Even before we board our Lufthansa flight for Europe, the representatives of Baron Travel, agents for Royal Caribbean here in the Philippines, are reminding us that the word "boat" is taboo while on the cruise. So when Capt. Meligeni (who hails from Argentina) welcomes us on board at Civitavecchia, Italy, I’m tempted to ask, "What about dinghy?"
Now I have to confess that this was my first cruise as I’ve always felt that being on a boat...uhhh, ship, for seven days may be asking a lot. It’s not that I get seasick; but more that I’m averse to the thought that you’re not in control and have no choice but to stay on board, that when and if you begin to get antsy about being on the water for prolonged periods, you’re stuck. So it was a pleasant surprise to find that in this day of modern luxury cruises, the ships have been outfitted and designed to act not only as floating hotels but as virtual floating mini-cities. Not only are you given quarters that have everything you could ask for in a hotel room; you also have features and facilities meant to give you the options to be fully occupied all the time you’re sailing.
The underlying principle behind cruise travel is really quite cool. At its essence, depending on your itinerary, you have the opportunity to experience different countries, different cultures and travel destinations without having to pack and unpack ad nauseaum. On this Mediterranean cruise, we commenced at Civitavecchia (on the outskirts of Rome), sailed for the first two Greek spots (Katakalon, home of the Ancient Olympics, and Santorini island, my personal tour highlight), then on to Turkey (the port of Kusadasi, with nearby Ephesus and the last home of the Virgin Mary), then swung back via Piraeus (the Athens stopover) to return to Civitavecchia. Think about it–if you had traveled by plane, train or by tour bus, you’d have had to pack and unpack at least five times. Plus hours of waiting at air, train or bus terminals, and checking in and out of hotels. On a cruise, you make the ship your home base, unpack once, arrive at each port refreshed (well, depending on how seriously you indulged in the nightly activities on board), disembark and do the regular tours (or just explore at your own leisure), and board by the evening to go on to the next destination.
The ship. It was the "Grandeur of the Seas"–a ten-story luxury liner (yes, I said ten) replete with scenic elevators and upper floor cabins with balconies. There were two swimming pools–one on the upper deck and one within a solarium. Through the solarium, you find a beauty salon and a spa. There’s a gym that has, aside from standard workout equipment, tae-bo and yoga sessions. There’s a library, an Internet salon, duty-free shops, two cocktail lounges, a theater with nightly Broadway-style revues and shows and yes, there’s a casino. Do I hear a collective sigh from a significant number of people? The cabins are equipped with TVs, with current movies and a number of cable channels. The phone is your link to home as one can call Manila (with roaming, your cellphones work at every port, but when at sea and no land is in sight, there is no signal).
A Social Director makes sure passengers join up on a plethora of activities, from flower and napkin arranging to dance lessons and bingo sessions, even an art auction. Activities for children are planned by age groups. And, if none of these interest you, there’s always the deck chairs to curl up in with your favorite book and suntan lotion.
As for the food? Using the term bountiful would be an understatement. There’s the formal state dining room, where one night with the Captain requires that you be in formal dress. Then there’s the Windjammer, the dining option that’s casual. Both are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; with the Windjammer open for a sumptuous mid-afternoon snack. There’s even a pizza, burger and fries bar by the solarium open till 2 am. There is 24-hour Room Service and on one special bewitching night, there’s a Chocolate Festival.
I made mention of the theater, called the Palladium. On every night of our seven-day cruise, they had one show after another, flying in entertainers so that no one show was repeated: Carole King, ’70s music, Broadway, a Las Vegas type lounge singer/comedienne–all wonderful diversion from your losses at the casino or a way to cap the night before retiring. Special nights featured karaoke contests, dating games and specially-themed disco nights.
On land. So, that’s life on the ship; we haven’t begun talking about the stops and the special sights. Near the Messsina strait, which lies at the boot heel of Italy, we pass the volcano island of Stromboli. STARweek columnist Maurice Arcache recounts how this was the island where Ingrid Bergman hied away with the Italian director Rosselini. Still active, we actually caught sight of it belching smoke, with lava pouring down its sides. Turkey is just fantastic–a curious blend of Europe and Asia in more ways than the geographical one. The last home of the Virgin Mary that’s found in the mountains near the ruins of Ephesus is where St. John brought her as he continued spreading the Word. The bazaar beside the port is a beehive of commercial activity, with bargaining the rule of the day.
Whether you’re interested in rugs and carpets, jewelry, leather items or the "better than Viagra" Turkish delight, one can while the hours of the afternoon away. Santorini island in Greece is really special, a village on a mountain-side that’s truly postcard-pretty. To ascend or descend from the port to the vilIage, you have two choices–cable car or donkey. Watch most of the Filipinos line up for the cable car; the donkeys are quaint and picturesque, but you dismount smelling like them! So don’t be surprised if you start recounting your donkey ride during dinner and find you’re all alone at the table.
The other stops in Greece are Katakalon and Athens; the former the home of the ruins of the Ancient Olympics, and the latter in the midst of the buildup for the 2004 Olympics. Just a tip: do the Parthenon/Acropolis tours as early in the morning as possible; by about 10:30, it gets too crowded. Even the gods would have called it a day and "moved temple". The drive from Rome to Civitavecchia brings you by the ruins of Ostia Antica, well worth the time if you go for historical tours. Otherwise, hie to Via Condotti at the foot of the Spanish Steps and say, "I saw the Colosseum and St.Peter’s from the bus; but spent hours at Prada, Armani, Gucci and Dolce y Gabanna!" The true Filipino tourist.
And now here’s the clincher. Of the some 700 Royal Caribbean crew onboard, around 150 are Filipinos. Whether as waiters, cooks or chefs, room maintenance personnel, engineers or regular seamen, they’re all more than happy to find a kababayan on board. Eager to hear news about home or just pleased to talk to someone in the vernacular, they recount that it’s quite rare to find Filipinos as passengers on these cruises. In the restaurant, they’re ready to dole out that extra serving of...whatever! In fact, on our last night at the formal dining room, the cooks and waiters surprised us with salmon sinigang and chicken adobo. Thank God for the gym!
The Filipino crew members are contracted for six- to eight-month terms, and it’s not unusual to find that they opt to renew and complete a second term before returning to the Philippines.
There was a Filipina passenger on board traveling with her daughter and a friend. She was proud to relate that this was her 12th cruise and upon disembarking in Italy, she was going to board another cruise with a different set of destinations. It’s a different way of traveling, one that’s more languid and relaxed. In this age of jet set aspirations and the shrinking world, it’s ironically an altogether novel approach to seeing the world. Thank you, Marilen, Joy and Jeanette for giving me this experience of travel and discovery; it’s truly like no other and well worth the time spent.
There may have been no roses on board; but stopping to smell the sea air and the feasts laid out day after day more than sufficed.