A great adventure!
Published date:
09.20.10
I could have written a detailed script of my trip (since the journey was so eventful, active and wonderful), but the existing review by Travelmaven from NC is so informative and thorough that I will focus on issues perhaps not covered in the same way in that 'thesis' (and you might want to read that review first!).
My wife and I traveled from August 27 thru September 14, and this included the Bled pretrip. We also navigated north to south, so that is a difference from Travelmaven’s experience. I specifically chose our direction for 2 reasons—(a) being of Russian ancestry, I hoped to arrive in the south when the temperatures were a bit cooler, and (b) the itinerary seemed a bit less full towards the south (most days on that end have ample self-explore and nap time); and both expectations turned out to be fact. This does not mean the south to north choice is meritless (it certainly seems Travelmaven had a great time!), but we kept continually active for the first three quarters, and did appreciate the relaxed time toward journeys end.
If you can wrangle it, September is an ideal time for this adventure, as the Autumn rains are still limited and the weather we had was in the low to mid 80s pretty much everywhere, including those sites which a week earlier were sweltering. Also, some of the most important sites you will visit are popular, not just with AmericanEuropean tourists, but with Baltic vacationers as well. So, choosing to visit just pastbefore the heavy tourist season is a bonus. Note that one of the real benefits of OAT is ‘early rising’—breakfast is on the table at 7 and you are generally off and about by 8:15. While this my not seem appropriate for a big-ship cruise (and could be a surprise for first time OATers), adherence to this schedule gets you to almost all sites before the crush—very important and greatly appreciated!
Again, if you can manage it, don’t miss Slovenia (the Bled pre-trip). Slovenia was perhaps the most visually beautiful of all the locations we visited—lush, mountainous, and exceptionally clean and pristine. All the activities, both included and optional, are of value, the hotel is very comfortable, and the pace is very active. In fact, this entire trip is cleverly designed (and this is not meant as a judgment) as a combination of the high physical activity of an OAT trip and the leisure of a Grand Circle journey—it is entirely up to you as to how much you want to do; you can be on the go from 8AM thru 6PM or decline the optional trips and extra walking time on your own for reading on the sundeck! There was some of each among our 48 travelers, and we all got along and had a grand time.
High points: Bled, an evening of outdoor dining among the throngs on the promenade in Zagreb (walk the extra mile to the upper city rather than dining below for an experience among the locals), free time walking about in Zagreb, Hvar, Korcula, the wall trek in Dubrovnik, Varazdin, the home hosted dinner (and dancing!), Kotor (and the ‘cruise’ into the bay; and the hikeclimb to the top of the mountain—do it if you body lets you!), Itea and Delphi, our ship and crew (the Athena) including the group Zorba dancing led by local entertainers, the special comradery of our fellow travelers (this is my 3rd OAT journey, and I have yet to meet a dull, fractional, or difficult group!), and our exceptional group leader Jana. This does not mean there were any clinkers in the itinerary—I believe every included and optional activity was enjoyed by our group—and you do certainly return home with a thorough understanding of the countries, people, struggles, and history of the places you visit. If there are any complaints, it is the length and breadth of information given by your guides; but isn’t that why you chose OAT in the first place—Learning and Discover in gobs. Anyway, my wife and I never tired of the guide’s stories, although I may have taken a short nap or 2 on long bus rides:) BTW, all the optional tours include hour-long bus rides, but you get a chance to see the countryside well beyond the typical city attractions; get to cover in-depth historical and contemporary topics with your guides; and do have activities which expand your understanding and appreciation for the Baltics. If you have the energy, take all the optionals.
Other essentials: food—ample, creative, and way above what I expected in quality and presentation. Dinners are sit down, restaurant-style with generally 3 main choices...a veggie, meat, or fish choice at your request. Dinner includes an appetizer, soup (the consensus was the soups rocked) full entrée, and choice of 2 desserts—usually a traditional dessert from the area visited and always an ice cream choice. Some fellow travelers had up to 3 ice creams at a sitting. And while breakfast and lunch are cafeteria style—although a soup was always delivered to the table at lunch—there was always *many* choices of fresh and cooked options; and for breakfast, custom-to-order omelets.
Comfort: the land hotels are clean, comfortable, large enough, and well situated; and the ship is a gem. The only significant complaint (from every traveler on every trip, I believe) is the firmness of the beds—way too excessive! However, most get used to the ‘palettes’ in a day or 2, although foamfill mattress toppers would make a big difference. Since I live in a rural farming community where the nights are quiet and dark, a comfortable eye-blind worked wonders for the hallway and port lights that leak into your room; and ask the ‘Hotel Manager’ (your ship’s Purser) how to manually close the ceiling ventilation fixture to remove (or control the level of) the howling sound of conditioning air entering your room at night. But, remember, you are on a small ship, and a ship always has many sounds at night, especially while under cruise. Bring along some sleeping aids if you need them.
Health: while you are told that drinking water is safe in all the countries you will visit—and you may be surprised with how developed and even ‘western’ they seem to a great extent—about a quarter of our travelers had a short bout of stomach issues some time during the trip. There was no specific rhyme to the occurrences, and all problems were quickly treated with Cipro (get a prescription before you leave the States) or over the counter meds. However, most of us did eat at least some meals and many goodies off the boat, and this could contribute to the problem. For the most part, we all did well, and any sickness was too short-lived to impact the trip. There were a few cruises with some ship-rocking, and this did impact a few travelers, but the cruises are mostly short and all recovered quickly. Dramamine is available on the ship, but for most, simply laying down for a while on your bed does the trick.
Clothes: as was mentioned in some other reviews, in high season or the corners, you will wear shortscapris more than you expect. The evenings were also warm, so most of my sweaters sat unused. However, do bring a polartec jacket (or similar light, but warm cover-up) as there will be times you need it. Laundry services are a bit costly on the ship, but well worth the expense as clothes come back well cleaned and pressed, mostly the same day. This was especially appreciated on those extra warm days where a good sweat requires a good cleaning, so set aside $50-60 for your entire laundry needs (for a couple) and enjoy the service.
Tipping: if there is one thing (perhaps the only thing) that OAT does a poor job of is in fully preparing you for the extent of tipping. Multiple-OAT-tripers already know the skinny on how much to bring, but you might be a bit shocked if this is your first journey. Especially this adventure, which can include up to 2 bus drivers and 2 local guides on a single day; each earning a piece of your appreciation. Be prepared each morning with local currency coins and low denomination bills for such deserved services; and no one had any problems with ATMs for cash or using credit cards where appropriate. BTW, some public bathrooms require a payment, so you always want to have some coins available for the attendants. In Croatia, the going rate was 5 Kuna (about a dollar), and the running ship joke became, if anyone asked you to do anything, to say, “no problem, 5 Kuna” As a guide, my bank statement included about $800 in total tipping, if you intend on the high side for the ship’s crew and your tour leader (both of which deserve it) and plan on tipping all your drivers and local guides.
Finally, the Group Leaders...there are 2 leaders for the trip; one for each 25 travelers. Since 24 of us chose to include the Bled pretrip, our group had a single leader for the entire adventure—Jana (yana); while the remaining travelers had Sinisa (sinisha). You will read many reviews which mention Jana’s name, always with superlative! So to add my two cents to the long list, her qualities were just what you would hope for in any OAT leader—confidence, intelligence, personal warmth, humor, extensive knowledge, and the ability to present this knowledge in a very understandable and comfortable manner. In the most human terms, you felt safe, well cared for, and definitely entertained by her energy and brightness (thanks Jana!). And while I only got to know Sinisa casually, I heard nothing but similar positives from his group members. I believe you will be happy with either one.
I hope you get the chance to visit the Balkans with OAT, and I am confident you will enjoy the trip as much as my wife and I did!
Traveler: Saul Krimsly from Potter Valley, CA traveled
on August 27, 2010
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