Enrichment Cruising: Voyages to Antiquities

Perhaps you’ve seen the film or at least the overplayed cigarette lighting scene on an Oscars telecast.  Bette Davis as Charlotte Vale, heiress to be from a prominent Boston family, has a tragic nervous breakdown, gets shipped off to a sanitarium, loses 50 lbs. and is handed the offer of a lifetime.  No, it’s not a part on The Biggest Loser but a cruise. The itinerary is to glamorous and seductive South America where, on a shore excursion, she meets the love of her life.  I forgot to mention a dramatic detail – she’s sailing incognito as the society playgirl whose passage (and glamorous wardrobe) she inherited in the deal. The cruise sets the stage for a 20^th Century Fox love affair with sweeping capes, big hats and spectator pumps. It doesn’t exactly steal the limelight from the lovers, but it sure manages to take center stage in a supporting role, with shuffleboard games on the promenade, cocktails in the swanky lounge and panoramic views of the ports of call.

As a fan of old Hollywood, I couldn’t help but recall a few scenes as I boarded the Aegean Odyssey for my first cruise. The compact sailing vessel (198 staterooms, average 350 passengers), was moored in Venice’s Giudecca Canal and set to sail the following evening.  No, I hadn’t brought along my tux or even one Panama hat, just a baseball cap, sunglasses and a wardrobe that took me days to figure out (with no help from a studio wardrobe department).  The Mediterranean itinerary deserved a nomination – the ancient towns of Pula and Split along the Adriatic coast; the Croatian island of Korcula, haunting and medieval; Dubrovnik, a fairy tale walled city; then into the deep blue Aegean with stops at the Ionian island of Corfu, Monemvasia in the Pelopenese, and finally Rethymno in Crete, the gateway to an ancient Minoan civilization.

I opted to disembark there leaving before the end of the full itinerary, even though it was sailing on to the fabulous island of Santorini, followed by Naxos and Limnos and ending at the exotic city of Istanbul. Apart from the allure of the far-flung destinations, the purpose of this cruise, one of the hottest trends in cruising right now, was to offer guests an enrichment experience. Launched in May 2010, Voyages to Antiquity, a niche specialty company out of Fort Lauderdale, operates 21 voyages very much like this one that explore the ancient civilizations throughout the Mediterranean region. Program highlights include shore excursions on all sailings, pre and post hotel stays in legendary cities and a noteworthy Guest Lecture program. Top notch historians from prestigious universities and museums around the world familiarize passengers with the history, culture, art and mysteries of the destinations and give unique perspectives about them. They also join the excursions and host intimate gatherings onboard, making themselves available should anyone want to discuss the sites over cocktails (alas, no shuffleboard, though).  The mantra of VTA is to offer sophisticated travelers an unparalleled destination immersion in an informal atmosphere. It sounded interesting to me and I didn’t need to pack my cummerbund.

If you’ve cruised before and had a life changing experience (or perhaps fell in love onboard yourself) then I’m talking to you. Enrichment cruising is gaining in popularity and it’s a much more layered experience than a standard cruise. And you don’t need a pair of elbow length gloves to be a part of this picture, in this case just some comfortable duds from J. Crew.  Fitting in is a cinch. Just bring your thirst for knowledge and curiosity about the wonders of the world.  If your days of sliding down a water slide and climbing a rock wall are through and you’ve done disco till you’ve dropped (well, almost) then maybe this is your new gig.  You won’t be dressing for tea but you will be having it and in high style, too (note to self, leave the sportcoat at home next time).  Today, cruising’s got a brand new beat and you should snoop around to see what’s out there before signing up.

What drew me to Voyages to Antiquity in the first place you might be wondering since I’m hardly scholarly although I know my way around a library.  Having picked Athens as my first big trip out of college, I was a sucker for Greek culture and the Mediterranean food and lifestyle at the outset.  I’d even bought some designer worry beads to bring back home and display (yes, I had seen a photo of Jackie Onassis with them on her Fifth Avenue coffee table). Mine were the biggest ones I could find so I could flaunt my adventures and they were lavender, to boot. Even at twenty-one, I was fully aware of the mystique of Greek.

But something else had egged me on. I’d spent nine months enjoying  Anne Marie Simons’ charming account of her retirement with her husband to Aix-en-Provence, near the Mediterranean coast of France. Like me, the couple had fallen in love with the lifestyle, albeit a slightly different one in France than in Greece. The book, Taking Root in Provence, made me realize that in retirement your dreams sometimes come true and Anne-Marie succeeded in convincing me to revisit the place where I, myself, had long ago fallen in love. Then I got hold of Barry Frangipane’s The Venice Experiment, which told the naïve story of a Florida couple’s love affair with Venice. The author, Italian by heritage, had decided to move there with his wife and change their lives. Their experience took me back to how taken I was with Venice, too. Years had passed since I’d visited and when I saw that the Aegean Odyssey was departing from there, I felt it was a chance to reconnect with it.

Four tenets of a plan were now in place – a cruise, Mediterranean culture, Venice and Greece – and these became the foundation for an incredible leisure experience.  I finalized it by deciding to linger a little longer in Crete, an island I’d heard was amazing. The pre-high season timing meant fewer crowds on shore and a more intimate experience and after touring the stylish Aegean Odyssey’s decks, I couldn’t wait.  My balcony stateroom was cozy and the smile flashing on my steward Ronaldo’s face when I boarded signaled great service and attention. I’d heard that VTA had high standards and offered impeccable food and wines (practically the norm with cruises these days but in this case serving regional foods and wines to further immerse guests in the destinations).

Little did I know how much I would enjoy the time at sea. On that first night when we headed out of port, I watched the exotically romantic Venetian landmarks passing in the twilight as we sailed out of the canal, one of the special “cruise moments” to remember. Settling into one of the deckchairs on my small balcony, it was time to gauge how the movement would affect me.  I invested in sea bands on a friend’s recommendation even though for the most part, our Captain, Roland Andersson, delivered a smooth ride for much of the time at sea. Venice’s fantasy of sumptuous buildings hooked me again and even though a persistent spring drizzle darkened all the photos I’d be posting to Facebook – the winding, narrow streets and monumental structures that seem to float along the surface of the Grand Canal were unforgettable.

With almost two full days there to acclimate we were happily able to take advantage of Venice’s amazing culinary scene. I can honestly say that the memory of Osteria 1518 won’t be fading soon.  Tucked on a little street facing Campo San Basilio at the entrance to the maritime station where the AO was docked, we devoured a lasagna di pesce (my first) with local fish from the Venetian lagoon and generous amounts of vino blanco from the Veneto for lunch.  The restaurant sported a treasure chest of old Hollywood memorabilia and film posters – a connection again to that film and the owner and his wife’s passion.  When I saw Marilyn Monroe posing in The Seven Year Itch in the corner, I knew we’d made a find.  The meal that first day was so good that we went back for dinner the next, something I’ve never done before, and it was only later after three Bellinis at Harry’s Dolci across the canal that we realized we had to hustle to make the 10 pm sailing.  This was the start of a special week for me and when the engines started revving I felt a little thrill.

The next six days opened a window into the origins and genius of ancient civilizations as we toured Unesco World Heritage towns and sites, each with a completely different personality. The daily journeys were not only about history but how connected Venice was to the landscape of this part of Europe.  The Greek island of Corfu in the Ionian Sea had been on my wish list for as long as I can remember and after strolling the winding streets of Corfu Town we grabbed a table at a taverna on Theotoki Square and watched the kids playing soccer over ouzos and a long lunch. We had plenty of time to chill as we had a full day to explore this island, formerly occupied by the Venetians, with its Old Fortress rising majestically from a cliff and surrounded by a fairytale moat.  Again, our only regret was not seeing it in sunshine as the rain kept-up, and soon everyone was taking cover in cafes, drinking café frappes and ouzos. Coffee culture in a Greek town at any time of the day is something to experience and I’m not talking Starbuck’s, either. When lunch finally finished, we ambled along the Liston, Corfu town’s marble pedestrian promenade lined with trendy cafes hung with ornate iron chandeliers that beckoned for a capuccino.  The majestic story-book colonnade built in the 1800’s to mimic Paris’ Rue de Rivoli stretched for blocks and it seemed like most of the townsfolk were keeping dry in the cafes and cherishing moments spent together. This was what I wanted to rediscover most – appreciating the moment as it’s happening and not thinking about tomorrow.

We celebrated back onboard the AO in the Charleston Lounge with a Corfu Crush, the day’s special cocktail (a heady mix of vodka, Galliano and orange juice). The AO’s three bars had devised a special cocktail of the day (at a recession price of $5) that cleverly married with the port of call. The Galliano in the Crush, an Italian liqueur from the Mediterranean town of Livorno which had a strong Greek connection in the 19^th century, reminded me of the thread that weaves its way throughout Mediterranean food and drink. With each night’s arrival of the AO’s Journal of Daily Events, I discovered I had a peculiar interest in studying the planning that goes into making people feel good.   That was one of the things I took away from the Aegean Odyssey experience.  Even though this cruise was not nightlife focused, every night the lounge would fill up with thrill seekers and both the Libre Duo and the Café Concerto Trio delivered great shows that rivaled the big city cabaret acts.

By the time we docked in Rethymno, the last port for me and my jumping off point, I’d made both friends and alliances in the course of the week.  I was sad to leave the Aegean Odyssey behind in spite of the bright sunshine that greeted the ship in Crete.  In such a short time I had reconnected with the pleasures of roaming the Mediterranean and had discovered things that would have been impossible had I not been sailing.  I’d also opened up a window on what’s it’s like to cruise on a smaller ship, especially one with an experiential agenda.  I took away memories that will be hard to replicate.  And thanks to Mother Nature, I never even got to try the AO’s fabulous pool but like “C. Vale of the Boston Vales”, I did get to share a Cointreau on the rocks with someone special.

*VAT will expand its product offerings to other relevant destinations, including an array of Far East programs starting in November, 2012.  The first begins with a 4 night, pre-cruise land program exploring India’s “Golden Triangle” of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra featuring a visit to the Taj Mahal.