Live From Riviera - Barcelona to Istanbul, 9/8/14

You will love it. I have taken more pasta classes than anyone could imagine and I learn something new in every one of them.

Sounds great to me!

Regarding the culinary classes: Our chef instructor was Noelle Barille. She is a CIA graduate and currently lives in Italy. She is an excellent instructor who combines humor with great teaching skills. I thoroughly enjoyed both classes I took.

Cyprus, our next port of call, was not what we pictured. We booked a tour with Cyprus by Bus that was offered to our cruise at 30 euros per. very reasonable with a driver and guide and only about 25 people. Cyprus turned out to be very dry, barren, and hot. Over the ages, all the trees have been cut down and all the ground water has been used up. Plus you have 40% of the island occupied illegally by Turkey with UN troops still around. It was still interesting to see all the wine vineyards and the Crusader relics. Dinner again was at the Terrace Grill and very good.

Our next stop was Rhodes. This was a new island for us and we booked a half day tour with Rhodes by Cab. A great choice as we had a Mercedes sedan with driver/guide all to ourselves. A quick orientation to Rhodes Town proper, then a trip to the acropolis for the Temple of Apollo ,amphitheater , and stadium. After that a panoramic drive to Lindos at the opposite end of the island.The scenery around Lindos is breath taking. Lindos, not so much. Very crowded with many Russian twenty somethings. After our stop there, we came back along the coast road to the Old Town where we had a fantastic Greek lunch at Sarris. Some shopping and site seeing and it was back to the ship. Part of our trivia team was going to Red Ginger that evening so we tagged along and had another very good meal. Maybe we'll make it to the GDR before the end of the cruise....maybe not :D

I signed us up for our first culinary class on our January cruise, the pasta class. I could not believe husband agreed to take this class or any cooking class at all :D, so I booked it as soon as he said he would attend.

Both DH and I took the pasta class with Chef Annie (we liked her) while on the Marina in May. At first he balked when I asked him but lo and behold he really enjoyed the class. Now he wants to buy a pasta attachment for the mixer:D .I will definitely be signing up for more classes when on Marina or Riviera, but will have to wait as next cruise is on Regatta.

Both DH and I took the pasta class with Chef Annie (we liked her) while on the Marina in May. At first he balked when I asked him but lo and behold he really enjoyed the class. Now he wants to buy a pasta attachment for the mixer:D .I will definitely be signing up for more classes when on Marina or Riviera, but will have to wait as next cruise is on Regatta.

Nice to know that old dogs certainly can learn new tricks! :)

Thanks, everyone, for your input and responses about the culinary classes. One of the reasons we love Oceania so much is because of our fellow passengers. We have met so many wonderful people!

Wednesday, brought Patmos Island, our second unplanned port. We'd been here before and knew this would be our least favorite stop. Patmos is a dry barren island who's only "claim to fame" is that it houses the cave where John reputedly wrote the Book of Revelation. We went ashore at lunch time for some mezzes at the shore line and called it a day. I was very disappointed that with all the other places we could have gone to (Athens comes to mind) O selected Patmos. That evening, the Terrace Cafe was decked out in the Greek national colors with the wait and serving staff wearing traditional dress. Quite festive with many Greek dishes on display. Opa!

Thursday, was our third unplanned stop, Santorini. The total opposite of Patmos, Santorini is our favorite Greek island. We hired a car and drove to the ruins at Akrotiri. If you know your history, Akrotiri has been called the Minoan Pompeii. Destroyed in the cataclysmic eruption the tore the island apart in 1630 BCE, the ruins speak to a highly developed civilization 3700 years ago. Traces of settlement have been found there that dates habitation back over 7,000 years ago. I highly recommend taking an hour to see it and to reflect on the impermanence of daily life as we know it. From there, we drove to several wineries as Santorini is known for it's wines. DW purchased some excellent dessert wine to take home. Lunch in Oia, the other large town who's picturesque images adorn most postcards from Greece, then back to Fira and the cable car down to the dock. If you've not been to Santorini, Fira, the main town, is located 800 feet above the ocean. You have three ways of getting there; walking up 600 steep steps, on donkey back, or cable car for 5 euros. Take my advice, do the cable car. The donkeys use the same steps if you get my meaning.

Yesterday, we anchored off Mykonos. Originally this was to be a sea day but the island was added and we were glad as we had not been there before. Mykonos has a permanent population of only 5,000. But during the tourist season, over one million visitors arrive. We found Mykonos Town very charming with frankly higher end shopping than we saw at Santorini. DW found a locally hand made ceramic salad bowl that she could not leave without. What was that luggage weight limit again? Lunch on shore was at Allegra, a small shore side restaurant. Food was excellent and traditional mediterranean. Try the grilled feta with sesame and honey. Mmmmm.

Nothing really appealed to us on the GDR menu nor in Terrace that evening so we asked and scored a table at Polo. Figured we give them one more chance. DW again had the lobster which was very good as before. DS had the Crispy Chicken which turned out to be half a free range chicken and was quite tasty. I went with the rib eye which this time was cooked perfectly. A nice red accompanied and my final analysis of Polo is "hit or miss". They can deliver at times but they are not consistent.

A couple notes: The drink packages continue to be offered, even on Day 12 of the cruise. The crew have continued to be nothing but upbeat and service in all venues has been top notch.

Have enjoyed your posts. We get on in Istanbul as you get off.

What three stops did you miss to have a third unplanned stop?

We also visited Akrotiri on our May cruise, and I was so impressed with these amazing ruins from so very long ago. I was very excited when they finally reopened and impressed with the wonderful huge enclosed space. We took a tour with one of the guides waiting there and emerged 75 minutes later much more knowledgable.

We stopped at alovely shop at the intersection of the east/west ruins road with the main north/south route on the island, and I purchased a large reproduction plaster fresco of the saffron gatherers which was shipped to our home two weeks later. I simply love these wall paintings.

What three stops did you miss to have a third unplanned stop?

We were supposed to be in Haifa, Israel for three days (two overnights) plus a sea day. Instead, Haifa was cancelled and Alanya, Turkey and Santorini, Patmos, and Mykonos Greece were added.

Saturday was Kusadasi, a port we had been to twice before. The ancient city of Ephesus is the main draw. The former Roman capitol of the province of Asia Minor, Ephesus is one of the best preserved Roman cities in the world. Recent excavations are now pointing to the Hittites as being the founders some 3400 years ago. For this visit, we joined another couple and went to Millietus and Didymus to see the Ionian League ruins there. Millietus was once a seaport and the entrance of the port is still visible. However, due to the river silting up over the centuries, the sea is now several miles away. The theatre and Roman baths are the draw here. Didymus, who's meaning has now been determined to mean "the two temples", is the site of the Temple of Apollo and a recently discovered Temple of Artemus. The Apollon was rival to the famous Artemission, one of the Wonders of the Ancient World. The people of Millietus were rivals to Ephesus and the Apollon was meant to outdo the Artemission. Sadly, it was never quite finished and so the honor went to Ephesus. Fortunately, as opposed to the little that remains at the Artemission, the Apollon is largely intact and extremely impressive.Walking down to the inner sanctum, one goes through a barrel vault corridor where the stones look like they were put in place yesterday, not 2400 years ago. Returning to Kusadasi, we had lunch near the ship at our favorite restaurant, Kasim Usta. Great fish and shrimp dishes.

Dinner last night was at Toscana again for the third. I can safely say that we rank Toscana first with Jacques a close second in terms of dining. Fettucinni Carbonara, Shrimp wrapped in Prosciutto, stop me before I eat again!

Today we dock at Istanbul around Noon and overnight before disembarking. I'll post our impressions in a couple days.

Aloha,

I have enjoyed reading your posts especially the way you describe the ports of call. I have read all I care to about the food and how it tasted yada yada yada....:o

It is so nice to read about your experiences on shore and some history of the places you visit, thanks for taking the time.

We were supposed to be in Haifa, Israel for three days (two overnights) plus a sea day. Instead, Haifa was cancelled and Alanya, Turkey and Santorini, Patmos, and Mykonos Greece were added.

Thanks for the information.

What a shame; you ended up with a very different cruise but you certainly made lemonade out of lemons.

Aloha,

I have enjoyed reading your posts especially the way you describe the ports of call. I have read all I care to about the food and how it tasted yada yada yada....:o

It is so nice to read about your experiences on shore and some history of the places you visit, thanks for taking the time.

Glad you enjoyed it. More to come!

Our last port of call was Istanbul, or the former Constantinople. We had never been to this city before but I was certainly aware of it's storied history. Founded in the 2nd century CE as Nova Roma (New Rome), this city became the eastern capitol of the Roman Empire. What today is called the "Old City" is actually ancient Nova Roma. The Roman Emperor Valen built a fortified position on the European side of the Bosphorus and over 24 kilometers of his city wall still exist in magnificent form. In the 4th century CE, Emperor Constantine declared the city the Capital of the Eastern Roman Empire and renamed it after himself. After the fall of the Western Empire in the 5th century, Constantinople became the successor in fact to Rome. The Eastern Empire extended "Roman" rule over a substantial portion of the world until the 15th century and even succeeded under Emperor Justinian in the 6th century in returning a substantial portion of the Western Empire to Roman rule. Enter the Turk tribes from the Caucasus who migrated down in search of land and found the fertile ground of Anatolia. Constantinople fell and the greatest empire the world has ever seen ended.

Our sail in to the Bosphorus at 11 am was amazing. Ships of all sizes coming and going. A city of 16 million people and a major sea port.

We had booked a tour with another couple to see as much as we could cover in a half day of the Old City. Our guide, Lale, actually worked for Rick Steves when he was filming his Istanbul episodes. In 5 hours, we managed to tour the Hagia Sophia, once the largest Christian church in the world and the seat of Orthodox Christianity, the Grand Mosque of Sulieman the Magnificent, and the Spice Market. The Spice Market is an OMG experience. Smaller than the Grand Bazaar , the market has an amazing variety of fresh spices used in Mediterranean cooking plus Caviar from the Caspian Sea!!. With the traffic and crowds, our 5 hours went by quickly and we returned to Riviera for packing and one last dinner in Jacques. If you've been following this thread, you know I've not posted anything about a dinner in the GDR. We actually DID go there the day we docked in Istanbul.....for the Grand Brunch. Other than that meal, every dinner was either in a specialty restaurant or in the Terrace Cafe. Jacques, again was superb and my steak there once again proved THE steak house on Riviera is Jacques and not Polo.

We finished packing and ordered breakfast to be delivered to our Suite and called it a satisfying day.

Lale is one of our favorite people in the world - and a fabulous guide! We toured with her twice, and have many cherished memories. Istanbul is a place we never tire of, either. Glad you enjoyed it - a spectacular conclusion to your trip!!!

Monday morning brought the sad news of that horrible word, disembarkation. We had arranged private pick up at the port to transport us to the Intercontinental Hotel. Leaving our beautiful home for the last two weeks was bittersweet but we know we will be back on Riviera again. After dropping our luggage at the hotel, we ventured out on our own to see the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar. Word of warning, the lines to get in to the Blue Mosque are amazingly long if you go without a guide. We stumbled, or fell into the clutches, of a rug salesman who personally escorted us into the Mosque ahead of what would surely have been an hour and a half wait. He waited for us at the exit and "invited" us to visit his shop. I understood what was going on and did feel an obligation to at least visit. Nothing appealed to us and we graciously made our exit but I did leave him with a gratuity for his saving us so much time.

On to the Grand Bazaar! A collection of over 4500 stores in a centuries old building. Or, as DW uncharitably put it, 4500 junk stores :D

If you go to Istanbul, you must visit the Grand Bazaar simply for experience. And an experience it was. Hoards of humanity roaming up and down the rows of shops selling everything you can think of.

And so ended our journey on Riviera. We flew back to the US today and after a night's rest to recover from jet lag, I'll post my overall impressions of our first Oceania cruise.

Lale is one of our favorite people in the world - and a fabulous guide! We toured with her twice, and have many cherished memories. Istanbul is a place we never tire of, either.

+1

We have toured with both Lale and Kagan and have a tour booked with Lale next August.

Aloha 1,

Sounds like you ended your wonderful cruise on a high note.

Thanks for allowing us to travel with you vicariously (and for the great history lessons) :)

Paul, please give her our love! On our last trip she took us to Sirkeci Station/Orient Express museum and restaurant and also the Koc Museum - a delightful day!!! What a gem!

And now we are back in the land of clean restrooms and underarm deodorant. :) Here's my overall impression of Oceania:

Suites (and other Veranda cabins) = A+ Roomier than Regent and Princess. Fairly comparable to Celebrity but your room comes with so much more.

Service = A+ We have had excellent service on Regent and O at the least matches that and at times exceeds it. Princess service would be next choice and Celebrity dead last. Too many staff mistakes in the dining facilities.

Food= A+++++ OMG, best food at sea is not marketing hype. Regent was good but the variety that comes with an O cruise surpasses anything we have had in our 30+ years of cruising.

Ship Shore Excursions= D- The tours were small in size, maybe 30-40 people each, but do you really have to charge twice the normal rate? We booked everything on our own or joined up with tours arranged by fellow CC'ers. This area needs attention from FDR.

Overall condition of the ship = A+ Constant attention to detail every day with cleaning,

painting, etc. We recently spent 30 days on Celebrity Millennium. That ship needs serious refurbishment of it's guest rooms. They were untouched last year in the dry dock. Riviera looked like it just came out of Fincantieri shipyard.

Other items of note:

-Getting on and off the ship was simple and easy and never crowded.

- Room service breakfast on disembarkation day was a first for us as all the other lines typically shut that down.

-Never an issue finding a table at the Terrace Cafe and never any pushing/shoving to get to the food. Beats the heck out of the scrum on Celebrity and Princess.

- Prestige Beverage package worked for me more than DW. I love a good cognac in the evening and Remy XO without the package was $25. Couple that with wine for lunch and dinner and a martini before dinner and I definitely saved $$. DW, not so much since she only drinks a little wine.

- Our CD, Andy, was at the gangplank on disembarkation day wishing every departing guest a bon voyage and safe travels. Nice touch.

So, we definitely will cruise on Oceania again. In fact we put a placeholder down for a cruise in 2016 while on board. They have now become our favorite line.

If I can answer any questions, please let me know. I will be posting some pictures of menus, ports, etc most likely by Monday so please check back. And, again, thank you all for your feedback and positive comments on my blog.

Ken

+1

We have toured with both Lale and Kagan and have a tour booked with Lale next August.

Spent a week traveling western Turkey with Kagan a few years ago. Found him right here on this board, recommended by earlier posters. (Such a resource this place is!) Kagan was the best. But then, we didn't travel with Lale, did we? Many folks, including Kagan, says she is the best. And the winner is……all of us! :D

Thanks, Aloha 1, for your running commentary regarding Riviera. We'll be aboard her soon. Looking forward to Jacques on the very first night!

Great review Aloha. I wonder about Azamara but I just keep coming back to the Riviera. I'm trying the Insignia in November and hope I like it as well as the Riviera - although I will definitely miss La Reserve

CJ

Thanks, Aloha, for allowing us to join you onboard. Glad you enjoyed your experience on Oceania.