Lovely ship and staff. Would recommend to anyone looking for a smaller sized ship with excellent food and excursions offered.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Once at the ship, plenty of service help and greetings
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Loved the food and the service was exceptional. Very easy to locate the dining rooms and never over crowded like so many other ships.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We did not have any activities geared towards younger travelers (my daughter is 22 yrs old) She enjoyed the pool and we both used the spa which was lovely and also visited the fitness center. I think having daily classes even twice a week like yoga or a strech class something for all ages would make for a more inclusive experience.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Again, the entertainment sounded ok, but we did not participate in any shows due to variety for younger audiences. The pianist and violinist on board was exceptional.
Children's Programs
There were no children on board that we noticed and nothing in daily announcements that suggested programs for children
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Everyone from housekeeping to wait staff to greeters and general staff were exceptionally gracious,kind and helpful. The only criticism I have for the entire cruise was the lack of information for where the ship was located to board and where we disembarked for our final destination. We only received luggage tags in the mail with no information in regards to where we could locate the ship to begin our journey. in Athens. Not even online could I find any information and phones were not always answered. We had to ask our hotel in Athens where ships left for cruises and our driver went up and down the different port areas looking for a ship named Viking Sea.
For leaving the ship to go to Venice, the only information we received once was a piece of paper inside our daily information brochure with options for transportation at the port. We did not see the piece of paper until Wednesday morning and went down to the service desk to inquire about Venice and transportation only to be told we missed the deadline on MONDAY and there was nothing he could do to help us. I panicked a bit when he said we were far away from Venice and taxis were not readily available or other means and we'd have to figure it out on our own. I asked how much would a taxi be to Venice and he shrugged and said $500-$800 euros! I immediately called the hotel in Venice and asked for assistance and thank goodness they were more than helpful. She told us it was very unusual the cruise ship was going to dock in that far away port. She helped us arrange for a private car which was $200 euros and was waiting for us when we disembarked. Great service that was very very appreciated.
I would suggest ,and maybe the staff sent more information than what we found, but I would suggest from the beginning of the cruise, the newsletter sent daily have in bold, information in regards to our options on a DAILY basis so that some of us (we weren't the only ones who missed the information) would be better prepared. It somewhat put a damper on my experience especially since the overall experience was really wonderful. The finish of the trip should be a better positive experience and there should be someone on board who could better assist with transportation information for those of us who were clueless.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was beautifully designed and the layout was good. I am a commercial and residential designer so I did notice the wear and tear of the interiors furniture ( chairs had ripped fabric and holes and some furniture was fraying) some of the areas are in need of updates but overall very clean. and lovely. Maintenance is an ongoing item for anything on the water or near the water especially with the number of people using the facilities.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The beds and pillows were comfortable. Our daily cabin assistant, Tijo was fabulous,attentive and just overall pleasant. He was always checking on us for any needed supplies etc. The chairs in our cabin have ripped arm fabric and I noted earlier the general condition is in need of updates.
Ship tip
Make sure to have ALL of the information needed to arriving at the correct location, timing, and how to disembark and arrive at your next destination AHEAD OF TIME. Once on the ship, immediately go to the restaurants that need a reservation to book. We could not book online and when we did arrive found reservations on board but were limited times but still worked out fine. DO try all the resturants for the variety of foods. They were all wonderful even room service
Large and not that exciting except for the tour of the Acropoolis A MUST see! Our tour guide explained all of the none attrative buildings in the city due to construction problems if one uncovered historical artifacts, the government could seize the property so many do not remodel or build, hence the unattractive buildings lining many streets. Also, the graffiti everywhere was really unfortuante to see. They should put a ban on spray paint.
By far our favorite port. LOVED the people and the city Just very interesting and beautiful. The tour guide was not great or much involved just seemed to give minimal effort.
Another highlight of our trip Probably ties with Corfu. We did the Elafiti Islands and loved being out of the crowds and into daily life on the islands Very interesting. I wish we had time to do other tours of the city. Would have liked more time in this wonderful city. GREAT tour guides on this one.
I would not recommend even stopping here. Very disappointing compared to other ports and city. There just isn't anything really interesting to see here other than the water organ and some of the history. I guide tried really hard to make it interesting and she was very proud of the culture and history which did make it worthy but again our least favorite site.
LOVED the tour Panoramic Slovenian Coast and Farmers Market Our tour guide was THE BEST TOUR GUIDE OF TRIP -ANDY!!!! Unbeilievably informative, funny, interesting facts and had entire bus engaged. You need more tour guides like Andy. Couldn't give him enough bravos just super all around tour guide. Food was great and wine was wonderful but what really made the excursion worth excellent marks was the tour guide.
Low marks due to distance from the acutal city of Venice. Venice is beautiful but was very very crowded and hot. Enjoyed the museums and shopping, The food was great everywhere we went but have to say I have no desire to return. Once seeing was enough.
Information how to disembark was easy and staff of course was helpful collecting luggage and easy to locate at exit. Again the negative would be the lack of transportation/information as noted earlier once we completed the cruise
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