The terracotta rooftops of Dubrovnik, Croatia. Photo / Neil Porten
A cruise ship is the perfect haven in a Mediterranean heatwave, writes Neil Porten
The last time I saw Croatia from a ship was in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean; in the warm 3am darkness, Croatia was there, huge and bright. That encounter lasted a little more than 90 minutes as the Vatreni ("Fiery Ones") succumbed to France in the Fifa World Cup final, watched by me and a couple of dozen football fans on the ship's giant poolside video screen.
Now, Croatia is right there in front of me again, huge and bright, and if I lean out over the railing of the cruise ship, I can almost touch the fiery terracotta tiles on the roofs of Dubrovnik.
The famous walled town is the first port of call on a Holland America round-trip voyage from Rome, taking in highlights in the Adriatic Sea, as well as Sicily, Malta and Naples on the return leg. We're sailing in a heatwave but the ship I'm on, Koningsdam, Holland America Line's 99,500-ton, 297m-long Pinnacle-class ship launched in 2016, is the perfect vessel to coolly and calmly transport us under cloudless Mediterranean skies. (Koningsdam now sails in the Caribbean and Alaska, but sister Pinnacle Ship, Nieuw Statendam, runs similar routes in Europe).
Rome's sea port is Civitavecchia, 80km north of the Eternal City, and Koningsdam is waiting there at the long concrete pier, 14 decks above the waterline; navy-blue hull, orange-topped lifeboats, white superstructure, dark-tinted windows and glass balconies. Security procedures, check-in and boarding are quick and easy; we are in our stateroom, bags already delivered within half an hour.
Veranda stateroom 5157, starboard midship, overlooks lifeboats 17, 19 and 21 and the Promenade on deck 3. The decor is cream, with brushed bronze cornices and beech veneer — smoothing and restful. There's a two-seater sofa, desk, chair, lighted mirror, plenty of power outlets, bedside charging ports, and ample storage. The TV is a portal to on-demand movies, music and shows, restaurant menus, ship and trip information, live forward and aft cameras.
In the tiled bathroom, the shower stall is large, and the shower itself is full-strength and simple to use. In the coming days, the Elemis toiletries perform admirably during the heatwave. And the long, firm bed, crisp sheets, long and short pillow combo, blackout curtains, double-glazing and ruthlessly efficient air-con create a haven for sleeping at any time of the day or night. The floor-level sensor light is a nice touch, proving handy for tripless night-time trips to the bathroom.
The few hours before we sail is the perfect opportunity to explore our home for the next two weeks. Music inspires the decor onboard. Harps, a double crown in chrome, encircles the three-deck atrium. The B.B. King's Blues Club/Lincoln Centre Stage is a cocoon of varnished wood curved like a cello. Much of the US$4 million worth of art is musically inspired. Each space is a careful composition of deep carpet, leather chairs and polished surfaces.
Undoubtedly Koningsdam is a big ship: you can't easily hide 2650 passengers, 1036 crew and 1331 staterooms. But clever design means you rarely feel you are walking a city block to get from the aft dining room to the fitness centre at the bow. When you take what feels like the most natural path, your route curves past a bar, or a lounge or a music venue, sometimes around a corner, or through glass doors. In the corridors, corners limit the distance you can see ahead to tens, rather than hundreds of metres.
Our self-guided ship tour begins with hairdresser Ante, from Split, who tempts us with the luxuries of the Greenhouse Spa, a paradise of pampering with saunas, thermal suites, hydrotherapy pool, and heated ceramic loungers. The gym is nearby, where you can pound the treadmills while looking out over the bow.
Not far away, up on Deck 12, is The Retreat, a pay-extra sanctuary of covered cabanas and loungers. This deck also has what became one of our favourite relaxation spots onboard, the Crow's Nest and Explorations cafe. This panoramic lounge at the front of the ship has a bar, espresso coffee, games and books and dozens of loveseats, sofas and armchairs for maximum comfort while watching, for example, the sun set behind the Catania skyline and the hazy slopes of Mt Etna.
Our last stop on the Day One tour is the Lido Balcony, overlooking the Lido pool and bar on the deck below. This split-level space with retractable roof (unnecessary this trip — did I mention the heatwave?) is the shrine of the sun worshippers and their onlookers — a family-friendly chill-out plaza where Aquaman swims on the movie screen and tanned Italians loll poolside.
There's more to see, but not today: just after 5pm, with windsurfers to the south, and a trio of north-bound cargo ships sailing by, the ship casts off and we head in to get ready for dinner.
Dinner. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Breakfast … Food and cruising are as inseparable and the food is endless, multifarious and delicious. Presentation and service are top-notch.
Lido Market is the go-to for a constantly changing buffet of cuisines, cooked and served to you by patient, friendly staff. Great meals in the main dining room include small, sweet Italian mussels, grilled bream, a lobster tail and steak, and tiramisu. Free in-room dining is a treat we don't indulge in often enough.
The additional-cost restaurants prove to be good value. At Rudi's Sel de Mer they present to us a whole fresh fish — sea bass in my case — before cooking it perfectly. Under the gold domes and mood lighting in Pinnacle Grill, I devour a crab-cakes appetiser and a beef tenderloin steak with dumplings.
To drink: there are around 120 whiskies, bourbons and ryes to try at Notes on the Plaza Deck; happy hour at Billboard Onboard (second drink only US$2) segues perfectly into the evening trivia quiz.
The ship is a marvel, a destination of itself.
I haven't mentioned the outdoor spaces such as the adults-only Sea View Pool & Bar, the Promenade on deck 3, which gets you all the way around the ship and so close to the deep blue sea, or the jogging track and sports court topside.
I've only touched on the activities such as cooking demos, workshops, the Ask the Captain session with the wry skipper Werner Timmers, the mahjong, bridge, and pickleball meet-ups; the shore tour lectures and the ballroom dancing hour.
And it would be remiss to leave out the Music Walk entertainment: Billboard Onboard's duelling pianists, the B.B. King's Blues Players, the resident band in the Rolling Stone Rock Room, the fun and stylish classical musicians at Lincoln Center Stage.
It's almost incidental that we have nine ports of call during the voyage. But, here I present a highlights reel: a triumvirate of Italian volcanoes — Catania's Mt Etna, Naples' Vesuvius and Stromboli; perfect pink sunsets in Dubrovnik and after departing Corfu; Koningsdam as a small thumbnail blob in the vast sparkling Kvarner Bay as our coach climbs the coastal road from Rijeka; sailing into Grand Harbour in Valletta, Malta, the full early sun warming the butter-yellow stone of the fortress battlements.
In Corfu, five cruise ships are in port: a perfect opportunity for a game of Whose Ship is Best? There is literally lipstick on a ship on the AIDAblu, and also a three-deck-high pair of come-hither eyes, one on either side of the bow. But I'm not seduced by the sparkling white German siren, nor the Italian, nor the Norwegian. This far into the voyage my attachment to Holland America and her blue-hulled stateliness is complete.
Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Malta. It is a magical odyssey, following routes plied by the ancients: Phoenicians, Greeks, Venetians. Finally, all roads — and this ship's course — lead back to Rome. Across calm seas and under blue skies Koningsdam has returned us, reluctantly, to reality.
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A variety of Rome cruises are on offer on Holland America's Pinnacle Class ship Nieuw Statendam, while other ships sail in destinations around the world. Ships Westerdam and Noordam will be sailing in Australia and New Zealand later this year. hollandamerica.com
Don't return from that long-awaited break feeling burnt out.