HOME
Cruise-Chat.com
Read a Review
Carnival
Celebrity
Costa
Cunard
Holland America
NCL
Princess
Royal Caribbean
All Others
Search Reviews
By Destination
Submit a
Review
Main Menu
About CR
Cruise Q&A
1st Cruise
Cruise Info Web
Feature Reviews
Tom Ogg's
MEGA Reviews
Tom and Mary's
Page
R Seven MEGA Review
Tom Ogg
CruiseReviews at AOL.com (format like an orthodox e-mail address
Group of 12
(Click on Picture at Right to See Group)
Occupation: Travel Agents
Number of Cruises: Most were seasoned International cruisers
Ship: R-7
Sailing Date: January 21st, 2001
Itinerary: Eastern Mediterranean
About This Review
This review is the result of 12 travel professionals that sailed on the R-7 January 21st, 2001 and represents an attempt to answer many questions about Renaissance and the Mediterranean cruises that Renaissance offers. Every last person walked away with their expectations having been exceeded by the experience and I think you will find out why after reading this review. To see a large picture of the thumbnail pictures simply click on the picture you want to see.
This review is broken into 4 distinct areas; The Ship , a look at the R-7, The Cruise , a day by day look at the ports and cruise, Shore Excursions , what to expect and finally, FAQ about the R-7 .
The Flight to Athens, Greece
I flew on Lufthansa from New York to Athens and no matter how you
prepare for it is a grueling flight. Lufthansa hubs in
Frankfurt, 6 time zones and 7 hours east of New York. My flight left at 4pm and arrived in Frankfurt at a little after 11 pm (or 5:15
am local Frankfurt time). I had a three-hour layover and then connected on Lufthansa for the
three-hour flight (one time zone) to Athens. Since my
tolerance for time zones caps out at about five in one day, I chose to fly from San Diego to New
York the day prior to the Lufthansa flight. This proved
to be a good choice, as I would have never recovered from the total of 10 time zones without
stopping to catch my breath.
Lufthansa’s service is fine with two hot meals between New York and
Frankfurt and then another on the way to Greece. The
wine is free in coach, which is certainly a nice touch after flying on U.S. domestic airlines.
There is not enough time after dinner and before breakfast to get much sleep so plan on
staying up for most of the night (what there is of it after advancing through 6 time zones)
Arrival and Embarkation
Upon arrival in Athens there is a Renaissance representative
waiting in the baggage claim area to meet you and help you find your way to the ship.
Since there were only 10 or so of us on the aircraft Renaissance provided individual taxis to
take us to the R-7. It was very painless.
We were escorted out of baggage claim, into the waiting taxis (only two people per cab) and
driven directly to the R-7 where check in took all of two minutes.
We simply presented our passports and credit card and were then handed the key to our cabin
that also was our ship charge card and ID for the trip. In
less than 60 seconds we were boarding the ship and making our way to our cabin to relax and rest.
My bag was at my door in less than 10 minutes so I unpacked and settled in. I must say that
so far, Renaissance’s embarkation process for both Tahiti and now Greece was impeccable and all
cruise lines could learn from Renaissance on this process.
The Ship
(
Back to Top
)
The R-7 is the seventh of a series of new ships for Renaissance.
Launched in October of 2000, she is practically a brand new ship and she looks every bit of
it. All of the R class ships feature the same
configuration and décor. Once you have sailed on one R
class ship you know your way around all of the ships in the fleet as they are all the same.
Everyone in our group loved the décor of the ship and the immediate ambiance the ship
exudes. I have included a good number of pictures so
you can get an idea what each area looks like and also get a feel for the R class ship’s appeal.
The cabin
Our group was all on the fourth deck from mid-ship to forward.
The first thing that struck me when I entered the cabin was the generous use of wood and
mirrors. My cabin (4012) had an unobstructed ocean view
from its picture window with floor to ceiling drapes that closed to keep the light out in the
morning. My cabin featured a king sized bed that was very comfortable and enough room to get all
around the bed. There was a floor to ceiling mirror at
the foot of the bed that gave the cabin an even more generous appearance. A very generous vanity
area with 2 110-volt outlets provided a great place for my computer and printer with tons of space
to spare. There is a television with 3 first run movies running concurrently along with several
channels of programming (including CNN). There is a
very generous closet area consisting of two full-length hanging closets and an additional ½ length
closet with 4 drawers below. The vanity offers more drawers and other storage areas.
There is a safe as well hidden on one of the storage areas below the TV.
Everything is a rich teak that gives the cabin lots of charm unlike many ships that are using
plastic for everything. Next to each side of the bed is
a nightstand again with more drawers for storage and a mini sofa resides in the sitting area of the
cabin. All in all, there is just enough square footage
over the traditional cabin to give you the feel of spaciousness and a quality higher than cabins of
other cruise lines in the same price range.
The bathroom is very typical of cruise ships in its size (compact) only
the use of porcelain instead of plastic gives the bathroom a quality feel about it.
There is a hair dryer and ample storage space for toiletries.
A Tour of the Ship
The R-7 is exactly the same as all of the other “R” class ships.
She is a smaller ship at only 30,277 gross tons and a guest capacity of only 684 lucky
adults. R-7 (in fact, all of the “R” class ships)
does not allow children under 16 and all of the ships are completely non-smoking (however the
passenger in the next cabin to me was smoking in their cabin in the late evening and early morning
filling my cabin with the smell of cigarette smoke, yecccch. They were apparently caught by their
room steward as it stopped after the second night) The
first thing one notices is the “homey” feeling about her. Upon
entering the R-7’s main lobby you notice that the chairs are full sized living room chairs that
can be moved wherever you want them. The carpets are a
fine simulation of India Rugs laid into of beautiful carpet with lots of colors.
There is an abundance of teak paneling with gold inlaid designs.
The ceilings make excellent use of textures, crown molding and various skylight reliefs so
that the overall feeling is one of a richness not usually found on most mass market cruise ships.
Fortunately this theme permeates the R-7 with lots of nooks and
crannies and an abundance of places to meet in large and small groups with many intimate spaces to
escape for the crowd. R-7’s space ratio of a very
generous 44.16 is quite evident as you explore the ship. The ship is well suited for her passenger demographics and repeat adult cruisers
that enjoy sophisticated elegance in a casual atmosphere will not be disappointed.
The Restaurants
R-7 has an open dining policy so that you may eat when you desire and
with whom you desire. Some of the restaurants require
reservations while others you may simply show up and be seated. This is a great feature of Renaissance as everyone can have the exact dining
experience they are looking for. We chose to eat as a
group and were able to obtain group seating throughout the cruise for 12 and enjoyed excellent
dining.
The Club Restaurant (Deck 5, Aft)
This is the main restaurant on the ship and does not require advance
reservations. You may simply decide when you would like
to dine and head for the restaurant to be seated. The
restaurant is elegant and offers many ocean view tables. We
experienced extremely good service and the food was generally very good to excellent.
Trying to please 12 well-traveled travel agents is no small task and other than a few
suggestions our group was very satisfied with The Club Restaurant.
There were always several entrees to select from including fish every night. During the last meal we took at the Club we selected an entrée that no one had
chosen and passed it around the table. On this evening
all of the selections were excellent. Many in our group
preferred the Club Restaurant out of all the restaurants on the R-7.
Also the Club is open for breakfast and lunch as well as dinner.
The Italian Restaurant, (Deck 10, Aft)
The Italian Restaurant requires advance reservations (while reservations
are required, at the alternative restaurants there is currently no additional gratuity suggested as
with other cruise line’s alternative dinning which makes the experience that much more enjoyable)
I thoroughly enjoyed the Italian Restaurant and I stuck with fish and salad and was never
disappointed. One of the nice things about the various restaurants is that if you ordered a
bottle of wine in the Italian restaurant and did not finish it you could arrange to have the wine
follow you to the next restaurant. The Italian
Restaurant’s menu consisted of fish, veal and other meats, pasta and salads.
The Grill Restaurant (Deck 10 Aft)
This is everyone’s favorite along with the Club Restaurant.
The Grill Restaurant offers steaks, chops and fish in an elegant setting.
Rack of Lamb was offered every night and was a favorite choice for many of the agents.
I stuck with the fish that was consistently wonderful (how can you miss in the
Mediterranean?) Overall, I enjoyed the Grill Restaurant the most as it was intimate and the service
was very good to excellent.
The Panorama Buffet (Deck 9, Aft)
This is the ship’s buffet restaurant that is open for breakfast, lunch
and dinner. I found ample fruit, yogurt, cheese and
other healthy choices were consistently available. I would have liked to seen more local fruit in the offerings as a number of
others in our group mentioned. The ship offered
pineapple, cantaloupe, grapefruit, bananas, citrus and apples every morning.
Lunch always offered several choices of salads, entrees (including fish daily) and vegetables
(excellent) The Panorama was not open for the evening meal as our cruise was not sold out and there
was plenty of space in the restaurants and room service. There
are two coffee and juice stations that are open all hours as well in the Panorama.
The B-B-Q (Deck 9, Poolside)
This is the poolside lunch venue that offers excellent hamburgers and
hot dogs with French fries. The quality of these items
is one step above most other cruise lines and they also offer one additional B-B-Q item every day.
I saw teriyaki beef sticks, Lamb skewers, pork chops among the offerings everyday. There is no salad offered at the B-B-Q so one has to go into the Panorama to get
it.
The Pizzeria (Deck 9, Aft)
The Pizzeria is located inside of the Panorama Restaurant as a
separate food venue. The pizza was excellent and the
only complaint that I heard was that it was not open long enough and should have been open in the
evening and that the pizza, while good, was not the best.
The Entertainment Venues and Lounges
The Eastern Mediterranean Itinerary is very rich in daytime activities
and many folks couldn’t manage to stay up for the entertainment after a full day of touring,
shopping, climbing ruins or whatever they did. Generally
there was a show after every dinner in the Cabaret Lounge and other choices such as a piano bar and
a dancing venue. It was hard to find anyone up and
around much after 11 pm. Over all the entertainment was good with some very good.
The Cabaret Lounge (Deck 5, Forward)
This is the main showroom and entertainment venue on the ship.
Shows mainly consist of song and dance productions (very good) and magic acts, singers and
such. The Cabaret Lounge is a quality showroom and
offers folks that “up close and personal” experience with the entertainers.
There are tables right up next to the stage for those that want to almost be part of the
show. The room is terraced
so that all seats have a view. The thing I liked most
about the Cabaret Lounge is that the chairs are “living room” type chairs that can be arranged
to suit anyone’s needs and desires, as they are not bolted to the floor.
The showroom offers excellent acoustics and the central stage can be seen from all position
in the lounge.
The Horizon Sports Bar: (Deck 10, Forward)
This is the primary dancing and meeting place venue.
The Horizon Sports Bar is broken into several different areas that can be isolated from the
others. We held our seminars in the Horizon Sports Bar
by simply roping off one of the areas and were never bothered by anyone.
Forward in the bar is a floor to
ceiling full-length picture window that extends from one side of the ship to the other.
It is an excellent place to witness the arrival or departure of the R-7 into or from ports.
It is also an excellent place to spend quiet moments just taking in the beauty of the
Mediterranean Sea. In the early evening and then later
into the night the Sports Bar offers dancing and other types of entertainment (karaoke and such).
The Upper Hall (Deck 5, Mid Ship)
The R-7 differs from other R class ships in that they have removed the
piano bar from the aft
portion of the casino in favor of moving the slot machine down from the Sports Bar.
It makes the casino seem much more like a viable casino than having the slots separate from
the other gaming tables but it also removed one of my favorite spots on the R class ships.
Instead of a nice cozy bar to sit and listen to the piano R-7 offers the piano bar in a more
open area outside of the shops known as the upper hall. Note
that it didn’t really matter where the piano was because the pianist, Sheila Taylor was
exceptional. She easily stole the show as top
entertainer with her fabulous voice and never ending repertoire. She was great and commanded a large
audience whenever she played. However the venue is not
as elegant as on other R class ships.
The Casino Bar (Deck 5, Mid Ship)
With the elimination of the Casino piano lounge and the increase in slot
machines, the casino bar has taken on a new identity. There
are several stools that you can use to order drinks but the bar sits directly in the center of
the casino and most folks simply use it to obtain a drink while they are playing. Folks
enjoying the music in the Upper Hall are also served from this bar as well.
In addition to the stools there is always at least one full time waitress serving drinks in the
Upper Hall and Casino.
The Pool Bar (Deck 9, Poolside)
The Pool Bar was rarely open as there was a general lack of interest the
first couple of days of the cruise.
The Club Bar (Deck 5 Aft)
The Club Bar sits right outside the entrance to the Club Restaurant and
is a perfect place to meet for cocktails and conversation prior to dining in the Club Restaurant.
It is decorated so that it feels like a homey environment where you can simply relax in
absolute comfort. I liked the Club Bar on the R-7 the
best of all the lounges on the ship and found myself there just relaxing on several occasions
The Grill Bar and The Italian Bar (Deck 10 Aft)
Both the Grill and the Italian Restaurants had small bars with bar stools that one could use while
they waited for their reservation time. The Grill Bar
is especially quaint with its “Old New York” feel. The
dark mahogany wood and rustic feel give the Grill Bar a very special feeling.
Other Public Areas
The Library (Deck 10, Aft)
WOW! The library is without
a question one of the best that exists on any cruise ship at sea.
Its lavish use of textures, ceiling reliefs, dark hardwood
bookshelves, sofas and overstuffed chairs give the library a feeling of richness and lavish
comfort. Best of all the library is open 24 hours a day
and the books are taken and returned on the honor system. Besides
being absolutely beautiful, the library is large and functional as well.
The books are categorized by book type (just like a large library) and it is quite easy to
find books to read if you know what you are looking for.
The Internet Café (Deck 9, Forward)
R-7 offers a full service Internet café consisting of 6 fully automated
workstations. The connection speed is fast which is
good because on this sailing Internet access was a full $1.00 per minute with a five-minute minimum.
They were offering a special though that after 6 sessions you were awarded a seventh session
of 20 minutes.
The Card Room (Deck 9, Forward)
I rarely use the card rooms on ships as they are usually designed for playing cards and that is about it. However, the card room on the R-7 is an excellent getaway spot as it is rarely used and offers a wonderful ambiance. I found myself going there when I wanted to ponder something or work without interruption.
The Fitness Center (Deck 9, Forward)
As you may have guessed by now I am into health and fitness. While most ships allocate enough space for a reasonable fitness center they usually just don't equip it right to obtain a reasonable workout. The R-7 (in fact all R Class Ships) have done an excellent job of designing and equipping their fitness centers. They are broken into four distinct areas,
First, the aerobics area is large enough so that folks can spread out during their
aerobics classes, R-7 offers quite a number of cardiovascular machines and a nice variety as
well. There are tread mills, a Stair Master machine, bikes and ski
machines. I never saw all of the machines in use so there was no waiting for anyone to
complete their workout before starting. The weight machine area offers just the right Cybex machines
to stay toned. There is a chest press, a back/chest butterfly, lat pull down, triceps push down,
preacher's bench biceps curl, leg lift, leg curl and a crunch machine. The dumbbell section
offers dumbbells to 50# (not the usual 30# cutoff) and two separate weight benches.
The Spa (Connected to the Fitness Center) offers a steam room and two superb showers that are free to use after your work out. Taking a nice long steam bath followed by a hot shower is just an excellent way to end a work out. The Spa also offers full Steiner services.
The Pool Area (Deck 9, Mid Ship)
Aaahhhh, the R-7 Pool area. No kids, adults only, no splashing, yelling,
running, falling, crying, "Marco Polo", none of that. The R-7's pool area is exactly
as the other R-class ships. There are two Jacuzzis that are never crowded and a swimming pool
that is kept at around 80 degrees so that it is always comfortable. Around the pool area is
covered chairs and sun chairs and there is a table between each lounge chair so getting in and out
of the chairs is easy. There is a pool bar close by with tables to sit at and their is also
pool service by the waiters that are non-invasive. It is a wonderful experience for adults and
in my opinion one of Renaissance's best features.
The Self Laundry (Deck 7, Mid Ship, Port Side)
Thanks again Renaissance. The R-7 offers a complete self-service laundry facility for those that did not pack enough. Tokens for operating the machines are at the Registration desk and their are two ironing boards with irons to boot.
The Casino (Deck 5, Mid Ship)
The R-7 consolidated the casino and slot machines into one large area and it serves
the casino atmosphere much better than on the earlier R-class ships where many of the slots are
found outside the Sport Bar. Now the casino seems like a casino and everyone seemed to be
using it often. They offer a good number of digital $.05 slot machines that the ladies in our
group fell in love with.
The Shops (Deck 5, Mid Ship)
R-7 has a couple of excellent shops. One sells primarily Renaissance signature
items (hats, coffee mugs, wind breakers, sweat shirts and so on) plus sundry items one needs when
one runs out of (or forgets to pack) them. The other shop sells fine items of jewelry,
perfumes, watches, and so on. They are spacious enough so that you do not get that cramped
feeling you do on some ships that simply overstock their limited space.
The Registration Area (Deck 4, Mid Ship)
The registration desk on the R-7 is open 24 hours a day and offers many
services. On this itinerary you will find yourself exchanging currency quite often. R-7
is unique as they will not change currency as they would rather simply charge any currency to you
cabin as a "hotel charge". This works nicely as you can then exchange-left over
currency for a "hotel credit" against your initial charge. The R-7 exchange rate was
competitive with those offered on shore in the various countries but with the wide fluctuation in
currency, I found the currency exchange places crowded (especially in Turkey). The convenience
of getting the currency on the ship far outweighed any variation in exchange rates.
The Shore Excursion Desk (Deck 4, Mid Ship)
The R-7 has a sophisticated way of confirming shore excursions. There is no
need to wait in line to book with a shore excursion salesperson as you can simply grab a form and
indicate how many tickets you want and drop it into the shore excursion box. The tickets are
delivered to your cabin shortly thereafter. If you need advice on a particular excursion there is
rarely a line to speak with one because of this procedure. The R-7 offers extensive shore
excursions that our group found them valuable and informational.
The Cruise
(
Back to Top
)
Day One, Athens, Greece:
We arrived on board the R-7 at about 2 pm after what seemed to be two
days of flying. After a quick lunch in the Panorama
Buffet, I unpacked and went to check the arrangements for the group.
I made arrangements for the group to meet in the Club Bar at 7:30 with dinner in the Club
Restaurant to follow. We met and got to know one
another and had a wonderful dinner that everyone was pleased with. After dinner, it was off to bed.
Day Two, Athens, Greece
The R-7 is actually docked in the town of Piraeus, a suburb of Athens
and also the major port for Athens where most of the ferries and ships depart from.
Piraeus is a bustling city with excellent shopping and a fabulous Greek culture.
I could have spent the entire time just wandering around the back streets of Piraeus (and
just about did) The printer cable for my notebook computer had given up the ghost so my first
mission was to find and acquire another cable so I could print flyers for the group.
I made my way into Piraeus and started shopping for a computer store.
I followed several leads without success and found myself in an area known for its “flea
market”. I loved it! There were no tourists,
only locals bargaining for the staples of life. Folks
were yelling and arguing at the top of their lungs. Folks
were selling fish, chickens, fruits and vegetables, shoes and jackets. Everything you could imagine was being sold with aggression.
I negotiated the purchase of an orange and a bread roll and it was
probably the best meal I have had in a long time as I joined the chaos and simply took it all in.
Finally, a nice lady selling cameras directed me to a local computer store where I was able
to transact the purchase of a printer cable. I was
having so much fun that I decided to walk a bit further and take in as much as I could and vowed to
come back to Athens for a week to really enjoy the experience.
After walking the width and breadth of Piraeus I made my way back to R-7
to drop off my new printer cable. Upon leaving in the
morning I was mobbed by taxi cab drivers wanting to sell me a “tour”.
I asked one of the drivers what he would charge to take me to the Acropolis and his answer
was “you won’t find a taxi driver that will just take you there without buying a tour from them”.
I thought to myself that it didn’t seem right. I
left the ship again and walked into Piraeus bypassing the ever-present taxi drivers selling their
tours and hailed a cab some 4 or 5 blocks from the ship. The
cabbie was happy to drop me at Acropolis and my fare was about $1,800 drachma (about $5.00 US or
so). I made my way up the hill to the entrance and paid
the $2,000 drachma to gain entrance into the park and started to wander around.
The various buildings are magnificent.
When you think that they were constructed some 3 to 4
hundred years before Christ was born they are even more impressive.
I took some pictures of Parthenon, the Theatre of Dionysos and the Erechthelon, with the six
maidens that support the southern section of the structure among other shots.
Acropolis is wonderful (very touristy) and well worth the visit but I would opt for more time
in Athen’s and Piraeus’ back streets and open markets for a true taste of Greek culture.
The Olympics are coming to Athens and it is beyond me how in the world
they will be accommodated with the traffic and confusion that currently exists in Athens.
Traffic is at a constant standstill with cars double and triple parked blocking streets and
intersections. I witnessed a truck carrying automobiles
that could not negotiate an intersection because there was a car double-parked blocking its way.
The truck had come to a stand still and cars had filled in behind it locking it into place.
It was total gridlock for at least twenty minutes. Cars
were backed up as for as the eye could see. The truck
was laying on its horn trying to get the car owners attention and hundreds of cars were honking and
yelling obscenities at one another. Finally the guy who
owned the car came out of the building yelled back at the driver of the truck who I think was
threatening to kill him in Greek, jumped into his car and took off.
The truck could then move forward and complete the turn and went on his way. The gridlock continued for about 30 minutes.
I got the sense that this was a daily occurrence and just part of the normal Athens commute.
I finally made my way back to the ship and got ready for the sail-away
party and group get-together in the Horizon Club Bar at 6 pm. We had a nice visit sharing our experiences as the R-7 departed for Crete
promptly on time. We ate dinner in the Italian
restaurant as a group and had a wonderful time. The
food was excellent and we were fortunate to have excellent tables.
After dinner we attended the first show of the cruise and I was in bed asleep by 11 pm.
Day 3, Heraklion (Iraklion, Iraklio), Crete, Greece
The main downtown area of Heraklion resides on the hillside above the
fort that marks the imposing breakwater of the harbor and the R-7 docks inside the harbor right next
to the downtown area. After leaving the ship you simply
take about a fifteen-minute walk along the coastline of the harbor, past the marina to the foot of
the breakwater and then turn inland up the hill at the traffic circle.
The first couple of blocks are not too exciting and you begin to think that Heraklion might
be a bust. Then the city opens up before you.
Dating back centuries, Heraklion is ruled by narrow lanes that wind their way endlessly
throughout the maze. There are shops of every kind
selling an unimaginable array of products. There are
fabulous restaurants and bakeries, folks selling roasted chestnuts on street corners, fruit,
vegetable, meat and fish stands everywhere. There seem
to be hundreds of men’s and women’s clothing stores selling all types of apparel, shoes stores,
and hardware stores, just everything you can imagine. Heraklion offers a never-ending maze of shopping streets and narrow walkways that
make up a very unique shopping experience. I loved Haraklion and would go back in a heartbeat and
folks that want to spend a day shopping for anything will love this city.
I took a cab to the Palace of Knossos ruins (about 1,800 drachma) as I
had heard the palace
was well worth the trip and wasn’t disappointed. The
ruins cover quite a large area and are fully accessible. It
is almost unbelievable that you can stand on, touch and generally become a part of items thousands
of years old. The palace consists of hundreds of rooms
and many artifacts that have been
unearthed are on display. The huge storage pots and
fabulous stairways done in rockwork are what impressed me the most.
After spending almost two hours at Knossos I went to hail a cab to return to town. After an hour with no luck I spotted a local bus making its way to Heraklion and
jumped on it. I was able to get back to town on the
local bus for 225 drachma (about .75 cents)
. Once back in town I made my way back to the ship where I spent the afternoon lazing in the sun
and meeting folks in the Jacuzzi.
Our group met for a late dinner in the Grill Restaurant (our best yet)
and thoroughly enjoyed our selves. While we intended to
catch the show the dinner conversation continued to flow and we ended up closing the Grill
Restaurant and moving to the Horizon Sport Bar. The
Renaissance duo made up of Helga and Costel provide excellent music and are very exceptional
entertainers. Helga makes it a point to make everyone
in the lounge comfortable and develops a one-on-one relationship with as many people as possible.
Instead of taking her break to relax she mingles with the crowd to develop more
relationships. Helga and Costel are wonderful. After
their second set it was off to bed with a wonderful memory of Heraklion.
Day 4, Cruising the Mediterranean
I love to be on the ocean so I set an early wake up call so I could
enjoy the sunrise at sea. I got up and made my way to the Fitness Club so that the sun would rise as I was
taking my exercise. I was the only one there and it was
thoroughly wonderful as the day unfolded before me. After
my workout I got ready for our first seminar. We met
for three hours and had a wonderful interchange of ideas and experiences and then made our way to
lunch.
At 2 pm the ship had arranged for a private bridge tour for our group
that everyone enjoyed. And we met again in the Internet Café at 5:30 for the “internet Café
Happy Hour” where if you purchase a cocktail during the period you received 5 minutes online for
free. We then attended the Captain’s cocktail party
and enjoyed meeting the Captain and his staff. We then
met to shoot our group picture and proceeded to The Club Restaurant for dinner, again a wonderful
dining experience. I had the fresh sea bass that was
served on top of fresh boiled carrots and artichoke hearts. It
was so good I couldn’t believe it!
Following dinner we enjoyed the show put on by the Paramount Performers
entitled “Music Makes the World Go Round”, an excellent musical featuring singing and dancing to
tunes from the present and tgen back several decades. After
the show it was off to the Horizon Sports Bar for Karaoke….then off to bed.
Day 5, Limossol (Lemesos), Republic of Cyprus
We arrived in Limossol early in the morning and I was on the first motor
coach (provided by Renaissance) into town. Limossol is
known for its refurbished castle and medieval museum and “old town” district that dates back
centuries. In fact, Cyprus’ history dates back to
7000 BC. While I found Limossol charming (especially
the open air market place) it was anticlimactic when compared to Athens and Crete.
After a couple of hours in town I made my way back to the ship to tackle some work I had been
postponing in favor of the excellent ports we had been to.
Everything considered, I would have booked one of the ship’s shore
excursions rather than visited the town of Limossol and that would be my suggestion to anyone on
this cruise.
We met for cocktails in the Horizon Sports Bar and then made our way to
the Club Restaurant for dinner. We had one of the best
dinners yet with the conversation turning to laughter and friendship.
After dinner we went to the casino where I watched some of the ladies in our group tackle the
5-cent slots. They were having a great time playing the
digital machines with names like “Fortune Cookie”, “Little Green Men” and “The Auction”.
I had never seen these machines before and I can see how folks get hooked on them. As an example when you get a certain combination of images on the various wheels
after spinning them, a digital Asian chef appears and asks for your order.
You pick a fish dish, a pork dish, some soup, a noodle dish and so on.
Once you are done ordering your food he reads back your order and assigns points (nickels) to
each item. Some of the fish items (from which you
picked one) are assigned values of 5 nickels, some 10, some 25, 50, 100 and so on. Once the chef has read back your order the cumulative total is shown the chef
announces “OK, Your Order is Done, Come Pick it Up” and the total is added to the total credits
that you have accumulated playing the slots. These
machines are truly funny!
I went up to the Horizon Sport Bar where there wasn’t much going on so
I turned in for the night.
Day 6, Antalya, Turkey
Since I was up early from going to bed early the evening before I made
my way up to the fitness center earlier than normal so I could watch the sun come up.
We were making our way towards our next port on mainland Turkey and as the dawn approached I
was treated to one of the most beautiful sights so far on our cruise.
Antalya is considered the Riviera of the Turkish coast and it was quite easy to see why.
The harbor’s backdrop were large snow capped mountains that reminded me of what Juneau,
Alaska looks like in June after the snow retreats to about 3,000 feet.
It was simply gorgeous! After working out I went to the Panorama Café for some breakfast and
then to make my way to get ready for the 9 am transfer from the ship into Old Town Antalya.
The transfer was arranged for a fee of $10, as Antalya was a considerable distance from the
ship. After boarding the motor coach we made our way
into Antalya taking a small tour of Antalya’s sights and market places.
Old Town Antalya is simply wonderful.
It is a walled city made up of a very elaborate labyrinth of alleys, streets and walkways.
There are small hotels, stores, bars and restaurants, street vendors, carpet dealers and just
about everything else you would think you would see in an environment like Old Town.
I especially found Old Town intriguing as I made my way through the maze and cast of
characters. I made my way down to the harbor at the
foot of old town and then found my way back up to the top of the walls overlooking the harbor and
Old Town. I found the entire setting so wonderful that
I visited one of the restaurants on top of the wall and simply enjoyed a beer taking in the overview
and the Morning Prayer that was being broadcast over loud speakers throughout all of Antalya (a
Muslim city). I walked up the coast into the modern
part of the city and was treated to an obviously very sophisticated and thriving culture.
Fine clothing stores, bakeries and shops of all descriptions ruled the avenue.
Farther along were cliff side restaurants full of people enjoying the sun and their lunchtime
meals. I was very surprised at the density of younger
people taking advantage of the wonderful setting.
I eventually made my way back to the ship where I prepared for the
evening’s events. We met in the Club Bar and then ate
in the Club Restaurant once again and enjoyed yet another wonderful meal.
The Club Restaurant was rapidly becoming our favorite place to enjoy dinner.
After dinner we attended the evening’s show, a musical event put on by the Paramount
Performers entitled “Broadway Tonight”. It was an
excellent show that everyone enjoyed. After the show I
opted for an early departure for bed.
Day 7 Rhodes, Greece
Once again I was up early in the fitness center to greet the morning sun
and was treated to a wonderful sight as we approached Rhodes. I wasn’t prepared for how extensive
the “Walled City” was. The wall is almost entirely
intact and is almost overwhelming. After breakfast I
took a short walk into the “Old Town” and was utterly amazed at how much history was right there
to take in. I then negotiated a taxi fare to take me
out to Lindos.
We took off from Old Town and made our way through New Town and into the
suburbs. We drove by the ruins of the Temple of Apollo,
the stadium and the Roman Odeon. We then made our way into the countryside for the long drive to Lindos through
many olive groves and small communities. Upon arrival
in Lindos, the driver took me to a point where St. Paul landed in 79 AD and the small church was
built on the bay that is almost completely closed to the open ocean.
We then made our way into Lindos proper where I took off into the small town that is made up
of white washed homes and businesses residing on narrow winding pathways that make their way down to
a pristine beach. This is the picturesque storybook
Greek beach community that you envision when you think of the most ideal Greek setting.
It is simply the most wonderful place you can imagine and I made a mental note to include a
week or so in Lindos sometime in my life. The narrow
walkways that make their way through the community are extremely inviting, the beach itself resides
on a protected bay and the crystal clear water is inviting and beautiful.
The most fascinating thing about Lindos is the huge rock mountain that
juts straight up from the town and out of the ocean is also home to a fabulous Acropolis.
Making your way through the maze of walkways meandering through town (always following the
“Acropolis” signs) you find yourself climbing out of Lindos onto a hillside that gives way to a
full-scale mountain. The rock trail leads up and around
towards the ocean side of the mountain leaving Lindos in the valley.
After what seems like a mile or so and several hundred feet in elevation you enter the very
lower reaches of the Acropolis. There is an entrance
fee of 1,200 drachmas and once in the Acropolis you can continue to climb into the main area.
When you finally reach the base of the wall that surrounds the Acropolis
you find a stairway hidden behind one of the walls that takes you up into the Acropolis itself.
It is truly a wonderful trip! What awaits you at
the top of the stairs it is almost impossible to describe. The structures are incredibly intact and
quite a bit of detail still exist. It amazes me that you are free to climb around on structures that
date back thousands of years. I took a bunch of pictures but I just don’t think any of them do the
experience justice.
I climbed back down to Lindos and then back to the taxi to return to
Rhodes Town. I had lunch on the ship and then walked
into Old Town to enjoy the ancient structures and walls. I
walked around aimlessly for almost three hours in awe of the wonder of it all.
The narrow streets, the rock work and design and the character of the people who live there
make it a wonderful experience. It finally started to rain so I made my way back to the ship to get
ready for dinner.
Our group met in the Horizon Sports Bar to talk about the day and then
went on to the Grill Restaurant for dinner. Again we
enjoyed another wonderful dinner with the conversation continuing to dominate the evening.
We missed the show once again in favor of the conversation and then went to the casino so the
ladies could play the nickel slot machines. I made my
way to bed exhausted after a full day’s activities.
Day 8, Kusadasi, Turkey
It is hard to believe that we have entered yet another gorgeous port.
Kusadasi sits on the Aegean with a hillside full of charm and history.
It is a beautiful little town full of charm and beautiful surroundings.
The first thing one notices as they look around is beautiful Goveroin Ada (or Pidgeon Island)
with its walled in fortress that is now accessible to the public for free and features several
coffee shops and restaurants. I was looking forward to
exploring Kusadasi and ate a quick breakfast and left the ship.
I climbed high into the foothills through the city and was treated to a wonderful view of the
community, harbor and islands in the distance. The R-7
docked right in the middle of town and no matter where you are in Kusadasi you can see the ship
dominating the harbor.
I made my way through the multitude of shops and vendors selling
carpets, leather jackets, curios and just about everything else you can imagine.
I found the vendors quite friendly once you were able to overcome their trained
aggressiveness to try and sell you something. I
pretended to work on the ship and had no money as an excuse and they were quickly able to relate to
me. It was kind of fun watching some of the other
tourist’s response to the Turk's aggressive behavior towards them.
After walking the city from one side to the other I made my way over to the island where I
enjoyed a latte and just watching the morning unfold. Kusadasi
certainly enjoys a wonderful setting.
I had decided to visit Ephesus, an ancient village said to be the most
intact ruins of an entire village in existence so I negotiate with a taxi cab driver to take me
there. It was a considerable negotiation that led to an
almost 75% decrease from his original asking fare. We
departed for Ephesus both of us laughing at the negotiation. I was complaining that he had ripped me
off and he was complaining that he wouldn’t be able to feed his children that night.
I actually got to like this fellow by the time our tour was over and gave him a large tip for
the fun he had given me.
Leaving the city of Kusadasi the landscape quickly gave way to country
with quite a bit of agriculture and open space. We made
our way towards Ephesus and as we turned off for the entrance I noticed a number of rock walls
exposed on the sides of small cliffs. These were
certainly evidence that civilization had been here and the ruins had not even been
recognized with so much as a shovel full being taken to expose them.
I thought to myself that this was unusual as such a discovery in San Diego would cause the
area within ten miles to be cordoned off to protect it. I noticed cattle grazing in the same area
that the obvious ruins existed and I thought how odd it was.
We made our way to the upper gate of Ephesus where I entered the area.
Oh my Gosh! There were ruins and partially
standing buildings, pillars and structures everywhere. It
was almost hard
to believe that there could be a density of such proportions in such a concentrated area.
Even more interesting was that none of the ruins were being protected from anyone You could
simply walk right up to whatever you wanted and inspect it closely, touching whatever you wanted.
There were two well-defined stadiums (one smaller than the other) that you could climb.
You could enter the rooms and stairways that folks used centuries ago to gain entrance to the
stage areas and you could climb to the very top of the stadiums for pictures or whatever.
The Great Theater (as it is known) was the largest stadium known to man at the time and
accommodated over 24,000 people!
The structure known as “The Library of Celsus” is still intact and
has such fine carving and definition that you can’t believe it is centuries old.
The statuary that is imbedded in the front of the Library is absolutely exquisite and it is
hard to believe that it does not reside in a museum for its own protection.
All in all the area of Ephesus contains more than 30 separate buildings and structures that
are linked together by stone walkways and streets. You
can easily see the aqueducts that carried water throughout the community and I was impressed with
the quality of life the inhabitants must have enjoyed.
Ephesus should not be missed by anyone as it was the highlight for me of
the trip and I am not really into archeology and am not much of a history buff either.
But to be able to walk through history itself and touch it is an experience I will never
forget. Ephesus was first founded centuries before
Christ was born and is thought to be one of the best-preserved ancient cities in the world…. DON’T
MISS IT! After visiting Ephesus I made my way back to the R-7 to enjoy the afternoon aboard her.
Our group met for cocktails in the Club Bar and then went on to dinner
in the Club Restaurant. Those that visited Ephesus all
loved it and had the same impression that it was one of the highlights of the cruise so far.
I was tired and turned in shortly after dinner and slept very soundly.
Day 9, Cruising Mt. Athos, Turkey
Having gone to bed early I also was up early for a pre-dawn workout in
the fitness center and enjoyed the sunrise on the open ocean. The trip from Kusadasi to Istanbul requires some tricky navigation as the Aegean
Sea gives way to a series of unique passages through a maze of islands and channels that make their
way all the way to the Bosphorous Straights that open into the land locked Black Sea. At about 10 am we approached Mt. Athos, an area of extreme topography that leaps
our of the ocean floor and reaches several thousand feet to its snow capped peaks.
Mt. Athos is unique as for thousands of years it has been home to
numerous Monasteries and thousands of Monks of varies sects from all over the Muslim world.
Currently Mt. Athos is home to well over a thousand Monks that reside and worship in
Monasteries dating back thousands of years. After
viewing the front of Mt. Athos, R-7 cruised the length of the island staying the obligatory 300
meters from shore (the Monks require that no female come closer than 300 meters to the island).
As each
point is rounded you see huge monasteries build on mountaintops thousands of feet above the ocean
and some that are built much closer to the ocean. These
structures, which date back thousands of years, are still in active use in the same fashion as they
were before Christ.
There are no roads anywhere on Mt. Athos and while the ship stays too
far from the island to actually see any Monks, one can only imagine what life is like in the
Monasteries. Everyone was touched by the experience and
was in awe with the immensity of the culture.
We completed our second seminar in the afternoon and then met in the
Horizon Sports Bar for an early cocktail party that Renaissance threw on our behalf. It was actually
quite spectacular as during our cocktail party we were cruising through the Dardanelles and some of
the passages were as narrow as ½ mile. Once again we dined in the Club Restaurant finding that
everyone in our group seemed to like it the best. Victor
quickly became “our” waiter and he rewarded us with excellent service and efficient dining.
Our wine stewardess (didn’t get her name but she is blonde with dimples) was one of the
best I have ever experienced. She was professional
without being invasive and served our group with just the proper amount of enthusiasm, respect and
knowledge. Several in our group thought the same thing.
The ladies in our group were now completely dedicated to the $.05 slot machines (each having their
favorite) and referred to their post-dinner gambling as “going to work”.
I turned in early again.
Day 10. Istanbul, Turkey
Up once again before dawn, the
day’s first light treated me to my first glimpse of Istanbul and it was magnificent! I could just
make out the outlines of the buildings and then I could see what looked like tall spires across the
straight. The city unfolded with the dawn while the R-7
slid gently into her berth right in downtown Istanbul. I
would strongly suggest that everyone on this cruise take in the early morning arrival of the R-7
when she docks in Istanbul. I wasn’t ready for the
overwhelming size of Istanbul. With over 15 million inhabitants Istanbul is larger than any city in North
America.
The R-7 docks right across
from the “Old City” in the downtown area of the European side of
Istanbul. You can look from the ship at all of the attractions of Istanbul’s Old City and
also see a good part of Istanbul that resides in Asia Minor. It
is amazing that the Bosphorus Straights separate Europe from Asia and in places the straight is only
½ mile wide. The downtown waterway in Istanbul is full
of water taxis, ferries, fisherman and other types of boats moving every which way through the
congested straights. The water is extremely turbulent as there is a rapid current that constantly
flows from the Black Sea through the Straights, as the water level is actually 6 ½ inches higher in
the Black Sea than at the other end of the straights some twenty miles away.
I had arranged to meet some of
the folks from our group to share a cab over to the Blue Mosk, take in some of the sights and then
venture to Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, a medieval shopping area made up of over 200 different streets
that meander in every direction with over 4,400 individual shops in it.
We met at the foot of the gangway and negotiated a taxi to take us. The Blue Mosk is what
most people want to see when they come to Istanbul and it is an outstanding structure.
You must remove your shoes when entering the Mosk and the reflection from the mosaics and
windowed domes give the interior of the Mosk a blue hue, hence its name.
We enjoyed the Blue Mosk, paid our donation and continued on our way.
Our next stop was the Aya
Sophia, originally a Church designed to be the largest most impressive structure in the world when
it was built (120 AD) and was for over one thousand years. The
structure was converted to a Mosk and most of the tile Christian mosaics were removed or covered up. Recently the Mosk was taken over by the state and restoration is under way.
DON’T MISS IT! The Aya Sophia Mosk is one of
the most overwhelming structures that everyone in our group had ever seen and there is no describing
it other than to say you have to see it for yourself. Our
group felt the Blue Mosk paled in comparison to Aya Sophia. The
entrance fee to get into all areas of Aya Sophia was $4,000,000 Lira (about US$6.00) and well worth
it.
The Hippodrome is another “must
visit” this was the area that chariot races were held as well as public executions and other such
matters. All that is left are three separate pillars
and the area that the Hippodrome inhabited. One of the pillars was imported from Egypt and shares
hieroglyphics that date back over 3,500 years that are clearly visible today.
After spending more than an
hour in Aya Sophia we decided to make our way to the Grand Bazaar.
We asked direction and took off on foot. After 15 or 20 minutes of walking we were treated to one of the entrance gates to
the Grand Bazaar. It is huge!
There is street after street of small shops selling every thing one can imagine. Some streets have specialized in selling only one product category.
We entered on a street that only sold gold jewelry and there must have been several hundred
jewelry stores side-by-side down this street for many blocks. After
an hour or so of shopping the jewelry stores with some of the ladies from our group who felt
entirely safe in the environment, I decided to separate from the group and go my own way intent on
getting lost in this maze of stores and I did. I
wandered through the Bazaar for hours taking in the commerce and wonder of it all.
I finally made my way through the Grand Bazaar into the Spice Market that is a separate
market altogether.
I stopped for a local lunch
and then continued on my way deciding to walk back to the R-7 from the Spice Market.
It was great. I crossed the bridge connecting the Old City with the new where hundreds of
fisherman stood shoulder-to-shoulder trying to catch fish from the currents well below the bridge,
beneath the bridge was a fish market with dozens of vendors selling fresh fish.
So it was all the way back to R-7. I finally got
back to the ship in time for a quick Jacuzzi and to get ready for our farewell cocktail party and
final dinner together.
We met in the Horizon Sport
Bar where the waitress knew just about what everyone ordered by heart and then made our way down to
the Club Restaurant for one last dinner with our now favorite waiter Victor.
One couple in our group purchased a number of bottles of champagne and we toasted our cruise
on R-7 as the night slipped away in conversation about our cruise and all the experiences we had
enjoyed. After dinner the ladies took up a collection
for a special gratuity for Victor, which they presented when dessert was served.
Renaissance has a policy where they collect the gratuities at the end of the cruise and
distribute them equally among the staff but the ladies in our group wanted to recognize Victor’s
excellence. After dinner I went downstairs to pack my
bags and prepare to get off the ship while most of the ladies went “to work” in the casino.
Day 11, Istanbul, Turkey
I was up early again and
finished packing my carry-on bag, went to breakfast and returned to my cabin to await my
disembarkation call. I had opted to sign up for a tour
of Istanbul in the morning, as my flight didn’t leave until 2 pm.
My call came and I departed the ship with mixed feelings and boarded the motor coach to
embark on the tour. We drove from the Europe side of
Istanbul to the Asian side to see the difference in the lifestyles and people.
Many of the folks that work downtown commute on the ferries from the Asian side of Istanbul
as the housing prices are less ex
pensive and the quality of life is quite a
bit more desirable. We saw a number of the older waterfront houses that were being refurbished as
required by law in Istanbul and spent some time in an elegant shopping area surrounded by a
wonderful residential area. Then we made our way to
the airport for our return flight to home.
The Shore Excursions
(
Back to Top
)
One of the discussion you always see on review sites is whether the shore excursions are a good value or not. Most folks feel as if they can save money by purchasing the shore excursion off the ship from a local tour operator. We considered this issue and the group consensus was that the tours from the ship are a bit pricey but are well worth the money especially if you are interested maximizing your knowledge of the history and culture of the port as well as your time ashore. This conclusion was the result of some of the agents "doing their own thing" and some purchasing the ship's shore excursions. There was no comparison in the quality of the information that passed to the passenger between a ship sponsored shore excursion and one purchased off the ship. The ship's shore excursions won every time hands down on this itinerary.
Athens Shore Excursions
“A Full Day Tour of the Athens Area”
Booked privately off the ship
We took a taxicab for the day and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The gentleman that provided the transfer to the ship upon arrival in Athens arranged to take
us on a full-day tour of the Athens area for US$75 per person.
He picked us up the following morning at 8:30 where we drove for 45 minutes to Corinth.
On the way we drove by the Corinth canal (a man made canal dug from solid rock) where he
dropped us off at the archeological site while he waited for us.
After that we stopped for olives, wine and fresh fruit at a Greek supermarket and then made
our way to the top of a mountain that had a fabulous view. We
then came back to the Acropolis and spent an hour viewing the Parthenon, and other ruins.
While we were at Acropolis our driver went to his home and got us some first-press olive oil
that he grew and pressed himself from his own olive trees.
From there he took us to St. Georges church where we rode the Funicular
to the top of the hill and enjoyed one of the most fabulous views we have ever seen. We then went to a local "taverna" in the Platka (a large “old town”
medieval area adjacent to Acropolis) for some Souvlaki (a traditional lamb pita sandwich) We drove
back to Piraeus for a tour of the city and market place and then back to the ship.
The entire trip was 8 hours of personal escort service and you can contact Paul Mitropoulos
who owns VIP Taxi Service at
http://www.Athens-vip-taxi.gr
. We would highly recommend his service.
“Shopping in the Platka”
The Platka features GREAT shopping and is well worth 4 hours enjoying
the shops and restaurants. GREAT people watching
(locals).
“Highlights of Athens Tour” 4 hours, $49.99
We first visited the Acropolis, drove by the Olympic stadium and then
spent time in the Platka. The driver was very
knowledgeable and it was a very worthwhile tour especially for a first time visitor to Athens.
It is definitely worth the money for the tour.
Advice:
Spend at least one extra day (or more) in Athens as
there is so much to do. If you stay at the Sheraton Grand Bretagne Hotel you can watch the changing
of the guards on Sunday morning at 10:45 am (make sure that you have rooms facing the Parliament.)
Well worth it!!! Then don’t miss brunch at the hotel.
Crete Shore Excursions
“Knossos Palace and Archeological Museum.”
3 ½ hours, $59.99
The guide was very knowledgeable and provided an excellent tour with
lots of in-depth information about the history of what we were seeing.
We took a motor coach directly to the Knossos Palace where went spent a couple of hours doing
a very thorough tour of the palace and Minoan civilization history.
The driver’s knowledge of the palace was exceptional (even more in-depth than the Palace’s
own narrated tour) and well worth the price of the tour. After
the palace we visited the archeological museum.
8 on a scale from 1 to 10 (a tad pricey…tour was a 10, price was an 8)
“Crete, A Scenic View”
4 hours, $39.99
The tour bus left from the ship and stopped at the Greek Orthodox
Monastery of St. George Selinaris where we visited the small church that was built in 1319.
The monastery is not currently in use as the monks have moved to a more secluded location.
We then continued and visited the picturesque village of Agios Nikolaos where a tour on foot
introduced us to the sleepy village that is situated on Elounda Bay. Here you can meet the villagers who are eager to meet the “American”, pet the
town cat that is constantly basking in the winter sun and watch a local youth who sets his bait and
casts out his line from his fishing dingy. In the summer this port-of-call is a romantic and popular
seaside resort bustling with local tourists who want a respite from the humdrum of everyday
sameness.
The tour was enjoyable and there were many local coffee houses and restaurants available to enjoy. You could visit the beautiful harbor, see the fish mongers and enjoy the pleasant village circle in the center of town; or you could shop for Jordan almonds or the macaroon like pastry for which the area is known. All in all, it was a wonderful tour and well worth the money. The agents on the tour gave it an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. If you have any questions about this tour simply e-mail me (Grace) at itravel@jps.net
Cyprus Shore Excursions
“Timeless Villages in the Troodos Mountains”
4 hours, $49.99
After leaving the ship our bus ride up the Troodos Mountains (elevation
2,000+ meters or over 6,000 ft.) the scenery was very impressive as we looked down over the valley
of terraced vineyards that produce the sweet red wine that is one of the products that makes the
area famous. The first stop was at a 300 year old Russian Orthodox Church commemorating St. John in
the 1,600-year-old village of Lania where we had complimentary wine tasting. Lania is an artist
colony where you can visit many art studios and watch the artisans at work. We visited an English
painter’s home where he sold books and oil paintings and we especially enjoyed a “look around”
his tastefully decorated cottage complete with a roaring fire in his wood stove. We also enjoyed his
garden setting.
We then took another 40-minute drive to the 17th century
village named Omodos that was another trip back into time. The cobbled town square housed many shops
selling crafts that included hand blown glass objects, old fashioned dolls and the most fascinating
hand made doilies, table covers and linens of all descriptions.
The elderly lace makers sat on rustic stools in narrow paths spinning their wares and
beckoning us to purchase something for “only one dollar”. We
visited the Russian Orthodox Church of the Cross where three crosses encased in golden sheaths were
the reason for the Church’s name. Many of our group
sampled the sweet fruit confection and fresh baked goods sold in the village. We also visited a huge wine press in an old stone cottage.
The village was alive with sleek white, gray and yellow/tabby cats that followed the tourists
around like dogs.
The drive down the mountain and back to the ship took about one-half of
an hour. We passed early blooming almond trees just emerging from the local winter slumber, citrus
groves heavy with sweet fruit (nectarine sized Clementines and grapefruit sized yellow fruit of some
kind) and other fruit trees that were still dormant. As
a special treat, overhead the “British Red Arrows” were practicing their aerobatic maneuvers
giving us an unexpected treat. If you have any
questions about this tour e-mail me (Grace) at
itravel@jps.net
“Limessol Shopping” a self tour.
We took the ship’s shuttle into Limessol and found the town
interesting but anticlimactic. There was great shopping
for leather goods (especially hand bags) but other than that we would suggest that one take a tour
from the ship at this port as the town is not all that great.
"Paphos, Archaeological Wonders" 4 1/2 hours, $39.99
Antalya, Turkey Shore Excursions
“Antalya Old Town”, a self tour
We took the ship’s transfer into Antalya that is a very quaint town
that dates back to before Christ. The “Old Town” is
situated just adjacent to a beautiful fully enclosed harbor with crystal clear water…..simply
beautiful. The shopping in the Old Town area is
excellent but requires a considerable amount of negotiating. The
myriad stores offer carpets, jewelry, leather goods, hand-painted plates and porcelains, and The
Turks first try to show their good faith by doing you a favor or helping you in some way.
Then they invite you for tea and once the tea is drunk and there has been small conversation
they will offer you their products be it carpets, jewelry or some other wonderful product.
There is absolutely no pressure to buy but if you show interest in a product there is
considerable negotiating that takes place. All in all,
it is a very satisfactory way of shopping for products.
The consensus is that the scenery is the most important thing about this
port, which is saying a lot because the shopping, culture and total experience is outstanding.
“Ancient Cities of Perge and Aspendos”
4 hours, $59.99
At 7am the R-7 nestled against the dock at the Antalya Harbor.
A snow-dusted range of mountains called the Taurun Range surrounded the pristine bay.
The white snow capped mountains forecasted the reason for the brisk winds and cool
temperatures that greeted us. As the bus passed through
a metropolis of modern high-rise apartment complexes and buildings, people scurried to their jobs
and other daily activities. Vendors balanced large trays of Simach (a local Turkish bread with toasted sesame
seeds) on their head never missing a step. This is Turkey’s answer to McDonald’s fast food.
Known as the “Turquoise Coast” Antalya’s first industry is
tourism, both for Asia Minor and European travelers. Its second industry, agriculture boasts cops of
handpicked virgin cotton, hothouse vegetables and a variety of citrus fruits. 90% of the population
practices the Muslim religion and it has only been in the last 2 to 3 years that women have been
granted religious equality now being able to pray side-by-side with the men. A devout Muslim
faithfully prays 5 times a day and travels to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
Traveling down the modern 4-lane road system the motor coach arrived in
the rural area know as Seric where we viewed the ruins of the Acropolis and ancient Aqueduct.
We toured an ancient theater/stadium that accommodated 15,000 people in Belkim on foot.
In historic days it was used as a caravan stop for travelers on camel, mule or horse back.
The theater was an awesome sight. A solo trumpet player (accompanied by a baying
dog) serenaded all of us as we explored the site.
By 10 am we returned to the bus and were on our way to Perge that was
once a walled city. “Arif”, our Turkish guide, skillfully guided us through the Roman baths and
the main marketplace. The ruins of Perge are believed to have been devastated by an earthquake in
the 2nd century and the entire town was buried and then abandoned. Today the site is
still being uncovered and reconstructed.
Dozens of Turkish vendors (mostly women with small children
nestled on their backs or cradled in their arms) hawked their wares of jewelry and slate carvings.
Some spun cotton into fat balls or worked diligently on half-finished lace doilies they crocheted.
Arif (the guide) was a former secondary school and college teacher and was well equipped to provide
an excellent tour and an interesting day. I would
easily give this tour a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. If
you have any questions e-mail me (Grace) at
itravel@jps.net
Rhodes Shore
Excursions
Rhodes Town, A Self Tour
We found the world’s oldest Synagogue in Rhodes old town.
Even with a total of 35 Jews on Rhodes the Synagogue is still maintained. Virtually all of
the Jews on Rhodes either left or were put to death under the Italian occupation during world war
two under Mussolini.
Ancient and Midieval Rhodes, 3 ½ hours $59.99
It was a brilliant orange sunrise as R-7 pulled into Rhodes, Greece.
Originally a walled city developed in the 13th century BC, it is broken into two separate
areas known as Old Town and New Town. The east side (or
Old Town Rhodes) has a dry and arid climate during the summer, while the west side (New Town,
population 100,000) enjoys a milder climate cooled by mistral winds.
Tourist season is from April to October and the local economy is built on tourism, pottery
and farming (mostly citrus and olives).
Twenty minutes from Rhodes Town the seafront is punctuated with
high-rise hotels (such as Rodus Palace and Lapsis Hotel, two of the largest) smaller pensions,
apartments and many agencies where you can rent automobiles, jet skis, sail boards and motorbikes.
Rhodes also boasts a large Playboy gambling casino.
The village of Yalisos (Population 7,500) is an area of palatial stucco
estates with red tile roofs that sell in the range of $1 million U.S.
The curving roadway led to the Acropolis as the seaside gave way to conifer forest.
The blue Aegean stretched out to touch Asia Minor and Turkey.
Here there is a Byzantine church and ruins of the Temple of Athena, which were both destroyed
in ancient days by earthquake. The forested path led
down a corridor to the Station of the Crosses and magnificent granite cross overlooking the Aegean
Sea. While visiting the spot a sample of a 7-herb liquor was provided that was guaranteed to cure
just about everything.
After leaving we drove through Laki where the women bustled through the
streets carrying shopping bags from a fresh market, which is held every Wednesday and Saturday.
From there the bus made it way to Yalisos, a 10th century BC walled city where the
tour stopped at the Palace of the Grand Masters. This
150-room structure was rebuilt in 1939 and has hosted several important political summit meetings.
The stop included an in-depth foot tour of many of the rooms displaying impressive mosaic
tile floors, hand-blown crystal chandeliers and artifacts.
The bus returned to the pier at 12 noon, just in time for lunch on the
ship and an afternoon of shopping in Old Town (only a short 5-minute walk from the ship) where most
of the shops stayed open until after the ship’s departure.
Nina, our expert professional guide, suggested we sample Resema, a white
grape wine that is produced only in the Rhodes area. If
you have any questions about this tour please feel free to e-mail me (Grace)
itravel@jps.net
.
Kusadasi Shore Excursions
Exploring Ephesus 3 ½ Hours $59.99
We left the ship via motor coach and drove directly to Ephesus through
the countryside and arrived at the upper gate where we were escorted by our driver/guide through
Ephesus. His narration was excellent and he injected a
wonderful sense of humor and insight. Our impression
was that it is a must see for anyone on this itinerary and probably the best experience of the
cruise. We left Ephesus and then visited the Basilica of St. John where St. John (author
of the book of Revelations) was buried in his tomb. Above the Basilica was the Byzantine castle that
survived the 11.5 earthquake in 200 AD. We saw the
Baptismal well that still remains in the Basilica. Then
after we left the Basilica we returned to Kusadasi for a carpet demonstration where they showed the
various kinds of carpet that was being sold in Kusadasi. After
the presentation many salesman approached us to see if we were interested in looking a carpet to
purchase. We then left for the ship.
In the afternoon we went shopping.
We found that the prices were not as good as some we have seen but there was a lot of
selection and the salesman were certainty willing to help.
Ancient Cities: Priene, Didyma and Miletus
4 Hours, $49.99
When in Rome, Do as the Romans, so the saying goes.
But the 3-village tour took us a world away. Our driver traveled through the Ionia Valley, a
fertile agricultural area that abounds in cotton fields, wheat, sesame, black pepper, lemon trees,
sunflowers and nuts. This fertile valley also provides
rich hunting grounds for birds that enjoy the flooded fields providing a theater for avid birding
groups. Textile plants manufacture Levi, Lee and Wrangler jeans in this area.
Aydyn, our guide, just guided us through the village of Miletas.
It was a workout (not for the weak of heart) to climb the acropolis to view original ruins of
the stadium, baths, church, civic chambers and temple ruins.
Priene, a 2 BC development was our 10am stop.
The ruins included the breathtaking Temple of Aethena, council chamber, arena, Byzantine
Church and gymnasium. It was pointed out that the area near Lion Gate was once the edge of the sea.
The guide saved the best for last.
In Didyam Temple Apollo’s crowning glory were four original 60-foot tall pillars that rose
into the cloud studded sky, evidence of a long past ancient Roman-Greco era.
Having expended all the extra calories taken on-board our ship with the
extreme walking of the day, our 15 tour members climbed aboard the Isuzu mini bus for the 1:30 pm
return trip to the port and the R-7
While Aydyn appreciates the significance of the Ephesus ruins he
commended us for being the avid sightseers who sought to experience “the cream of the crop” of
original archaeology present in remote Priene, Miletas and Didyma. Though his accent made it
difficult to understand the narration, Aydyn was an excellent guide and delivered an outstanding
tour. If you have any questions regarding this tour
e-mail me (Grace) at
itravel@jps.net
I would give this tour a 9.
Frequently Asked Questions about R-7
(
Back to Top
)
When
is the best time to go on this itinerary?
While most people think of the
Eastern Mediterranean as being a summer destination I found that January was an excellent time to
visit the area. This is for a number of reasons. First, the Med is crowded from April to early November and many of the
attractions are simply too crowded to enjoy. None of the major attractions during our cruise were even near crowded; in fact
many were almost vacant. I got to spend an hour or so
at the Acropolis at Lindos totally by myself. I can’t
tell you how wonderful it was to simply sit there and take it all in.
Second, temperatures can soar in the summer making the treks to some of the ruins unbearable.
In the wintertime temperatures remain in a range that make climbing and walking the ruins very
comfortable. Most of the ruins in Greece and Turkey require substantial climbs to the
Acropolis’ and cooler temperatures are very accommodating.
Our group also found that
prices everywhere were considerably less than prices on-season.
Taxis were very willing to negotiate from their usual prices as were the stores and markets.
In Turkey, custom dictates that the first sale of the day be celebrated and it was often good
luck to be the first customer because the vendor was anxious to make their first sale.
Off-season almost guarantees the luck of being the first customer.
On the down side, the weather,
while extremely pleasant is not conducive to spending much time at the beach.
However I found enough sun to spend several afternoons by the pool and in the Jacuzzi on the
R-7.
To sum it up I would think
that if you are interested in this itinerary to see the sights (and they are awesome) or to take
advantage of the outstanding shopping then a fall/winter/spring cruise would be the best choice.
If you are looking to come back with a great tan and maybe see some ruins and do a little
shopping then late spring/summer and early fall would be a better choice.
Given that Renaissance was (and is) offering great winter rates for this itinerary, I would
strongly recommend looking seriously at the winter season.
What
Kind of Clothes Should I Take
The dress for the R-7 is country club casual. There is no need to take a tux or even a coat and tie for men or a formal dress or even a cocktail dress for women. However, the normal dress during the day in all of the towns was slacks, shoes, nice shirts and leather jackets for men and the like for women.