A Review of a Croatian Coastal Cruise in a Small Private Yacht

Croatian Coastal Cruise Review

By Susan R. Pollack

After being cooped up in the house for 2½ years and weary of our long pandemic pause from traveling, my husband and I decided the time had come to split Detroit — for Split, Croatia.

Familiar to many as a film site for “Game of Thrones,” Split is the historic Croatian port city that was the departure point for our early fall cruise along the island-studded Dalmatian coast.

A Croatian Coastal Cruise is an Ideal Group Trip

We traveled aboard Katarina Line’s MV Futura, a 156-foot yacht with three decks, 19 cabins and a swim platform for daily dips in the shimmering blue-green Adriatic Sea.

Croatian coastal cruise on the 38-pax Futura. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

My friend, Terri Colby, booked the deluxe ship, with free WiFi and sundeck, for her Chicago book club and invited a handful of literary-minded Midwestern friends to join the weeklong September (2022) sailing round-trip from Split. With unseasonably warm daytime temperatures in the 80s, it was a delightful escape from the tedious confines of COVID-lockdown living.

In addition to a relaxing getaway with beautiful scenery on and off the water, our Croatian coastal cruise offered a mini-cultural immersion — showcasing Croatian history, food and music — in a movie-set-worthy destination that’s increasingly popular with international travelers.

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Dubrovnik’s famous wall. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

Connected during our year of vacation anticipation by a Facebook group page and a few Zoom calls, our congenial group of 26 gathered aboard the ship on a Saturday afternoon and set sail Sunday morning, accompanied as we left the port by a pod of dolphins cavorting in the waves.

The group of 26 enjoying dinner aboard the Futura. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

One passenger was joined by her two sisters and a niece from Ireland, another with cousins from Germany, adding an international flair to the outing.

Other shipmates were friends of friends from five states, including Florida, Ohio and Iowa. There was even a librarian in our midst, apropos for a floating book club.

We’d decided to take the plunge, so to speak, primarily because the Futura is a small ship, not one of the large mega-cruise ships where COVID-19 and other virus outbreaks are a bigger risk and concern.

We also were eager to get to Europe to visit our daughter, who lives and works remotely in the Swiss Alps. We hadn’t seen her in 15 months and made plans to meet in Florence and drive with her through northern Italy and Switzerland after the cruise.

Our Croatia Yacht Cruise — Perfect Mix of Land & Sea

And, oh, what a cruise it was, with just the right comfort level to get our rusty “travel feet” back in the game.

For me, the Futura offered the perfect mix of land and sea.

There was enough sailing time to lounge aboard the ship, chat with fellow passengers and even finish an entire book, plus plenty of daily port time to explore the picturesque island villages and Croatian coastal cities where we docked.

We typically cruised in the morning and docked in the afternoon, with a swim session in-between.

Dubrovnik’s pretty Harbor. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

Our Croatian Coastal Cruise Itinerary

With the aid of headsets, our knowledgeable cruise manager, Stan Utrobicic, led guided tours of each destination, including Split and the fascinating walled city of Dubrovnik. Then he turned us loose to wander on our own.

It was the kind of casual itinerary where we didn’t feel compelled to buzz around crazily for fear of missing out, something much appreciated by Type A’s like me.

Cruising round-trip from Split, we visited:

• Korcula
• Mljet National Park
• Dubrovnik (2 overnights)
• Peljesac Peninsula (Trstenik)
• Hvar
• Bol (on Brac Island)
• Milna

“The sites that we saw, with the exception of Split and Dubrovnik, were not world-class sites but they were utterly charming,” observed Sharon Strangenes, a retired Chicago journalist. “If you skipped something, it wasn’t like you skipped the Mona Lisa. I didn’t feel like I had to explore every corner of these places . . . and that was very relaxing for me.”

Our group size of about two dozen was manageable, too. We didn’t overwhelm a site and could fan out a bit and explore on our own or return to the ship if we chose.

Stan the guide with the group at Diocletian’s Palace in Split. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

Leaving the Futura for daily excursions and the occasional portside meal was an interesting process.

Small-ship cruising is so popular in Croatia that, to go ashore, we typically had to zigzag through several Katarina Line ships moored side by side in a line stretching toward shore.

For that reason, this cruise unfortunately is not recommended for those in wheelchairs or with otherwise limited mobility. Minding the gaps, we carefully crossed from ship to ship and, naturally, checked out their décor as we traipsed through.

VIDEO: Cruise manager and tour guide Stan Utrobicic shares some background on the Dalmatian coast below.

Details of the 38-pax Futura

Our ship compared favorably. Built in 2013 and refurbished in 2017, the Futura is classically sleek and spotlessly clean, gleaming with polished brass and teak trim.

Done up in calming neutrals and lilac, cabins are relatively spacious, comfortable and air-conditioned.

A Futura stateroom. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

They’re well-appointed with TV, safe deposit box, indirect lighting and efficient bathrooms that are supplied with a hair dryer and fresh towels, including beach towels for the daily Adriatic swims that were a highlight for many passengers.

Lisa Parsons, a Chicago attorney, was among those who didn’t miss an opportunity to climb down the ladder at the ship’s stern.

“To swim in the Adriatic feels so wonderful — it feels exotic and different,” she declared.

Why the Futura?

My friend, Terri, a freelance travel writer, chose the Katarina Lines’ Futura cruise because it was “budget-friendly” — nearly everything was included in the base price without a lot of nickel-and-diming — and she had “loved” a previous cruise on another Katarina ship, especially the fact that not all meals were included. You could eat some meals off ship and experience Croatia.

Terri did not actually charter the Futura, but reserved a group of cabins for a special “group price” about one year ahead of the sail date. No one else signed on to our week, so our group of 26 had the ship to itself (it can hold a total of 38 passengers); our cruise wound up being just like a private charter.

“I picked the dates and ship, and then the company set prices and people started booking. The itinerary was not opened to the public, but would have been if we didn’t get enough people,” she said.

A Dalmatian dog in Dalmatia. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

Water Toys on our Croatian Coastal Cruise

Stand-up paddle boards added to the nautical fun.

For less skilled swimmers like myself, there were ropes to cling to in the current, plus swim rings and other water toys to play with.

Several crew members stood watch during the swim sessions.

Throughout the cruise, wet bathing suits, towels and even some undies blew in the breeze on clotheslines strung along the rails outside some cabins, lending a quirky touch to the shipboard scene.

Swimming in the Adriatic. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

Futura’s Amenities, Activities & Entertainment

The most popular shipboard perk was the fancy coffee machine that dispensed an array of free hot beverages. A line formed every morning when the salon opened.

Many cruise hours were spent sipping and chatting in the lounge area outside the salon and on the upper deck, arranged with chaise lounges, deck chairs and a small Jacuzzi.

One sunny afternoon, we enjoyed a shipboard tasting of local olive oils and wines, which whet our appetites for more ashore.

Wine tasting on board the Futura. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

Passengers supplied other onboard entertainment, from early morning yoga on the sundeck to a late-night trivia game and a midweek book club featuring a novel about the Yugoslavian civil war of the early 1990s.

Morning yoga on deck. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

We invited a young crew member who tended bar, served meals and, we later found out, was a former history teacher, to join us and share her perspective on what it was like growing up during the war.

The Dalmation Duo, local musicians with a keyboard and guitar, came aboard to entertain during the gala Captain’s Dinner and much dancing and merrymaking ensued.

Amid the drinking and photo-taking, a passenger from Chicago joined in on harmonica at night’s end and many passengers formed a Conga line through the salon.

The Dalmation Duo inspiring passengers to dance! * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

Dining on our Croatian Coastal Cruise

The Futura’s focal point is a handsome salon where passengers (38 at full capacity) gather for meals, from bountiful breakfast buffets and the occasional lunch spread to plated lunches and dinners served by genuinely friendly crew members.

The helpfulness and general affability of the eight-member crew, even those less proficient in English, went a long way toward making the cruise a pleasant experience for all.

The 8-person crew of Futura. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

The food, in a word, was outstanding. It ranged from traditional Croatian fare such as pasticada (stewed beef in a tasty sweet and sour sauce) to an American gourmet-style Captain’s Dinner — beef tenderloin, homemade pasta in a parmesan mushroom sauce, and chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream.

Our tasty first dinner of the cruise. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

One of the many yummy desserts. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

Produce was fresh and plentiful, and breads and pastries were either homemade, procured by crew at local markets or delivered to the ship, as we saw one morning, by small boats from shore.

A lunch aboard the Futura. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

Breakfasts, my personal favorite, included grilled mushrooms, bacon, sliced frankfurters, eggs, breads, strudel and other homemade pastries, and plates of cured meats and local and imported cheeses accented by bright red tomatoes and almonds.

The appetizing cheese plate at the breakfast buffet. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

Fresh fruit in a bowl, dried fruit and nuts, and an array of bottled vinegars were always included. Small decanters of olive oil were among condiments on each table.

The vegetarians in our group, including Parsons, were happy. “The kitchen was very accommodating, better than I expected,” she said.

Bottled water, with or without carbonation, was a meal constant. And each passenger’s first beverage at both lunch and dinner was free.

Beyond that, most cocktails and other alcoholic beverages were a reasonable four euros.

Toasting a lovely Dubrovnik sunset on board the Futura. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

Shore Excursions on our Futura Croatian Coastal Cruise

Activities were varied during shore excursions as well, from biking, swimming or ferrying to a 12th-century Benedictine monastery on a small island in Mljet National Park to sightseeing and wine tasting on the vineyard-, lavender-, and olive grove-studded island of Hvar, a celebrity-favorite known for its sunny days and party nights.

Guide Stan lectures in Hvar Harbor. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

We toasted each other — and the cruise that brought us together — during an early evening stop in the cellar tasting room of the family-run hillside winery, Luviji.

One afternoon on the Peljesac Peninsula, my husband found his way to a winery owned by the family of Mike Grgich and posed with a life-size cutout of the pioneering vintner.

Steve and the Grgich cutout. *Selfie: Steve Pollack

He’s well-known for emigrating to California and creating the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that wowed the wine world in a major 1976 competition, famously known as “The Judgement of Paris.”

Korcula, our First Island Stop

As a travel writer, I really enjoyed our first island stop, Korcula, the reputed birthplace of the legendary traveler and travel writer Marco Polo, who is also claimed as a native son by Venice, Italy.

We sipped the local white wine, Grk, on a stone terrace at sunset and watched servers in a nearby 15th-century tower fortress-turned-cocktail bar raise and lower drinks in a basket from a rooftop turret.

One night, Futura passengers were bussed to a hillside donkey farm, followed by a traditional peka dinner with locals in a village restaurant-tavern.

A Dalmatian specialty, peka is a blend of root vegetables and meat (lamb and veal) drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with herbs while baking over a fire under a bell-like dome known as a peka.

The peka dinner in town * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

Full Day Exploring Dubrovnik

A cruise highlight for many passengers was the full day we spent in Dubrovnik riding an orange cable car up Mount Srd for sweeping views of the city and coastline, touring the Croatian war museum, walking along Old Town’s Medieval stone walls, dining at various outdoor cafes in the narrow passageways, visiting an historic pharmacy, and inspecting “Game of Thrones” film sites and souvenirs.

Views from the Dubrovnik cable car. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

Sipping drinks at a seaside bar with pinch-me views provided a memory I’ll treasure for a lifetime. It ranks with our stirring shipboard introduction to Dubrovnik the previous day when we cruised past the storied Old Town walls at sunset.

Utrobicic, our tour manager, recited a famous poem about freedom and played a recorded version of the “Game of Thrones” theme song by the acclaimed Croatian duo, 2Cellos.

A beautiful sunset in Dubrovnik. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

Last Full Day, Spent in Brac

On our last full day, some of us strolled and shopped for souvenirs along the pretty promenade in Bol on the island of Brac, while others swam at the famous beach, Zlatni Rat, which translates to the Golden Horn.

The famous Zlatni Rat beach. * Photo: Steve Pollack

Futura in the background, behind statues in Bol Harbor. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

Overall, we were impressed with how well Katarina Line handled logistics, efficiently escorting us to the ship and transporting our luggage there.

They also smoothly transferred us to the airport, a critical part of any cruise experience, soon after we docked.

Pre-Cruise Stay in Split

We had scheduled our arrival in Split a few days before the cruise to avoid any last-minute flight snafus and to get acclimated to the time zone, six hours later than home.

Booking a modern guestroom near the city center gave us plenty of opportunity to tour, on our own and with an English-speaking guide, the main attractions: the ancient, well-preserved ruins of the retirement palace of Diocletian, the Roman general-turned Emperor, and Old Town Split, the city that grew within it.

Sue and her husband Steve in Split’s Diocletian’s Palace. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

We booked the guesthouse, “Luxury Rooms Fortuna” for its excellent location, a short walk from Diocletian’s Palace and across the street from a grocery store.

Nondescript and graffiti-marked on the outside, it’s not a traditional hotel with a lobby but rather a handful of clean, modern rooms with excellent bathrooms, air conditioning, free WiFi and an electric tea/coffeemaker.

The lone drawback? Our room was up three flights of stairs with no elevator so travelers need some degree of fitness. But the service was excellent and the manager, Matko, booked an efficient airport pickup for us three days before our ship sailed.

I found it on Booking.com for about $155/night.

Exploring Split

In addition to exploring the UNESCO World Heritage site, with its maze of residences, shops and cafes, we strolled along the Riva, Split’s busy seaside promenade, and visited the colorful outdoor market with its fresh produce, brandies and other Croatian products.

The farmer’s market in Split. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

And we made sure to rub the huge shiny toe of the Gregory of Nin statue towering near the city’s famous Golden Gate.

The Gregory of Nin toe in Split. * Photo: Susan R. Pollack

A Great Way to Travel

If I were the superstitious type, I’d say that brought us the good luck of a COVID-free small-ship cruise along the Dalmatian coast, blessed with near-perfect weather.

As Lisa Parsons observed one day aboard the ship, “There was no burden of planning on my part. I just signed on and showed up. It’s such an easy way to travel.”

Interested in This Cruise?

Rates for this September cruise were 1,890 Euros per person for main deck staterooms, and 1,620 Euros for lower deck double cabins. This itinerary is very close to what we sampled.

Check www.katarina-line.com for current rates and details on the Futura and dozens of other small ships in the Katarina fleet.

RELATED: Four Croatia yacht charters you should know about, including Katarina Line.

Author Susan R. Pollack in a Dubrovnik cafe.

Author Bio

Award-winning travel journalist Susan R. Pollack has been sharing stories of her globetrotting adventures for more than 40 years as a staff writer for The Detroit News and now as a freelance travel writer/photographer. Among her favorite cruises — ocean, river and lake — were in the Galapagos, Alaska, Mexico and the Caribbean, as well as Europe aboard the old QE2 on its last Atlantic crossing under steam power (1986). In addition to The Detroit News, her work has been published in the Dallas News, Toronto Star, Chicago Sun Times and other newspapers, and numerous magazines, travel books and websites.

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