Regatta Med cruise

We took an 18-day sojourn to the Mediterranean. Before boarding the Regatta of Oceania Cruises (Miami, FL; 800/531-5658, www.oceaniacruises.com), we spent three nights in Barcelona. What a great city! We used the “bus touristic” for two days — a wonderful way to see the city. It went right by our hotel so was an easy way to get about. We got on and off all day for the one price (€22 for two days or €18 [near $24] for one day).

We arrived in Barcelona on Oct. 31, ’06, the day before the Day of the Dead. We were a little worried about the holiday, but no problemo. We spent three nights at Hotel Expo ($363), which I had arranged through www.hotels.com, and boarded the cruise ship on Nov. 3, disembarking in Lisbon on Nov. 15.

Oceania has done a fantastic job of upgrading the old Renaissance II, which we had been on in Tahiti. The food is to die for, and with 400 staff members for only 620 guests, we had to beat them off with a stick! Rome, Sorrento, Amalfi, Taormina, Malta, Tunisia, Gibraltar, Casablanca and Lisbon: we would highly recommend this cruise. We paid $5,294 for the two of us, including all charges but not the airfare or insurance.

We used frequent-flyer miles to fly American Airlines from Los Angeles to London, then Iberia Airlines to Barcelona, then British Air from Lisbon to London and American home. We paid an additional $185 in air taxes, and the insurance through Travel Guard covering the entire trip as opposed to just the cruise was $596.

As usual, the air was by far the worst part of the trip though not bad enough to keep us from going. On a 2-hour flight, Iberia Airlines served us each a sandwich and a soft drink, but we had to purchase them. British Air, on the other hand, served a deli lunch at no charge, including both soft drinks and booze, on a similar 2-hour leg.

While the security requirements at the airports were inconvenient, we didn’t find them to be that daunting. British Air was the most strict, allowing only one carry-on and no extra purses or camera cases, etc.

JOHN PUTMAN

Sun City, CA