We were on our first Oceania cruise 9/22/05 sailing from Barcelona to Istanbul. Oceania is a very nice cruise line. We liked it alot and would recommend them. The ship itself is beautiful; (Insignia). A very beautiful ship! Our penthouse suite was more like a nice hotel room than a real penthouse. But very comfortable. The beds are the best we have ever slept on while on any cruise including 2 Radisson. The comforter is down and so are the pillows, pure luxury! We had a butler but he wasn't really needed. This ship is the same size as the Voyager, I think. The food was good. The food in the Polo was excellent. I never had a bad steak. The main dining room was good; not wonderful, but very good. Didn't care for the Tapa's nightly buffet. The crew was pleasant at all times and the itinerary was great. I like the Radisson being all inclusive. Little things like giving you water when you leave the ship for tours is a good thing that Radisson does and Oceania does not. There is one laundry for the entire ship and they charge a reasonable fee. But, it got very crowded and alot of people were very upset waiting for their turn. Getting on off the ship was simple, no problems there. I can't say anything really negative about this cruiseline. I think they will do very well as word spreads. This ship was nearly full and I know their 2006 bookings are strong. :lct:

Thanks for the review, Judy!

Masaki

Thanks very much for sharing your trip with us. It's so helpful to get first-hand reports. Cheers, Anne

Nice to learn about other cruise lines. Thanks for the report.

Thanks, Judy, good information. We are planning an Oceania cruise in 2006 so it really helps to have an idea of what to expect.

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Dena

Great report, Judy. Sounds like you had a good time.

Hi Judy, Thanks for your review. I like the longer cruises that Oceania offers. Hope to take a cruise on one of their ships one day.