Awful experience due to intransigence of management and failure to respond to current customer expectations.
A few pointers before you book based on our experience:-
A few pointers before you consider booking.
1. Drinks packages:-
a. Common experience is getting served onborad is very difficult for those with drinks packages ...see reviews here and elswhere ...some might think a way to ...
This 32 day Mediterranean cruise from 16th October to 17 November had an excellent itinerary and was the main reason why my wife and I booked it. At £5200 with the top drinks package, we thought it was very good value for money. We had an inside cabin on deck 10 which we were very happy with. At 190 square feet it was significantly larger than many other cruise lines. The sister ship to Ambience, ...
We included a 3-day land tour to Saint-Malo and Mont Ste Michel. Ste Michel was the reason we booked this cruise. It was on our bucket list.
Some tours were too long. Meals and service on board were wonderful. Most tour guides were great.
Cruise director was informative and kept us entertained.
We lucked out with the weather. After a rainy first day in St-Malo, the sun came out ...
Fred Olsen had cancelled Corinth Canal cruise after waiting 3 years and their standards have been cut back so much recently that we thought we would try the new Cruise & Maritime replacement company Ambassador. First impression of the ship was good - cabin spacious and well equipped and public areas clean and smart. Unfortunately we soon discovered that we were on "Butlins on Sea" with music ...
We are a married couple 57 and 55 , children left home and fortunate enough to retire recently . We wanted some winter sun and saw this as a good solution . Admittedly we have not done many cruises , 5 in total. Billed as a new ship , it wasn’t , with glossy advertising conjuring up a classy experience (don’t be fooled). I’ll itemise the experience below but firstly 2 positives :
a) there was ...
Let's start with the good points. The food and staff (bar a couple) were fantastic. The buffet is the best I've had on a cruise ship and I like the way it was presented. It does however get too busy at breakfast and lunch. The decor in a few areas like the Botanical Lounge, Market Borough and the Observatory is very nice. It Takes Two and Benjamin Moss were great on entertainment. Pricing on ...
First the good points and then a few comments.
If you book an inside cabin it works out to about £50/day, quite a bargain (however a balcony, is closer to £150/day, not such a bargain).
No plastic water bottle, although you can by a glass bottle of water for £1.50. You are not allowed to fill up your personal water bottle at the water dispenser, you can only fill glasses and then empty them ...
We chose this as it was a No fly cruise to Cuba. We knew it was cheap with many added expensive extras. 30 year old ship. Most passengers over 70, some on disability scooters. Too few sun loungers so fights broke out. Borough Market was mayhem at popular meal times and windows all fogged up.
All junior staff were great. Very clean ship, good choice of food superb waiters.
Unable to see ...
We were looking for replacement to TUI. lots of thinks right but got major issues wrong. Main issue with most people was the Aircon or lack of in cabins. Guests should not have to sleep with balcony door open to cool down the cabin or cabin corridor door open to raise temperature. Very abusive attitude when entering the main dining room for breakfast or lunch and was commanded to sit at a table ...
The cruise had been revised to Grand Mediterranean before we booked. The Black Sea was inaccessible because of the war in Ukraine.
We booked this for the itinerary and didn't know what to expect for such a reasonable price. We had a contingency plan to fly home from Rome if we really didn't like it. We were pleasantly surprised and it exceeded all expectations.
There is a nice atmosphere on ...