Byzantium Proves Indeed Byzantine : A shore excursion in Odessa runs into red tape. Aboard ship, service is unusually smooth.

A mid-April voyage through Byzantium sounded like the most exotic journey one could imagine, especially aboard the Song of Flower, a small ship we had sailed on three years ago in Alaska and liked very much.

We would set out from Piraeus, the port for Athens, and sail north toward the Black Sea, calling first in Istanbul, then visiting several former Iron Curtain countries--Bulgaria, Romania and the newly independent Ukraine--before returning south to Hydra, Corfu and Manfredonia, Italy. The trip would end in Venice 11 days later.

This summer marks the first visit to Europe for the Song of Flower, which made its American debut in 1986 as the Explorer Starship for the now-defunct Exploration Cruise Lines.

And though life aboard the ship was never disappointing, it was while ashore that we were to learn a whole new set of nuances for the word Byzantine.

In Varna, Bulgaria, we began our shore excursion on a warm note with a home visit to the hospitable family of Naiden Naidenov and his wife Natalia, who served us homemade pastries and wine from their own back-yard vines.

Then we were taken to Golden Sands, a huge tourist development of high-rise beachfront hotels where state workers could spend their holidays for very little money. Now most of the hotels are empty and boarded up, already deteriorating. No one wants to take the responsibility for operating them because of the expense, and not many Eastern European tourists are able to pay the new prices.

The more things change, the more they remain the same, it seems, especially in the harbor of Odessa in the Ukraine, where the the April wind was icy and immigration and customs procedures even more complex than we remembered from earlier visits when it was still part of the Soviet Union. As always, we were issued the old Soviet Union “passports” to carry ashore, exchanging them for our own passports when we returned to the ship.

Fortunately, it was warmer in the afternoon when we finally set out on our walking tour, originally scheduled for morning but delayed by the mountains of paperwork required by the Ukrainian government.

At the Opera House, we were surrounded by young boys vending postcards, nesting Russian dolls, lacquer boxes and embroidered caps. They were polite but persistent in their broken English, until one of them spotted a plainclothes policeman and called out a warning. At once they scattered in terror, some stumbling as they went. But when the danger passed, they were back.

Istanbul was voted everyone’s favorite port during this cruise for its well-organized shore excursions, excellent guides and fantastic shopping. Some passengers said they would have preferred spending another day there rather than in the Black Sea.

While we’ve always liked the Song of Flower because it carries a maximum of 172 passengers and the cabins and public rooms are comfortable and handsomely decorated, we found the ship better than ever on this most recent trip.

Perhaps the quality of food and service were heightened by the contrast with our shore experiences, but we cannot remember ever getting better service on any cruise ship, especially in the dining room. The waiters never hovered but were always there to pull out chairs for us, to unfold our napkins, to carry buffet plates.

The dining room is open seating, which means passengers come in when they wish and sit where and with whom they please. The wine steward serves a selection of complimentary wines at lunch and dinner; all wines, cocktails and other beverages are included in the basic fare, as are the tips. The food aboard is excellent.

All cabins on the Song of Flower are outside, with either portholes or windows. Prices for standard double cabins start at about $350 a day per person, double occupancy, with two lower beds or a queen-sized bed (which should be specified when booking since the beds are not convertible). These cabins are 183 square feet, and have portholes and bathrooms with shower.

All passenger cabins include a mini-refrigerator, fully stocked bar, fresh fruit and flowers, lock drawers for valuables, a gift hat or visor with ship logo, and terry-cloth slippers. Hanging space in the cabins is generous, and drawer space adequate. Room service for hot and cold dishes is available 24 hours a day.

The mid-priced cabins aboard have two lower beds or a queen-sized bed, windows and bathrooms with what the brochure terms a “half-tub,” which is a short, deep bathtub with shower. Prices on these run from $452 to $610 a day per person, double, depending on deck location and season of the year.

Ten 321-square-foot cabins on an upper deck have private verandas and large sitting areas with sofa and chairs; these are priced from $619 a day per person, double. These cabins are the only ones on board with full-size bathtubs.

The poshest accommodations on the Song of Flower are 10 suites on the main deck, each of them 398 square feet, with living room, bedroom and two bathrooms. The suites do not have private verandas, and the bath off the bedroom has a half-tub with shower.

Another “Voyage to Byzantium” cruise is offered Sept. 26 in the reverse direction from Venice to Piraeus at fares from $4,095 to $6,825 per person, double.

To obtain a free color brochure for upcoming Song of Flower cruises, contact a travel agent or Seven Seas Cruise Line at (800) 285-1835.