Louis Hellenic "Aquamarine" reviews, please

[2curious]

Thank you Ballwin Babe and Babylicious for your feedback. Babylicious, your review was very comprehensive which gave me an exact picture of what we should expect. Don't give up on cruising because this is definitely not indicative of cruise experience with any major cruise lines! Ballwin Babe, you must be a very tolerant and easy traveller with a positive attitude! Petpringles, we will be waiting for your trip experience and wish you and your family a fantastic time on the Islands themselves if not the ship itself. I have pretty well decided not to book this cruise, but looking into going to Santorini for a couple of days via ferry/island flight.

[jacpum]

I look forward to your feedback. I will be on the Aquamarine on April 30th.

[petpringles]

Yes, please let this experience not be judge as the standard of cruises but more of a ferry (with few extras) to take you to the most wonderful sights!

 

 

We just finished a cruise of the Jewel of the Aegean and have promised to post. I had a hard time trying to get current information on this cruise so for the others that are planning, here's my experience.

 

The Ship: yes it is old as stated by others, yes it is dated, yes some parts need work/replacement, but if you view this ship as a safe vessel to get you to the most amazing destinations and at the same time, lowering your expectations, you will have a fine time. This mental adjustment worked for me.

 

Embarkation is as early as 8:30AM in Pireuas. The line forms and you are directed to the counter in which you exchange your passport for the Boarding Passes. You receive your passport back the night before you disembark. Our passports had Mykonos arrival and departure stamped on them. Disembarkation was early….about 6:30AM, you leave your baggage outside your cabin by midnight. You pick them up at the terminal after disembarkation. Turned out to be an easy process and we had to wait for our driver about 20-30 mins to the agreed time of 7:15AM.

 

Boarding Pass: this will be in the form of a card (like most cruises), you will have your picture taken and they match this every time your leave and board the ship. Do not loose this as the line for replacement can be long at the reception desk for various reasons.

 

The Crew: close to 400, Greek and international team composed Filipinos, Romanians, Bulgarians, Bangladeshi, Pakistanian and more. They all seem to get along well and constantly cleaning and polishing everything.

 

The Weather: we were lucky as the prior cruise were windy to the point that they had to stop the cable cars in Santorini. 2 days prior to boarding the ship, Athen's Acropolis and Sounion were super windy to the point that I decided that it will be pointless to bring nice clothes for the cruise since the wife might just get seasick...was I wrong! When we sailed, the waters were calm as a sleeping baby.

 

The Cabin: clean yet small but you will be there only to sleep and not really hang out. The bathrooms are quite tiny even for me (5’6” in height). Bed was so-so, you can ask for more pillows if needed. Turn down service and daily straightening is standard. Room slippers we brought made things comfortable. Although we did not find the bathroom smell offensive, a wall stick on deodorizer may help others.

 

The Activities: Daily flyers clue passengers in to the drink specials of the day, embarking/disembarking time, weather conditions, hours of operations to duty free, casino, etc. They try to emulate the larger ships to keep passengers occupied while at see and they do a fine job. Basketball, gym, discotheque, library are all there for use. I kept this daily flyer, PM me is you wish to receive it via PDF file so as you can peruse and get an idea of the activities offered.

 

The Passengers: There were independent ones like us, those on tours with Trafalgar, Cosmos, Lonely Planet, Insight, etc. There were those in school group tours as this time was Easter/Spring break time for most. Half of the passengers were high school students chaperoned by teachers and parents…generally, they were well mannered. My two boys ended up hanging with them while the ship’s at sea as they were the same age. We met few families from our area through our boys.

 

The Attire: We did not bring any nice clothes to our dismay. For there were 2 nights when the theme were more dressed up and those in the tours like Cosmos and Insight were dressed to kill. We were more laid back and felt a bit awkward for not participating. We left our better clothes at our hotel in Athens thinking that it was useless to bring them.

 

The Cuisine: So-so, not to my liking but edible nonetheless. There were 3 areas to eat and the lines were not long at all even on a full ship. The taverna, outside upper deck, less formal is one. The second one is the bistro not too formal and then the Avalon, sit down a la carte style…more dressed up and 2 sittings. Plan your day accordingly. We did eat out of the boat when ever we can, mostly depends on when you are docked. Dinner in Mykonos and Santorini were delicious but our lunch at Rhodes was beyond.

 

Drink options: yes there are packages for alcohol and non-alcohol, for families as well but none of them really offered a good deal for us since my max would be about 2 bottles of beer a day. We did not opt for this option after careful evaluation. It was something roughly 28 euros/day for the alcohol option and 15 euros/day for non alcohol. Drinking (and gambling) are is 18 years old. My son turned 18 the bay before we embarked.

 

The Tours: The tours they offered were good but you do not have to take them all. Hindsight, I would have probably just taken a few such as Santorini, Ephesus, and Rhodes. The rest you can do on your own. So read up on your destinations and study it. This is where most of our final on board cruise expenses went.

 

Amenities: Of course, pictures whenever opportunity starts. Hairdryer can be borrowed from the reception desk. Safe use was minimal charge but losing the key is 100 Euros to replace.

 

Overall impression: the cruise is to give you a flavor of each of the island so that you can narrow down to the islands to want to spend time during your next visit; which for us would be Mykonos, Santorini and Rhodes. Note also that larger ships have more people and docking next to a pier is not as easy as with smaller ships as we have been told by other passengers. For the price of the Aquamarine and what it has to offer, I believe that it is still good value. Please note also that this is just my humble evaluation and others may differ.

Edited April 6, 2010 by petpringles

[LynnKnicker]

if you've booked a group tour including Greek islands, there's a very good chance that you'll be on a Louis Cruise, as they've apparently cornered the market. Maintain low expectations, a positive attitude, and you'll do OK.

 

In 2003, my friend Donna and I got a really cheap deal on a ship owned and operated by Louis. It was called the seawing, but it had the Suntours brand logo.

The food was ok, the service awful, the smell of sewerage and even the crew had soiled and dirty uniforms on all week.

As mentioned, if you go on a Louis cruise for a cheepy cruise !

Cheap it is. Cheerful it aint.

The Greek officers only want to have fun with the passengers. yes, that type of fun.

[2curious]

Petpringles, thank you for your timely and comprehensive feedback. This report is probably the most current review of this cruise and would certainly benefit many CC members like myself who are searching for feedback. Sounds like your family enjoyed the islands and you set your expectations at the right level about the ship itself. As I am travelling to Athens in September, I still have time to decide, but I am leaning to spend 2 nights on Santorini to see those little white houses. Thank you once again!

[T. Advisor King]

Yes, please let this experience not be judge as the standard of cruises but more of a ferry (with few extras) to take you to the most wonderful sights!

 

 

We just finished a cruise of the Jewel of the Aegean and have promised to post. I had a hard time trying to get current information on this cruise so for the others that are planning, here's my experience.

 

The Ship: yes it is ...

 

.... For the price of the Aquamarine and what it has to offer, I believe that it is still good value. Please note also that this is just my humble evaluation and others may differ.

 

 

PetP: Great review. Thanks for the information and what sounded to me like an objective, unbiased view. We are booked on the Aquamarine in August and are looking forward to the adventure.

 

In 2003, my friend Donna and I got a really cheap deal on a ship owned and operated by Louis. It was called the seawing, but it had the Suntours brand logo.

The food was ok, the service awful, the smell of sewerage and even the crew had soiled and dirty uniforms on all week.

As mentioned, if you go on a Louis cruise for a cheepy cruise !

Cheap it is. Cheerful it aint.

The Greek officers only want to have fun with the passengers. yes, that type of fun.

 

LKnicker: I'll try not to get my shorts in a knot about your comments, but do you really think that one experience seven years ago is representative of what passengers should expect in 2010?

[petpringles]

Petpringles, thank you for your timely and comprehensive feedback. This report is probably the most current review of this cruise and would certainly benefit many CC members like myself who are searching for feedback. Sounds like your family enjoyed the islands and you set your expectations at the right level about the ship itself. As I am travelling to Athens in September, I still have time to decide, but I am leaning to spend 2 nights on Santorini to see those little white houses. Thank you once again!

 

I can't tell you how jealous we were to see some passengers disembark in Santorini. We only had four hours to taste the island. Pretty much all stops is just a taste...but certain islands like Santorini warrants a lot more. I like the idea of spending 2 mights in Santorini...hope you can swing it!!!

[LynnKnicker]

 

LKnicker: I'll try not to get my shorts in a knot about your comments, but do you really think that one experience seven years ago is representative of what passengers should expect in 2010?

 

You are correct, as the answer is NO.

People should not expect that what happened to me on an old smelly ship seven years ago is representative of todays standards. They are probally worse now than seven years ago. Thank you for informing me of that.

[T. Advisor King]

You are correct, as the answer is NO.

People should not expect that what happened to me on an old smelly ship seven years ago is representative of todays standards. They are probally worse now than seven years ago. Thank you for informing me of that.

 

I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt there for a moment. Having read most of your other posts, I saw that they were all pretty reasonable. The initial appearance, however, was of someone with only a couple posts going out of her(?) way to make a single, negative post about a pretty old experience.

 

But with your last comment, for which you almost certainly have no basis, I think you've confirmed where you're coming from.

[LynnKnicker]

I think you've confirmed where you're coming from.

 

I am saddened that a post which I have made, has made you upset.

 

One assumes that people share their experiences, on this forum be they good or bad.

In my case I went on a cheap cruise, on this ship.....seven years ago.

It was cheap, and before boarding I was not expecting much,

We had some fun...some of the time.

It was one disaster after another, service wise !!

The ship was awful.

It did smell.

It was cheap.

I dont accept that the ship has got better, only worse.

 

Like I said in my earlier post.

Its Cheap but it aint cheerful.

Edited April 7, 2010 by LynnKnicker

[pathubia]

My daughter is going on a school trip to athens in next week and this cruise is part of her trip....I keep telling her not to expect too much, so she wont be disappointed. Out of the 44 travelers, only 5 or 6 have been on a cruise, so they really wont know what to expect...

[petpringles]

My daughter is going on a school trip to athens in next week and this cruise is part of her trip....I keep telling her not to expect too much, so she wont be disappointed. Out of the 44 travelers, only 5 or 6 have been on a cruise, so they really wont know what to expect...

 

I do have to say that the youngsters on their school trip looked like they enjoyed their cruise. They danced at the discotheque, ate out at the Sunshine Deck, played basketball, etc. How lucky for your daughter to experience such a trip. My 2 boys enjoyed the cruise because of the kids they met who were in their school trips.

[pathubia]

Petpringles,

Thanks for the response! I am sure they will have fun!! They cant wait to go to the disco...Not sure how much dining in the dining room they will do, i am sure they will eat at the buffets for the most part!!

 

I am glad your sons had fun!! My daughter has made some very good friends with kids she has met on cruises!!

[T. Advisor King]

I am saddened that a post which I have made, has made you upset.

 

One assumes that people share their experiences, on this forum be they good or bad.

 

I dont accept that the ship has got better, only worse.

 

Like I said in my earlier post.

Its Cheap but it aint cheerful.

 

I think you misread my tone. I'm by no means upset. A better word would be "annoyed".

 

Based on the most recent post, it appears that Louis Cruise Line is offering cruises that are good value for the money and on which passengers can have a great time. Indeed, they might even be "cheerful".

 

If you had any basis on which to offer an opinion of Louis Cruise's product in 2010, I'd enjoy hearing about it.

[T. Advisor King]

My daughter is going on a school trip to athens in next week and this cruise is part of her trip....I keep telling her not to expect too much, so she wont be disappointed. Out of the 44 travelers, only 5 or 6 have been on a cruise, so they really wont know what to expect...

 

Path',

 

Please do us readers a favor by posting a note containing your daughter's impressions of her cruise. Young people are remarkable in that they can easily overlook minor annoyances and make sure they have a good time. By contrast, some adults seem to look for problems so they can report how miserable things were. I hope she has a blast!

[petpringles]

Path',

 

Please do us readers a favor by posting a note containing your daughter's impressions of her cruise. Young people are remarkable in that they can easily overlook minor annoyances and make sure they have a good time. By contrast, some adults seem to look for problems so they can report how miserable things were. I hope she has a blast!

 

This is such a good point T.A.K. as all the kids we saw really enjoyed themselves and they appeared to have seen pass beyond the minor irritants. Lots of laughing and camaraderies were going on....such lucky kids I was thinking to myself; creating such wonderful memories and perhaps lasting friendships.

[pathubia]

Path',

 

Please do us readers a favor by posting a note containing your daughter's impressions of her cruise. Young people are remarkable in that they can easily overlook minor annoyances and make sure they have a good time. By contrast, some adults seem to look for problems so they can report how miserable things were. I hope she has a blast!

 

I will definately let you know how it goes!! I know what you mean, I have been cruising for a while and it always amazes me when people complain about minor things :confused:....Hey, you are on a cruise, you know how many people never get to experience something like that??? Lighten up!! I am sure she will have fun!!

 

Her tour leader (teacher from school) had a meeting with all of us parents and kids and outlined the trip and expectations...The one thing I am nervous about is that they will be able to leave the ship unchaperoned :eek:.....I told her I would rather her stick with one of her teachers or go on a ship excursion....She told me no way was she leaving the ship without one of the teachers, so hopefully she will stick with that!! :cool:

[flarad]

OK, here's my two cents for those of you seeking information on this ship. I accompanied our senior class on ten days in Greece. What a fabulous time we had. The cruise was part of our trip and I had no expectations before boarding the ship. I was expecting a ferry with some type of berths and was pleasantly surprised by what we found. That being said, if you go into this with low expectations you will be much happier.

• Boarding and disembarkation: Prior to boarding we stood in a line outside the terminal for about 45 minutes. Not too bad but not exactly pleasant. Once the line started moving we were on the ship pretty rapidly. They still process by hand, no computers, so it was interesting. I had a moment of panic when they took my passport to give back to me at the end (having spent five days in Greece prior to the cruise I knew that passport theft is rampant) but all went well and passports were returned prior to disembarkation with no problems. In fact this is pretty brilliant on their part, our students could have cash accounts but could not pick up their passports without settling thier accounts.
  
• Cabin, we had an inside for three. It was very similar to cabins on other ships. Cabin was clean, no smells. TV and sound system. The biggest problem with the cabin was the paperthin walls. We could hear the conversation of all three cabins around us. In fact, late one night some adjoining high school students were actually having conversations through the walls.
  
• Food and dining - I was very surprised by this. It was quite good. No, it was not equivalent to other cruise lines' foods but it was very good. Service in the dining room was mediocre, frequently we had no refills on water, and service was very slow but the food was similar to maybe an Olive Garden experience.
  
• Ports - the Greek isles are fabulous. We loved our ports. On Mykonos, Crete and Santorini we did not have excursions booked and were fine without them. Patmos and Ephesus were very interesting and we had private excursions on both. Our tour company booked these. My biggest complaint is that we just did not have enough time in port. Most ports were half days at most, Mykonos and Santorinin we arrived late afternoon and all aboard was about 10 pm. Just not enough time to really enjoy and explore. The people on the islands are friendly and helpful. This is unlike the people in Greece mainland. We found the people there to be very cold and the whole place was depressing. Beautiful country, amazing history but I'm wondering what is wrong with the people. Perhaps it's the economy. People were the least friendly of any where I have ever visited. Crime in Athens is high and human trafficking is in evidence everywere.
  
• To the parents who are sending students on a trip - please insist that they are accompanied by an adult at all times. It is not a safe place to be a teenage girl. Our tour guide was exceptional and pointed out to us in every area, including the islands, areas of crime and things to be aware of. I just don't think that a group of teens is perceptive and careful enough to manage on their own.
  
• Overall this cruise was a fun experience. If you've been on cruises before don't expect that type of cruise. There's not much to do on board, but it's not needed. The point of the cruise is the ports. Go expecting to enjoy the ports, go with a good attitude and you will have a fantastic time.
  

If you have any questions I will be glad to answer them. One final thought. One of our chaperones was pickpocketed our last night in Athens. Anyone who is going needs to be very vigilant with their belongings at all times. It was actually kind of surreal to watch them "work our group" to try to get our belongings.

I have a cruise booked on the Celebrity Solstice next month and now I can't wait to again experience a "real" cruise!

[pathubia]

Aprilrad,

THANK YOU!!

Were you on an "EF" tour?

 

I really appreciate the time you took in your post and i am so gratefull for your "two cents"!!

 

:eek: Stinks about the pickpockets, but I guess you really have to be vigilant everywhere you go!!

[pathubia]

Aprilrad,

Just noticed that you were on the big red boat, I was on the Oceanic (big red boat) in Jan of 1989...My first cruise....It was out of port canavral...what fun!!

[jacpum]

Petpringles, thank you for the review, it was very helpful. I can not figure out how to PM, as I am new to CC. Could you please send me the PDF of the daily cruise letter? Thank you!

jennifer.heitz@gmail.com

[petpringles]

Petpringles, thank you for the review, it was very helpful. I can not figure out how to PM, as I am new to CC. Could you please send me the PDF of the daily cruise letter? Thank you!

jennifer.heitz@gmail.com

 

Will do this on Monday...Jenn! It think it will give you an idea of the "happenings" on the ship. PP:)

[petpringles]

aprilrad...those kids overall were very well behaved and respectful of others. That's typically hard to maintain when there are a lot of them at one time. I believe the chaperones did a wonderful job giving them enough attention and guidance! Hats off to you and your team!:)

 

 

 

 

OK, here's my two cents for those of you seeking information on this ship. I accompanied our senior class on ten days in Greece. What a fabulous time we had. The cruise was part of our trip and I had no expectations before boarding the ship. I was expecting a ferry with some type of berths and was pleasantly surprised by what we found. That being said, if you go into this with low expectations you will be much happier.

• Boarding and disembarkation: Prior to boarding we stood in a line outside the terminal for about 45 minutes. Not too bad but not exactly pleasant. Once the line started moving we were on the ship pretty rapidly. They still process by hand, no computers, so it was interesting. I had a moment of panic when they took my passport to give back to me at the end (having spent five days in Greece prior to the cruise I knew that passport theft is rampant) but all went well and passports were returned prior to disembarkation with no problems. In fact this is pretty brilliant on their part, our students could have cash accounts but could not pick up their passports without settling thier accounts.
  
• Cabin, we had an inside for three. It was very similar to cabins on other ships. Cabin was clean, no smells. TV and sound system. The biggest problem with the cabin was the paperthin walls. We could hear the conversation of all three cabins around us. In fact, late one night some adjoining high school students were actually having conversations through the walls.
  
• Food and dining - I was very surprised by this. It was quite good. No, it was not equivalent to other cruise lines' foods but it was very good. Service in the dining room was mediocre, frequently we had no refills on water, and service was very slow but the food was similar to maybe an Olive Garden experience.
  
• Ports - the Greek isles are fabulous. We loved our ports. On Mykonos, Crete and Santorini we did not have excursions booked and were fine without them. Patmos and Ephesus were very interesting and we had private excursions on both. Our tour company booked these. My biggest complaint is that we just did not have enough time in port. Most ports were half days at most, Mykonos and Santorinin we arrived late afternoon and all aboard was about 10 pm. Just not enough time to really enjoy and explore. The people on the islands are friendly and helpful. This is unlike the people in Greece mainland. We found the people there to be very cold and the whole place was depressing. Beautiful country, amazing history but I'm wondering what is wrong with the people. Perhaps it's the economy. People were the least friendly of any where I have ever visited. Crime in Athens is high and human trafficking is in evidence everywere.
  
• To the parents who are sending students on a trip - please insist that they are accompanied by an adult at all times. It is not a safe place to be a teenage girl. Our tour guide was exceptional and pointed out to us in every area, including the islands, areas of crime and things to be aware of. I just don't think that a group of teens is perceptive and careful enough to manage on their own.
  
• Overall this cruise was a fun experience. If you've been on cruises before don't expect that type of cruise. There's not much to do on board, but it's not needed. The point of the cruise is the ports. Go expecting to enjoy the ports, go with a good attitude and you will have a fantastic time.
  

If you have any questions I will be glad to answer them. One final thought. One of our chaperones was pickpocketed our last night in Athens. Anyone who is going needs to be very vigilant with their belongings at all times. It was actually kind of surreal to watch them "work our group" to try to get our belongings.

I have a cruise booked on the Celebrity Solstice next month and now I can't wait to again experience a "real" cruise!

[flarad]

Pathubia, We were on a tour by Joshua Expeditions. Yes, my DH and I did a big red boat cruise way back... Must have been 20 years ago. I had also taken a Carnival cruise after high school graduation. Can't say I remember much about that one :rolleyes: that was back when I was young and reckless.

Petpringles, our kids were incredibly well behaved. Can't say I was the same way at their age. We had a great time, not a whine or complaint from them. As far as the cruise goes, they enjoyed it. We have a rather affluent group and they are pretty well traveled so they at first turned up their noses but very quickly it turned into an adventure and they had a blast. Thanks for the compliments, being a chaperone is a huge responsibility. I kept reminding myself these are other people's children and having one college student and one high school student myself I tried to take care of them like I would want mine to be. I was the "mom" of the group.

[YoungDubFan]

PP - I would also love to have the PDF of the cruise happenings. I am taking this cruise in less than 3 weeks and I can't wait. Send them to: kknott1130@gmail.com

 

Thanks