Hello,
I am going on a cruise leaving the US, flying to Athens, Greece then sailing via cruise, Louis Cruise Lines (Perla I believe) to a few Greek Islands and Turkey. I haven't found many reviews at all about this cruise ship, except for one, giving it one star and saying that the ship was totally unacceptable...plumbing problems, walls leaking, etc. YIKES! It's 6 wks out and I'm getting nervous. Does anyone know anything about Louis Cruise Lines or the Perla ship (not sure if that's the one I"m going on) and what advice can you give me. Thanks

Henri,
I sent you a private email. I did not like the Perla at all. I took a 4 day cruise at the end of May 2005 from Athens. Nobody in our group liked the ship. The food was mediocre. Everything was below average...just a tiny little pool.
This Louis Hellenic cruise was part of a Globus tour and Globus had been highly recommended to me. I just did not expect them to use such a "budget" cruise.
Email me if you want more info.
Karina1

Henry-

Not sure if you already went on your cruise or not but I just got back this weekend from cruising on Perla. I have to say that I really hated the ship. I was pretty shocked when we got on board at just how small it was. Our room was more like a human shoebox then a room. The beds were AWFUL, now I didnt expect them to be 5* or anything but you could literally feel every single spring poking you in the matress. The shower was less then a foot wide, and you had to flush the toilet 4 times in order for it to work. The worst part of the room was that our AC was out for the entire cruise! There was absolutely no circulation in our room, and it was hot and heavy. We complained at least 5 or 6 times but nothing was done.

The food for the buffets was pretty blah, and I swear I will never eat another french fry again. The sit down dinner was alright, and all of the serving staff was very nice.

The part of the whole cruise that dissapointed me the most was the short amounts of time you had on each island. You were only alloted between 3-5 hours on each island, which isn't much time to see or do much. We barely had enough time on Mykonos and Santorini to grab a bite to eat and hit a couple of rearby tourist shops. Also, most of the islands didnt allows us to dock at the port so we had to wait for the tender boats to bring us to the islands. Waiting on those could take up to 45 mintutes, cutting your time on the islands even further. We did take the tours the ship offered in Patmos and Kusadasi which I have to say were amazing! The guide for Kusadasi was excellent and it was very informative. Patmos was really hot and crowded but it was still interesting to see the monastary and cave.

Greece was spectacular, the islands were amazing, the food (on the islands) was delicious, but the cruise ship itself was pretty below par. If I were to do it again, I would probably fly or take the ferries from island to island and stay in a hotel. I wasnt impressed with the ship at all. But I have to say even with all the complaints I have of the ship, I really really had a great time. The ship was full of really fun people from all over the world, and I had a good time meeting all the people and seeing the islands.

Think this is too late for you but may help others considering Louis Cruise Lines. We cruised on the MS Serenade first week in Oct.2005. We were orignally scheduled to be on Calypso, but were changed to Serenade at the last minute. This ship was old, dirty and had a crew that had never been on it before. We had paid for an upgraded room on the Calypso and the room we got on Serenade was in no way comparable. The bedspreads were dirty and stained and the mattresses had things sticking up through the sheets. The meals were poor. I had definitely known that these ships were not comparable to usual cruise ships we have taken (Celebrity and Carnival) but nothing could have prepared us for what we got. The destinations were excellent although excursions were overpriced. If we were to do this again, we would ferry from island to island and find hotels there. Because it takes to long to dock and sometimes to tender into port, we had very little time at several places (like1-1/2 hours on Santorini). Bottom line, I would never use Louis Cruise lines again.

As I read these responses I am wondering, why in the world would you choose a cruise line like this when there are so many well rated and well priced cruise lines? Did someone (besides Globus) tell you it was a fine cruise line? I would have thought you would pick a cruise from any number of well known companies.

We have just returned from cruising the Greek islands on the Perla. We had a great time. The Perla is an old ship and it does have small rooms, but it is a great ship. The food is wonderful and the crew is great. The Perla is not a Carnival Cruise ship. It is a ship to get you from one island to another. If you are going on the Perla for a great cruise, you are on the wrong ship. But, if you are taking the Perla to get from one island to the other it is great. We always had clean sheets and towels. We read all the bad things that were said about the Perla before we left the states and was really worried about sailing on the Perla. But we were not disappointed at all. If fact, we were pleased. By the way there were 8 of us traveling together and we all felt the same. We would sail the Perla again (and yes they do have the best French Fries in the world!!

AAUUUUGGGHHH!!!! I absolutely do not know what to do!!! I am spending almost 3 weeks touring the main land of Greece and want to end w/ a quick cruise of the islands.

I will take the tours on each of the islands because they are going to what I want to see. BUT....just how bad is Louis Line NOW??

Insight, Globus, Trafalgar and Grand European all book them plus Apollo tours and Homeric as well I cant believe the ships would continue being so awful if all those tour companies are booking them.

I have done lots of river cruises and know how small those cabins can be. None of that bothers me but I do want a clean cabin! I will also up grade and want to be given the cabin I have paid for. And I can stand simple food as long as it doesnt poison me!

I cant seem to find any other company that does the cruises to the same islands...Mykonos, Patmos, Rhodes, Santorini and Crete, or I would book them.

Anyway anybody been on the boats in the last few weeks...or know any up to date gossip????

Thanks!

annharr sounds like one of who worked for this cruise line.

Clean sheets and towels, good transportation and great French fries: Well if those are the highlights.....

Take the PERLA at your peril!

From May 6-13, 2005, my husband and I were part of the COSMOS seven day cruise extension to Turkey and the Greek Islands on board the Perla. The ship advertised for this trip was the Calypso. The Perla was a substitute but not one of comparable standard.

When we boarded in Piraeus the Perla stank of diesel fuel in both the public areas and individual cabins. This continued throughout the ENTIRE voyage. Towels and bed linens washed in the ship’s laundry also stank of diesel. It was nauseating.

Our cabin 245 on the Caribbean Deck had cracked glass in the upper right corner of the faded print on the wall. One of the four coat hooks at the door was missing – only the screws were left sticking out of the wall. The towel hook in the bathroom had one prong broken off. Cabin bed covers were faded as was the cloth skirting that often fell off from around the bunks. Bed linens were thin and on two occasions had holes in the top sheet. The carpet was threadbare and stained. Altogether a depressing, poor-quality hovel of a cabin. The shower stall leaked water outside the cabin into the hallway. Then on May 12, 2005, only scalding hot water came out of the shower head. According to a crew member from the Purser’s Office, this was also the situation in the crew quarters.

Cool air conditioning was not available all the time and did not respond to any setting on the in-cabin thermostat. But even worse was the unclean grill and the air ducts which conducted air of dubious quality into the cabins. Many passengers sleeping on beds closest to the air conditioning outlet developed sore throats, persistent coughs and severe colds during the cruise. Air quality on the Perla was unsatisfactory.

In addition, the dining room was dark and noisy during mealtime seatings. Chairs were crammed in so tightly that it was difficult for passengers to get to and from the tables. This was in spite of the fact that the Perla was only two-thirds booked with passengers and tables could have easily been separated to give diners more room. Food on board was mediocre with overcooked beef, tough chicken, tasteless fish and few fresh vegetables. Even that low quality deteriorated significantly during that last two days of the cruise (May 11-13, 2005).

The Perla needs an extensive cleaning. Crow’s Nest and Clipper Lounge windows were so grey with dirt that you could hardly see through them. Even the outside enclosure on the Beach Deck was filthy and paint-spattered. Carpets on all decks had dark discolourations and in many places the edges of the carpet had pulled away from the wall.

But the most nauseating situation throughout the cruise was the constant smell of diesel fuel on the Perla. Why was this? Was there a fuel leak? Why was it not fixed? Diesel fumes are highly toxic to humans and many passengers complained of headaches, eye irritations, burning lips and sore throats. Still, nothing was done by the Perla’s crew to remedy the situation.

In summary, the Perla should never have been used on this 7-Day Cruise Extension by COSMOS or by any other tour company. This ship was hazardous to human health as operated between May 6-13, 2005.

That Mr. Costakis Loizou, Executive Chairman of the Louis Group which owns and operates a dilapidated and defective ship like the Perla, could receive the ISHC 2005 Pioneer Award - Europe, indicates that many travel agents booking clients on international cruises are ignorant of the true condition of Louis Cruise Lines vessels. Travel consolidators need to investigate, to survey tourists who have first-hand experience, to better inform the travelling public.

I wrote to COSMOS and they provided a 15 percent refund of the trip cost to us. Louis Lines never responded. Their Perla ship was a sub-standard, unhealthy replacement vessel that was an insult to any passenger unfortunate to have been on board at that time. It should be taken out of service and upgraded to meet minimum standards of cleanliness, air quality and safety. Obviously, it had not. Take the Perla at your peril.

PS: One other irritating problem with the itinerary schedule for the 7-Day Cruise is that Louis Cruise Lines has ships arriving in Istanbul when the Grand Bazaar is closed. Why is this? The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sunday. Everyone knows this. But the Perla arrives exactly when one of the best attractions is closed. This is very poor strategic planning.

I am also booked on the Perla (I think) with NOlitours. Has anyone been on the ship in the last few months??

Some more recent reviews here: http://www.cruiseserver.net/travelpa...pany_louis.asp

My family just got back from our cruise on the Perla. It was wonderful, they had just refurbished it. The pool was great, the lounges were wonderful. I have been on other cruises but this was our best trip. The ship was small enough that we got to know a lot of the guest. We also didn't get lost either. My daughter is very picky eater and she loved the food. They had great service and great food. We are going back in the fall on one of their 7 day cruises.

Did you take any optional tours? How did you like them? Were they price fairly?

If you like the smell of diesel fuel the Perla's your ship. Otherwise, I'D JUMP SHIP NOW. Hopefully you haven't paid in advance. This ship is old, smelly and dingy. We also had plumbing problems and strong exhaust fumes in our cabin and hallway. The staff was marginally friendly and not helpful, the entertainment was a joke and the food was always overcooked. A total rip off. I would never use Louis Lines again. Hope this all works out for you.