Croatia as a country was amazing and beautiful. However, the sail was disappointing. Our representative was not very engaging and for the price you pay, you don’t get a lot for it. Considering you pay prior, the drinks at the bar are expensive and ‘happy hour’ is only 10% off which isn’t worth it. They offered limited water and if you wanted a bottle of water you had to pay. Even when unwell, there is no bottled water that is accessible and you are not able to bring bottles from off the boat. As a couple, we were given two single beds and other groups of friends that requested single beds were in rooms with doubles. Overall, not worth the price you pay and we weren’t very satisfied and actually left the boat early due to being unwell and not being able to access cold water.
- Nikita, 04/09/2023 05:18, Travelled in a Couple
Hi Nikita, thank you for your review. We are pleased to hear you enjoyed your time in Croatia and its beautiful coastline. However, we are disappointed to learn of your lack of enjoyment onboard. The drinks prices are set per ship and an estimated price list is available for your perusal via our website. The bedding configurations onboard our Navigator cruises are not confirmed until 1 week prior to departure, and these can either be made up of; bunk bed, twin bed or double bed configurations. I can see that a double bed wasn't requested in this instance. In regards to the water cooler, water is available onboard this boat 24/7 from outside the saloon area and you are welcome to re-use your own water bottle. Upon checking our internal reports, I can see that our Onboard representative had tried to make you as comfortable as possible whilst your partner was unwell by bringing tea and water to your cabin, and even offering further medical assistance - we hope that he has made a full recovery.
Aircon was not working properly and the bedroom fascilities were terrible. No changing of sheets, towels or pillows when we were in a HEAT WAVE and many on board were sick was not good. Whole experience was uncomfortable. Chef also prepared wintery hot meals when we were in a HEAT WAVE. Very disspointed with the experience.
- A, 03/09/2023 14:02, Travelled in a Couple
Hi A, thank you for your review. We are disheartened to hear of your experience and we hope that you were able to enjoy other aspects of your cruise. Our Premier ships include a mid-week cabin service which includes rubbish removal, floor and bathroom cleaned and a bed linen change. Additional towels can be provided upon request. All cruises include 3-course lunches which is usually a starter, main and dessert - I'm sorry to hear you were unhappy with the meals served, our chefs aim to provide a variety of meals using fresh, local produce and we are pleased to see that the overall feedback rating for the meals served during your week was rated 4.6 out of 5 stars. We understand that there was another group onboard who experienced sickness for less than 24 hours, due to reasons not relating to the cruise. Upon checking our internal reports, there were no reports of issues with the air-conditioning onboard. We have a rigorous process in place for any issues that arise onboard, which is outlined in your pre-departure information. Following this process ensures that no incident is left unreported and gives us the best chance to resolve this during the cruise for you. Again we thank you for your feedback, and we hope you enjoyed your time in Croatia as a whole.
Better cleaning, more friendly, variety with the food, in rainy days have some entertaining even border games or something, the cruise itself is not cheap and of top of that we have to pay more more, a lot of my travellers wee really dissatisfied!!! Never ever will Travel again with you guys I will not recommended neither to my friends!!!!
- Marta, 22/05/2023 14:29, Travelled in a Couple
Dear Marta, thank you for taking the time to review your cruise with us this season. I am very sorry to hear you felt this way about your experience. Unfortunately we are unable to guarantee the weather, so it is a shame that you did not have the best weather during your time with us. Overall for your departure I can see most guests that joined the cruise have said in feedback that they would recommend us, so I am sorry to hear this is not the case for you. Thank you for joining us Marta and for taking the time to review your experience.
The best part of the trip was the company of others who attended the same week, but everything else about the trip that was handled by Sail Croatia was pitiful. Horrible food, poor planning, disgusting cabins, and more than evident cost-cutting. The wifi was nonexistent and no soap, shampoo, or conditioner was provided. The bath towels provided were dirty and disgusting. I signed for a triple occupancy cabin and it ended up being a mattress on the floor. That is unacceptable. The other participants bonded on the boat over Sail Croatia's failings as a cruise liner. If I knew the lack of amenities provided and the poor organizing, I would not attend.
- Kalee, 01/10/2022 18:52, Travelled with Family
Thank you for your review Kalee. We are sorry to hear you were unhappy with your cabin arrangements and boat in general. I have gone through all the feedback ratings and we were given 4 stars for the 'boat overall'. Our chefs prepare all meals in their small gulleys located onboard the boat, aiming to provide a variety of meals however we understand that this is not always to everyone's taste. Soap, shampoo and conditioning is not included and we advise guests to bring their own onboard to avoid disappointment. Triple cabin consists of a small double bed and single bunk, as advised prior to booking this room type. As they are the same size as a twin share (2 people per cabin) we provide a 10% discount. I understand that you were moved to another cabin free of charge. We hope this was more than suitable. After reviewing the organisation of the cruise by the Onboard Representative, they were rated all 5 stars which includes; destination, organisation and friendliness. We thank you for your review.
I’m so lucky that I met such an amazing group of people on this sail Croatia because without them I would’ve been very disappointed. The food served on the boat was almost inedible, most people skipped it and ended up buying their own food. The crew on the boat were quite rude and made no effort to remember dietary requirements which almost resulted in some dire situations with multiple members on the boat. The bar on the boat was pretty much always closed which made it difficult at ports where there were no external bars - everyone had a few early night which isn’t exactly what you picture when you sign up for sail Croatia. Although the bar being closed wasn’t all bad as the drinks were so overpriced hardly anyone could afford them. Another issue with the bar being closed is that you’re not allowed to bring any food or drinks onboard - this is inconvenient when you need something to eat or drink and there is no way to purchase anything on board. Thank god I had a good group!
- Chloe, 12/09/2022 10:24, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for your review Chloe. We are really pleased to hear you met some amazing people on your cruise. We have high expectations and aim to provide our guests with lovely, fresh meals week after week, so we are very disappointed to hear the meals served didn't meet your expectations. Dietary requirements are passed on to the chef, and we encourage guests to introduce yourselves to the chef and discuss any additional requests with them. The bar is open during the day, generally up until midnight unless instructed by the crew - we appreciate you bringing this to our attention and we will discuss further with our Operations Team to ensure our high levels of service are maintained. Thank you.
The cabin rooms could have been a bit more spacious. While we spent very little time in our cabins ( except to sleep), they really were small.
- Patrick, 10/09/2019 04:31, Travelled in a Couple
Hi there. It's great to hear you had a really great trip! Our Standard ship cabins are smaller than the other ship types, this is stated on the website. I'm sorry to hear you were disappointed with the size of your cabin but pleased that you still enjoyed your time in Croatia. Thank you for joining us!
We upgraded to the premier navigator cruise and had a ship that was not nearly up to the standard of the ships depicted in the ‘premier navigator’ video. Our ship was basic only with the added extra of aircon. The crew were fantastic however the group asked for the spa, which was filthy, to be cleaned many times which wasn’t done. The spa was advertised as one of the premier added bonuses and it was extremely disappointing that we couldn’t use it. The food on board exceeded expectation.
- Madeleine, 04/09/2019 14:20, Travelled in a Couple
Hi there and thanks for your review. It's great to hear that the crew were a great inclusion on your cruise. The ships used on our Navigator Premier page vary in style, some more traditional, rustic wooden ships and others more modern steel ships. Our Premier ships offer spacious cabins, (generally 6-8m2) with ensuite and air-conditioning. The jacuzzi may not be available at all times due to conditions such as electricity consumption, fresh water usage onboard and weather conditions however, we will be investigating this further. We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed the food - it's not easy producing great meals for so many people with a limited kitchen but the chefs manage to do that which is amazing. Thanks again.
Lets start with the good experience. Staff onboard the ship Captain, Sailor and Tour guide were fantastic! It is them that makes the trip worth while. On another note, the sales team are terrible with their service. I told them from the beginning I am travelling with my partner and requested a double bed. They said it depends on the availability as first come first serve. When we got onboard, two girls who DID NOT request for a double bed got one and my partner and i got stuck on a bunk bed. There were only 3 couples on the ship. 2 whom got a double bed, except us. I would have been fine with it had we missed out because we booked later and the 3 doubles were already requested. It is upsetting when somebody gets .a room they didnt request and someone who really really wanted it doesnt. The rooms are ridiculously small and most of all there is no air circulation, if you left your door open, you would smell diesel, or others coming back in the early hours from partying. RIDICULOUS!
- Anita, 03/09/2019 01:04, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for taking the time to leave us with your review and feedback of your Navigator cruise with us this season. We are so pleased to hear that you were happy with the staff on board and that they really made the trip for you. I understand we have been in touch with you via email with regards to your comments on the double bedded cabin. Bedding arrangements are never guaranteed on our Navigator cruises, I'm afraid. This was advised prior to booking and travel. Your further feedback has been passed onto the relevant departments and I do hope this did not deter you from having an amazing time in Croatia. Thank you for joining us.
Excursions were poorly planned with a lot of waiting time and timing did not make sense with the rest of the day scheduled. Swim stops were random in the middle of the sea and not in pretty locations as advertised. Some of the excursions offered were not even possible to complete due to timing constraints. The food was cheap, very small portions, and the drinks were under poured. Our ship was lucky enough to be equipped with AC which we paid for directly to the captain, except it "didn't work" 2/7 nights and we still had to pay for the full 7. The captain was very cheap and would shut it off thinking we wouldn't say anything. We weren't allowed to swim when parked in Port and there mostly wasnt time to beach bc of lunch at 1-230pm. Lunch was way too long for no reason. No snacks provided in between meals. They assumed as budget travelers we wouldn't notice all the corners they cut. Overall very poor. We left the boat 2 nights early. Would not recommend unless you want low class travel.
- Jillian, 01/07/2019 16:24, Travelled in a Couple
Hi there, thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. I'm sorry to hear you were disappointed with some aspects of your Navigator cruise. Excursions are subject to minimum and maximum numbers. Also, due to limited time in each location, some excursions do occur at the same time as others, it's not always possible to take part in more than one excursion at the same destination, I'm afraid. I've looked into your comment regarding the air-conditioning on board and you were booked onto an Ensuite ship where air-conditioning is not included in the cost of the cruise. I've been advised the captain did offer air-conditioning to the whole ship at an additional cost per person, per day and when this was not working for the final 2 days of the cruise this was then refunded back to everyone. It is not possible to swim in the ports as it is not safe to do so. This is a rule on board all of our ships as we would not want you to come into any harm by swimming where the ships are docked. Daily breakfast and a 3 course lunch is included in the cost of your cruise, however snacks between meals are not included. We have a process in place which is shown in your pre-departure information, so if you do have any issues at all on board we hope to resolve them before you disembark. I have looked into this further and I cannot see that you left the cruise early or raised any of these concerns with your on board Representative. We appreciate you taking the time to provide us with this feedback and we hope that you enjoyed other aspects of your cruise and that the issues onboard didn't detract from your overall experience and Croatia as a whole. Thank you.
Dear Sail Croatia Firstly I want to say Alex and I very much enjoyed the accommodation on the boat and we were very impressed with the helpful friendly staff. Generally we thought the holiday was good value. My only criticism was the quality of the lunches and the repetitive breakfast menu. Cordial substituted for orange juice wasn't appealing. On most days I couldn't eat the main meal. The food offered was poorly cooked. On one occasion the fish was undercooked and covered in a very thick sauce, inedible. The vegetables were often overcooked. The chicken breast was dry and tough.. The entrees and desserts were generally acceptable. Our group of 6 travellers discussed the food and we all agreed a barbecue or smorgasbord of fresh salads could be offered. I understand some guests enjoy a hearty 3 course lunch however I do think there is room for improvement with the food. I'm not sure whether its your budget or the skill of the cook, or both..
- Anonymous, 27/06/2019 06:17, Travelled in a Couple
Hi there, thank you for taking time to leave us a review. We are really pleased to hear that you liked the accommodation on board and that you were impressed with the on board staff. Thank you for your comments on the food. Our chef tries to cater to a wide range of tastes, however at times we understand this is not always possible. We will pass your comments onto the relevant team so we can improve in the future. Thank you.
We booked the sail for late May. The itinerary did not match what was guaranteed on the website. Major clubs were closed and some excursions were cancelled. We expected a party boat and the our boat “Tuna” was definitely not that. Absolutely no money from the captain has gone into this boat to make it fun. We sailed along side “Penelopa” (the standard boat - same route) and watched their boat have a whole different experience. They had speakers that were loud and actually worked. They had party lights. They had two bars. They had no noise restrictions. They had a silent disco. Our group on board Tuna felt ripped off as we got none of these party features, having paid more for the en-suite rooms. Six people left our boat due to the lack of vibe and other reasons. Not only that but the bar staff was unprofessional and quite unapproachable. This made us feel uncomfortable. If we didn’t have such a lovely group of people on board the experience would’ve been 1 star.
- Maddie, 03/06/2019 07:55, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for your review. Upon checking your feedback for the week, we are really pleased to know you found the cleanliness of the cabin and meals to be 5-stars, thank you. In regards to the clubs and bars in Croatia, these are not guaranteed and are all subject to season opening times. Each of our boats are operated individually by the captain and crew, we are sorry to hear you found the overall experience was not as expected. We appreciate your comments regarding the crew, stereo speakers and party lights - all your comments will be passed on to the relevant department to look into this for you. We understand that there were adverse weather conditions at the time of your cruise which is unavoidable and very unfortunate. Alternative solutions were offered however, as the weather effected the most part of the week, our Rep did everything possible to ensure everyone was enjoying themselves as much as possible. We understand that some guests decided to depart early due to this. We hope that the issues didn't detract from your overall experience in Croatia and we thank you again for all your comments.
I would like to warn others considering booking any cruises with Sail Croatia. I had 8 items of ladies clothing taken from our cabin wardrobe after I had left them there after departing the ship. The cleaning staff came in immediately after we walked out, knocking on our door to get in while we were still packing up. In our haste the clothed were left behind. Not noticing they were missing until the next day, we emailed Sail Croatia and notified them. The cabin was apparently checked and nothing found. And that was the extent to which Sail Croatia went to try and get my clothes back from the cleaning staff who did our cabin. Visited the Sail Croatia office in Split expecting something at least to be done, they promised to stay in touch. I had to email them to try and get some answers. The "Operations Team" were contacted so I was told in a reply and nothing was found. Phoned the office and was told the clothes would have been disposed of! Very upset customer.
- Angela, 28/05/2019 08:48, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for your review. I can see from your onboard feedback, provided to us at the end of your cruise, that you gave us a rating of 5-stars, this overall rating includes; the staff, onboard meals, ship in general, optional excursions and your onboard representative. Thank you for this. However, we are sorry to hear of your disappointment mainly regarding the items left in your cabin. We do state on our Pre-departure information, and via the welcome speeches onboard, that all items must be removed from your cabin at the end of your cruise and that Sail Croatia will not be held liable for any lost items. I can see that you had also emailed us once you realised the items were left behind. Our process is that any left items found by the cleaning staff will be handed to our Lost Property team and logged via our internal records. However, once followed up with our Operations Team unfortunately no items were found by the cleaning staff. We have since provided you with an insurance letter so that you can recover the costs of the items via your Insurance company. We do hope that the result of your lost property didn't deter from the amazing 5-star experience you had onboard. Thank you again for your review!
Meals were not up to my expectations. There were no attempts by staff to help the travellers mingle and get to know each other at the beginning of the cruise. A wine and cheese on the first night would have been good.
- Anonymous, 29/05/2018 13:44, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for your review. Customer satisfaction is important to us, and we’re sorry to hear that meals didn't meet your expectations. I have looked into all reviews provided for your departure and have found that rating and traveller satisfaction was very high for this week. Thank you for your recommendation in regards to wine and cheese being offered on the first night. We will be sure to pass your feedback to our team. We thank you again for submitting your review and we hope that you enjoyed your time in Croatia overall.
Free tea and coffee available on the boat outside meal times. More hanging space for wet clothing and more pegs.
- susan, 13/10/2017 15:37, Travelled with Family
Thank you for your review. Tea & Coffee availability is something we are currently looking into for future seasons. Thank you for your suggestion of more hanging space and pegs, this will be passed on to the Operations Team for potential future improvements. Thank you.