Does anyone have any info on Louis Cruise Line that is used by tour companies to Greek Islands?

Have a look on the cruise forum

hello--I just got back from Greece and a 4 day cruise on Louis Cruise-We were supposed to have the Peral (which we knew was not the "good " ship)We were happy to learn we were part of the over flow that was assign to the Crytal-The ship is a older ship and just newly referbished- It was OK for a 4 day cruise- Our cabin was so small I put a table outside in the hall way to make room for one of our suitcases! My bed was the whith of the cabin and the first night I woke up with a bit of closterphobic and had to go outside to get some air--It wasen't a comfortible ship-the swiming pool was small and in the center of the bar and eating area-but it was OK for the time your on it-The staff was very nice the food was plentifull and good-

To All:

My wife and I are scheduled on the 10/15 4 day/3 night Louis Cruise on the Cristal. I have a few questions:

1. Which onshore excursions are not to be missed? Which ones are not necessary?

2. How much are the onboard "extras", such as alcoholic drinks, dry cleaning, sundries, and similar things?

3. What was your most pleasant surprise about the Cristal? What was the most neagtive thing(s) about the ship?

4. We are also scheduled to take the 5 day/4 night land package after the cruise. Any comments for those of you who may have taken that part of the trip.

Thank you for your time in answering these questions.

If you want to e-mail me directly, I am [email protected]. I live in the Baltimore area.

We did a three night cruise on the Crystal in Aug. We did not know what to expect since we had read some blogs that were not favorable for the Cruise Line. The room was adequate size, the room could have been cooler and I had my camera taken one night while at dinner. I had left it laying on my bed and when we got back the bed had been turned down and I forgot about the camera until the next day. We reported it and they happened to come up with it at the reception desk and said it had been 'found' but didn't say where. In my camera case was our name,phone number and address. They could have looked it up and brought it back. This was after I told them I would not pay the required 'tip' since my camera was missing. On the first day of the Cruise we had to go out for the safety drill and it was very hot and they had us standing on the deck for a good bit of time and my husband's back was really bothering him and he fainted. Some men helped catch him and eased him down on the deck and the Crew and the Captain were there immediately and took him to the infirmary and checked him out. So they were very attentive and didn't charge us for the physician's visit. The food was surprisingly good. We have cruised Princess before and knew you couldn't compare them so we didn't have real high expectations. Hope this helps.

We were booked on the Perla in October 2005, what a dump, the AC didn't work in our section of the ship, super old and run down, tiny room, but the food in the restaurant was pretty good, and it did get us to the islands it was supposed to.
S

As far as I'm concerned you get what you pay for: Louis Cruises aren't Carnival, Disney or NCL. They are an affordable, no frills alternative for cheap SOB's like myself. The 4 person cabin I had on The late lamented Sea Diamond and later on the Perla were small but adequate and even comfortable compared to the same accomodations on some of the ferry lines I've taken throughout Europe. The food onboard is good and plentiful, but certainly not gourmet or even memorable. There wasn't a whole heckuva lot to do on board, but I can't imagine ANY cruise line offering anything that could entertain me. Since there were shore excursions every few hours I entertained myself ashore. To me the cruise ship simply served as my transport between islands, hotel and dinner restaurant.

I would highly recommend the shore excursion to Ephesus when you reach Turkey and if your trip includes Crete, take the tour to Knossos. You can easily get to St. John's cave and the monastery at Patmos by hiring a local cab. For a one hour self-guided excursion we spent 25 Euro for 5 of us in the cab. On two different occassions I found the walled city of Rhodes very interesting and easy to navigate on my own. The ship pulls up right next to town so there's no need to pay for a guided tour.

As for Santorini, I opted to not do the excusion to the volcano. Those in my group that went said it was fascinating but a bit strenuous in the heat. Instead, we just took the lunch to the quayside of the island then paid a couple Euro to take the cable car up to the town at the summit. That was also very easy to do on our own. We found plenty of shops, bars and churches to keep us amused for the 4 hours we spent there.

John - A few more answers for you: as far as booze, you can spend 50 Euros per person (it may be more now) for unlimited drinks during the cruise. (One kid in our group wanted to ensure he had gotten his money's worth by consuming 37 milkshakes over 4 days). Otherwise you can order the house draft beer, Heineken or Bud, at 4 Euro per glass or pay 6 Euro for bottled beer and most mixed drinks.

There is a duty free shop on board but I found better deals on cigarettes, liquor and perfumes in port in Kusadasi, Turkey. If you have time after your Ephesus tour, try shopping in the bazaar across the streets from the ship. It's an experience! Don't pay any of the prices they tell you or that they have posted. You need to bargain. My wife was amazing with her ability to deal with the merchants. She knew just how to act very interested in something, lowball them, then gauge just when to start to walk away. Most of the time they came running after us selling the item at the price she initially offered. I'm sure they still ripped us off, but we felt like we were getting great deals.

My advice is to go with an open mind: don't expect American-style or even 4 star European-style luxury. Greece is coming up in the European Union, but they are still one of the poorer cousins. Hotels aren't quite as fancy, restaurants aren't as chic and people aren't nearly as rich as their Northern European cousins. The good news is that the Greeks are the friendliest folk in Europe. They love to talk, play backgammon and introduce you to a myriad of things you've never tried before. Stuff like Ouzo, Souvlaki, octopus, stuffed grape leaves, Retsina (a liquor that initially tastes like Pinesol), dancing, all kinds of bakery delicacies and talking all night in a Taverna. Souvenirs are still cheap and there's plenty of stuff you'll want to bring home.

Hopefully the weather will be cooler for you than when we went. My only complaint about my two previous July trips to Greece was the excessive heat and the lack of a/c everywhere. Of course, I have the same complaint in Italy and Spain. I felt the same way in England and Ireland. In fact, it seemes wherever we go in Europe a heat wave follows!