CRUISING SOUTH AFRICA

View from our hotel window - Table Mountain in the clouds in the background
Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

WE HAVE visited most of North America, western Europe (mostly central, Mediterranean, and Baltic), and the Caribbean. We have also visited parts of Central America and South America, and a tiny part of Asia (Istanbul - maybe more technically "Middle East"). With the exception of North America, Portugal and London, is has all been by cruise ship.

Table Mountain Waterfront - Cape Town, South Africa
Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

HAVING DONE so, I have begun to form some opinions about the kinds of places that are conducive to cruise ship stops. And some that are not. My observations are - of course - from the viewpoint of cruise passengers. There are many other considerations, some of which have come forward more recently. They include the over-visiting by tourists of some of the places that are great places to visit by ship, but are being burdened by crowds, and by the physical, environmental damage that the large ships are causing, including seabed erosion and pollution. That is not my focus here, when I suggest that some places are better than others for cruising.

Shopping Mall connected to our hotel in the Table Bay Waterfront
Cape Town, South Africa
Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

SOUTH AFRICA is one of those places that I have concluded cruise ships and cruising is really not the way to see. We did not go to Johannesburg, so I cannot really speak to it, other than what I have read and heard. But it is an inland city, so not really reachable by ship in any kind of reasonable time frame. That really leaves Cape Town as the only true port city that would support any significant tourism. In my view, anyway. While we did stop at several other port cities, the cities themselves really didn't have enough to offer for a cruise stop.

Pedestrian Swing Bridge - Table Bay Waterfront
Cape Town, South Africa
Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

MY OWN view is that the primary "draw" of South Africa is the wildlife and its environs. Or as they call it in South Africa: The Safari, which will be the subject of the next and last blog on our South Africa cruise. In spite of the fact that we were in country or on the ship for nearly 2 weeks, there is just not much cruise-related stuff to blog about on this one. I already blogged about the actual cruise, and "the good, the bad and the ugly" about our new ship experience on the Oceania cruise lines and the Nautica ship. For a more in-depth coverage of each of the South Africa stops, you can read my LightCentricPhotography blog series, published back in March and beginning here. Since this is a "cruise" blog, I will cover the trip in a much more abbreviated way. To my way of thinking, there are basically 3 areas that relate logically to the cruise: the ship, the major port city of Cape Town, and the "safari."

Table Bay Waterfront
Cape Town, South Africa
Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

CAPETOWN IS a major city with a population of nearly 700,000. The oldest city in South Africa, it is probably the one destination that would support a cruise ship stop for things other than the safari. Even an overnight stop. The very unique geography of Table Mountain with its namesake flat top, the somewhat sheltered bay on the Atlantic, and the entire Cape Town Peninsula, including the large, False Bay, to the east, makes this a very diverse and visually interesting area. The waterfront area in Cape Town is bustling with activity, with a nice mall, and numerous bars and restaurants. We stayed right there on the waterfront at the Table Bay Hotel at Victoria Wharf.

Woodstock Gin Company
Cape Town, South Africa
Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

FOUNDED IN 1652 by the Dutch West Indies Company as a stopping point and supply station for its ships, Cape Town did not gain city status until much later. The company did not really want it to be formally "settled." They wanted it to remain a supply outpost - totally under company control. But eventually, Dutch citizens came, and stayed, and even intermarried among the indigenous "black and brown" population and its permanent status as a town and then city was inevitable.

Truth Coffee Roasters
Cape Town, South Africa
Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

WE WERE warned that crime was high, and the city was dangerous. While that seems to be true in many large cities, we understand that it is worse in South Africa than in other places where we have been. I think the key to any of these places it to be vigilant of your surroundings, try not to stray away from groups and places where there are people, keep your hands on your valuable items (and concealed whenever possible), don't wear flashy watches and jewelry, and be careful about going into areas you don't know (I had a rather nice, gold watch on one morning in the lobby of our hotel, and an obviously local guy actually pointed it out and recommended I not wear it out). Having said that, we did some walking around the city. I have to say we never felt unsafe. We did use Uber to move from place to place, for the most part.

Behind the Bar at "The Gin Bar"
Cape Town City Center - Cape Town, South Africa
Copyright Andy Richards 2023
All Rights Reserved

BUT WE also walked some of the city streets, including down in the City
Center, and an area called Woodstock (where we started our street art tour and finished in the Woodstock Gin distillery and then the Woodstock Brewery (Craft Beer and barbeque - "bree"). There are some really cool spots in the city. In the city center we found a hidden-away bar called "The Gin Bar." Can you tell we like gin? It was one of the coolest places I have ever visited. There is a trick to finding the place. You have to walk right through a small chocolate shop (in the front door and out the back) to arrive at The Gin Bar. It's worth the adventure.

Daily Specials at The Gin Bar
Cape Town City Center - Cape Town, South Africa
Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

WE ALSO did a walking street art tour in the Salt River area, starting in Woodstock, where we were part of a group of only 6 people (including our young guide). At least during daylight, the parts of the city we saw seemed peaceful and relatively clean (later in the week, we drove through an area well south of the city that was very different than that though - so we know there is widespread poverty in the country).

I thought this big cat mural on the wall of a building in the Salt River section of the city was amazing
Cape Town Street Art - Cape Town, South Africa
Photo Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

OVER THE past couple years, I have taken to seeking out and photographing street art in the cities I visit. Cape Town had its share, and we found a specific walking tour that focused just on street art, mainly in a particular part of the city known as Salt River. The art is really pretty fascinating and is a mix of historical commentary, political statement and just pure art. The artists are very talented. Lots of color to see and attractive to photograph.

Street Art
Cape Town, South Africa
Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

THERE IS a very well-kept, large national botanical garden, just south of the city, at the base of Table Mountain. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is a rather spectacular setting, with the mountains in the background. Over 1,000 acres, there are numerous walking trails throughout the grounds. Part of the mission is to maintain and cultivate species indigenous to South Africa. We spent a couple hours there on our last day in Cape Town before boarding our Cruise ship.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

Cape Town South Africa

Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

UNFORTUNATELY, EVENTS beyond anyone's control kept us from a couple of our planned adventures. During the almost 2 weeks we spent on the continent, it was extremely windy. Out in Table Bay, north of the city, Robben Island houses the prison where - among many others - Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. There is a tour and a small center out there. We had booked that tour. Conveniently for us, the excursion ferries were just a short walk from our waterfront hotel. We walked over on our scheduled morning, to learn that all ferries had been canceled due to dangerously windy conditions. Unfortunately, it was our last day in the city, and we were unable to re-schedule. If and when we return to Cape Town, that will be an item we will pursue.

Table Bay Waterfront Hotel

Cape Town, South Africa

Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

WE REALLY didn't want to spend our last day in the motel room, so I got on my phone and found us a tour of the city center, beginning at a well-known coffee brewery (Truth Coffee Roasters), where we wer to have a tour of the facility and then a walk around some of the city highlights. Booking it was easy (the execution by the online booking agency, it turns out, was not well done). Cape Town is the seat of the national legislature, and also the Parliament. We saw the parliament building - drive by fashion - on our Uber ride to the meeting point. In the tour's description, we were to walk around and see the parliament. It was a pretty cool looking building on the drive-by. Unfortunately, the booking agency didn't make any connection with the service provider, even though they confirmed with us. We waited at the coffee shop for over a half hour. Eventually, I called the provider, and they had no record of our booking. The were apologetic, but by the lateness of the hour, and all of the other cancelled bookings due to the wind issues, they just weren't able to accommodate us. We did have a nice cup of their house roasted and brewed coffee. It was good, as was the atmosphere inside fairly large shop. I would recommend a stop there if you are in the downtown area.

Table Mountain

Cape Town, South Africa

Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

PLAN B was the trip out to Kirstenbosch. One thing I should mention is that the exchange rate from the U.S. dollar to the South African rand was huge. Good for tourists. Not so much for the South Africans. We ate and drank for seemed like pennies. Our Uber rides were usually about $5-6 American. So the Uber ride out to Kirstenbosch and back was very cheap. We had also wanted to take the cable up to the top of Table Mountain for the view. But we learned from the hotel concierge that when it is cloudy or windy, the cable is often closed. That was the case during the week. As well, because of the cloud cover, we were also told that we would have pretty much zero visibility up top. We were, fortunately, on the day of our return to port and disembarkation, able to do this. The view from the top is pretty spectacular.

Bokaap - Cape Town, South Africa

Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

WE ALSO made a stop at Bokaap, as section of the city that was once built as living quarters for servants and slaves, by one of Cape Town's wealthiest farmers. Today it is gentrifying and is known for its colorful painted buildings. I had hope to spend a few minutes photographing there, and our guide for the day, Ally, was very accommodating, taking us on a short tour there and stopping for photographs. It was our last stop of the day before he took us to the airport for our long flight home.

Table Bay Waterfront
Cape Town, South Africa

Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

THERE IS one other area near Cape Town that is worth mentioning. As many people are aware, South Africa is known for its rich wine production. The area east of Cape Town, known as Stellenbosch, includes both Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. They are known for producing spectacular wines, and there are some "knock-your-socks-off" vineyards and properties out there. We did not get out there. But we certainly heard about it. Historically, this region between 25 and 50 miles from the center of Cape Town, is the area the formerly Dutch settlers who were mostly at odds with the Dutch, and later the British governments moved to from Cape Town. They became known as the Afrikaaners. If we go back to South Africa (it will be a land-based trip), I would love to spend some time out there.

Cruising South Africa - The Safari

Addo Elephant National Park, Port Elizabeth (Addo), South Africa - copyright Andy Richards 2023

SOUTH AFRICA is not somewhere I had on my radar for a cruise. But I guess any continent or country that has a substantial seacoast is a possible candidate. South Africa has a few things going against it, though, where cruising is concerned. There aren't many notable destinations that lend themselves to cruise stops - or cruise ports being built. The one place that seems like it lends itself to cruise stops is Cape Town, which has a very well-developed harbor and marine system - as it has been a shipping stop for centuries. It is the only large, developed metropolitan area near any of the coastline. There is a lot to do and experience in Cape Town. For the most part, there is not much going on in any of the other coastal cities. Maybe Durban.

Kudu -Addo Elephant National Park - Port Elizabeth (Addo), South Africa - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

ONE THING I noted about the entire South Africa Coast is that it is very windy. On the days we spent in Cape Town, it was apparently unusually so. We boarded the Oceania Nautica, a new cruise line and ship for us, on Friday after 4 full days in Cape Town. The ship is quite small compared to our experiences with Celebrity and Princess. Our typical cruise involves somewhere around 2000 - 3000 passengers (when full). There were about 450 on this cruise. The size of the ship is comparatively smaller, too. With 9 decks and a full capacity of about 670 passengers, the Nautica is just under 600 feet long, and about 80 feet wide (at the widest point), weighs in at 30,000 tons and was recently refurbished in 2022.

Michael Hammer, me, Bart O'Brien, Terry Brown and Lisa Hammer - Nautica Martini Bar - Not sure we were having any fun - (photo courtesy Lisa and Michael Hammer)

BY CONTRAST, our accustomed Celebrity ships (the Solstice and Edge classes) and Princess (Royal Class) all exceed 1000 feet in length, and are between 123 and 128 feet wide, with passenger capacities between to 2,500 to over 3,500. They range from 126 tons to nearly 130,000 tons. The Celebrity ships have 15 decks and the Royal, weighing in at 126,000 tons, has 18 decks.

Oceania Nautica compared with Edge Class Celebrity Apex - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

SOME TIME back, I blogged about the Nautica in detail, and rather than repeat it all here, I encourage you to follow the preceding link to learn more about our thoughts on the ship. I have said before that there are different features for different passengers. Some like the smaller, more intimate environment of ships like the Nautica. I also think that in places like South Africa, a number of factors (including port capacities, the size of groups traveling to the continent and the windy conditions) mitigate in favor of smaller ships. Being freshly refurbished, the traditional "trappings" of the ship were clean and polished. The overall space was quite nice.

Pink Salt reclamation - Walvis Bay, Nambibia - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

I HAVE repeated in a number of blog posts here and in my other Blog, we wouldn't recommend South Africa as a cruise destination. In our estimation, there are two primary factors that make a cruise a "good cruise." One is the ship and amenities, and the other is the itinerary of the ship. With the notable exception of Cape Town, there are really no other ports that rise to the level - in our view - of a "good" cruise stop. Indeed, in virtually every case the primary excursion and thing to do was part-day safaris. In our view, the "better" way to do this would be a land-based trip to South Africa, where you can spend more than a short port stop somewhere near the features. And much of what it spectacular about South Africa is in-country, not readily accessible from the ports. Because we think South Africa is mainly about the spectacular wildlife and natural spots, our conclusion is that a land-based trip is a better way to see it, and there are other, more desirable cruise destinations.

Walvis Bay, Namibia - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

AS THE title suggests we think South Africa was mostly about seeing wildlife (and some scenery) that cannot be seen in other parts of the world, for the most part. In South Africa, these wildlife viewing excursions (as well at some limited hunting opportunities) are referred to as "Safari." Once we boarded the cruise ship it became apparent that the vast majority of port excursions were a safari of some description. We had 5 scheduled stops during our approximately 10-day cruise, including one stop in Namibia on the west coast, and the rest in South African cities along the east coast. Of the 5, we personally had scheduled 3 safari-like trips. Our third scheduled trip was cancelled as we ultimately skipped the port due to windy conditions. In Namibia, we took an impromptu excursion on shore that did involve a pretty impressive area of pink flamingos. The Namibian Coast is also noted for its pink salt deposits and we also saw them.

Flamingos - Walvis Bay Namibia - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

OUR SECOND stop was Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), where our destination was the Addo Elephant (reserve) National Park. From the port, we traveled by car, a distance of nearly 60 miles. While the roads we traveled were mainly paved (until we got into the park), the were still country roads, through small (and sadly poor) communities, and it took us well over an hour each way from the ship.

Addo Elephant National Park - Port Elizabeth (Addo), South Africa - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

ONCE WE were in the park, our guide for the day drove the park in his own vehicle with us. There were 4 of us, my wife and me, and John and Debbie Hutton, two great and fun new friends we met on this cruise.

New friends - Michael Hammer, me, and John Hutton aboard the Nautica - photo courtesy of Michael and Lisa Hammer

PROBABLY MY favorite image of the day was the elephant who walked across the road in front of our vehicle, so close that I thought he would rub against the bumper. We got several good glimpses of elephants, as well as some other native wildlife on that very enjoyable day, getting a chance to become better acquainted with John and Debbie, who we hope to see again sometime soon.

Addo Elephant National Park - Port Elizabeth (Addo), South Africa - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

IN DURBAN, we had not been able to schedule, or join, another safari-oriented tour, so we just took the cruise shuttle to the beach and amusement area of the city, where we spent some time in their museum, and aquarium. Still mainly wildlife oriented.

Acquarium - Durban, South Africa - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

OUR FOURTH stop was Richards Bay. From this essentially industrial port, we were driven another 50 miles inland to Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve. Said to be South Africa's oldest game preserve, we were transferred from our vehicle to one of the often-seen open-air transport jeeps. From a photography point of view, this was better than our previous shooting at the Addo park from a closed vehicle. There, the best we could do was open a window. Here, we were out in the open - more or less.

Giraffes - Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve - Richards Bay, South Africa - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

WE SAW more variety of wildlife at this reserve. We never got as close to the elephants as we did at Addo, but we did see a rhino, some buffalo and giraffes. We had a fun day, and were treated to Braai, the South African term for barbequed or grilled meat. There didn't seem to be any special food in South Africa. But they do love their meat - braai.

Rhino - Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve - Richards Bay, South Africa - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

OUR RICHARDS Bay adventure was not pre-planned on our part. We had not done our usual job of organizing tours and excursions for this trip. But while on board, my new friend, Michael and Lisa Hammer had found an opening for two people with a couple from Canada that were not part of our wine group but were on the trip. They found another opportunity with some other members of the group and told us about the Canadian couple. We approached them and they were delighted to have us join them (it made for a group of 4, gave them some company, and of course, cut their cost in half - a win/win). They were a very fun couple, and we learned that we had already booked another excursion with them for the last stop of the cruise. Unfortunately, that stop was cancelled due to high winds, and we just sailed on back to Cape Town.

Cape Buffalo - Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve - Richards Bay, South Africa - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

IT SEEMS like I "promised" the occasional entertaining anecdote here on the blog. One of the things often talked about on the many on-line spaces relating to cruising is the consequences of not making it back to your ship on time when in port for the day. In our 20 plus cruise experience, we have never really even had more than a slightly nervous moment relating to this issue. In Malta, in 2017, a couple of our group got engrossed in souvenir shopping about 45 minutes away from the ship, and we had to go find them and roust them, as they were dangerously close to missing the all-aboard time. In Istanbul in 2013, our private tour vehicle got stuck in traffic and it was pretty clear that we weren't going to be back to the ship at our all-aboard time. Again, we remained un-worried, as we could see a half dozen Princess Tour Busses around us. We knew all we had to do was get there before the last of them unloaded. We easily did. In 2019 in Naples, my wife and I had taken the ferry to the Isle of Capri. We miscalculated, thinking we would just come down the funicular when it was time to leave, and buy a ticket back. I stood in the ticket line with plenty of time and was one of 4 who were turned away because the ferry was full. We would have to wait 1 1/2 hours for the next one, which would get us back exactly at the all-aboard time. If everything went well. Still no real worries for us. We considered what we would do if we missed it. Our next stop was not that far away, and we figured we would just find a way there. We didn't need to. In 2015, as our Celebrity Reflection cruise pulled away from Old San Juan, well away from the dock and gaining speed, our ship suddenly slowed and the captain came on the PA system to let us know that the harbor master had very graciously agreed to bring a single straggler out. He had to board the moving ship from the harbor master boat! I would never count on that happening! One thing to keep in mind is that it takes the ship some time to prepare to disembark and the all-aboard time is always at least 30 minutes before sail-away. While that doesn't guarantee you will get on, it does give some breathing space. Well. On this trip, we had some very nervous moments, and came very close to learning what it would be like to miss the ship. At our Richards Bay Safari, we had some communications issues between the different persons responsible for our transportation. To make a long story short, we were 15 minutes late for the all-aboard time. Fortunately, my new buddy, Mike and I had exchanged numbers, and I was able to text him as we were on the road, and it was apparent that we were going to be late. He notified the ship authorities, and they called my wife, whose number they had for emergency contact, to confirm. We did make it back, (indeed, 15 minutes before sail-away) but not before becoming minor "celebrities" on the ship. Like the man said: "I am a Celebrity!" 😁

Baboons - Cape Point Nature Reserve - Cape Town, South Africa - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

BACK IN Cape Town, our flight back to the U.S. didn't leave until sometime around mid-night, and we had booked a driver/guide for the day to give us some additional sightseeing in and around the Cape, and eventually drop us at the airport. On board, another couple - who we had met previously, first on the inaugural O'Brien cruise to the Caribbean on the Celebrity Reflection, and then a couple years later in Ireland during another O'Brien trip - had a similar flight schedule, with no plan for the day. Their son asked us if they could join us. We had plenty of room and it worked out perfectly. The day turned out beautiful, with sunny skies and winds much reduced from the prior week.

Ostriches - Cape Point Nature Reserve - Cape Town, South Africa - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

OUR EXCURSION included a drive around the southern tip of the cape, visiting the Cape of Good Hope, and the huge national park surrounding it. We saw more wildlife, including Baboons and Ostriches, among others.

Penguin Colony - Cape Town, South Africa - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

WE ALSO stopped at the Penguin Colony and were able to get some up-close photos of the Penguins. Looking at my own photographs, it was pretty easy for me to see that South Africa is really all about the safari. As we concluded our trip, we knew that we would not likely take a cruise in South Africa again - but we certainly might make a trip back there and focus on the safari.

"Event" Cruising - Tales of a Vineyard Voyage

Barb and Bart O'Brien - Proprietors - O'Brien Estate Winery

WE STARTED cruising in May of 2010, with our first experience being a one-way Alaska Inside Passage Cruise (on Princess' Diamond Princess). I may have mentioned in previous blogs that I was very "lukewarm" about the cruising experience in general. I had been hearing about them for years, growing up. Mostly what we heard about were Caribbean Cruises. My "mind's eye" conjured big buffets, open 24-hours, serving low quality food; swimming pools and beaches. I grew up in Michigan, land of many inland lakes, and surrounded by the Great Lakes, so water and boats were not a concern for me. Neither were they a particularly big deal. My thoughts for vacations at that time leaned toward traveling on terra firma.

On a "lark," we signed up

OF COURSE my preconceptions were wrong, and to my surprise, I ended up liking cruising. Enough that I looked forward to the next one, which didn't come until two years later, this time in February of 2012, and this time in The Caribbean (on Princess' Ruby Princess). On both of these cruises we were with family. Anyone who had experience gets that Alaska and the Caribbean are two very different experiences. But the common denominator is still the onboard cruise experiences - and there are a lot of similarities there. We have since been on many cruises - both warm and cool weather - and on balance, I have to say that I enjoy the warm weather for the onboard experience. After the Ruby Princess experience we were ready to do more cruising. Following our Alaska adventure, that view changed dramatically. Since then we have been on 20 cruises - and counting. Over a period of 15 years, our cruising has eventually divided up into 3 different categories. Our "sun and fun" cruises are in the Caribbean. Our other cruises are in as many different parts of the world as we can find - and are our exploring the world cruises. The third category is more of a special event type cruise. We have had two of them (so far), and both have been sponsored by Bart and Barb O'Brien and The O'Brien Estate Winery, in Napa, California.

My thoughts for vacations at that time leaned toward traveling on terra firma

OUR THIRD cruise would be a bit of a new adventure. But first, some background. Our daughter moved to San Francisco in the mid-2000's. My wife and I were married in October, and we had begun to make the September/October time of the year a kind of travel/anniversary trip tradition. It doesn't always happen, but it has made that time of year a time we plan for. It doesn't hurt that in most parts of the world that is some of the best weather also. In 2011, we decided to travel to San Francisco in early October to visit our daughter. In part to celebrate the "anniversary" part of the trip, we booked an overnight in Napa, with a private guide - wine tasting. We visited 3 vineyards, and had private tastings, in two cases with the owners of the facilities. We thoroughly enjoyed that and I ultimately became (albeit long-distance and mostly "electronic") friends with those owners. It would turn out that they actually had a connection, though neither they nor us knew about our very insignificant touch on that. More on that later. We signed up for their "wine club" allotment system in both cases, and began receiving periodic shipments of their wine.

O'Brien Estate Winery - Vineyards
Copyright Andy Richards 2011 - All Rights Reserved

ALONG WITH the wine shipments, The O'Brien Estate, included a newsletter, with news about the vineyard, notes about the included wine, and often a recipe for a meal that paired well with the wines. Sometime in 2012, the newsletter contained some interesting "news." The owners, Bart and Barb O'brien, had decided to initiate some group travel opportunities for members. They enjoyed travel themselves and thought offering a travel experience which included tastings (or perhaps "seminars") about wine - and in particular - their wine might be an experience members would enjoy.

Obrien Wine Cruise - Celebrity Reflection 2013
Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved

WHEN YOU first meet Bart and he does a presentation, you will hear the clever and novel "story" of the O'Brien Estate wines. It is a love story, in which they have named their wines commensurately, from the newest wines to the medium to bold reds, to their dessert wine. Appropriately, their Sauvignon Blanc is called "Fascination," the Chardonay: Attraction; a series of reds from "Romance of the Heart," "Seduction" (their signature blend), "Passion of The Soul," and "Devotion."

THE FINAL chapter of the story is their dessert wine: "Reflection." It is well worth saying that these wines are not just some quirky, cheesy (although they do pair well with cheese - just sayin') sales and marketing gimmick. The Obrien Estate Wines are first and foremost, very high quality (consistently scoring in mid-high 90's in sources like "Wine Spectator"). They are also delicious. I am red drinker myself and I generally switch hit between the signature blend Seduction and their very smooth and tasty Merlot. If you happen to be in Napa, do yourself a favor and book a tasting with them. You will thank me.

NOW BACK to (our regularly scheduled programming) cruising. The O'brien Estate inaugural cruise was scheduled for February, 2013, a 7-day cruise out of Miami, with ports of call in San Juan, St. Maarten and St. Kitts. The "new adventure" for us was two-fold. We had 2 Princess Cruises under our belts and were pretty sold on the Princess experience. We still like to cruise on them. But this cruise was on a cruise line we had seen in ports, but had no familiarity with: Celebrity. Why Celebrity? Celebrity had 2 primary ship classes at the time: the older Millenium Class (starting with the Celebrity Millenium), and the newer "Solstice Class (starting not surprisingly with the Celebrity Solstice). In 2018, Celebrity launch their third and newest class of much more modern ships: The Edge Class. We have cruised on all 3 classes; more on Solstice and Edge ships. The 5th and final ship of the Solstice class was launched in 2012 and sported a few additional amenities, making it a (still) great favorite of Celebrity cruisers; the Celebrity Reflection. What better ship to initiate the O'brien cruise experience than with a brand new ship, whose namesake just happened to be the same as their ultimate desert wine: Reflection?

Engaging in some silliness with our new friends 
O'Brien Wine Cruise - Celebrity Reflection 2013

ON A lark, we signed up. The second "new experience" for us was going on a cruise by ourselves, with very little planning. We wouldn't know a soul on board. But that would soon change. The good thing was that onboard activities were pretty well planned for us. There being only 3 ports, we really didn't need to do much planning. We did plan our own excursion on St. Kitts (having been there previously without really doing anything). We took their narrow gauge railway around the high elevations on the island, and finished with a catamaran cruise back to the cruise ship. It was really fun.

I AM one of those "loyalty guys." If you show me good stuff I am impressed. If you continue to show me good stuff, I become a loyal patron. As such I was certainly moving in the direction of loyalty to Princess. At the same time I was prepared to not like Celebrity as much as Princess. Pre-cruise and at the beginning of the cruise, I made some unfavorable comparisons. In reality they mostly showed my bias (which in fairness wasn't based on all that much: 2 prior cruises).,In reality most of them weren't good vs. better, but just different. There are things Princess does better. There are things Celebrity does better. that is always going to be true. In the next couple years we would cruise again on Princess two more times, with a couple Celebrity Cruises mixed in. Later, we would cruise again on Princess (because the itinerary and opportunity was right). Over time and with more data, I do lean a bit toward Celebrity (enough so that we have The Reflection 5 times, and would gladly sail it again, given the right itinerary). But we wouldn't hesitate to sail on Princess (or Holland America - which we have sailed once), again if the ship, itinerary and opportunity was right. The Celebrity Reflection, though is most certainly our favorite "Solstice Class" ship. We have history with it.

The Wine Tower in the MDR - Celebrity Reflection
O'Brien Estate Wine Cruise - 2013

DURING OUR at sea days, we had several "seminars," which involved tasting and drinking Bart and Barb's wines. They brought I don't know how many cases aboard as part of the program. We got to hear the O'brien wine Romance story (again 😁). We signed up for the ship-sponsored Reidel Tasting, which was an hour-long tasting of some of the ship's better wines with the goal to demonstrate why there are different shaped and designed glasses for drinking different wines. Who knew? One good part of the deal was that each participant got a voucher for 4 Reidel wine glasses. We still have all 8 of them in our wine bar area. The Reflection had a wine tower that dominated the main dining room and went 3 full stories. It was full of hundreds of wine bottles and from time to time you would see the somoliers climbing up to retrieve different bottles. At that time, Celebrity had branded itself as a wine-centric cruise line (sadly, I am not sure they could deservedly say that today). That is perhaps another reason the Reflection was selected for the inaugural cruise.

Our Table-mates from the O'Brien Reflection Cruise - 2013

IN 2013, most of the mainline ships (other than NCL) still mostly went by the standard model of assigned tables and times for dining. The O'brien group were assigned 3 of their own tables. We were placed with six other travelers who were friends and family. Lou and Penny (you have ocassionally have seen their name here), a couple who were their friends, and Penny's mom and her boyfriend. Lou and Penny were the club members. We hit it off right away and ended up meeting for drinks before dinner and going off the ship together in San Juan. They introduced us to another club member, John and his girlfriend. In 2014, the 6 of us rented a house in Napa for 3 days and did independent wine tasting. On one of our evenings, we visited the O"Briens at their vineyard and had a cookout. Lou and Penny have been to our home in Florida a couple times. We all keep in touch today.

THE CRUISE was short but fun. Following a farewell wine reception I chatted with Barb (perhaps my first personal conversation with her of any length). Up until this time our conversations and interactions were cordial, but we hadn't really gotten to know either of them well. In this conversation with Barb, she asked a little about our trip to the vineyard in 2011 and that led to where else we had done tastings. In the small world department, the other vineyard we had made a connection with (and signed up for the allotment) was another small, local vineyard called Aonair. Back in the early days (around the time we visited there), the proprietor, Grant Long had a very small operation and owned no property. All his grapes were grown on very small rented plots, all on high mountain areas. The Aonair wines were all organically grown and fermented. While Grant has moved on, purchasing his own land and moving his base of operations there, at the time we were on the Reflection, it turns out that he had his wine bottled at the O'Brien Estate. Small world.

More New Friends - Obrien Estate Wine Group - Kilkenny, Ireland

FROM THAT brief conversation with Barb, and some other events, our friendship with the O'Briens grew. Proud of his Irish Heritage (Bart is a descendent of Ireland's most famous King: Brian Boru - the name O'Brien means "of Brian"), Bart is a member of a society dedicated to the history of that monarchy. In April we again joined the O'Brien Estate group on a multi-day (land-based) journey through Ireland, following the lifeline of the King. It was a great trip with a small group on a tour bus and in small bars in the towns we stayed in, and we not only got to know more of the members (unfortunately, Lou and Penny weren't with us on that trip), but we got some one-one time with Bart and Barb again, getting to know each other even better. In October, we did the trip out to Napa. Whew! that's a lot of "Bart and Barb" time. 😀

Did I mention that these are some of the best wines in the world?

OVER THE years since, the Obrien Travels have included several other cruises, including a couple river cruises. They always center around wine, with trips to local vineyards and wine country being a prominent part of the itineraries. For numerous reasons, our own travel and cruising has not meshed with them for much of that period. Until 2023. Sometime in 2022, the Newsletter included the newest upcoming cruise for the wine club members, this time to South Africa. I wil say from the outset that I would not consider South Africa a prime cruise destination. My own recommendation is that if you want to visit South Africa a land-based tour would be more fruitful. Having said that, it appears that at this time few cruise ships port there and when they do they tend to be the smaller (and perhaps more exclusive) ships. In this case our cruise would be on the Oceania Nautica.

O'Brien South Africa Cruise - Oceania Nautica - 2023
Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

OWNED BY the large, mainline cruise line: Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL), Oceania is deemed by them their "luxury" cruise line. The ships tend to be smaller (though the newest ships are certainly trending larger). Our "sweetspot" Celebrity ships have a passenger capacity of 2,500 - 3,000. The Nautica's capacity is 670; a quarter the size of our accustomed ship. We found that the accomodations were commensurately smaller. Our balcony room was small but nicely furnished. Our only quibble was the very tiny bathroom. Too small for comfort. There were not as many spaces on board. But the spaces that were there were all very nice. The ship was very traditional in its decor, but also very clean and well kept. A so-called "luxury" line, it was also commensurately more expensive than our normal fare. While there were some very nice touches, I would not judge it worth the significant difference in cost. But this was an "event" cruise, and if you want to participate in the event, you do not get to choose the ship. Besides, it was a new adventure. There were enough positives that I would "never say never," about cruising on an Oceania ship in the future.

We made a few new friends and caught up with some old 

ONE THING that I will say is that the food was (mostly) the best we have had on any cruise. Particularly the food in the main areas like the main dining room, buffet and the poolside grill. Ironically, the one exception to that was the so-called specialty restaurants (which were part of the all-inclusive cruise - but very difficult to get into). Our group had one night in one of the two specialty restaurants. We were fortunate to be invited to join another couple we had become friends with on this cruise in the other restaurant. Each night the food in those restaurants was marginal. On the other hand, we ate in the main dining room all but once on the balance on the cruise. The food was excellent as was the service!

"Martini's" - The main bar on the Oceania Nautica
O'Brien South Africa Wine Cruise - 2023

WE ALSO enjoyed the rather small (by comparison to, for example, the Martini Bar on the Celebrity Edge class ships) comfortable "Martinis" Martini Bar. It was pretty much in the middle of the ship - fore to afte and up and down - and was flanked by the very small (an not much occupied) casino and a very nice seating area. Our group often used it as our before meal meeting spot. In general, the cruise was nice - but what made it special was the O'Brien group. We made a few new friends and caught up with some old friends. Craig and Georgia were on the inaugural O'Brien trip - on the Celebrity Reflection. And, I believe they have joined every one of the subsequent trips. I didn't remember meeting them on the Reflection, but we did sit with them for dinner the first night of the Ireland Trip (where we first heard about their son, Benji). On the Nautica, we met Benji and his partner, Clay and had cocktails and conversation somewhat frequently on board. We learned from them that Clay and Georgia had quite late flights out of Cape Town on our last day, as did we. We had booked a driver and guide to pick us up from the ship and spend the day touring around the Cape and my wife was easily able to have them added to our little group of two. The four of us spent a great day - although and exhausting one at that - seeing the sights of the cape: Table Mountain, Table Mountain National Park, and the vicinity of False Bay where we saw magnificent views, took a boat ride to see the harbor seals, saw the penguin colony, ostriches, and baboons and of course, the obligatory stop at The Cape of Good Hope. We had a delightful lunch with an incredible view and then finished the day seeing the colorfully painted houses of Bo-kaap. 

Craig and Georgia Boehlke
O'Brien South Africa Wine Cruise - 2023

IN SOME ways, the South Africa trip was the trip of a lifetime for us. While we fully intend to go back there someday on a land-safari based tour, as we age, we never know whether and when that will really happen. In the meantime, we were able to make the best of what we had, taking a couple daytime tours of animal parks and getting some pretty nice wildlife photos. We also continued to make new friends along the way. And of course, there were the "mandatory" 😆 Seminars. Twist my arm. These seminars involved the excruciating experience of having to drink some of Bart and Barb's delicious wine, and hearing some history and "war stories" about The Obrien Estate history and experience. And of course, the "Romance" story (again ).😉 The price we had to pay. Did I mention that these are some of the best wines in the world, ranking high on critic reviews - but more importantly, ranking high on my palate? And, I am not a true wine expert but I can say that I get the same reaction time and again when I serve one of the O'Brien wines!

O'Brien South Africa Wine Cruise Seminar
Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved

IT WAS interesting for me to compare the experience on this smaller ship versus our usual medium to large Celebrity, Princess, and eventually, HAL cruise ships. The upscale, kind of "clubby" decor was nice. The smaller buffet with fresher and in general better, foods was really nice (though there was a time or two when seating was a challenge). The dining room was my favorite main dining room of any ship I have been on so far.

Michael and Lisa - great and fun new friends
O'Brien Wine Cruise - South Africa 2023

THE ONBOARD amenities were mostly pretty good and included some very good "enrichment" programming. Rather than just having the cruise director talk about ports, the Nautica brought two South Africa experts on board and the programming went well beyond the "this is what you will see when you are on shore" kind of talks. In particular, one of the speakers was a university professor from South Africa who gave us some great and in some cases unfortunate, insight into the state of South Africa today and into the immediate future. Both of them delved into the history and culture of the country. Typically a day late and a dollar short, I read Michener's "The Covenant" after I returned from the cruise. I wish I had read it first as it would have brought much of what we saw and heard into a very different light.

My favorite entertainer aboard Nautica
Obrien South Africa Wine Cruise - 2023

THE ONBOARD entertainment was pretty good. They had a much smaller cast and orchestra for the evening shows, and while they weren't the huge, extravaganzas we were accustomed to on Princess ships, they were reasonably well done. The theatre was tiny. But of course a full ship would be less than a quarter of the bigger ships, and this ship was well under capacity on this cruise. To me, there was one "shining start" among the entertainers. There was a combo group which appeared to be lead by my buddy in the photo. I was a musician in high school, particpating in a couple different bands and playing three different brass instruments, so I alway love the small combo bands, especially when they play jazz and similar music. These guys played in one of the large bars with a dance floor nightly, and on sea days for a couple hours out on the pool deck. This guy played several different instruments expertly, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. On our last night I made it my mission to introduce myself.

Two of my new "best buddies" - Michael and John
Obrien Wine Cruise - South Africa - 2023

MICHAEL HAMMER and I met on board at our first dinner with the group and we hit it off. Probably because I am just so darn likeable. We got to know Michael and his wife, Lisa pretty well during the week. Shortly after the cruise, Michael (a physician) took a job just south of where we live in Florida and we have been able to catch up a couple times. We also met John and Debbie and joined them on one of our "Safari" days. We spent a fair amount of time with them on board also. This was a pretty small and pretty close-knit group and it made being on the very small ship a lot of fun. As always I did meet a couple other folks who were not part of our group but were fun to talk to - not surprisingly in the smoking area where I spent some time with my cigars. Just as a side note, the cigar/smoking accomodations were not among the best I have experienced. But we got by. 😈

Barb O'Brien and (as Jimmy Buffet once said) "Just a few Friends"
Obrien Wine Cruise - South Africa - 2023

TO TRY to bring this long-winded account to a close, I want to say that when I first joined the O'Brien Wine Club, it was about business. And about wine that I thought was pretty darn good! When Bart tells the "romance story," he starts by talking about friendship. The story, he says: "is our story and it is your story." I love the wine (and so will you - I guarantee it). When I think about my own experience with The Obrien Estate these days I don't really think about wine. What I think about is friendship. We have been rewarded with the frienship of Bart and Barb O'Brien for sure. But the friendship has been an ever-growing circle and we count friends like Lou and Penny, John Mossop, Michael and Lisa, John and Deb, Craig and Georgia, and others who haven't been named but are certainly in that mix. Thanks to Bart and Barb and their O'Brien Estate Winery. And thanks to cruising - which for us brought this all together!

If you like pictures and want to see more of the adventures we have had on Obrien Estate Member Trips, you can see them on my personal photo website: LightCentricPhotography.com (they are not specifically labeled or identified as "O'Brien" trip photos, but the galleries in The Caribbean, South Africa, and Ireland contain many photos that were made during those trips).