dont need to see a doctor for it either. They sell it in the gift shop. Convenient. The ship and crew maintain a friendly atmosphere and the ports of call are of the highest esteem. Highlights of each port are delivered in your daily newsletter. Some of our excursions included a more relaxed Lobster Tank Picnic and a walk around with the locals. The shops are all filled with treasures and nautical antiquities and curiosities. There are pieces of art made by the locals and more than enough restaurants to have a nice meal. The church in Newport, RI. was beautiful. There was a box reserved for The Royal Family. A gentleman gave us a tour and as we left we signed the guest book. The tour of TheTitanic museum was quite informative but the cost isn't included. The story of The Titanic is well known to many but to actually see the pieces of the ship and items recovered from the wreck was somewhat startling. The history was documented through dioramas and actual displays as well as preserved pieces of the wreck. I BOUGHT A TITANIC WHISTLE! GETTING HOME WAS NOT GUARANTEED. Bermuda was hot and sunny. The beaches were open and the the best lunch could be found at The Infamous Swizzle Inn. We had swizzle burgers a pitcher of their house cocktail. We stayed a while before heading back out on our moped for a trip into town to do some shopping before returning to the ship. Choosing this cruise was a pretty solid decision. You would likely enjoy this itinerary. It was our third on this cruise line. Oceania is a shining star. I didnt have one complaint. They anticipated everything. Even our stationery was personalized so we could write home. Stamps were at the front desk and also in every port. Most folks would be pleasantly surprised with their every need anticipated. Just step on in to a world of fascination. The service is responsive and friendly. They tailor their service to your wants and needs delivering delicious early morning coffees and custom brews at the barista. They provided scrumptious breakfasts, brunches, fruits and fresh flowers throughout the cruise. You are in a world of classic, nautical polish. Relax & enjoy. It is impressive. Meet some nice people along the way and learn how to say CRAZY in 5 languages if you want. I invited Barack and Michelle, Oprah, Stedman, Regis and David Letterman. None of them showed up. If you can believe that. CRAZY. Read Less

Let me first begin by saying this was our 3 rd. Oceania cruise and the itinerary and staff was wonderful. We enjoyed all the ports we visited and the staff was warm, friendly and professional. The food on the ship was very good, but being a small Oceania ship...there were only 2 speciality restaurants. As we got into cooler temperatures, the outdoor area of the buffet was closed, so it was very difficult to find a seat for breakfast. People don't really share tables at breakfast for some reason and the staff doesn't encourage that. We had very interesting excursions and experienced many great sites. Although, we enjoyed the Insignia for the most part...I would not recommend concierge on this ship as the only upgrades we received was a bottle of generic champagne, an Oceania tote and some upgraded toiletries. Big deal for extra charge. Due to the smaller ship, there was no concierge lounge and we didn't need extra reservations because they were rarely busy. Just be careful what stateroom they give you...6001...it terrible! Don't do CONCIERGE LEVEL on Oceania's smaller ships. Read Less

This was our fifth cruise with Oceania, second on Insignia. We knew what to expect: good food and excellent service from friendly, enthusiastic and happy crew. We were again not impressed with the entertainment, Oceania's weakest point. The production cast, six young singers/dancers are high school level. There was only one guest entertainer who was really good, Jeri Sager, a broadway singer and actress. The comedian and female trumpettist were just OK. This cruise had a number of sea days and the lack of entertainment or activities onboard Insignia for younger people like us, is a problem. When the weather is too cold, there is absolutely nothing interesting to do for us. Yes, there is Bridge, Mahyong, trivia, Bingo, and other activities we associate in general with those in a home for retirement. So unless you are well over 70, the ship is very boring. Less than 2% of the passengers fell in our age-range (40's) and that is now the main reason why we will look for another cruiseline for our next vacation. Food Oceania is very good in gastronomy. Enough choice of restaurants, just enough variation in menu choices, good selection on the 24 hour room menu... Food is served hot and beautiful presented, especialy the desserts. If you like good food, Oceania will not dissapoint you. Staff Excellent! Happy staff, always friendly, even when not on duty. Read Less