editorial

Words by Christopher P. Hill Photographs by Christopher P. Hill November 28, 2024
From Istanbul to Italy’s Trieste, a 10-day voyage aboard Oceania Cruises’ newest ship takes in some of the Mediterranean’s most storied islands and coastlines.
<figure id="attachment_140505" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-140505" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-140505 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-Cruises-The-Med-1.jpg" alt="Left to right: Seagulls following the Oceania Vista out of port; the ship in the Bay of Kotor." width="1200" height="893" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-Cruises-The-Med-1.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-Cruises-The-Med-1-300x223.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-Cruises-The-Med-1-1024x762.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-Cruises-The-Med-1-768x572.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-140505" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Seagulls following the Oceania Vista out of port; the ship in the Bay of Kotor.</figcaption></figure>
Of all our ports of call between Istanbul and Trieste, Santorini, the fabled Greek archipelago that’s said to have inspired Plato’s lost city of Atlantis, was the one I couldn’t wait to leave. It was a late-June afternoon and Thira, the main island, was swarming with cruise crowds, especially along the cliffs of Oia, where the sugar-cube houses seemed ready to melt under the hot Aegean sun. The heat was making our guide tetchy as well. When one of our group of predominantly older Americans asked what currency they used here, he could barely restrain a scoff. So it would have been especially cruel for me to get stranded on Thira—which I nearly was. After peeling away from the pack to enjoy a quiet beer overlooking Santorini’s admittedly dazzling caldera, I underestimated the time it would take to get through the lines for the cable car down to the old port, where Vista’s last tender was set to depart at 4:30 p.m. Sharp. As it was, I arrived just as the boat was casting off its lines. The chilly looks from the crew dispelled any doubt that they would have left without me. Lesson number one: cruise ships take their timetables very seriously.
Thankfully, that was the only near mishap of an otherwise smooth 10-night voyage aboard the latest addition to Miami-based Oceania Cruises’ fleet. Launched last year, the 612-stateroom Vista is the company’s first new ship in over a decade and the first in its Allura class, boasting all-veranda cabins, a staff-to-guest ratio of 2:3, a resort-style pool deck flanked by circular daybeds, and a host of other upgrades. Vista is a small vessel by cruise standards—67,000 tons with capacity for 1,200 guests—but it punches above its weight in terms of culinary offerings and design.
<figure id="attachment_139790" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-139790" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-139790 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-7.jpg" alt="Sampling local wines at a tavern in Hvar Town, on Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast; one of Vista’s residential-style staterooms." width="1200" height="894" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-7.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-7-300x224.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-7-1024x763.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-7-768x572.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-139790" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Sampling local wines at a tavern in Hvar Town, on Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast; one of Vista’s residential-style staterooms.</figcaption></figure>
Certainly, the common spaces are impressive. They’re done up with an airy, contemporary elegance by design firm Studio Dado; especially striking is the ship’s curvaceous, nautilus-inspired atrium, where a spiral staircase wraps around a cascading light installation that rises the height of two decks, like a column of crystal fish. So too the opulent, conservatory-like Grand Dining Room, with its garden motifs and hydrangea-inspired chandeliers. And there’s art everywhere—original oils by Spanish artists Eduardo Arranz-Bravo and Miquel Gelabert and the late Cuban abstract expressionist Rafael Soriano; bronze statuettes by David Borgerding; even a trio of Picasso lithographs.
As for the onboard accommodation, Vista claims to have some of the largest standard rooms afloat, all decked out in a soothing gray and cream palette with leather and marble accents. Mine was a Concierge Level Veranda, which came with a balcony big enough for a couple of cushioned chairs. The queen-size bed boasted an ergonomic mattress and 1,000-thread-count sheets, and the unexpectedly spacious bathroom sported a rain-head shower and Bulgari toiletries. I also appreciated the plethora of power points and USB ports, as well as the perks afforded Concierge Level passengers: priority embarkation, a welcome bottle of champagne, and complimentary laundry service.
<figure id="attachment_139793" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-139793" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-139793 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-2.jpg" alt="Vista’s pool deck; Fishing on Istanbul’s Eminönü Pier." width="1200" height="893" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-139793" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Vista’s pool deck; Fishing on Istanbul’s Eminönü Pier.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_139794" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-139794" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-139794 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-8.jpg" alt="Vista seen from the fort above Hvar; passengers on a ship’s tender." width="1200" height="893" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-139794" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Vista seen from the fort above Hvar; passengers on a ship’s tender.</figcaption></figure>
Creature comforts aside, Vista’s itineraries are designed to maximize the time in port, and that was certainly the case in Istanbul, where I joined the ship. An overnight stay and late-afternoon departure the next day gave me ample time to not just explore the immediate Galataport complex—home to the world’s first underground cruise terminal as well as the Renzo Piano–designed Istanbul Modern museum—but also to take a morning stroll across the Golden Horn to the city’s historical peninsula. I passed men fishing for horse mackerel off Galata Bridge; beyond Seraglio Point, a group of older gentlemen stripped down to their swimming trunks were taking dips in the Bosphorus. Leaving the old seawalls, I made my way up to Hagia Sophia—reconverted to a mosque since my last visit—to gaze at its Byzantine mosaics and ornate stonework, and from there meandered through the old city streets to the Spice Bazaar, its vaulted arcades fragrant with heaps of spices, herbs, and sweets. Then it was back to the ship in plenty of time for afternoon tea accompanied by a string quartet.
The selection of shore excursions over the ensuing days was varied and vast. For those not wishing to strike out on their own—easy enough to do in places like Istanbul and Corfu Town; harder in ports like Argostoli on the Ionian island of Kefalonia, whose attractions (including the eerie subterranean lake where legend says the nymph Melissanthi drowned herself over unrequited love) lie well away from the harbor—there were at least a dozen coach tours to choose from at each stop. Options ranged in price, length, and interest, with more expensive “exclusive” tours limited to 16 people. At Izmir on Turkey’s Aegean coast, one could head off to see the remains of ancient Sardis or Pergamum, or (as I did) spend a couple of torrid hours wandering the slick marble paving stones at Ephesus, where the sixth-century b.c. Greek philosopher Heraclitus coined the maxim “change is the only constant in life.” In Corfu, there were villages or beaches or palaces to explore, plus excursions through the countryside by four-by-four or mountain bike. Some of Vista’s more supple passengers opted for sea kayaking off the Croatian island of Hvar.
<figure id="attachment_139792" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-139792" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-139792 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-6.jpg" alt="Poolside daybeds; miso-glazed sea bass at Red Ginger. " width="1200" height="893" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-6.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-6-300x223.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-6-1024x762.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-6-768x572.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-139792" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Poolside daybeds; miso-glazed sea bass at Red Ginger.</figcaption></figure>
With a new port to discover every day, I didn’t make much use of the ship’s onboard diversions—not the putting greens nor the artists-in-residence workshops nor the impressive spa, with its open-air deck of bubbling hot tubs. I didn’t even dip my toes in the swimming pool. But I did dine well. One of Oceania Cruises’ taglines is “The Finest Cuisine at Sea” (that’s actually a registered trademark), and with two French master chefs serving as the line’s culinary directors, food was a major highlight of the voyage. There were eight restaurants to choose from, including four specialty venues that, while all included in the fare, required dinner reservations. Red Ginger, an Oceania staple focused on pan-Asian flavors, was overseen by an Indonesian chef whose turmeric-scented beef rendang was fork-tender and piquant. At Ember, a modern American restaurant with the cozy vibe of a Sonoma tasting room, I dined on a porcini-dusted ribeye under an arched brick ceiling. And I salivate just thinking about the Capri-inspired lemon spaghetti with grilled shrimp and capers I ate one night at Toscana, a recipe contributed by Italian-American chef and Food Network television personality Giada De Laurentiis, Oceania’s culinary ambassador. I’d also be remiss not to mention the pitch-perfect flat whites poured by Italian baristas at the coffee bar overlooking the swimming deck, or the Neptune-worthy seafood brunch served one day in the Grand Dining Room, its tables groaning under the weight of towers of lobster, crab, and caviar.
Foodies can also partake in cooking classes at Vista’s expansive Culinary Center, or sign up for any number of epicurean-themed shore excursions—visiting a family-owned winery in Santorini, say, or an olive oil estate in Montenegro, where Vista anchored in the fjord-like Bay of Kotor. Here, I set off on my own to walk the cobbled streets, piazzas, and medieval town walls of Kotor proper, which for more than 350 years from the early 15th century was part of the Venetian Republic. Nestled in the southeastern arm of the bay, the city sits at the foot of the Lovćen massif, the “black mountain” that gave Montenegro its name. It felt impregnable, though history tells a different tale.
<figure id="attachment_139789" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-139789" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-139789 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-9.jpg" alt="Ember restaurant; the Croatian town of Hvar as seen through an embrasure in the hilltop fortress behind it." width="1200" height="893" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-9.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-9-300x223.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-9-1024x762.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-9-768x572.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-139789" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Ember restaurant; the Croatian town of Hvar as seen through an embrasure in the hilltop fortress behind it.</figcaption></figure>
Leaving the tourist crowds behind, I climbed the 1,300 or so zigzagging stone steps to the crumbling fortress that looms 280 meters above the town. From on high, I gazed out over Kotor’s terra-cotta rooftops and baroque bell towers and the picturesque spread of mountains and shoreline beyond, the 16-deck Vista a white fleck on the mirrored waters. An enchanted Lord Byron once declared the Montenegrin coast to be “the most beautiful encounter between land and sea,” and I could feel the spell of it too.
The Bay of Kotor also provided the most thrilling passage of our trip—one that most of us had slept through during our early morning arrival. Cruising back out toward the sea past the tiny, many-steepled town of Perast and the Benedictine island monastery of St. George, the ship turned into the Verige Strait, a narrow channel that unites the bay’s inner and outer basins. At its entrance, it was only 340 meters across, with forested hills on either side that seemed close enough to touch. “Like threading a needle,” whispered one of the dozens of passengers gathered at the rails to watch our progress.
<figure id="attachment_139791" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-139791" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-139791 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-4.jpg" alt="Old Town Dubrovnik; cliff jumping below the medieval walls of Dubrovnik. " width="1200" height="893" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-139791" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Old Town Dubrovnik; cliff jumping below the medieval walls of Dubrovnik.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_140031" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-140031" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-140031 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-5-1.jpg" alt="A rare pink chapel in Oia; a Franciscan friar feeding pigeons in Dubrovnik." width="1200" height="893" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-5-1.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-5-1-300x223.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-5-1-1024x762.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-5-1-768x572.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-140031" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: A Franciscan friar feeding pigeons in Dubrovnik; a rare pink chapel in Oia.</figcaption></figure>
Evenings on board became increasingly convivial as the voyage proceeded through the Mediterranean. The aft-facing Horizons Lounge was a popular gathering spot for predinner drinks and swapping stories, some more poignant than others. One gentleman I met told me he had been at sea for the better part of the year, completing a cruise itinerary that he and his wife had dreamed up before she succumbed to cancer. “Her last wish was for me to keep on sailing, so that’s what I’m doing.” Another couple was aboard to celebrate their 45th anniversary. When they mentioned they hadn’t been able to secure a reservation the next night at one of the ship’s specialty restaurants, a sympathetic passenger at the next table volunteered their own spot. Lesson number two: cruise-goers are a decent bunch.
On we sailed up the Adriatic. To Dubrovnik, the jewel of the Dalmatian Coast, with its towering battlements and grand limestone buildings. To the yacht-filled harbor of Hvar Town, its labyrinthine medieval alleys lined with artists’ studios, craft shops, and cozy konoba (taverns) pouring bold red wines made from Croatia’s indigenous plavac mali grapes. And to the Slovenian seaport of Koper on the Gulf of Trieste, where a glass elevator just across the street from our moorings lifted me right up to the city’s mercifully uncrowded Old Town. No chance of missing the ship this time, I thought as I lingered over a Laško lager in the loggia of the Venetian-Gothic palazzo that overlooks Tito Square.
As it was, Vista didn’t leave port till 11 p.m. By then, I was on my second round of barrel-aged Negronis in the Horizons Lounge, where the dance floor shimmied to the ship’s band. I hardly even noticed the ship was on its way again.
<figure id="attachment_139788" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-139788" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-139788 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-3.jpg" alt="The Oceania Vista anchored in Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-3.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Oceania-3-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-139788" class="wp-caption-text">The Oceania Vista anchored in Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor.</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.oceaniacruises.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oceania Vista</a> will return to the Mediterranean next August, calling in at ports between Barcelona, Rome, Athens, and Istanbul. The ship is also slated to embark on its first around-the-world voyage in January 2026, an epic 180-day sojourn that will explore the South American coast before crossing the South Pacific to Australia, Southeast Asia, and onward to Europe.
This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">October/November 2024</a> print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“These Ancient Shores”).

The Oceania Vista anchored in Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor.

Cruising the Eastern Med on the Oceania Vista