Transatlantic Journaling Cruise: Insignia

Insignia, one of three sister ships of Oceania Cruises

The cruise line we have selected is Oceania. Anyone fortunate enough to cruise recently on one of their three ships will tell you that the award winning service provided by their staff and crew cannot be matched in this price range. In early 2007, I escorted a group of 98 guests aboard Nautica for a cruise through Greece, Turkey, and Dubrovnik Croatia. The service was outstanding, prompting one client to compare her experience favorably to a previous experience aboard Crystal Cruises.

The Insignia is a 700 passenger vessel with a great mix of inside, outside, and suite accommodations. The kitchens aboard Oceania ships are overseen by award-winning chef Jacque Pepin.

Formal dress has been shelved in favor of “resort casual” attire. There is absolutely no need to pack formal wear unless you desire to do so. Wear a coat and tie if you like, or slacks and a polo shirt. It’s your call.

Dining is much different aboard Oceania. Instead of the standard 2-seating format utilized by many cruise lines, you can make your reservations for any time you wish and dine with whomever you please. If you are looking for more casual fare, you can enjoy a leisurely dinner in Tapas on the Terrace instead of the dining room. You should also plan on at least one dinner in the upscale Toscana. If you would like a little privacy, keep in mind that you have 24-hour room service available to you.

The itinerary offers a mix of unique destinations and days at sea. We searched for a schedule that would offer ports that stimulate creative writing, followed by an adequate number of sea days for class instruction, writing, and critique. Oceania Cruises offers a variety of shore excursions that may be purchased in each port of call. I will also be looking into group rates for some of these ports to see if offering a group discount for a tour makes sense. You are free to explore any one of these ports on your own if you choose.

There are a number of special amenities for the group when booking through Northwest Travel Service. We’ll have the opportunity to meet other members of the group during a hosted cocktail reception. Secondly, we have prepaid your gratuities for the voyage, a value of over $184 per person. Finally, early reservations (first 30 cabins) will have a shipboard credit of $200 assigned to your stateroom to use in the spa, lounge, or shops aboard ship.

Updated: Tuesday, April 29, 2008