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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Len Wall
Email: leonardjay@yahoo.com
Age: 54
Occupation: Credit Management Consultant
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Renaissance-R1
SailingDate: 2/27/99
Itinerary: 10 day Athens- Istanbul
FoodDiningRoom: 100
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 99
CabinAmenities: 99
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 99
FoodVariety: 99
DeckService: 99
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff: 99
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 99
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 98
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 75
AirSeaProgram: 100
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 100
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 13 Mar 1999
Time: 06:36:19
Remote Name: slip-32-101-19-78.mn.us.ibm.net
Remote User:
Comments
First of all, hats off to Renaissance. They put beautiful new ships into service at just
the right size- 685
passengers. The entire trip- 14 days went as smooth as silk. The air transportation to
Athens and from Istanbul
was great. The hotels in each city(Athens and Istanbul-the Intercontinentals were
comfortable and nice). The
embarkation and disembarkation was quick and efficient). The ground crew in Athens and
Istanbul were waiting for
us and did their jobs well. Baggage transfers were smooth.
Absolutely our best vacation ever. The R1 is magnificent. Rooms are great. Food was
terrific. Loved the country
casual and eat at one's own leisure policy. The entire cruise line industry should learn
from Renaissance. The
specialty restaurants measured up to any good restaurant at home. The club restaurant,
where reservations are
not required, is a beautful room with great service and food as well. The buffets were
also quite good and quick. No
midnight buffets, thank goodness. They serve snacks in the public rooms between 11:00PM
and 12:00 We met
terrific people, both fellow travelers as well as employees on the ship. The Paramount
singers and dancers were
hard working, talented and nice people( we met them during the ship's question and answer
session and enjoyed
this very much). Their shows had great music and choreography.
We had great times and visited great places(just like the slogan). The memories of the
Parthenon, Israel- Golan
Heights, Massada, Jerusalem, the Wailing Wall, Palace of Knossis, Ephesus, Blue Mosque,
and all other wonderful
islands and tours were fantastic.The ship is just the right size to meet people, make
friends and take part in
activities. The evening before departure we went to the "1001 Arabian Nights"
dinner show. It was so enjoyable
sitting with new friends and enjoying the entire evening. Colorful entertainment and just
great fun.
The only negative to share with you was the laundry room facilities on board. Only two
coin operated washers and
dryers (total=4) for all on a 14 day itinerary was a frustrating experience. So crowded we
wasted a lot of time
getting our necessities laundered. They need more machines as almost every passenger
wanted to get some
washing done. Tours could have been priced cheaper ( average $90 person for full days, and
$50 for half day
tours), since almost all go on the tours, which, by the way, were all quite good. We were
pleased with all we took,
specially Israel, Ephesus, Athens, and Crete.
Summary, great itinerary, great ship, great people. This 10 day cruise is a great ancient
history lesson, as well as
seeing Israel in all its fascinating glory.
Name: W. J. Robison II
Email: JBRobison@MSN.com
Age: 68
Occupation: Retired salesman and furniture retailer
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Renaissance-R1
SailingDate: February 7, 1999
Itinerary: Athens, Israel, to Instanbul
FoodDiningRoom: 92
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 93
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 96
FoodLidoDeck: 89
DiningRoomService: 92
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 97
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 70
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff: 92
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 98
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 96
BeautySalon: 98
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 78
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 96
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 93
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 79
SpaceRatio: 96
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 06 Apr 1999
Time: 15:23:47
Remote Name: 1cust80.tnt1.iowa-city.ia.da.uu.net
Remote User:
Comments
I believe this is one of the best values in cruising we have experienced. Begining with
the excellent manner our air
flights were met, we were identified and were conducted to our tranfer buses. A child,
traveling alone, could not
miss connections the way Renaissance handles people traffic. These transfers give very
comfortable feelings.
Everything is first class, especially the pre-cruise and post-cruise hotels which really
are four and five star hotels. A
small problem in Athens was that the Athenaem Intercontinental Hotel was not adjacent to
local restaurants for
easy dining, so if you ate at the hotel, the food was pricy. No matter, you could take a
hotel shuttle bus, if you
would want, to go downtown.
When you board the R-1, they just don't point you down a hall, but someone escorts
you directly to your cabin. There is no wandering, wondering to find where you should be.
Cabins are average or
above average in size and we had our own deck balcony. There were two cabin stewards who
looked to our cabin
needs and they were neat, friendly and efficient; everything you would expect on a first
class cruise. We especially
liked the open dining. There is not the traditional first and second seating, which means
you have to be eating at
the same time every day. Instead, there is a broad window of opportunity to eat. You could
take as long as you
liked because they did not have to prepare to use the table a second time.
This had the advantage of dining with
different cruisemates, meeting many different people, you sat at different tables and had
different waiters.
Advantage: You could dine with selected friends by going in together, and, you were not
stuck with assigned
cruisemates for the duration of cruise. You really met a lot of friendly people. Maybe a
disadvantage to this would
be the difficulty to get in and out in time for early entertainment at the show lounge,
and the fact that waiters may
not have been as attentive since gratuties are pooled and divided. We noticed a younger
group of waiters,
possibly because this line is expanding the number of ships and will need to train and
secure addition staff for
these new ships.
I'd say half of the waiters were very professional, and the rest learning. Food was
presented very
well, mostly in a gormet manner, but you could rely on all you wanted to eat, as is the
norm for cruises. I noticed
ship staff constantly cleaning, polishing, and going over details. I am convinced they
intend to make this a first
class experience on a first class maintained ship. We paid less for shore excursions than
I expected to pay. The
R-1 offers more choices ashore than you can take. They have both half day and full day
tours. Our
recommendation is to be careful of how many full day tours to attempt, as you can easily
get tired out, but maybe
not the younger group!
However, you must take full day tours in Israel to fully utilize your time and
opportunities
there. Since all the tours are good, I will tell you our three favorite tours we recommend
highly. Go to the ruins of
Delphi, Greece. In Turkey, besure to go to Ephesus. Excellent ruins and overview of one of
the more important
cities of the ancient world. For the third tour, do any of the full day tours of Israel,
or do them all. Rhodes was a
favorite port which has a lot of charm, and Crusade history. This you can do on foot, on
your own. We don't think
you need to do something all the time in the manner of commercial excursions.
Oh, yes, the tour guides were all
excellent and the mangement of the people from the ship to the buses to the tour and back
to the ship was very
good. Now about the thought of cruising around all the Greek Island. Sounds romantic,
restful, idyllic. Not really so,
if you think you will be viewing beautiful islands as you cruise. You do the cruising at
night and during the day you
are in port, doing land things. So if you think you are going to be running around
multiple islands, forget it. For that
you should look to a different cruise itinerary. We would admit we thought that what
'cruising the Greek Islands'
would be, but it wasn't. However we were not disapointed with what we did experience.
Finally, we don't think you
can find a better value in cruising, plus first class attention to you needs.
Name: George Smithe
Email: Traveler4k@aol.com
Age: 26
Occupation: attorney
NumberOfCruises: 7
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Renaissance-R1
SailingDate: 02/27/99
Itinerary: Athens-Istanbul
FoodDiningRoom: 73
CruiseDirector: 50
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService: 65
CruiseStaff: 60
CabinAmenities: 86
FoodLidoDeck: 72
DiningRoomService: 50
CabinQuietness: 50
FoodMidnightBuffets: 50
CabinSteward: 92
ShoreExcVariety: 70
FoodVariety: 60
DeckService: 40
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 70
CasinoStaff: 70
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 60
LoungeService: 70
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 76
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 75
WheelchairAccess: 79
ExerciseFacilities: 60
EntertShowLounge: 40
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 75
EntertainmentPoolside: 50
CruiseActivities: 40
Casino: 60
AirSeaProgram: 20
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 86
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 30
DeckSpace: 75
Stabilization: 50
ShopsOnBoard: 68
SpaceRatio: 76
OverallCruiseValue: 53
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 02 May 1999
Time: 07:58:22
Remote Name: spider-ta023.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
First of all, please allow me the opportunity to convey the fact that I have sailed seven
times including this cruise on the R1. I
have sailed on Seabourne, Sea Goddess, Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival
Cruise Lines. Once again, this
is just my opinion, but I think that any true cruise critic would agree with me.
It all started when I walked into my travel agent's office to inquire about a cruise with
these specific ports of call. My travel
agent interested me in the R1 which I was not really too familiar with. When I heard how
inexpensive my suite would be, I
booked it immediately.
I called my travel agent about 3 months prior to my cruise to find out about dinning
options on board. My travel agent was
not in and I decided to call the cruise line. When I called the cruise line, they asked me
if I wanted to transfer the booking to
them to receive a $300 per person discount. I thought that was appauling and I requested
to please answer my dinning
question since that was the only reason that I had called. I finally was happy to learn
that it was open seating.
I later called my travel agent who was shocked that the cruise line would propose
something so ridiculous. Ok, on with the
review.
I always make a good time on any cruise that I take. I have enjoyed the upscale yacht like
ships in the past and was looking
forward to something in the same calibur.
The air to Athens was scheduled on Olympic Airways by the cruise line. I flew from Miami
to JFK to Athens with a smooth
flight and all was well. The return however was changed at the last minute and I was then
re scheduled from Istanbul to Paris
to London to JFK and then to Miami finally. I had upgraded to business class and on the
long flight from London to JFK, I
was down graded to coach because the cruise line misquoted me and could not pay for their
mistake. British Airways took
pitty on me and upgraded me anyway. Hats off to British Airways!!!
When we arrived onto the ship, we saw that it was beautiful, had nice deck space, and a
small ship atmosphere which I like.
When they picked me up from the hotel, I was told that my luggage would be waiting for me
in my suite and we did not get it
until the second day. The cruise line did absolutely nothing to repair the situation and
accused me of making up the story
since I could not find the baggage claim slips from several days prior. My luggage finally
appeared the second day with a
hole and a broken lock. Thank goodness that nothing was missing. The staff sent a bottle
of Beringer White Zinfandel to
appologize for their mistake.
While on the ship, to say that we were bored is a huge understatement. The entire crew was
constantly complaining about
how miserable their jobs were with the exception of our cabin steward and our dinning room
waiter. My cabin steward was
among the best I have ever had. Entertainment was by far, the poorest entertainment that I
have ever experienced aboard
any vessel.
The cabin itself was extremely spacious with a wonderful terrace and plenty of room. The
down side to this cabin is that it
was extremely noisy. The captain stated to us that the cabin noise is due to a mishap in
the stabalizers that the cruise line
says is not cost effective to fix. I again found that appauling.
The discos and nightclubs were absolutely not happening at all. I realize that the
majority of the passengers are seniors, but
even on Seabourne we had at least SOME fun. The passengers aboard were all very pleasant
though. What a nice mix of
people.
The food was also a sorry mix of what they called specialties. The salmon that my lovely
wife ate made her sick for three
days. We also found out that about ten other passengers were feeling ill due to the salmon
as well. The crew members that
saw us really were nice to us. That I will limit to my cabin steward and the waiters.
If there is anyone out there that has nothing to compare Rennaissance with, take another
cruise!! We have been on a lot of
cruise lines and can recommend cruising as a fabulous vacation. Rennaissance rates with us
on a scale that is equivalent to
that of below a standard of Carnival. Please keep in mind that when I compare the two, I
am not demeaning Carnival, I am
simply making a comparison of value.
Another thing I need to mention is that on 6 of the days we kept getting wake up calls for
another passenger named Smith.
These wake up calls were at 6am. We actually met up with the Smiths and they were having a
lovely time, but only received
2 wake up calls on their entire cruise (they requested one every day).
All in all, I had a good time, because my wife & I always make the best of all
situations. I feel that Rennaissance has a lot of
growing up to do and I am deeply saddened that our vacation was not as wonderful as we
expected it to be. The ports were
fabulous, but the ship was horiffic.
We will never cruise Rennaissance again and I encourage anyone who is an experienced
traveler to be careful when you
book a cruise on this ship or its sisters. There are several rumors in the business world
that they are suffereing moneywise.
They also do not offer insurance and you are in penalty from the moment that you book your
cruise.
They stated to me that their strategy to be better for the client is to make clients book
directly with them. I shop for my
cruises all around and EVERY travel agent in the largest cruise only agencies tell me that
they stopped selling
Rennaissance due to their concern with the cruise line's finances and its poor feedback.
Not one cruise expert went out of
their way to say anything good about Rennaissance except for my own travel agent.
After this incident, i called my travel agent and she is confident that she and her agency
will never sell Rennaissance again. I
went to book another cruise to Tahiti with her on the Paul Gaugin and was pleased to see
that all the Rennaissance
brochures were revoved from her display. When I asked her where are the Rennaissance
brochures, she said that they
were not allowed to sell Rennaissance anymore.
I personally feel that Rennaissance has very poor business ethics and that it is obvious
that they are having financial
problems. Thanks for your attention and I hope that this was helpful. This is a great site
and I will comment on all my future
cruises.
Name: Jeannette Christensen
Email: dw@pss.com
Age: 49
Occupation: Lawyer
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Renaissance-R1
SailingDate: May 8, 1999
Itinerary: Istanbul to Athens
FoodDiningRoom: 60
CruiseDirector: 79
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 99
CabinAmenities: 99
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 50
LoungeService: 99
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff: 99
EntertainmentLounges: 69
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 69
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon: 80
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram: 99
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 99
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 17 May 1999
Time: 19:16:30
Remote Name: haw-207-182-224-86.vel.net
Remote User:
Comments
My husband and I cruised on Renaissance One from Istanbul to Athens on May 8, 1999. This
was our first cruise
and we had a C cabin in the middle of the ship on Deck 7. We did not use a travel agent
and our Renaissance
agent was pleasant, helpful and prompt.
Travel Arrangements: Renaissance really excelled here. Everything was perfect. No waiting
for a moment. When we
landed in Istanbul, there were 6 or 7 Renaissance agents in the airport with signs to take
our luggage and guide us
directly onto the buses. We bypassed customs completely. All check-ins were flawless.
Boarding the ship took all of
five minutes and the luggage was in our cabin before we were. We had to book a special
flight from Athens to Milan
leaving at 4:00AM. There was a Renaissance taxi driver in the lobby who took us the
airport and showed us the
ticket counter for Alitalia for our check-in. He didn't want a tip and everything was
handled very professionally. I rate
their travel arrangements as A+.
Hotels: We stayed in the Ceylon Inter-Continental in Istanbul and it was luxurious and
fabulous. We had a huge
modern room with expensive light wood furniture and beautiful drapes and carpeting. The
bed was better than mine
at home and we slept like angels. The large bathroom was done in black and white marble.
The lobby was
magnificent. Just the best and a short walk from a pedestrian street with lots of
restaurants and shopping. In Athens
we stayed in the Athenaeum Inter-Continental, which was not as nice although the room was
large and comfortable
and the lobby was fine. The hotel was on the outskirts of Athens and not convenient to any
immediate dining or
shopping. But they had a shuttle bus to the center of town which took only 5 minutes and
left every half hour. Not
too bad really but I would have preferred the Hilton or another hotel more centrally
located. Renaissance booked us
into very expensive hotels and we definitely got what we paid for - and more. I rate the
hotels A.
Ship: The R-1 was beautiful and comfortable. It lived up to everything I'd seen or read.
The ship was small enough
that you were only a few steps away from food, the pool or entertainment. People who had
been on much larger
ships said they preferred the smaller size of R-1. We never felt crowded. There was plenty
of open space for
seating in the public rooms or dining areas. Never a wait for anything. The ship was very
quiet. I was afraid of
seasickness but I never felt the ocean. The pool was adequate even though some people have
noted that it's on the
small side. Not everyone was at the pool as the cruise is tour and port intensive. We
never had a problem getting
deck chairs or chaise lounges. The library was stocked with interesting books which you
could borrow to trade for.
However, we were busy enough that we really didn't have time to read. The gym was great
and we worked out
several times. I used the spa once for a massage and had no trouble getting an appointment
2 hours in advance. I
rate the ship as A.
Cabin: Our cabin was much larger than we anticipated. We had MORE than enough storage and
closet space. The
bathroom had ample storage as well and while some had cautioned that the bathroom was
small, I thought it was
completely adequate. The balconies were very nice and I wish I had booked a longer trip so
that I could have
enjoyed ours more. We tended to spend our time on deck or by the pool rather than on our
balcony. But I did use
the balcony to look at the night sky and watch as we came into port each morning. I rate
the cabin as A.
Food: Renaissance could do better here. The variety in the menus was wonderful but the
food was uneven.
Sometimes it was delicious and sometimes inedible. There is not a lot of food I won't eat.
I even eat fast food
burgers. But several times, I had to send a meal back or skip it. Others had the same
experience. Judging from the
number of passengers who shared similar stories, we weren't alone in our disappointment.
And the food that was
unacceptable was simple: cheesecake (no one at out table for 6 could eat it), hamburgers
at the barbecue (dry and
tasteless), banana pancakes (just flavoring - no hint of real banana), steak (dry and
tasteless), pasta in tomato
sauce (dry with way too much garlic). We thought The Grill and The Italian Restaurant were
over-hyped (we had
one meal that we both couldn't eat) and we had the best food and service in The Club
Restaurant. On the other
hand, I had a delicious dinners of pasta and caramelized scallops and a juicy filet
mignon. We like the Panorama
Buffet for breakfast because it served more fruit, we had more choices and we liked
sitting outdoors in the morning
to enjoy the fresh air. I'd rate the food C-. My husband, the cook in our family, rated
the food D.
Entertainment: We didn't expect much and we didn't get much. However, I thought that
Renaissance would have
better shows. The Paramount Performers were terribly hokey. Even the older folks from the
Midwest thought so. At
times we winced when they sang off key. They also had a two people called the Renaissance
Duo that sang and
played music with a synthesizer. We were enjoying the pool one day when they came out for
an hour. The music
was loud and bad. About 6 of us left within 2 minutes and I made sure to avoid any part of
the ship where they were
playing after that. The magic show was good and I didn't see the other show. Generally,
the taped music by the pool
was wonderful. It was a mix of jazz, blues, and soft instrumentals with a little Greek and
Turkish music thrown in for
the mood. Overall, I rate the entertainment D but we really didn't care much about it
anyway. My husband wished the
pool area had no music or entertainment at all.
Tours: Renaissance really pushes its tours and I'm sure they make money on them and that's
fine. But if you didn't
book a tour, Renaissance did little to help you with independent travel. We didn't get
decent maps or tips on taxis,
money, etc. For example, on Santorini, we wanted to take a taxi from Fera to Io. Our
guidebook warned us about
Greek taxi drivers and how they try to cheat you. I asked 6 Renaissance people what the
cost should be and none
of them knew -- and one of them was the Assistant Excursion Director! Also, at the end of
the trip we discovered we
were stuck with Turkish and Greek money and that no one wanted to exchange those
currencies for dollars. I think
Renaissance should have warned us about that problem.
The tours themselves were well managed by good tour guides. I was worried the tours would
be too slow since there
were many elderly people. But the speed was just about right for everyone. They didn't
pack their buses so we all
had enough room and there were about 30 people per guide. Where needed, they gave us free
time to explore at
our own pace.
One thing we disliked was the pressure Renaissance and the local guides put on us to buy a
Turkish carpet. A stop
at a carpet store was part of the Istanbul and Ephesus tours. The local guide scared us
into believing that no other
store should be trusted and that 'there had been problems with other stores not shipping
the carpet or not shipping
the right carpet.' We were taken into the store and given a HARD SELL. Actually, it was
fascinating to watch as the
head salesman in Istanbul (we refused to go into the carpet store in Kusadasi). He looked
like Paul Sorvino and was
smooth as silk. Almost everyone on our bus bought a carpet and they weren't intending to.
Our guidebook said that
a carpet in Istanbul is probably TWICE the price of a carpet elsewhere in Turkey and that
you are better off buying
in New York or London. Yet our guide told us that we shouldn't expect to bargain with
these great Renaissance
prices. Some poor people didn't bargain. Others got up to 60% off. Copies of the sales
slip went to the local travel
agency and Renaissance and I'm sure they all got commissions. Judging by the hard sell the
guide gave us, she
probably did too. I think people loved their carpets and could afford the price even if
they overpaid. Nevertheless, I
expect better guidance from a first class company like Renaissance.
There was a variety of tours in every port and night tours in Istanbul and Athens. We
didn't take any of the night
tours which included dinner and entertainment packages but the older people who did said
the entertainment such
as the belly dancing was fantastic. Some of the younger people didn't care for it as much.
We avoided the all day
tours but those who took them said they were well-paced with time for resting and eating.
Overall, I rate the tours I took as B+.
Service: If anything there was too much service. We were almost uncomfortable with the
pampering Renaissance
staff offered us; for example, my husband preferred getting his own coffee while we
breakfasted on deck
considering that it was just a few feet away. Our meals were prompt and efficient. If you
went to the buffet, someone
was there to carry your tray to your table. There was always someone in the hall outside
our cabin to handle our
requests or answer our questions. The ship's photographer took many photos which we
appreciated and we bought
quite a few. All of the staff were friendly and anxious to please. Tipping was
conveniently handled by credit card or
cash. The suggested tipping is above industry standard of $8-9 per day per person but I
think the staff worked hard
for the money and we decided to pay the suggested amount. I rate the service A.
Would we go again? I loved the size of the ship, the no-smoking policy and the care-free
handling of travel
arrangements. While the entertainment was below average, we didn't really care about it as
we were tired from
being out and about all day. But the food is our main concern and I think we won't take
another Renaissance cruise
until the quality is improved and more consistent. Food is just too important a part of
the vacation. Renaissance
would do much better to offer a smaller, more restrained menu that was better prepared.
But overall, Renaissance is
a great deal and a way to enjoy luxury that few cruise lines can offer at a reasonable
price.
Name: Jill Watson
Email: cmeeqt@aol.com
Age: 51
Occupation: Television Anchorwoman
NumberOfCruises: 23
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Renaissance-R1
SailingDate: 05/08/99
Itinerary: Istanbul/Athens
Cabin: Category A
FoodDiningRoom: 60
CruiseDirector: 05
CabinComfort: 50
FoodRoomService: 29
CruiseStaff: 35
CabinAmenities: 50
FoodLidoDeck: 48
DiningRoomService: 70
CabinQuietness: 30
FoodMidnightBuffets: 50
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 50
FoodVariety: 60
DeckService: 45
ShoreExcValue: 70
GoodForHoneymoon: 25
CasinoStaff: 50
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 10
LoungeService: 40
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 76
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 10
WheelchairAccess: 55
ExerciseFacilities: 40
EntertShowLounge: 25
OverallPortsofCall: 89
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 10
CruiseActivities: 15
Casino: 50
AirSeaProgram: 30
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 65
EmbarkDisembark: 70
DiscoNightclubs: 15
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 29
ShopsOnBoard: 40
SpaceRatio: 50
OverallCruiseValue: 10
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 27 Jul 1999
Time: 22:17:09
Remote Name: spider-we044.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
Wow, I got this review site from a friend and it is really cool. We have taken many many
many cruises and this is
the WORST cruise ever. Let me begin by saying that the R-1 is a huge sham. Our travel
agent advised us againt
this cruise because of a financial report by the Wall Street Journal and they were so
right. It appears that
Rennaissance is cutting so many corners that it is scary. I had to book the cruise
directly with the cruise line since
I tried to get a good deal and my travel agent would not book it. Anyway, I can't wait to
tell everyone what this ship
is REALLY all about.
The ship. The ship is trying extremely hard to be elegant and it is quite tasteless and
tacky.
As a former interior decorator's assistant, their taste in cheap art, and worn antique
looking decor is beyond ugly
and gaudy. I cannot believe some of the reviews that were positive about this ship. The
cabin. As I said, I have
traveled both in business and for fun and this cabin was semi large, but other things in
it made it unbearable. The
noise in the cabin and its paper-thin walls was horrible. The crew said that there was a
problem with the
stabalisers and that Rennaissance cannot figure out how to fix it. I have been on many
cruises including private
yachts and this ship gives a WHOLE new meaning to Rock & Roll. The entertainment?? I
must have missed it
because this ship was beyond dead.
The crew. Our cabin attendant was pleasant and quite polite. He was the one
redeeming thing on our cruise experience. Everyone else was on one extreme or the other.
Some crew members
acted as though they loved what they did and others (as on many ships) seemed that they
were just obligated to
do their job. There was NO FUN at all. This ship is a graveyard while not in a port. The
food? The food while is
abundant quantity lacked quality. I have eaten on many ships and this food was terrible.
The waiter confided
enough to tell us that for 3 cruises people were getting food poisoning from fish in their
courses and we did not
ever order their fish entrees. Towards the end of the cruise, another couple said that
since they ate the salmon,
they were sick for 2 days.
The bottom line. Rennaissance lacks everything. This is BY FAR, not only the worse
cruise that we have ever taken, but the worse vacation. The ports were great and that is
the only reason this ship
sells probably. Half the people loved the ship and half HATED it, but there was very
little in between. Also,
Rennaissance waited till the last minute on the air reservations and we got a horrible
schedule. The older people
on board liked hanging out on deck and complaining about there being nothing to do.
Anyway, it was really bad.
One good thing was the hotels that they used. They were so much better than this ship.
Thanks for allowing me to
write this review, I hope it saves the general public from this nightmare. As a
journalist, I have also been planning
to do a report on this ship, but the network turned me down due to legalities and my bad
experience. Hopefully,
this expression of my emotions can be carried out effectively. Thanks and happy journeys.
Sincerely, Jill Watson
Journalist
Name: Michael Smith
Email: chicoryman@hotmail.com
Age: 45
Occupation: Software developer
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Renaissance-R1
SailingDate: 8/6/99
Itinerary: Istanbul to Athens
Cabin: 6065
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector:
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 70
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 80
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities:
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram: 20
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 15 Aug 1999
Time: 10:20:58
Remote Name: fw-80-101.mapics.com
Remote User:
Comments
This was my first cruise, so I can only describe how my expectations were (or weren't)
met. First, the overall
experience was very good. The flights to and from the cruise destinations were the flights
from hell, but the cruise
itself was wonderful. Rennaisance chartered an ATA flight. I had never flown on ATA before
and I will never fly with
them again. I won't be booking another cruise with Rennaisance as long as they use ATA. We
were 5 hours delayed
leaving JFK. This caused all but the most intrepid among us to miss the first days
excursions. I'm glad my wife and I
decided to tough it out and go, it was one of the best experiences of the entire cruise.
In an attempt to make up for
the long delay, Rennaisance sent each of us a cheap bottle of wine. My seat was assigned
to two other people. My
wife's seat was also assigned to another person.
The flight back from Athens to JFK was even worse. We left Athens
an hour and a half late. Then we actually had to stop in Maine for fuel. I've never heard
of a flight that had to stop for
fuel before. They couldn't keep the cabin cool. The crew was surly and hid in the back of
the plane when not serving
food and drinks. The intercom wasn't working properly and every time the captain come on,
we could only hear every
other word he said. We arrived at JFK over 3 hours late. Luckily for us, the weather was
bad and our connecting
flight was also delayed. Otherwise, since this was the last flight out, we would have
ended up sleeping in the airport.
We had allowed 4 hours between the scheduled arrival in JFK and the connecting flight. We
needed almost 8 hours.
The Rennaisance Polat in Istanbul was excellent.
We went to dinner one night at the Inter-Continental (which was
where the A and B cabins were staying). I thought the Polat was a much better hotel. Not
as gaudy, much better
location, great restaurants, great location. In Athens, we stayed at the Athens Hilton.
It's in a good location, but it's
an older hotel in need of some renovation. We upgraded to the executive level rooms for
$25 per person per night. It
was well worth it. Our transfers were very smooth and efficient. The only glitch was when
we were leaving Athens.
Our luggage was scheduled to be picked up at 7am, they didn't pick it up until almost 9.
By this thime we were
scheduled to board the buses for the airport. Luckily we were able to get breakfast in the
executive club room while
we waited. If we hadn't upgraded we'd have gone hungry. The ship itself was very nice. The
room was much roomier
than I expected. I didn't feel cramped at all. Even the deck on the room was large enough
to be quite comfortable.
The food on board was good. Not as good as I expected from what I'd heard about other
cruises, but generally quite
good. I found the staff to be very good. Friendly and helpful. My wife and I weren't
interested in on board activities so
they weren't missed. Our time on board was mostly spent relaxing and recovering from the
excursions. They guides
for the tours were very good, but they need to understand the need to balance the amount
of time they spend in
lectures and the time needed to actually visit the sites. We sometimes felt the guide took
too long to explain the site
and we were then rushed to actually see and experience it. When we first booked the
cruise, Israel was listed as one
of the stops in the brochure. I was disappointed to find out later that the cruise had
been altered to shorten its length
and Israel was dropped. Except for the bad flights, I'd grade the trip an A. But due to
the bad experience with the
flight I could only give it a C+.
Name: Dana Gebhart
Email: GEBHARTD@prodigy.net
Age: 60
Occupation: retired
NumberOfCruises: 14
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Renaissance-R1
SailingDate: August 21
Itinerary: Athens-Greek Isles-Istanbul
Cabin: 302198
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 100
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 99
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 98
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 98
TenderService: 98
GoodForSeniors: 99
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities:
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 98
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 100
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 02 Sep 1999
Time: 11:46:20
Remote Name: proxy8.ykt.prodigy.net
Remote User:
Comments
Wow what a wonderful cruise. We had never been on Renaissance before and were totally
delighted and pleased
in most everything. This line really knows how to package a cruise and make it comfortable
and easy for its
passengers.We have taken many cruises all in the Caribbean and this was our first venture
overseas.
The ship itself is one of the most beautiful I have seen. I was concerned because it was
smaller than most we had
taken but it was fantastic. It has old world charm with beautiful woods and beautiful
flower arrangements
everywhere. The overall feeling we got was so different from the other lines we have
taken. The staff from cruise
director on down cannot do enough for you and if you have a question there is always
someone handy to answer
it. There was very little in all areas that we were not thrilled over.
Our stateroom was on deck three down with the crew and it was big and spacious and with
more drawer space
than we needed.We asked for a few more hangers and they were immediately supplied as were
an extra balnket
and two pillows. There was no feeling of crampness and we certainly would opt for this
stateroom again.
The Club Restaurant was our favorite aboard ship. It is so nice not to have assigned
seating or times to eat. We
enjoyed sitting with different people each meal and sharing stories of their lives. We
were amazed that even
though we did not make reservations for either of the speciality restaurants, we were
suprised when the maitre'd
called and aksed us if we would like the times he had reserved for us in each of the
speciality restaurants. We felt
both the Grill and the Italian were very good but we really thought the Club was the best
of all. The service of the
waitstaff cannot be equalled as you never had to ask for anything. The breadsitcks were
exceptionally good as
were all the desserts. We also enjoyed the casual dress in the evenings amd the ability to
eat anytime between 6
and 9pm.
We must compliment the cruise director and his staff for a concise well organized program
of actitivites. We are
not ones for deck games, etc. but we still found plenty to do and enjoy. We especially
enjoyed his presentation of
'Cruise Ships, Where Are They Now.' We also must commend the entertainers who put on a
great show with little
to work with. NO fancy backgrounds or glitsy costumes but they presented a show that
depended entirely on their
own ability to entertain. Within the limitations of the stage etc. these six young people
did a great job.
The whole package itself was terrific. The hotels in both Athens and Istanbul were five
star and beautiful. The
transfers and tour buses and guides were wonderful and we had only one guide that speak
poor English and was
diffucult to understand. One other cruise ships we have been hesitant to take ship
packaged tours as they often
are not worth the money. We had took all the recommended highlights tours and even though
they were a little
expensive we would never had experienced the culture and the history of the different
islands without them. We
highly recommend them.
The whole packagae that Renaissamce offers is well organized and really a wonderful value.
We did more and
saw more on this trip than on many of our other cruises.
Finally let us comment on the new charter World Airways. We were the second flight to be
flown over and it could
not have gone more perfectly. We flew an MD11 and although there weas not a lot of room to
walk around the
flight crew made our trip very pleasant. These girls really worked hard and were there all
the time to see if you
were comfortable and if there was anything thaey could do for you. A nice touch was the
flight travel bags offered
by Renaissance with all the necessities for the trip. We think World Airways is great and
would not hesitate to fly it
again anywhere. So there you have it. A wonderful cruise package for a great value and a
most enjoyable time.
We can't wait to try another of their packaged tours.
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