SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT John Kreilkamp traveled recently to Croatia, sailing through the islands on the Adriatic coast. This is his report.
According to George Bernard Shaw “If you want to see paradise on Earth, come to Dubrovnik.”
Well, my wife and I did just that…visited Dubrovnik–and more–and concluded Croatia is always a good idea.
The Adriatic….there’s lots of ways to do it….by escorted group, via bike, walking, bus, ferry….all of which will give one an incredible experience after another. Each gives you an opportunity to wrap your head around how long this area of the world has been writing history…literally thousands of years.
Perspective moment: Our house in Anchorage is over 50+ years old. Midlife by Anchorage standards… Some structures we walked into along the Adriatic were 2600 years older.
Croatia is a land known for boatbuilding, seafaring and tradesmen. It was also known to others as a desired land to conquer due to its proximity and rich trading options and through the ages, were conquered over again. They did not have an “Army” so to speak, but would look after themselves by leasing out their ships and sailors to the highest bidder. This included the Greeks, Venetians, Ottomans and Turks, Austrian-Habsburgs, and that short guy, Napolean…whomever would give them a better future. That’s my takeaway for how self-preservation prevailed. (I defer to Rick Steves for a more concise recap of history.)
Our trip included a fantastic 10-day sun-drenched cruise via the 120 foot ‘Lady Eleganza’ yacht (16 cabins only – 36 guests max) chartered by Australia Pacific Tours (APT). We lucked out in weather due to an earlier than normal heat wave that came which made the swimming in the Adriatic quite enjoyable.
Our group included 26 Aussies and our party of 4 Alaskans… Needless to say, we assimilated quickly. Aussies as a whole are well-traveled, very sociable and love small group travel. First a bit about our cruise operator- APT …they’re an all-inclusive small group operator. (locally guided walks ashore, also included everything from the bar, and all gratuities.) APT also features “signature events’ (cultural visits to private homes for authentic meals and traditional music performed live). 85% of their guests come from Australia.
Perspective Moment: Getting to Croatia is easier than you think. It is 5200 air miles from Anchorage to Dubrovnik. It is nearly 10,000 air miles from Sydney to Dubrovnik. Europe is truly in Alaska’s “backyard” with Condor’s non-stop summer service to Frankfurt. ANC to FRA flight time was 8.5 hours + an hour 45 min connecting flight to Dubrovnik. With Condor’s non-stop ANC Frankfurt flight -you hit the “easy button ” accessing central Europe. My wife was quick enough to spot some business class (lie flat) seats on Condor that were available for 55,000 miles (one way)..
Perspective on A330 Biz Class with Condor… the amenities were fine, drink upon arrival to your cubicle, Seat config: 1 cubicle on either side , 2 cubicles in middle . middle section seats have pop up wall if desired for privacy. At 6’4″ , yes, I could fit lying down…barely…but it sure beats sittin’ in steerage. Headphones provided along with sleep hoodie and socks, blackout eye band for sleeping, Meals met standards of in flight for Biz class (dinner and breakfast on ANC-FRA flight).
Areas our cruise explored …included Dubrovnik, Korcula, Vic, Hvar, Split, Sibenik,/Radosi , Krka National Park, Skradinski-Buk (including the natural amphitheater waterfall and crystal clear cascades), Zardar, Rab (we happened to be there during an international all female motorcycle event …(think Sturgis SD, ala femme). We also happened to be in Croatia for their independence day. So,to complement the female rider event was a local crossbow shooting competition –truly remarkable marksmen, filled with medieval pageantry and elaborate traditional costumes. After Rab, our final mooring was to Opatija on the last day which was a lovely turn of the century resort created for the Euro Austrian/Hungarian elite with architectural influences of Europe and Vienna.
There is a lot to choose from in the Adriatic from both Big Ship, (Norwegian, HAL) and midsize Ships 400-600 (Explora or Sliversea) but traveling by small luxury yacht with 30 guests is actually more affordable than you think when you include the all-inclusive environment ( guided tours in each port of call, all gratuities and everything from the bar). But the real advantage is benefitting from exploring the “path less traveled” and visiting smaller more authentic areas not accessible by large ship, avoiding in many cases -the crowds.
Final thoughts…this itinerary with APT builds nicely, I found myself after day one, “wow, how could they beat this , then each day and port of call had its own unique attribute historically or culturally, that was outstanding. 30 guests only made it wonderful, no assigned seating for meals, and the Aussies genuinely welcomed us as we sat for meals. Breakfast and lunch buffet style, dinner was always plated. Musicians were brought on board in eve’s for cocktail hour(s), sharing their regional folk songs, which was great! Unlike large ships, we anchored at night and cruised 6 hours during day, max, often breaking the day up with opportunities to swim in secluded, crystal clear coves.
I suggest if you are flying this far and have the time, take a pre and post trip. We included 4 days in Venice pre-trip in early May (perfect time – crowds a bit less than peak) and post cruise included 3 nights in Zagreb, Croatia and Slovenia (Ljubljana and Lake Bled.) Really nice bookends which complemented the uber rich history and diverse culture of the Adriatic.
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