Onboard experience

[Moby Jones]

Hello everyone, I'm just wondering if anyone who's been onboard recently could provide details of their experience. Specifically, how is the service and dining? I've seen the poor reviews after launch, but I believe the CEO was replaced with someone more competent and note that World Traveller appears to fare better than World Navigator which suggests the line is evolving positively. 

Does anyone know if internet is limited when sailing in Europe? 

Can you book shore excursions through their website? I can't find any way of doing this at present. 

Thanks in advance. 

[Primus]

We were very happy with the food on the World Navigator for our Feb 10 cruise.  Breakfasts included a large buffet along with order off-the-menu option and specials of the day.  We especially liked the Eggs Benedict and ordered it multiple mornings.  Lunch was mostly a buffet which changed every day and included a different carving station and a station where the chef cooked to order the daily special.  Our favorite two lunch dishes were the chef-cooked pasta which was finished in a carved out parmesan cheese wheel and the lamb chops.  Except for 2 evenings, dinner was order from the menu with a different themed cuisine each evening as well as an always available menu.  There were a number of dishes we wanted to try from the always available menu but never got the chance since we selected mostly from the menu of the day.  Our favorite entrees were the salmon confit and venison.  Tasty ice cream/gelato was available at lunch and dinner in addition to other desserts.  Room service menu was also available in the dining room.

 

Dining room service was excellent.  There was only one dinner that was slow. That was at the beginning of the cruise and all the guests seemed to come at once that evening.  Our drinks were refilled often during every meal.  The staff greeted us warmly by our preferred names, even those who we only interacted with occasionally.

 

Shore excursions in Europe are not yet available to book online but I received a 116-page pdf excursion booklet on Feb 3 for booking available through my TA.  I think 1 free specific excursion is provided for each Med cruise and four of the cruises include 2 free.  Most ports have 3 - 6 paid tour options with pricing mostly in the $50 - $125 range.  There are some exceptions like the $525 for the Luxury of Caviar tasting at Caviar de Riofrio in Malaga.

 

[VACruiser123]

On 3/9/2023 at 4:10 AM, Moby Jones said:

Hello everyone, I'm just wondering if anyone who's been onboard recently could provide details of their experience. Specifically, how is the service and dining? I've seen the poor reviews after launch, but I believe the CEO was replaced with someone more competent and note that World Traveller appears to fare better than World Navigator which suggests the line is evolving positively. 

Does anyone know if internet is limited when sailing in Europe? 

Can you book shore excursions through their website? I can't find any way of doing this at present. 

Thanks in advance. 

We loved our expedition! Having said that, the dinner service is probably the weak point at this time. It is not near sublime like a Seabourn etc. luxury line...nor is it mechanically efficient like HAL or Celebrity; it is...different. The attitude of the staff is excellent...full stop..they are happy and they are trying. I think they are still figuring out how to run the dining room operation for a full sit down service where everybody just literally wanders in willy nilly. They do NOT cut corners on the quality...fresh squeezed OJ even on the last day and a couple of days with plate sized giant prawns and a lobster night as well.  The menu items may not all be to your liking and some of their takes on classics could/will? improve. I did not care for the soups since they were essentially all weak broths unless it said "cream". I think their riff on the French Onion soup is a bad one. I think the proteins are very under seasoned but the chef added seasoning before cooking when asked. I actually thought the breakfast and lunch buffets were excellent...and that is from a person that frowns on main line buffets. There is a regional themed menu every night and the everyday menu has steak, salmon, chicken and mushroom pasta. I think that the ship is so beautiful that your expectations naturally move into the "luxury cruise" thoughts even though that is NOT what is advertised. The "yacht style" to me now means "upscale casual"...I would sail them again in a heartbeat...price depending of course.

 

EDIT - I was on The World Navigator...also be warned, they put ketchup on the burgers...what sort of barbarian does that??? What is this...Mickie D's on the seas ;=)

Edited March 11, 2023 by VACruiser123

[Rockymt]

Primus was right on. The food and service on our recent Lisbon trip was FAR better than the old covid reviews.We loved the size of the boat. It gave us the opportunity to chat with some really seasoned traveler.AND see them thru-out the trip.It was like family . We will be back. Loved the Vet. discount.

[JAR]

We just returned from the World Traveller Christmas cruise, & were quite pleased by the food. They had multiple selections each night & service was fantastic. We never waited long for our meals & all the servers were eager to please. We felt that the weakest part of the menu was the dessert selection. The souffles were delicious. Too many of the ice cream choices were plant based & the variety of flavors was limited. The special menus & table settings for the holiday meals were wonderful. Lunch had a great selection of hot foods & salads. I agree with a previous post that some of the soups could be better.

 

 

[Spudd]

Did people dress up for dinner? 

[ShopperfiendTO]

7 hours ago, Spudd said:

Did people dress up for dinner? 

On our Antarctica cruise, mostly no.  The best dressed people were the expedition crew on the gala and farewell dinner nights.  They looked very smart!

[BayGirl22]

Just got back from an 11 night in Antarctica on World Navigator. I loved the onboard experience, I thought the staff and expedition team was very good. They made sure we never waited in lines, for instance by having us sit in the lounge and bringing small groups to the mudroom. Meals were within a 2 hour window and we could choose where to sit - many people chose the same table and waiter every night. I was solo so kind of moved around to different sections/tables and waitstaff. 

 

I thought the food was good and there were a lot of selections. I think I was in a picky mood and wasn't super excited about the dinner entrees some nights. But that said, I always left full and had plenty of choices. Unlike a poster above, I thought the dessert choices were great. I had too much dessert - at dinner and lunch, but I never once had ice cream so I guess we were picking different options. 

 

Also room service is free and the burger is good. Twice I chose to chill in my room and order in. For breakfast you can put out a hang tag for it to be delivered to the room and there were several options. I usually ended up with too much food for breakfast whether I did room service or went to the dining room. There's also a daily smoothie and wellness shot and easy for those to become habits. 
 

I liked Atlas enough to put a deposit down for another cruise, and I think I'm ruined for large ship lines now. 

[mlmdaisy]

We'll be on the Traveller in May, RT Barcelona, and I also wonder about the onboard experience.  I've read that the WIFI isn't good and that concerns me.  I work online and, while I am taking the time off, I do need to respond to e mail messages.  Will I have to resort to my Verizon travel plan?

 

We are waiting to consider excursions since I strongly suspect that more will be added to what's in the printed document.  Nothing is even listed for one port, Peniscola.

 

I am not concerned by the food; we may not be as picky as most.  We've been delighted with offerings on Windstar and, more recently, Oceania.  From what I've researched, Atlas may be even better.

 

We're fine without the big evening shows and prefer the educational presentations.  I see trivia mentioned; can anyone comment on that?  We are, indeed, trivia nerds, although we usually lose.

 

Since Atlas is so new, I'd prefer not to depend upon experiences from their early days.  Problems are hopefully being corrected, right?

[mlmdaisy]

One more thing, please.  Can I assume that many passengers dress casually in the evenings?  We have always felt comfortable in slacks and shirts/ blouses on the small ships/ yachts.  In fact, we've noted many other guests wearing what they toured in during the day, with no time to change for dinner after excursions.  Promotional brochures always depict sports jackets and dresses, of course (not that I don't usually pack one dress).

[Twiga]

@mlmdaisy----If excursions for your ports are not listed in the 2024 Mediterranean brochure, you can call Atlas and ask them about it.  I called them twice last week about excursions.  My calls were answered almost immediately and the rep was very helpful.  I was able to book all of the excursions that I wanted.  Enjoy your cruise!

[mlmdaisy]

Thanks, Twiga.  When I contacted my Atlas consultant he told me to wait until I was on the ship.  My concern is that there will be options added closer to our sailing date, and his reply suggested that, too.  It may depend upon which ports you're visiting.  

[Twiga]

@mlmdaisy----I suggest calling Atlas directly.  I think they can give you more up-to-date information than a consultant. If Atlas does not yet have any excursions for that port, try again every couple of weeks. 

[Rockymt]

Try getmyguide.com

[mlmdaisy]

To clarify, this is an Atlas consultant.  I first spoke to him when I called Atlas to book my cruise.  At the time, several months ago, I was told (in convoluted language) that Atlas outsourced the booking and consulting tasks to selected travel agencies.  I was told that there was nobody who worked directly with Atlas that I could speak with. 

 

Windstar works the same way, and results in one of the weaknesses associated with their customer service.  My interpretation is that when there are so few cruise passengers, some services have to be outsourced.  Another example is that Atlas offers no pre- or post-cruise tours or help with flights, which surprised me.  

 

This puts Atlas at a disadvantage compared to Oceania, but so much else looks better.  Being new and different, I do appreciate any insight offered by those who have sailed with Atlas recently, especially to Mediterranean ports.

[Spudd]

I was in Antarctica with them, and I'm not sure if dress differs - I got the impression that Antarctica was more casual. But on our cruise few people dressed up.

 

Regarding wifi, the speed was ok, but they limit you to 1GB per cruise. An additional GB is $80. They said they are looking into increasing it since now they have Starlink. Maybe you will be lucky and it will be increased by the time you go.

 

I went to one trivia event and it was just ok. The cruise director did not have the teams exchange answer sheets for the results, so it was entirely on the honor system. Questions were very challenging - our team got 5/20 correct! 

[mlmdaisy]

Thanks for the report!  Worst comes to worst, I can use the Verizon plan, but e mailing and FB messaging shouldn't use that much data.  Was the 1 GB pp or per cabin?

 

Trivia is a nice way to meet others.  It sounds like how they did it on Oceania.  It was almost like they were still figuring it out.  

[Spudd]

18 hours ago, mlmdaisy said:

Thanks for the report!  Worst comes to worst, I can use the Verizon plan, but e mailing and FB messaging shouldn't use that much data.  Was the 1 GB pp or per cabin?

 

Trivia is a nice way to meet others.  It sounds like how they did it on Oceania.  It was almost like they were still figuring it out.  

I think it was per person, so that's something!

[ridethetide]

1 hour ago, Spudd said:

I think it was per person, so that's something!

Or is it per device?

[Michael_A]

1GB per person, for one device. 

[mlmdaisy]

Thank you, that should be fine.