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From Greece to Istanbul via Crimea |
| Reviewed By: Mackay, Solihull on 30th Nov 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Spirit of Adventure |
Times cruised before: 6-10 |
| Cruise Ship: Spirit of Adventure |
Sailed:
October,
2008 |
| Destination: Mediterranean |
Age: 65+ |
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Being lovers of small ship cruising we were therefore attracted to Spirit of Adventure when it was introduced in 2006. The cruise we chose took us in October 2008 to Greece, the Ukraine and Turkey - with a veritable feast of ports with hidden bounty beyond.
Spirit of Adventure, although being described as small never feels small. The ship takes around 350 passengers and there are plenty of places around the ship for people to find a quiet place - there are diverse attractions so that not everyone is doing the same thing at the same time.
On joining the ship in Piraeus we were welcomed and efficiently dealt with before being shown to our cabin. The stewardess was there on hand to be introduced to us. All was clean and tidy in the cabin, which was on the bridge deck, and with large windows offering a view of the very busy port of Piraeus. It therefore boded well for the cruise.
Meals are taken either in the smart Restaurant, decorated in neutral colours and with minimalist theme, with waiter service, or in the Verandah with seating both indoors and out on deck. Shade is available as well as sunshades at the teak tables. Most of our meals were taken out on deck - it was difficult to resist the daily barbecues at lunchtime which offered anything from fish, steaks, lobster, chicken joints, burgers, sausages etc. and always accompanied with a healthy choice of salads alongside. Plenty of chips if required. Indoors there was almost the same choice as in the Restaurant - roast, one pot type meals such as lasagne, soup, veggie option, fish. At all meals the choice of food was very wide and of excellent quality. The chef made himself very visible - a friendly Aussie who talked to us all and was very obliging when it came to providing steak cooked as we wanted it. A good daily choice of sweets too but what always surprised me was that the hot sweet was favourite, such as steamed pudding type sweet with fruit under with what was termed vanilla sauce.
We only had 2 days at sea and we really needed these to recover from the early starts on some of the tours, although we wouldn't have missed any of them. The ship remained an extra day in Piraeus for trips to the Acropolis - well worthwhile. Then we sailed for the Gulf of Corinth, passing thru the Corinth Canal at 0700 and on to the small port of Itea for trips to Delphi. How I wish I had known more of Greek mythology - doing some homework on this subject would be well worthwhile. Then on to Katakolon, a small port on the Ionian Sea, from where we visited the ancient site of Olympia - totally fascinating as Delphi. Next was Monemvasia, a small town from where we travelled quite some distance inland to the ancient hilltown of Mystras, close to Sparta. We had plenty of time to wander around the site once our guide had finished her talk then had lunch at a local restaurant where Greek food was served. The ship sailed northwards up the coast to Volos where we chose a tour to Meteora - the feature here being the several monasteries perched atop gigantic rocks. What a contrast to what we had already seen! Again lunch was served in a lovely local restaurant offering a great choice of Greek specialities. Thessaloniki was the next port and here was great shopping as well as an interesting city to visit, in particular the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St Demetrius. We left Greek waters and made for the Dardanelles - we could see Gallipoli from the port side of the ship as we made for Kepez and the tour to Troy. I'm sure many will find this site fascinating but I'm afraid after Delphi and Olympia it was rather disappointing. The nearby town of Canakale too had little to offer other than uninteresting shops. The next day was a sea day as we were making for Odessa, but first we had to pass thru the Sea of Marmara where we could see the illuminated buildings of Istanbul at about 0600. We then passed through the Bosphorous and into the Black Sea and relaxed for the day, enjoying talks, watercolour class, etc. in between the meals. The day passed only too quickly for me - I joined the watercolour class and enjoyed all the sessions immensely. We arrived in Odessa on a Saturday and it was rather quiet - everyone at home, I suppose. It was an interesting tour of the city with a rather surly local man who was so obviously a product of the Soviet system. There's plenty in Odessa for everyone - wonderful buildings, shops, street markets etc. Next on to Sevastopol and here you are plunged into scenes of the Crimean War - here I had done some homework which really helped. It's a small town, very neat and tidy with fine buildings. Very enjoyable was an evening performance by the Black Sea navy ensemble at the Navy Club. On to Yalta next - so beautiful as one sails into the port area. The stunning white Livardia Palace where the Yalta conferences have taken place is a must. Walk along the beautiful promenade with the locals and find the bronze statue of the Chekov's Lady with the Little Dog. Good shopping area for simple things.
So we departed the Ukraine with a final gift by local entertainers of a song and dance show in the lounge of Spirit. So we slid finally away with many people to wave us off at 2300. Touching. Our next day was a sea day and then finally we arrived in Istanbul but to a very grey and wet day. We were taken on a city tour but visibility was so poor that when we were taken to a viewpoint we spent the time in a cafe sipping apple tea - it was quite nice. We left the ship the following day to move to a hotel for the extension. We were so sorry to leave that fine little ship where we had sat with different people at every meal and made several friends. That's another thing - it is a very friendly ship, like a family. The staff too quickly get to know the passengers and we were treated as though we were all very special!
The public areas of the ship are attractive - the Yacht Club bar is popular and a pianist entertains nightly, the lounge is fairly quiet but not enough chairs have a headrest. In the evenings a small group provides entertainment, also there are often classical concerts given by visiting musicians. However, if you are looking for glitz you won't find it on this ship. The air conditioning was rather on the cool side, nevertheless it is a very comfortable room with bar facility etc. The shop is quite small but sells most things that one might need urgently as well as some clothes and gifts. Plenty of fleeces, t shirts etc. The library is amazing with huge selection of reference books and some fiction. The computers are here and the librarian is well versed on computers and very helpful. Digital cameras were one of his fortes and he could download on to CDs to free up memory cards.
We reflect on a wonderful cruise.
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| Quality of Food |  |
| Verandah restaurant - fish dishes favourite. Not a great meat eater. | | Entertainment | |
| Enjoyed classical group. | | Shore Excursions |  |
| Best excursion was Mystras - but most were excellent. Least favourite was Troy. | | Staff | |
| The librarian was very helpful with the computers and my digital camera downloads to a CD. | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities | |
| We don't look for a great deal of entertaining. I paint, my husbands reads, we like photography, we enjoy talks etc. | | Cabins | |
| It was a decent size, plenty of stowage, fridge with provided soft drinks and beers. | | Overall Rating | |
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