Todd
Itinerary: Eastern
Mediterranean
Sailing Date: April 25th, 2009
Age: 36
Occupation: Engineer
Number of Cruises: 1
This was my 1st cruise and it
was truly wonderful. All crew staff were very friendly and
helpful especially the Stateroom Supervisor (Marcus), the
Stateroom attendant (Angelique) on deck 2 and the Chief
Housekeeper. The food was exceptional and the
Waiter, Assistant Waiter and Head waiter in the King and I
dinning Room were great. We had table 77 for the 6.30pm
sitting. The Entertainment Director and his staff were very
helpful (especially Vicky) and the DJ Savio was Fantastic.
Poolside attendants were also great especially Kalish.
We had booked Junior Suite for 2 adults and one child. The
stateroom was adequate. There was plenty drawers and
wardrobes although the wardrobes were very dark inside and
could do with an internal light.
The bedding, carpets, sofa and chairs were clean and fresh.
The dressing table was large with plenty of mirrors and
storage space but they were looking rather tired.
I can cope with that as long as everything is clean - which
is was.
We were on deck 8 and did get
lots of noise from people walking above. We also had a
couple of nights when light wind whistled through the
balcony and made a huge racket keeping us all awake. However
if we hadn't have had the balcony we would have missed the
dolphins and a fantastic lightening storm and pouring rain
on our last night. We could have got any other view from the
deck above. When the rain came the public were told to go
inside and not allowed back on deck until it had stopped
The pool in the Solarium and outside were both salt water.
There are 2 jacuzzi s outside and 2 in the solarium. We used
the gym which although small had a good selection of
equipment. For a charge of $10 you could do spin class which
was always busy.
The pitch and put was well worn and bland but we still
played. the rock climbing wall was busy at times but the
staff were very encouraging and didn't hurry anyone. The
wall was open many times during the week and once a week
they open it at night which was a totally different
experience - great fun.
The entertainment was good in 42nd Street and the bands that
played in the lounges and on deck were very good.
My 15 year old son was rather bored as there wasn't really
that much for him to do.
I met some truly interesting people on the cruise and made a
few friends. It was nice to see that the crew members were
so multi-cultural and all the passengers. I can truly say I
had a dream cruise and would recommend this Cruise to all my
friends. Thank you all once again
Shore excursions were available although quite expensive.
For some of the port calls like Santorini and Kusadasi we
booked private tours in advance. Contacted with local tour
operators.
Ports of Call
Venice, Italy: The highlight was Venice and I would advise
anyone sailing from Venice to go out a couple of days early
and have a good look around, it’s wonderful.
Dubrovnik, Croatia: Dubrovnik is easy walking round the old
town although the walk round the old city walls is
worthwhile but quite energetic.
Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey:
Our group of six toured Ephesus with a guide that Denizhan (www.transbalkan.com)
has arranged. We had the best tour with him than in any of
the other ports. The guide took many pictures of us with
stunning views as backgrounds.
Santorini, Greece : We had a fabulous time on our tour in
Santorini. Booked a private tour from Anna (www.santorinidaytours.com)
Our guide took some great pictures and she did a terrific
job in tailoring the tour around our needs while at the same
time making sure we saw all the island's highlights. We
truly enjoyed it.
Corfu, Greece : We took the Paleokastritsa and Corfu town
tour which first took us to the resort area of
Paleokastritsa where four busloads of tourists visited a
small 12th century Greek Orthodox monastery. We saw the
Greek Orthodox church of St. Spiridon in Corfu. People
commented that Corfu didn't look like Greece. It doesn't
have those old whitewashed buildings, and it has a strong
Italian and French flavor. There is a picturesque old town
and a great old fort jutting out into the sea.
In all the cruise was fine - a small, clean, if tired ship
with friendly staff.
There isn't much for teenagers to do so I wouldn't really
recommend it for older families.
You do feel the engine and movement on this ship
