CRUISING, GRAND ITALIAN STYLE

“You must eat before you go to your cabin,” said the smartly attired greeter on the Carnival Corporation Italian luxury liner Costa Mediterranea.

He was, in fact, telling us that our stateroom was not ready for our immediate occupancy, but it sounded like every cruise we’ve been on – “food glorious food” and plenty of it keeps a smile on the face.

Wife Pat and I were on a round trip, seven day “Ancient Treasures” cruise out of Venice and calling at Bari (Italy) Katakolon (Greece) Izmir and Istanbul (Turkey) and Dubrovnik (Croatia)

Our first steps aboard on the terrazzo and marble tiled floors heralded a uniquely and distinctively Italian holiday on this Mediterranean journey. A few more steps and the mirrors, stainless steel, and unrestrained use of statues, elaborate lights and costumed figures were at first a little overpowering.

The main hall with its coloured statues of dancers interplayed with brightly lit glass jellyfish could be admired from the panoramic glass lifts. Each hall is decorated in the style of Italian palaces. This is cruising around the Med giving a truly authentic experience.

At the buffet, there was a plentiful supply of delicious lasagna, varieties of pasta dishes, pizza, interesting bruschettas, salamis and other cold meats as well as good old roast lamb and potatoes and other non Italian dishes. It was a pre-curser to the superb delicacies to come in the huge, ornate double- storey dining room.

Supplying fresh food to the 2,600 passengers is a mammoth job. For instance, 10,000 bread rolls are baked each day, 2,000 bottles of wine consumed each day and 6,100 kgs of meat eaten per week.

The Costa fleet has 11 ships - Concordia, Magica, Fortuna, Atlantica, Victoria, Romantica, Classica, Europa, Marina, Allegra as well as the Mediterranea. Most have spectacular, individual décor.

The Costa Line is largely unfamiliar to Aussies but with the great value for money, the line's modern superliners and the growing list of destinations Costa sails to, that is changing.

The popularity of big-ship cruising is exemplified by the brand new A$716 million, 112,000-tonne megaliner Costa Concordia, the line’s 11th and biggest ship, carrying a maximum 3800 passengers plus crew.

A twin sister, Costa Serena, will be launched in May 2007, while a yet-to-be-named third of the giant triplets will debut in 2009. Two other 92,700-tonne liners will debut in 2009 and 2010.

This was truly an international cruise.

All announcements were broadcast in 5 languages - Italian, English, German, Spanish, French. Italian passengers were by far in the majority, with many bringing families, from grandparents to babes in arms.

We travelled in peak season and there were 500 children on board and the predominant group was the 25 to 50 yr olds. Only 300 of the 2,600 passengers were over 60.

Entertainment was tailored for all ages and there was something to suit everyone. The younger children were well cared for, the teenagers had their virtual world, poolside and sports deck games.

The giant waterslide was an attraction.With the family friendly theme of the cruise, parents could go ashore on excursions and leave children between 3 and 12 years old to be cared for by the professional entertainment team.

A huge gymnasium and spa area was popular to work off a few calories.

An incredibly active team of “animators” held dance classes and aerobics by the pool; tournaments; quizzes and competitions; and dressed up in funny costumes - all with an infectious enthusiasm.

I entered the ping pong tournament, coasting through the first round with a comfortable victory, only to be embarrassingly thrashed in the quarter finals by a 14 year old girl.

I turned my hand to Boccia, playing off in the finals, but was beaten narrowly after a titanic struggle.  Blindfolded darts proved another failure when I completely missed the board and almost skewered a drink waiter. The trivia quizzes were fun and a couple of nice prizes came the way of our team.

The animators desperately wanted me for the “Mr Sexy Legs” competition, but I gracefully declined for fear of scaring the kiddies.

All animators spoke at least five languages fluently and these hard working, talented people started first thing in the day and the organized entertainment went well after midnight.

Sunbaking was king – or queen - on board, with little sign of sunblock, as shapely ladies worked on their almost all over tans.

One of the pleasures of cruising, or any travel for that matter, is meeting such a wide-ranging and diverse group of people. We have dined with a doctor from Texas who believed he was on the verge of finding a cure for childhood Leukaemia, a very successful children’s book author from Canada, a funeral director from Georgia, a professional tennis coach, a British winner of $1.2 million in “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” and others with more or less ordinary occupations.

This time our meal time companions were a honeymoon couple – and far from ordinary. Steve and Leanna are pilots/instructors with the US navy. Their exploits, training the would be top guns at low level flying through canyons and valleys at about 11 kms a minute, made for riveting meal times, as were their descriptions of the adrenalin rush of landing an F14 Tomcat fighter bomber on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean. Where else would navy people spend a holiday other than on a cruise?

We had a day in beautiful Venice before the cruise and picked, out of a travel brochure, a gem of a place to stay. It was the Royal San Marco, a 3 star hotel only 50 paces from St Marks Square. It was a pleasant surprise when we opened the door and found the room  luxuriously decorated in Venetian style and a huge en suite bathroom. A varied continental buffet breakfast was included.

The heart of Bari, first stop on the itinerary and the home of St Nicholas (as in Father Christmas) was a pleasant stroll from the ship. The evidence of Italy’s win in the World Cup was everywhere and the inhabitants were on an obvious high.

A short coach trip from Katakolon, the second port, is Olympia, original birthplace of the Olympic Games. Whereas originally all competitors had to be Greek and no women, except priestesses, were allowed (under punishment of death) nowadays anyone can sprint the up and down the running track to the cheers of friends.

Izmir was a short distance from the incredible Ephesus, a must see if in the region.

But it was the bustling Great Bazaar of Istanbul, built in the 15th century and the world’s first shopping mall, that Pat and I most wanted to see – and we weren’t disappointed. Criss-crossing roads of colour, noise, sights, exotic smells and touts all begging to give you the “very best deal”.

It is paradise for the dedicated shopper. I knew my bank balance was in trouble when Pat took a deep breath and charged in like a combatant to the fray. She quickly learned the art of haggling with the locals.

The Blue Mosque and hippodrome, the centre of public life in the city, where screaming mobs once cheered on their favourite reinsman in the chariot races, was built in the 2nd century AD. The mosque is still in use, but now the racetrack is used for parking tour coaches.

After a day at sea packed full of activities, led by the entertainment animators, our last port of Dubrovnik was the perfect way to finish the cruise with its glorious scenery and interesting walks around the walls of the old city.

Fact File: