Baltics Cruise: Day 1 (London)

It has been a while since I updated this blog. My apologies. It has proven a busy summer. In numerous blog postings to follow, I will chronicle our extraordinary 14-night cruise through the Baltics aboard the Oceania Regatta.

If you have not sailed this area of the world, I can't recommend it enough. The London to Stockholm cruise is Oceania's signature voyage, and it truly is amazing. Included in this voyage are 3 full days in St. Petersburg, Russia, a destination not to be missed and one I will describe in detail in a later post. Also included is an overnight in Stockholm Sweden. What is truly unique about this cruise aboard Oceania, however, is transversing the Kiel Canal. The canal cuts through Germany, and most cruise ships are too large to sail through it. They instead must sail around the land mass between Germany and Denmark. Transversing the canal is a delight and a definite highlight of the cruise. People gathered at the banks on both sides to watch us sail by, many wildly waving as we past. Others leisurely walked their dogs along the canal's banks, or rode their bicycles. More on this later.

This was Cruise Holidays of Alexandria's third anniversary cruise. We sailed with 28 guests on board, and had a wonderful time. Ten of us flew together from Washington Dulles. Others had flown and met us in London from various points throughout the United States, including Florida, Maine, and California. We had a wonderful mix of people. We arrived uneventfully in London Wednesday morning, August 13th, and had two private shuttle vans waiting for us to transport us to the ship. Tip: private transportation, especially if there is group of you traveling together, can save you a great deal of money over the cruise line's transfers and be more pleasant.

The day before, we had learned that the wind and bad weather had prevented the ship from docking as planned in Dover, England. Instead, it was embarking in Tilbury, about 1 hour distance from Dover. We therefore took off from the airport to Tibury, arriving about 1.5 hours later. The weather on this day was the worst of all the days of the cruise. The days that followed were truly spectacular -- sunny, warm, and absolutely delightful.

We boarded the ship. For me, it was my first sailing on Oceania Cruises, although I had toured the Regatta when she was docked in Fort Lauderdale a year and a half earlier. Because Oceania is our store's number one selling cruise line, I was anxious to experience the cruise line myself and see why our clients rave so much about it. It did not disappoint. The Regatta, like the rest of Oceania's fleet, is elegant -- full of rich woods, brass, lovely art, and stately furniture. There is no guady to be had. The ship holds just 684 passengers, and that fact becomes immediately noticeable. Going to the buffet to grab some lunch after we boarded was wonderful...no huge crowds or long lines in the buffet line. Staff members serve guests, reducing the risk of transmitting germs. The staterooms were wonderfully furnished with a queen or 2 twin beds, a writing desk with chair, a glass coffee table with love seat, and of course storage closets, color TV, and DVD player.

This first day was a day for us to get to know each other. We hosted a cocktail reception for our guests in the Horizons Lounge, located on Deck 10 forward, with panoramic views of the sea before us. I've posted pictures here from our cocktail reception. From here, a number of us dined in the Polo Grill, one of Oceania's specialty restaurants. Unlike on many other cruise lines, Oceania does not charge a fee to dine in its speciality restaurants. It does, however, require reservations. The Polo Grill specializes in prime cut steaks and seafood. All the food on Oceania is great; the Polo Grill is truly excellent. This night I helped myself to the Filet Mignon cooked medium. It melted in my mouth. After dinner, it was time to retire for the evening. By now, we had been up 24 hours or so and tomorrow we'd be docking for a full day tour of Brugges, Belgium.