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Louis Hellenic Cruises - Greek Islands

herb

By herb,
in Celestyal Cruises

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dougnewmanatsea

dougnewmanatsea

Posted
Posted
Does anybody have a deck plan of Silja Opera, Louis' new ship?

The only plan i could find is this, but i want something more detailed.

The ship will leave Tilbury docks on Sunday bound to Piraeus, Greece.

For something more recent and more detailed try this PDF file of she was in 2005 (I don't think anything has changed since then).

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dog

dog

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I just chatted with my son who was on the Perla ( June 4,5,6 ) and he got off to stay in Crete and will be back on the ship, which will be the Orient Queen, from Santorini to Athens on Thursday, June 14th.

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photographia

photographia

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Hello, all, left on Orient Queen 3-day cruise June 8. Here's the lowdown:

First off, I've NEVER seen a group of people, in any occupation, work so hard as this crew. They fell all over us, and were constantly polishing the elevators, scrubbing the baseboards, etc. Probably helped that our ship was half empty--the Ruby was following us, on basically the same itinerary (they reversed Patmos and Ephesus, I think), and presumably they were full, explaining why OQ sailed too. Unlike us, Ruby had to tender at Mykonos, which took them HOURS. They were still coming ashore when we were getting ready to leave!

 

Safety drill on Day 1 was DEADLY serious, mandatory 100% participation, taking attendance. One guy skipped out; they hunted him down and escorted him to his place. NO joking around, tie your lifejacket properly! A Louis photographer did take pix, after the serious part was over.

 

Restaurant was maybe 3-star, buffet was lower--by day 3, buffet obviously was serving leftovers, fruit cocktail was fermenting, pastries were stale, and salad was just plain scary. Only tea was Lipton, ick. Wait-service was impeccable. One of the waiters plays the guitar and they all sang "Twist 'n Shout" and "Leavin' on a Jet Plane" for us--English definitely NOT their first language, and many of them couldn't feel the beat at all, but they gave it their best shot and it was delightful. They wanted us to be happy. It was plainly their #1 goal.

 

I was alone in a double (lowest deck), deluxe cabin and had tons of space & closets. Bathroom was spotless, tons of hot water, good water pressure. The only place in Europe that's ever provided me a washcloth! :) My bad back was content with the mattress and pillow. A couple in a smaller cabin one deck up complained about cramped conditions; Louis offered to upgrade them for the remaining two nights for an additional 500 Euros each, as I recall! :eek:

 

Jacuzzi never seemed to be open. Didn't do the casino (which looked lame, but perhaps just because it was practically deserted), or the shows.

 

The excursions are EXCELLENT. On Rhodos, climb to the top of Lindos acropolis if you physically can, the view is indescribable--ditto for Monastery of St. John on Patmos. Shoppers, the best prices and selection are definitely in Rhodos Old Town. The stop in Ephesus is just too short, there's so much to do there--and be aware that when you go back to the ship, there's a security checkpoint there (unlike anywhere in Greece) that will slow you down. Some folks nearly missed our ship because of it. Go to the Virgin Mary's House AND Ancient Ephesus.

 

When we reached Piraeus, our Greek TAgent asked us for a full report--Louis wants to know exactly what we think.

 

Bottom line: I'm glad I went, but I'm mostly glad because of the excursions. The ship was far from a dump, but the Queen Mary it is NOT. As many others have said in this space, if you cruise for the sake of cruising (rather than cruising for the sake of seeing the Greek islands), this is not the cruise line for you. But if you want to see the islands, go for it!

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paulmar

paulmar

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Thanks, Photographia, for some positive feedback on this cruiseline, finally. My husband and I probably would have backed out of our long awaited cruise but for losing our deposit - what with all the negative reports about the ships of Louis. Your info re the ports was really helpful, too. We are going on the 7 day cruise from Pireaus as part of a 12 day tour with Globus, leaving Oct 9. The cruise part starts on Friday Oct 12 and sailing first to Istanbul. Last port of call is Santorini. Anybody venture a guess as to which ship this will be - or is it still far too early to guess? Love to hear from others about their experiences - what to do and not do?

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giorgosz

giorgosz

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Dear paulmar, the program is now being "refreshed" and I can't find any information on your sailing. Are you sure that you will be on Louis?

A "do" from me, don't miss the Ephesus tour in Kusadasi, it's a must!

About the Opera now, it seems that it's new name will be Cristal!

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paulmar

paulmar

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I was a little too quick with my question there....on reading back in this forum I realized that this ship is new to Louis and had already been discussed. I am new, too, to this message board business, so I just might ask you some "stupid questions". Bear with me......

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SailoretteII

SailoretteII

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Help! I have until June 26th, 2007 to decide whether to book a land/sea trip to Turkey and Greek Islands. I would be going on a singles tour, picking up the Orient Queen in Istanbul - 6 days cruising. Can't find much positive info on the cruise and as it is my first singles trip am having difficulty making up my mind. Anyone have anything positive to say. Thanks. C

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giorgosz

giorgosz

Posted
Posted

My opinion.

Don't wait for a product like the mass-market lines.

It is a small line. The product is ok, good food, clean rooms, some entertainment. It is a nice way to visit the islands and be in a relaxed environment.

The destinations are great.

About the Orient Queen, it was renovated 2 years ago and I think it is very good. You can see some interior photos and info here and here.

If you decide to go, please tell us your experience-opinion about the ship.

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lh53528

lh53528

Posted
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Just returned to US after trip to Turkey including 3 day sailing on Ruby. We had to ask for clean towels each day, were not w a large group so debarkation was miserable, only had 1 hour on Patmos, food was good though.

 

Fiance developed cough on board, went to ships doctor, waited in line with 12 other people with the same symptoms. Seems he/they were all ALLERGIC to boat.

Mykonos and Rhodes were great

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Steamboatin

Steamboatin

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We just got off of the Cristal. We were on her third voyage as a Louis Hellenic Line vessel.

 

It is OK for a small ship FERRY.

 

It will get you safely between the islands.

 

It is NOT up to anything in the "main stream" cruise industry fleet.

 

Pool small only good it is for is to get you wet, nothing more.

 

Cabin air conditioning is POOR at best.

 

Cabin bathroom shower drains onto bathroom floor flooding the bathroom floor after the first person showers.

 

Food in dinning rooms was good. Did not eat at buffet as the sit down and eat area was small and inferior to traffic flow and scenery. Small buffet line area would seemly greatly limit the variety of food that they could offer there.

 

Enjoyed the trip on her, but not go back on her if I could help it.

 

Ship was clean and crew was very good.

 

Shop on board was a joke.

 

Vessel was fast and outran other vessels and was able to get us good dockage areas where available. Tendering was organized and efficient.

 

Ports on the 4 day cruise were very good except for Crete. Tours we took via Trafaglar were outstanding.

 

For a four day cruise of the Greek Islands you can easily enjoy yourself on the islands, but not on the vessel.

 

Think of using the vessel only as a means of getting you from one island to another and nothing more.

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jody

jody

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Thanks everyone for your reviews, especially A sixth?, Be A Traveler and wander4now. They were very helpful! Are there any new reviews out there? A group of us are booked on the 4 day trip in July 2008 and I was just wondering about more recent experiences anyone had.

Thanks.

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