As the Oceania Insignia embarks from Iceland cruising towards Greenland, Anne and her sister Vera, enjoy the spectacular scenery cruising from Iceland to Greenland of fjords, glaciers and icebergs, and indulge in all that their luxury cruise ship has to offer.
Leaving Iceland, our voyage continued on to Greenland along the beautiful waters of Denmark Strait and Prince Christian Sound. The next two glorious days at sea were filled with fabulous food, fun activities, and the most breath-taking scenery we could ever have imagined.
I’ll begin with that gorgeous scenery, as it is a huge part of what made this trip so incredible. Icebergs, glaciers, mountains, fjords – all with a stunning backdrop of shimmering blue water – here was nature in all its wondrous glory for us to enjoy. Incredible vistas in every direction constantly amazed us.
The sight of our first iceberg caused the greatest excitement, of course. We knew it was only the ‘tip of the iceberg’ that we were seeing, and that filled us with awe as we marvelled at its size and shape. We saw many more icebergs after that – some looked like sailing ships or castles, some were alone in the middle of the ocean, and some in clusters closer to land. We imagined how they had all gotten there.
The glaciers we saw were truly awe-inspiring as well. Huge masses of ice on rugged mountain sides, we gazed in wonder at their size and beauty, and took many photos. At times, the majestic splendour of the mountains and ice was reflected in the still waters below, and it seemed like twice as much beauty to behold.
We were so fortunate to have great sunny weather during our trip, and it obviously added to our enjoyment of all the wonderful sights. One morning though, some low-lying fog had developed as we were sailing in open waters. It was lovely in its own way, but then Mother Nature continued to smile down on us. A little while later, just as we were entering a magnificent fjord, the fog lifted to reveal clear blue skies and a stunningly beautiful vista of mountains and glaciers. Our captain said the ship ahead of us had sadly not been able to see anything.
In between viewing the incredible scenery, Vera and I took full advantage of all the fun activities that the ship had to offer. For some of these we could combine both the scenery and the activity, such as one of our favourites – to walk the track on the top level of the ship while taking in the wide-open view.
We played ping pong, mini-golf, and shuffleboard. We exercised in the Fitness Center. We indulged in the jacuzzi and steam room at the exclusive Aquamar Spa, and even got private complimentary facials there as well.
We learned from speakers about travel photography and the history of our ports of call. We relaxed and listened to the string quartet and jazz pianist.
We watched some wonderful shows with comedians, magicians, singers, and dancers. I even got to dance with one of these pro dancers at an ‘Abba’ themed night. What a thrill to be twirled around by a ‘Dancing with the Stars’ calibre dancer!
Finally, what was probably our favourite activity of all – eating all the fabulous food – often while watching the beautiful scenery go by. Oceania prides itself on having ‘the finest cuisine at sea’, and in my opinion it certainly lived up to that.
We ate like royalty, often 4 or 5-courses for every meal, and all the food was exquisite. There were colossal shrimp cocktails for starters and crème brulee to end. Main courses included prime rib and whole lobster at dinner, and even grilled lamb chops for breakfast. There were so many delectable food items it was often hard to choose.
We would usually eat in the Grand Dining Room or specialty restaurants, and often on the outdoor deck of the lovely Terrace dining area. As the Oceania is a smaller ship, we even got to know the head chef. One evening there was a special ‘Market Dinner’ full of amazing seafood dishes, and where the chef was doling out heaping bowls full of huge juicy mussels – the best I had ever eaten. On another occasion when the sea was a little rocky, he personally brought me some candied ginger to help settle my stomach. This happened to be the only night we had any rough seas on the entire cruise.
There was also high tea, with its many dainty and delectable creations – one of them being an ‘all-chocolate’ theme. Now that one was particularly hard to limit and choose! During another high tea, while we were indulging and watching the ocean, a pod of dolphins swam by – elevating our already-grand experience even further!
Even with all the fun we were having onboard the ship, we were also thinking ahead to all the fun we would have exploring Greenland. As we approached our first port, we felt a growing sense of anticipation and excitement about seeing this unique land and its people.
Tune In To Our Full Adventure With Oceania Insignia’s ‘Atlantic Glaciers and Harbors’ Cruise
- Reykjavik, Our First Port in Iceland
- Grundarfjordur and Iceland’s Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Our Second Port in Iceland
- Icelandic Island of Heimaey, Our Third Port in Iceland
- Nanortalik, Exploring this South Greenland Port
- Paamiut, Wandering Around this Southwest Greenland Port
- Qaqortoq, Discovering a Taste of Greenland
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