Louis Hellenic Cruises - Greek Islands

[soaringpa]

It's just such a merry-go-round with Louis trying to find out what's going on.

 

A Sixth - Ditto to your remarks about Louis merry-go-round ship selection. Well at least the two ships are better than La Perla. Thanks for the info. I just want to have a good time on a decent ship. :)

[soaringpa]

What's wrong with that ;) ?

 

If you wind up sailing in AUSONIA, consider yourself lucky to have the chance to experience one of the very last of her kind in the world. She is one of a very few remaining steam turbine passenger ships in operation (less than ten). Personally I would love to sail in her before she's gone, but I'm a nut who thinks of ships like wine, the older the better ;) ! The lovliest ships around today are the few remaining from the 1960s and earlier... They have grace and charm that today's anonymous new ships lack.

 

Nonetheless she is a very special ship with a storied history and hopefully she has a few more years of service left in her yet! Personally I would much rather sail in her than the modern and characterless SEA DIAMOND...

 

Thanks for the history and encouraging words about Ausonia. I agree fine wine gets better with time, but do ships get better? I don't want old and creaky. Thanks for the links to the ships. Does Ausonia have a pool? Do you have any information on the Sea Diamond? I know you like the old classics, but with teens traveling on this trip slightly newer is better (at least in their minds ;) ).

[herb]

I just checked Louis' website. The webmaster there needs a good kick in the pants. Information seems all mixed up with deckplans of one ship and 360 degree views of a different ship. Hopefully they'll get their act together!!

 

When things SEEM to be moving along smoothly I'll consider a Greek cruise with Louis. Until then, Royal Caribbean is offering some nice Greek Island cruises (7 night) for 2007.

[auburn6]

I just came back from a Greek Island cruise on the Louis Line ship The Emerald and it was great!! We were supposed to go on the Perla, but they have changed it to the Emerald. Food was good, rooms nice, clean etc, but the best is the ports of the islands you see. Very fast paced cruise, early up and out and alot of walking up hills etc. The things you see are fantastic!! On the tours, you can do only the tours you want, so you can pace yourself. Would do it again!!

[A Sixth?]

auburn6 more more!!!! How about a full report? Pictures!!!???? We'll all be eternally grateful Please!!!!!:D

[Be a Traveler]

My TA has just confirmed that I am on the Perla for the 7-day Greek Isle/Turkey cruise from Apr 28- May 5 as an extention to my Cosmos tour of Greece. I e-mailed the Cosmos branch in Greece about all the postings about the Perla and this is what they said:

You are confirmed on the Perla. I realize that the Perla does not

have very good comments on various websites which is not giving

a true picture of this ship. The standard and comfort of this

ship has improved all through the last season. I have just spoken

to our Tour Director onboard the Perla this week (our first 7 day

cruise this season). He has confirmed that the ship is in a good

condition. All the cabins are clean and comfortable and the food

and service onboard of a very good quality.

We'll see in a matter of weeks. Stay tuned for my assessment of the ship. Because of the time limitations in each port, I'm pretty sure we'll take many of the excursions booked on-board. Stay tuned for my impressions of those excursions.

[dougnewmanatsea]

To be fair to PERLA, Louis and the tour operators may well be correct that she is better than last season. Last year was her first with Louis, and she had just been bought from the bankrupt Royal Olympic Cruises who had financial problems and thus may have skimped on maintenance etc. Greek cruise ships have a winter lay-up period in the off season and very often refurbishment work is undertaken during this period. So PERLA may well be in much better condition than she was last year.

[A Sixth?]

At last, some info on the Ausonia on the Gate One site (I am not booked through them... I'm totally independent ...dependent on my TA and Holiday House)

 

http://www.gate1travel.com/cruises/ships/louis_Ausonia.htm

 

 

[Radcom]

And it was excellent !

 

I had read the reviews on here before hand and I must say, I did not find any of the problems mentioned.

 

The ship looked like it had received a complete new paint job, everything was is good condition, considering her age. Every stop in a port I saw workmen running around fixing little things like blown lightbulbs, or adjusting doors. Everything was quite clean and tidy.

 

We travelled on the 7th of April on the 7 day cruise. The first night with only 145 passengers, but picked up another 300 or so throughout the following days.

 

My partner and I had cabin 600 on the Atlantic Deck. The shower pumped out nice high pressure hot water and the cabin steward was excellent and very creative.

 

The meals were great and so was the service. The buffet up on the pool deck was very good.

 

The captain made fast time departing, and arrived early at every destination, giving us more time to explore.

 

We only took 3 tours, and did the rest of exploring ourselves which we found to be a great balance.

 

The Emerald did the same route, but while leaving before us, always arrived after us into port. The Perla certainly is a faster ship.

 

The entertainment was mixed, however the band was good, and the magic shows were excellent. The cruise director was average, but the staff overall were making every effort to provide a top service. Always smiling, and saying hello.

 

Santorini was the jewel in the crown of the trip, so good that I proposed to my girlfriend ;-)

 

People may have had a bad run on this ship in the past, but people who have had a bad experience will always shout about it. It is rare to have someone write about their good experiences.

 

We certainly had a great experience on the Perla.

 

Best rgds

 

Mark

 

From Melbourne, Australia.

[Radcom]

Be a Traveller -

 

I met up with the COSMOS tour guide, Mark, during our cruise. Great guy, and as he has confirmed, the ship is in very good condition. No need to worry at all. You will have a great time.

 

You dont have to take all the excursions. If you do, they will become quite expensive. Depends on how adventurous you are i guess. In Mykanos, my partner and I hired a 4 wheel motor bike for 3 hours, for 20 euros, and travelled all over the island. We walked all around Istanbul and saw everything they did on the tour. Walked around Santorini also.... no need for a tour there either.

 

best rgds

 

Mark

[suziern]

Radcom

Which tours did you do and did you think they were worth it? I will only be doing a 3 night cruise with my husband to Mykonos, Rhodes, Patmos, and Kusadasi. Any advice you can give would be appreciated! Thanks!

[Radcom]

Susie,

 

We did the following -

 

1. Kusadasi - Ancient Ephesus, was OK but the Turkish guide could not stop yabbering on about himself and giving donations to the bus driver. We broke away from the tour at Ephesus because the guide kept missing some good spots like the amphitheatre, and then joined the bus again back to the ship. The supposed insight into the making of Turkish Carpets was a con, and we didnt learn a thing.

2. A Taste of Crete - was ok, but they put a Turkish group with an English group, and the Turkish translator took 3 times as long to translate what the English guide was saying. A pain in the bum @! The wine tasting was good as were the videos on the history of wine making in Crete.

3. Patmos - was quite good, about a 2 hour drive right around the island with a very good tour guide.

 

We walked extensively in Rhodes, almost the complete way around the old city which is quite spectacular in itself. We did not take the tour to Lindos. We hired a 4 wheel motor bike in Mykanos and went to all the beachs, as well as walking around to little Venice and the windmills.

 

Rgds

 

Mark

[A Sixth?]

Thanks for the report Radcom.

 

What did your shore tours cost and did you book them thru the ship?

[suziern]

Radcom,

Thank you for the info, I'm a mad planner and every bit helps!

 

Question for everyone-I was talking to a Greek gentleman the other day who insisted I make it to Hydra while on my trip via the hydrofoils. He said it is his favorite island and he made me promise to visit there. :) Does anyone have experience with this? Is it easy to get tickets/navigate schedules if you don't speak or read Greek? it sounds like a beautiful island, no cars, etc. If anyone has any information I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks

[A Sixth?]

Well, looks like I'm on the new Sea Breeze, finally got my cabin designation for our cruise at the end of the month. A Superior "A" outside on the Rhodes deck

 

No details on the room size but the email says that our two "lower beds" can not be pushed together to make "matrimonial"

 

Ironic that this, our 9th cruise and on our 25th anniversary, we'll have separate beds! :p

 

Oh well:rolleyes:

[suziern]

A Sixth,

 

Bummer news on the cabin, we'll be finding out our ship/cabin probably by May 12th. We're going for our 10 year anniversary, as well. When are you sailing? Are you going through a tour group/travel agency?

 

Suzie

[A Sixth?]

A Sixth,

 

Bummer news on the cabin, we'll be finding out our ship/cabin probably by May 12th. We're going for our 10 year anniversary, as well. When are you sailing? Are you going through a tour group/travel agency?

 

Suzie

 

We're sailing May 29th. I posted it a fairly long time ago, but we actually won an all expense paid trip to Greece and the Sani Resort including air, transfers meals etc for a week!!! $ 7,000.00!!! (http://www.saniresort.gr)

 

Deciding that a week wasn't enough we've added a couple of more weeks at our own expense including this cruise.

 

We booked the cruise through our regular TA here in Montreal who booked it through "Holiday House"

 

The rest of the trip I've just booked myself on the internet or am just going to take my chances on reservations/plans when I get there.

[suziern]

A Sixth,

Sorry, I haven't read all the prior posts. That's an amazing thing to win! Have a wonderful time, and happy anniversary. The picture looks gorgeous.

We'll be getting off the ship as you are climbing aboard if we get the Sea Diamond, should find out soon.:D

 

Suzie

[A Sixth?]

A Sixth,

Sorry, I haven't read all the prior posts. That's an amazing thing to win! Have a wonderful time, and happy anniversary. The picture looks gorgeous.

We'll be getting off the ship as you are climbing aboard if we get the Sea Diamond, should find out soon.:D

 

Suzie

 

I was never so happy in my life. You should have seen the expression on my wife's face when the phone rang and it was local radio station CJAD and the Saturday Morning "travel show" calling to ask me the phrase of the day...

 

"Hero's and Gods and the Golden Fleece... I want to live my myth in incredible Greece!!!!"

 

and I won!!!!

 

We have a pretty nice life and Cruise often, aren't all that fussy and truly looking forward to what sounds like a cruise that we will remember for the sites and not as much for the boat! :D

[suziern]

That's how we feel too. When people ask me where we're going I say "to Greece" not "on a cruise." The islands will be our main focus.

 

Out of curiosity, do you know which category cabin you booked that you said was "superior outside"? I think we booked TB, which I think is "premium outside," I'm just dying to know where we'll be and what type of cabin we'll be in.

Thanks.

[suziern]

Nevermind, you already said it was a superior A. I'm brain dead these days, studying for finals and anticipating this trip! It's hard to concentrate!

[Be a Traveler]

I have to agree with RadCom that the 7-day Greek Isles/Turkey cruise on the Perla was very good. This is no Celebrity or Carnival cruise, but the staff was always attentive and service was great. They genuinely wanted to make our experience as great as possible. Our cabin steward was a star--he learned our routines quickly and no sooner than having walked out of our cabin, he was there straightening things up, cleaning the bathroom, and putting out new towels. It got so that we had to tell him that he was doing too much as we were having it straighted up everytime we would leave. But he was all too happy to maintain his high level of service.

 

Dining options are pretty limited, but food was actually very good with a good variety as well as good presentation. We mostly made excellent use of the buffet for breakfast and lunch (and sometimes dinner) as going to the restaurant always took almost 2 hours for a meal and we wanted to spend more time on shore. We also liked the buffet because it was on a higher deck with floor-to-ceiling windows (read: good view), near the pool for nice days, and casual (just my style). On days when the weather was bad/cool, there was not enough indoor seating on the pool deck but we just took our trays to the lounge upstairs.

 

This is an older ship--no multi-story atrium, only one shop (duty free), and small public spaces.But for the most part, it seemed that all the flooring/carpeting and upholstery was new in all public areas, the ship was newly painted, and all the open decks and furniture was well maintained. Fitness center was also small, with space for a treadmill, two stair-steppers, two bikes, and two rowers--although it was never crowded. Internet lounge had 3 computers but very costly. Entertainment and activities were pretty amateurish but still good. My cabin was a standard interior one deck below registration--small, fairly quiet, with new carpet and bed covers. No diesel smells or leaks through the walls as older posts had stated. Bathroom shower was tiny but we always had good water temp and pressure. Storage is limited, but we could put our luggage under the lower berths.

 

All-in-all, most people on our tour enjoyed the cruise.

 

GPM

[A Sixth?]

Be a Traveler

 

Thnaks for the report

[Be a Traveler]

The people I went with wanted to take as many tours as they could--meaning and extra $400 per person. Here's the rundown:

• Istanbul by Night: pricey, really long dinner program starts late (9p), if you want to see belly dancers and Turkish folk dances while eating kabobs, this is it.
  
• Highlights of Istanbul: mainly a tour of the Blue Mosque, St Sophia, and Topkapi Palace--tour guide liked to hear himself talk, but good tour to see these sights. Half the tour started the afternoon we got into port (other half in the Sunday morn) so there was a short time to see the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market. Beware of the rug shop/jewelry store on Sunday-under the guise of learning about how Turkish rugs are made then try to sell these rugs. It's like walking onto a used car lot. To save money and gain more time at the Grand Bazaar (remember to do this on Saturday when you get into port, it'll be closed on Sunday), go to the major sites yourself by cab--they are really close to eachother.
  
• Mykonos: didn't take any tours as time in the port was short, the cruise line had buses to take us from the port to the town (6 euro r/t)
  
• Kusadasi-House of the Virgin Mary and Ancient Ephesus: Virgin Mary part not my choice and it was a long but trip to the site. Ephesus was really impressive-- "the best ruins you'll ever see." Beware--this is Turkey and if you've already endured the rug shop at Istanbul, be ready for the same presentation from another rug shop. Go to the bazaar if you didn't get a chance to do so in Istanbul. It's smaller and less chaotic.
  
• Patmos-St John's Monestary: again, not my choice. We had to tender in the harbor. There were three ships that arrived the same time, so our tours kept getting pushed back--it was a logistic nightmare thst should not have happened. If the Book of Revelations or Monestaries don't float your boat, save your money just stay in town and do some shopping/people watching.
  
• Rhodes and Lindos: If you've had your fill of ruins, for me, the tour was a waste of time and money. While the view from the top of the Lindos acropolis was great, but keep in mind there are over 300 steep steps to get up there--without guard rails. The tour of the Old Town of Rhodes was worth it. Those that went to the Philerimos/Old Town tour raved about it. If you want to save money, don't go one any tour as the ships dock at the port right outside the city walls of Old Town Rhodes--just walk 5 minutes and you're there.
  
• Taste of Crete--complete waste of time. Billed as a wine tasting tour with an additional visit to a taverna, the winery had us watch a 45-min film of wine, raki, olive oil, and olive oil soap production in Crete, followed by sampling one wine before the hard sell of all these products conveniently located in the store. The Taverna part was better, with Crete folk dancing and a good sampling of food. The other option was to tour Knossos if you want more ruins. There's nothing at the port of Heraklion, so either stay on-board and relax or pick a tour.
  
• Santorini-Thira and Oia: Oia was a long drive, but you can see why it is special as it is the subject of almost all of the postards you see from Santorini. But you get the same view of the caldera from Thira/Fira, so save your money and just take the gondola ride from the port to Thira and enjoy the view. Don't miss the interior paintings of Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

Questions about these excursions? Just ask me.

GPM

[A Sixth?]

Again, thanks Be a Traveler. We're outta here in days and your recommendations sound like our pre-cruise plans to a "T".