Back from Nautica June 27 Barcelona to Istanbul

[Bruin Steve]

Tired, dazed and 10 time zones off, I am finally home from my 14 night cruise on Nautica from Barcelona to Istanbul via Tunesia, Malta, Crete, Alexandria, Port Said, Ashdod, Haifa, Cyprus and Kusadasi...

 

One of my flights home--the second leg, from Heathrow to Vancouver, was delayed an hour, causing us to miss our connection in Vancouver to LAX an, instead, forceing us to take a flight from Vancouver to Portland, then wait around for a fourth leg from Portland to LAX--so we ended up getting in four hours later than expected--around midnight last night--after leaving Istanbul in the early morning--about 28 hours of total travel time...so, right now, I am still a little "off"...

 

Anyway, I figured some folks around here wanted to here my comments, so here goes:

 

I will try to be as complete, candid and unbiased as possible...I will not tellyou everything is perfect or that everything is terrible. All cruises have good points and bad points. Hopefully, the good far outweighs the bad...

 

Pre-cruise, Barcelona: We arrived after a relatively simple two flight legs--LAX to Heathrow, Heathrow to Barcelona around 7:45 pm and took the VERY EASY "Aerobus" from the airport to Placa Catalunya--steps from our hotel, the Hotel Continental. A taxi could not have been much simpler or easier...and the cost was minimal.

 

The Hotel Continental is both incredible AND disappointing. The incredible: The location. There could not be a better location in all of Barcelona. We had a Las Ramblas View Balcony Room on the "Third Floor"...literally looking straight down on all of the action on Las Ramblas. Right out the front door was a choice of restaurants, shops, bars and more. It was NOT noisy when the doors were shut and the drapes drawn. There were electric shades, operated by a switch near the door, which closed the room off from the outside light. The disappointing: My wife hated the bed--thought the mattress was too hard. The room was rather small and the reports were correct about the "plastic furniture". I was fine with it...it's not like we had to live there for more than three nights and, to me, the location was unbeatable. To my wife, she would have preferred a more upscale five-star hotel with a big soft bed.

 

There was free internet and a public computer down in the main lobby area. The 24 hour buffet was well stocked including free 24 hour beer and wine...Of course, it wasn't exactly Napa Valley Cabernet they were serving...but free is free...

 

Embarkation: We checked out of the hotel around 11 am and took a taxi right to the ship. Embarkation was well run and easy and we were on the ship in minutes enjoying a nice lunch at the buffet. First, of course, we stopped by Polo and made our reservations for our nights in Polo and Toscana.

 

The Nautica: This was our second cruise on the Nautica. We were on it in 2006, just after Oceania acquired it and refurbished it. Three years later I can tell you the ship is in great condition...looks brand new. Hard to believe it is a 10 year old ship. There is not a single instance where I noticed any material wear. Our cabin (#7051--midship deck 7, category A1 Concierge level) was exactly as I remembered from last time--spacious, well appointed...king sized bed, small love seat type sofa, desk, small table, balcony with two deck chairs. Public areas are limited, but appropriate for this size ship--never felt crowded, always able to find a seat in any venue--including deck chairs on at-sea days and reasonably located seating for the shows even when arriving barely on time.

 

Dining: This cruise confirmed for me that this is one of the really strong points for Oceania. The fiood was consistently excellent, menus were varied and offered many choices. Service was good (We'll get to the few issues later on). We generally ate in the Main Dining Room for all meals except our two nights in Polo and two in Toscana and the two occassions we had room service breakfasts delivered to our cabin. Toscana, in particular, was excellent. some of our friends found Polo a little disappointing--mostly in the quality of the steak...of course, I ordered lobster both nights so I wouldn't know.

 

Entertainment: As much as Dining is a strong point, entertainment is Oceania's weak link. Of course, if entertainment doesn't matter much to you, it is no big deal. As there is never more than one show per night (at 9:45) and there could not be more than half the ship there, obviosuly, over half the passengers really didn't care. There were basically only three "headline" performers on the ship: Comedian Tom Drake, Guitarist Vincenzo Martinelli and Magician Harry Maurer. Being a small ship, I actually had the opportunity to meet, socialize with and have drinks with both Tom and Vincenzo as well as Piano Bar pianist and part-time headliner Jerry Blaine...and these are all great guys and wonderful performers. Tom is quite funny--and a perfect match for a cruise ship--relates well to the audience and really seems to love this job. Vincenzo is an amazing guitarist. We have had the opportunity twice now to enjoy Jerry's work and he almost seems like family. so, when I question Oceania's entertainment, it really isn't an aspersion aimed at these guys. They are all quite good. What Oceania lacks is in quantity and variety. On a 14 night cruise, with only three individual headliners to draw from, you end up overexposing all of them. as good as Vincenzo is, hearing flamenco and classical guitar for four shows gets to be a bit much. some nights, there was no real main show--the time slot was replaced with "Movie Night"...Three nights, the show was staged as a singing show spotlighting one of the female assistant cruise directors, Joanne and Lucy and one night by Jerry moving his act to the "big room". If one is accustommed to the entertainment one fonds on the big ship cruise lines, this line-up can be quite disappointing. That said, we still enjoyed the shows--though we always felt a little let down to find only "movie night" on the program...

 

Activities, night life and at-sea days: More noticeable to us than the entertainment deficiencies is the relative lack of activities--as much a result of ship size and passenger demographic as it is any fault of Oceania's. With a small ship, you simply have limited venues and limited staff. And a majority of passengers seemed to be in bed by 9, so even where activities were scheduled, they were sparsely attended. I am a night person...and, I guess, realtively young compared to the overall ship demographics. At night, after the aforementioned show, there was typically only one activity on the agenda--the "disco". On a typical night, there were more crew members than passengers in the disco...I guess that's one reason I found myself socializing with as much of the crew and entertainers as I did. There was Karaoke only two nights...and very few volunteer performers...I actually found myself singing four times (CCR's "Lodi" and "Looking Out My Back Door", the Beatles' "Back in the USSR" and the Boxtops' "the Letter")...and those who know me well know well that I can't carry a tune...Of course, that's what usually makes Karaoke fun...but, on the Nautica, there was hardly anyone there to enjoy it....Again, the passengers' fault, not Oceania's. What was Oceania's fault was the dreadful selection of Karaoke choices...I wanted to do the Kinks' "Lola"--and it was on the list, but wouldn't work...Past that, NOTHING by Jimmy Buffett (and this is supposed to be a cruise ship??)...they had a few Rod Stewart tunes, but NO "Maggie May"!!!

 

Trivia: Okay, for me, this is a BIG item. I love trivia...and never miss a session on an at-sea day or when returning from port on time. We had a team complrised of members of our CruiseCritic.com Roll Call and won virtually every trivia session, even trouncing the competition, including a team made up of Cruise Director Dottie and the Crew the one day she turned the quiz over to one of our members to host (thus taking a valuable member off of our team). All lots of fun. But, here is the "downer": All cruise long, they were hyping the "Collect 'Big O' points"...On other cruise lines, there is "instant gratification" for winning a trivia session--a key chain, a t-shirt, a water wallet, a hat, a luggage tag, a ball point pen or some other meaningless logo trinket...I do have a drawer at home filled with these items--souvenirs of a sort from many wonderful cruises...Most sort of worthless, but occasionally a really nice prize like a t-shirt or a tote bag. Now, last time on Nautica, we had this "points" thing and, at the end of the cruise, they put out a table with a variety of items. we were sort of expecting the same this time...I figured I'd walk away with maybe a hat and a t-shirt or something of the sort based on how many Big O points I had collected. Imagine our surprise at the end of the cruise when the ONLY items offered in exchange for all those Big O points (in my case, over a hundred) were Oceania Mouse Pads or plastic screwdriver/penlight combos...Who even uses a mouse pad nowadays?

 

Here's the thing, Oceania: DROP THE "BIG O" POINT THING...It only infuriates people. If you are not going to give out some sort of meaningful prize, don't tell people to collect "points" for 14 nights. Other cruise lines give out better "prizes" for winning a single trivia game or other activity...you look really cheap giving a mose pad to someone who's won every activity for 14 nights. Rather than do what you are doing, it would be better to tell everyone in advance that the activities are for the fun of it only and no prizes will be awarded...For me, I'd likely play anyway...I enjoy the "sport" of trivia and other contests and no reward is necessary to gain my participation...The "Big O" points would be fun if they meant something...but, in this case, it was more insulting than anything. So, don't publish "Big O Points" multiple times in each day's "Currents" and stop announcing it on the ship.

 

The funniest part was the night AFTER they had the Big O point redemption, they had the "Game Show" titled "Brain of the Nautica"--sort of a 15 person trivia challenge where contestants were knocked out of the running after missing their third random question...I won...My prize??? Three more "Big O points"!!!

 

The ports: Actually, the biggest attraction on this cruise was the itinerary. The ports were sensational...of course, some better than others...If I were to tweak this itinerary, I'd actually do it by removing two ports--Crete and Cyprus--and trading them for more time in Egypt and Israel. In Crete, we visited the Palace at Knossos on a ship's shore excursion...and, though an interesting archaeological site, it pales compared to what one finds in Egypt and Israel. My assumption is that by cutting out Crete, you could get into Alexandria sooner than noon, maybe even the night or afternoon before, allowing passengers to do a more complete two days in Cairo and Giza if they so wanted. Cyprus was pleasant, but really little worth seeing compared to the other ports. It would be great to replace it with a second day in Ashdod. Jerusalem was easily a full day's worth of touring and itr would have been nice to also visit Masada and the Dead Sea...but, not enough time...and we wouldn't have wanted to have given up our day in Northern Israel out of Haifa either--we hired a private guide and went to the incredible archaeological sites at Megiddo and Caesaria.

 

We also really enjoyed Tunesia and Malta...and Ephesus is always enchanting. This was our first opportunity to visit the Terrace Houses and I highly recommend them.

 

Post-cruise: By the end of the cruise, we were really exhausted...So many full days of touring...in hot weather...lots of walking and steps and dust and dirt. we were ready to just relax and wind down. Last time on Nautica, we stayed pre-cruise at the modern 5-star Conrad, so, this time, we wanted something completely different. We checked into the small 17-room Sari Konak. Room was very small, but nice. I walked out onto our balcony and realized we had the most incredible, completely unobstructed close-up view of the Blue Mosque. we stayed three additional nights post cruise and toured the Dolambache Palace, the Cisterns, the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar and other sites at a very leisurely pace...a really nice wind-down from the cruise...Ate at the Orient House for the Dinner show one night, ate a lunch at the "Pudding Shop"--as we had done three years ago (I like the place)...Otherwise, ate in small restaurants in the Sultanhamet...One night, we ate with some of our cruisemates at the "Family Restaurant"--Great misprint on their business cards says "She does the cook" (sic)!!

 

Assorted comments re dining:

1) Whenever we asked to sit with other people (We're sort of "social" and like to meet and talk to people), the Maitre d' would tell us it was "slow" and they'd seat us at a table for two--even when it clearly wasn't "slow"...This was a big deal to my wife and at one point she suggested it might keep her from wanting to go back to Oceania in the future.

2) They never ask if you might want some Iced Tea and even when you ask for it, it tends to take a LONG time to get it, then they rarely refill it....I drink LOTS of Iced Tea and this one is a big deal with me.

3) I am "Type 2" Diabetic and should not be eating sugar. So, I go out of my way to order "SUGAR FREE" jam for my toast and "SUGAR FREE" syrup for my pancakes. Somehow, Oceania doesn't quite catch onto the idea...Yes, they stock and deliver the sugar free jams and syrup...BUT, they deliver the pancakes with heaps of POWDERED SUGAR on them...You'd think if someone had ordered "sugar free" pancake syrup that maybe they wouldn't want the sugar loaded right onto the pancake??? One time, my wife made it a point to specifically tell the waiter that the pancakes should NOT come with sugar--literally, pulling him asisde and going on about it for 3 or 4 minutes...You guessed it, they were delivered with sugar anyway...

 

Crew: I used to think that Oceania's top assets were 1) Food, 2) Itineraries...but, from this cruise, I am thinking maybe the best asset they have is the people...We really had a great opportunity to spend a lot of time with a number of the crew members--specifically Joanne, Lucy, Terese and Ian from the Cruise Director's staff, entertainers Tom, Vincenzo and Jerry, as I had mentioned before, Rocky from the jewelry shop and others...and found them ALL to be genuine, friendly, good people...more fun and socialble than some of the passengers...For 14 nights, I felt like part of the family...and that is a tribute to nothing but these individuals... Tom (who, as we all learned, is married to Dottie, the Cruise Director), is much more than an entertainer--he is a "true believer"--Oceania should put him to work selling the cruises... And Oceania should consider themselves lucky to have Jerry--the guy puts in first class job night in and night out. Ian and the girls really go out of there way to get to know the passengers--at least the ones who take part in games and activities...After two weeks I feel like I've known these kids for years...If there is one thing that will bring me back to Oceania, it's these guys (okay, and maybe the food and itineraries)...

 

Sickness: Though I never got sick on this cruise, we kept hearing from a lot of our fellow passengers that something was going around. There seemed to be a much higher incidence of this on this cruise than any other I've been on. We had tourmates who had to miss multiple ports. I can't really blame Oceania. I know that when so many people are confined to a limited area and there is a lot of personal interaction that, if someone catches something, it tends to spread...And, I am not a medical doctor, so I really know little about the causes of this particular epidemic. I do know that Oceania had a number of disinfectant hand cleaner dispensers around the ship, though I didn't see enough people using them. I don't know what more Oceania could have done, so I will leave that to others to comment on...

 

Overall: Despite my nitpicks (Don't get the wrong idea--I am not bringing up those negatives to put down the cruise line or the experience...only to be thorough and honest), the cruise was and overall very positive experience. Oceania is a heck of a good product. There are some things that can be improved upon (as with everything) and there are some things that are merely beyond their reasonable control...But, for the most part, it's pretty good...Well run, clean, high quality, luxurious, elegant. The ship is extremely pleasant, uncrowded, nicely and tastefully decorated and well-maintained...The food is excellent...the itinerary sensational. We really enjoyed our 14 nights onboard and really hated to see them come to an end. We will very likely be back, especially with these tempting itineraries.

[tgg]

After 3 Oceania cruises, we started cruising with Azamara. We're avid trivia players and the one thing that was disappointing on Azamara was the trinkets given out as trivia prizes after every game. I had suggested that they go to a point system like Oceania's. Now that I've read your review, I'll have to eliminate that suggestion on our next Azamara cruise.

 

We still have our Oceania hats, visors, camera bags, and inaugural sailing bathrobes. (Yes, the bathrobes were given out for lots of "O" points on one of our cruises.) Nice, substantial souveniers of spirited trivia games and wonderful cruises.

[CintiPam]

BruinSteve, thanks for posting your review so promptly. I am glad that the trip worked out so well for you after all the ups and downs you endured pre-cruise. I am sorry that you had such a rough journey back, but better on the return than on the outbound flights!:)

 

We also enjoyed many games of trivia onboard Nautica on our cruise last month and found it a great way to meet many others onboard and happily spend several very pleasant evenings in the Martinis lounge with fellow cruisers, as well as Ian and Jerry.

 

I found it most interesting that you discussed the sickness onboard your cruise very briefly and mildly at the end of your remarks. Fellow cruiser gtragitt could not even wait to disembark before starting a new Oceania thread entitled "Gastric Distress" and vigorously adding to the thread on a daily basis. I have found myself conflicted on whether his postings were a good idea in the interests of helping others to prepare for their cruises or simply alarmist in view of the lack of knowledge at this point as to the cause.

[gr'aunt]

Hey Steve-at least you had a few choices of worthless junk from which to redeem your Big O points. At the end of our cruise last month, the only thing left was an ipod holder (we were saving for the pedometer). We don't have an ipod. A young lady celebrating her college graduation was the happy recipient of our ipod holder. Wow, I would have jumped at the screwdriver/penlight combo...then airport security would have had something to take away prior to the flight home. I wonder how many of those things are sitting at Heathrow right now?

[demo]

Hello Steve,

 

thank you for the review!

May you tell me who was the Cruise DSirector, was it Lesley?

 

Thank you

Dennis

[Bruin Steve]

May you tell me who was the Cruise DSirector, was it Lesley?

 

Cruise Director was Dottie Kulasa (Comedian Tom Drake's wife)...

 

Hey Steve-at least you had a few choices of worthless junk from which to redeem your Big O points. At the end of our cruise last month' date=' the only thing left was an ipod holder (we were saving for the pedometer).[/quote']

 

Not exactly "a few choices"...just TWO choices...It wasn't a question of "what was left" at the end of the cruise...There was NOTHING offered all cruise long...just constant reminders to "Collect those Big O points"...Then, the next to last day of the cruise, they put the mouse pads and screwdriver/penlights out...30 Big O points for a mouse pad, 50 Big O points for the screwdriver...

 

Foe anyone unfamiliar with the value, you got 3 Big O points for being on the winning trivia team each day...Let's say you only played trivia and were on the winning team 10 times in the 12 days it was on the schedule...You would have exactly 30 Big O points...just enough for a mouse pad...

 

Oh yeah...they did offer a third option: They'd write you up a ticket to carry your points over to the NEXT Oceania cruise you are on...The point of that I really don't understand...except maybe a lot of people will need two or three cruises to garner enough points for the mouse pad!!

[gtragitt]

A few addenda to Steve's comments.

 

I had six meals in Polo and 3 in Toscana. In retrospect I wish I had booked more Toscana nights and less Polo Grill nights. Last August on the Regatta I found the Polo Grill to be better than Toscana. I felt the quality of the Polo Grill on the Nautica was not quite as good as it was on the Regatta.

 

Harry Maurer and his wife Carol Ann were great people and were both quite entertaining with their magic acts. The entertainment on this cruise was far superior to that on the Regatta last August. I really think Dottie did a great ob as Cruise Director, but I realize much of the entertainment is booked at headquarters.

 

The cappuccino was not all that good, but you can't complain when it is free.

 

We had the most wonderful room attendant. Her name was Milena from Serbia. I found the crew members to be exceptionally good and think they are the best reason to sail with Oceania.

 

The Concierge was also quite helpful in assisting my wife in retrieval of her lost luggage. He suggested having it sent to Malta instead of Tunisia. This was a correct recommendation as some of the bags sent to Tunisa were rejected by Customs. Those bags didnot get delivered until Istanbul.

 

I sat in on a Trivia session as one of Steve's team members. Steve is so good that he didn't need many team members. I greatly enjoyed playing duplicate bridge on Sea days.

[gtragitt]

I found it most interesting that you discussed the sickness onboard your cruise very briefly and mildly at the end of your remarks. Fellow cruiser gtragitt could not even wait to disembark before starting a new Oceania thread entitled "Gastric Distress" and vigorously adding to the thread on a daily basis. I have found myself conflicted on whether his postings were a good idea in the interests of helping others to prepare for their cruises or simply alarmist in view of the lack of knowledge at this point as to the cause.

 

I have previously thought you were a much nicer person from reading all your posts. I don't understand why you felt the need to include a personal judgement about me. This forum is about transfer of information. Other curisers can learn about the illness as I did from this cruise. One poor fellow who is a Physician missed at least 3 ports of call. So, we can all learn from the experience. I blame myself for not taking probiotics prior to the cruise like I do when I go to India and Mexico. I was remiss in my preparation. I could have avoided the problem. I was very fortunate that both bouts were very limited because my wife had the foresight to bring Imodium. Mnay cruisers did not have Imodium. I didn't think to bring it. The ship didn't sell it. The medical facility didn't dispense it to a passenger that asked for it.

[LovesSicily]

I have previously thought you were a much nicer person from reading all your posts. I don't understand why you felt the need to include a personal judgement about me. This forum is about transfer of information. Other curisers can learn about the illness as I did from this cruise. One poor fellow who is a Physician missed at least 3 ports of call. So, we can all learn from the experience. I blame myself for not taking probiotics prior to the cruise like I do when I go to India and Mexico. I was remiss in my preparation. I could have avoided the problem. I was very fortunate that both bouts were very limited because my wife had the foresight to bring Imodium. Mnay cruisers did not have Imodium. I didn't think to bring it. The ship didn't sell it. The medical facility didn't dispense it to a passenger that asked for it.

 

I am an infrequent poster but a frequent reader of the posts on CC mostly because the frequent posters give such excellent and thorough information.

 

I have followed the GI thread and BruinSteves post and while I support gtragitt's right to post this information my initial response when I saw the GI Distress thread was what was the point. I would hope that the GI Distress discussion stays in that thread and not on BruinSteves enthusiastic and informative post.

[Bonbeak]

When you have time, please fill us in more on the ports and the arranged private tours.

[CintiPam]

I have previously thought you were a much nicer person from reading all your posts. I don't understand why you felt the need to include a personal judgement about me. This forum is about transfer of information. Other curisers can learn about the illness as I did from this cruise. One poor fellow who is a Physician missed at least 3 ports of call. So, we can all learn from the experience. I blame myself for not taking probiotics prior to the cruise like I do when I go to India and Mexico. I was remiss in my preparation. I could have avoided the problem. I was very fortunate that both bouts were very limited because my wife had the foresight to bring Imodium. Mnay cruisers did not have Imodium. I didn't think to bring it. The ship didn't sell it. The medical facility didn't dispense it to a passenger that asked for it.

 

I just thought that it was odd that you started your started your thread at the time you did, before even disembarking, and I posted that I was conflicted regarding your thread, whether it was beneficial to prepare others for their trips, or perhaps prematurely alarmist to future Oceania cruisers.

 

It's just my opinion, and I truly regret that you now believe that I am not as nice a person as you thought I was. Expressing my conflict did not in any way mean to imply a negative personal judgment of you, but simply expressing my mental conflict regarding the costs/benefits of your thread.

 

I sincerely apologize for any personal distress my posting has caused you and will be careful not to address this issue again in any future postings.

[JoePDX]

Steve,

 

Thanks for the review and comments. I thoroughly enjoyed Jerry Blaine on our Nautica cruise back in 2006 - your mention of him brought back great memories. Glad you had a great time - despite your multi-leg return.

 

Yesterday we received our 2010 Oceania European Brochure - and I drooled over the itineraries last evening. This cruise has been tweaked for 2010, dropping Tunisia and adding an overnight in Haifa and a stop in Kas, Turkey. Still has the 12:00 arrival into Alexandria, which does limit Egypt touring.

 

We'll be doing this one someday....just wish it could have been this year.

 

Best,

Joe

[happy cruzer]

Steve, thanks for posting so quickly. Please add any details that come to mind as you recouperate from your travels.

 

I think the points thing is terrible. My DH and I are not joiners we usuallya re just lurkers, however on our one O cruise. They had a May Day festival with fair like competitions which my DH loves from his youth going to county fairs. So we participated and together won enough points for 1 pink O Cap that I proudly wear and get tons of comments and questions on. Lots of free advertising for O. They really should always have the ball caps available just for that advetising.

 

Again more please. :)

[LHT28]

Lots of free advertising for O. They really should always have the ball caps available just for that advetising.

 

Again more please. :)

 

DH has one of the T-shirts from O points .....what happened to them.

[gtragitt]

I just thought that it was odd that you started your started your thread at the time you did, before even disembarking, and I posted that I was conflicted regarding your thread, whether it was beneficial to prepare others for their trips, or perhaps prematurely alarmist to future Oceania cruisers.

 

It's just my opinion, and I truly regret that you now believe that I am not as nice a person as you thought I was. Expressing my conflict did not in any way mean to imply a negative personal judgment of you, but simply expressing my mental conflict regarding the costs/benefits of your thread.

 

I sincerely apologize for any personal distress my posting has caused you and will be careful not to address this issue again in any future postings.

 

Thanks for the apology and the post. I have forgiven you and corrected my improper assessment. I think you are a very nice person. I have always enjoyed your posts because they are very informative and useful. I just didn't think you needed to mention my name in Steve's thread about his perceptions of the cruise. My thread was not pertinent to his. Steve posted a more in depth assessment of the gastric problem in my thread.

 

Steve is better at writing detailed descriptions than I am. I was grateful for his critique of the cruise. Even with some of the deficiencies that Steve and I noticed, I can't think of another cruise line that would fit my cruising style any better than Oceania.

 

I am also grateful that Steve organized such excellent shore excursions. This overcame one of the deficiencies that I find with Oceania. I think their shore excursions could use improvement. I did use the Oceania excursios in Israel. I especially dislike being held captive in the junk shops. We were at the River Jordon junk shop for 45 min.

[Bowie MeMe]

Great review. I love to be on the cruise ship -- when it is not my turn I love to read about other people on a cruise ship. Trip Talk- it's what I do:D

[Bruin Steve]

When you have time, please fill us in more on the ports and the arranged private tours.

 

Ports:

 

Barcelona: We have been here several times, so we didn't really need to see anything...but we did tour some of our favorite places--pretty much on our own. We visited the Picasso Museum, took the interior tour of the Sagrada Familia, then took the rear elevator up and walked down [Note: For those visiting the Sagrada Familia, there are two elevators. 2.5 euro per person. The one near the front usually has a line...with waits up to half an hour or more. The one in the back typically has no line. The front elevator allows for a ride both up and down, the one in the rear, for some odd reason, up only...but the walk down is pretty cool with great photo ops along the way.], Park Guell--where we went inside Gaudi's house...we also took in a tapas dinner and Flamenco show at Tablao de Carmen in El Poble Espanyol on Montjuic...pretty good dinner and show.

 

Tunesia: Arranged for a tour for six--with fellow CruiseCritic Roll Call members--through Chris Sheridan at TouringMalta.com... http://www.tourinmed.com/index.htm. Excellent tour...covered several sites including Ancient Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and the Medina...

 

Malta: Same thing as for Tunesia...a private tour for six arranged with Chris Sheridan. We went to Valletta, Mdina, Hagar Qim and Marasxlokk. Hagar Qim was really incredible...Sort of a several thousand year old Maltese Stonehenge. Best guide of the trip--Christine Muscat ... kristinmuscat@hotmail.com ...She is the President of the Maltese Tour Guide Union--an Anthropologist by education...Excellent.

 

Crete: We took an Oceania Shorex to the Palace at Knossos...not our favorite...okay archaeological site...But it's a short day in Crete and not much else to see there...

 

Alexandria: We took the Oceania Shorex entitled "Roman Influence on Alexandria". It hits the basic three ancient sites really left in this town--Pmpey's Pillar, the Catacombs and the Roman Theater. another short day as we arrived only at noon. some from the cruise chose to do an overnight in Cairo, but we figured the first days was sort of a waste anyway as we wouldn't have much time to see Cairo that day...The Shorex was fine.

 

Port Said: We joined a group of six (with gtragitt) for the private van tour booked through Oceania. Went to Sakkara, Memphis and the Pyramid/Sphinx...Yes, it is a long drive back and forth...But the tour was pretty good--better than doing it with 30-40 people in a big bus. When you add the entrance fees and cost of lunch, it doesn't really come out to any more $ than the shorex...Lunch was at Felfela--very good...

 

Ashdod: We booked a private tour with Joel Berman of jtours.com. Very knowledgable. Retired Israeli army officer born in South Africa. went to Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Museum) in the morning, then a pretty exhausting tour of Jerusalem the rest of the day.

 

Haifa: Joel met us again at the ship in Haifa and took us on a full day tour to Megiddo, Ein Shemer Kibbutz and Caesaria...Megiddo and Caesaria are two incredible archaeological sites...this was a pretty good choice of tours IMHO...

 

Cyprus: We did anothe shorex to Paphos and Kourion. Paphos is pretty dull. Not really much there but some old mosaic floors...more of the same at Kourion.

 

Kusadasi: We did a private tour for four of Ephesus including the Terrace Houses through Ekol Travel. Really good tour with a guide who stayed with us throughout. Terrace Houses should not be missed.

 

Istanbul: We did a full day tour for four to the Cisterns, Spice Market and other sites along with another couple with Nejat Incedogan. [Note: Nejat does have some physical limitations, so if you want a fast paced tour, he may not be your guy.]. All four of us had been to Istanbul before, so this was really just to see some of the unusual sites we hadn't seen. Went to the Orient House at night for the Dinner/Show...always intriguing...

Another day, we did a tour of the Dolambache Palace and visited the Blue Mosque and Grand Bazaar...then vegged out the rest of the time...we were there four nights total including the overnight on the ship...On the day of the overnight, we just hung out onboard--never left the ship...pretty quiet though...

[DOJO466]

Thanks for the report Steve,

 

We just returned from Regatta sailing and I also was disappointed in Polo. So disappointed that I canceled a night after eating there 2 other nights. The steak was overcooked the first night. I did not re-order as I was not that hungry (too many goodies at Tea) and didn't want to be eating after everyone else was finishing. Tried again another night. They got the steak done right but it was dry and tasteless (Filet). DH was also disappointed in his Porterhouse. We had a chance to discuss this with the Executive Chef Alexis and he thanked us for our input. Toscana was better this time than our last sailing.

Regarding "O" points, I was three short (needed 40) to get a t-shirt, the clerk at the boutique gave me a long sleeved tee (needed 50 points for that). Last Jan I got the baseball hat for 40 points.

[Bruin Steve]

Regarding "O" points, I was three short (needed 40) to get a t-shirt, the clerk at the boutique gave me a long sleeved tee (needed 50 points for that). Last Jan I got the baseball hat for 40 points.

 

Yeah...I had over 100 points (from not only trivia but also nightly game shows, golf putting and other activities) and was really looking forward to maybe a t-shirt plus baseball cap...Last time, I gave all my points to my wife--who wanted and got a rolling (with wheels) tote bag of some sort...so, we agreed that this time, I'd keep all of my points and get something for me...Oh, well...

[CintiPam]

Ports:

Istanbul: All four of us had been to Istanbul before, so this was really just to see some of the unusual sites we hadn't seen. Went to the Orient House at night for the Dinner/Show...always intriguing...

Another day, we did a tour of the Dolambache Palace and visited the Blue Mosque and Grand Bazaar...then vegged out the rest of the time...we were there four nights total including the overnight on the ship...On the day of the overnight, we just hung out onboard--never left the ship...pretty quiet though...

 

No appearance by Princess Zahara onboard? Then a visit to Orient House definitely was appropriate. Her show just before our September sail-away, after an overnight on board, was truly memorable, especially after her wardrobe malfunction..........

 

OK, guys, it was not what you think; however, her costume's bottom started falling off, and she had to pin herself back together before proceeding and everyone waited with bated breath to see how the pinning would hold up under all the stress.):D

[gr'aunt]

All this talk about baseball caps and t-shirts and rolling duffel bags...AND ALL I GOT WAS A LOUSY I-POD HOLDER!!!

 

Ok, now I feel better.

[meow!]

Anyway, I figured some folks around here wanted to here my comments, so here goes:

Thank you kindly for this interesting report. The first portion of your voyage was similar to the one we had aboard the Regatta in April, 2004 (see our previous report in parts http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=16812 )

 

We mostly agree with your comments, with some differences. We took a taxi from the airport to the Hotel Colon right at the centre of the tourist district for 30 euros. It might be a bit more expensive than public transport but then we did not have to haul our luggage around. The Hotel Colon, a local four star was nice enough and our room faced the cathedral square. We even saw the Easter parade right out of our window. It cost us 160 euros per night, including breakfast and taxes.

 

Your experience on board the ship was quite typical, and quite similar to our opinion. We, however, never joined trivia and wouldn't know what it was like. We spent our free time measuring our cabin instead! As for the ports, you were braver in visiting those middle eastern ports. We avoid those in our travel, and go to easier places.

 

While fellow passengers were nice on our voyage, as cats we avoided crowds, and always asked for tables for two, which we had no trouble getting. Also, we wonder why you would choose to fly through London and Canada, it wouldn't make your trip cheaper or faster. Perhaps you prefer a particular airline system for reasons of "points".

 

In any case, it has been a pleasure reading your informative narrative. Wish you the best.

[Bruin Steve]

We took a taxi from the airport to the Hotel Colon right at the centre of the tourist district for 30 euros. It might be a bit more expensive than public transport but then we did not have to haul our luggage around.

 

The Aerobus cost something around 4 euro pp IIRC...We really didn't have to "haul our luggage around"--that's the point...the bus leaves from right outside baggage claim and drops you off almost immediately outside the Hotel Continental. If it wasn't that direct, we likely might have taken a taxi. This combo could not be easier.

 

...to the Hotel Colon right at the centre of the tourist district ...The Hotel Colon, a local four star was nice enough and our room faced the cathedral square...It cost us 160 euros per night, including breakfast and taxes.

 

There really is no "centre of the tourist district" where you describe it to be...the Cathedral is in the "centre" of the Barri Gotic--the older section of Barcelona and an area in which many people would rather not stay for various reasons...By almost any measure, the "centre" of Barcelona is the Placa Catalunya--where the Hotel Continental is located...It is maybe only 5 or 6 blocks difference, but, in Barcelona, that can be a big difference. There are a good many hotels around the Placa Catalunya and, if I wasn't staying at the Continental, it would have been one of the others...If I was to miss the Placa directly, I would rather err to the north, into the more modern "Eixample" district, around the "Triangle or off Passieg de Gracia or Corts Catalans...Hotels in tht area tend to be more modern with better air conditioning and a "Safer" neighborhood at night...

 

...We paid 115 euros for a Las Ramblas Balcony View Room including breakfast, taxes and the 24 hour buffet...

 

...we wonder why you would choose to fly through London and Canada, it wouldn't make your trip cheaper or faster. Perhaps you prefer a particular airline system for reasons of "points".

 

We didn't exactly "choose" to fly through Vancouver...We would have preferred the nonstop London to LAX, but...We went using frequent flier miles and were not in position to book 11 months in advance...They have limited FF seats on the Heathrow/LAX nonstop and there is no nonstop from Istanbul to LAX...Of the various 2-stop options, Istanbul to Heathrow to Vancouver to LAX was the best...Flying a "polar" route, this is actually among the shortest routes...

[GJH123]

Thoroughly enjoyed your descriptively detailed review. We are looking forward to touring in some of your same ports next April. Regarding the Hotel Continental, was it the Placete or the other listed as the Barcelona? Both seem to be near the Placa Catalunya and I wanted to be sure before booking. Thanking you in advance for your response!

[SunDapple]

I especially dislike being held captive in the junk shops. We were at the River Jordon junk shop for 45 min.

Many years ago (1983) my husband and I were on a Royal Viking ship's tour out of Port Said to Cairo and Giza. The tour operator actually cancelled our jaunt to the Sphinx so that we could spend over an hour in the junk shop! Man, were we burned!