"Good, and bad"
We booked a return trip from Ancona to Patras, late summer 2017. The boarding at both ports was straight forward enough, but not clearly marked or indicated by staff leaving us in some doubt as to where we were meant to be etc. And it was a great bonus being a campervan to have mains hook up available onboard. Overall boarding and disembarking was orderly and relatively easy. We had an outside cabin booked for both trips, and the cabin was comfortable enough and quite pleasant on the way out, but on the way back our cabin was dirty, hairs on the sheets, dirt on the floor (including a bit of a dirty mop!) and the bathroom was not clean. That, and the fact that immediately outside our window there was a crew walkway which prevented any privacy, and beyond that a lifeboat so we had no view at all of the sea, we asked to be moved. Our request was treated with a total lack of interest, and we had to be persausive before we were moved to the room next, which, although clean, was still adjacent to the crew walkway and lifeboat - technically an outside cabin, but lacking any of the normal facilities, such as a view of the sea, that paying the extra brings. We felt that we were being fobbed off by staff when we complained.
The meal out in the main restaurant was good and the service excellent. The waiter asked for our voucher to receive the discount, and since we had not been given one, he arranged a discount anyway and explained that we needed to ask for a voucher on our return journey. When we did this on our return trip, the man at the reception told us he knew nothing about vouchers and could not help. Again we used the main restaurant and the waiter asked for our voucher, and we explained that we had asked for one and not been given one. He told us that if we had a cabin booked, we should have a voucher, so we showed him out cabin key and he called a superior officer over. This man told us that we only got a voucher if we had a campervan booked, and insisted that I go all the way down to our cabin to get our tickets to prove to him that we did. On my return he was rude and snatched the tickets off me telling me he would check - meanwhile all we wanted to do was order our food and really did not care about the voucher, but they would not let us. Finally the senior offircer returned and explained that because we had an outside cabin booked and not an inboard cabin, we did not get a voucher. He was rude, and I believe, lied about the cabin - why would you not get a voucher having paid more for your room? Finally, we were allowed to order our meal but by this time the meal was already spoilt, so it was the final straw when my partners meal arrived cold and unedible, and she complained. The waiter offered to heat it up but by this time we had had enough and she refused. He then tried to charge us for the meal, we refused, and he then shortchanged me by 10 euros until I protested. The service and the meal was terrible and we warned others not to eat there.
Apart from the dirty cabin on the return trip, the ship was generally clean and well laid out. We did not use any of the other facilities so cannot comment on those.
Most of the staff seemed helpful, apart from those at reception and in the restaurant who were rude and lied to us.
The ship sailed on time and appeared punctual.
We would use Minoan again because there is little choice on this route, but I doubt that we would eat onboard unless we take our own food.
I would award higher stars for the outward journey, but since the return trip was so bad, my markings are based on that.
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Overall Rating:
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General:
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Catering:
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Cleanliness:
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Staff:
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Punctuality:
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Recommended?
No
Reviewed by who travelled with Minoan Lines on Cruise Olympia
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