Adriatic ports a unique combo

For years I toiled to put together for myself a land tour that would include Bosnia & Herzegovina plus Montenegro and Albania, but the inaccessibility of air flights between these countries combined with border crossing technicalities made the process too complex.

When my article “Cruising the Danube” was printed (Dec. ’08, pg. 34), I noticed on one of the pages an ad for a five-country/seven-night Adriatic cruise package that included these three countries. Value World Tours had completely solved my quandary. Also, I had come across other cruises that included Albania, but none offered an excursion to the capital, Tirana, as this one did.

As I am one of those cruise travelers to whom unusual destinations are more important than onboard amenities. I was a perfect passenger for this ship.

The, now, Portuguese-owned MS Arion, built in 1965, was the former “Istra,” which sailed under the Yugoslav flag. I sailed on her sister ship, Dalmacija, in 1985 and met my husband on board. As you can imagine, I am nostalgic about these former Jadrolinija vessels.

In the year 2000 the ship was completely gutted and reconstructed, her interiors redesigned into a first-class (not deluxe) vessel. The décor of my Category 2 cabin leaned toward “spartan.” Nevertheless, everything worked and I had no complaints.

The quality and diversity of the meals, as well as the presentation, were superior to some I have experienced on more deluxe vessels.

Due to her smaller size, MS Arion can explore areas which megaships cannot. A limited passenger capacity, 320, allows for an intimate and cozy ambience and a single seating in the dining room.

Languages spoken on board are English and French. The passenger contingent for my July 5-12, 2009, sailing was equally divided between the two. The well-planned itinerary visited Albania, Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina, with embarkation/disembarkation in Koper, Slovenia.

Instead of flying into Venice, as the optional pretour package suggested, I decided to spend two nights in Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital.

I then took a bus two hours to Koper and took a taxi from the bus station to the pier. Getting from my hotel in Ljubljana to the pier in Koper cost a total of $47. The bus charged a baggage fee of $1.45 per piece. If I had it to do over again, I would have arranged a transfer through Value World Tours.

The cost for my Category 2 cabin was a very reasonable $1,798 per person, based on double occupancy. The additional port taxes and prebilled tips resulted in a grand total of $2,078.

The true “value” came with the realization that, for $297 per night, a land trip would have far exceeded this cost and would have been a hassle.

As I could not find a lower price anywhere on the Internet, I also purchased my air ticket through Value World Tours (17220 Newhope St. #203, Fountain Valley, CA 92708; 800/795-1633, www.valuecruises.net).

DEANNA PALIĆ

Woodland Hills, CA