On 9/10/2021 at 7:04 PM, andiamo76 said:

Well, so did you ever get your cake?  Or did they blow through it again on the second night and figured fun napkins ala RCL & Carnival covered it?

Here's our experience on an Oceania cruise over my husband's birthday.  We hadn't said anything but obviously it is in our profile.  We went to a nice dinner, in one of the specialty restaurants, returned to our room and found it decorated with balloons, a fun towel heart and nice heart on the bed made from the turndown chocolates!  Right up our alley being chocoholics.  It really surprised us and touched our hearts.  It turns out our cabin attendants had seen the date in our profile and took it upon themselves to do some decorating.  They explained the ship provides balloons and it is up to the cabin attendants as to whether or not they wish to do something for the guest.  

Another year we were on a Crystal cruise.  For those having a birthday to celebrate on the cruise, they had a special cocktail party in the Captains suite, with him, some of the officers and of course all of us with a birthday that cruise.  For breakfast they make a special breakfast which had a beautiful array of specially made breakfast items sort of like a bruschetta or cheese board kind of idea for the presentation of things not on any of the breakfast menus.  Dinner was a specially made dinner for however many were in "my" travel party finished with a gorgeously decorated special chocolate torte.  They were doing a special birthday promotion gimmick that year so if your birthday fell during the cruise which mine did, we received a gift certificate for 50% off my cruise fare on a future cruise. And yes, that is 50% off whatever the already discounted published fare, not the faux "original" price.  Quite amazing.  Talk about an all around special day and top class way to handle the birthday!   I don't recall for sure whether or not there was also champagne so I will have to look back though my photos.  But yes there was also a card from Crystal.           

 

We did get our cake the next night but we had to tell our server about it so he could track it down. Our server was a former RCL employee so the napkin statues were from him. He took the initiative to do that for us which was so appreciated and another reason we loved sitting in his section each night. Hope I didn’t seem ungrateful but I did kind of expect more from them for a special occasion. I can see the bigger ships probably have more people celebrating things so maybe they have more of a system set up for it. It’s definitely an area Atlas can improve on. 

I forgot to mention here about a special occasion we alerted both our TA and the my atlas form about - we were celebrating our anniversary on board during our trip. The night of our anniversary we were getting ready for dinner and at about 6pm our phone rang in our state room. They informed us that they overlooked our anniversary and asked if we would like a cake in Porto the following night. We agreed even though we had planned to go to Aft7 that night. The next night we went to dinner and when our server asked what we wanted for dessert we had to inform him that it was our anniversary the previous night and that we were told there would be a cake for us. He jumped in and made us a few really cool napkin sculptures which we totally appreciated. But this was still a big “miss” as it felt like we were asking for extra attention (not our style) and with only 50 or so people on board I think behind the scenes a few more people should have been alerted (like the dining room manager) which would have made it a little more special. As this was our first cruise I don’t know what other cruise lines do but I’m pretty sure it’s more than what we received. A card in our room maybe? Bottle of something with some glasses when we returned from our excursion? Hoping they can figure out a way to make these occasions a little more special as we booked our trip over these dates because of it. 

On 8/27/2021 at 5:12 PM, jwsfun said:

Docs just arrived they are Gorgeous and I’m hoping that the ship will overdeliver but I have to say the My Atlas interface has been a bit disappointing as it relates to recording preferences.  Anxious to see how the onboard staff delivers  on the newly limited choices. I’m pulling for them. 

On the Aug13th cruise none of the MyAtlas requests were in our mini bar. Just sodas and some Bud Lights. We would just run to the closest lounge and get what we wanted. I also heard others say they would call and request drinks and they would bring them to the room. 

On 8/20/2021 at 5:44 PM, amunhbuu said:

Just logged back in. A bunch of the minibar drink options have been eliminated.  Not a huge surprise about that.

Nothing we selected was in our minibar. Just sodas. 

We never got the backpacks. I wonder if those are only for pre- and post- cruise excursions?

5 hours ago, Zeborah said:

We will be on the Sept 6 cruise. I appreciate the heads up and will pack a couple lengths of cord for laundry. But then there is no iron. I really don’t want to look like I slept in my clothes .  I don’t want to carry an iron from the US 😳 atlas need to take one of those smaller porthole rooms and put in a couple machines and two ironing boards. Seriously, we will all be traveling for weeks , what were they thinking ??

You can check out an iron and board at reception I believe. We never did it but our materials said that was an option. 

On 7/20/2021 at 11:23 AM, jwsfun said:

As of this moment - "My Atlas" appears to be back up and operating.  a few of my entries from prior did not save so if you previously filled out you may want to double check.

FYI - not sure what the My Atlas entries were for. Our fridge had just sodas in it. There was a form on the desk in our room that asked what bottle we would like in our room. It arrived on day 3 or 4 and we never opened it. 

1 hour ago, amunhbuu said:

Thanks for the update.  Disappointing, but not surprising.

 

I hope you are enjoying the cruise nonetheless!

We are still in Athens after our cruise. I will review when we get home and I can type everything out. But our overall experience was a good one. We did not get the cruise we expected based on their advertisement in many ways. Some issues were due to Covid. Some issues due to Atlas being so new. But once we let go of the expectations we were missing and started enjoying the benefits of our situation we had a wonderful time and will cruise with Atlas again when Covid is in the past and Atlas has more experience. Hoping they make it to that point as running at about 35% capacity can’t be cheap! Also hoping that their amazing staff is compensated well and will stay on. They are the ones that made our experience a positive one!

Here is the laundry solution during our cruise. Not sure if they will continue with the complimentary undergarments but it was at least something for us that were under the impression that laundry was included. 

I’m going to just say that one of the advantages/disadvantages of being on a smaller, newer ship during a pandemic is that when things change/plans change. I’ll address later in our review but for anyone booking in the near future I would be ready/open to changes that need to be made for whatever reason.  This current cruise had an entire port:country embarkation change and it happened within 72 hours but everyone got where they needed to go. With smaller numbers on the ship excursions have been canceled or changed to different times or days and we haven’t always been notified right away. But the bonus is that the tours are small and you can change your mind last minute and switch or just decide to do your own thing. Atlas definitely needs to step up their communication but I also think things are changing so rapidly that if they communicate too early it could change again. So with that in mind if you are flexible and easy going this will be a great trip. If you will be disappointed to miss a port or have reduced or changes times in port you may want to rethink and book later when cruising is back in full swing and Atlas has a few more cruises behind them. After day 1 we have let all of our expectations go and are just going with the flow. Werealize that this trip is essentially a soft opening of a ship during a pandemic and are having a great time enjoying what it is and not focusing on what our expectations were. 

18 hours ago, keokukjoe said:

Thank you for posting this. I assume that the "complimentary connection" is per passenger or is it per stateroom??? What does the complimentary connection allow (email, texts, WiFi calling) ??? Thank you! Have a wonderful cruise.

Yes it is per person. I should have added side two (see below).  I’ve been connecting in low data mode so I don’t use too much and have been using the phone in port. We are midship and have very minimal coverage (only the lowest ring) in our room. But after 2 days I haven’t used my free amount up yet. Interesting trip. Will post my review at the end. We are cruising with about 60 passengers and a small film crew who I assume are gathering promotional content while we are off ship. 2 ports in one day tomorrow. 

Here are the wifi packages available on ship. 

Joyce-

thank you again for everything. We are coming back to the hotel to freshen up and have lunch before we go to the museum. I’ll look around and see if I can find your group so I can say hello and thank you in person! 
Dani and Dave from Sacramento 

1 hour ago, goghd said:

Joyce,

 

Thanks for the update.  In Luxor right now on a pre-cruise Atlas package.  Boarding on Friday in Alexandria. Or at least schedule to.

You will love the package to visit luxor.

 

Any info on if the ship will come to pick us up?

 

Thanks.

Hello! We are on the cruise with you starting the 13th. Just arrived at the Ritz Carlton for our 2 night pre-cruise stay. 
 

The tour person that met us at the hotel just told us we are going to be leaving the hotel at 4:00pm on Friday and going back to Cairo airport for a 7pm chartered flight to Crete. I think those arriving the day of the cruise are just being taken to the chartered flight. 
 

We have a tour of the pyramids and museum arranged for tomorrow through the concierge here. Now we pretty much have a full day on Friday to explore as well. 
 

We are just going with the flow at this point. Not much we can do. It’s an adventure nonetheless. I hope your tour has been amazing!

38 minutes ago, keokukjoe said:

Our contact at Atlas Air Dept., Ken Goldberg, has retired but you can reach Kevin White at 954-678-5207

Good luck and have a wonderful vacation! Please post updates. 

Thanks. Going to leave our flights for now but will keep Kevin’s info in case we have any issues. Our TA is on vacation this week. 
 

Still no info on our transfers other than who is providing the service (pick up times is what I’m looking for). Our documents do say they will meet us at other at customs or arrivals. Just not sure what time we are getting picked up on Friday at the airport to go to Alexandria. 
 

Joyce has been so helpful so I hope I can continue to help answer questions for future cruisers. 

On 6/30/2021 at 4:05 PM, keokukjoe said:

If I were you, I'd call them in the AM. Did you book directly with AOV or a travel agent? Speak with the AOV who booked your trip. You could also call their AIr Department and speak with Ken Goldberg. We've had our flights arranged quite a while ago and we don't leave until 10/1. Good luck.

Do you have a number for the air dept? Our flights are through Chicago tomorrow and we are getting notices from United that they are having severe weather and we may need to reroute?

Wow, I did understand the room service menu would be limited but I didn’t realize how limited. Not a huge deal but unclear in their materials. Also knowing the difference between what’s available to suites and staterooms might have influenced me to choose a suite so their loss I guess. 

These are photos from the welcome kit we got for the cruise next week. Not to belabor the issue but maybe something to show the head office people. I get that they have some things to work out but those of us that are arriving on board with these expectations should be accommodated. However, I am glad to hear that these two relatively minor issues are the worst thing happening on board for the current passengers. If not resolved I’ll bring extra clothes and watch my wifi usage and still be very happy!

4 hours ago, keokukjoe said:

Hi Joyce: Per the Atlas website under the "FAQ's" section:

Do you have dry cleaning and laundry services?

Not only are laundry services available on board, they are included in your cruise fare!

I confirmed this with my Atlas agent. She even said that the ship would provide complimentary detergent so I shouldn't pack it. She did say that if you want the staff to do your laundry, there will be an extra cost but if you use the machines provided for the guests, laundry is complimentary. Are there ironing boards?

In our welcome packet it says irons and ironing boards are available for check out. Also says no personal irons allowed. 

1 hour ago, amunhbuu said:

Haven't seen anything from any actual passengers yet.

 

I think these are similar text:

https://thepointsguy.com/news/atlas-ocean-voyages-cruise-line-debut

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/6361/

 

Another thing I realized a couple of months ago is that they already had a sister ship to the World Navigator, the World Explorer which is chartered by Quark.  Not a lot of reviews on that either.

 

 

I’m following 2 people with public Instagram accounts that are on the first cruise. Looks like they are both travel professionals that may have been invited. @traveltalkweekly and @disneytraveldad. 

22 hours ago, keokukjoe said:

You should be fine since the Atlas website states that:

"A COVID-19 PCR test will also be conducted at the end of the voyage for disembarking guests" so this should be in the 3 day window that the US requires. 

We are staying 3 post days in Athens. The United website has some recommended covid tests you can purchase ahead of time (Same ones available on Amazon) then you just download the app, set up an online tele-health visit where you take your test while they watch, show them the results and they send you a certificate. You can do it 24-7 from the comfort of your hotel room. Just hoping the US doesn’t decide to shut down its borders in the next few weeks. We come back on August 23. 

On 7/25/2021 at 5:56 PM, joyce Ottawa said:

I agree, just marketing stuff, plus the future trips brochure was all out of date, waste of postage! I hadn't heard about the backpacks, so nice surprise, I hope!  I couldn't find the roll call for this sailing, only the old one of Aug 4 Black Sea. Thanks for the update on the ship movement, yay, it sails!!

Hi Joyce,

did you ever get your transfers and such? We are waiting for our info the 8/13 trip still… 

Thanks for sharing - it’s getting so close!

5 hours ago, keokukjoe said:

This appeared on their website yesterday. I called my AOV agent because she told me that the crew and staff would be "double immunized and quarantined before the first voyage". She re-confirmed this info yesterday but it is not on this published protocol (she wasn't even aware of this addition to the website).  AOV took this down from their website when I checked this AM so perhaps they are editing the document. I hope so because I only made our final payment because of this assurance. All the other items are reassuring and I'm happy to see that AOV is taking these measures.

 

https://atlasoceanvoyages.com/health-and-safety-protocol/

 

SUMMER 2021

HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOL

The health and safety of our guests, as well as of our staff and crew, is our top priority.

We constantly monitor the latest health guidance from the U.S. and European CDC in order to stay current on our prevention and response measures. As we’ve seen lately, the requirements frequently change, and we will communicate the most up-to-date requirements as we get closer to each sailing.

To ensure that guests enjoy an unforgettable, luxurious vacation, Atlas Ocean Voyages has instituted the following health and safety measures:

• All onboard spaces are deep cleaned prior to guests’ embarkation and sanitized frequently during the day throughout the voyage.
• Additional hand sanitizing dispensers have been placed throughout the ship for guests’ convenience.
• The ship’s maximum occupancy is reduced to 75% or less.
• Furniture in public spaces is adjusted accommodate for appropriate social distancing.
• All staff and crew members are required to provide a valid, negative PCR test prior to embarking the ship, and wear masks onboard.
• Guests will be required to present a valid, negative PCR test taken up to 72 hours prior to their embarkation.
• World Navigator staff will administer a COVID-19 antigen test to guests at the embarkation terminal. Only tested guests with negative results will be allowed to proceed on board.
• Throughout the voyage, our attentive housekeeping staff will frequently sanitize all surfaces daily.
• Antigen tests will be conducted for all guests starting on the third day of voyage.
• COVID-19 PCR tests will also be conducted onboard for disembarking guests.
• We highly recommend that guests get vaccinated and we will ask guests to attest to their vaccination prior to boarding.
• Depending on the regulations of the counties we visit, unvaccinated guests may be subject to additional testing and restricted from independent shoreside activities.

We take guests’ health and safety, and those of fellow staff and crew, most seriously.

We’re continuing to update our policies and procedures according to the latest guidance to ensure that guests enjoy safe and unforgettable luxe-adventure voyage.

 

 

 

So we are doing 2 nights pre-cruise in Cairo. I guess we are going to have to land and immediately find a place to get a Covid Test so we will have it on the 3rd day. And we are fully vaccinated. Fun. Wish this info had been on something coming from Atlas. We leave in 3 weeks and have nothing in writing from them but our itinerary which only says it’s our responsibility to make sure we have the appropriate tests for the itinerary. 

7 hours ago, goghd said:

I'm very frustrated with Atlas and their Info flow.  Leaving in less than 3 weeks and no official mailing or emails from the cruise line as promised.  They botched my excursions and are fixing. I'm told they pulled down the my Atlas site because their staff was overwhelmed with phone calls to clarify.  Atlas is just not ready for prime time.

Hope they can get their act together.

I’m with you! We are 4 weeks out and have had a ton of issues with details. Itineraries were missing excursions, had incorrect flight dates, etc. Our travel agent was having to deal with all of it and it seems like it is all correct now. Flights have not really been an issue, got our updated flight info a few weeks ago and verified they were on the carrier sites which they were. I haven’t heard one word from Atlas directly. We are staying at pre-cruise hotel and I wanted the confirmation number of the hotel so I could add to my rewards program and Atlas says they don’t have that back from the hotel which seems odd to me. Would also like to know about the included transportation since we are using their pre-cruise hotel which means having to land in Cairo and then take a 2.5 hour ride to Alexandria. Going to give my agent a break for a few days before I start asking for that info.