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Louis Hellenic Cruises - Greek Islands

herb

By herb,
in Celestyal Cruises

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Lawyer Gal

Lawyer Gal

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We are set to go on a land/cruise trip to Greece with our parents who are older, and we have learned that our boat for the cruise portion is the Perla. Some of the earlier posts are positively scary, and we are unsure about the wisdom of taking our folks on this trip now. Does anyone have an up-to-the-minute report on what things are like on the ship since the last report mid-May? Any info would be greatly appreciated because the travel agency will only respond that they have been assured things are just dandy.:eek:

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DEBYCARD-BR

DEBYCARD-BR

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The ship wich operates the seven day cruise is now the CORAL (ex TRITON of ROC). You can find information about this ship easier than for the CALYPSO.

 

And how is this ship ? Is it good ? I´m going to do this 7 day cruise at the end of July.

First I booked at Calypso but it seems that we are going on Coral.

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dgk_kos

dgk_kos

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And how is this ship ? Is it good ? I´m going to do this 7 day cruise at the end of July.

First I booked at Calypso but it seems that we are going on Coral.

 

I will also be on at 20/7/05 - 27/7/05.

MS CORAL (ex TRITON, ex CUNARD ADVENTURER) is an old ship but it is kept in good condition. I think that is a high density ship when she travels at full capacity.

But the special about this cruise is probably the destinations. This will be my fourth cruise with the same itinery but i think that the best ship on this was the TSS STELLA SOLARIS (now scrapped)

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DEBYCARD-BR

DEBYCARD-BR

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I will also be on at 20/7/05 - 27/7/05.

MS CORAL (ex TRITON, ex CUNARD ADVENTURER) is an old ship but it is kept in good condition. I think that is a high density ship when she travels at full capacity.

But the special about this cruise is probably the destinations. This will be my fourth cruise with the same itinery but i think that the best ship on this was the TSS STELLA SOLARIS (now scrapped)

 

I will depart on 29/7/05 !

Have you ever been in this ship ?

I must admit that the itinerary seems to be the best ! I´ve been searching for cruises on Greek island for about 1 month, that´s why I´m worried.

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Grace Land

Grace Land

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We are set to go on a land/cruise trip to Greece with our parents who are older, and we have learned that our boat for the cruise portion is the Perla. Some of the earlier posts are positively scary, and we are unsure about the wisdom of taking our folks on this trip now. Does anyone have an up-to-the-minute report on what things are like on the ship since the last report mid-May? Any info would be greatly appreciated because the travel agency will only respond that they have been assured things are just dandy.:eek:

I got the same response from my company. Then I asked them to come with me to this website. Their objections quickly quieted. The next day, I was told that they were giving me a FULL refund. I would be persistant. There is no reason they can MAKE you take a trip that will be unpleasant. I explained that we were spending a lot of money and, since we're coming from the US, had to cross an ocean to get to this cruise. In the end, they refunded my money with no penalties. I understand they are in negotiations with Louis.

 

My son and I are now going on the Viking Yacht Cruise for 7 days. I'm not sure it's right for you and your parents, but it's exciting and perfect for my son and I. The ship sails for 4-5 hours each morning and spends an entire day on a different island. The draw back is that if the winds are too strong you may have to stay in port until they calm down again. (But as I told my son, darn, we're stuck on a Greek Island. Poor pitiful us! :)) Also, we will have to miss Patmos and that is where I wanted to go the most.

 

The islands we will be going to are: Santorini, Paros, Naxos, Mykonos, Delos and Siros. The crew is 9 people -- all Greek. The price is very good. The maximum people are 40 in 20 cabins; mostly 50+ years old. Since the ship is smaller than the cruise ships, it can get into smaller ports and coves. I went through Meander Adventures that I found on this website.

 

Good luck!!

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TorontoTL

TorontoTL

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I returned last week from a 2 wk Glorious Greece package that included a 4 night cruise onboard the Calypso. The whole vacation was great, as one would expect from Greece. I think that if you are going to go on one of the Louse Hellenic cruise ships, you need to drastically change your expectations. These ships and the cruise line are not in any way supposed to be like any of the mass market cruise lines. The food quality and the amenities are not going to be like what one might get from Princess (my most travelled cruise line). If you go into it expecting too much you'll have a bad experience. However, if you keep an open mind and remember that you aren't paying that much and that the trip is much more about the itinerary in Greece then you can really enjoy yourself.

 

The Calypso is obviously an old ship and it shows. It doesn't have any of the modern amenities. The food wasn't horrible, it just wasn't that great. It was certainly edible, but it just wasn't interesting. You will have much better food eating on the islands themselves. As another poster did mention the ship does have very poor sound insulation. In our cabins we could hear voices of the people in the next cabins talking at relatively normal levels. On the Princess ships I never hear anything from adjoining cabins so this surprised me somewhat. I have to mention that they staff onboard really do try very hard to please you and they are very friendly. All in all it was great, but mostly because of where we were.

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Grace Land

Grace Land

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I returned last week from a 2 wk Glorious Greece package that included a 4 night cruise onboard the Calypso. The whole vacation was great, as one would expect from Greece. I think that if you are going to go on one of the Louse Hellenic cruise ships, you need to drastically change your expectations. These ships and the cruise line are not in any way supposed to be like any of the mass market cruise lines. The food quality and the amenities are not going to be like what one might get from Princess (my most travelled cruise line). If you go into it expecting too much you'll have a bad experience. However, if you keep an open mind and remember that you aren't paying that much and that the trip is much more about the itinerary in Greece then you can really enjoy yourself.

 

 

Our problem was that we were going on a 7-day cruise and the ship was the Perla, not the Calypso. The Perla seems to be having a great deal more problems than food i.e., overwhelming smell of diesel fuel, no water in pool, dirty ventilation system, etc.

 

Although we won't get to Patmos this time, we will be spending a LOT more time on the islands we're going to. I was wondering how much we would get to see if only there for 4-5 hours at most islands.

 

But, I agree, it's location, location, location. We've never been to Greece, and just can't wait to be there.

 

Happy cruising, everyone!

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Lawyer Gal

Lawyer Gal

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Grace --

 

Did I understand your posting correctly to say that your trip you just got back from was on the Calypso, NOT the Perla? Are your comments about the Perla based on hearing reports from others and not your personal experience? Would appreciate the feedback as I still working on alternative plans for my trip.

 

Many thanks.

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Grace Land

Grace Land

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Lawyer Gal:

 

I think you got confused between the person that I quoted in my message. HE had just been on a 4-day cruise on the Calypso. My son and I have not gone yet. Our cruise on the M/S H&B with Viking Yacht Cruises starts on July 1, 2005.

 

However, it WAS here that I read the terrible reviews of the Perla. That's when I called my travel agent and we started working, together, to get the tour company to cancel this particular cruise (7-day). So, no, it wasn't a personal experience. I was right where you are now -- looking forward to our cruise and then finding this website and reading those reviews.

 

At first, all I heard from the tour company was that only disgruntled, unhappy people post on these websites. However, when I brought him here and he saw the extent and similarity of complaints, he changed his tune. I had a similar reaction from an online hotel reservations company. The hotel they sold me in Rome also got terrible reviews. She said not to look at those because they come from unhappy people. But then I showed her that other hotels got terrific reviews (just like other ships on this website), and her attempts to make me stay where I didn't want to stopped.

 

Online booking saves us a lot of money. HOWEVER, we need these kinds of websites so that individuals can inform, encourage, and warn others about different hotels, cruises, etc. I'm most grateful to this particular website because now I believe my son and I will have a truly unique and terrific experience. BTW, I have been told the food on this smaller ship is excellent!

 

Let me know what you decide to do and how you all enjoyed it when you get back. When are you going?

 

Grace Land

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Lawyer Gal

Lawyer Gal

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Thanks for your reply, Grace. We leave June 24th. Part of the trip is on land and the other half is the tour of the Greek Islands. Based on all this, I am working "Plan B." I will let you know how it all turns out. Hope you have a great time with your son!:)

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TorontoTL

TorontoTL

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[quote name=Grace Land

 

Although we won't get to Patmos this time' date=' we will be spending a LOT more time on the islands we're going to. I was wondering how much we would get to see if only there for 4-5 hours at most islands.

 

But, I agree, it's location, location, location. We've never been to Greece, and just can't wait to be there.

 

Happy cruising, everyone![/quote]

 

We did have only 4 - 5 hour stops in Patmos, Mykonos and Kusadasi. Despite the time being relatively short, one can still see quite a bit. In Patmos it gave us enough time to see the Monastery and the Caves. In Kusadasi most people went to Ephyses. In Mykonos most people just walked around the town and had dinner. Enough time to see a bit.

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Grace Land

Grace Land

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TorontoTL:

 

That's good to know! I'm looking at this as a "research" cruise for a later one in a few years with my husband. If an island really is great, then we can come back and spend a couple of days. Had we gone on the Louis Hellenic 7-day cruise, I would have gone to the monastery and the caves where John wrote The Revelation. I went to Ephesus last year on a tour of the early Chrisitan sites for my 50th birthday. It was fabulous and I wanted my son to see that. Another time.

 

Grace

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Grace Land

Grace Land

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TorontoTL or anyone:

 

I received information from Viking Yacht Cruises that ordering seafood on an island can be VERY expensive. Did you find this to be the case? They quoted $40-60. That seems extremely high for a place in the middle of a sea.

 

Grace

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TorontoTL

TorontoTL

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TorontoTL or anyone:

 

I received information from Viking Yacht Cruises that ordering seafood on an island can be VERY expensive. Did you find this to be the case? They quoted $40-60. That seems extremely high for a place in the middle of a sea.

 

Grace

 

Grace, the price of food and seafood specifically can vary alot on the islands. What I found is that the places with the best views, for example on the Caldera in Santorini, or on the bay in Mykonos, were very expensive and your price that you quoted is in the range. However, good food including seafood can be found at other restaurants that aren't in those areas with the best views. In fact, the food can be great and maybe better than the high priced food. I have found that overall Greek food is very simple and good and that often the least expensive places had the best food.

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coffeecup

coffeecup

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Lawyer Gal--

 

Great! are you leaving from new york? then a 4 day land tour before the perla?

I am going with my son and sister. we should look for each other and commiserate.

 

By the way, I am a lawyer too. Small world. Where are you based?

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