A RTW Retrospective

Wednesday, 5 July 2017 (Part II)
At Sea — Atlantic Ocean

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,
we must carry it with us, or we find it not.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Now for the retrospective I mentioned in the previous post.

As I begin, let me just say that there is no way to answer the “which port did you enjoy the most” question, so I’m not going to address it.  It is akin to a similar question that we get about our travels … “What is your favorite trip?”  Impossible to answer as each is unique in its own way regardless of whether we are referring to a trip, a country, or a port.  Some we enjoy for the people and the culture.  Others for the grand scenery we see or the wildlife encounters we have.  And yet others for the uniqueness of the overall experience more so than the destination itself.

One thing I will say about the ports on the RTW … we never felt unsafe anywhere.  We did our research in advance to know what to do and what to avoid.  We used common sense and caution, staying aware of our surroundings when we were out and about … whether alone or with a group of fellow-passengers.  And we respected each port for what it offered … not for what we expected it to offer.

My mind’s a jumble of thoughts, so I may or may not cover everything pin-balling around my brain.  I’m struggling to find a way to put everything on ‘digital paper’.  I’m going to start with some questions that I’ve already been asked in comments and emails and then segue into some thoughts.

If I miss some aspect of our experience that you are interested in, or if you have specific questions, leave a comment.  But remember to come back to this post to check for the answer.  Or include an email address as part of your comment and I will respond to you directly.

Let me get the big question out of the way first.  Would we do another 180 days again?  ABSOLUTELY!  In fact, we would prefer it over the shorter itineraries out there.  We would not, however, do another RTW just for the sake of doing it … there are too many places we’ve never been that are still vying for our attention.  The itinerary would have to be significantly different.  Assuming it’s on O as it was this year, it might mean doing a mostly-eastbound even-year RTW … for the time being, those are the itineraries that include South America and Africa — the two continents we didn’t make it to this year.  We’ve been to all seven continents already, so visiting those that weren’t on this year’s itinerary would not be for the purpose of crossing them off some imaginary bucket list, but to add variety and interest.

Would we consider another cruise line for our next RTW?  Sure, but the line has to offer the right itinerary!  See where my mind’s at?  I don’t mind repeating some ports … that’s inevitable.  But new-to-us ports and countries would be a priority.  The price on any cruise line we consider would have to be right, too.  Meaning, I’d look at the per diem and overall amenities, recognizing that none of the said amenities are free ... they are just included in the price.  That probably means an all-inclusive line where drinks and shore excursions are part of the deal would not rank high for us.  But, never say never.

Would any size ship do?  No!  Size does matter ... and in this instance, bigger is not better.  Yes, a bigger ship may have more to offer on board, but it’s what’s off the ship that counts when traveling around the world ... goes back to my itinerary hang-up.  A smaller ship can go where bigger ones can’t ... such as upriver.  And they can often berth closer to city centers, making sightseeing more convenient.  Insignia’s smallish-size allowed us to do both.  Definite pluses in our book.

Were we happy with the country club chic ambiance of O?  Without question, this is a yes.  We are so over the ‘formal’ thing.  Being able to check off casual chic in the dress code comparison column carried considerable weight with us.

Were we happy with our cabin?  Wish I could answer this with a resounding yes.  Unfortunately there are some qualifiers.  Let me break it down.  Size-wise the cabin was fine.  Yes, it was on the smallish-side and some would describe the en suite as diminutive.  Oh, and yes, the shower did have the much-dreaded curtain.  But none of that mattered to us ... maybe because we’re used to small.  After all, we live in a motor home.

Now let’s talk about the veranda.  I can do no-veranda cabins for short cruises ... but not for 180 days.  So, I loved that we had a veranda ... and one of the few larger non-suite ones on the ship to boot.  Aside from the obvious benefit of being able to step outside for photo ops, the veranda adds outdoor living space, which is a plus when you have a smallish cabin.  And it also provides space for the away-from-each-other-time that is important in every relationship when sharing close quarters.

All that said, I cannot recommend the aft facing cabins to anyone considering O for a RTW due to the issues we had with fumes.  Maybe the fumes were related to the mostly-westerly route we followed.  Maybe it was the prevailing winds.  Maybe it was mechanical issues relating to the ventilation system.  Whatever the reason, I just can’t see risking an aft veranda on the R-class ships for such a long voyage.

[Speaking of fumes — which not only made the veranda unusable so much of the time, but seeped into the cabin as well — O did do right by us.  I won’t discuss the specifics, except to say, we’re satisfied.]

Were you O regulars before the RTW?  No, we weren’t.  And for that reason, we did a test cruise before taking the plunge.  I can’t stress enough the importance of this.

Our test was a Mediterranean cruise in 2015 … while the RTW deposit was still refundable.  Granted, we did not sail on Insignia as she was in the midst of a second RTW that year.  No, our cruise was on a sister ship — everything was the same as Insignia, except the name ... Nautica.  We even booked the twin of 6090 on the aft … the only difference being that it was a B2 category at the time, not concierge.  I’ll note that on that Med cruise we did not have any fume issues.  Otherwise, we would not have booked 6090 for the RTW.  For us, the test-cruise highlighted that we liked the overall Oceania experience and that the cabin category that fit our budget would do nicely for 180 days.

Did the food get old after a while?  The answer for us would be, no.  Others would probably disagree.  Insignia being a smaller ship, dining venues are limited ... but all are gratis … meaning no additional fees to dine in the specialty restaurants.  We managed fine with the menus repeating on each segment. The food was quite good in all of the restaurants.  The al fresco specials at the Terrace Café with fresh fish and other locally-sourced food items were excellent … not to be missed.  We varied things by dining off the ship in at least some of the ports — especially for lunch.  Yeah, I know ... the food is included in the cruise fare.  But what is it they say about variety being the spice of life?  ’Nuff said.

Did we enjoy the shipboard life?  Very much so ... even though Mui and I are not “joiners” by nature.  We went to some of the lectures and shows, and also attended the special RTW events.  We didn’t participate in activities such as bridge and art classes and the like, preferring to use our time on the ship to relax and ‘digest’ our past port experiences and prepare for the next port visit.  As port-intensive as some of the segments were, this was critical to our mental well-being.

Did we enjoy the company of our fellow-passengers?  Definitely.  Both the RTWers and the segmenters we met were well-traveled and most shared similar values to us.  Of course there were some we didn’t hit it off with.  So be it — that’s bound to happen just about anywhere.  It didn’t detract from our overall pleasure in the RTW experience.

Here are some other thoughts that don’t specifically fall into a category …

A RTW voyage — especially one that lasts six months — is not for everybody.  That’s perfectly OK.  It was a good fit for our travel-style.  We’re nomadic by nature just by virtue of our house being on wheels.  Sure, we missed the more in-depth experience our overland trips give us, but we often think of cruises as a ‘taster’s buffet’ so it worked for us.

We enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with fellow-passengers — some of whom we call good friends now.  We saw new places ... experienced new lifestyles and cultures ... had fun, interesting, and educational experiences.  Our horizons broadened.  What we might have been less accepting of before the trip suddenly became, “You know, that’s OK ... it’s just different from what we are used to.”  The key was to be open-minded and respectful of the differences we encountered.  The RTW reinforced what we already knew ... that we are little more than specks in the grand scheme of things … specks that need to learn to live cohesively for the betterment of our world.

There are a lot of intangibles on a RTW voyage ... for which we paid good money.  One returns from the experience with an abundance of memories and a good number of friendships.  Lots of photos for sure.  And not a whole lot more unless one’s a shopper ... which we aren’t.  It wasn’t an easy decision to open the wallet to buy those intangibles.  Was it worth it?  You betcha!  We made a long-held dream come true in the process of gathering those intangibles.  Our travel memories have always given us pleasure.  Special moments that we take out — figuratively, of course — and relive time and again.  We’ve added an immense stash of new experiences to our memory banks with this RTW.

True, our RTW experience wasn’t perfect.  Expecting perfection when we alone are in control of something can be foolhardy enough.  Expecting perfection from such a big scheme as a 180-day voyage with so many moving parts over which we had little control?  Well, that would have simply been crazy and set us up for disappointment.  So, we did not expect perfection.  We enjoyed each day.  We rolled with the punches when something didn’t go as expected.  We let go of the disappointments quickly and did not dwell on them.  Even on those seemingly imperfect days, we found something that brought a smile to our faces.  Not a day went by that we didn’t appreciate the gift we had been given ... the wherewithal to be where we were ... doing what we were.

Would we do it again?  Would we put our routine on hold for months on end and go gallivanting on the high seas again?  I answered the question, but I don’t mind repeating it … in a heartbeat!  There is an archaic French word that means skeleton key.  The word is passe-partout.  So, before we embark on another RTW — of any length, with anyone — first we have to find the passe-partout that will unlock the world for us again.  What is that key?  You know the answer, don’t you?  The right itinerary … with the cruise line that fits most of our needs!

We’re ready to leave Insignia tomorrow, but only because we don’t have a choice … our voyage will be over in a matter of hours.  No use crying over the end … we can’t do anything to change it.  So, we are already looking ahead … to returning home … to going on a short road trip … to going back overseas for our annual family visit and some more fun on the high seas and on land.  But first … we have tomorrow’s disembarkation to get through.

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