Cruisin'

On all of our previous cruises we have made sure that we are at the port of departure several days before the sailing.  It helps with jetlag and with my desire not to worry about getting to the ship on time.  You can appreciate that I was a bit concerned when we decided to visit our friends in Milan and then fly from Milan to Athens the same day as the ship was scheduled to depart.  We spent the night at the Malpensa Sheraton so as to eliminate the variable of Italian traffic, and I must say that it was a lovely stay since we were upgraded to a large suite and had access to their Club Lounge.

The next morning our Aegean Airline flight – no, I had never heard of it either - was scheduled to depart at 11 am so we were near the gate by ten and sure enough, there was a plane waiting.  The flight was just lovely and they actually provided a real lunch with wine in economy class.  The plane was spotless, the crew delightful, and we landed a bit early.  We grabbed our luggage - which much to our surprise came out first - hopped in a taxi and we were at the ship at 3:30.  Piece of cake!

We have cruised with Silversea before so we knew that it would be enjoyable but we were not prepared for being upgraded to a very large suite, 760 square feet of luxury.  We had a living room and a dining room, a huge terrace, a walk-in closet, a marble toilet and bath with Jacuzzi, and a big bed with grand linens.  We were happy campers.  Since we were a bit hungry we called for some snacks and Champagne and within minutes our cabin attendant was at the door with a bottle of Champagne and plates of beautifully presented little appetizers that included crab claws, caviar and lamb meatballs.  Wow!  This is an all-inclusive ship so there is no tipping, all the booze is included in the price of the ticket, and they do not skimp on the quality of anything.  Most enjoyable.  Our imbibing was interrupted by the security drill, and we certainly noticed that they take this very seriously these days (as compared to previous cruises where they went through the motions but not with such thoroughness).  I suppose that’s the only good result from the Costa Concordia disaster last winter – if something had gone wrong on this trip, it appeared that everyone would have known exactly what to do. 

Our first port of call was Monemvasia, Greece, an eighth-century walled city that was a stronghold of the Byzantine Empire.  The city has been preserved well and is a delight to see from a distance.  Up close, not so much. It is a city that mostly goes up and the walkways are very narrow, and with three ships in the little port getting around was impossible.   (PS from Cindy:  The real problem was the crowds – had there been some breathing room we would have found the town to be delightful, very old and very quaint.)

AND THAT IS AS FAR AS I GOT FOR SEVEN DAYS!!!

I swear I don’t know where the time went, but all of a sudden we were being told that we had to vacate our suite at 8 am the next day, and for me the cruise was just starting to get really cool.  It was a blur of activities and excitement that has convinced me to only cruise again with all-inclusive ships.  I really loved the idea of ordering things and never having to show your card or sign a chit.   I mean, really, when you watched old movies with Cary Grant on ocean liners did you ever see anyone having to sign for anything?  Besides, I avoided writer’s cramp.

We did get into a routine which involved sleeping late, exercising for forty minutes, espresso on the pool deck, cleaning up and heading to shore for more walking wherever we were, back to the ship for a late lunch, a nap, another 40 minutes of exercise, cleaning up again, then cocktails, dinner, dancing, drinks, bed.  What a joy.  We got up early only once, to make sure we were on deck for our entry into the harbor of Valetta, Malta. Wow, what a sight.  Our friend Kari had lived there for a while as a kid and told us it would be well worth the effort and it was.  There were forts, churches, castles, towers, cliff top gardens, sheer walls of rock, all of it spectacular and almost too much to take in at once.  Therefore we went back to bed for another hour or so.

We also stopped in Catania, Palermo, and Sorrento but they are blurs and only served to take us away from our relaxing ship. All in all it was just marvelous with the possible exception of the fact that we both lost weight on the cruise, which isn’t supposed to happen so perhaps I didn’t have as much fun as I thought!!  (PS from Cindy:  We’re not sick; it’s just that we got so much exercise, particularly by dancing every night.)

Perhaps we’ll get our act together and do more on the cruise with our photos, but not for a few days.  Much to do here to batten down the hatches before the impending storms.  Ciao for now,  Cindy and Wm.