Having cruised once before with Oceania, we were thrilled to cruise with them again. We chose the three day paid pre-cruise on land in Athens including tours, hotels, and food to begin with. The cruise entitled Cradle of History, would start on the third day on the renovated Sirena ship in port in Athens. This cruise included ports in Greece, Italy, Israel, and Cairo.. After arriving in the hotel in Athens, we waited hours for our tour of Athens and dinner to begin. The tour guide didn't show up. We and another abandoned couple had to use the couple's SKYPE to contact Oceania to get them to send a tour guide. The people at the 5 star hotel in Athens were not helpful. Luckily the tour guide Oceania found last minute was wonderful. Our beds were uncomfortable and my husband got food poisoning at the second 5 star hotel on the land tour.
When we arrived on the ship, we found Patmos, Cairo, and Alexandria were cancelled. We were never told anything before that. A letter said Patmos had bad weather. It was 82 degrees and sunny. Greek cab drivers said there was no trouble in Egypt on the news. Nothing was on the Internet. If there was, why weren't we told about it earlier? The captain never addressed the port changes. Why was Oceania offering people $3,000 and more to go home when they arrived because of overbooking?
Maybe the ship wasn't ready. We found toilets that took three glasses of water to flush, unremodeled bathrooms with showers so small that the shower curtain clung to you while you showered, broken drawers, broken air vents, etc. This ship was supposed to be remodeled! The concierge upgrade wasn't worth it. There was no extra concierge room or help. Tour guides were frantically rebooking tours as Oceania changed three ports the day before sailing! We stood in lines trying to find a tour.
The bed was comfortable. The bathroom shower was ridiculously small with the shower curtain clinging to you as you showered. The air vent under the bathroom door was loose and the screws hanging. The drawers didn't close properly. The cabin doors slammed so loudly that they kept you up all night.
Wonderful link with Jesus and His Birth.
We walked the same path Jesus did to his crucifixion.
Beautiful view of Haifa and the surrounding city.
We saw people being baptized.
The cathdrals were just like visiting Rome.