Oceania Nautica: Cruise Notes
Lynn, Garth, Esther and Harold share a drink while attending a
production in the Nautica Theatre.
Barcelona to Dubai: Post 2
NOTE: December 9, 2013. We are back home safe and sound in Victoria, British Columbia after an awesome 30 days of cruise and land travel. This post will be updated with about 30-40 new photos of our cruise experience, so be patient as I work to catch up. Also, the stories for other destinations will be written in due course. It was so great meeting all of you while on the cruise and even while in Dubai (after we left the ship) we ran into a number of others who were in transit. Happy Travels….. Harold, Lynn, Garth and Esther….
Claim to Fame
The Nautica’s claim to fame, besides being a very comfortable, passenger oriented cruise ship, was being one of the few cruise ships to be attacked by Somali pirates. The attacked occurred in late November, 2008 as the ship was transiting the Gulf of Aiden.
As pirates in two skiffs attempted to run down the the ship while firing shots, Captain Jurica Brajcic and his officers immediately began evasive maneuvers and took all other prescribed precautions. After bringing the ship to flank speed, Captain Brajcic began the evasive measures which created a large wake that forced the pirates to slow. The attack occurred shortly after leaving the Port of Salalah, Oman, the same port from which Captain Philips departed on the ill fated trip of the Maersk Alabama.
We have been advised the Nautica will be taking on armed guards at some point immediately before or after leaving the Suez Canal and that we will be constantly monitored as we continue south and east along designated lanes in our transit to our final destination in Dubai. I will leave this as the top post for the time being as I am behind in the stories. Open below to link to the most recent photo albums. Additional stories will be written as time permits. (continue to photo links)
Photo Albums on McNeill Life Stories Facebook Page
If you enjoy the photos, take a moment to Like the Page
Links Here to Photos of Barcelona
Link Here to Photos of Rome
Link Here to Photos of Naples
Link Here to Photos of Patmos
Link Here to Photos of Ephesus
Link Here to Photos of Rhodes
Link Here to Photos of Oceania Nautica
Link Here to Photos of Pafos and Kourion
Link Here to Photos of Jerusalem
Link Here to Photos of Golan Heights and Sea of Galiliee
Link Here to Photos of Haifa
Link Here to photos of Suez Canal Transit
Link Here to the Petra Post
Link Here to Wadi Rum Part 1
Link Here to Wadi Rum Part 2
Link Here to Arabian Nights
Link Here to Ship Building
Link Here to Dubai
Link Here to The Buildings of Dubai
The Ship and Crew
At 593 feet, the Oceania is roughly the same size as one of the new BC Ferries vessels. The configuration of the Oceania, 
of course, is that of an ocean going vessel with a deep “V” tapered hull. The first night out, after encountering heavy seas mid-way between the mainland of Spain and before entering the Strait of Bonifacio which runs between the Islands of Corsica (on the north) and Sardinia (on the south). We were lucky in that we managed to stave off any signs of seasickness and actually had a fairly good sleep as we tossed and turned.
Oceania, as with many small capacity vessels offers a passenger to staff ratio of about 1.5, so it does not take long to get to know the crew and for certain the crew a number of lumberjacks had joined the vessel. Seating for all meals, except for each of the four ‘special dining’ nights, is at our leisure.
One of the special on board options is a series of one hour lectures by men and women having a special knowledge of the waterways and countries into which we will be traveling over the next three and a half weeks. Having already attended three of these lectures – “The Eternal Mediterranean”, Jordan: “ The ‘Yes, I Can’ People” and “A Short History of the Suez Canal” – demonstrates these presentations will be in the ‘must attend” category.
As for the shore excursions being offered as part of the Oceania package, it is clear and guides have worked everything out in fine details as even when changes must be made due to changing conditions, everything flows out without a hitch.
As we continue our journey, I shall be adding notes to this post along with a series of on board pictures of the crew, passengers and events that take place while on board. All early indications suggest this will be the trip of a lifetime.
Harold
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