Variety Cruises. Terrible experience in H&B 1

[felix.fdez]

In summer 2008, we decided to travel with Variety Cruises in the cruise H&B 1, in the circuit called “Cycladic Pearls”, from 1th to 8th of August. The experience was awful. It was supposed the motorsailer for 40 passengers would be in Marine Zea in Athens to start the cruise. No. When we arrive to Marine Zea, we found there was no ship at all. An employee from Variety cruises give us a ticket to take a big ferry from Pireaus to go to Syros, where the H&B1 was anchored (in the port). We arrive Syros late in the afternoon, with some other people, and they took us to the motorsailer H&B1.

 

We were in Syros FOUR nights, seeing a car parking from our Class A cabin small windows. In those days, the ship didn’t move from the port. We pay for buses to go to the beaches.

 

The guide was Italian, and he didn’t speak Greek at all, and the English also was not perfect. The worst problem it was he has little idea about the islands.

 

Finally, the fifth day, the ship manages to depart and we go to Paros, another island. During the sailing, a horrible smelt fill up the cabins. When we arrive to the island, again, we payed for the buses and everything to arrive to beaches. Forget about going in the H&B 1 to the beaches. The Greek Nigh (a dinner with a cost of 30 euros), was not really good. It seemed to me we went to a captain’s friend hotel, very far away from the town.

 

Forget Santorini, Delos, Sounion, Kea, Ios. We saw nothing of these places.

 

Sixth Day: They promise us we depart to Kea. Another trick. They took us to Hydra, the last place you could imagine to go from a Cycladic island cruise. Again in Hydra, we pay for going to a near beach, not very good. The captain says it was very difficult to move the ship in this port. Also, the “excellent” guide says he never was in the island. A new experience every day.

 

Seventh day: They tricked us again They promised to go Sounion Cape. NO. We finish in Aegina, an island near Athens.

 

All these days the weather was perfect, so, today, the only explanation for me is they want to save fuel and money, of course.

 

The ships seems somewhat unstable to sail those waters.

 

The food was terrible. The last day the give to us al the remnants from previous days. Wonderful. Our class A cabin was small, but you need to see the Class B and Class C. Yo need to be contortionist or something similar to enter in those cabins. I am not going to talk about the shower, but all you can imagine is little.

 

We arrive to Athens at 4 pm. We spent the night in Athens. The breakfast was a 7 a.m. I suppose the need to clean somewhat the vessel to capture another ignorant people.

 

So, the cruise was a complete fraud.

[photographia]

If you booked this cruise ahead of time using a credit card, I'm wondering whether you might actually be able to file some sort of a complaint? There's probably not much you can do if you think the food was bad, because that's kind of a subjective thing; BUT if they told you in writing (e.g.) that you were to go to Kea and Cape Sounion and then they didn't take you there, that strikes me as a pretty concrete failure to provide the services that they promised AND charged you for!

 

Anyone else out there have this sort of experience? Did your CC company back you up at all?

[Jade13]

In summer 2008, we decided to travel with Variety Cruises in the cruise H&B 1, in the circuit called “Cycladic Pearls”, from 1th to 8th of August. The experience was awful. It was supposed the motorsailer for 40 passengers would be in Marine Zea in Athens to start the cruise. No. When we arrive to Marine Zea, we found there was no ship at all. An employee from Variety cruises give us a ticket to take a big ferry from Pireaus to go to Syros, where the H&B1 was anchored (in the port). We arrive Syros late in the afternoon, with some other people, and they took us to the motorsailer H&B1.

 

We were in Syros FOUR nights, seeing a car parking from our Class A cabin small windows. In those days, the ship didn’t move from the port. We pay for buses to go to the beaches.

 

The guide was Italian, and he didn’t speak Greek at all, and the English also was not perfect. The worst problem it was he has little idea about the islands.

 

Finally, the fifth day, the ship manages to depart and we go to Paros, another island. During the sailing, a horrible smelt fill up the cabins. When we arrive to the island, again, we payed for the buses and everything to arrive to beaches. Forget about going in the H&B 1 to the beaches. The Greek Nigh (a dinner with a cost of 30 euros), was not really good. It seemed to me we went to a captain’s friend hotel, very far away from the town.

 

Forget Santorini, Delos, Sounion, Kea, Ios. We saw nothing of these places.

 

Sixth Day: They promise us we depart to Kea. Another trick. They took us to Hydra, the last place you could imagine to go from a Cycladic island cruise. Again in Hydra, we pay for going to a near beach, not very good. The captain says it was very difficult to move the ship in this port. Also, the “excellent” guide says he never was in the island. A new experience every day.

 

Seventh day: They tricked us again They promised to go Sounion Cape. NO. We finish in Aegina, an island near Athens.

 

All these days the weather was perfect, so, today, the only explanation for me is they want to save fuel and money, of course.

 

The ships seems somewhat unstable to sail those waters.

 

The food was terrible. The last day the give to us al the remnants from previous days. Wonderful. Our class A cabin was small, but you need to see the Class B and Class C. Yo need to be contortionist or something similar to enter in those cabins. I am not going to talk about the shower, but all you can imagine is little.

 

We arrive to Athens at 4 pm. We spent the night in Athens. The breakfast was a 7 a.m. I suppose the need to clean somewhat the vessel to capture another ignorant people.

 

So, the cruise was a complete fraud.

 

Wow. Can you give us a link to their website, so we can get some idea of what they said you were getting, idea of price vs what actually happened?

[Stevesan]

Wow. Can you give us a link to their website, so we can get some idea of what they said you were getting, idea of price vs what actually happened?

 

Here's their web site:

 

http://www.varietycruises.com/

 

H&B is a 44 meter three master. Look under "our ships".

 

There are two Cycladic Pearls cruises. OP was on the Greece itinerary.