Wall Street Greek: Opa Greek Cultural Cruise

As the world focuses on the tragedy of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, I’m packing my bag for the "Opa Greek Cultural Cruise," sailing Feb. 11 from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. We’ll be sailing aboard a splendid new Italian ship, the MSC POESIA. On last year’s cruise we were drilled in life-saving, not once but twice, wearing lifejackets and going to our stations, so kudos to TravelGroup International! The music and entertainment were exceptional, as were my fellow travelers. I hope that all travelers and “Wall Street Greek” readers in particular will enjoy smooth sailing and good memories of this year’s cruise season. I’d like to share the diary with you that I kept on last year’s trip.

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"OPA CRUISE" DIARY

Friday –I arrive in Miami from New York City on a cold March day, wearily dragging my brightly labeled bag, to join two-hundred other Greek-Americans. We’ve signed on for the week-long “Opa” cruise to the Eastern Caribbean aboard the Costa Atlantica, an extravaganza of an Italian ship inspired by film maker Federico Fellini. It’s a glittering world, away from telephones and e-mail, with nothing do but dance, converse (because Greeks take conversation seriously) dine (forget ordinary eating – this is big-time cuisine), swim, catch the sun, and maybe gamble. It’s my second year as an “Opa” adventurer. Magically, my bag’s whisked away to a gem-like cabin with a balcony overlooking the sea. Also awaiting me, my “Opa” card (a handy, on-board credit device), and a blue and white beach bag. I already feel rejuvenated.

Organized by Dr. Cary and Ellen Pantazis as a fund-raiser for the Ocala, Fla. Church, and orchestrated by TravelGroup International’s remarkable Faye Weissblum, the “Opa” trip’s notable for genuine hospitality. No question goes unanswered. No request is ignored. Leaving my cabin, I swiftly walk to the small gaming casino and touch the magical one cent slot machine where last year I won $620.00. We’re still on land. The machine will have to wait.

That night in the Coral Lounge, an elegant grotto with blue walls and white fantasy trees, Greeks from twenty-two states – California to Massachusetts, Utah to Florida -- and the United Kingdom -- gather. The Aegean Duo -- singer and bouzouki player Steve Tavelaris and musician Nick Mouganis tune up, joined by band leader Nick Travelis. Irresistible Greek music fills the air. The dancers move to the floor and the party begins.

Saturday – Decisions, decisions: Greek dancing lessons with Mary Girmis? Fun and games in the Game Room? Swimming? Basking in the sun? Mambo lessons?

I opt for the Rev. Michael Soter’s religious service, a beautiful way to start a sea voyage. Father Soter blends faith with good humor. “My only other cruise was with the military,” he admits with a twinkle. “I think the services we have every day remind people that you can enjoy yourself without losing your spiritual focus.” Despite conducting his service in the Paparazzi Room, surrounded by blow-ups of Anita Ekberg and Marcello Mastroianni in the film La Dolce Vita, with his purple vestment and the chanting of the service participants, authentic Orthodox spirit prevails.

After the prayer service, I head for the Dante Disco, inspired by The Inferno. The dance lessons are heaven, and I meet “Opa” cruisers refreshing their dancing skills. James Teagarden of Dallas, Texas, son of a Greek mother, a young bachelor, says: “I’m already having the time of my life.” Has he met any lovely young Greek ladies? “Not yet,” says Jim. “But it’s early in the cruise.”

Dancing is the heart of the “Opa” cruise, and the music is exceptional. That night in the Coral Lounge, I talk with the AegeanDuo, musician Nick Mouganis and singer and bouzouki player Steve Tavelaris of Rochester, N.Y. (The third music maker is the amazing Nick Travelis, who also has a group called the AegeanDuo…but that’s getting complicated. We’ll catch Travelis later.)

Mouganis, an adjunct professor of Greek mythology, also has an environmental contract business. Steve is in real estate. Says Mouganis: “Business frees us up to take our music seriously.” Both are married with children, and have brought their beautiful wives on board with them. Steve’s wife, Mary, and Nick’s wife, Lynn, are both non-Greeks but speak Greek fluently and have taught their children Greek. We’re impressed!

Together for over thirty years, the men create a unique, authentically Greek sound. Committed musicians, in the 1970’s, Nick went to Greece with his wife and spent eight months collecting and recording folk music. With a repertoire of between 3 and 4 thousand pieces, they tailor their music to their audience. Says Steve: “We make sure that the energy’s there. It gets people up. People will say to me ‘I’m too tired to dance,’ and two hours later say ‘I danced and danced and didn’t want to stop’.”

Sunday – It feels like we’ve been cruising for a week, but it’s only Sunday. It’s time for our first port of call. Although Grand Turk’s fabled for its blue water and sky, today is overcast. Some opt to stay aboard the ship. With two companions, I book a taxi guide. The well-informed Carlos points out Turk’s many churches and the original source of its income – salt, dug out by slave labor. Most food is imported. A pathetic cow, lacking pasture land, drifts through a garbage dump. Fortunately, islanders prosper on the tourist industry. I buy a small pocketbook for a niece. Carlos tells me to bargain but the store proprietor wisely says: “You want it for a gift – so no bargaining.”

Unfortunately, I miss the lecture by Dr. Gary Pantazis on “Greek Pathologists Who Have Saved Countless Lives,” but receive a glowing report from a fellow “Opa” traveler.

And then it’s time for dinner. I’m charmed not only by the many choices on the menu (no wonder Costa plans so many exercise classes), but by my table mates: cousin Dino Smiros, a retired businessman, and his wife Mary, an artist, of Syosset, Long Island; Joanna Pappas, a kindergarten teacher from Long Island; my sister, Helen King, of Madison, N.J.; Dr. Corinne Courpas, an M.D. and her husband, Dr. Anthony Courpas, a pediatrician of Baltimore, Md; and Fay Rellas, a teacher, and her husband, Judge John Rellas, of Naples, Fla. Conversation topics range from the poet Cavafy to whether it’s wise to indulge in five courses every night . Food-wise, I decide to try everything!

After dinner, I head for my favorite one-armed bandit, but it’s been appropriated for the night. I watch yearningly from another machine and lose money, feeling like a lover who’s been betrayed.

But then it’s on to the Coral Lounge, where the main attraction is a show by comedian Jim Dailakis. I take my seat in the second row stoically, and with a mild burp, having just consumed a sublime serving of “gnocci with five cheeses.” In New York, I live on Lean Cuisine and an occasional minute steak, so my palate is in a delightful state of sated shock. As Greek comics go, I believe I’ve seen it all. Are any surprises possible?

From the moment he lands on the stage in a perfect split (he’s studied martial arts since age 15), Dailakis proves himself a show-stopper. A witty, acerbic observer, Dailakis combines Chaplinesque body gesturing with the off-beat observational skill of the late George Carlin. The audience loves his act as he walks the fine line between brazen lampoon and satire. Why do Greeks live so long? “Church aerobics,” says Dailakis, demonstrating the life-giving up and down actions.

Inspired by Al Pacino and Hollywood, Dailakis moved to New York from Perth, Australia fifteen years ago to study acting. “I’m a Greek who couldn’t wait tables, so a friend suggested – you can always make money in comedy. I tried it once or twice, and it took off. I went home to Australia, where I was offered a three-month tour. The three-month comedy tour is still going.” Dailakis, a writer as well as a comic, creates all of his own material. “What makes comedy funny is the truth. When I get a big laugh, I know that I’ve just gone into the audience’s childhood, because we all have the same parents, the same uncles. I love that.“

Dailakis has written a film, All My Friends Are Getting Married, which goes into production this year, and of course, he’ll play a leading role. “It’s about five guys determined to stay single – but one by one they give in. I’m the one who holds out.”

Monday– We dock at Tortola and I rush ashore to explore the island with four companions and our guide Bage. Even with a seat belt, it’s a wild ride. Steep, narrow roads feature hair-raising turns. Dr. Anthony Courpas observes wryly, “In comparison, the Greek mountain roads look like the streets of Paris.”

Tuesday– Land, ho! Catalina Island. Determined to meet “the real people of the Dominican Republic,” I book a tour that visits an air-conditioned cigar factory. Our bumpy jeep then moves through miles and miles and miles of sugar cane. In the middle of cane fields, our guide stops, opens a bottle of rum, pours drinks all around, and sells us hats to help raise funds for school uniforms.

Exhausted, my eye-balls weary from gazing at sugar cane, I half-wish I had gone to the to the lovely beach, but wrong choices form part of cruising. Consider Odysseus and his mythic booboos, including stopping off at Circe’s island where the enchantress turned his men into swine. (Odysseus did rescue them and forged a warm relationship with Circe.)

Back aboard, we’re treated to a wonderful Greek dinner including spanikopita, fish and baklava, followed by cocktails in the Coral Lounge.

Comic Jim Dailakis performs again. He’s only brilliant! Bravo, Jim!

Dancers fill the floor. “Opa”!

Wednesday– Today it’s “Opa” at sea, with a Greek Festival Party by the pool. The entire ship dances to Greek music, and dines on an outdoor buffet of Greek specialties including souvlakia and baklava. “Opa” cruisers feel their kefi in the sunlight.

Between dances, we chat with several “Opa” stalwarts, including Ernie Memphis, famous for his dancing. Ernie and wife Victoria are committed “Opa” cruisers. “We’re already signed up for next year’s cruise,” says Victoria. “The islands are unimportant. We enjoy the people.” Says Ernie: “We never book a fancy room. We say just get us aboard and put us inside next to the engine. This year, Faye called and said we’re upgrading you to a suite, because you deserve it. That was beautiful.”

Dr. Dean Loomis and his wife Toula, skilled dance partners, have been onboard since the first cruise. “It’s wonderful to be Greek for a week,” says Dr. Loomis. After dancing the afternoon away, Dr. Loomis will give a fascinating lecture on “The Spirit of 1776 and 1821: The Legacy of Our Greek American Heritage.”

We’re enchanted by Tula Serves, 87, of Canton, Ohio, recently crowned Miss Senior America, 2010-2011. What’s the secret to her vibrant appearance and personality? “A positive attitude,” the former teacher proclaims. After trying out for the Costa Talent Show, Tula performed Whatever Lola Wants with Marlene Dietrich insouciance while flaunting a black feather boa, and was a huge hit.

Thursday– We visit famous Nassau, the Bahamas, and learn that Greeks arrived here shortly after the Revolutionary War. Today they own jewelry shops and restaurants. On to Paradise Island and Atlantis, the 500-million mega resort, creation of Merv Griffin and Donald Trump. An outrageous pink fantasy, it features a huge gambling casino and a justifiably world-famous aquarium.

Hard to believe, but it’s time to pack suitcases, and prepare to disembark tomorrow. Not before talking to the charming Nick Trivelas who has been an integral musical part of every “Opa” cruise. The band leader, bouzouki player and full-time musician, formed a rock ‘n roll band, but Greek music won out. After studying electrical engineering in college, “the music business drew me back.” As for “Opa,” Nick says: “This cruise is so much fun. I love cruising to begin with, and mixing Greek culture in with it is just phenomenal.”

Ellen Pantazis of the Ocala Church and Faye Weissblum of TravelGroup International, have already begun planning next year’s trip. More than forty have already signed on for the cruise!

Ellen’s brainstorming some intriguing new events, but regardless, “What I like most about the cruises is that every year I see my friends. You make new friends. You see friends you had previous years. It’s almost like a little village, a reunion, and there’s a wonderful familiar feeling. You meet a Greek in any area and have these commonalities. That’s what this trip is about.”

On our last night aboard ship, the musicians put away their instruments. They won’t be playing tonight. I pack my suitcase, itemizing all the things I didn’t do: I didn’t swim with the Dolphins! I didn’t go to the beach! I only sat on my balcony for an hour! I never made it to the fancy restaurant on the top deck! I didn’t see all the Greek movies! But I had a wonderful time.

It’s late. I take the elevator down to the small casino. My favorite machine is free. I put in a twenty and win fifty. I’m tempted to play on, and hear the merry jingle of bells, but take my money and run. I won’t push my luck. I’ll save it for next year.

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Please see our disclosures at the Wall Street Greek website and author bio pages found there. This article and website in no way offers or represents financial or investment advice. Information is provided for entertainment purposes only.