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| Reviewed By: Matthews, Surrey on 26th Nov 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Oceania Cruises |
Times cruised before: 3-5 |
| Cruise Ship: Insignia |
Sailed:
November,
2008 |
| Destination: Mediterranean |
Age: 46-55 |
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The taxi arrived at the port, and before we were even out of the car, porters were ready to take our luggage. We walked straight up to the check-in desk, and were on the ship in less than 10 minutes. In our cabin canapes and a bottle of fizz were waiting for us. We were pleasantly surprised to find the cabin much nicer than the internet virtual tour showed, it was spacious, well decorated, plenty of hanging and drawer space, and more importantly, plenty of hangers for our clothes! The bathroom had a tub with shower over, toilet and single sink, marble surfaces, plenty of storage space for toiletries, but was quite snug.
We had our first meal in the Grand Dining room, again beautifully decorated, and we were given the choice to sit by ourselves, or on a table for 4, 6, or 8. The menu was extremely varied, and the quality of the food and service was excellent. At no time were we ever rushed, or made to feel that it was a chore serving us. All the staff throughout the ship seemed genuinely happy to be on board and enjoying their work.
The food in the self service restaurant, where we ate breakfast and sometimes lunch, was also of an extremely high standard, with the same helpful, friendly staff.
Afternoon tea was silver service, and the choices far too tempting to refuse.
The two other restaurants, The Polo Grill, and Toscana, (where reservations were required) were absolutely fantastic, and unlike other ships, no surcharges were applied.
We started off in Barcelona, sailed to the port for Rome, Naples, Palermo, La Goulette, Tangier, Cadiz and finally Lisbon. We took ship's tours in some ports, which were extremely well planned, and we had excellent guides who ensured we saw all the features of the site, so there was no rushing to stick to a tight time schedule.
We felt there were enough activities on board to keep us occupied when we were at sea, including lectures, musical performances, quizzes, shuffleboard and pingpong competitions. There was also a very good library and games room. The internet service was excellent (if a little bit pricey), and we were fortunate to have a lap top in our cabin.
For such a small ship, we found the entertainment to be very enjoyable, and the resident band a delight to listen to.
After an extremely disappointing cruise earlier this year, we were trying not to get too excited about this trip. However, I can honestly say we enjoyed every single minute of the holiday, found the atmosphere on board to be cosy and friendly, and can thoroughly recommend a smaller cruise ship to anyone who has found a large ship too impersonal.
Would we book with Oceania again, you bet, we've already got the brochures for 2009.
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| Quality of Food |  |
| Enjoyed the food in all of the restaurants | | Entertainment | |
| Enjoyed all the shows we went to. | | Shore Excursions | |
| The trip to Pompeii was the most memorable, our excellent guide Sacha really knew his stuff. | | Staff | |
| Couldn't single out one member of staff, we were impressed by everyone we came across. | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities | |
| Really enjoyed the trivia quizzes, met some lovely people who became our regular team members. | | Cabins | |
| Even better than we were expecting. | | Overall Rating | |
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Happy HOLIDAY's
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Queen Victoria - Caribbean 2008
MSC Fantasis Christmas Cruise
