The boat has everything from under 18 to 65 year Olds plus. Given we spend most of the time on the boat it's frustrating that you put people who have limited interest groups or different stages of life. We were told this was suited to 30 to 40 year Olds. The experiences and tours were all for old people and the boat has very limited toys or experiences so all you can do is eat bad food, sunbake and drink to put up with the small talk - give more information to people prior to joining as Croatia is lovely but this isn't a great way to do it
- Jeremy , 13/08/2024 02:58, Travelled in a Couple
Dear Jeremy, Thank you for your review. We are pleased to hear you found Croatia lovely and we hope you enjoyed visiting the various islands. We're sorry to hear the cruise didn't meet your expectations. We couldn't find any correspondence regarding the age range advised to you, however this cruise type is open to all ages over 18, but typically appeals to a more mature traveler. We aim to offer a variety of meals using fresh local produce, so we regret any disappointment in this area and water toys aren't included, but can be brought on board. We provide detailed pre-departure information via email and on your Online Account, which includes everything you need to prepare for the cruise. We appreciate your input and thank you for your review!
We though sail Croatia was good value for money but later found better boats for way cheaper. Disappointed in the service, cleanliness and food . Room floor was not washed once, luckily small and washed ourself. , The shower not cleaned once. Had to ask to change the linen, when we were informed that it will be changed on the Wednesday. It was eventually done on Thursday. Food quality of an old age home. Asked for double bed slept on two single beds. Later found that owner of ship children work on the boat. Thats maybe why! Stops on islands was however amazing and Boris / tour operator working for the boat was very helpful and assisting us with places to visit and Restaurants suggestions on the islands. The boat was way more expensive that a big cruise liner and does not justify the cost of this small boat travelling. When we got of the boat there was no farewell greeting by the staff or someone helping with the luggage. 😪😢.
- Pierre, 08/08/2023 15:47, Travelled with Friend/s
Hi Pierre, thank you so much for taking the time to review your cruise with us this summer in Croatia. I am quite disappointed to read your review, especially as I can see guests from your week on board provided both positive reviews and feedback of their experience. In saying this, we do appreciate you taking the time to provide us with your feedback and this will be passed on to our Operations Manager in Split, thank you for your points raised.
Direction and information from tour director Service and attitude of staff on board Not being rushed at every meal Not removing the breakfast buffet at exactly 9am every morning and then asking everyone to leave the area immediately. Extending the bar closing hours and if it is to close so early allow guests to bring alcohol on board Would have liked to see the director and crew on our final morning to bid us farewell. Felt like a very cold exit.
- Serge , 08/08/2023 06:15, Travelled in a Couple
Dear Serge, thank you for taking the time to review your cruise with us this season, it was a pleasure to have you join us. I am disappointed to read your review as I can see we received positive feedback from other guests during your cruise with us. Feedback is very important to us at Sail Croatia, as it enables us to make improvements to our services where necessary. Please rest assured, your feedback is well received and will be passed over to the Operations Manager in Split so that this can be communicated with the right Team. Thank you for a fantastic week on board exploring Croatia with us and we look forward to welcoming you back in the future.
The collection from the airport on arrival was somewhat disorganised - but we were dropped off at our hotel eventually. Unfortunately, on the 5th day, my wife and I were violently sick along with several others on the boat at the same time. The tour manager thought it must be a bug as they had a similar problem the previous week, however, as 8 people came down at the same time, we felt it was possibly food poisoning. Unfortunately it ruined the holiday and made our journey home quite difficult. We were told that breakfast on the day of departure would be starting at 7am, but none was available by 7:20am when we left for our bus to the airport. We were hoping for some toast.
- Chris, 20/06/2023 13:21, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for sharing your feedback Chris. It is disappointing to hear you were unsatisfied with some aspects of the cruise, and we would like to provide clarification. While we were eventually able to drop you off at your hotel, we understand the importance of a smooth and efficient transfer process. There were many flight delays that day, which may have contributed to this. With regards to the illness experienced, our tour manager initially attributed it to possible effects of the weather conditions experienced previously, and upon checking our internal records, there are no reports of bugs from previous weeks. We regret that breakfast was not available at the specified time on the day of your departure. We will address this issue with our team to avoid such delays in the future - thank you for bringing this to our attention. We hope these issues didn't detract from your overall experience. Thank you.
Compared to recent cruises in the region, the food quality and choice offered was poor and repetitive. Bar closed too early in the evening. Pillows in the room were substandard and uncomfortable. Often had bad drain smell in cabin. The Tour Guide, Stjephan, was outstanding and the rest of the crew very good.
- Brian, 13/06/2023 06:23, Travelled with Friend/s
Hi Brian, thank you for your review and for joining us in Croatia this season. I am sorry to hear we did not meet your expectations on this occasion. Please be assured that your feedback is very important to us and your remarks will be passed onto the relevant team so that improvements can be made. Thank you for this and also for your kind words on Stjepan, I will be sure to pass this along to him. Thank you!
I would like to suggest that you don’t start your cruise season while the islands are still closed and not much open. The bar staff should also understand how to make drinks if have them on the list of drinks. May yea and coffee should be free all day ( not a big cost to you )We had a good cruise besides these minor things.
- Martin, 20/05/2023 13:00, Travelled with Friend/s
Hi Martin, thank you for taking the time to review your Elegance cruise with us this season. Your feedback is very important to us, so we appreciate that you have taken the time to write to us with your suggestions. There are many benefits to travelling to Croatia outside of peak season in April and May, including cheaper cruise and flight prices, as well as fewer crowds of tourists - this is usually down to personal preference. I will be sure to pass your comments regarding drinks onto the relevant team, thank you for bringing this to our attention and we are pleased that you had a good time. Thank you!
the food, too well done. our room smelled quite often. it wasn’t from the bathroom. it was when the captain left port, and right after
- Sue, 20/09/2022 09:57, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for your review - we are pleased that you enjoyed your time in Croatia and we hope that the issues onboard didn't detract from your overall experience.
There were some excursions which were listed as 'included' e.g. the Orientation Walks on Korcula and Hvar which were not provided. Our guide, Mia, explained that local regulations prohibited her from conducting these tours. Although, when we booked the holiday, we specified that my wife did not eat either meat, or shellfish, the chef onboard seemed unaware of this. The alternative provided was often very unimaginative and disappointing. E.g. At a lunch when I was given a generous portion of steak and mashed potato, she was simply presented with a larger dollop of mashed potato with a little veg.. Unfortunately I lost one electronic cabin door key and subsequently damaged its replacement. I was therefore charged for 2 replacement keys at 200Kn each. Your itinerary specifies a charge of 150Kn. Even this is excessive for a credit-card sized piece of plastic. Other cruise companies provide replacement keys free. The plunge pool was empty throughout The hot tub took 4 days to fill.
- Roger, 17/09/2022 19:37,
Thank you for your review Roger. We hope that you enjoyed your time on the cruise overall. We are really sorry to hear of your disappointment. We have a rigorous process in place for any issues that may arise and we encourage our guests to highlight this to the Onboard Representative, this can also be escalated to the Operations Manager/Managing Director. Thank you for following this process. I understand that these issues were brought to the Onboard Representative's attention and your Onboard Rep had explained that the orientation tours were no longer an inclusion. The dietary requirements were passed on to the chef however, they are unable to change this on a daily basis and tried their best to cater to your daily dietary requests. The charge of damaged or missing room cards is 150Kuna as per your pre-departure information. The pool and hot tub were not filled due to rough seas and weather conditions as a safety precaution to guests onboard, we are sorry you weren't able to use this as much as you would have liked. We hope you are able to join us in better weather conditions to take advantage of the onboard pools. Thank you.
The ship staff and quality of service is not what we experienced on our period 2 trips with sail croatia. 1. Rooms, bed comforters were just placed on beds. There were never completely done up with pillows, 2 of the days we’re not even done, mirror was dirty for the week. 2. Bar service was poor, common drinks were never made properly. Previous trips with sail croatia, a glass of wine was served with lunch. 3. We received a nice bottle of champagne since it was out 3 rd trip. We don’t drink champagne so we asked them to deliver it to a newlywed couple on the boat. It was never done. We asked what happened to the bottle, it was then delivered 4 days later. 4. Food quantity and quality was poor, always ran out of fruit for breakfast and salad for lunch. When asked if they had any more salad they said it was all gone, 5. Final Bill, They added a $200 kuna ($30Us) charge to reprogram the key that never worked. After arguing with them they reversed it.
- Stan, 16/09/2022 08:47, Travelled with Friend/s
Thank you for your review Stan, we value your feedback as a 3rd time devoted Sail Croatia guest. On our Elegance cruises we offer daily cabin service with mid-weekly linen change. If you ever need any additional cleaning, the crew are always more than accommodating. I have checked our internal reports and can't see that this was raised with any of our crew members or Onboard Representative to get this resolved for you. In regards to the meals, the chef is more than happy to provide more servings upon request. We are pleased to hear that the key was resolved and that the bottle of champagne was gifted to the newly wedded couple. We appreciate all your comments here Stan and we hope that these issues didn't detract from your overall enjoyment onboard. Thank you.
- Jose Mennen, 30/08/2022 18:08,
Thank you for your comments Jose. We will take your comments onboard and look to improve our services where possible. Internet access is heavily reliant on coverage and download limits. We appreciate your review.
- Jose, 30/08/2022 17:31,
Hi Jose, Thank you for your review. We are pleased to hear you found the staff to be of excellent value. Internet is heavily reliant on download limits and coverage, so at times may not be as reliable as expected. Upon checking our internal reports, we cannot see any issues raised regarding the shower head - our staff are on-hand to resolve any issues that arise and if we are unaware, we are unable to resolve this with you. Thank you again for all your comments as this is welcomed for future improvements.
The breakfast is very repetitive with limited choice. Fresh milk would certainly help improve the tea,coffee and breakfast experience. More fresh towels should be made available especially deck towels as the loungers were constantly wet. No attempt was made to cover them or stack them overnight. The standard of the cabin cleaning was poor and on one of the days no one on the boat had their rooms cleaned. The itinerary needs a lot of improvement you are often sitting off shore from the Islands waiting for a docking time. This can be very late in the afternoon. Water taxis should be offered to those guests who would like to go ashore and explore. The communication between the cruise director was poor and we often second guessing amongst ourselves what might be happening next. If definitely felt like the end of the season and everyone except the guests were looking forward to it being over and this was reflected in the service we recieved from some of the crew.
- Karen-Anne, 09/10/2019 13:29, Travelled in a Couple
Hi Karen-Anne, Thank you for your review - it is appreciated. We are sorry to hear that the breakfasts became repetitive, this is certainly invaluable information that will be passed on to our Operations Team for quality purposes, thank you. We really like the suggestion of having deck chair covers and I have forwarded this on to the relevant team for future improvements. Additional towels can be provided upon request. The cabins are cleaned mid-week and not daily, I'm sorry if this was not clearly communicated. At times, there may be delays in to port, especially into the more busier locations such as Hvar. However, this will always be communicated to guests with alternative options provided. We will be looking into this further and we thank you for highlighting this to us. We hope that these issues didn't detract from your overall enjoyment in Croatia and again, we thank you for taking the time to review us!
The food needs to be upgraded. Breakfast was very bland and old.
- John, 08/10/2019 20:08, Travelled in a Couple
Hi John, Thank you for your review. We appreciate your 4-star feedback rating for the food, and we appreciate your comments to improve the breakfasts which will be passed on to the Operations team. We hope you enjoyed all other aspects of the cruise and we thank you for rating the ship and crew 5-stars. Thank you.
Meals left a little to be desired. The amount of food was good. The menu needed more variety. The crew were great, very pleasant and helpful.
- Anonymous, 25/09/2019 15:27, Travelled with Family
Thank you for your review - we are really pleased to hear that the crew were helpful and friendly. However, we are sorry to hear about the meals served. Our chefs try their very best to cater to a wide range of palettes however, we understand this is not always possible. We thank you for your comments on this.
The boat was very well maintained and the rooms were very clean and functional. The crew were pleasant, attentive and service focussed. Plenty to eat but the food was average at best. Breakfast adequate, lunch well below par taste-wise. Where we were underwhelmed was with the way the itinerary played out with swimming and excursions and with the cruise director. For example, the first day we sailed for an hour and a half to Milna then docked around 2.30pm. Next morning we sailed 100 metres then spent over an hour refuelling - result no swim stop. Why was refuelling not carried out the afternoon before? Another example we sailed to Korcula arriving mid-morning and asked in a channel offshore to have lunch and then get a water taxi late afternoon to the town. Many people would gladly have skipped lunch and gone exploring in the morning give the option. No info given about swim options in Korcula which were far batter than bobbing in a deep channel. Just not up to scratch.
- Ian, 03/09/2019 09:53, Travelled in a Couple
Hi there! Thanks very much for your feedback and review of your Elegance cruise with us this season on board Esperanza. We're pleased to read you were happy with your accommodation on board the ship itself and also with the crew. I have passed your comments onto our Operations Manager in Split, thank you for your feedback here, we do really appreciate this. Thank you for joining us this season.
Too long on tbe boat and unable to leave the boat after lunch... the staff were excellent and polite...the food was okay
- Leslee, 06/08/2019 06:24, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for your review. We are pleased you found the staff excellent and polite, thank you. Our boats generally set sail during the day and arrive at their next destination anytime from midday - depending on the daily schedule with swim stops, the boats will usually arrive into port after lunch. Our chefs aim to provide meals that cater to all tastes, we understand that at times this may not be possible, however we hope you enjoyed some of the delicious Croatian cuisine.
Get the boat to go faster so we had more time for swimming or exploring towns More time in Dubrovnik Lose the traditional band at the captains dinner, it's not 1975. Last port Marananga was hopeless. Beaches were crowded and no atmosphere. Go to an island instead Food was okay, wine over priced and not good quality. Consider getting wine from other countries Boat was excellent, rooms were well maintained Cruise manager often had inaccurate and out of date information
- Cliff, 23/07/2019 14:38, Travelled with Friend/s
Thank you for your review. It's nice to hear that you found the boat excellent and the rooms well maintained, however we are sorry to hear your disappointment with some aspects. We try to get the balance just right so that all guests are catered for which involves having enough time at both land and sea and giving guests the opportunity to partake in our amazing swim stops. We find that the traditional band has been a welcomed inclusion for past cruises which our guests enjoy. Upon request, our crew can try and source a particular beverage if this is not available onboard. We aim to provide the best Cruise Managers that are informative and friendly, we appreciate your comments here and this will be passed on to the Operations Manager for improvements. Thank you.
Comparing Sail Croatia to 2 other Adriatic cruises on small ships Windstar & Variety at similar cost it would only take a little tweaking to improve “brand” Olimp is a nice new boat with good lower deck cabin size and bathroom. Just 1 hour turnaround between weekly cruises means cleanliness suffers. Acoustics inside dining room had many battling to have a round table conversation and overall food quality competed with onshore Restaurant visits and came second place for most meals unfortunately . Swim stops vs onshore free time compared poorly with Variety cruises program and if I’m being cynical might have something to do with reducing Port Charges and berthing effort same as Windstar. No other cruise at $900/nt fails to put a bottle of water in a cabin with “non potable” sign .Ondeck water cooler ineffective .Toiletries limited to liquid soap pump on wall only . Towels thin scratchy and old . Antonio great - ,issues raised on day 1 Head office ostrich attitude Sad
- Paul , 22/06/2019 13:44, Travelled with Friend/s
I want to thank you for your feedback, we do really appreciate this as this enables us to improve for the future. We're pleased to hear you liked Olimp and were happy with the size of the Lower Deck cabins and the ensuite also. Looking through our cabin feedback for Olimp from your departure I can see here that we have been rated 5 stars throughout for cleanliness. Your comments have been passed onto our Operations manager so that we can make the necessary improvements for the future. As the ships are small with very limited storage space on board it is not possible to have bottled water on board for the cabins, I'm afraid. We are also working towards eliminating single use plastics on board, implemented in 2017, we removed all included water bottles from our fleet (prior to 2017, each guest received 2 x water bottles daily), and replaced each ship with water coolers, promoting guests to bring their own reusable water bottle onboard. For this reason we also have refillable soap dispensers in the bathrooms rather than single use shampoo and conditioner bottles. We try our best to aim for a good balance of relaxing and exploring and a lot of reviews we receive do say that we often get the balance right. I'm sorry to hear you were not happy with the times spent at swim stops versus ashore. I have passed your comments here onto our Operations Manager. We do appreciate you as a valued customer of ours and are glad the issues raised did not deter you from having a great time on board.
On the whole my review is very favorable. Comfortable cabins, delightful crew, excellent cruise director. Good facilities (the jacuzzi could have been warmer). A nice ship. What could be improved? The presentation of the food was very good, but the quality was, with a few exceptions quite average and a couple of occasions inedible ie. very over cooked tuna. And I suspect the vegetables were of the frozen variety. Breakfast, although plentiful and tasty was exactly the same for 7 days. No variety at all. The wine offered at lunch was the same everyday and not particularly good and this was a complaint from most of the guests I spoke to. But overall, if you could improve on the food, I could definitely recommend Sail Croatia.
- Steven, 18/05/2019 16:52, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for taking the time to provide your review. We are pleased to hear you liked the overall look and feel of the ship, the cabins comfortable and the staff to be of great value. We are glad the breakfasts were plentiful and tasty. There is usually a variety of wines available onboard our ships, and if there is a particular wine you would like, the bartender can always try and source this for you. We are happy to hear you found the food presentation very good however, we are sorry to hear you weren't completely satisfied with the meal quality. Our chefs aim to provide a range of meals catering to all tastes, using fresh local produce however we understand that you didn't enjoy some of the meals offered so I have passed your comments to the Operations Manager to discuss further with the onboard chef. Thank you again.
Had a great time on board. Great staff great other guests. Cuisine provided was a total let down unfortunately. Everything else happy with.
- Anonymous, 15/05/2018 11:51, Travelled with Friend/s
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. I'm glad you had a great time and enjoyed the company of the other guests and crew on board. Thank you for your valuable feedback in regards to the cuisine, this will be passed onto the crew on board. We hope to see you on another cruise with us in the future.
During the cruise we struggled to work out what demographics the cruise is catering to. The boat was well set up but still was needing the final touches, well appointed cabins and the staff were great but, was it about the destinations, or getting there? We and others I suspect believed it was about the destinations, the islands of the Croatian coast, the food, etc when we booked? It became obvious it was all about the boat and getting there... Breakfast was great but then another sit down formal lunch was just too much after a few days, especially when we arrived at our next destination port but could not tie up until very late in the day for various reasons. So we just sat and looked at the next port from a distance, having a drink, soaking up the sun and swim off the back of the boat, etc. In the end we did get water taxi to port so we could enjoy the destination. And yes, 1 bottle of drinking water per person per day then buy water at inflated prices.. really.
- Peter, 20/11/2016 22:13, Travelled in a Couple
Hi there, thank you for providing feedback on your Elegance Dubrovnik to Split Cruise. We are pleased to hear you enjoyed the luxurious cabins and thought the buffet breakfasts and staff were great - thank you. Our Elegance cruises are designed for mature travellers and couples looking for luxury and comfort, they are most popular with those aged 50+ years. These cruises provide an even balance of sightseeing, relaxaing, socialising, local cuisine, culture, Croatian coastlines and destinations, all whilst enjoying a luxury cruise. We provide lovely 3-course lunches daily, with fresh quality local produce for our guests to enjoy. In peak season, docking up can be delayed as traffic in the ports can be very busy, however the Captains strive to get to each destination as early as possible to ensure you have the most time in each port. We are really sorry to hear we were unable to get to port earlier on the day mentioned - we will alway try to find an alternative option such as water taxis if the delay is longer than anticipated. Delays can be due to a number of factors including port authorities, delays with other boats and weather. In regards to the drink prices, they range from £18 - £40 (180 - 380 Kunas) for a bottle of wine. We include 2x500ml water bottles daily. In light of your feedback, from next season we will be introducing water coolers as opposed to water bottles on all our cruises. We hope you still enjoyed Croatia as a whole, and we appreciate your feedback. Your comments regarding different meal options have been passed on to our Operations Manager. Thank you again for your feedback.
The crew were all excellent, serving breakfast and an evening meal instead of lunch and dinner and having more time at each destination rather than docking at 2pm. Breakfast could be improved by serving fresh juices and fresh fruit salad. But overall it was very enjoyable, the Staff and the hostess were all excellent.
- Shahin, 25/10/2016 16:45, Travelled with Friend/s
The ship was just great. Romantic Star ticked all the boxes for amenities. The ship's captain and his crew were also wonderful. The shortcoming were discussed at length amongst fellow passengers. Expectations were high and in the main met however a few areas diminished things from a five star rating to three stars Marketed as a higher end cruise with a higher end price tag - we were all mystified that we could not get 24/7 coffee or tea, bottled water without additional charge. The food struggled to hit the mark. Too salty, over cooked/tough meat, lack of fresh produce and variety. The best were the deserts - loved the applie pie! A final suggestion is the itinerary. Half a day in Dubrovnik has not sufficient and time at some the other ports such as Mljet could be sacrificed. It should also be noted that passengers felt the ship failed to dock at various ports, causing delays to any visits. The view was Sail Croatia were saving on costs at the expense of passengers
- Tom, 04/08/2016 17:52, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for your feedback on your Elegance cruise. We are pleased you enjoyed your accommodation on-board Romantic Star and found the captain and crew to be wonderful - your comments will be passed on to them. Tea and coffee is available 24/7 for a small fee. In regards to unlimited water, in 2017 we will be installing water coolers on all our boats which reduces the need for plastic bottles and is more environmentally friendly. We understand that food is an important part of your cruise, and I am sorry that you found the food was salty and overcooked. We aim to provide high quality meals using local, fresh produce and we are always looking to improve our services. Your comments regarding the food have been passed onto our Operations Team to look into further. With the itinerary we try and cover as much of Croatia as possible in the time we have, Mljet is a popular destination due to its national parks and I'm sorry that you felt this could have been missed. Sometimes delays can occur when docking at ports due to traffic, weather and scheduling - the Captains try their very best to ensure they dock up as early as they can and our captain and/or representatives are to keep guests updated arrival times. Thank you again for taking the time to review your cruise.