ON TOUR: Sailing the Oceania Wave

Rachel Kolsky is an engaging, knowledgeable and entertaining prize-winning London Blue Badge Tourist Guide. Focussing on the 'human stories behind the buildings' Rachel's tours and talks are fun, informative and filled with anecdotes past and present. She has published several books including Jewish London, Whitechapel in 50 Buildings, Secret Whitechapel, Women’s London and in January, London’s South Bank in 50 Buildings. 

Since 2009, she has been a guest lecturer on cruises and was recently invited to sail with Oceania providing the opportunity to discover the delights of what is reported as ‘the best cuisine at sea’.  This is her tale.

"The cruise was one leg of a longer trip around the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, boarding at Piraeus and flying home from Rome while many of the passengers remained on board before making the long return trip to Miami.

Our ship was the Sirena and curiously before the trip while exploring in Floris, the historic perfume shop on Jermyn Street in London, there on the shelf was a selection of products named Sirena.  It is a name derived from a Spanish word meaning mermaid and with this scent being ‘sparkling floral marine fragrance with the freshness of a sea breeze’, the portents for the cruise seemed positive.

Sirena is not a new ship, starting life as Renaissance Cruise R2 in 1999, acquired by Oceania in 2002 and joined by three other R class ships, meticulously upgraded and remodelled over the years. Oceania is part of the NCL Group with three larger sister ships, the latest Vista at 67,000 tonnes, 1,200 passengers with Allura on her way for summer 2025.

Oceania leaves nothing to chance. There are numerous emails ensuring passengers know exactly what is expected of them in advance of their travel and that all paperwork is in order. In addition nothing was left to chance with regard to my presentations.

Sirena is a delightful ship, welcoming, friendly and far more informal than we had been led to believe. With a maximum of 684 guests and crew numbering 400 from over 50 countries there is a high guest/crew ratio and this was evident throughout the ten days as delivery was faultless in all departments from Guest Services to Excursions and from the restaurants to the Entertainment Team.

Let’s start with the route as every port was a winner, although I cannot report back on Lesbos as due to the weather we were unable to dock.

Of course, missing a port always means a lecturer presents an additional talk but we always have a few spare ready for such eventualities. There was an overnight stop in Istanbul allowing everyone more time to experience the city. 

My sister travelling with me had unfortunately a few weeks before torn her meniscus so was pretty much ship bound but the cabin crew immediately brought numerous plump fluffy pillows to keep her legs raised.

With only one sea day the trips came thick and fast.

With a port intensive itinerary you need stamina but each berth was in easy walking distance of the towns and of course coaches were on hand for the booked excursions.

The trip to Ephesus (Turkey) was wonderful and somewhere I had always wanted to visit. The guide was excellent.

Syros is an island relatively new to tourism and the infrastructure of the town and guided tour reflected that but it is always great to be on a Greek island. My sister and I explored Valetta together although her knee impacted on how far we got but we did manage to see the Caravaggios at St Johns. The next day in Messina (Italy) was the highlight for me, with two Caravaggios in the museum, the crazy clock tower, wonderful cookies and what must be the best chocolate and nougat shop in Sicily. 

However the tour of Herculaneum from Salerno nearly topped that with one of the best guides I have ever been with. (Rachel Kolsky is one of the best – MG.)  From there it was off to Rome where Oceania disembarked us all so efficiently we were at the airport in time to spend half a day visiting Keats and Shelley in the non-Catholic cemetery.  A truly wonderful tour.

So much for the land part. What was it like on board? Pretty fabulous to be honest. 

The entertainment manager was the perfect blend of a Butlins Redcoat and Bruce Forsyth. The way he ran the afternoon quiz was as much a quiz as a variety show full of fun and laughter. The evening entertainment included a singer and a very funny comedian interspersed with the ship’s company shows. The theatre is warm and welcoming although not being well raked you need to ensure you are in the front rows if you want a good view of the entertainment. 

The Library is one of Sirena’s glories with the decor and book-lined walls transporting you to a National Trust property.  

Around the ship is an eclectic selection of artworks and the entertainment team devised a ‘Treasure Hunt’ encouraging passengers to seek them out via photos of tiny details. Oceania’s attention to detail and understanding their customer base was evidenced by the number of passengers running around the ship checking out each and every nook and cranny. Great fun and another highlight. The gym is very well equipped, particularly for a ship this size.

Our favourite bar was Martinis where the cocktails were tip-top – try a Peartini or Lemon Drop – with service beyond friendly and nuts and crisps always provided. As for the food, it was indeed a delight. As supernumeraries we do not sample the specialty restaurants but that did not worry us as the Grand Dining Room and the Waves buffet provided each day a wide and tasty array of dishes. As non-meat-eaters but big fish eaters we were spoiled for choice each meal and often the fish is there raw and ready to be freshly griddled for you … when weather allowed, on the deck. Lovely moments. 

The staff at Waves were very attentive to my slow-moving sister. Once sitting down they ensured she had everything she needed brought to the table. Afternoon tea was fabulous. They certainly know how to make a good cheesecake! Oceania’s ice-cream flavours made by Humphry Slocombe were intriguing. But who was he?  I had to Google to find out, bringing in another great plus on Oceania, inclusive wi-fi for all passengers. The ice-cream company was established in 2008 by two American Anglophiles who loved the TV series Are You Being Served. Who would have thought that our first Oceania cruise would keep us so close to home while sailing the stunning Aegean Sea?

What next?  A return engagement please.  My talks were well attended and seemed to go down well.  Vista will be lovely and the much larger theatre should not provide too much of a challenge.

www.oceaniacruises.com   

www.golondontours.com

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