Some Attention to Detail

We recently enjoyed a small ship, Ocean Cruise Line’s Ocean Islander, a trim and handsome 250-passenger vessel, when we sailed from Venice to Nice. The ship spends summers in Europe and the Mediterranean, winters in the Caribbean and South America.

This is a ship on which attention to detail pays off. The housekeeping is impeccable. Someone is always polishing the copper elevator doors and brass rails on the stairs, while another crew member is on deck to whisk away used dishes and paper napkins the moment they’re discarded.

The swimming pool is fairly large for a small ship, and tucked away around the decks are plenty of sunny and shady hideaways.

In addition to a generous deck-luncheon buffet to supplement the dining-room lunch, passengers can get cooked-to-order hamburgers, hot dogs and kebabs, plus afternoon tea, sandwiches, pastries and hot Belgian waffles with side dishes of ice cream, fruit and toppings.

Late-Night Pizza

Hot and cold hors d’oeuvres are served at cocktail time, while late-night pizza and quiche appear in the disco after 11. A nightly midnight buffet features barbecues, Oriental dishes, seafood and so on, all garnished with whimsical ornaments carved by Filipino culinary artists from fruits and vegetables.

Choice of Prices

One innovative shore-excursion feature is a two-price choice for the all-day tours. You can book at one price for a tour that includes lunch in a restaurant, or sign up for a lower-priced version of the same tour and take along a free box lunch from the ship.

Throughout one late afternoon and evening, with intermittent commentary from cruise director Vince Eager, we sailed past the swordfishing boats in the Strait of Messina, then among the Lipari (also called Aeolian) Islands north of Sicily.

The timing was perfect for a splendid night view of the volcano Stromboli, which erupted with a belch of orange fire like the sudden, quick spurt of a fountain.

The Ocean Islander also docks in Dubrovnik and Corfu and anchors off Taormina, Sorrento, Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda and Portofino.

Piano Bar

Public rooms on board are prettily decorated, with well-marked no-smoking areas. A top deck lounge and piano bar turns into a discreet disco after dinner, while the main lounge features after-dinner variety acts with an occasional passenger-participation evening.

Good Buy for Money

Cabins are shipshape and well fitted, not large but attractive and comfortable; bathrooms have showers but no tubs.

Overall, the Ocean Islander is a good buy for the money. You get high-quality food, accommodations and service for $164 to $317 per person per day, depending on seasons and cabins.

Shipboard life was lively enough so that young singles and couples could have fun poolside, while older couples enjoyed the shaded promenade deck and comfortable wooden lounge chairs. Most were well-traveled North Americans, including a few Canadians and Mexicans, and the rest British.

The Greek officers, British cruise staff and Filipino hotel crew was a team of very nice people who worked harmoniously together.

This fall, the Ocean Islander will sail Saturdays through Oct. 21 between Nice and Piraeus on a similar itinerary, substituting Kusadasi, Mykonos and Itea for Dubrovnik and Corfu.

Then to Caribbean

Then the ship will reposition for its winter series of seven-day cruises from Barbados through the Grenadines and along the Orinoco River. For a free color brochure, call Ocean toll-free at (800) 556-8850 or ask your travel agent.

Another Treasure

Another small treasure is Sun Line’s 180-passenger Stella Maris, which sails in the Mediterranean in summer and, at least during the last several seasons, has been laid up during winter.

Too often overshadowed by her glamorous big sister Stella Solaris, the little Stella Maris offers a more relaxed cruise experience, attracting young to middle-aged couples and singles.

The ship cruises around Italy in June, July and August between Venice and Nice, with seven-day Greek island sailings from Piraeus in spring and fall. This fall’s season runs through the departure of Oct. 27, with nine busy ports of call squeezed into seven days.

A couple of inside cabins are priced from $166 a day per person, double occupancy; the rest are $203. Outsides run from $219 (there are only two of these) to $295 per person, double occupancy, a day; only the latter have bathtubs as well as showers. For brochures, call Sun Line Cruises at (800) 445-6400.

Sailing to Turkey

The 140-passenger Illiria, another little gem, is rarely available for individual bookings because it is usually under charter to an alumni or museum group. But next spring, beginning April 16, 1990, Classical Cruises, a new New York City-based company, will operate the ship on seven-day Turkish and Greek Islands cruises through Oct. 22, 1990.

Sails From Istanbul

The Illiria will sail every Monday from Istanbul and cruise along Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, calling at Kusadasi before heading down to Rhodes, Crete, Santorini, Mykonos, Piraeus and Lesbos.

We like the long, low, yachtlike lines of the Illiria and the generous use of wood and polished brass inside and out. Public rooms are pretty, especially the elegant wood-paneled library filled with volumes on history, archeology and nature, as well as a display of Greek art objects.

The cabins are a bit more austere than on other ships but the tiled bathrooms are large, almost as big as the sleeping areas, with terry-cloth robes provided for each passenger.

A few inside cabins are priced from $185 per person, double occupancy, a day, while the outside cabin prices begin at $242 and go up to $398 a day per person, double occupancy.

Classical Cruises includes house wine with lunch and dinner, plus special meals and entertainment at Greek taverns ashore; lecturers are on board throughout the cruise. Call Classical toll-free at (800) 252-7745 for information.

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The Cruise Update chart in the Sept. 10 Cruise Section listed an incorrect telephone number. The correct number for Clipper Cruise Line is (800) 325-0010.