At sea

An erupting volcano, all-you-can-eat nachos and a raucous bar crawl with loud beats. There’s nothing tame about days spent at sea onboard Holland America Line’s Oosterdam ship, which is taking us on a seven-day Adriatic Gems journey from Athens to Rome with stops in the Adriatic, Greece and Italy.

It feels like we spend a considerable amount of time on the ship during this cruise, with two days at sea and one-day visits in every port. However, there’s absolutely no chance of getting bored or hungry. Every day, a new jam-packed schedule of activities is placed on the bed in your Verandah Stateroom cabin and everything from bingo to trivia, singles and LGBTQI+ meetups, basketball for teens, cocktail making classes and beer tastings are on the roster.

There are two pools, nine bars and lounges with live music and six dining spots serving high quality food, including the Lido Deck on deck seven, where you should make a beeline for the all-day complimentary taco and nachos bar. Every now and then, we’re afforded magnificent views from our cabin; the fjord-like valleys of Kotor in Montenegro and the cityscape of Naples with Mt Vesuvius to one side. Just as we’re cruising to Naples at dusk the previous evening, Mt Stromboli begins to grumble and spew lava.

On shore

Our first stop on Holland America Line’s seven-day Adriatic Gems itinerary is Dubrovnik, and it’s also our longest port, with the ship not departing until 11pm that night. It’s worth mentioning that despite the title of the cruise, the Oosterdam makes just two stops in the Adriatic, including Croatia and Montenegro, then Greece and on to Italy. When we visit, the Old Town is heaving with tourists.

That’s where Holland America Line’s small-group shore excursions come in rather handy. Despite Oosterdam’s capacity of 1964 passengers, that morning I join a small-group “speedboat and snorkelling” experience with just five other people as we zip between the Elaphiti Islands to swim and snorkel in the sunshine. It couldn’t be further from the big cruise stereotypes I had envisioned for this cruise. Later that day, we still have time for sundowners at various bars inside Dubrovnik’s Old Town. 

There are a few minor grievances with the outings, such as the $US20 ($33) charge to get the cruise shuttle into town. The next morning, we disembark at Kotor in Montenegro. It’s a picturesque arrival, with the Old Town surrounded by soaring mountains. Though busy, there are plenty of spots to refuel. We forgo lunch on the ship for an inexpensive local meal of fresh seafood including grilled squid and anchovies.

The Old Town has a couple of shops where you can buy local produce, including wine. However, if you wish to take it back home with you, the ship will confiscate it until you disembark, as well as charge $US20 and 18 per cent gratuity per bottle. Our advice? Enjoy a bottle over lunch instead.