Firstly I would like to point out I have absolutely no issues with the staff whatsoever - they each deserve 5 stars as they were all so welcoming and helpful throughout the trip. Special mention for Marin, the best host we could have asked for arranged some great nights and made sure everyone was included. My main issue was that the week was poor value for money, the food was ok but I have to mention the BBQ night, 25 euro for what can only be described as a car crash. When I was offered it I was expecting a real bbq on the port but no - the meats (poor quality I’ll add) were grilled in the usual kitchen not on any sort of bbq - genuinely left me feeling ripped off. Drinks on the boat are extremely expensive for what they are, poor quality sprits other than real JD, and still charging full price. Excursions are overpriced we did the canyoning and it was not worth 75 euros at all. Any transfers to ports clubs or bars are always charged and EVERYTHING is cash only - disappointing.
- Anonymous, 30/09/2024 10:45, Travelled with Friend/s
The week was great, with fun excursions and a great host to introduce all activities as well as keep good company with us. Regarding my personal experience, below are areas of improvement: - price of drink: when the price of drinks at a bar is cheaper than the boat’s happy hour, we ask why? - weather-caused delays: our week was impacted by not great weather, though it wasn’t raining with not too strong winds the captain didn’t even want to move away from dock so we could at least have a swim spot at a secluded space rather than be docked in town for 2 nights, feel like the crew didn’t try their best to compensate for lost days docked in one place. - known surprises not shared with passengers: on my trip the guide left before day 7 ended, with most of the crew also not there on the evening of day 7. When all pax pay for a week of fun, it is disappointing that this was not met, with Sail Croatia asking the guide to leave early so he can begin another cruise. - serve coffee on day 8
- Anonymous, 21/09/2024 01:10,
Hi there. Thank you for your feedback and for sharing your experience with us. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the excursions and the company of your host during the week. We appreciate your constructive points and will certainly review them with our team. Regarding drink prices, we aim to offer a variety of options at cruise competitive rates - we take your comments on board. With weather-related delays and amendments to the itinerary, safety is always our top priority. I have checked with the Captain and Crew and the weather was very unfortunate during your entire week onboard. We were sorry to see that some swim stops were not possible and you remained in Korcula for 2 nights, as a result of the unusually poor weather conditions and this affected your trip and experience a great deal. As for the guide’s early departure, we apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused. As the cruise ends at 9am in the morning, coffee is generally only available at before this time.Thanks again for your valuable feedback, and we hope to welcome you on board again in the future.
Sail Croatia needs a boat dedicated to solo only travellers. My experience was fun and thoroughly enjoyed it although it was somewhat difficult to socialize with others as they were glued to their friend until roughly day 5 where everyone started to branch out and really connect as a group.
- Anonymous, 11/09/2024 12:41, Travelled Solo
Sail was an amazing experience. I want to thank Klara and the crew (Ivan and Fillip) for making it a very memorable week. Beyond the amazing crew’s efforts, I want to raise one very important consideration that Sail Croatia should acknowledge moving forward. In light of the premium price paid by each passenger, we all expected for more to be included as part of our wrist bands we wore around everywhere. We did not get anything for free with the wrist bands which was extremely disappointing. I recall friends of my mine previously doing the same sail in 2019 and noting that Carpe Diem entry fee being included, Mljet national park, Revelin and others being FREE. As is, the Sail is not cheap and I was shocked to discover the above were not included. Until Sail Croatia remedies these factors, I will not be recommending the experience to others.
- John , 07/08/2023 19:36, Travelled in a Couple
Hi John, thank you for taking the time to review your Navigator cruise with us this summer. We are so pleased to read you had an amazing experience on your cruise and I will be sure to pass your comments and kind words onto the team, thanks so much for this! I've looked into the points you have raised further and can confirm inclusions on the Navigator cruise are as per our website. The wrist bands inclusions are the same as 2019 including entry to Revelin before midnight (if no DJ is playing or special event is taking place), a welcome shot in Dos Locos and free entry to Club Deep before 11pm. The entry fee for Mljet National Park is at an additional cost, this is noted on the website to enable guests to budget correctly before their sail. Thanks again for an amazing week on board John and we look forward to having you join us again in the future!
The ship, crew, tour leader, food etc. was simply awesome. Can’t fault the destinations and sight seeing either. Absolutely stunning. However the booking system needs serious improvement. Large groups are placed on the boat which inherently makes it hard for solo guests to socialise as these groups are generally not as interested to meet new people. It makes solo guests feel awkward and like a ‘spare wheel’. It was clear our tour manager could see this occurring. It would be far better if solo guests or small groups be placed together, and Sail Croatia would have known these groups were on the ship with me. Pretty disappointed I wasn’t given the option to even downgrade vessel, if that meant I could be with more ‘like-minded’ travellers or guests. I’m going to find it difficult to recommend to others who are solo travelling as well….Coupled to this when placed in a room with a complete stranger, give each guest a key. If either guest wants to do different activities, makes things awk.
- Thomas , 17/07/2023 05:19, Travelled Solo
Hi Thomas, Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your review and your constructive feedback. It is wonderful to read that the ship, the crew, your representative and the sights and sounds of visited destinations didn't disappoint. Your feedback regarding having 2 x sets of keys per cabin is very welcomed and has been passed on to our Operations team and the Captain. Regarding the mix of travellers onboard your cruise, our cruises aren't specifically sold or booked as solo traveller cruises and everyone is welcome onboard. The final mix of travellers is inevitably dependent on any bookings that we receive and I can see we did have some other solo travellers booked apart from yourself. We are sad to hear that the overall mix wasn't to your expectations and satisfactions, however, it is great to see that overall, based on your submitted feedback, you would still recommend us. Thanks again for joining us this season!
I enjoyed my time but was it worth the amount of money I spent? No way, could’ve had a much better time spending less money doing something different. Obvious attempts to make extra profits left a sour taste. Drink prices on board were similar to a bar and lot’s of people found discrepancies between what they were charged and what they ordered. Nearly everyone just drank offshore towards the end of the cruise. The BBQ dinner was the most obvious sign of taking our cash. Charging us 25 Euro’s for a BBQ and offering no other alternative for dinner since we were out of port was shocking. Was just very average food so reckon it cost about 10 euro’s per person. Some other compulsory charges like the tourist tax should’ve just been included in the initial price anyway, if we 100% have to pay it then why exclude it from the initial price?
- Anonymous, 05/07/2023 07:57, Travelled Solo
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review and provide us with feedback. It is great to hear you enjoyed your time onboard our Navigator cruise. We strive to ensure accurate and transparent billing for all our guests when it comes to the bar tab. You are also welcome to ask for a daily tally of your tab as one can easily lose track of what has been consumed during the week. Regarding the pricing, Croatia has only recently adopted Euros as a currency and we are going through a phase of adjusting the local pricing. We are sorry to hear you didn't find the BBQ to be of good value. Please rest assured your feedback has been passed to the Captain. All local tourist tax is payable locally rather than packaged in a price of the holiday. You will find this is a standard practice across the industry in various destinations and not just Croatia. Thank you again for your feedback and do come and see us again!
More ventilation for the rooms particularly the ones located below deck. Food provided was not great. Placed with a more suitable group of people closer in age and relationship status.
- Andrew, 22/07/2022 10:58, Travelled with Friend/s
Hi Andrew - thank you for your review. We appreciate your comments in regards to the ventilation. I can see you booked our Premier ship which includes air-conditioning, ensuite and spacious cabins. Our chefs aim to provide a variety of meals using fresh local produce, whilst we understand this is not to everyone's individual taste, we are sorry to hear you were disappointed with the meals served and your comments will be passed on to the Operations Team. We aim to get a good mix of travellers onboard our boats, taking into consideration age, gender, nationality and group makeup. However, this can vary and heavily depends on who has booked for any given departure. Thank you again for your review!
With a backdrop as beautiful as Croatia its hard to go wrong. Yet, this wasn't smooth sailing. Maybe it was the fact I had such high expectations from the glowing reviews that Sail Croatia gets, but the tour just felt extremely disorganised. We had a very lacklustre tour manager that did very little to hype up the mood and bring the group together. There was also A LOT of wasted time on the boat. SC markets these gorgeous daily swimspots; reality was not this with spots in random locations overlooking roads and deserted housing. We spent 4-5 hours each day anchored in the one spot rather than seeing the actually towns/islands marketed. The tipping point being the 'Day trip' to Mljet. We anchored near Mljet at 9am and didn't port at the park till close to 2pm, where we were then told to be back at the boat by 4pm. This left about an hour to explore! After completing many organised tours in the past, this definitely has turned me of organised tours in the future!
- Nick, 11/07/2022 06:32, Travelled Solo
Hi Nick, thank you for your review. We agree - Croatia is absolutely gorgeous and we are pleased you enjoyed your time. We pride ourselves on providing local guides that have a wealth of knowledge and are passionate about their country and culture. Having a look at the ratings for your Onboard Representative, he had received all 4-5 star ratings for your week, which includes organisation, friendliness and information. We appreciate your 4 and 5 star feedback rating and we are sorry to hear of your disappointment here. Our Captain chooses a variety of secluded bays to swim in, for the enjoyment of all guests. I understand that there were some issues with the anchor for one day in Mljet, and whilst this was being rectified, there were complimentary drinks provided and all guests were happy with the resolution. You remained in Mljet overnight until the next morning. We do hope that the issues experienced didn't detract from your overall enjoyment Nick. We do hope to have you join us again in the future.
The main thing I would change would be the tour guide. He was a very nice person but brought no energy or people skills to the group. Sometimes when we were asking him stuff it was like trying to draw blood from a stone. His answers were always “I don’t know I’ll ask the captain” lucky our group was very independent and we managed to find our own things to do and entertain ourselves. The aircon on the boat was very poor and j was disappointed at the boat crew handing us the review form on their iPad telling us we need to give them a 5 star review and then leaving an envelope in our rooms for tips. I had higher expectations as I heard a lot of good things and but it’s if I wasn’t b a problem
- Chris , 27/06/2022 01:54, Travelled Solo
Hi there Chris, thank you for your review. We hope you enjoyed your time in Croatia and got to immerse yourself in the country and culture. We are disappointed to read your comments regarding the Tour Guide, as we pride ourselves on having the best, local, friendly and knowledgeable Tour Guides onboard all our ships. Upon checking our feedback for this week, your rep received mostly 5 star reviews with 1x 4 star review. The boat you were on was Ensuite which doesn't include air-conditioning. It is at the Captain's discretion whether this is turned on, we are pleased he included this free of charge. We encourage our guests to provide us with their honest review and tipping is completely at guests discretion. ,We are disappointed to learn that you felt pressured to provide this - your comments will be passed on to the Operations Manager. Thank you again for all your comments, we hope this didn't detract from your overall experience in Croatia.
The destinations were really good but the food was not good and the AC in the room was not working as expected, the room was never cold enough.
- Lucca, 13/08/2019 11:51, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for your review. We appreciate your comments and hope that you enjoyed Croatia as a whole. Our chefs aim to provide meals to cater for a variety of tastes and are able to offer more of the foods you can eat daily. In regards to the AC, where there is a need for improvement, our representative is always on hand to ensure that standards are met but they are only able to do so if they are made aware. Thank you again!
Staff were incredible, but to many issues happened on the boat. Generator was down for days, the chef cut his leg open and was unable to cook. Amongst a lot of other issues.
- Anonymous, 11/07/2019 10:00, Travelled Solo
Hi there and thank you for your review. We are really pleased to hear that the staff were incredible and we are glad to see your 5-star feedback rating on all aspects of the cruise, thank you! We understand that there were a few issues onboard which were immediately resolved by the crew. Thus being the generator being down for 24 hours, and I understand all guests enjoyed a free BBQ onboard for the inconvenience. The chef was unable to cook mid-way through the cruise due to the his injuries however, was still involved in the food preparation. Thank you.
I would like to send an email to fully explain my thoughts, however there were a number of events that detracted from my experience. Please note that the crew Bruno, Boris, Hichela, Marko, Karlo and Mate were fantastic in their efforts to solve the issues, and were extremely professional and dedicated to their jobs. When Mate injured his foot, the remainder of the crew were forced to cook, meaning the food quality decreased slightly (not their fault - they’re not chefs) and they couldn’t focus on their primary role. I was disappointed that Sail Croatia did not send a replacement chef or waitress to help. Secondly was a power issue cause by operator error, but again, I saw this as Sail Croatia’s mistake in not correctly training their crews or familiarising them with the ship. I still had a fantastic week (because of the crew and locations) but was disappointed with the lack of support from your company. Our crew were fantastic, but your company could use some improvement.
- Guy, 08/07/2019 09:53, Travelled Solo
Thank you for your review and your email with additional comments, this is appreciated. We are pleased to hear that the crew and your representative were fantastic with their efforts and were professional at all times. However, we are sorry to hear of your disappointment with some aspects. I have spoken with the representative Boris and he has confirmed that on day 3 of your cruise, chef Mate was unable to continue his role as head chef due to injuries. Given that it was such short notice, the captain was unable to obtain a chef replacement. However, the Captain then stepped in to resume this role with the chef assisting with the food preparation for the remainder of the cruise. I've had a look at the issues regarding the generator onboard and can see that this has been recorded via our internal records. I understand that the generator was down for 24 hours and that all guests received a free BBQ onboard due to this human error made by one of the crew, which has been followed up. We hope that these issues didn't detract from your overall experience, and we thank you again for bringing this to our attention via email, so that we could address them directly with you.
It would be good to have a profile of each boat online so we can actually see what we are paying for and what boat your going to stay in. I felt there was too many swim stops of doing nothing and not enough excursions. The alcohol on board was very little , the drinks were mostly juice very small measurements. A shower room would be essential, we were showering with a shower head in a toilet. The crew were amazing though and made it a great trip
- Danielle, 24/06/2019 07:17, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for your honest review. We're glad the crew were amazing and were a welcomed inclusion on your trip! I see that you booked a cabin on our Standard ship (cost effective, small rooms, no ensuite) - we have descriptions available for each of our Navigator ship categories available on our website, so that you know what you're in for. We are always happy to provide additional information and answer any questions if need be :-). We try to get a good balance of on-shore vs off-shore experiences, so we do appreciate your comments here.
Croatia is amazing! We did Split to Dubrovnik
- Anonymous, 10/07/2017 06:57, Travelled with Friend/s
Booking process should show availability. You select a cruise that you want and it shows as available only to get an email shortly after that that boat/cabin is not available. I booked late, under the impression that there were heaps of spots remaining as the website said so only to end up in the worst room on the worst boat. No big deal in the end but annoying. Zero attempt by Sail staff to get everyone introduced together. Unfortunate weather meant we had to divert first night, no ones fault. Swim stops were few and far between, other ships seemed to have a lot more in better locations. missed the second last stop because of weather and went straight to dubrovnik. Weather was blue skies and no wind, I heard its because the boats don\'t want to pay docking fees. Staff very friendly. Food was actually good on boat, recommended restaurants were awful. Drinks wayyy to expensive, should be on par with mainland $5 AUD for a beer is a bit much for young people. Still fun.
- Marcus, 13/09/2016 05:19, Travelled Solo
Hi there, thank you for your review regarding your Navigator Split to Dubrovnik cruise.It is great to hear that you found the crew friendly, you enjoyed the food on-board and that you had fun on your cruise. In regards to availability of our cruises, our prices don't reflect availability and this is noted under the pricing grid for each cruise. We prefer to speak with our customers and we feel by doing so, adds value to their experience with us, and enables us to assist them in finding the best suited cruise for them. In the case of bad weather, or even the chance of bad weather, the Captain may have to alter the itinerary and will visit a different island and port, to ensure the guests are safe yet still get to experience Croatia. I can assure you this has nothing to do with avoiding port fees as pricing is similar at all ports. At the time of docking, the weather may seem to be perfect however, in the early hours this can change drastically and the captain will be aware of this hours in advance. In ports such as Hvar where it is quite open and susceptible to rocky seas if a storm strikes the captain may decide to dock at Stari Grad where the port is fully protected. As the boats will be docked for around 12 hours, for the safety of our guests he will decide to dock at the safest port possible that offers the most protection from stormy weather. In regards to the swim stops, when possible, the Captain will stop to give guests a chance to swim, however this depends on the weather and the scheduling of the ship. I am sorry that this wasn't communicated clearly to you when on-board. In regards to the drinks prices, these do vary and range from 1.96EUR ($2.60AUD) to 2.60EUR ($3.50AUD). Thank you again for taking the timing to let us know about your experience.
Croatia... you cant go wrong with this place, the water the cities, the people, the parties and the weather is amazing!!! However, I think the organisation and timing of the port visits could be better. I did Split to Dub and our second port (which was apparently amazing) we missed due to doing the first excursion "Rafting". well the "Rafting" was more like a 3-4 hour paddle down a river, wayyyy to long and I wouldn't recommend doing. Other ports like Hvar would have been better if we didn\'t have to leave so early in the morning so we could take in all the night life. Further to Hvar, Sail Croatia should also try sort out tables at Hula Hula. The place gets busy and when we arrived we couldn't get a spot to sit and enjoy.
- Chris, 31/08/2016 02:30, Travelled with Friend/s
Thanks for your feedback on your Navigator Split to Dubrovnik cruise. We are happy to hear you enjoyed Croatia as a whole, enjoyed the weather, parties, cities and people! We are sorry to hear you missed out on the second destination Makarska due to partaking in the Rafting excursion. We do mention on our Excursions page that the Cetina River Rafting is not extreme and is suitable for beginners and those of Intermediate experience. One of the highlights of our Split to Dubrovnik route is that you get the opportunity to spend two nights on Hvar Island, (Stari Grad and Hvar). We don't have a partnership with the popular Hula Hula Bar as they are an independent company however, this is something to look into - thank you for your comments on this.
The room that I got was on the ensuite boat downstairs. Unbearable. Was so so hot down there, get no breeze through the hallway door, and when I opened the outside window a wave came in soaking my bed and ruining my phone. If your going to have rooms like this you need to make sure that the aircon on the boat works and if it doesn't work, get it fixed. I got really sick from this week due to lack of sleep and sleep in a saltwater soaked bed. Food was good, crew was good, activity options were good
- Nathan, 10/08/2016 04:32, Travelled Solo
Hi there and thanks for your feedback. We are pleased to hear the food on-board was good as well as the optional activities and crew - we will pass your comments on to them. In regards to the Lower Deck cabins, at times the rooms can become hotter during peak months. We advise, when safe, to open your port hole for ventilation whilst you are in your cabin to let air-flow through. As you booked an Ensuite Lower Deck cabin, we provide a fan in each of our Ensuite cabins as air-conditioning is not included on this boat type, (it is included on our Premier and Premier Plus boats). We are sorry to hear about the soaked bed. We have rigorous procedures in place for any issues that arise on-board our cruises, which is included in the pre-departure information emailed to you before the cruise and is outlined at the welcome speech. The first step is to communicate with the crew. If this does not resolve the issue, the second step is to contact our representative in which case we log this in our central reporting and manage the issue onboard until it is fully resolved and customers are happy. We also supply the contact details for our Operations Manager and Managing Director in the unlikely event you are disatisfied with any response from our team members. This procedure does then give us the opportunity to resolve an issue during the trip and follow up or check historical issues.I have searched our records and cannot see that you had reported this to a member of staff. Had this been reported, we would have rectified the bedding situation immediately. We are happy that you had a good trip overall and thank you for providing feedback.
One hell fun week on a boat - what more can you ask for! Only thing was that it was advertised as having air con, yet apparently it didn't work. It was so hot to the point that no one could sleep - basically had to drink ourselves silly to get an hour or two of sleep in before you become drenched. Made everyone ill and somewhat crazy! Anyways, ignoring that, so sick and full of good times!! The food will impress you! I would go for premium boats if you like sleep.... but lesser if you want to rage everyday. Thankgod for Marco, the sickest captain on Sail Croatia! Maria Mag
- Andrew, 02/08/2016 11:00, Travelled with Friend/s
Hi - thanks for your feedback on our Navigator Return cruise. It's great to hear you had a good time on the cruise and found the food impressive. We will pass your comments on to captain Marco! In regards to the cabins on-board our Ensuite boat, air-conditioning is not included on this boat type. This is included on our Premier and Premier Plus boats and we recommend booking these boat types if you would like an air-conditioned cabin. Thanks again for your feedback and hope to have you join us again in the future.