OCEANIA INSIGNIA MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE REVIEW

What should you expect on an Oceania Cruises Mediterranean journey? During our 10-day Insignia cruise, we traveled from Rome to Lisbon.

The Mediterranean Sea is as large as 30 Lake Superiors, stretching 4,000 km (2,500 miles) from end-to-end. Oceania's fleet of four 684-passenger ships and two 1,250-passenger ships are small enough to dock in smaller ports that are inaccessible to mega-ships.

The 640-passenger M/S Insignia has nine passenger decks. The 180.45 m (593.7 ft)-long ship cruises at a maximum speed of 20 knots.

Dress code

Embarkation in Civitavecchia, Italy, was speedy. Staff took our photos and digitally embedded them on our Oceania World cards, which we used to get on-and-off the ship, as charge cards for purchases and as stateroom keys.

Oceania aptly describes the ambiance as country club casual. We were happy that we didn't have to pack suits, formal wear and high heels.

Food-lovers cruise

While the crew brought our luggage to our stateroom, staff invited us to enjoy a welcome-aboard lunch in the Terrace Café, a casual buffet restaurant. We could dine indoors or outside. Our bow-facing table overlooked Rome's port.

After dozens of other cruises, we were dubious about Oceania's tag line — "The Finest Cuisine at Sea." But they're not joking.

International cheeses

Everything is made from scratch, from soups and sauces to freshly baked breads and desserts. The produce is fresh, not frozen, and the beef is USDA prime.

Flights deliver international cheeses to each ship under temperature-controlled conditions. Provisions staff source fresh fish and seafood locally.

Terrace Café

Lunch featured hot and cold international specialties, from Asian to Mexican, as well as soups, salads, pizzas, à-la-minute pastas, carved roasts and a can't-choose-just-one dessert buffet.

Dinner choices were even more extensive, adding appetizers, freshly made sushi, grilled steaks and lobster tails and a hard-to-resist cheese board.

Veranda stateroom

After lunch, we unpacked our luggage in our concierge level veranda stateroom. Relaxing here was easy with balcony-chair views, thick terry robes, 24-hour room service, a mini-fridge stocked with cold soft drinks, a large menu of DVD movies and documentaries, and a selection of Bulgari amenities in the bathroom.

Oceania's Tranquility mattresses induce such restorative sleep that the cruise line addresses requests for its bed collection and 1,000-thread-count, 100% cotton linens with a website for on-line purchases and delivery.

As Insignia began cruising to Barcelona, Spain (distance: 441 nautical miles from Rome), an announcement called all passengers to the guest lifeboat drill. It was the only mandatory onboard activity.

Toscana Italian restaurant

We had reservations that evening for Toscana, an Italian restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows. Unlike most other cruise lines, Oceania does not charge extra fees for its specialty restaurants.

The server wheeled a trolley of bottles to our table and invited us to select an extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar to accompany the mouth-watering breads at our table.

It was difficult to choose from the extensive menu of Italian specialties, such as osso buco and veal scaloppine. The handmade tortellini with ricotta, spinach and chopped tomatoes in sage butter was mouthwatering.

When we couldn't decide what to eat for dessert, the server suggested the sampler plate of fruit minestrone with apricot-basil syrup and sherbet, red berry compote-topped panna cotta, cannoli stuffed with citrus ricotta cream and marsala cherry sauce, crème brûlée and tiramisu. Yummy!

Back in our stateroom, we found dark Belgian chocolates on our pillows, along with a copy of Currents. The newsletter highlighted the next day's weather, destination highlights, daily activities and entertainment.

Day at sea

Prior to our Mediterranean cruise, we had reservations about finding enough things to do. In retrospect, we laugh. The problem was finding enough time to do everything that enticed us!

Consider this partial list of daytime activities — needlepoint and cooking lessons, tax and duty-free shopping in the boutiques, perfecting our golf swing on the putting green, table tennis, shuffleboard, photo contests, mah-jongg, jackpot bingo and cooling off in the pool.

Participants collected Big-O-Points for selected activities. At the end of the voyage they redeemed them for T-shirts, tote bags, mugs and other souvenirs.

Barcelona shore excursion

The following morning, we enjoyed a hearty breakfast in the Terrace Café before our tour of Barcelona's Gothic Quarter, Gaudi's Sagrada Familia and Las Ramblas.

A beautiful array of fresh berries, fruit, cereals, meats, made-to-order eggs and fluffy omelets, smoked salmon and cream cheese, bagels and luscious pastries tempted us at breakfast. The pecan sticky buns and almond marzipan croissants were addictive.

Back onboard an hour before departure, we joined other passengers on the Pool Deck for a Barcelona sail-away celebration. The Insignia Showband and Production Cast singers entertained us with singing and dancing.

Cruising to Alicante

The cruise between Barcelona and Alicante (distance: 229 nautical miles), was so smooth that we barely noticed that we were moving.

We enjoyed dinner on fine Le Jardin de Versace Rosenthal china in The Grand Dining Room. The restaurant offered a four-course tasting menu paired with wines, as well as à-la-carte appetizers, soups and salads with at least a dozen main courses, including vegetarian offerings.

Grand Dining Room menu

Chefs accommodate special kosher, gluten-free, diabetic and other diets upon request prior to booking. Sommeliers help passengers select matching wines.

Should we have the lobster-and-spring vegetable crêpes with langoustine bisque, the roasted veal with marsala sauce and mascarpone polenta or the duck à l'orange with braised red cabbage and almond potato croquettes? Decisions! Decisions! We always saved room for one of the delectable desserts.

Alicante tour

The next morning, we took a shore excursion to Santa Barbara Castle and the Old Quarter of Alicante, Spain. Other passengers went on tours of Murcia, the regional capital, Elche's palm groves and Novelda's Sanctuary, with wine-tasting at a Bodega cellar.

Insignia docked footsteps from Alicante. At other ports of call, if the ship moored farther away, Oceania Cruises provided complimentary shuttle transfers to city centers.

Destination Services staff helped passengers select the best shore excursions for their interests, walking abilities and budgets. The choice was vast, from guided coach tours to easy, moderate and extensive walks.

Some tours had a food-and-wine focus. Others were evening trips. Oceania Choice excursions were one-of-a-kind.

Polo Grill specialty restaurant

That evening, as Insignia cruised from Alicante to Almeria (distance: 177 nautical miles), we dined on lobster and filet mignon at the Polo Grill steak and seafood restaurant.

Servers spooned port wine reduction sauce over our warm foie gras-and-mushroom appetizers and removed steamed lobster from the shell tableside. The service was five-star.

Canyon Ranch SpaClub

It soon became evident that if it weren't for Oceania's free wellness program, most passengers would literally roll down the gangplank at the end of the Mediterranean cruise. To burn calories, we used the grand staircase centerpiece of the ship, rather than taking the elevators between decks.

We also indulged in the tasty, low-calorie healthy-living dishes in The Grand Dining Room, thanks to Oceania Cruises' association with Canyon Ranch wellness resorts. For passengers wanting pampering, the Canyon Ranch SpaClub provided an aromatic steam room, thalassotherapy whirlpool, body wraps, massages and other treatments.

Fitness Center

State-of-the-art exercise equipment, including treadmills, indoor cycles, weights and mats for guided yoga, stretch and Pilates classes filled the Fitness Center. FitBall and elastic band workouts, led by the affable fitness director, were both fun and energizing.

Keeping passengers healthy was a priority on our cruise. Most mornings, we joined the 13-laps-around-the-pool Walk-a-Mile program on the fitness track.

Wellness at sea

In addition to encouraging everyone to use hand sanitizers at the entrances to all restaurants, the computer center and the gangway, staff distributed individual containers of hand sanitizer to use when ashore.

To ensure that we stayed hydrated, they gave us bottles of water to drink when we were off the ship. We also appreciated the smoke-free environment. (Smoking was only allowed in two small designated smoking areas.)

Oceania ships have medical centers staffed by licensed doctors and nurses, who are available during clinic hours and when needed for emergencies.

Almeria walking tour

After Insignia docked in Almeria, local tourist office representatives came onboard to distribute maps and answer questions for passengers preferring do-it-yourself exploration. We joined a walking tour of the Almeria Alcazaba and cathedral.

Interesting lectures on sights, art, history and photography prepared us for each destination. We could listen to live presentations in the Insignia Lounge or view rebroadcasts on the TV in our comfortable stateroom.

Waves Grill

Back onboard, we discovered that even Insignia's fast-food was epicurean. The poolside Waves Grill offered gourmet burgers, such as the Black Angus burger with Swiss cheese and sautéed button mushrooms and the Kobe burger (Wagyu beef with black truffle sauce).

The grill's made-to-order milkshakes, malts and smoothies were also irresistible. Waves (and the other restaurants) also served worth-the-calories ice cream with innovative flavors, such as nougat and milk chocolate brownie.

Enrichment opportunities

As Insignia cruised from Almeria to Gibraltar (distance:150 nautical miles), we sampled more onboard activities — sketching and watercolor lessons with the artist-in-residence, as well as Canyon Ranch SpaClub health-and-beauty seminars on topics as diverse as reflexology and hair-styling.

Other passengers enjoyed bridge classes, brain-teaser trivia competitions, board games including chess, and stimulating lectures on subjects ranging from architecture to space exploration.

Relaxing with a good book

A huge array of books tempted us from the library's wooden shelves — bestsellers, biographies, fiction, foreign language books, health advice, travel and language guides.

Some passengers read their selections in the library's comfy leather chairs. Others brought their books to the padded lounge chairs around the pool.

Self-guided Gibraltar tour

The captain announced that we would have a spectacular view of the Rock of Gibraltar at sunrise as Insignia cruised into the bay. We photographed the imposing landmark from our veranda.

The ship docked so close to the town of Gibraltar that it was easy to do a walking tour from the cruise terminal. We then rode the cable car to the top of the Rock and walked down to see its attractions.

Afternoon tea

We missed lunch while we toured Gibraltar so we were delighted that afternoon tea was scheduled for 4 pm when we returned. As Insignia cruised from Gibraltar to Spain (distance: 104 nautical miles) a talented string quartet performed nostalgic melodies such as Yesterday and Somewhere My Love in Horizons Lounge.

White-gloved servers offered us delicious sandwiches and scrumptious raspberry tarts, meringues, cakes and scones from four-tiered mobile pastry carts. Our beverage of choice? Twinings tea, of course.

Happy hour

Horizons and Martinis Lounge enticed patrons with tastings of single malts, martinis, cognacs and wines. Horizons Lounge also served two-for-one drinks during pre-dinner and late-night happy hours.

Beverage packages and wine-by-the-bottle packages offered savings. If we wanted only a couple glasses of wine from our bottle, the servers vacuum-sealed the remaining wine and retrieved the bottle from the cellar when we requested it from other restaurants.

We didn't miss Starbucks

When we needed a caffeine boost, we stopped at Baristas for frothy cappuccinos, lattes and other specialty coffees. An assortment of homemade biscotti, cookies and pastries tempted us from the counter.

After requesting take-out cups of illycrema (which tasted like espresso ice cream), we brought them to Horizons Lounge to enjoy while we viewed the scenery and sunsets through floor-to-ceiling windows.

Touring Seville

The close-up views were especially appealing when Insignia cruised up the Guadalquivir River to Seville. It was fun going on a river cruise during our Mediterranean Sea cruise!

Once again, it was only a short walk from the pier where the ship docked to the historical city center. We took an enjoyable walking tour of Seville's cathedral, Alcázar and Santa Cruz quarter.

Some passengers went on a Canyon Ranch wellness excursion to visit an apiary to learn about therapeutic honeybee products. Others went on coach tours to Cordoba and Jerez for sherry-tasting.

Nightly entertainment

Each evening, after dinner, we enjoyed a variety of entertainment. The Insignia Showband accompanied energetic dancers, singers, pianists and violinists, and provided melodies for nightly dancing.

Comedians, movies and the casino's slot machines, roulette wheels, poker and blackjack tables also lured passengers.

All of the activities and socializing, as well as several parties — welcome aboard, solo travelers' get-together, captain's cocktail and sail-away celebrations — provided numerous opportunities to meet new people.

As the cruise progressed, passengers moved from dining at tables for two to tables for four and six, to dine with new friends. (Non-specialty restaurants have open seating.)

Oceania@Sea Internet Center

How did we stay in touch with friends and families and at-home happenings while we were cruising the Med? Each evening, staff delivered summaries of Canadian and U. S. news, sports and financial highlights to our stateroom.

A variety of Internet packages (by the minute, 200-anytime minutes and unlimited) allowed us to surf the Web, send and receive e-mails on our devices and in the 24-hour Oceania@Sea Internet Center. A technical consultant helped passengers with any log-in issues.

Overnight in Lisbon

The excitement onboard was tangible as we approached Lisbon, our final destination. Passengers gathered on the top decks with their cameras for panoramic previews of Portugal's capital city.

Because Insignia docked overnight in Lisbon, we had a full day to tour Lisbon's Alfama and UNESCO World Heritage Sites before disembarking the following day.

Repeat cruisers

During our cruise, we met several repeat passengers who were on their 6th, 14th and even 20th Oceania cruise. What were the reasons for their loyalty, in addition to the Oceania Club discounts and incentives for passengers who take multiple trips?

They cited the delicious cuisine, the predominantly adult fellow travelers (no activities designed to attract children), the camaraderie that develops among them and, especially, the staff.

Arrive as strangers, leave as friends

Insignia has a staff of 400, which provides a guest-to-staff ratio of 1.71 to 1. Their name badges specify their homelands — places as diverse as Bali, El Salvador and the Philippines.

"The staff feel like family," explained one passenger. "We get to know them and learn about their families and home countries. And we remember each other from previous cruises." Her explanation may account for why the service onboard is so caring and their smiles and greetings so genuine.

How do you describe an Oceania Mediterranean cruise? Spoiled is the word that comes to mind — not in a pretentious way, but more the feeling of being a welcome guest in a close friend's home.

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TRAVEL INFORMATION

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