Louis Calypso - please help!

I have read both threads about Louis Cruise Lines, and most of the really negative reviews seem to apply to the Triton/Perla/Coral. Has anyone recently sailed on the Calypso? Am leaving next month and would appreciate honest feedback...

Please read my review dated September 18 on the Louis cruise line thread. We were on an early September cruise and had a great time. If you have specific questions, I will try to answer them.

I'm leaving Oct. 21st on the 7 day cruise to Turkey and the Greek Islands on the Serenade. If anyone has been on her, I'd appreciate your impressions and suggestions. Also general information like which converter do we need to use on board? Is food only available at regular mealtimes or is there snacking through the day? Or should we bring food back with us from ports? Is there entertainment? Which tours do you recommend? Thanks.

I'm leaving Oct. 21st on the 7 day cruise to Turkey and the Greek Islands on the Serenade. If anyone has been on her, I'd appreciate your impressions and suggestions.

I haven't been on her, but if you haven't seen it already, I recommend you take a look at this page which gives you a lot of history of the ship, and photos of her today.

Sorry I can't help with any of your other questions.

We have just returned from 7 days on the Serenade & had a great time. The ship is VERY OLD and they are doing their best to keep it looking clean & presentable.

We didn't do any of the ship's excursions, we arranged a private guide in Istanbul & Kusadasi, hired cabs & did walking tours. The ports are wonderful & to us, that was the main thing.

The food was OK, the dining room we found to be very hot & noisey, so our choice was the buffet & sitting outside. There are no snacks provided. Along with the 3 meals they have 4:00pm teatime with sandwiches & cookies. I brought a travel mug with me for coffee & tea.

The voltage onboard is for regular North American plugs.

The Serenade got us from port to port, our cabins were quiet, there was lots of hot water for showers, friendly crew, lots to eat & drink. We didn't see many of the shows because we were to bed early in anticiation of next wonderful port.

Have a great trip. It is an exciting part of the world.

Glad to hear you had a nice time. We are two couples travelling together and after reading the various posts, we are expecting an interesting and memorable cruise. If you posted a full report please let me know how to find it. If not, mind a few questions? Did you find any particularly good restaurants? Would you recommend your tour guides? What was the weather like? Thanks again for the helpful information.

We were a group of 4 couples. Our guide in Istanbul was Kagan Kosagan, he was outstanding, & one of his colleagues met us in Kusadasi. They are very informative & their English is fabulous. website,

www.tourguidesinturkey.com

kosagan@hotmail.com

The weather was great, perfect for touring & the beach.

All the restaurants were good. They post their menu outside & most people speak English.

This one in Athens was fun. Wonderful view of the Acropolis.

Happy to answer any questions.

Shola Rhio Ouzeri Kouklis is a fun, inexpensive place ideal for groups wanting to try a variety of traditional mezedes (tapas) and drink good homemade booze on a breezy perch at the top of the Plaka. Since 1935 the Kouklis family has been making ouzo (that's what an ouzeri is) and running their restaurant which maintains a 1930s atmosphere. The waiter comes around with a big platter of dishes and you choose what you like (€3 or €4 per plate), drinks are cheap, dessert is free, they have a 4 person €40 special worth considering. As the plates are pretty big, this is most fun with a group of four or more (daily from 11:00-24:00, under the Acropolis where Lisiou hits Tripodon, Tripodon 14, tel. 210-324-7605).

Poppy,

I know that you are travelling on a different ship (Calypso) so can only hope that this ship is much better that the one I travelled on (Coral).

I was on the Louis's "Coral" is Sept 05 and was completely disappointed. I and other passengers on this ship thought it should have been decommissioned before now, as it was totally misrepresented in what little information I could find prior to my trip. I had never been cruising before, but other passengers had cruised extensively and found the Coral to be very overpriced compared to other cruise lines. We were suppose to be on the Perla but it was changed for this ship at the last minute. I am EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED in this cruise line from what I saw and only add that I hope things change for future customers.

Good luck!!

I'm interested in some of the cruise trips by Louis Calypso sailing from UK. I have noted some positive and negative comments. Could anyone tell me the experience with the ship or the cruise line (UK based office)? Many thanks.