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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Rebecca Scholl
Email: RKScholl@aol.com
Age: 35
Occupation: Graphic Designer
NumberOfCruises: 0
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Renaissance-R1
SailingDate: Noveber 26, 19999
Itinerary: Athens to Istanbul - Greek Isles
Cabin: 8044 - Balcony
FoodDiningRoom: 97
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: N/A
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward:
ShoreExcVariety: 70
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 40
GoodForHoneymoon: 30
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 00
LoungeService: 95
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities:
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 100
MedicalFacilities: 30
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace:
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 97
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 14 Jan 2000
Time: 21:01:02
Remote Name: abd3cf41.ipt.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
This was my first cruise and I loved it.
The ship was beautiful, the staff was helpful, the food was amazing and the ports of call were stunning. This all adult,
non-smoking ship is comfortable and luxurious. Rooms are spacious and well maintained. The wait staff is attentive
and friendly.
Complaints over a lack of a midnight buffet lead me to believe that some people lead very dull lives-if that is what they
focus on. After a full day of hiking up the Knights of St. John fortress at Lindos or exploring the Palace of Knossis on
Crete - who cares if you get bon bons at midnight???
I would not recommend the exursions, hire a taxi with another couple and explore on your own. Every sight has tour
guides who are knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. The locations are amazing and fun to explore.
Greece was what I expected but Turkey was amazing.
Istanbul is a lovely city with a rich heritage and beautiful culture. If you are staying at the Renaissance Polat, walk the
10 minutes into the little downtown and eat at Oz Konyazi- better food and much less expensive than the hotel.
Remember that you left the U.S. to explore another part of the world, rather than expecting it to be like home, accept it
for all the glory and splendor it possess' and enjoy your trip.
Name: Robert Moderhak
Email: bobnsue@bhip.infi.ne
Age: 54
Occupation: retired
NumberOfCruises: 7
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Renaissance-R1
SailingDate: Feb. 7, 2000
Itinerary: Greek Isles/Turkey
Cabin: 4056
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 00
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 75
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram: 98
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 98
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 98
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 16 Feb 2000
Time: 13:23:48
Remote Name: srstb104-36.splitrock.net
Remote User:
Comments
This was a wonderful overall nine day land/cruise package. My wife and I enjoyed the two nights in
Athens (the Caravel Hotel was excellent) and the two nights in Istanbul (the Renaissance Polat was
equally enjoyable). The R1 is the nicest ship that we've had the pleasure to sail (our previous trips
include Carnival, Norwegian (multiple ships), Windjammer, and Regal Empress. Most Renaissance
travelers fly on World Airways charters, however, we signed up late and flew on regularly scheduled
Lufthansa flights that flew on the same day as the World Airways charter. The Lufthansa flights were
an added bonus since their service is superior to any US flights we've flown.
Ground arrangements in Athens and Istanbul were equally as impressive as the rest of the trip.
There were Renaissance representatives who met us in Athens and assisted loading of luggage
aboard roomy, newer buses. Unfortunately, our luggage did not make it onto the Lufthansa flight at
JFK, however, the Renaissance rep helped file a claim with the airline representatives. Our luggage
arrived later that evening and was delivered to our hotel room. On the day of our return flight to
JFK, the Renaissance representatives loaded us back unto buses and assisted us to the new
Istanbul airport.
Our cabin was an E category cabin with a large window, but no private balcony. The cabin was
roomy, clean, comfortable and had a lot of storage space. The bathroom was well laid out, the
shower seemed to offer more room than other ships, although the space is still quite small. We
never saw our cabin stewardess, but we had no complaints as to the level of service.
The dining experience is superior to any other cruise that we've taken. The open seating concept is
excellent. We didn't have to eat at specific times, just enter the dining room at any time and be
seated with other guests. We enjoyed eating with a different group each night and getting to know
more people. The cruise line policy on no "formal" nights was very popular with the passengers. We
did not eat at the two specialty restaurants, the Grill or the Italian restaurant. We had planned to do
so, but never got around to it because our meals were so excellent in the main dining room. The
portions appeared to be smaller than on other cruise ships, but were plentiful enough - no one left
hungry. We used the Panorama Buffet for all breakfasts. The meals were similar each day and were
at an acceptable level. We also used the Buffet for most of our lunches which were a bit better than
breakfasts.
The casino was small, but never appeared to be overly crowded. They have one roulette table,
three blackjack tables, one caribbean stud poker table and a variety of quarter and dollar slot
machines. There were about eight video poker machines. There were a few dime, quarter and dollar
denominations slot machines in the sports bar, as well as a few quarter video poker machines. We
observed a few people who hit pretty nice quarter jackpots, although nothing over a few hundred
dollars worth.
The ship has a wonderfully appointed library with a variety of hardback and paperback books to
loan. There appeared to be a few puzzles and game boards for use as well. The decks appeared
very adequate, although the weather was cool in February and there were few people who took
advantage of those spaces.
Entertainment was of varied levels of professionalism. They had a young British magician, Philip
Hitchcock was quite good - his illusions kept us guessing (we were front row and less than 10 feet
from him) and he was quite funny. The comedian, Jim McCue was not as good, although he may
have just been mismatched with the older crowd. When the sound system went down one night, we
watched a fill-in act, Johnny Johnson did a tribute to Sinatra. This veteran performer did a nice job,
although his voice was average, his keyboard was outstanding. Luckily, the final night, the sound
system problems had been corrected and were able to see an energetic show "Greased Lightning."
The six young performers were excellent, with good dance routines and excellent voices and humor.
The Renaissance Orchestra was a positive addition to the entertainment. The musicians were quite
talented and seemed to enjoy their work.
We took a number of tours which were offered by Renaissance, some in each gateway city and
some on the different Cruise stops. Prices of these tours were pricey: $40-99 each/per person.
Transportation was on comfortable buses and tour guides were knowledgeable and spoke English
well. Tours to historic areas, mosques and ruins were well documented via tour guide lectures and
explanations. We were extremely disappointed by a tour in Istanbul to a local restaurant that
included a demonstration by the "Whirling Dervishes." This $80 per person tour was three hours
long and included a 40 minute presentation, followed by a dinner with traditional Turkish foods (with
sliced lamb being the only main dish). It was not worth the price of the tour. We would rate the trip to
Ephesus as a "don't miss" with positive notes regarding the quality of tour guide explanations. A
number of passengers chose to hire taxicabs to get to many tourist destinations and seemed
pleased with taxi rates compared to the expensive Renaissance tours. Additionally, the
recommended tipping rates for cabin stewardess and for restaurant personnel seemed on the high
side.
Overall, we were extremely pleased with our cruise and land package. We will strongly consider
going on future Renaissance cruises and will recommend this cruise line to our friends.
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