Anyone home from Black Sea yet?

[Lynda S]

Hello everyone-
We have booked onto Insignia's Black Sea Cruise for next year (July 05) and I understand that a Black Sea cruise has just finished on the Insignia. If anyone out there has just got back, and has a bit of time to post their opinions/experiences on either the ship or the ports, I'd love to hear them!
Lynda S

[cruzemaven]

We are also interested in any info on this itinerary as we are also booked next July. If anyone has suggestions on which tours to book and the highlights of each port...please post. Thankyou.

[Lynda S]

Cruzemaven-
Would you be interested in meeting on board? My husband and I love to meet people (that is usually his job on board the ship, mine is telling him which country we are going to next...). If you are interested let me know!
Lynda

[Jancruz]

When we were on the Black Sea cruise on Ren in 2000 it was very hard to get your own tour guides in those countries..especially guides that spoke English that we could understand..(I tried in several countries) one did not show up at all..so IMHO and from my own experience..ships tours may be best ...unless things have really changed in 4 years..
Jan
*************

[cruzemaven]

Of course, it would be very nice to meet you and your husband on board. We are traveling with six other couples from home. We are a lively, friendly group and as the cruise approaches we'll figure out a place to meet on the ship.

[jfb128]

If you have yet to sign up for the Yahoo party on the Black Sea cruise please go to the Yahoo Oceana board and sign up. I know it is early but we already have 12 people signed up and we need 20 to get Oceania to throw a free cocktail and hors d'ouevres party on the second night of the cruise.My wife and I have volunteered to host that party and it is a great opportunity to know your fellow cruisers.

[Jancruz]

The party is NOT always the 2nd night of the cruise..it depends on what the ship has scheduled..it can be held any night ..
Jan
*************

[jfb128]

You are right it can be another night but on the two cruises I have been on it has been the second night. The idea is to have the party early enough to get people acquainted.

[Jancruz]

You are absolutely correct..most of the time it can be done that way..but sometimes..it happens more toward the end of the trip due to other venues..
Jam
*************

[sailboy]

In spite of the long and grueling 9+ hour return flight (in extremely cramped United Air Lines seats I might add) we thoroughly enjoyed our just completed Black Sea Odyssey on the Insignia.

Since we are old Ren cruisers (6 in all) we pretty knew what to expect. The main differences between the old and the new - much better food, teak decks, evening outdoor dining, an excellent cruise director, martini bar.

The ship was fairly full with a large amount of highly experienced seasoned travelers. In general this was an extremely intelligent crowd with a majority of the passengers we met from California (correlation?)

Now to the itinerary and the excursions (we mostly took the "highlights" tours).

Guides. In general ours were good -some with an excellent command of the English language and great on historical perspectives. We did hear of one instance, however, where the guide was so bad that passengers had to quit the tour in midstream and join another group.

Itinerary. Much variety in ports from the Cold War remains (Constanta) to the historical (Yalta and Sevastopol) to the touristy (Nessebur) to the cultural (Odessa) to the resort (Sochi)

Nessebur, Bulgaria. An interesting mix to start the trip. First, a walking tour of the town including the small ancient church of the Blessed Savior, the new Museum of Art & History, and a stroll past the many shops and restaurants underscoring the tourist resort that it is. Next a scenic bus drive to the nearby resort of Sunny Beach where we were entertained by an extremely enthusiastic group of young Folkloric dancers with audience participation. Wine, soft drinks and food were served. This was probably the most enjoyable part of the excursion. Hint. If you are looking to buy native gifts and souvenirs, this might be a good place to do so as it becomes increasingly difficult to do so as the days progress.

Constanta, Bulgaria. This is a very depressing city with very little to see. It reminded us of the Cold War days of Russia where there was little or nothing in the shops, the buildings and streets looked old and neglected and there was a generally dismal atmosphere. On the advice of some others we did not sign up for any tours and went into town on our own (bus ride is $1 each way). After hearing the negative comments from those on tour we were pleased with our decision.

Odessa, Ukraine. We fortunately made a mistake and instead of signing up for the "highlights" tour we went on the "Scenic Odessa and Concert" excursion. For and extra $10 we sat in on one of the most powerful concerts we have ever experienced. This was probably one of the more memorable tours we have ever taken primarily because of the concert (which by the way was not promoted very heavily in the excursion talks). Would highly recommend this tour.

Sevastopol, Ukraine. Much of the tour centered around the history of the Crimean war and the failed defenses against Anglo-French troops in 1854-55 and against the ****s in 1941-42. The tour highlight was a trip to the "Panorama", a hugh 360 degree mural accurately detailing the events of Crimean war. The fresco is so realistic you feel that you are actually present during the invasion.

Sochi, Russia. This is a beautiful Russian resort town frequented by Russia's Putin and other high level dignitaries. We visited the Matsesta Spa and its renowned sulfur water touted as effecting in treating respiratory and cardiac diseases. Then a trip to the Botantical Gardens containing more than a thousand species of trees and shrubs from all over the world. We wound up in Riviera Park with some free time to shop the craft stalls and souvenir shops. Unless you have a visa or join a tour you will be unable to tour the town on your own.

Yalta, Ukraine. This was probably the most picturesque and historical stop of all. Highlight of the trip was a scenic drive along the coast to the White Palace of Livadia. Here we saw the restored meeting rooms of the famous Yalta Conference. We also toured through the Alupka Palace where Churchill stayed during the conference.

Mykonos and Athens. We did these two ports on our own since we have visited them both before. Warning. If you are thinking about cabbing it into the center of Athens plan on spending about $50 plus U.S. for a round trip fare. We took the train which was $1.20 and it took you right into the center of town. We found a great restaruant in the Plaka district called Platanos. The best lamb and potato meal I have ever had.

This was a great trip with much variety and fortunately great weather. As someone said, "this is not a trip a first-time cruiser would take." Our experiences bore this out.

[Jancruz]

The train from the port into Athens is a great way to travel..but beware of PICKPOCKETS on the train...we have done the train many times..BUT had heard to be very careful so we planned ahead with no purses and money and ID in our shoes..
Jan
*************

[cruzemaven]

Thankyou Sailboy for taking the time to write your impressions and desriptions of the tours you took on your Black Sea cruise. You have been very helpful. Were all the tours offered only in the morning?

[Lynda S]

Thankyou Sailboy for posting that WONDERFUL detailed report on the ports - that will be very helpful as I plan and research. Was Russia the only port that a visa was needed for? (or not needed if you are on the tours)
We were in St. Petersburg where we booked a private tour, and a ship's tour, so a visa wasn't necessary for us, but I remember a few people on board kicking themselves that they didn't know that. Research always pays off, that's for sure. Would you advise a private tour guide in Sochi? Or did it seem like a great place to poke around and wander by yourself that would be worth the price of the Russian visa? Thanks again for all your help!

Crussemaven, that sounds good to meet, we'll tee it up when we get closer - we are travelling with a group that our travel agent has put together (him included), some of them we have travelled with before, and some not. But we love to meet fun people!

And, jfb128 I will sign up for that cocktail party - I take it that means you will be on the same cruise too? Jan, are you going too on the one next year?

[jfb128]

My wife Carole and I will be on the Black Sea cruise next year. It will be our fourth cruise with Oceania. We just completed the Venice to Athens cruise the first part of September. We have volunteered as the name tag hosts for the Yahoo party next July. We already have 12 signed ups so we only need 8 more. Feel free to email me at jfb128@aol.com with any questions. Many thanks!

Jim

[sailboy]

Cruisemaven:

Yes, all tours operated in the morning and most averaged about 3.5 to 4.5 hours in length. Some were all day: "Constanta Highlights and Wedding Ceremony" (7 hours), "The Best of Crimea (6.5 hours) and "Best of Athens and Cape Sounion (8.5 hours). We found all these a little too long for our tastes.


Lynda S:

Yes, Russia was the only port that required a visa. In Sochi, the ship had a last minute "tour offering" which was a "no guide" bus trip into Riveria Park and all its crafts and souvenir shops. We heard that some people on the "tour" elected to wander off on their own into different areas of the city -- without a visa - and no questions were asked.

[narob]

Dear Sailboy,

You described the ports beautifully. We met on the cruise, on the top deck, when leaving Yalta. I posted an Insignia review on this site, but found no need to mention ports much, since you did such a great job. We really enjoyed ourselves on our first Oceania experience.

[Lynda S]

Hi Narob-
Could you let me know how to get to the review you posted, I looked on the review page and couldn't find it!
Lynda

[narob]

Go to the home page and look at the very bottom and see member reviews and click on that. Then click on the ship on the next screen. There are two of us, that have posted reviews.

[shoshona2]

Hi Sailboy,

Thanks for your review of the Black Sea Cruise and your great description of the ports. We booked this cruise yesterday and are looking forward to touring them. Did the ship offer the tour of Sochi as a separate tour or did you have to purchase all the tours as one package?

There is also a review posted on yesterday's Yahoo Oceana Board by someone named Murphy who was on your cruise.


Sheila

[sailboy]

Yes, we purchased the Sochi tour separately as we did all the others we took.

Pam's Yahoo Board review is much more extensive and historical than mine and is well done. She and her husband were hosts for the onboard cocktail party.

You will enjoy the trip as it was unlike any other we have taken and we are extensive cruisers.