Louis Cruises Cristal

[tully07]

There was no formal night as such on my 7 day cruise. The standard dress for dinner seemed to be "smart casual" - what you would wear to a nice restaurant at home (not jeans). There were some people who really dressed up but not many. People dressed up a bit more than usual for the night of the captain's cocktail party but I don't recall seeing any formal wear.

 

There were tour groups from Insight, Trafalgar, Cosmos and Vacances Transat on my cruise - "smart casual" seemed to be the norm for dinner dress.

 

Enjoy your trip!! I loved it -- I'd go back again anytime:D

[Zippee]

Does anyone have any pricing for the shore excursions? I am leaving on Wednesday would like to try to plan how much it would cost.. I'm worried since the pricing is not listed they will tend to be on the expensive side :s

Also do you book the shore excursions once on board and can charge them to credit card? (im assuming ship charges go on a room credit card like most ships?) Im wondering how many euros i need to bring.

[Zippee]

Hello! i have a question for you guys unrelated to the actual cruise.. im assuming since you went on a greek cruise, especially you tully since you did a tour, you have also visited sights in Greece itself??

 

When i am in athens i want to go see the Acropolis but i want to do it with a tour, has anyone been here and does anyone know if there are local guides waiting outside that you can join? This was the case when i saw the Colloseum in Italy, we just joined a group outside. im wonder if anyone knows if this is the case for the Acropolis as well since it is a big sight with alot of history

thanks so much in advance.

[tully07]

I don't recall seeing any tour guides outside the Acropolis -- you should check with your hotel in Athens as they will know about tours that are offered by local guides. Because I went with a tour, we had our guide with us for all sites throughout Greece (we went to Mycenae, Olympia, Delphi, Meteora) including the Acropolis in Athens.

[Livestotravel]

Does anyone have any pricing for the shore excursions? I am leaving on Wednesday would like to try to plan how much it would cost.. I'm worried since the pricing is not listed they will tend to be on the expensive side :s

Also do you book the shore excursions once on board and can charge them to credit card? (im assuming ship charges go on a room credit card like most ships?) Im wondering how many euros i need to bring.

 

I haven't gone myself yet, and look forward to your review, but from various posts I get the idea that the tours go anywhere from 30 to 80 Euros depending on length. I also read that you can charge them to your cabin and then pay with the credit card you registered with the ship when you boarded. I also understand that you can book shore excursions once you are on board. Someone posting who was with a tour group said they were offered the tours at a Welcome Dinner, but they were the same tours as the cruise ship offered. So much to find out! So few posts about this cruise line!

[Zippee]

Thanks to everyone for all your posts and help - I am leaving for Athens tomorrow cruise is on the 23rd i will let you all know how i liked it!

[Madeline815]

See my review under the thread "Louis Hellenic Cruises". I had a very positive experience on the Cristal. Most of the dinner conversation at my table of eight also reflected a "better than expected" opinion.

[ILoveScotland]

See my review under the thread "Louis Hellenic Cruises". I had a very positive experience on the Cristal. Most of the dinner conversation at my table of eight also reflected a "better than expected" opinion.

 

Thanks for the review. I've posted a response there. Glad you enjoyed the cruise.

[einstein2]

On May 16th, I began my cruise portion of the Cosmos trip on the Cristal. I saved my daily Louis NEWS bulletins, so if there are any specific questions I do not address, I might have the information.

Just as many posters have mentioned, just bring your expectations down a couple of notches and everything will be good. You are there for the ports anyway (which I will post in part III in that section).

Room: We were in Room 3207 with a window. I thought the room was a good size, bigger than what I was thinking it would be. Our large suitcases did not fit under our beds, so we just set them at the foot of one of the beds. Someone also said they fit in the closets, but we had dresses and shoes in there. The shower only had a curtain, and the entire floor will get wet. We thought the noise level was low in our rooms. We did have a hairdryer.

Ship: The jacuzzi was broken, and it won’t be fixed for at least another year. The only time our ship moved fast was on the way to Santorini, and you could really feel it. The passengers are a diverse group, so each announcement was made in English, French, German, & Spanish. Our tour director was amazing – she spoke several languages. Everyone on the ship was very pleasant. The tip for them that is charged to your room is 8 euros a day.

Food: I thought the food was alright most nights – the farewell dinner on Wednesday was excellent. I had the early/main dinner seating. Here are the hours and dress code (which was not enforced, but a lot of people dressed elegantly): 6:30pm (smart casual); 7:30-9:30pm (smart casual & open seating) or 8-10pm (buffet); 7pm (elegant – your best outfit); 7pm (smart casual); 7:15pm (Greek night – blue & white); 6:45pm (elegant – your 2nd best outfit); 7:30-9:30pm (smart casual & open seating). Every evening there was a “butler style” late night snack except on Wednesday, when they had the Chocoholic buffet.

Drinks: There was a package for 19.95E a day, which was from 10pm-2am. It included: whisky, vodka, gin, rum, tequila, brandy, mixers, cola, light cola, lemonade, orangeade, fruit juices, tea, coffee, draft beer, non-alcoholic cocktails, port wine, sherry, aperitifs, and glasses of red/white house wine. It did not include: bottled water, specialty coffee, premium brands, bottled/canned beer, or frozen cocktails. On average, it was 4.75E for an exotic drink, 3.55E for wine, and 4.00E for beer.

Entertainment: The lounge shows (singers & dancers) were okay. I recommend seeing the Greek Night show – that was the best – and the “New York to Paris” show was pretty good. The band was talented and entertaining. I did a trivia contest one day, which didn’t have a huge turnout. There was a daily movie, which could be in English, French, German, or Spanish. I attended the disco a couple of nights, which caters to its diverse age group and cultures.

[Zippee]

Hi Everyone. I came back about a week ago from my Cristal 7 days Greece islands/turkey cruise. I have to say that i was very impressed and it was more than i had expected. I think too many people are too hard on this cruise line as they are expecting the typical American cruise lines when this is a smaller, european cruise line which is very different from American ones. People don't realize American expectations are much different than European expectations. If you go on this cruise line expecting the same big ship and amenities as the American cruise lines - don't go. If you can't handle the smaller ships and the not too extensive amenities then obviously you will have nothing but complaints. I am not a picky person and i went on this cruise to see GREECE and TURKEY - not to nit pick about every little thing on the ship.

With that said, i had no complaints whatsoever about the ship. The staff were incredibley friendly and helpful. I had cabin 7228 which had a very big window, a nice sitting area and very spacious bathroom. Our bathroom had a sliding door and the shower was quite big. we had no problem with water spilling into the washroom. Even still - I went on a Royal caribbean and i had water all over my bathroom floor. But who cares just throw down a towel and mop it up. You cant throw tissue down the toilet, which wasn't a problem or a surprise to me as while we were on mainland Greece this was the case as well, they do not put toilet paper in the toilet in most areas of Greece or Turkey. We jsut put the tissue in the garbage and it was cleaned and changed very frequently.The beds were comfy and the room attendant always had everything made up and clean for us. We kept our luggage under the bed and our clothes int he closets and drawers with space to spare. The ship was very clean and presentable, i dont see any problems it. They had good restaurants and lounges, a pool, a jacuzzi that was in working condition and used quite often. The food for breakfast and lunch was buffet, which was pretty good. i loved the food on the cruise. I had late sitting for dinner, around 9pm. We got a table for two which was awesome because its very hard to get one of those on a normal cruise line so we were very happy. Our waiters were very attentive and we had very fast service, as soon as we finished one serving they came ready with the next. Dinner took an hour or less. the food was very good and good variety. Louis was very good with getting into the ports. they were almost always the first ship to arrive and on many times arrived into ports much earlier than scheduled which allowed us more time to explore. We did most of the excursions, which are a bit pricey but if you want to get on the island and make the time worthwhile - do the excursions. You do get what you pay for, The guides on it are very very good, they all knew their stuff so well and could answer anything. If we did not go on the excursions we wouldn't have seen or learned half of what we did. THe excursions make the time on the island worthwhile, you wouldnt be able to do it on your own. The ship was very organized and orchestrated everything very well. the casino on board was small but still fun, we frequently visited to play black jack or roulette. THey had a disco open until 2am or so with good music for younger people. Always had good deck space to get a spot to relax during sailing. They charge per day 8euros for tipping but you CAN change this amount to whatever you feel is needed. I left it as is as the staff were great and attentive. The dress code thoroughout the cruise was mainly casual - a few nights were elegant, i think two were. There was one blue and white night. I found alot of people did dress elegant for the captains party. Other nights alot of ppl ignored the dress code and would show up in sweats or shorts and flip flops.. to each their own. The age group on the cruise is a bit older, id say 40 + at least. There were some younger people on the ship from a Contiki group. Didnt feel much waves on this one, really only felt it on the last night sailing from Santorini back to Piraeus, it was late though and i loved the rocking. The optional excursions can be booked on board - not to worry they wont fill up so you can book them day by day by the deadline they set for each one. Overall i had an amazing time with no complaints. The ship was more than adequate, good rooms, comfortable, lots of restaurants, good lounges, good food. All spaces were well maintained and clean. Pool to swim which many ppl did use. They also planned alot of acitivites that you could attend as well during sailings to keep busy. I was as happy on this ship and cruise line as i was on a Royal Caribbean. I work in the travel industry and i think people need to give this cruise line a break - they get alot of uneeded flak and they have amazing itineraries and very good service. Thats all i can think of for now.. if anyone has any specific questions feel free to ask.

[fotomoto]

Hello Cruisers, I just joined this group to get some more information regarding my upcoming (July 13th) Greek Islands cruise via Louise Cruises Cristal. I am visiting my 88 year old mother who lives in Istanbul and decided to take her on this cruise which we will embark from Istanbul. The problem is she walks with a cane, needs assistance when walking and tires very easily due to her age and a previous hip replacement.:( I am aware that I would not be able to take her on most of the shore excursions, especially the ones that require tender boats. Can anyone who has been on this cruise enlighten me regarding any difficulties we may encounter besides the obvious during this cruise. I would like to know if I can get any assistance from the cruise personnel during the cruise and which shore excursions would be somewhat easy for her to go on. The cruise does not provide any wheelchairs, I thought of renting one but then decided against it because it could end up being more cumbersome, especially for me! She does have a foldable walker which we will take with us. Thanks for any input.

[ILoveScotland]

Fotomoto, my husband was not with me when I was on the Cristal in April, but since he's in a wheelchair I'm always aware of accessibility issues even when he's not around.

 

What I can speak to is the ship itself.

 

1. It's small compared to other ships such as those of Royal Caribbean, Princess, etc. so she will not have to walk long distances.

 

2. The staff was very helpful with many things so I'm sure they'll be helpful with your mother. Most cruise staff are great with people who have mobility problems.

 

3. There are two banks of elevators - one aft and one forward.

 

This is just a start to the kind of information you are interested in, but I hope it helps.

 

Meanwhile, can I hide in your luggage and stay in your mother's home in Istanbul while you're on the cruise? :D I've had the good fortune to go to Istanbul twice in the past year, and I can hardly wait to go again. It has become a favorite destination, and I've barely scratched the surface of seeing all that's there to see.

[fotomoto]

Dear I love Scotland, thank you very much for your fast input. This was an on the spur of the moment trip because I wanted my mother to enjoy at least one more trip at her old age since she loves to travel and have travelled all around the world including cruises over the years with my father before he passed away. She has not been traveling during the past few years and I thought this cruise would make her happy. She was an archaeologist in her younger years and have been to Athens and to Crete. I lived in Athens for over a year many years ago but have not been to the Greek Islands. I am looking forward to make my mother happy and safe, while enjoying the cruise myself and satisfy my love of photography, thus my questions regarding assistance during the cruise. By the way, my husband who is still at home is totally jealous that he can't join us on this cruise:p.

Yes, Istanbul is definitely a fascinating city, there is much to see besides the regular tourist attractions. I am lucky that I can enjoy the beautiful view of the Bosphorus from my mother's home whenever i am in this city. In fact, there are so many interesting places in the Turkish inland and the Turkish coastline that I have yet to visit myself. You are welcome anytime. Thanks again.

[CATCALLS]

What a wonderful group to answer so many questions! Thank you to all. I am leaving July 22 for Greece (Aegean Odyssey) thru Trafalgar Tours. Will be on Cristal Ship for 7 days. Looking forward to it. Have travelled extensively throughout Europe (business and pleasure) but never a tour or cruise. Does anyone know if Trafalgar is a good group. Also, like U.S. cruises, can you eat throughout the day? Anything/anytime? Am diabetic and want to make sure I can eat something when necessary... Thank you.

[Madeline815]

My roommate is a diabetic and she had no problems on the ship. She had requested special meals on Olympic Airlines on our JFK-Athens flight and had better food that we did!!! She cannot have caffeine as well so the ship did have Diet 7-Up. She also brought those Crystal Light packets to jazz up her water from time to time. Each night for her dessert she had the fruit and cheese platter without the cheese. She did bring with her some of those peanut butter cracker packages and always kept a couple with her while we were on the excursions, as that was the only time that food was not readily available in case she needed a boost. Have a great time!

[CATCALLS]

To Madeline815: Thanks for the reply. I am counting the days....

[CATCALLS]

Can Anyone Tell Me If It Is Safe To Drink The Water On This Ship Or Should I Stick With Bottled Water? Thank You.

[ILoveScotland]

Can Anyone Tell Me If It Is Safe To Drink The Water On This Ship Or Should I Stick With Bottled Water? Thank You.

 

Drink away--at least I did and had no problems.

[CATCALLS]

Thanks, I Love Scotland! It's Getting Close And I'm Getting Excited And Nervous. Are You Familiar With Trafalgar Tours? Do You Know If They Are A Good Tour Company. I Know The Name Is Well Known But Have Never Done A Tour Before. Thanks Again.

[maybesomeone]

Hi!

So much good information here! My wife and I are leaving on the Cristal in a week or so, and I was wondering about the attire on board and while we're ashore. What can we wear/not wear aboard the ship? Do I need a suit every night? Any night? or are Docker type pants okay? I've heard that tanktops are not allowed in the dining room - is this true - for any meal? Are shorts okay to wear on the islands (we're doing the Greek Island 7 day)?

 

Thanks for all of your help!

 

Scott

[maybesomeone]

I was curious as to what the attire that people wore, both on the ship and at the islands, was like? Sounds like you had a fun time!

[einstein2]

I saw a mixture of clothing options for dinner. It might be nice to have a suit for the elegant dinner, but Docker type pants are just fine for all the other nights.

 

You can wear shorts on the islands. The only exception would be if you are going into some of the religious sites. I know women were suppose to wear skirts.

 

It said tank tops were not allowed, but I did see them.

 

Have fun!

[MacMacGA]

We just returned from a 7-day cruise as part of a Footsteps of St. Paul tour. I thought I would try and answer a few questions that have been asked.

 

We had an inside cabin. I have posted photos of the Cabin 6118 on Flickr so you can see what the room looked like. The link is http://flickr.com/photos/18598285@N00/

We have had outside cabins for the past two cruises so I was a little concerned about it. It was just fine. The lights around the mirror between the two beds made it seem like day. The cabin stewardess turned them on in the day time and used the softer overhead lights in the evening. It gave the illusion of day and night. I was very comfortable in the cabin to my surprise. We had cruised on the Celebrity Millie in March and I thought that cabin was great. This one actually was more functional in some ways. The desk with a large drawer between the beds was very handy. The hair dryer was on the desk with the cord fastened down so it could not be taken from the cabin. The length of the cord was ample for hair drying.

 

There is a 110V outlet in the center of the desk along with the 220V. It is NOT recessed and I was able to use my battery charger which needs a flat surface and my iPod charger.

 

There is a sign in the bathroom asking that toilet tissue be placed in the covered wastebasket. That sign is seen throughout Greece and Turkey. The sewer systems are a little more delicate than what we are used to. We never smelled any sewer smell on the cruise.

 

As mentioned previously, there is no barrier on the floor between the shower area and the rest of the bathroom so the water does run into the rest of the bathroom. The trick is to not impede the water in any way. This is the tip from the cabin steward. Place the bath mat OUTSIDE the bathroom. Dry off as best you can in the bathroom and then step on the dry bathmat. When you are dry, use the towel to mop up around the toilet so that area is dry. There are two drains in the bathroom that allow the water to quickly drain so in no time the floor is dry. Once I got the hang of it, it was not a problem and makes good sense. The shower area was more than adequate for me and I am a plus sized person.

 

I drank the water from the tap with no problems. In fact, I took my Camelbak water bottle on the trip and refilled in the dining rooms and from the tap in the room.

 

Regarding the clothing questions. Two nights are described as "Elegant" and the rest of the time it is "Casual." That is described as resort casual. Elegant dress for mnay men was a sport coat with an open necked shirt. Many people just wore what they had on touring. I wore black pants with different tops most nights.

 

We had ideal weather with temps in the low 70s during the day. I wore capri pants for touring. Some men worn shorts but most were in chinos or dockers. Knees and shoulders must be covered for touring mosques and churches so I would not recommend tank tops. Most people worn blouses or polo shirts.

 

There are two dinner seatings. Check your News every day because the times change depending upon what island we visited. The times are adjusted to accommodate tours and the time in each port.

 

We did not make it to Mykonos because the winds were too high for the tender boats. The port authority would not let them go out to the ship.

 

That day the seas were a little rough but not a problem for most people. I took a motion sickness pill for prevention more than anything.

 

The cruise line caters to tour groups rather than individual travelers although there was a bus load of persons traveling as individuals. We were in a group of 20.

 

The liquor policy is stated in one of the first news."Passengers are not permitted to bring alcoholic beverages onboard for consumption during the voyage." it reads. They will store any alcohol you buy on the trip.

 

They offered an all inclusive drink package for 19.95 Euros/day or 8 Euros for non-alcoholic drinks. Someone in our group figured out it was worthwhile if you drank 3-4 drinks a day.

 

I would be happy to answer anymore questions.

 

 

Ann

[joyc804]

I just returned from a cruise on Cristal from 10/30 to 11/7. What a disaster. We had booked a year ago, did some research to make sure there would be no surprises. I was a little put off by the lack of time in most of the ports, but felt it would give us an overview if we decided to return.

Our problem started when the itenerary was changed less than a month from sailing. We soon found out why. They picked up a group of some 700 Koreans in Israel who had chartered the ship. They belonged to a group known as CBS (Christian Broadcasing System). We had announcements starting at 5 am from our phone speakers, all day, during meals, etc. in Korean. There were signs, banners & flags everywhere. We (some 44 english speaking people) were clustered together in buses and segregated whenever possible by the crew. We had our own dining room for dinner, but mingled for other meals. It was a very uncomfortable cruise for all of us. Being a private charter, we should not have been on that sailing.

The ship was small so everything was scaled down. The crew was wonderful. Yes, the toilets will not accept anything including toilet paper. The hotel we stayed at in Athens was not like that. The rooms were decent. I didn't realize they had a 110 outlet, so I brought none of my electrical appliances, ie; curling iron, battery charger, etc.

The food was not very good. Meat was tough & usually dry. My husband ate fish a lot, and it seemed to be better. They don't have lobster night, or prime rib night. If you didn't eat at mealtime, you didn't eat until the next meal. The only extra food they had was a tea at 4 pm. And a desert buffet late one evening. I lost over 5 lbs. on this cruise! They do not have complimentary 24 hour beverage service. If you want a cup of coffee between meals, you paid 2.25 eu. Same with ice tea. It comes in a can, so you pay for it even at meals.

I loved the ports we stopped at since I had never been to any of them. Rhodes was probably my favorite. The people were very friendly, and didn't push for sales. Very clean and beautiful.

I wouldn't recommend this cruise line, or at least this ship for the lack of quality. Had I known the facts beforehand, I would have cancelled the cruise or made other arrangements.

It was very disappointing.

[ILoveScotland]

Joyc804, how many passengers were not part of the tour group?

 

I was on the Cristal in April as part of a charter, and we had the entire ship with no one else on board. Even then we didn't get the kind of announcements you had at very early hours.

 

At least you got to visit some great ports, but I'm not sure that's much consolation.