In late October ’04 I boarded the Monet, a small cruise ship carrying a maximum of 59 passengers, at the San Basilio pier in Venice, Italy. Our itinerary was a leisurely 7-day cruise down the Dalmatian coast (formerly Yugoslavia), terminating in Dubrovnik.
The yacht-sized ship allowed us to dock at the center of small towns such as Opatija, Pula, Hvar and Korcula, where we could walk at our leisure. Optional tours were available.
I read with a lot of interest the October ’04 article by Lew Toulmin about the Marco Polo of Orient Lines (800/333-7300 or www.orientlines.com). Yes, he does a good job on the history of the Marco Polo, but we feel that the biggest reason the ship has so many, many repeat passengers is the staff — from the captain down to the busboys and room attendants.
Island paradise or hell on Earth? Three New Zealand judges apparently took the latter view as they sentenced six of Pitcairn island’s few male inhabitants to two to six years in prison for numerous rapes and assaults that took place over a 40-year period on the last remnant of the British empire in the South Pacific.
I read with interest the description of the Marco Polo in the October ’04 “The Cruising World” column. I concur with Mr. Toulmin’s evaluation of the ship.
Friendly faces, lively music, colorful art and beautiful churches are what my husband and I found on our 12-day “Danube and Black Sea Sampler,” a river cruise from which we returned on Oct. 17, ’04. The cruise was offered by Vantage Deluxe World Travel (90 Canal St., Boston, MA 02114-2031; phone 800/322-6677).
The Black Sea has always interested us, so in May ’04 my husband, John, and I flew from London to Istanbul to join the ship Minerva II for a cruise called “Grand Baroque to Grand Bazaar,” May 22-June 5.
The plane had been chartered by the ship line, Swan Hellenic Cruises (U.S. office at 631 Commack Rd., Ste. 1-A, Commack, NY 11725; phone 877/219-4239). We like visiting London so didn’t mind the added airfare and overnight hotel.
On May 22, ’04, I called Grand Circle Travel to see about reserving the “Great Rivers of Europe” trip taking place Aug. 29-Sept. 16. I spoke to Robert in Customer Service and told him we wanted to reserve that date and the extension to Brussels. He checked and informed me that there was one cabin still available, cabin 101. I made the reservation and gave him my Visa number for the deposit of $1,000. He told me to call the company to initiate the final payment when the invoice and information packet arrived. I did this and the final payment was made in June.
Recently, a sharp-eyed ITN reader booked a Holland America Line cruise to Alaska for 18 days, paying for herself and her roommate. Three weeks before the cruise, she received from the cruise line a puzzling document requiring her to sign and send back a preauthorization to hold $60 worth of credit per person per day for the cruise. For the two travelers, this added up to a substantial $2,160.
On Jan. 29, ’04, we embarked on a 9-day cruise on Silver Whisper, which took us from Colón, Panama, to Callao, Peru. We had cruised quite frequently on the smaller Silversea ships and were curious if the newer, larger ships would also become our favorites.
We booked a mid-ship veranda suite at a total cost of $7,942, which included an extra 5% savings because we had already completed 100 days of cruising with Silversea Cruises (Ft. Lauderdale, FL; phone 800/722-9955 or visit www.silversea.com).
I read the reader’s letter “Wildly Varying Cruise Fares Irksome” in the January ’04 issue. I have been on 39 cruises with various lines. As Bill Bennett put it (page 27), “cruise lines vary their prices according to demand.” I agree that is true. I have booked both early and late, and even though I am a past passenger with various lines I must be there at the right time to get the deals. I believe you just luck out unless you are in the know.