Oceania Cruises will be one of several cruise lines offering a Dubai to Singapore voyage during the 2022/23 cruise season, with Insignia sailing between the two global trade hubs.

In true Oceania style, Insignia will follow a destination-intensive itinerary that takes its time sailing down the coast of India, through the Bay of Bengal, and winding along the seas of Southeast Asia.

There are a total of 12 port calls on the 22-night itinerary (including Dubai and Singapore), with the ship departing April 26th, 2023 from the UAE. Prices start at $6,299 per person sharing an inside stateroom.

Insignia

Insignia will initially cruise from Dubai to Fujairah, the UAE’s only Indian Ocean city and a popular seaside tourist destination for the region. The city features excellent beaches with deep-sea fishing and snorkeling opportunities, as well as views of the Hagar mountain range that looms majestically behind the port of Fujairah.

Insignia then spends two days at sea crossing the Gulf of Oman for Mumbai, India, where a plethora of shore excursions are offered, from visits to the city’s Jain and Hindu temples, the Hanging Gardens, the Gandhi Memorial Museum or the magnificent Victoria Station, to a harbor cruise from the Gateway of India and the lush Gharapuri Island with its 7th century rock-cut temples in the Elephanta Caves.

Mumbai is the first of three Indian port calls on the voyage, the other three being Mormugao, Mangalore, and Cochin, each of which offers something unique, from the vibrant temples and majestic churches of Mormugao, to the the 10th century Manjunatha Temple, St. Aloysius College Chapel, and Sultan Battery of Mangalore.

The Elephanta Caves in Mumbai

Because of its size and significance, Mumbai is an overnight port call, giving passengers time to get a proper taste of what the largest city in the largest democracy in the world has to offer.

The Portuguese-founded Cochin is a particular highlight with its colonial architecture and Dutch-style palaces, historic churches, Jewish quarter and huge Chinese fishing nets. Shore excursions include boat tours of the canals to see ancient villages, and the region’s remote scenery, plantations, and temples.

After another night at sea, Insignia arrives in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, with its stately colonial buildings, museums and temples, cricket matches at Galle Face Green, and the serenity of Viharamahadevi Park.

Like in Mumbai, Insignia will stay overnight in Colombo so that passengers have time to take a shore excursion inland to Kandy, home to tea plantations and biodiverse rainforest, as well as elephant sanctuaries.

Yangon (formerly Rangoon), the capital of Myanmar (formerly Burma), is a highlight of the cruise with a 2 night port call.

From Colombo, Insignia spend four days at sea crossing the Bay of Bengal, bound for Yangon, Myanmar. This is the last long stretch of sea days, as its a quick succession of Southeast Asian ports before her arrival in Singapore.

Insignia will spend two nights in Yangon, and then call in Phuket, Thailand, and Penang and Klang (for Kuala Lumpur) in Malaysia. Yangon is a particular highlight for the magnificent splendor of the Shwedagon Pagoda, a golden shrine towering to a height of 326 feet, and the shore excursions to nearby sights, such as the Chaukhtatgyi Pagoda with its reclining 230-foot-long Buddha statue.

Phuket, famed for its lush landscape and beaches, also offers 19th century Chinese and Western architecture and stunning temples, as well as the Sea Shell Museum, the ornate Wat Chalong, and the breath-taking Phang Nga National Park.

Phuket, Thailand

In Penang, passengers can visit a batik factory, a butterfly farm, a mosque, church and Indian temple, or laze around on the beach, while Klang is the gateway to the Malaysian capital, home to the soaring Petronas Towers, the royal palace, Gothic churches, and a restored Malay timber house in a heritage centre.

On the final two nights of the cruise, Insignia stays in port in Singapore, one of the most impressive cities in the world.

“Discover a delightful city of contrasts, from its old Chinese quarter and colorful Hindu temples to its modern skyscrapers, famous Tiger Balm Gardens and magnificent National Orchid Garden,” says Oceania.

The cruise line also suggests guests stroll along the Esplanade, take a short cruise along the Singapore River and a tri-shaw ride through town, or visit the Kranji Memorial and Changi Chapel and Memorial, dedicated to those who lost their lives defending the city during World War II.