This was a dream trip for me and the only way my husband was interested in doing this area of the world was by cruising. We visited several destinations I have wanted to see for a long time namely, Petra and a Kenyan safari as well as Istanbul. We are early 60s and destination-oriented rather than being interested in shipboard activities and entertainment which is why we chose Orient Lines for this trip. Their reputation as a destination cruise line is well deserved. We have also sailed several times each on Princess, Renaissance, Windstar, and a number of river cruises in Europe for a total of about 10+ cruises.

We flew from Boston to Istanbul (via Frankfurt) on Lufthansa (Orient booked the air) and the economy class seats and service was as comfortable as possible. We arrived in Istanbul about 5PM and Orient whisked us to the Conrad International Hotel shortly after - very efficient. The itinerary included 2 nights in Istanbul before boarding the CROWN ODYSSEY.
Several hotels are used depending on your cabin category. The Conrad is lovely with a spectacular view of the Bosphorus but is in a residential area. Included in the cruise price was a half day sightseeing excursion of the city covering all the major hightlights of the city. Also available were 4 other excursions for purchase including an evening belly dancing & Ottoman dinner. We chose a Bosphorus cruise with a stop at the Rumeli Fortress and lunch - beautiful day and interesting and also our first sighting of our ship as we sailed by. Our luggage had been transported to the CROWN and embarkation followed our excursion. Luggage was in the cabin and everything went very smoothly.

The CROWN ODYSSEY carries about 1050 passengers, a comfortable size, and about 700 were booked for this cruise (which was a segment of an around the world trip). Orient Lines was purchased by Norwegian Cruise Lines a few years ago and in turn, NCL/Orient purchased by Star Cruises last year. I had heard that this particular ship under NCL was "run into the ground" and Orient had done some fast refurbishing before the inaugural cruise in May, 2000 - I would say it was true. It still needs a lot of work and the greasy soot that sometimes covered the stern decks and pool area was a big annoyance. Our cabin on Deck 5 in the stern area was near some kind of a leak and repairs were going on sporadically day and night on arrival with much banging and noise. After the second night I went to see the Hotel Manager and he said it was easier to move us than to stop the work. So we moved up to Deck 6 mid to front of ship and it was bliss. The cabins are ordinary, many can be either t! win beds or queen. Bathrooms efficient. The ship rides well, although our entire trip was in very calm waters. The Captain was available and friendly and gave information daily.

The food was good, not fabulous. The Seven Continents dining room is very noisy (all the ceilings are metal which enhances noise). We had a table for 8 and our companions were great and we all spent a lot of time together. The early sitting was ours and consisted of the "younger" people (which I thought was interesting) and seemed more energetic. Dinner was also available buffet style at the alternative restaurant and lunch was also served at the top deck pizza & pasta area. There was choice. There were 3 "formal" nights during our 18day cruise portion. Some tuxes, some dark suits, and some sport coats some cocktail dresses, gowns and more relaxed outfits. No one really seemed to get too involved in the dressing thing. There didn't seem to be much difference between the casual and informal nights dress. The staff is Philipino and very nice and work very hard.

The entertainment consisted of a show - dancers, or singers, or comedian, etc. They were entertaining but not Las Vegas, a pleasant way to end the evening. Piano and lounge music was available in several different places. There is a casino which is way too large for this type of clientel - it was hardly used at all. The usual bingo, dance lessons, bridge games, etc. are available. Best of all was Peter Clayton - a wonderful Egyptologist and lecturer. There was also another lecturer not quite as good but part of what Orient Lines does best. Also a very used area was the Net Center with 4 computers available. Sometimes there was a line out the door waiting to get online.

Ports: Excursions, usually several, were offered at prices ranging from about $22 - $145 per person. The disembarkation/embarkation process was similar to many cruise lines (Renaissance and Windstar are the only lines we have been on that don't make you wait in a lounge to go off by bus number). Kusadasi offered 2 excursions, Ephesus being the most popular. Transiting the Suez Canal was hot and intriguing - so different from the Panama Canal. Visits to Cairo (the pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx are wonderful, but the city is awful) and Luxor were done caravan style with police escorts, something that has been done for a number of years. Aqaba is the port for an excursion to Petra (Jordan). Petra was everything I had hoped it would be and the day was wonderful. The Jordanian people were most warm and friendly and so glad to have us there. Orient had arranged for everyone to have 2 days at Luxor including a hotel night. We were put up at the Luxor Hilton, very disappoi! nting hotel, shabby and in need of repair. What can one say about Luxor? It is awesome and the temples and the Valley of the Kings so very interesting. It was in the upper 90s so needed lots of water.

Djibouti. If the ship didn't need water and fuel, there wouldn't be any reason to stop there. Very 3rd world and millions of flies.

Kenya. The cruise portion ended with 2 days in Mombasa. Included in the cruise were a half-day sightseeing excursion. The town is poorer and less exotic than I had expected. Our cruise included a 3 day safari which ended in Nairobi. We packed a small bag and the rest of our luggage was taken to Nairobi in bond and was in our hotel rooms on arrival 3 days later. We disembarked to our vans and off we went to Tsavo. Our group overnighted at Hilton's Tatia Hills where we had a game drive and saw many animals. The next night we moved on to Amboselli National Park. Our hotel was Ol Tukai and I really wished we had more time there. The roads in Kenya are terrible and you need to be in good shape to do this safari. Hours on mud/dirt/rocky roads that shake you inside out. The animals are fabulous. You don't eat raw veggies, fruit, or salads if you are smart (true in Egypt also) and use only bottled water. Weather was great! Nairobi included a sightseeing excursion of the ! city and Karen Blixen's home. The Grand Regency was a lovely hotel to end the trip. Nairobi is a dangerous city and the hotel didn't want anyone to go out even in daytime to walk around. Home bound at 11:30PM via KLM - Nairobi/Amsterdam/Newark/Boston - 30hrs and exhaustion! It was worth it!