Nautica Black Sea 28 August 2009

[Oslo Dutch]

We are booked (my best friend and me) on the Black Sea itinerary from Athens to Istanbul on August 28th.

 

We've on many cruise lines before and liked Cunard and Celebrity best. One thing we really enjoy on cruises is the food and service. We don't care too much about entertainment and in port we like to wander off on our own. Just to get the feeling of the place without getting involved in too strenuous sightseeing. And preferably return to the ship for a good lunch in the dining room (like on Cunard and P&O)

 

I live in Oslo, Norway, my friend in Rotterdam, The Netherlands so we will meet at Vienna Airport and change there on a flight to Athens. I've been there before and we stay in the 2 Fashion House Hotel at Omonia Square for one night. (What seems to be a very hip trendy boutique hotel)

 

What is the average taxi charge from Athens to the Piraeus cruise pier? Years ago we took a very old city bus from the airport to Piraeus and ended up on the other side of the harbor, it was impossible to drag your luggage over there by foot so ended up in a taxi anyway. The new metro seems to end up on the same place as the bus did than.

 

What time does boarding start? We are booked in an inside, but as long as we can drop our carry-ons and have lunch we are happy.

 

What kind of passengers do Oceania have? I imagine it to be slightly on the older side but will I be as a 45 year old the baby of the group? Mixed nationalities or just mainly US?

 

This itinerary goes to Santorini, Kusadasi, Yalta, Sochi, Odessa, Sevastapol, Constanta, Nessabur and Istanbul.

 

Most places I want to do things by ourselves however in Sochi you can only take the ship's excursion or a tour organized by a private guide. The ships tour is rather pricey and doesn't look terribly interesting. Any suggestions for a private tour?

 

Kusadasi is the port to visit Ephasus. I've done Pompeii in Italy and Luxor in Egypt with thousands of other people and found it far too crowded to enjoy. Will it be same end of August?

 

Needless to say I look forward to the meal service on board. However with open seating one tends to get seated with strangers and might end up with very boring conversations. Is it easy to get a table for two?

 

I've read tipping is usually done from the shipboard account. I usually tip extra in cash in person as service tends to be very good. Can staff keep it for themselves on Oceania (as they deserve) or do they have to hand it in?

 

Does the Spa have charges for the sauna, steam room and jacuzzi? Usually on Cunard and HAL I get a pass for the whole cruise, is that possible?

 

Any suggestions what you have done in the Ukranian ports of call on your own? Does the ship dock at walking distance from the city centre? How did you manage your currency. Paid in local or dollars or euro´s?

 

What are the port lectures like on Oceania? I can remember P&O Cruises (Oriana) were very good with lots of historical and cultural information. On other cruises it was just a flat vulgar sales pitch on which shops to visit.

 

I've been twice to Istanbul twice before, so I know the sights by now. Any suggestions of places to go off the beaten track?

We have an 11am flight to Vienna where we will visit my ex partner for an afternoon before flying home in the evening. Any suggestions on taxi fares, privately arranged transfers? I imagine the ship transfers to be very overpriced and like doing things on my own thing anyway.

 

Look forward to your replies :-)

 

Reint

[CintiPam]

What is the average taxi charge from Athens to the Piraeus cruise pier?...

 

What time does boarding start? We are booked in an inside, but as long as we can drop our carry-ons and have lunch we are happy....

 

What kind of passengers do Oceania have? I imagine it to be slightly on the older side but will I be as a 45 year old the baby of the group? Mixed nationalities or just mainly US?....

 

Kusadasi is the port to visit Ephasus. I've done Pompeii in Italy and Luxor in Egypt with thousands of other people and found it far too crowded to enjoy. Will it be same end of August? Needless to say I look forward to the meal service on board. However with open seating one tends to get seated with strangers and might end up with very boring conversations. Is it easy to get a table for two? ...

 

How did you manage your currency. Paid in local or dollars or euro´s?

 

What are the port lectures like on Oceania? Look forward to your replies :-)

 

Reint

 

1. It cost us 20 Euros from our hotel near Syntagma Square to the cruise pier a few weeks ago in a taxi which our hotel arranged.

 

2. Your materials will say you cannot board before 3 PM, but you can board earlier. The food closes at 4, so get there before then.

 

3. On our first cruise on Nautica in September, the cruisers mostly were in their early 70's. On our second Nautica cruise last month, the age range was much more diverse, from infants, to family groups to middle-aged to oldsters. Most were from the US, but many also from Canada, Australia, Germany and Britain.

 

4. Fine for us last September; we arranged a private tour and went there first thing.

 

5. Always used Euros; ATM's readily available everywhere. (We have had two Mediterranean itineraries, including Turkey, Greece, Malta and Italy; no Black Sea ports yet.)

 

6. The guest lectures (perhaps three per cruise) are very informative and not sales pitches.

[calvin81]

Regarding your question about the dining at tables for two: I was on the Istanbul to Athens cruise last month with my 19 yr. old daughter and we did sharing tables and tables for two. The tables for two were never a problem to get in the grand Dining Room, but they are so close together that we did have some conversations with fellow passengers. I enjoyed that and felt you could talk as much or as little as you wished. Most passengers were from the US, with many British and Australians as well, some Germans and other Europeans. My daughter was afraid the passengers would all be "old", but there was a good mix on our cruise, with many couples in their 50's, some in their 60's and not as many in their 70's. Some families with teenagers and only a few children. Even a few younger couples in their late 20's or 30's. We did sharing tables of 6 in the specialty restaurants and enjoyed that too, but you could have gotten stuck with someone not so compatible, so in the future I would probably want a table of 8 to give more possibilities for common ground. I was interested in what others had planned for upcoming ports, as we do things independently and did hear some suggestions from some well traveled tablemates. And it was nice to see these tablemates on other days on the ship or in port.

[CintiPam]

One thing we definitely noticed on our cruise last month. The more people at the table, the longer it will take you to eat your dinner. (Someone always is ordering five courses, the meals seems to emerge much slower from the kitchen, etc.) We like leisurely dining, so it was fine for us, but if you are interested in participating in the 9 PM trivia or attending the 9:45 PM show, plan the number of your dinner companions accordingly and move up your dinner arrival time.