Next up on our itinerary is a 12-Day Mediterranean Romance Cruise with two pre-cruise days in Venice, Italy. This will be our fourth trip on Holland America Lines and our second trip to the Mediterranean. Our last trip to this region was on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines aboard the Brilliance of the Seas. The Holland America Oosterdam listed at (82,305 Tonnage), built in 2003, holds about 1,972 passengers and 817 crew. We are lodging in Interior Stateroom 10017 on Deck 10. On this itinerary we will visit Italy, Croatia, Albania, Greece, Monaco, France and Spain.
| Date | Port Location | Arrive | Depart |
| OCT-13 | (pre-cruise) Venice, Italy | 2:30pm | |
| OCT-14 | (pre-cruise) Venice, Italy | ||
| OCT-15 | Venice (Marittima Basin), Italy | 9:00pm | |
| OCT-16 | At Sea | ||
| OCT-17 | Dubrovnik, Crotia | 8:00am | 6:00pm |
| OCT-18 | Sarande, Albania (unsc. Corfu) | 8:00am | 5:00pm |
| OCT-19 | Katakolon (Olympia), Greece | 8:00am | 5:00pm |
| OCT-20 | At Sea | ||
| OCT-21 | Naples (Pompeii), Italy | 8:00am | 7:00pm |
| OCT-22 | Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy | 7:00am | 8:00pm |
| OCT-23 | Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy | 8:00am | 8:00pm |
| OCT-24 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | 8:00am | 11:00pm |
| OCT-25 | Toulon, France | 8:00am | 6:00pm |
| OCT-26 | Barcelona, Spain (overnight) | 12:00pm | |
| OCT-27 | Barcelona, Spain | 7:15am |
Postliminary:
This was a wonderful cruise aboard a terrific ship. Having the two pre-cruise days in Venice, Italy was a nice touch. We lodged at the Hotel Santa Chiara in a deluxe Suite overlooking Piazzale Roma. Our room came complete with an Italian Breakfast. On our first evening we rode the Vaperatto and found our favorite little Italian Pizza Restaurant – Rossopomodero, Calle Larga S. Marco, 403. Our second pre-cruise day comprised the Dolomite Mountains and Cortina a small group tour we found at Viator. In the evening we purchased tickets to the Venetian Traveling Opera Musica a Palazzo. Perhaps the best evening excursion we’ve ever had. Here we not only enjoyed the Barber of Seville, but became a part of it. Our last pre-cruise day began with breakfast and a ride on the Venice People Mover. An easy way to get yourself to Marittima Basin Cruise Ship Terminal.
The Holland America Oosterdam was a nice ship with plenty of room to move about. Our itinerary was headlined by a return visit to both Naples and Rome, and a visit to King’s Landing (Dubrovnik, Croatia). My favorite adventure of the cruise was the time spent in Olympia at the site of the first Olympic games. As is norm, our six dinner companions were wonderful.