cruise report: Venice to Barcelona Oct 2-16:LONG!

[tropicalkerry2002]

INTRO

 

We booked this cruise in June 2006; it would be our 30th anniversary/kids are finished university reward! We have never cruised before.

I knew I wanted my first cruise to be to the Med, I particularly wanted as many Italian ports as possible. When I began researching, I googled something like “rate cruise lines” and got to a site where Oceania came up as 100%, along with a couple of other lines that offered river or clipper ship cruises. Disney was the highest recognizable line known to me, with 91%, but I wasn’t interested. I admit I hadn’t heard of Oceania, but was very intrigued…

 

I went to the Oceania site, and fell in love. I barely looked at any other cruise line sites, as I was sold on the smaller size ship, the port intensive itineraries, and the lack of programs for children.

I pondered over a 10 day Rome to Venice, and 14 day Venice to Barcelona for a couple of days and in the end, the longer cruise won…I am so glad, as I LOVED France!

I booked through a local travel agent, during the “2 for 1, free airfare” promo, but since we had enough points to fly business class, we got the air credited back. After we had booked, friends asked if they could join us and we were thrilled! We had adjacent B2 balcony rooms.

 

I started the roll call for the cruise and “met” people, as I am a would-be travel agent, and wanted to plan my own tours, hoping to find people to join the 4 of us on them. I planned 5 tours immediately, and a sixth tour about 2 months before sailing. It was great to finally meet the roll call people on board; some folks joined us on our tours, others were great dinner companions, some were both!

I became ADDICTED to cruisecritic( and fodors) for 15 months, and I can’t say thank you enough for the wealth of info I gathered !

 

One week before the cruise started, the TA had phoned and said we (both couples) could upgrade to a PH for $700, act fast! I said DO IT, unfortunately our friends didn’t reply as quickly, and their PH opportunity was gone.

 

We were to board on Tues, Oct 2nd, but arrived in Venice on the Sat before. We stayed at La Calcina for 3 nights and it was fabulous. Loved Venice, walked through so many town squares, just sat on the vaporetto drinking in the scenery, enjoyed the usual tourist sights. Murano and Burano were so pretty!

 

Regatta arrived , and docked just down from our hotel, rather than the big docking area, we could easily have walked to the ship. However, we had prepaid a water taxi, and it could not be cancelled, so we paid 80 Euros for a 5min boat ride. Live and learn.

 

THE CRUISE

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On Oct 2nd, we were finally setting out on our first cruise. There was a rather long line and only one check in point at the port, so that was kind of slow. We could board at 1100 because of our PH status, but our friends had no problem boarding with us. Registration in the Regatta lounge was quick, and the walk there was our first glimpse of this beautiful ship. Then we went to the Terrace Café for our first taste of the incredible cuisine. At 1300 our room was ready, and we were WOWED! Room 8035, mid ship. We sailed the following day after muster, sipping our champagne as we said goodbye to Venezia, with the first of many beautiful sunsets that first night.

 

DUBROVNIK: we walked the walls, after admiring the walled old city, with its’ beautiful marble streets. Cats everywhere. Found the famous Buza Bar, where we soaked in the view. Then walked outside the walls to a small beach, where our friends went for a dip in the Adriatic. It was HOT walking the walls, and the pool was wonderful on our return to Regatta.

 

CORFU: hubby has a cousin from England who retired to Corfu with her husband, so this is where we met for the first time! They rented a van and showed us the highlights of the island, Paleokastritska, took us to their favourite taverna, where we ate wonderful Greek food on a beach, then took us to old Corfu. We were fortunate to see the island through “local” eyes.

 

DAY AT SEA: nice relaxing pool/see the ship/ use the computer/watch the ship go through Strait of Messina day. At 2100 we passed the volcanic island of Stromboli. It was dark but we could see its’ conical outline against the sky, with tiny little flashes of light in the clouds above it. Later that night, about 0200, I was wakened by a thunderstorm and the ship had the most motion we were ever to experience on the cruise. Now, I love thunderstorms, and watch whenever able, but that night I was simply unable to stay awake. I did go out on the balcony for just long enough to think: what if I fall overboard?, then returned to the safety of bed. Next day, the motion was THE subject at breakfast, but much as it felt immense to us, it couldn’t have been much…the tall slender bud vase on the table in our room hadn’t even MOVED!

 

SORRENTO/CAPRI: it was raining as we tendered to port, but stopped before we touched land. We walked about through the town, where everyone was cleaning up from the downpour they had had the night before, mud everywhere, and seemed to be overturned flowerpots. Shopped a bit, noticed the sky clearing, and headed to Capri, where we had a beautiful sunny remainder of the day. Took the local bus up to Anacapri, where we wandered, lunched, then took the local bus to the Blue Grotto. Unfortunately the water was too rough to enter, so one dream unfulfilled. On returning to Anacapri, we came upon the chair lift and took it to the summit. Very reasonably priced, fun, with exquisite views. Headed back to Regatta.

 

AMALFI/POMPEII: had our first tour booked here with Fabrizio from amalfi-drive.com. We started in Ravello, then drove to Pompeii, where a 2 hour tour had been booked for us. Our guide in Pompeii was Dario, and he asked if anyone had specific requests, and planned our route so all requests were seen. I loved Pompeii, wanted to see it since learning of it in grade school! Dario was great. Then we drove along the Amalfi coast and stopped at a restaurant in Positano, where we had a FABULOUS meal, served family style. Had time for some shopping, then back to ship. Grazie, Fabrizio, we enjoyed our tour so much!

 

ROME: toured with Marcello, a new driver with limoinrome.com.We drove into Rome, and saw the Collesium, Forum, Circus Maximus, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and can’t remember what else. He took us a to a market area where we had FABULOUS pizza for lunch, they lop a piece off of a plank shaped pizza, and weigh it. We then went to Vatican City, where we had arranged a 2 hour tour through limoinrome, with a guide named Christina. We saw the museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Paul’s. It was JAMMED everywhere, slow to proceed down halls, and difficult to keep within eyesight of our guide and each other. The tour seems to show us only a fraction of the museum, but that was enough. The Sistine Chapel was awe inspiring, but crowded, and was where we lingered longest, but PACKED. Then on to St. Paul’s, where we really only had time to see the Pieta, which was very moving. Then we had to meet back up with Marcello to get back to the ship. Both Marcello and Christina were great guides, informative, easy to talk to, and Marcello made sure we saw as much of Roma as possible!

 

SARDINIA: I had planned for this to be an R&R day, but then did some research and thought Costa Smeralda should be seen. Booked a tour with Claudio from sardiniandiscovery.com , and it was fabulous! Claudio has spent his whole life on the island, and his love for and knowledge of it is obvious. We were in a Land Rover, and went inland and up a mountain for great views, stopping to learn about, and taste the fruit of Sardinian flora. Then we headed for the coast and saw Porto Cervo, and the beaches. It was a great tour, and I highly recommend Claudio!

 

FLORENCE: couldn’t decide between a tour of Tuscany or Florence, and decided to go with Florence. Booked with Luca of hillsandroads.com. We ended up getting the best of both…saw the highlights of Florence, including David, and still had time for a drive through the Tuscan countryside, with a stop in the charming village of San Gimigiano. It was wonderful that we could do both, and we thank Luca for making this happen!

 

PORTOFINO: did this pretty port on our own. Took boat to Santa Margherita Ligure and back, and simply enjoyed walking in both towns.

 

MONACO: a fabulous day with Jean Marc from dream-tours.com. First saw the Casino, Hotel de Paris, and Café de Paris, then made a stop to see views from up high, Eze, on to Nice where we were at the market, to the wonderful St. Paul de Vence…my most favourite place on the whole trip. Back to Monaco to see the palace and cathedral then back to the ship. Great Day! Thanks Jean Marc!

 

MARSEILLES: booked a tour of Provence with Catherine from provence-travel.com . This was the first tour I booked for the cruise, as I had read about the Calenques in Cassis in another review, and fell in love with photos of them. Catherine took us to Aix en Provence, a lovely town, where we visited a beautiful church with a lovely courtyard garden,and a baptistry dating from 400AD. We then went to the local market, and walked down the main street, where an antique market was going on. After a lovely drive to Cassis, I was most disappointed to learn it was too windy to take a boat ride of the calenques. My second unfulfilled dream, but the one I had looked most forward to. We were able to see them from above, from the highest cliff along the whole Mediterranean coast, I believe Catherine had said.

We headed back to Marseilles to see the highlights. Catherine was knowledgable, and most informative, and her driving skills in tight places were amazing! Merci beaucoup!

 

SETE: I must say this port was a bit of a disappointment, and I notice that next year’s itineraries have replaced it with Palma de Majorca. We climbed to the highest point, and did some wandering, but were back on ship after about 3 hours, and relaxed by the pool for the last time. Maybe the fact that it was our last stop was why I couldn’t enjoy Sete…

 

BARCELONA: disembarked at 0830(no problem at all) and checked into Apsis Splendid for one night. Stored our luggage and took the HOHO bus. Barcelona is a gorgeous city and I was amazed by the Sagrada Familia, and Parc Guell. The HOHO took us back to the port, where Regatta was and there were NEW people on MY ship! Rub salt in the wound! (we did go on to London and Paris after the cruise, but I won’t go into that here)

 

TO CLOSE

 

We LOVED it! Can’t imagine ever trying another cruise line, feel we started at the top! Beautiful ship, lovely room, fabulous food, incredible, friendly congenial staff. Had to tender to port 3 times, and never had to wait 5 mins-if that- to get on the tender, even though it was early after docking, and there were ship tours.

We are not late night people, so the entertainment was not important to us, however the shows we did go to were very good, my hubby particularly liked the comedian. We would have preferred the shows to start earlier than 2145, after a day of touring, with another one planned for early the next day, we found it difficult to stay awake.

Food was INCREDIBLE!!! Breakfast everyday at the Terrace Café, can’t imagine someone thinking of something that wasn’t available. We loved the Grand Dining Room, and Tapas on the Terrace. Such attention to detail! We had 2 fabulous meals each at Toscana and Polo Grill. What I would give to have Crème Brulee or Chocolate Lasagna one more time! And the filet mignon, veal limone, mushroom risotto, pain au chocolate, fresh berries, vanilla milkshake, cream of artichoke soup…I’ll stop now, or never will. Lunch was often off the ship, but we did enjoy Waves when able.

We had a butler, Eric, most pleasant, but we never really asked to be butled. He brought canapés every afternoon, and after we boarded from Sete with a lovely French baguette, I called and asked for some butter, Brie and grapes…we had it within 5 minutes.

Our room steward, Marica, was also wonderful. Requests for firmer pillows, and a more lightweight duvet were handled quickly.

Everyone on staff was friendly, personable, willing to answer questions, and engage in conversation if able. I am trying to figure out just what kind of job I could do on board…I am an RN…

Hi to Pat and Matt, Graciella and Trevor, Fred and Jeanne, Naomi and David, sure was fun!

Only negatives, and they are minimal:

Internet expensive and slow; and there was a problem with a sewage odour coming from the drain in our washroom at times. We mentioned it to our room steward a couple of times at the beginning of our cruise, and some chemical was poured down the drain. It seemed to get worse again toward the end of the cruise, and we had to call again. It was always dealt with quickly. Maybe this just happens sometim?

 

Can’t get back on Oceania soon enough!

PS: please forgive spelling errors, haven’t checked the correct spelling of all the towns we visited.

[meow!]

Thank you kindly for your report. Your itinerary was the same as ours back in April, 2004, only in the opposite direction. It is one of the most popular and I am glad that you enjoyed it. As for your report being "long", read JackfromWA's (the thread next to yours at the moment) and it has actually been published as a book!

[LHT28]

Great review!!

[Blanche Vesuvio]

Thanks so much for your detailed report!:)

[LHT28]

You should post it in the review section also

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreviewform.cfm?ShipID=287

[conderost]

funny, last year we had eric also,,he was sweet, like my hairproducts that i shared with him..i left some for him when i left..:)

[tropicalkerry2002]

for the kind comments, and I have now submitted the report to the reviews!

[Aussie Gal]

Tropicalkerry 2002,

 

What a wonderful review. I did enjoy reading about the ship and your ports, as we have spent time in quite a few of them. Your review did bring back some lovely memories.

 

We spent 3 nights in 2002 in San Gimignano so know that beautiful walled town well. We spent a week on a barge on the Midi Canal that four of us captained in 2001 and finished in Sete and I agree that it certainly doesn't have a lot to offer. We also used Jean Marc in Monaco back in 2004 and found him to be a wonderful guide and we have just returned from a 5 week trip to Ireland and Italy where we spent a week in Santa Margherita so I could picture the ferry ride between Portofino and St. M. so well.

 

I am so glad that you enjoyed your time on Oceania. We are newbies to Oceania too and we are counting down the days to our cruise.

 

Jennie

[QQRZZA]

As you can see from her review, Tropicalkerry knows how to work details. Despite the fact that this was her first cruise, she expertly put together all the shore adventures, with drivers and inineraries, in all the ports for a group of us Cruisecritters who virtually met on this web site and actually met a half hour before sailing from Venice. She did an amazing job for all of us, and ensured a fantastic trip for the whole group. Great job; sincerely appreciated, you made it a wonderful and interesting uncrowded vacation.

[tropicalkerry2002]

thank you QQ...,For the kind words.

 

I really DO think I have to get myself a job in the travel industry, I SO enjoyed all the research and info gathering I did for this trip of a lifetime(tho' i hope there will be many more trips of a lifetime!)

 

I don't know waht to do with all the free time I have now!

[Cruising Illini]

Thanks for the wonderful review. We have had just one cruise on Oceania -- the Carib. 2 years ago -- but will be on her again Jan. 2-12 in the Carib again and have a penthouse in your same location. We took a suite at front of the ship before and I didn't like the long walk to all of the restaurants so changed and am especially pleased to hear how happy you were with the room. We have previously been on Holland America many times but it's fun to try something smaller and different. Thanks AGAIN for the wonderful details.

Elinor from Florida

[Kane]

Tropicalkerry 2002,

...clip...

We spent a week on a barge on the Midi Canal that four of us captained in 2001 and finished in Sete and I agree that it certainly doesn't have a lot to offer.

...clip...

Jennie

 

Slightly off-thread but I couldn't resist a reply. We did Canal du Midi (down) and ended in Port Casafieres (near Vias, before Sete). I agree that ending down on the Med was anti-climatic.

 

It, however, was one of the best "cruises" we have ever done. Our voyages on Regatta and Insignia were wonderful and memorable, but the voyage on "Salsa 15" will always be unforgettable.

[shoshona2]

Hi Tropicalkerry,

 

Enjoyed reading your great review of Oceania and the tours you arranged. I, also, arrange all my own tours and just returned from Europe. We used the services of Marcello as a guide in Rome. He was very nice and loved showing us around his city of "Rome"!!! I added some of your guides to my list so I can use them in the future. Thanks for the good info.

Happy cruising.

 

Sheila

[Aussie Gal]

Slightly off-thread but I couldn't resist a reply. We did Canal du Midi (down) and ended in Port Casafieres (near Vias, before Sete). I agree that ending down on the Med was anti-climatic.

 

It, however, was one of the best "cruises" we have ever done. Our voyages on Regatta and Insignia were wonderful and memorable, but the voyage on "Salsa 15" will always be unforgettable.

 

 

We have done the Saone River in Burgandy as well and enjoyed that more as most of the locks were automatic and we only had 30. Whereas with the Midi, they were mostly locks that you had to work by hand and I think there were over 60! It is a wonderful way to travel and we have loved our time on the Canals and tying up each night for dinner in a different village

 

Jennie

[Kane]

We have done the Saone River in Burgandy as well and enjoyed that more as most of the locks were automatic and we only had 30. Whereas with the Midi, they were mostly locks that you had to work by hand and I think there were over 60! It is a wonderful way to travel and we have loved our time on the Canals and tying up each night for dinner in a different village

 

Jennie

 

Coming down Midi we had more than 90 locks, but most of them had lock-keepers who operated them.

 

To keep on-thread, folks getting bored in Sete could head up the road a few miles to see the Fonseranns Staircase, which you may have passed through, just above Beziers. It is 6 locks in a row.

 

Tourists come to see it in operations (as shown in photo).