Royal Princess 19 / 31 July 2007 - Itinerary review (part 1)

[Jacques O]

Dear all

 

Here is an account of the cruise I took on Royal Princess, out of Athens to Barcelona, via

 

Istanbul in July 2007.

 

Took me a long time to write it! Better late than never.

 

I know that Cathy (Friend of Eeyore) posted a comprehensive review just after we finished the cruise. She is better organised than me!

 

A lot of time has passed since we came back home!

My review might not be of much use right now, as there aren't as many ships in the Med now in comparison to the the summer!

 

But i'm sure some of you will be interested in what we did. The description of each day is very detailed.... too much perhaps.

 

We went on our own at each port of call. We did not go on organised tour, nor bought any excursions.

 

Do not hesitate to ask question; I'll do my best to reply to them.

 

The review is in two part. The one I'm posting now is about the itinerary. The second part is on the ship (I'm still writing it at the moment).

 

IT SEEMS THAT I'M UNABLE TO LOAD SUCCESSFULLY THE 1ST PART - ITINERARY-. I'M THEREFORE CUTTING IT IN TWO SECTIONS.

1- day 01 (Barcelona) to day 06 (at sea)

2- day 07 (Malta) to day 14 (Barcelona)

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Jacques Olivier, Paris.

 

 

-----

 

 

ROYAL PRINCESS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

JULY 2007

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION.

 

 

Last summer, my mother and I took a cruise on Royal Princess, former Swan Hellenic’s Minerva II, ex. Renaissance Eight (built by Chantiers Alstom in Saint-Nazaire, France in 2001)

 

The ship is a new addition to the Princess fleet. She was reconditioned in Malta in the spring before entering service under this new name and new house flag in June.

 

My first choice of a cruise for the summer was actually the North of Europe. Although we had sailed there in the past –and that included a 13-day cruise in July 2006 on QE2 to Iceland and Norway- we had certainly not got tired of this destination.

 

However, prices were pretty strong, in spite of a higher ships’ capacity. So I had to have a look at the Southern Europe itineraries, not too favoured by us at that time of the year, because of the warm climate and possible crowd.

 

After extensive research on the internet with cruise specialists, my choice focused on a cruise on a small (medium-sized I should say) Princess ship. The itinerary looked enticing, with places we or I had never been too. The ship was no behemoth, and the pricing –a good offer too- was in dollars (bought with strong euros!). So there was no real reason to jettison this selection. Besides, we had sailed on Golden Princess in June 2005 (our first Princess cruise) around Great-Britain and liked it very much.

 

Moreover, our available time slot for holiday had to be taken into account, as well as the transportation arrangement to/ from ports.

 

When things had been thought out, I booked the cruise on 11 June. Transportation and a one-night stay in Barcelona post cruise were arranged separately and independently.

 

That’s how I obtained our ticket (well, E-ticket to be precise) for a 12-day cruise on the (new) Royal Princess, out of Athens, to Barcelona, via Istanbul

 

 

This report is two-fold.

 

The first part is all about the itinerary. The second deals with the ship.

 

 

PART ONE : THE ITINERARY.

 

Paris./ Athens – Barcelona/ Paris.

 

 

D01- Paris/ Athens (Thursday 21st July)

 

 

We took the first Air-France flight to Athens out of Paris Charles de Gaulle airport at 7:20 am. Although we were on time at the check-in, we were allocated seats on a stand by basis! I wasn’t too happy! In the event, we were allowed to board the plane. It was packed with lots of holiday makers. The flight, which went well, took 3 hours, but because of the time difference, we got there at about 11:30 am.

 

At the airport, we decided to go to Piraeus by bus… After all, we were in no rush as Royal Princess was not schedule to leave until 10 pm. In Piraeus, we got off at the ferry terminal, which was the closest spot to the cruise terminal. We managed with difficulty to get a taxi to go for the short (and expensive! but the car was air conditioned) ride to the cruise terminal. There was no way we could walk there, with our luggage, in the heat! It was well above 35° Celsius!

 

It must have been about 1:30 pm when we entered the terminal. There were not too many passengers – some from two Costa Ship (the Classica and the Marina). Spotted the “Princess” desks. There were just a few passengers in the line. Checking in was very quick. As we took our cabin magnetic card, we noticed that it did not show 4016 (the outside cabin I had booked) but 8075. It should be on deck eight, which features only balcony cabins as far as outside ones are concerned. So, we should be upgraded… to a balcony cabin. However, the card showed “first sitting”! I had requested second sitting but on the E-booking form I had printed out, we were still in the wait list. I thought my request would have been sorted out by embarkation day. At the check-in desk, they told me to have a word with the restaurant manager on board.

 

We exited the terminal –walked past two photographers–, who were the ship’s photographers, but we did not bother…. They would just take the picture of people against a plain yellowish painted brick wall! Very much prison-like! Just a joke. There was no life ring, no flag, nothing! Pathetic!

 

Royal Princess, all in white, was berthed near by and we walked to her. There was no queue to walk up the gangway. Once inside, we were greeted and they took our picture for security purposes… and we were escorted to our cabin (in fact, there was staff to guide you everywhere). We noticed a warm, friendly, and cosy atmosphere on board – a feeling of intimacy too – no large space, no atrium, no over bearing pieces of decoration, no gimmick.

 

Our cabin was located aft, on the starboard side. And yes, it was a balcony cabin! We were very pleased! What a wonderful surprise! It would certainly make a difference!

 

This cabin seemed quite large (in fact I guess it was about 172 Sq feet ie: 16 square meters). And very cosy, thanks to the furniture in dark wood, the stylish lighting elements, the well designed and quality looking bed covers. Decoration was discreet, tough, but contrasts in the colours tones made up for this.

 

We checked the closet which seemed adequate. There was a safe, a fridge, a set of drawers. All in all, there was plenty of space to store your belongings (with the addition of the night tables, desk). Had a look at the bathroom…. Very small! And it looked rather ‘cheap’ compared to the cabin. Small shower stall, no proper tiling on the floor…Never mind.

 

We noticed that the “house-keeping” had just been superficially done. There were even some clothes in the closet (later we would find a shoe under the armchair!). The floor could have done with a better use of a vacuum cleaner…

 

The cabin was a communicating one – so there was just a large armchair instead of a sofa against the wall. The noise insulation proved excellent during the cruise. However, the air conditioning was not so good… very temperamental. (see later…last day at sea)

 

The balcony was equipped with two chairs and one small table. It was not very deep – though. The chairs were in fact very comfortable. During the cruise we would make proper use of the balcony – when it was not too hot!

 

Our cabin maid turned up to introduce herself. She was Stefana from a country of Central America. She appeared to be very nice and very helpful. She called us by our names (and not surname). I appreciated that. I asked for the bed to me made as twin beds, and for two bath robes.

 

Now (it was 2 pm), we were relieved to be on board by now, in our cosy and comfortable cabin! It had been a long day so far.

 

We then went for a quick tour of the ship. I pointed out to my mother that the ships was 3 times smaller than the Musica, on which we sailed in February. Therefore, Royal Princess appeared small in comparison! And human sized! User friendly! My mother was impressed with the “period style” decoration. Obviously, it looked quite refrained too! No garish style – proper style instead! Railing that looked like ‘wrought’ iron, mirrors with golden frames, china pots on the intermediate landing in the staircases, elegant lighting fixtures, proper wood panelling, appealing sitting, elegant colourings, etc…

 

We had a spot of lunch on the after terrace of the cafeteria, just one deck up from our cabin. It was quite hot, but I wanted to enjoy eating alfresco. I also had a beer, which was very refreshing. The tables and chairs there were in plastic! A bit tacky! I had expected on such a ship wood furniture! The buffet food looked very appetising, and the staff very friendly and helpful.

 

Well, we decided to go to town…Athens . But I had spotted the big Carnival Freedom nearby and wanted to see it closely. She was in fact berthed quite in the distance; I would say in the outer harbour…As we walked there, at about 5 pm, we witnessed MSC Armonia sailing out of Piraeus. It actually took great effort to get to the Freedom. It was very hot, there wasn’t much air, and no shade at all! We walked to the tip of the breakwaters, from where we had excellent and very bright views of the ship. In fact, I worked out that she was berthed in the basin where some ships are laid up during the winter. I had spotted Ocean Countess (originally Cunard Countess from 1977) and Mona Lisa (originally Kungsholm from 1966) there in February during our call at Piraeus on the cruise on the Musica.

 

The Carnival ship looked massive. We could clearly hear the recorded music being played on the lido deck. All that seemed stressful to me, and I was glad I was not booked on that massive floating resort!

 

So, we walked back, exited the cruise terminal and headed to Piraeus metro station. We walked inside the harbour precinct, and not outside the gates, and thus enjoyed first class views of the harbour. I was just amazed at the ‘maritime‘ traffic. There were so many floating crafts leaving all the time… It was like an army! I am not exaggerating that there was a boat leaving or coming in more often that a metro in any métro station in Paris! We also spotted Costa Classica leave.

 

In Athens (the journey by metro costs about 90 centimes per ride), we stopped at Monastiraki, close to the ancient agoras (located on the northern side of the Acropolis) and Plaka, a touristy area. It was early evening by now - past 7 pm-, and we enjoyed our wander there very much. The light was beautiful on the Acropolis and the ancient agora. At one stage, we sat outside a café for a well deserved cold drink, but after a while, we had remained unnoticed by the waiters - so we left, very thirsty.

 

Back to Piraeus, again, we walked alongside the basins, almost up to the cruise terminal, enjoying again the boats coming in and out (and also those just there tied up).

 

It was a bit after 9 pm when we got back to the cruise terminal (a temperature display showed 35° C.). My mother went back to the ship, and I stayed on the quay to take photos but soon the camera battery ran out, so I walked back to the ship miffed! Anyway, time was close to the ‘all on board time’… I resorted to board Royal Princess!

 

That evening, I did not manage to speak with the maitre d’h’ to get assigned to second sitting for dinner. Besides, diner on that departure night was on an open sitting basis only, and taken into account the time we came back, we couldn’t make it. Instead, we went to the cafeteria, where a buffet was on till late – we ate alfresco, on the after terrace. We had a nice and chilled bottle of Californian white wine, whilst eating our meal…. Then RP (Royal Princess) departed….. And we watched departure from this terrace, drinking white wine. The place was quiet, and peaceful… Just a few passengers around. There was a little moon light… Well, it was certainly a lovely departure… We had had a long and tiring day, but personally, even late at night, I wasn’t feeling too tired…. I was quite excited at our cruise on this small ship that looked very welcoming, on an itinerary that consisted of most interesting places, some never visited by us.

 

 

 

D02-At sea – Strait of Dardanelles

 

It was very warm that morning! Weather clear and sunny, but very windy. There was a light swell too – at least we felt like being on a ship!

 

By 11 am, I met the CC members ‘met’ on the board before the cruise at the pool bar, who seemed very nice and experienced cruise goers.

 

I waited eagerly the afternoon for the sailing into the strait of Dardanelles. It is the (narrow) channel between Europe and Asia, between the Sea of Marmara, which leads to Istanbul (and further east, to the Black Sea) and the Aegean sea on the west side.

 

We picked up the pilot at 2 pm. The sailing lasted less than 4 hours into the strait.

 

Very windy it was – you had to secure the cap on your head, other wise it would be blown away. Access to the observation deck, forward, above the observation lounge (Royal Lounge as it’s called) was prevented by ropes.

 

This navigation was just a marvel! On the European side, at the tip of the Gallipoli peninsula, I spotted some monuments which commemorate the military operations that took place in 1915 and 1916 in this region. (later about it, tomorrow: ‘Canakkale’). It’s rather hilly on the European side and flat on the Asian side, and in spite of warm climate, the land look quite fertile on both sides.

 

The channel is so narrow sometimes – 1200 meters. You can almost touch the two banks! You understand the strategic importance of this channel, over centuries… Asia on the south side, Europe on the north side.

 

For a long time, I had wanted to go to Istanbul by sea and to sail through the strait of Dardanelles – so, here I was! To do it during the day is best I guess …you can clearly see the two continents’ banks. During night time, it must be nice too, thanks to the lights – but it has to be at a decent time, and not in the middle of the night, for your to watch!

 

Later that evening, was the first formal evening: the captain’s welcome party. It took place in the forward show room. The captain greeted his ‘guests’ with a handshake; the traditional photo was taken too. It was a pleasant party, thanks to the Captain who has a good sense of humour and is a genial man. I drank a couple of alcoholic cocktails, but being a non-teetotaller, I wasn’t able to trace much taste of alcohol!

 

In fact, this captain, Captain Justin Lawes, is a Cunard officer. I remembered him form last year in July on the cruise on the QE2 – he was staff captain then. I believe he is in his late 30’s. I managed to have a word with him. Explained that I remembered him from last year, and that I was so glad I had sailed on the QE2 recently. She is due to be withdrawn in the autumn of next year, and it’s most unlikely that I’ll be able to sail on her again.

 

Before dinner, we enjoyed a lovely sun set over the European side.

 

Regarding the table arrangement for dinner, in the morning, I had managed to see the restaurant manager, Luigi, from Italy. He put us on a waiting list, but mentioned that we were (something like) 50th in the ‘queue’! He was not hopeful. And I was not pleased… I pointed out that first sitting was far too early (6 pm). I insisted, he suggested to turn up for the second sitting, and then wait and he will see what he can do for us… So that is what we did. Second sitting was at 8:15 pm. Showed up at the maitre d’ desk … In the event we were accompanied with another couple like us – on the ‘wait list’- to a table occupied by three ladies of the same family (three generation – very friendly people). We had a very pleasant time and enjoyed fine food.

 

In fact we would learn that the people who had no seat assignment for this second sitting were called ‘floaters’ – and allocated here and there, depending on how many seats turned out to be free. For some people chose to dine at the extra charge restaurants (Sterling Steak House or Sabatinis’) or in their cabin. The maitre d’h’ therefore knows that some seats are made ‘available’ in the dining room.

 

So, throughout the cruise we had each night a different table assignment. Most of the time it worked out very well – and we met friendly fellow passengers. This allowed us to know more people.

 

That was the first formal evening. People were appropriately dressed. I noticed that if few men wore a tuxedo, they had a suit, and a shirt and tie…. That was the only evening people bothered to dress up… more about it later…

 

 

 

D03-Istanbul (Saturday 21 st July)

 

 

I got up early at about 6 am – I always wake up early! But never get enough sleep, though. Had a look outside on the balcony. The sun was well above the horizon - it was all in the orange tones over there. And a bit hazy. I could hardly distinguish was must be land. Went back to bed to doze off.

 

Eventually, it was at 7 am when I got up, and went to the balcony. We were in Instanbul, and Royal Princess manoeuvring to dock. Weather looked promissing. I could spot the Golden Horn, the minarets of the various mosques, The Galata Tower, the large suspension bridge further upstream, etc… And the Bosphorus looked very busy indeed!

 

Istanbul, Constantinople! We were there! Anticipation was high. Expectations were great.

 

To go to town, we chose to take the Princess shuttle bus. Departure every 30 min. We took the 8:30 am one…. You pay 10 USD for a return ticket per person. In fact, it was not a brillant idea. For some obscure reason, I did not want to take a taxi (fear of being ripped off?). The bus dropped us by the Grand Bazaar (in which we had no interest!)

 

On the way towards Hagia Sofia on foot, we visited the Byzantine Cisterns – which is an amazing underground reservoir, very much like a cathedral. Its construction dates back from the reign of Emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD, to store fresh water. Fresh water in Istanbul has been a major issues for centuries. There, you can pay in USD, Euros or Turkish liras – it was 8 USD per person. I was pleased to be able to have the choice. We paid in USD – but elsewhere, you can’t use foreign currency – only the Turkish lira (I had got some in Paris).

 

Then we walked to Hagia Sofia (10 Turkish Lira per person = 8 USD – no other currency accepted). It was very busy….unsurprisingly. …. It’s a huge and amazing construction. It was built under the reign of Justinien and opened in 537 AD – it was the largest church of Christendom until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. It then became a mosque, until 1935, when Ataturk decided to convert it into a museum.

 

Inside, we paid attention to the remains of the Christian mosaics, some of which are very carefully restored and showed off. The central section was partially occupied by massive scaffolding that reached the top! There was also a small temporary exhibition on Islamic art and the Koran.

 

Then, we walked to the Blue Mosque (also called Sultanahmet Mosque). It was about noon by now. And it was hot – no air! At least 35° C.. We bought bottles of fresh water for very little – there are vendors everywhere!

 

As I had chosen to wear a pair of trousers to look decent … I was just baking! It was very uncomfortable. Most male visitors had shorts or long shorts…. And they had no problems to get into the mosque. For those visitors who were a bit ‘undressed’, they would provide a cover. We put our shoes in the provided plastic bag at the entrance (by the way the site is free of charge). Compared to Hagia sofia, it’s a recent construction. It was built by Sultan Ahmet I who wanted to have a mosque superseding Hagia sofia - It opened in 1616. It’s called the blue mosque because of the blue and white tiles from Iznik adorning the walls of its interior mosaics; it’s also recognizable by its six minarets. Again, this is an amazing and huge building, of handsome proportions.

 

After a lunch break made out of a couple of sandwiches made on the ship – it was not easy to find shade!- we walked to the shore of the Bosphorus. From there, we enjoyed perfect views over the Asian side and the cruise terminal where by then, Pullmantur’s oceanic II (Ex. Mona Lisa, and originally Kungsholm from 1966) was now berthed in front of R. P.

 

Then, we walked towards Topkapi Palace. We thought we could go inside to have a look at the gardens, but in fact you have to pay to enter the site. Really, we had no time for an extensive visit.

 

So, instead, we walked towards the (local) ferry terminals. I wanted to go to Asia…There were loads of ferries coming in and out - but I didn’t know where to! I asked a guy getting off one (he looked like a Brit) and he told me the ferry was going to the Asian side – journey 20 min – a ferry every 20 min. Exactly what we wanted I rushed to the ticket office, bought 4 ‘jetons’ to covert both ways (1.30 T£ each = 1 UDS) that is to say tokens that we put into the turnstile, boarded the ferry, and in no time, we were leaving! In fact, these ferries are part of the public transport – instead of travelling on a bus, you travel on a ferry. To some extend, it reminded me of the ferry you take in New York City, at the southern tip of Manhattan to get to Staten Island. The 20 min crossing was a wonderful one – most of the people were locals, and I kept going from one side to the other to look around and take photos - they must have thought I was mad! Maritime traffic in the Bosphorus was very intense indeed, to say the least, with boats of all sorts – for the ship buff, this was a real pleasure!

 

We got off at Kadikoy which is a busy place. By the harbour, there is a large train station, Haydarpasa, which you can’t miss! Interestingly, it was offered by Kaiser Willhem II in 1907, as a testimony of the close Turkish-German relations of the time. It was built in neo-classical style, by the German architects Otto Ritter and Helmuth Cuno. It was an important link in the railway chain of the Berlin-to-Baghdad railway scheme.

 

We walked into the town for about twenty minutes, and boarded the ferry back to ‘Europe’. Being the election WE (to elect a new parliament), there were many people handing over literature and various publicity material. We picked some – but couldn’t work out what it said!

 

It must have been about 4:10 or so when we got off the ferry. Now, R.P.’s “all on board time” was 5:30 pm – so we had to work out what to do before going back. There was not enough time to go and visit something, so we just pottered around, enjoying the atmosphere. It was very busy… it was Saturday, after all. We walked toward the Galata Bridge over the Golden Horn. It’s an unusual bridge because the lower section on each side houses a promenade just above the water level, with some shops and restaurants on two levels… Some people were drinking beer, or eating see food… hum… That was very tempting… But time was running out. Then, there is the central section –like a traditional bridge- that lets the flow of the Golden Horn river into the Bosphorus. You get to the road level by a set of stairs. So we walked to the other side of the Golden Horn.

 

The tram goes on this bridge – we took it. It runs every two minutes or so, it’s air conditioned and it’s not packed (again, 1,30 T£ per person). It actually was just a short ride to the stop near the passengers ship quay – in fact, we could have walked there.

 

The tram stop is just about 500 yards from the entrance gate. So we did not use the princess bus shuttle to come back to the ship, I therefore think it was the wrong thing to do in the first place that morning. We should have used the tram instead, which incidentally, I had spotted from the ship! But I had no idea where it was going to. In fact, there is only one line!

 

We were back at the ship side just after 5 pm – mother went on board, whereas I stayed on the quay to take photos of Oceanic II and of Perla, from Louis Cruise, which was arriving.

 

Once back on board –it was such a relief to be back to our air conditioned cabin- we had a cold drink: some ouzo (bought in Piraeus at the cruise terminal duty free shop) with plenty of ice, which was lovely to say the least!

 

Again it had been such a wonderful and a very busy day. I think we had done a lot, seen plenty within our allocated time. I was very pleased indeed with our day in Istanbul. I was pleased with the town. The city appeared clean, there was no dust, no bin overflowing with garbage, no dog **** on the pavement, no beggars. There seem to be taxi every where too (cars are painted yellow and black, and they look in good shape). It certainly did not look like Paris. Besides, people looked friendly and helpful. I’d like very much to go back to Istanbul.

 

We set sail at 6 pm – and we watched departure and the sailing down to the Sea of Marmara form the after lido deck. Although it was a bit hazy due to the heat I guess, what was amazing is that in the distance you could spot the old Istanbul with its mosques and minarets, and further in the distance, the new, modern Istanbul with its numerous high rises.

 

I remained on deck for a long time – enjoying the scenery … It was still warm, but there was a bit of air!

 

Later we had a drink on our balcony watching a lovely sun set before heading to the dining room. We had the chance to be placed at a 4-seat table, with a lovely couple from England, and enjoyed a very civilized dinner.

 

That night and the other subsequent nights (except one) dressing code was ‘smart casual’. In fact, there were two ‘formal’ nights, the other ones being ‘smart casual’ during this 12-day cruise. Having thought that there could be ‘formal’, ‘informal’ and ‘casual’ evenings, I had taken an elegant dark suit and several shirts and ties (including a bow tie). So, I wore a shirt and a tie that night…. But there were not too many people dressed up … the gentleman at tour table had a proper attire, too. We discussed the dress code, and he too, found that people were not properly dressed – and that it was not normal on a Princess ship! Things are definitely going down!

 

We did little shopping that day. We did not go to the Great Bazaar. Just bought some postcards, some magnets and an Adidas sport watch for 3 euros….

 

 

 

D04-Canakkale (Sunday 22 nd July)

 

 

We had breakfast in the cabin –we did that most of the days when there was a port of call– so as not to waste too much time. Also, we enjoyed breakfasting in the balcony, whenever that was made possible by no excess of sun out there!

 

We where docked at what seemed to be like a new berth far away from town, in a rather dry and deserted area.

 

There was a shuttle bus to go to Canakkale town departing at 8:30 – that one we took left late. We were dropped at the ferry terminal…just before 9 am – and the idea was to take the 9 am ferry to the other side of the Dardannelles, to Eceabat in the Gallipoli Peninsula. Bought the tokens, went through the gate, boarded the ferry. A few moments afterward, we were off to Europe!

 

The crossing took 30 minutes – a very pleasant one-. So we were there, on the Northern side, at 9 ish.am. Well, now we needed to go to the cemeteries and war sites …. Could there be an excursion bus? A taxi? Other tourists like us to share transportation with? Hum, the place was quite quiet… it was Sunday morning, after all.

 

There was a hostel. Popped in. Asked for a taxi for a tour and found some people with whom we spoke French: they were from near Paris, of Turkish origins. It was not possible to join them on their tour, because it was an all-day tour in Turkish – there would be another one in English tomorrow….Then some staff at the hostel were OK for 3-hour taxi tour for 50 euros. Replied it was too expensive, and that we were not interested. They did not even bother to argue, and went back to their tea and cigarettes. So what’s next?

 

There was an excursion office very close, but it was closed. I had however spotted a taxi on the nearby small square…So, walked there. There was an old man, having a nap….in a old car…I knocked on a window, but I startled him out of his sleep!

 

The guy did not speak a word of English or French…. I had a map of the area we wanted to tour…He had a map too in his pocket – so it was a promising start. Now, the idea was 3 hours for 45 euros. I wrote down this information on a sheet… he did not seem to understand what I wanted. Heck… difficult … He crossed the square and in a house he found a young guy who spoke little English. After a lot of talking, and a bit of drawing on a sheet, and the help of a shopkeeper next door who spoke good English, we made an agreement. And we got into that old car and began our journey at high speed towards the Gallipoli Historic National Park. – I wasn’t feeling too safe! …It was about 10 am by now.

 

Now a bit of historical background regarding our tour. (I have made research on the Internet to support the explanations of the visited places.)

 

The Gallipoli military operations took place between February and December 1915 in an effort to take the Dardanelles from the Turkish Ottoman Empire (an ally of Germany and Austria) and thus force it out of the war.

 

The Campaign was a fiasco, poorly planned and badly executed. It began in February 1915 with an unsuccessful naval attempt to force a passage up the Dardanelles. The flotilla retreated after sustaining heavy damage from Turkish guns lining both shores and from mines strewn across the channel.

 

In April, a landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula attempted to secure the shores and silence the Turkish guns. Trouble brewed from the beginning. Amphibious operations were a new and unperfected form of warfare leading to poor communications, troop deployment and supply. The Turks entrenched themselves on the high ground pouring artillery and machine gun fire down upon the hapless Australian, New Zealand, Irish, French and British troops below. The battleground soon resembled that of the Western Front - both sides peering at each other from fortified trenches, forced to spill their precious blood in futile frontal attacks on well defended positions. The stalemate continued through the fall of 1915 until British forces withdrew at the end of the year.

 

Casualties were high - approximately 252,000 or 52% for the British/French while the Ottoman Turks suffered about 300,000 casualties or a rate of 60%. The failed campaign gained little and badly tarnished both Churchill's and Kitchener's reputations.

Figures Compiled from various sources are as follow:

Total Allies Died: 44092 – Wounded: 96,937 -Total : 141,029

Turkey Died: 86,692 - Wounded 164,617 - Tota : 251,309

 

 

Our excursion took us to the middle section of the peninsula only – we did not go to the southern tip (Cape Helles), due to lack of time. It hosts too, memorials and cemeteries.

 

 

ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Cove.

That’s the first place we stopped at. It’s located on the North-West side of the Gallipoli peninsula, on the Aegean sea. It is actually the place where the Australian and New Zealander forces first landed on 25th April 1915, as part of the Allied forces. Every year on 25th April, ANZAC day is commemorated with ceremonies attended by visitors from all around the world.

 

We were very lucky because there was nobody around. Every thing was peaceful…The sea was calm and so clear, so blue… the sandy beach so beckoning, and the weather so gorgeous, the panorama grandiose. It was very difficult to imagine what it must have been like during the troop landings and the fighting …

 

Then we went to pay quick visits to cemeteries. Graves are just marked by simple small headstones on the ground (there are no crosses).

 

These cemeteries on the Northern side lie at the foot of a ridge (Mount Ariburnu), on the once battle fields. Therefore, it’s not difficult to work out why this military campaign (poorly planed by the allies HQ) has been a disaster and that the death tool was extravagant.

 

The Canterbury cemetery is a mall one, containing 26 New Zealanders burials and one unknown one.

 

The next stop was Ariburnu, near by.

There are now 252 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery, whereas 42 of the burials are unidentified. Interestingly, there is an impressive memorial, which features a very touching carved address (from 1934) of Mustafa Kemal ATATURK to soldiers from both sides, who fell on Gallipoli in 1915 and to their mothers.

 

These war sites and cemeteries have been carefully restored over the recent decades. They do not originate from just after the war, although some memorials were erected in the mid 20s. The preservation work is really amazing. It’s money well spent. I understand that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has been in charge of a large part of the development.

 

Then, we drove into the hilly inter-land, towards the centre of the Gallipoli Peninsula.

 

We called at Mehmetçiğe Saygı Anıtı (The Monument to respect Mehmetçik).

This is a monument and a statue, inspired by a speech given by the then Australian Governor General Lord Richard Casey, when he visited the peninsula in 1967. Casey, who served at Gallipoli as a lieutenant, told of how in a lull in the fighting a Turkish soldier carried a wounded British soldier from his trench and over to the Allied trench only metres away and, leaving him with his comrades, returned to his own lines.

 

Afterwards, we reached Lone Pine Memorial.

This is the main Australian memorial at Gallipoli, which commemorates 3,268 Australian and 456 New Zealand soldiers who have no known graves, and the 960 Australian and 252 New Zealand soldiers who were buried at sea. This memorial is unique as its location is situated on top of the Turkish trenches.

 

The name Lone Pine originates from a single pine tree which grew on the site of the battle. Before it was destroyed early in the battle, the soldiers called it Lonesome Pine after a popular song of that era called "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine". However the seeds from the original tree were collected and taken back to Australia to grow. When this symbolic plant was mature enough, it was transported back to the site of the Lone Pine Battle where it now stands as a major feature of the Lone Pine Memorial.

 

Our next stop was Johnston’s Jolly Cemetery.

It is located on the Turkish side of the front line north of Lone Pine. It is opposite the area where Colonel George Johnston, commander of the 2nd Australian Divisional Affillery placed his field guns to 'jolly up the Turks'. The cemetery, which was made after 1919 by consolidating isolated graves in the area, contains 145 unidentified graves and only one identified soldier, an Australian of the 15th Battalion. Turkish covered trenches in this area were very deep and secure; a remnant of one of these trenches is near the cemetery – we had a look at it.

 

Next was the Turkish 57th regiment memorial. (57. Alay Sehitligi ve Aniti)

Built in 1992 on the area known to the Anzacs as the Chessboard. Troops of the 57th Infantry Regiment of the 19th Division were the first Turkish soldiers to resist the Allied landing of 25 April. The cemetery is symbolic, with few actual burials beneath the headstones. The memorial represents a mosque. Outside is a bronze sculpture of Turkey's oldest war veteran who died in 1994, aged 108. Opposite is a large sculpture of a Turkish soldier, Turk Askerine Saygi (Respect for the Turkish Soldier), erected in 1992 in memory of those who lost their lives for their country.

 

A little further, we stopped at Chunuk Bair.

One of New Zealand's epic stands on the Gallipoli peninsula was in the heat of August 1915 at Chunuk Bair, one of the three high points on the Sari Bair range. These were the main objectives of the Anzacs' offensive when they tried to break out of the stalemate with the Turks in the Anzac sector, to no avail. This was a turning point in the campaign and an end to efforts to capture the central hills on the Peninsula.

 

The view from Chunuk Bair hill is breathtaking. You can enjoy stunning views over both sides of the peninsula. The Aegean sea, the Dardanelles strait and the Asian shore.

 

Interestingly, there is large statue of Mustafa Kemal's at the place where a snarpel ball hit his watch in his pocket on August 10. Though the watch was shattered, he survived and continued to lead his troops. From then he became a hero for his troops, and for the Turkish nation.

 

We finished our tour with the Kabatepe museum.

Again, there was hardly any body around – we were lucky not to be there at the same time as the people from the ship or from coach excursions! The site was almost deserted….. such a quiet and peaceful atmosphere… We had a little picnic in the shade of large pine trees. You could smell the pine tree, and the scrub land species, and hear the cicadas very loudly…

 

Kabatepe Museum (or Gallipoli Museum) hosts numerous relics from the near by battles, including weapons, ammunition, uniforms, photographs, letters written by the soldiers to their families, private belongings such as shaving tools, cocoa cases, leather flasks, etc. It certainly provides an excellent and genuine, if not moving, insight into the military campaigns.

 

And then, we drove back to Eceabat – after a 3-hour fantastic tour. I thanked the driver – he was shy, actually – and handed him over the agreed payment plus 3 USD tip. He seemed pleased. Pity I couldn’t say “thank you very much” in Turkish.

 

At we took the 13:15 ferry for Canakkale. Again, it was lovely crossing. A couple who heard us talk in French began to chat with us – they were Turkish people living near Paris and having some time off to see their relatives in the region. Like many locals on board, we tried tea, served on small glasses – it was very nice but very hot!

 

Once back to Canakkale town, 30 min afterwards, it was very hot…. We wanted a cold drink. The small bottle of water we had was warm…

 

We walked on the sea front, well laid out with its small restaurants and terraces, with the town centre in our back. We spotted the replica of the Trojan horse that was used for a recent Hollywood film on the Trojan war featuring actor Bratt Pitt (never head of the film nor of that ‘mock’ horse). And walked toward a mosque we wanted to have a look at.

 

On the sea front – there were hardly any people there- asked for a beer at two terrace cafés, to no avail. In fact, it turned out that vendors were not allowed to serve alcohol that day – “governmental law” they explained. Being an election day (people were choosing their MP’s), authorities didn’t want people to get inebriated and argue about political issues… Ah, never mind… But we were very much looking forward to being back on board RP to get a cold drink…

 

There were little shopping opportunities that day. We did not really bother to find shops, actually. It was Sunday, and the heat was too much. Still, I could have done with a few ‘Turkish made’ Lacoste polo-shirts for instance, or some jewellery for my nieces and goddaughters…. Never mind. The aim of today’s excursion was not a shopping spree!

 

We took the last shuttle bus back to the ship. It was stifling there. The sun was intense and so was the heat on the quay – and its reflection on the white side of the ship. Hardly anybody on quay, but I just couldn’t resist to take photos of the gleaming RP!

 

And we departed at 4 pm…Again, we enjoyed the sailing down the Dardanelles Strait very much. There was a bit of traffic sailing up and down, a few cargo ships, some ferries, but no cruise ships and no big vessels.

 

Yet again, it had been a fantastic day, and all in all, things worked out very well. Our taxi tour, I must say, exceeded my expectations!

D05-Santorini (Monday 23 rdJuly)

 

 

We were expecting a lot from the day – We had never been to Santorini before. So today’s call was one of the reasons we chose this cruise.

 

I had seen many photos of the place, such as the caldera with cruise ships at anchor, and its surrounding islands. In my research, I had found out that for today, we would be the only ‘big’ cruise ship. No behemoth expected, it should therefore be bearable.

 

As I stepped onto the balcony, at just 7 am, we were already progressing into the caldera – or I had better say, the lagoon made by the old volcano’s caldera. The view was stunning.

 

Now, what we could see, on the west side, was the small island part of the once volcano, Thirassia, and a little further, in the centre of the caldera (the lagoon!), Nea Kameni island, more like a large amount of ash and lava. Barren and of little height in comparison of the two other islands, it is actually what remains of the volcano (with rare phenomenon of volcanic activity).

 

Then, as the ship swung, our view on the east side was over the large island, the crescent shaped one, with high cliffs, the better known, Thira. The effect was all the more dramatic as these cliffs stood in ‘contre jour’ because of the glaring sun above the island.

 

The ship positioned itself at the only anchor spot, between the ‘lava island’, and Thira. I understand that other ships, when not able to use this anchorage have to remain off the main island but stay ‘stationary’. Small vessels can dock (sternway for ferries for instance) or even stand close but being secured by hawsers (that was the case for Windstar Cruises’ ‘Wind Spirit’) at the foot of the hill.

 

Now, a bit of background…

“The island is the site of one of the largest volcanic eruption in recent history, which occurred some 3500 years ago. The eruption left a large caldera surrounded by volcanic ash deposits hundreds of feet deep and may have led indirectly to the collapse of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, 110 km (70 mi) to the south, through the creation of a gigantic tsunami. Another popular theory holds that the Thera eruption is the source of the legend of Atlantis. Today, a giant central lagoon, more or less rectangular, and measuring about 12 km by 7 km (8 mi by 4 mi), is surrounded by 300 m (984 ft) high steep cliffs on three sides.”

 

That morning, we had made arrangements with Randy and Michael, from Toronto (“met” on the CC board), and Michèle, a friend of them, to go together. As Michèle speaks French, she was good company to my mother. We all met in the midship lounge, where we got tickets for the tender. Wait was not too long (10 min) and we boarded the tender at 8:35 am. It was not the ship’s tender, but the local ferry shuttle.

 

The ride (about 20 min) into the lagoon to the shore was a marvellous – if not unforgettable- experience. The calm blue sea, the approaching tall cliffs and the string of cluster of small buildings atop were our spectacular backdrop.

 

Once ashore, we walked to the cable car station, to get to the top (ticket cost: 4 euros per ride). The alternative is to go on foot on a hair-pin path, or ride on a donkey back to get there. The donkey ride is not really recommended, nor to walk on the path because you can’t avoid donkey’s pooh, and it stinks!

 

By the way, I understand that Louis cruise’s Sea Diamond sank in last April near the landing stage. I must admit I didn’t not pay too much attention. I believe too, that the wreck can also be spotted.

 

After having reached the top, at Fira, we walked in the small pedestrian streets of the village close to the edge, and had our breath virtually taken away by the view! It was just 9 am then. Royal Princess all in white came out well onto the blue sea and the lava island in the background; and you could really work out the shape of the main island (almost like a ring), and how it is settled. It was warm already…

 

After a photo session, we made our way to the bus station, to go to Ioa (pronounced IO), a small and picturesque village on the North. Finding the station was not too easy all the more so as traffic is very bad. Once found it seemed a bit chaotic and we weren’t too sure of the timetable so we decided to hire a taxi to get there. It cost us 30 euros, on a Mercedes car, and the driver was a bit reckless…. And we were pretty crammed at the back too!

 

At least this solution saved us time. We got there at about 10 am. Very pretty, it’s what the village is. The sun was now bathing the whole area, and its reflection on the white walls, made the place scorching! ….But the views were fantastic. Really like the postcards, or the photos you see in travel or cruise catalogues. With the blue lagoon, the view of the island of the caldera, the white houses – some of them in ochre tones, though - and their domes in blue, and the various brick colour tones of the different rock strata of the cliffs were enough to keep your eyes busy for a while, and your mind excited! Expectedly, there is little vegetation… no sign of meadows for instance in the distance….

 

We visited the small maritime museum (3 euros each), which presents the maritime history of the place, with figureheads, reduced models, photos, uniforms etc…Not brilliant, but interesting and quiet. Unfortunately, the church was closed (apparently, on Mondays, churches are closed we were told). This small place – Ioa- was quite busy with tourists and that included people from Princess tours!

 

After walking about for a while, we made our way back to Fira by bus well after noon (cost: 1,20 euro per ride). Buses are good. They are more like coaches actually, with (poor!) air conditioning.

 

Once back to the main bus station, we separated. Mother and I had decided to go for more adventure. There are apparently some archaeological sites to visit, but buses to get there are not too frequent. It seemed that next departure was for Kamari, on the other side of the island, on the Aegean Sean, to be precise. And off we went! Have the correct amount of money for the ride, really, because the guys on the bus who sell tickets are somewhat grumpy …

 

Someone on Cruise Critic said that there was a bus (local bus?) running around the island. Apparently, this does not exist. Unless it’s an excursion bus? My enquiries fell through!

 

We arrived at Kamari at about 1:30 pm, on the west coast, a place that slopes downwards from the cliff to the ocean. It’s a (grey) pebble beach, so it’s wise to have kind of plastic sandals for walking or wading about into the sea, because bare foot, it’s rather uncomfortable. Pity I did not have my swimming suit with me. I would have loved a swim in the warm water!

 

At this stage, now we fancied a break. Away from the sun. We had noticed on the boardwalk by the beach some cafés and shaded terraces. We chose one, and I guess it was a good pick! We had two Greek salads and some vine leaves, and two small (50cl) fresh (so much appreciated) bottle of water, plus a 50cl jug of white local one. Portions were quite large, and also very tasty. All in all, we paid less then 10 euros! Excellent value for money! It was very relaxing break. This over, it was time to make a move (I could have done with another jug of chilled white wine). We walked back to the bus station, calling at some souvenir shops. Buses run on time, every 30 min.

 

We were back at Fira bus station at 3:30 pm, from where we walked back to the old village. By then, it was extremely busy….Teeming with tourists. It was just baking there! We visited the cathedral, ‘Candlemas of the Lord’, which boasts beautiful and vivid frescoes inside. Today, I found it was more for tourists than for real prayers… Later, we had plenty of time to enjoy the panorama…and to take photos… Light was a bit different from the morning, it was sharper. There were just a few boats in the lagoon, or close to the foot of the cliffs.

 

We made it with difficulty to the cable car station, because of the heat –later on board somebody reported that it had been 38° C. in the shade!-, where there was a 10-min queue. Back at the foot of the hill, we boarded the ferry – we waited about 15 min for departure … thus allowing more time to enjoy the view…. We finally boarded back R. P. at 5 pm.

 

We departed at 5:30 pm. The scenery, as we left and got out of the lagoon, was yet again wonderful and amazing. In the distance, I spotted former Ocean Countess (originally Cunard Countess from 1976) arriving. I understand that she is now the ‘Ruby’, on charter by Louis Cruises, as a replacement for the hapless Sea Diamond.

 

We enjoyed a beautiful sunset on deck, before turning up at the dinning room. Dinner actually took place at the table of the 3 Canadians we went out with in the morning. They had reserved seats at Sabatinis and kindly had ‘given’ their seats to us. This allowed us to meet a friendly couple from South Africa, Al and Marie-Anne.

 

 

D06-At sea (Tuesday 24 th July)

 

 

Oh, that was a muggy morning! Misty too. Visibility was poor. Didn’t see too far away in the distance. Humidity was strong. In fact, this weather condition lasted more or less all day. As there was hardly any (blue) sky visible, it was more like a steel-like atmosphere! I found that quite unusual. At times, as I would push the door of the promenade/ embarkation deck, to go outside, my glasses would get quickly covered by condensation!

 

We had breakfast in the DR. Is it that morning that I ordered eggs Benedict? Don’t remember! Remember, though, that I had them one morning there, and enjoyed them greatly.

 

In morning, we attended a lecture on Malta and the crusaders by lecturer Dennis Cremin. His talk was captivating. He was acting a bit too, which added to the performance…So much so that, with the help of data on slides shot on the stage screen, my mother was able to follow him! Must confess that it was the one and only lecture I attended during the cruise. Pity.

 

Later, we took part in a quiz game (trivia) at which we did not fare too well…

 

We had lunch at DR too. It was not too good a lunch, far from it. We got seated at table with two teens, who had a high opinions of themselves. They didn’t like what they had ordered and were being served – and were hardly polite to the waiters. I found this behaviour quite embarrassing – they deserved to have their faces slapped! And the otherd were a guy with his son who hardly noticed us. In that context, I did not succeed in engaging conversation! Well, perhaps none of them wanted to chat with foreigners, especially French people!

 

In the afternoon, at 5:30 pm we took part in the Princess Cruise “Captain Circle party”. Captain Lawes delivered an engaging presentation, spiced with a lot of humour. I enjoyed a few drinks too. That was a nice party. Photos of past passengers were taken with the Captain. We looked OK on it for a change, and bought it eventually – that’s the only photo we bought on board.

 

For dinner, we managed to get seats for the second sitting. We dined at a table with a bunch of friendly and talkative Americans. It was certainly an entertaining dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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