Aegean Odyssey Review

4.0 / 5.0
0 reviews

Disappointed

Review for Europe Cruise on Aegean Odyssey
User Avatar
wild55
2-5 Cruises • Age 60s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Jun 2016

We chose the Grand Voyage to the Rivieras (London to Rome) on Aegean Odyssey in June-July 2016 because it was a small ship which promised an educational program and visits to antiquities. Selecting a four week cruise was always going to be a stretch for us because we usually prefer a more active style of holiday, however the itinerary indicated that we would primarily be in port participating in excursions during each day except for 3 days at sea and the fact that the ship was small enough to dock in smaller harbours adjacent to old towns really appealed to us. The reality was quite different and very disappointing.

Excursions: The pace of the excursion program was much too slow for us (we are in our middle 60's and are fit and active) seeming to cater for infirm, older passengers who don't like to be inconvenienced by getting up and out early and who have an inherent fear of stairs and walking any distance greater than 100m. The excursion organisation seemed at times to be poorly coordinated. We have been on other shorter cruises where within moments of the boat docking in port, passengers were whisked away to coaches on their excursions with no time wasted. On the Aegean, shore excursions rarely started before 9am even though the ship had docked hours earlier. Most of the shore excursion staff were young and seemed disinterested and inexperienced in customer service and public relations. The shore visits we enjoyed most were when the ship docked within walking distance of the old town and we could do our own walking tour. Just something to note: We booked our cruise in Australia with the price quoted in Australian dollars yet the booklet provided to us by the Australian agent which outlined shore excursions had the cost listed in $ but did not specify which country. Having been provided the information in Australia we presumed that the excursion price was Australian dollars but how wrong we were. On boarding we discovered that the excursion prices were actually American dollars. With the exchange rate that means they cost much more than we anticipated and really equates to false advertising...Beware!

Cabin: We booked Room 711 a Premium Outside Room which had a fixed double bed and a view restricted by a lifeboat but which was in the middle of the ship for stability and well away from the propeller. Even still the vibration could be felt in our room. This old ship does not have the stabilisers that newer ships have so it certainly rocks and rolls even in a small swell which meant that we missed one scheduled port because the captain chose to travel away from the coast to make the boat more stable. The ship also travels considerably slower (9-15 knots) compared to larger ships which travel up to 23 knots. On viewing other rooms we were glad that we did not spend further money on larger rooms as they didn't seem worth it. The room and ensuite we chose were more spacious than we were expecting. I have rated the cabin average because the towels were stained, white-grey in colour and often with frayed edges and should have been tossed out ages ago.

Cabin Review

Cabin Premium outside
16 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find a cruise

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.