Insignia Black Sea cruise

We took a 12-day cruise to the Black Sea on Oceania Cruises’ Insignia in September ’04*. Rates ranged from $2,299, inside, to $3,399, verandah, and included airfare from select cities. What a good cruise it was, especially at that rate.

Oceania’s ships Insignia and Regatta were purchased from the now-defunct Renaissance Cruises. Like on Renaissance sailings, there are no formal nights; all nights are “country club casual.”

There is open seating in the dining room and in the terrace café at all meals. There are two special dining rooms, the Polo Grill and Toscana, where reservations are required, though no extra charge is assessed. The food was generally very good in all venues. We thought the beverage charges were unusually high for a cruise ship. Tips are automatically added at a fixed rate per day, which is okay when you’re dining around.

The ships are what we consider an ideal size, each carrying about 600 passengers.

There were no lavish shows, but there was entertainment every night. The ships feature large Internet rooms and excellent libraries.

There are good viewing areas around the ship as well as many verandah staterooms. All the amenities one expects on a modern cruise ship were there except for a mini-fridge in the room. Oceania touts its beds and they were very comfortable.

Departure from Piraeus was delayed by late-arriving passengers, so we missed seeing the Bosporus Strait in daylight while heading into the Black Sea. But many of us bolted from the dinner table, skipping only dessert, to see Istanbul from the water at night — a beautiful sight. And we saw it all in the daylight on the return trip.

Our first stop was Nessebur, Bulgaria, a charming UNESCO World Heritage Site village that is struggling to retain its aged buildings and charm while many Europeans flock to nearby condos and beaches, taking their money with them. We took a good excursion offered by the Insignia that included a walking tour of the town, then a bus ride to a winery where we were served a nice lunch with plenty of wine and entertained by a local folkloric dance group.

The next stop was Constanta, Romania. What a contrast! Poor Romania is still struggling from the aftereffects of the Ceaus¸escu regime. Its Old Quarter is nearly in ruins, though there is some restoration. It needs money.

On to Ukraine, first to Odessa then Sevastopol. At Odessa the Insignia docked at the foot of the Potemkin Steps. Since we weren’t on a tour, we climbed the 190 steps to the city at the top — not as hard as I first thought it would be.

Odessa has many charming, late-19th-century buildings, very French in style. There was a nice park with a good flea market. It was a Saturday when we were there and there were couples lined up at a municipal building waiting to get married, the brides lovely in their white gowns and everyone smiling and happy.

In Sevastopol we again skipped the tours and walked around on our own. At one point I could see the domes of a church on a hill. Our map named it in English and Russian. Not wanting to puff up the wrong hill, we stopped two Ukrainian men, pointed at the name and up the street. They smilingly gestured the way we should go, and as we were walking away one man said, “Lenin.”

Sure enough, as we climbed the steps to the church, the first thing we saw was a large statue of Lenin surrounded by workers and serfs. The church itself was small, in the midst of restoration, and crowded with people, both tourists and worshipers.

Back on the ship for lunch, our table companions told us of going to a seal-and-dolphin show, praising it highly, so we went back into town and saw the show. It cost about $4 each and was indeed very good.

After an “at sea” day, Sochi, Russia, was our next stop. Sochi is in an area of beach towns where many of Russia’s elite have their dachas. Since we lacked Russian visas, the only way we could go into town was on an organized tour. The ship had arranged a “tour” whereby a bus drove us to one end of the town, let us out to walk around on our own for three hours and then took us back to the ship. We were cautioned not to miss the bus back or everyone would be in trouble.

Sochi is a nice beach town which would be fun to visit again if we ever have visas or they lighten up a bit.

The final stop in the Black Sea was Yalta, Ukraine, site of the February 1945 conference between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. We took a very good tour to see the palace where the conference was held and the one where Churchill stayed, plus had a photo stop of the Swallows’ Nest castle.

After a day at sea, we headed back through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles to Mykonos, Greece, for a day. The tour there was to the temples on Delos, but we’d been there before. It was very hot, so we just browsed the shops, got lost in the maze and had a drink in a sidewalk restaurant.

The next day found us back in Piraeus with a full day to explore Athens and one last night on the ship before we disembarked for home.

Based on this experience, we look forward to other Insignia cruises and would recommend the ship to anyone. We also recommend a visit to the Black Sea.

SUE & ALAN HUNT
Pensacola, FL

* In 2006, Oceania’s newest ship, “Nautica,” the same size as “Insignia” and “Regatta,” sails the 12-day Black Sea itinerary, with prices from $3,599. “Insignia” continues sailing Europe as well as South America.