On Board Le Lyrial — The Best of Croatia — June 24–July 1, 2022

[AussieBoyTX]

Well, we made it — back on Le Lyrial for a week in Croatia. More about that later, but for now, we’re just glad to be on board considering how difficult travel in Europe is this year. Our flight from the US was cancelled and the best alternative the airline could initially come up with was for this coming Tuesday. Fortunately, after three plus hours on the phone we came up with a solution — albeit one that connected through Istanbul and got us to Venice late last night. 
 

Our original car & hotel were cancelled. Our Plan B was the Hilton Molina Stuckey, which we’ve found nice in the past, was packed and had anemic A/C, even by European standards. The room never got below 80. 
 

Anyway, enough complaining — we got to the San Basillo cruise terminal at 3:30, showed our COVID documents and passports and we were on board by 3:45. 

 

Much familiar on board. Same Captain as our trip in Greece last year; at least some of the same bartenders — ar least one of whom remembered I like G&T. 

 

The ship is full or close to it, which is nice to see again. 

 

[AussieBoyTX]

The abandon ship drill made it apparent how full the ship is — the theater was a sea of orange life jackets, with only the first two rows empty. After the drill, Lyrial was ready to pull away from the pier and we began the spectacular sail through the center of Venice on the canals. Passing St. Mark’s is quite the experience and I also enjoyed passing Lido island. We watched all this from the Deck 6 Observatory Lounge’s outdoor deck. You know it’s a rare sight when you can see so many crew members also enjoying the view from their vantage point on Deck 7!

 

After the harbor pilot was collected from us, the sun was beginning to set, we watched Italy fade away from the pool deck and then went to dinner. We ate at the Deck 2 gastronomic restaurant and had a very enjoyable meal — but it took time and we were so tired — we should have eaten upstairs and gotten to sleep, but the outdoor dining on Deck 6 was already taken and it appeared that you’d need to make a reservation to claim one of those tables.

 

Saturday started out with a relaxing sail in the Adriatic as we headed towards Korcula. In the morning, breakfast downstairs. Being jet lagged, we were there when they opened at seven and had it to ourselves. I got my prized salted butter and baguette along with eggs Benedict and I was well satisfied. 

 

Then, we were the only ones to attend the English excursion briefing. Perhaps it was too early for those sleeping in?

Or maybe not — at the ten o’clock lecture on the empires that claimed the lands surrounding the Adriatic there were only four of us and we learned from the cruise director there are thirty non-French speakers and perhaps twenty English speakers on board. In any event, the lecture was interesting and lasted about forty minutes.

 

Lunch came quickly and we ate downstairs again at noon. Fish & chips were good, as was the Southern-fried chicken burger, which was a favorite of ours on Le Bellot in the Seychelles. Aside from the crew members wearing masks, it seems that all of the services are back to pre-covid standards — certainly the buffets were back to 2019 standards. 

 

We rested for a couple of hours before we neared Korcula and enjoyed the magnificent Croatian coastline with dramatic moutainous islands separated by deep, narrow passages.

We arrived at Korcula around 2:30 and we tendered in an hour later. It’s a pretty little town, but didn’t take long to explore and we were back on board Lyrial before five.

 

This was the evening of the captain’s reception and it was held on Deck 6 around the pool. Most passengers attended and we got a good look at the attire. For men, there was the obligatory guy in tuxedo and a few in shorts / T-shirt or polo, but most wore shirt with or without tie and blazer. For women, a couple wore gowns and many more wore attractive cocktail dresses or blouse & pants.

 

For the Gala Dinner, we were advised to head straight down to Deck 2 for the set menu to begin at 7:30. Indeed, they closed the restaurant’s doors at 8, once the first course was served. We all had the Classic menu and enjoyed it — though I did substitute Ponant’s famous crispy egg dish from the vegetarian menu for the hot starter. The main was the also famous beef tenderloin with foie gras. We were done before 9:30, which was exceptionally fast for this service.

On Sunday, for those of us who were up, we got to enjoy the spectacular approach to the small port town of Sibenik through narrow channels with fishermen and monasteries on either side of us. We docked at 7 and had a rushed breakfast on Deck 2 before setting off to Krka falls.

 

Three busloads of us left at 7:45 to Krka Falls and we enjoyed the Ponant small ship Advantage — after an only fifteen minute drive, we were the first ones there and got to enjoy the falls pretty much by ourselves. For the eleven of us on the English tour, it was definitely a small group experience. As we were finishing up at 10:30, it was getting crowded — and we saw bus seven from Viking Sea take our place as we pulled out. Busses from Holland America Oosterdam were right behind. They had driven up from Split, the major port, about an hour away.

 

We then went to lunch at a local restaurant and enjoyed ham & bean soup and a variety of locally-produced sliced meats and cheeses prepared onsite. After that, we drove an hour south to meet Lyrial in Split where it had repositioned.

 

We arrived at Split at two and took a walk around town — it was packed with passengers from Viking Sea, Holland America Oosterdam and a bunch of tourists traveling on their own. And it was hot, so after a quick swim at the nearby beach, we came back aboard in time for the caviar tasting with champagne & vodka — very popular, so the Deck 3 lounge was full for that.

 

After being outdoors in the heat all day, we were tired and had dinner on Deck 6 for the fist time. As many know, there’s a large overlap between what’s served at Le Céleste on Deck 2 and Le Comète on Deck 6, but there are some differences. Le Comète has a chef-presented main dish. Yesterday, it was a whole roast pig and tonight beef Wellington. The beef Wellington was perfectly prepared. Le Comète also has a salad bar well provisioned with seasonal vegetables. Attire was more casual and most everyone wore polo & pants or dress. 

 

After dinner, we were entertained by the dancers and singers with a mini-show around the pool — it was popular and seating was full on Deck 6 as well as the Deck 7 bar.

 

Tomorrow, Dubrovnik.
 

 

As usual, a bunch of my pictures are upside down when uploaded here. I’ll have to edit and upload later. 🤦‍♂️

Edited June 27, 2022 by AussieBoyTX

[jpalbny]

Krka is really spectacular! We went there (from Split) in April. It had been rainy so the falls were really pumping. Luckily there were no cruise ships in Split yet when we were there as we were traveling just before the season started. 

 

Glad your flights worked out but we are avoiding Europe this summer. We'll head back later in the year.

 

Looking forward to more reports and pictures when you have time. Enjoy this beautiful part of the world.

[highplanesdrifters]

Thanks for the great pictures and accompanying story. Sorry to hear of your travel delays. It seems to be the rule not the exception these days. Glad you are now safely enconsed in the lap of luxury. Enjoy and thanks for taking us along.

[gogo65]

Krka is indeed spectacular, we went a few years ago on a land based Croatia trip, will you get to see Plitvice?

Thanks for the trip report 🙂

Edited June 27, 2022 by gogo65

[AussieBoyTX]

5 hours ago, gogo65 said:

Krka is indeed spectacular, we went a few years ago on a land based Croatia trip, will you get to see Plitvice?

Thanks for the trip report 🙂

No, Piltvice won’t be on the itinerary this time. There are Australians on board who just attended a wedding there!

[jpalbny]

20 hours ago, AussieBoyTX said:

No, Piltvice won’t be on the itinerary this time. There are Australians on board who just attended a wedding there!

 

Lucky them! We were just there on April 1st. First day that the upper lakes trails were open. Breathtaking. Looking forward to your impression of Dubrovnik. Hope the crowds aren't too terrible. 

[AussieBoyTX]

5 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Looking forward to your impression of Dubrovnik. Hope the crowds aren't too terrible. 

 

The approaches to each destination have been so dramatic I’ve taken to be up by six to enjoy coffee in the main lounge as we sail into port. Dubrovnik was no exception and we had a perfect view of the old town from our anchorage just five minutes by tender to the harbor.

 

We apparently shared the city with Viking Sea, but it was anchored several miles north at what I suppose was a commercial terminal. We didn’t take any of the organized tours that left shortly after eight and chose to have a leisurely breakfast on Deck 6 overlooking the walled city and the various super yachts anchored around us.

 

When we went ashore after nine, we arrived at the same time as the first Viking tours — and over the several hours in the walled old town, more and more Viking and other tours arrived — the highest Viking tour paddle we saw was twenty-seven! So yes, the city was crowded, but it wasn’t really difficult to get around and we didn’t have to wait long for anything we wanted to see.

 

We certainly enjoyed the shops tucked into the winding streets and we also took the cable car that offered a great view of the old town, its harbor and the surrounding islands and mountains.

 

But wow was it hot! The Croatian meteorological service has issued yellow and orange heat warnings all week. I don’t know which is worse, but they are both very hot and temps have been in the nineties all week.

 

We returned to the ship for a late lunch and had a siesta before we went back to Dubrovnik for a special complementary afternoon excursion to hear folksongs from a renowned local quintet and enjoy a reception on a private terrace within the fortress. We were organized in three groups, each of whom heard the musicians in an acoustically interesting room, followed by the reception. Non-French speakers were in the first group this time and it seemed that most of the passengers attended. 

 

We were back at Lyrial after six and had time for a brief relax and shower three (or was it four) before dinner on Deck 6. Although the ship’s A/C has had no problem managing the heat, the passengers are starting to feel it and we’re starting to see shorts in the upstairs dining room (horrors! lolz).

 

Tuesday brought us to Kotor, Montenegro, with yet another striking entry into into town, tucked in between mountains at the end of the narrow bay. Really gorgeous! We shared the town with Regal Princess, who was already there, anchored and releasing passengers by tender. For this reason, all of the excursions were scheduled for the afternoon (ugh) which left us free in the morning to take part of shipboard activities, starting with breakfast (of course) on Deck 2.

 

Then, I was the only person to attend the lecture. Since I was the only one there, we dispensed with the formal presentation on Croatian something-something and had a one-hour QA on various regional topics, which was very enjoyable.

 

Lunch again at Deck 2 and we got ready for sea kayaking! I’ll just say now that I’m using an old shoulder injury as the excuse for why I didn’t finish the excursion. I wasn’t the only one who didn’t finish, but I was the only one who was towed back to the beach — the rest made it to the half-way point where refreshments were offered and walked or caught taxis back to the ship. The direct sun and heat just sucked the fun out of the kayaking and even the cool water didn’t sufficiently help. I’d just say this was the first time the physical requirements might have been understated on any Ponant excursion I’ve taken.

 

My better half completed the trip and while she loved it, she was completely exhausted when she got back.

 

We had dinner on Deck 2 after eight (I had the famous slow-cooked egg 65 and duck) and finished up just in time for the show in the theater at 9:30. (BTW, there were no blazers but also no shorts downstairs). At usual, the show was enjoyable and not too long at about forty minutes with a great turnout — maybe a hundred passengers attended. We’ve been on enough Ponant sailings in the past couple of years that we’re starting to see similarities between the shows — if nothing else, some of the songs and visuals are the same cruise-to-cruise with different choreography and sequencing. In any event, it didn’t feel like watching the same show twice.

 

We’re kind of in the mode where dinner on Deck 2 is too much of an effort — and we miss the carving station and full salad bar on Deck 6, so our pattern is now lunch downstairs always. Breakfast upstairs if the outside is shady and has a view and dinner upstairs unless it’s a Gala.

 

Tomorrow we’re back in Croatia at Hvar where we have sea kayaking booked again and have found out that it’s again in the afternoon. After the way things went today, between heat and injury, I’m confident we’ll make alternative plans — or at least I will.

 

(Upside down pictures are frustrating the heck out of me)

 

@Host Jazzbeau I understand this upside down picture issue is resolved in Invision version 4.6.12. I don’t know what version CC uses, but iPhone EXIF data is used correctly to manage image orientation in this version. 

 

Edited June 29, 2022 by AussieBoyTX

[Host Jazzbeau]

57 minutes ago, AussieBoyTX said:

(Upside down pictures are frustrating the heck out of me)

 

@Host Jazzbeau I understand this upside down picture issue is resolved in Invision version 4.6.12. I don’t know what version CC uses, but iPhone EXIF data is used correctly to manage image orientation in this version.

Well, you know a lot more about the Cruise Critic plumbing than I do!

[AussieBoyTX]

We wind up the trip with stops in Hvar and Rovinj. Hvar was a lovely beach town, supposedly with famous bars — we missed those of course, but did walk along the seawall for more than a mile and found lots of nice places to swim — with and without local bars offering chaise lounges to rent. We were tendered at Hvar and for once, we were not the smallest ship in port. That honor goes to the Emerald Azzurra, carrying only 100 passengers max. It’s a sleek looking ship and priced similarly to Ponant for their inaugural season.

The tender ride was a little longer than usual, maybe ten minutes, and the seas were surprisingly rough — one guest got seasick on our tender in.

 

Back on Lyrial for a late lunch on Deck 2, we relaxed on board and aside from a bridge tour hosted by our Captain himself (where we learned we had 198 passengers), simply enjoyed the ship before it was time for dinner — where shorts may have taken over on Deck 6. I was among the most dressed with slacks & polo. 😱🤣

 

One thing is for sure in La Comète — the sous chef’s carving / action station at lunch and dinner are hugely popular. He delivered some really interesting dishes, for us now leaving Le Céleste for breakfast and any meal where we need a more relaxed meal.

 

Our final day was in Rovinj, where we were docked close to the old town and didn’t leave until after sunset.

 

We were the only cruise ship in town and there weren’t many other tourists on the streets, so it was very quiet, with mostly German speaking tourists in the streets. We enjoyed the streets, climbed the hill to the church and and walked along the sea wall well beyond the town center and past the modern yacht club, finding several nice places to swim.

 

We returned to Lyrial right before the end of lunch to eat downstairs and had only a short period before the final night’s events began. For me, that was my final lecture on the Balkans — again, I was the only person to come, so it was more of a discussion where she flipped through slides to support wherever our conversation took us. Really enjoyable for me!

 

Then, we began the evening with the Captain’s farewell cocktail in the early evening overlooking the church on the hill. It was still oppressively hot and other than obligatory Tuxedo guy, and most of the rest of us were wearing slacks & polo and hiding in the shade. The crew, of course, was very well dressed for their introductions and we always enjoy recognizing them for their great service.

 

We passed on the final Gala dinner and had a final lovely dinner on Deck 6 and even skipped the final mini-show put on by the performers, having only a few conversations and cocktails with the new friends we made this week.

 

On our final Friday morning, got up at five to watch the sunrise entry into the Venice canals and we then had a relaxed breakfast downstairs and left the ship for our next adventures.

 

[gogo65]

Over to soon!

thanks for the trip report.

We loved Rovinj we spent a few days there and it was definitely one of the least touristy parts of Croatia.

 

Have a safe trip home 🙂

[AussieBoyTX]

2 hours ago, gogo65 said:

Over to soon!

thanks for the trip report.

We loved Rovinj we spent a few days there and it was definitely one of the least touristy parts of Croatia.

 

Have a safe trip home 🙂

Oh, we have a long time before we go home. Air travel is so messed up, I’m not even sure we could go home early!

[jpalbny]

Enjoy the rest of your trip! Thanks for taking us along on the cruise. 

[gogo65]

18 hours ago, AussieBoyTX said:

Oh, we have a long time before we go home. Air travel is so messed up, I’m not even sure we could go home early!

Where to next?

[AussieBoyTX]

44 minutes ago, gogo65 said:

Where to next?

More of the same! 🤪 

 

[gogo65]

2 hours ago, AussieBoyTX said:

More of the same! 🤪 

 

Haha 😂  but to be fair, I went through notifications to read this thread, I hadn’t made it to the Ponant page as yet, now I’ve read your part 2, assume there is part 3 or 4 coming as well??

[AussieBoyTX]

3 minutes ago, gogo65 said:

Haha 😂  but to be fair, I went through notifications to read this thread, I hadn’t made it to the Ponant page as yet, now I’ve read your part 2, assume there is part 3 or 4 coming as well??

Lyrial is on a charter next week, so unless we stowaway as some crew members have suggested, no part three. There will be one more cruise later this summer, but everything in between is off topic. 🤪

[lynn-in-nc]

On 7/2/2022 at 4:15 AM, AussieBoyTX said:

Oh, we have a long time before we go home. Air travel is so messed up, I’m not even sure we could go home early!

 

How long between your original flight and when you actually were able to leave?  I'm dreading flying through Heathrow in a few weeks. 

 

Thanks for your post on this itinerary! I'd like to do it in a couple of years (next year is Lisbon/Barcelona). I'd love to spend a few days in Venice, we were there for 3 days last year and it wasn't long enough. 

[AussieBoyTX]

Just now, lynn-in-nc said:

 

How long between your original flight and when you actually were able to leave?  I'm dreading flying through Heathrow in a few weeks. 

 

Thanks for your post on this itinerary! I'd like to do it in a couple of years (next year is Lisbon/Barcelona). I'd love to spend a few days in Venice, we were there for 3 days last year and it wasn't long enough. 

The original flight left the Wednesday before the Friday cruise and we were supposed to arrive Thursday early morning. It was cancelled and the earliest American Airlines could get us to Venice or really anywhere in Europe was the following Tuesday. 🤦‍♂️

 

We finally found a Turkish Airlines flight that got us to Venice late Thursday night after connecting through Istanbul *and* as importantly, got a supervisor at AA to endorse the ticket to THY, so we weren’t out of pocket while filing a trip interruption claim. 
 

Heathrow is a mess as I have heard from numerous friends that have connected there. Few have missed flights, but the lines have been long and there’s no Fast Pass to buy your way into a shorter line. 
 

We have advised friends connecting at LHR  this summer to look at switching to Finnair and connecting through Helsinki, just because it should be more relaxing. 

[Catlover54]

I love your blog and pictures.  

On really hot days, was the AC in your suite (and in indoor public areas) able to keep up and keep the room cool?

[AussieBoyTX]

4 minutes ago, Catlover54 said:

I love your blog and pictures.  

On really hot days, was the AC in your suite (and in indoor public areas) able to keep up and keep the room cool?

Yes, this year, with temps in the low 90s, no problem. Last year, with temps above 100, she struggled.