A. Make aircondition in cabin to work. B. Reduce information from the Cycling guide. Too much Information for the next day. C. More time to swim during time on board from one port to another D. We all had electric bikes. The Cycling was shorter Than expected.
- Henning, 09/09/2024 13:46, Travelled with Friend/s
Dear Henning, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We genuinely value all input, as it helps us improve and ensure that our trips meet the diverse expectations of our guests. We understand that you felt the cycling routes were shorter than expected and that there could have been more opportunities for swim stops. We aim to balance both activities in a way that suits the varying preferences of our guests, but we appreciate your thoughts and will certainly take them into consideration. Regarding the information provided by the cycle guide, it’s our goal to ensure that all guests have the context and details they need for a safe and enjoyable experience. However, we understand that preferences for information can vary, and we will review how we can provide a balance between giving useful details while not overwhelming our guests. Upon checking our internal reports, there were no reports of issues regarding the air-conditioning in your cabin. 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. Your feedback is invaluable to us so we do thank you for taking the time to provide it. We hope to welcome you back on another adventure soon.
The bedrooms for 3 people are just not big enough. The other people on the boat ruined my experience and expectations. Only good thing to come out of this trip was the bartender who was amazing
- Nathan , 26/08/2024 02:40, Travelled with Friend/s
Dear Nathan, thank you for taking the time to provide us with your review and feedback regarding your recent Sail Croatia Navigator cruise. It is wonderful to hear that your bartender was amazing and he was the highlight of the trip for you! We will be sure to let him know. We clearly advise our travellers when booking a Triple bed cabin that these are the same size as twin share hence why we offer 10% discount when a Triple bed cabin is booked. Thank you again for your feedback.
The tour guide needs to be more involved with the people on the boat. I understand that they might have been doing this for weeks already but the guide is the person who drives the moral on the ship, if they don’t want to get involved and leave it up to the group to make our own experience that is poor. Lucky the group of people I went on with was amazing and that alone is what made my trip. Certain experiences were cancelled months before we went on the boat and had no prior warning to these cancelations which for me were the only reasons why I signed up for sail Croatia. If Sail Croatia had known about the issues on Hvaar and Markaska then months before the boat had set sail an email should have been sent out to people and offered refunds for trips. It borderlines on a scam that people were sold an idea that was never going to be delivered.
- Alexander , 23/08/2024 11:11, Travelled with Friend/s
Dear Alexander, thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback on your recent Navigator Cruise. We appreciate hearing about your experience, and we are always striving to improve our services. We welcome your comments regarding our representative, so thank you for this. Please note that bars and nightclubs are not part of our cruise inclusions and are beyond our control. However, your feedback is valuable to us as we continually look to enhance the overall guest experience. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you on board again in the future!
Our boat was a huge let down, we were told when we booked that we would be on a boat with more people than we actually had, we were also shown photos of a boat that was MUCH nicer than the one we were put on. We had no deck chairs/loungers on the top of ours so there wasn’t a space to fully relax an unwind. Almost zero shade on top as well so the only place to lay and relax was in bed which was uncomfortable as well. One shower for 24 people (plus crew), and you had to hold the shower head as it had nothing to mount to. The bed wasn’t big enough for me to lay in so every night while sleeping I had to scrunch my body up, it was also extremely hot below deck while trying to sleep this made it more difficult to get a good nights sleep. Overall it was a let down, if I were to do it again I would want to go on a boat that should actually be in operation, unlike the mala Kate which is what we were on. If it weren’t for the great people I was with then it wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
- Tom, 19/08/2024 07:31, Travelled with Friend/s
Dear Tom, Thank you for your review. We are pleased to hear you met some great people on your cruise and we hope you enjoyed Croatia as a whole. We're sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. The ship you booked is part of our Standard category, which is our most budget-friendly option. For guests seeking more comfort and amenities, we offer higher-category ships at different price points. We strive to provide clear information on our website, including photos and details for each ship category. We appreciate your comments, thank you.
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!
I was told a couple weeks before our sail that unfortunately I was being put in a double bed with another male. I sent several emails back and forth and their response was always “it’s in the FAQs” and they couldn’t help me so bad luck. When I arrived to the ship I found out there was serval couples staying in 2 x single beds so the issue could have been resolved if they actually wanted to. Also they allowed a group of 20 friends/couples to book the ship (40 on the ship) (also a group of 7 so 13 people were strangers) It ruined everyone’s trip because they weren’t there to make New friends they were there to party with old ones and they had the monopoly on every thing in terms of dinners and that. It really ruined the vibe because everyone felt on the outside because they would take over the ship and leave the rest out, we made our own fun but would be nice. Very disappointing overall, the crew and rep were 5 starts but management side before the ship has sailed in the downfall.
- Daniel, 26/07/2024 07:54, Travelled with Friend/s
Thank you for your feedback, Daniel. We are pleased to hear the crew and rep were 5 stars however, we are are sorry to hear that your overall experience did not meet your expectations. As per our email correspondence, our FAQs and ship pages outline that bed configurations on our Navigator cruises can include double beds, and bedding configurations are not guaranteed at the time of booking. We understand how this situation might be disappointing, however, we aim to make this transparent via our website to avoid any disappointment and to set expectations. We also offered alternative cruise dates with waived cancellation fees to accommodate your preferences, but these options were not taken up. All the couples were in double bedded cabins. Regarding the group bookings, we strive to balance the needs of all guests, and we regret that this impacted your enjoyment. We are pleased that the overall customer feedback rating for your week onboard was 4.62/5 stars. Your feedback is important to us, and this is appreciated.
The bedrooms need a major upgrade they’re a sauna and the boat is in need of maintenance as water leaked through the roof in the dining whilst eating lunch
- Jack, 23/07/2024 11:22, Travelled in a Couple
Dear Jack, Thank you for leaving us with your review. Our Standard Ships are popular with budget conscious, independent travellers on extended travels throughout Europe. Our Premier and Ensuite ships offer the added benefit of air-condtioned cabins compared to our Standard ships which you chose to travel on. We regret any issues experienced during your cruise. It is common for the more traditional, wooden ships, which are full of charm and history, to face occasional leaks during severe weather conditions, which was unfortunately experienced in the small part of the dining room during your week. Your comments help us in our ongoing efforts to maintain and enhance our vessels. Thank you.
Tour guides were really great. Rides were awesome. Food was mediocre, but the rooms could be GREATLY improved for little cost. A thicker mattress, better sheets and a nicer comforter goes a long way. Also, we believe the pictures on your website were misleading for the accommodations.
- Anonymous, 27/05/2024 08:20, Travelled in a Couple
Hi there, thank you for your review. We are pleased to hear that the Tour guides were really great and that the rides were awesome. We are disappointed to hear that your view of the cabins did not match those of your fellow travellers onboard. I have checked the feedback collected for this departure and the cabins received an average score of 4.73 out of 5, however we appreciate your suggestion for improvements which we have shared with our Operations team. Once again thank you for joining us this spring.
Was a fun trip and weather was fantastic. Only down side was the quality of the boat and the quality of the food. Food was bland, stodgy and without any vegetables or salad. Boat had many issues including no hot water, door handle fell off and air conditioning didn’t work. However the crew was genuine and friendly.
- Phillip, 13/05/2024 06:49, Travelled in a Couple
Hello Phillip, we wish to thank you for taking the time to review your Cycle cruise with us this season. We are very happy to read you had a fun trip and the weather was on your side, this is great! We are also pleased that you found the crew to be genuine and friendly. We are sorry to hear that you found the food bland and we will make sure that this feedback is passed onto our Operations team for improvement. Thank you for a wonderful week on board exploring Croatia with us.
Different crew, more organisation, better food and to actually go to the planned destinations. Not be lied to by the captain and made to pay for the bbq when told there is no restaurants and then when we arrive at the destination there were a lot of restaurants. Drink prices are too high as well. Cleaner rooms and the air cons need to be cleaned out
- Lachlan, 11/09/2023 08:08, Travelled with Friend/s
Hi Lachlan, thank you for taking the time to review your cruise with us this season. Feedback is important to us, so I will be sure to pass on the comments you have raised, thank you for this. I understand it can be frustrating when there are changes to an itinerary, however this is at the Captain's discretion and usually due to safety reasons, which is our number one priority. Thank you for joining us.
More communication between the crew. We didn’t do what was on the itinerary because the captain said the weather was too bad to go to hvar but there was 2 sail Croatia boats docked there. There was a couple swim spots there were just not ideal. One in the middle of a harbour with the current moving so fast.
- Keagan, 31/07/2023 16:34,
Hi Keagan, thank you for taking the time to review your cruise with us this season. Your feedback has been well received as it is only with such feedback we can improve our services where possible. I will forward the points raised in your email to our Operations Manager. Understandably, the Captain is in charge and will make changes to the itinerary, where necessary as passenger safety is our highest priority. This is covered in our Booking Terms, however I understand this can be frustrating when unexpected changes do occur in the itinerary. We appreciate you as a valued customer of ours and hope the changes caused by the weather did not deter you from having a great time on board. Thank you, Cayley.
I enjoyed the Sail Croatia experience, however, do feel that it can be very much luck of the draw when it comes to other boat personnel, which is such a crucial aspect of the week. When there are multiple large groups on each vessel, it can be hard to really get groups interacting all together, especially for solos. The other issue can be around age disparity. Perhaps more transparency over the booking arrangements of each boat could help this.
- Edward, 11/07/2023 14:52, Travelled Solo
Hi Edward, thank you for taking the time to review your Navigator cruise with us this season - it was a pleasure to have you on board. We're very happy reading that you enjoyed your Sail Croatia experience, this is great. With regards to your feedback on fellow travellers, I will be sure to pass this onto the relevant teams. All of our Navigator cruises are open to guests aged between 18 and 39 years old, so the age range is quite wide and our Reps work hard to create a good group dynamic that everyone on board can enjoy. I can see you had other solo guests on your cruise, which is always nice to see. We hope to see you join us again! Thank you.
The whole system was set in place to take money off people, the day trips were more expensive with the boat then they were if you organised it for yourself! The drinks were too expensive, the captain didn’t allow anything to be brought in the boat. Air con was not included and when paid for it didn’t work properly 75% of the time, we missed the best parts of Croatia and weren’t told about them because the day trips weren’t informative about anything! I would never recommend doing sails to anyone. I was disappointed with everything to do with the trip except our lovely crew member, Ioana! She was the only good thing to come out of the trip, she needs a raise! The food was good.
- Jack, 05/07/2023 10:58, Travelled with Friend/s
Hi Jack, thank you for sharing your feedback with us regarding your recent Sail Croatia - Hideout Cruise. I will be sure to pass your comments and kind words regarding Ioana onto the team, she will be so pleased to hear this, so thank you for your kind words here. It is wonderful to also read you were happy with the food served on board. We are disappointed to hear that your experience did not match those of your fellow travellers onboard. I have checked the feedback collected for this departure, and we have received 5 Stars across both of our ships that departed on the Hideout Cruise. Our Standard and Ensuite ships have fans inside the cabins for additional ventilation and are more suited to the budget conscious traveller. For guests that prefer air-conditioning, our Premier ships are guaranteed to have AC in all cabins. The differences in ship categories are available on our website prior to booking with us. We have a comprehensive process in place to address any issues that may arise during your time onboard the cruise - this is provided via your pre-departure information and reiterated in the Welcome Speech. Our representatives are there to assist you with any concerns or challenges you may encounter. However, if you feel that your issue was not adequately resolved, we encourage you to escalate it to our Operations Manager and/or Managing Director. They will ensure that your concerns are thoroughly addressed and appropriate actions are taken. Thank you, Cayley.
The bar service needs changing, I was charged for drinks that I know I didnt not consume. There were extra soft drinks and cocktails on my bill that I simply never ordered. The bar staff refused to returnn my passport unless I paid the bill, and could not explain these extra drinks which totalled to an extra 100 euro than what I actually ordered. Dissapointing way to end a fun week.
- Benjamin, 26/06/2023 10:31, Travelled with Friend/s
Hi Benjamin, Thank you for taking the time to write your review. It is fantastic to hear you had a fun week onboard! Regarding transparency, we strive to ensure accurate and transparent billing for all our guests. You are welcome to ask for a daily tally of your bar tab to be able to keep track of what was consumed during the cruise. It is easy to lose track of these as the week goes on so it is always good to check daily. We do appreciate your feedback and any suggestions are always welcome as we are always looking to make improvements. Please rest assured your feedback has been passed on to the relevant departments. Thank you again and we do hope to see you with us again!
We still had fun on this trip because of the people we met and places we went, but there were a lot of let downs. We sailed on a premier ship and paid extra for the accommodations. In Sail Croatia's mind, this meant we should pay more for everything. Our drinks were 75% more expensive then the other sail croatia boat and the crew squeezed us for money. Designated dinners were to expensive, poor quality restaurants with commish going to the guide. Guide said there was no way to get food in Mljet for under $25 and pushed everyone to pay $25 to eat on the boat (Food in Mljet was $10). Crew was not aware of the upcoming excursion details and refused to provide any day plans until 10am the day of so everyone would be on the ship longer. Guide left me on the side of a road to wait for an excursion van for 20 min because the ship was leaving early. Cruise was for 7 nights, but the last day had no activities or places planned and guide/crew just docked and left us. Rooms were constantly wet.
- Conor, 14/06/2023 17:33, Travelled in a Couple
Hi Conor, Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on your recent trip with us. We are glad to hear that you were still able to enjoy your trip, thanks to the people you met and the places you visited. However, we understand some aspects didn't meet your expectations. Regarding the pricing of drinks, we would like to clarify that the prices may vary between ships and information about this can be found on our website under our 'Travel Resources'. We want to assure you that our crew and representative on board work diligently to facilitate a great week for all our guests and that our crew's intention is to enhance your experience. Furthermore, the feedback we received from your departure week was predominantly positive. However, we take all feedback seriously and are committed to addressing any concerns raised. We appreciate your feedback and if there is anything else you would like to discuss, please feel free to reach out to our customer support team directly.
The weather was poor this could not be changed and it meant itinerary had to be changed. We stayed in Lombardo two nights and in Stari Grad by car ferry two nights. In both cases the marinas were very close being Korcula and Stari Grad. There was nothing to do where we did moor. That seems cheap or just wanting to reduce work in unloading and loading of bikes. The bike rides were largely on main roads. This was not clear in advertising material.
- Barry, 22/05/2023 04:27,
Hi Barry, Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your review. As the weather was challenging, the Captain indeed had to adjust the itinerary. We received wonderful feedback across our departures from other travellers regardless of the weather so we are sorry that in this instance, alternative activities were not up to your expectations. Our advertised Cycle Croatia routes have a detailed outline of the daily itinerary on the website where we include that a ride makes its way through the many villages on the island and their picturesque stone houses via paved and gravel roads. We do appreciate your feedback and we hope to see you again with us at another time when the weather will hopefully be better!
Paniers on bikes, better quality food and choices, better communications
- Glenn , 26/09/2022 02:25, Travelled with Friend/s
Thank you for your review - we are happy to know you found the crew to be of great value, thank you. We aim to provide a variety of meals suitable for all guests, however we understand that at times this is not to everyone's individual taste. Thanks for all your comments here.
- facilities on the boat were well below par. - representative did not get involved with the clientele on the boat - ratio of boys : girls was absolutely out of balance. Will not be recommending this , very unfortunate
- Charlie, 27/07/2022 05:41, Travelled with Friend/s
Hi Charlie, thank you for your review. I can see you booked our Navigator cruise on a Standard ship, which is our most cost effective and budget travel option. Having a look at the feedback for your Onboard Representative, they received all 5 star ratings. The balance of genders depends customer demand for any given ship, and is unfortunately outside of our control. We aim to get a good mix onboard taking into consideration age, gender, nationality and group makeup. This heavily depends on who has booked. I can see that all guests that provided feedback for your week would recommend us to others. We are sorry to hear you won't be recommending us in future. Thank you again for providing us with your review.
We sailed/cruised with Sail Croatia in 2019 - Split to Dubrovnik It was our best holiday ever so after the last 2 years of COVID we decided as we had such a great time to do it again in reverse as we wanted a relaxing holiday What a contrast The food this time was abysmal - I complained mid cruise and breakfast did improve but lunch was woeful The swim stops were poor The pre arrival Information did not arrive so we went to the wrong berth and then had to take another Uber to the correct berth The crew on Kleopatra were unfriendly as compared to Alymissa From a total Sail Croatia ambassador (you can read my 2019 review) to telling future customers try another company as Sail Croatia has gone backwards
- David , 16/07/2022 19:11,
Hi David, thank you for your review. We are pleased to hear you enjoyed your time with us previously, however we are very disappointed to know that your experience was not to the same expectations as your previous cruise with us. Our chefs aim to provide a variety of meals using fresh, local produce. We are sorry you did not enjoy the meals served - your comments here have been passed on to the Operations Team to discuss further with the onboard chef. We aim to provide a great balance between land vs sea, anchoring in secluded bays for our guests to enjoy a swim stop each day. The pre-departure information is emailed to guests 1 week prior to departure. This is also available via your Online account once your balance payment is made. All the information for check-in is readily available for you. We are very disappointed that you won't be recommending us going forward, your experience onboard is not a true indication of our Sail Croatia cruises and high expectations for customer satisfaction. We do hope you are able to join us in the future, so that we can ensure your time with us exceeds expectations. Thank you.
Everything
- Naci , 14/07/2022 14:36, Travelled with Friend/s
The boat we booked wasnt the same as the online pictures, Every activity we did had a cost, my mates room had no sheets or blankets or towls and took them four days of asking repeatedly to get them. our host knew very little about anything and put in no effort what soever to help us out when we had questions or needed advice
- Matt, 13/07/2022 07:41, Travelled with Friend/s
Hi Matt, thank you for your review. We hope you enjoyed your time in Croatia overall. We have a variety of Premier ships and each is unique in style, however will include; air-conditioning, ensuite and larger cabins. All our cabins include bedding and a shower towel for your use. Upon checking our reports, I can confirm that this wasn't raised with your Onboard Representative. Having a look at the feedback provided for your Onboard Rep/Host, they had received all 4-5 star ratings, which includes; destination, organisation and friendliness. We are sorry to hear you were disappointed here. Thank you again for your review Matt.
-1st view of boat was filthy cabins and carpets -no welcome on-board - left to wonder around -1st 2nights no air conditioning -3rd night no hot water -couldn't lock cabin door -no key for internal locker -hostess very rude & didn't know how to work equipment to provide hot water or couldn't be bothered. -Staff underwear hanging outside out cabin door. -bedding not changed until after 5th night even though we were sweating like mad with no air con. -would have been good to have sea toys/paddleboard/laylo type etc. to enjoy. -couldn't buy single glass of wine, had to buy whole bottle. Also fridge was broken so couldn't be kept for next day. -on return from hikes, no staff available to serve drinks. Thankfully our tour guide Mate dealt with these issues as without him it could have been a whole lot worse. Mate deserves full credit for making this an enjoyable trip regardless of the issues we continually faced.
- Anthony, 27/06/2022 12:27, Travelled in a Couple
Hi there Anthony, thank you for your review. We are really pleased to hear that your rep Mate was helpful and professional and made your trip enjoyable. We have a rigorous process in place for handling any issues that may arise whilst you are on the sail, which is included in the Pre-departure information emailed to you before the tour. Following this process gives us the opportunity to try to resolve an issue during the trip, and work with you in finding a suitable solution to ensure all parties are happy, if given this opportunity. Guests are encouraged to report incidents themselves to their Onboard Representative, and if they feel no action is taken by their Onboard Representative, you are then welcome to escalate this to our Operations Manager and/or Managing Director. This ensures that no incident is left unreported, especially if we are made aware of the issue, and gives us the best chance to resolve this during the cruise for you. Upon checking our internal records, I could not find any reports raised to your representative regarding the air-conditioning, cabin door lock, broken fridge and key for internal locker. I understand that on the 2nd day the Captain was made aware there was no hot water, and this was rectified within 20 minutes. We operate a mid-week cabin service which includes changing of bedding. I'm afraid paddle boards are not included on our cruises however, at times past guest may leave their water toys onboard for others to enjoy. Upon checking the feedback for the week, guests have provided 4-5 star ratings from the meals onboard to the cabins and Tour Guide. We really do hope that your time in Croatia was enjoyable and that the issues experienced didn't detract from your overall enjoyment.
Have your employees speak the most common language English
- Anonymous, 27/06/2022 04:42,
Thank you for your review. We appreciate your comments here - all our Onboard Representatives are English speaking and are available if assistance is required. We have an onboard process in place whereby you can escalate any issues to the Operations Manager, this ensures that any problems that arise are quickly resolved. Upon checking our reports, I couldn't find any issues raised during your time onboard. In saying this, I do hope that you enjoyed your time in Croatia overall.
The tour was incredibly poorly organised. The company completely fail to train their staff in how to deal with any form of issue outside of the schedule. This included no solution to cancelled trips, no ability to deal with onboard conflicts and issues, and making consistent promises that were not delivered. I did a Topdeck tour at half the price 3 years ago, and I would suggest it is a much better option than this. Sail Croatia failed on every front. The only exception to this was the crew and captain, who made the tour more tolerable.
- Dominic, 06/06/2022 05:24, Travelled with Friend/s
Hi Dominic, thank you for your review. We are pleased to know that the captain and crew were available onboard however, we are sorry to hear of your disappointment with the organisation onboard. We do have processes in place for dealing with any issues that arise and this is found onboard the cruise, in your pre-departure information and via our app. The first step is to contact your onboard representative, you can then escalate to the Operations Manager and if need be, the Managing Director. We pride ourselves on having knowledgeable, friendly and helpful representatives who share their passion for their country and culture. Having checked our feedback for the organisation of the cruise, I can see that most of our guests provided 5 star ratings. We are sorry to hear you were disappointed and we hope that this didn't detract from your overall enjoyment of Croatia as a whole. Thank you.
We had a great time, exceeding our expectations. The guides were excellent, knowledgeable and friendly. The only negative was the food. Breakfast was fine but better quality coffee and juice is needed. Unfortunately the other meals can only be described as brutal. There were so many meals not eaten it was a waste of money for the ship. Too much salt and not enough salads. Prior to exercising and just following exercise it is difficult for the body to process such food. We would happily pay double the current food allowance to improve this situation. The cook needs to look at the guest profile and judge the style of food accordingly ( nationality, sex and age ). Is it a case of all ships cook the same meals on the same days , if so maybe this is part of the problem.? Also a daily menu should be displayed on the notice board to enable guests to choose what/how much they eat. I am aware that space is a factor but it would be very easy to improve the quality and reduce the waste. Good luck
- Hilary, 04/10/2021 13:42, Travelled in a Couple
Hi Hilary, Thank you for your review. I'm pleased you had a great time on our cruise and to hear that it exceeded your expectations is just wonderful! We know that your guide Ivana would have provided you with a wealth of knowledge, and detailed history about each destination. It's lovely to hear you had a nice time Hilary and after reading your feedback for breakfasts, you rated this 5- stars, and would highly recommend our cruise to others, thank you. However, we are disappointed to read of your dissatisfaction with the lunches onboard, mainly being too salty or not enough salad. Our chefs generally create a meal plan for the week, and aim to provide meals using fresh local produce, catering to a wide range of palettes and tastes, however we understand that this is not always possible. If our chef is made aware, they will look to make immediate improvements for the overall satisfaction of guests onboard. All your comments have been passed on to the chef via our Operations Manager and we will look to improve our services wherever possible. Thank you.
It took visiting another sail croatia ship to learn what we were missing. We were made acutely aware our voyage was the last of the season by the staff and how much they looked forward to commencing their vacation. We found the excursions to be underwhelming, poorly (even ineptly) lead and over valued. The kitchen staff and Maria are great friendly workers. The captain aloof. Boris and his two helpers, the shipboard lovers, should be marooned. Guest alcohol supplies were low or non-existant and the coffee machine is a bad joke. Being tied up to other vessels, where we were warmly welcomed to tour, made us aware the competition offers an elevated experience and of essentially the same cost as SC. BTW, there is signficiant bruisng on my right buttock and lower back from where I slipped on the wet interior stairs and fell. Boris never thought to follow up on if I needed any help (other then giving me a towel to dry the stairs so I could try and help others avoid a similar fate). Hmmmmm!!?
- Steven, 14/10/2019 07:18, Travelled in a Couple
Hi Steven, Thank you for taking the time to submit your review. We are pleased to hear you enjoyed some aspects of your cruise and we thank you for your comments on the kitchen staff and Maria, however we are sorry to hear of your disappointment in some areas. Our extensive range of excursions are our most popular and have received raving reviews so we are disappointed to hear this. Our ships are equipped with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages , if there is a particular beverage you wish to enjoy then the staff can try to source this for you. We have a vigorous process in place for any issues that may arise on our cruises, upon checking, I am unable to locate any reports for the incident which took place. I have also spoken with your representative Boris, and he has advised that a towel was requested at one of your swim stops, as there was water on the floor but there were no incidences of anyone falling on your cruise. We hope that you enjoyed your time in Croatia overall, and that the issues onboard didn't detract from this.
1. The transfer car from the airport at Split dropped us off by the harbour, a long way from our hotel (which we had to locate ourselves). We could have been driven closer or shown where we could hire a 'golf car' to take us to our hotel. 2. On the boat the air conditioning unit drew air from the rear deck where the crew smoked. This made the atmosphere in our cabin very unpleasant. 3. Please supply black-tea (eg. English or Irish Breakfast Tea) on board. It would be much appreciated by British / Australian / New Zealand guests. Other than this we enjoyed the cruise.
- Anonymous, 07/10/2019 11:18, Travelled with Family
Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise experience overall. However, we are sorry to hear that you were disappointed with some aspects, which I wish to clarify for you. Our airport transfers will collect you from the airport and drop you as close as possible to the hotel. As your hotel was based in central Split, this is a highly pedestrianised area and does not allow vehicle access I'm afraid. We are sorry that this was not made clear prior to your arrival. We have designated smoking areas, generally towards the back of the boat however, we do appreciate your comments on this and we will pass this on to the Operations Team. Thanks for your suggestion of a variety of tea bags, we will pass this on to the relevant team. We appreciate all your suggestions here, thank you!
More thought taken into who should be in the groups. Our boat consisted of 4 groups of people. One group of 15 boys from Sydney who we never saw come out of there rooms, a group of 7 from Sydney and only 2 groups of 2. Of that 85% male and everyone was Australian. Couldn’t do many of the group activities because the 2 major groups didn’t want to participate. Whilst everyone was nice, when you have such big groups of prexisting friends it doesn’t create a social atmosphere because people get comfortable in the groups. We also got hyped up for certain nights only to be disappointed, we went to a foam party which had no foam and also nobody else in the club but on that island we found out the next day other travels were taken to clubs that were busy and had great atmosphere’s. We had a change of host in the second day who arrived on the 3rd day. He was better but up until that we had no direction what to expect or what we were doing. I could keep going but not enough letters remaining!
- George, 14/08/2019 19:01, Travelled with Friend/s
Hi there and thank you for your review. The passengers onboard our boats is heavily reliant on each individuals travel plans, requirements and requests for a particular ship type. On your departure date and Navigator route, we had 1x Standard boat and 1x Ensuite boat. It just so happened that we had two larger groups and 3x groups of two people that requested our Ensuite boat, with more interest from male travellers than female travellers for this particular boat type. As we don't discriminate, all travellers were welcome onboard Lastavica. The two boats on our Northern route cross over with boats on other Navigator routes, as well as boats from other companies, so there is plenty of opportunity to mingle with travellers of all demographics during your week. Looking at the onboard feedback you provided, I see that you rated all aspects of the cruise 5-stars - thank you for this. We appreciate your comments regarding the club organisation, and we will certainly pass this on to the relevant team. We hope that the issues with the genders didn't detract from your overall experience on our cruise and in Croatia as a whole.
Let me start by saying this was my 3rd trip with Sail Croatia so they do know what they’re doing to keep bringing me back. However, this time was disastrous and much lower quality than I expected: at one of the swim stops the boat left us, the jacuzzi was non-operational for half the trip and cold water for the second half. It was one of the things I was looking forward to is enjoying the jacuzzi on the top deck. The guide and crew only apologized for leaving us in the water and sailing away after an email was sent to the company. They made a good effort by comping the entire bar bill for the week and a bottle of great red wine which was a nice gesture. But not even a hint of apology prior to written communication still left a bad taste in my mouth. This should never have happened. The crew needs to watch their guests in the water very attentively and the guide take responsibility instead of deflecting blame on the passengers themselves.
- Mark, 13/08/2019 22:24, Travelled in a Couple
Hi there and thank you for your review. We value your comments, especially as this is your 3rd cruise experience with Sail Croatia. We're sorry to hear there were issues with the jacuzzi, at times it may not be available due to conditions such as electricity consumption, fresh water usage onboard and weather conditions. Upon checking our internal reports, I can see that your Representative was in constant communication with you regarding the swim stop rules. We advise all our guests that everyone must stay close to the boat, for health and safety reasons, this is also reiterated in our Pre-departure information, our Sail Croatia App and advised during your welcome speech. We are sorry to hear this had happened - upon checking our records, once the swim stop concluded, the sailor called out to all guests to advise the swim stop was over. As you were further away and behind another boat, our sailor didn't see you, nor did you hear the call out, so the boat had departed. After speaking with your representative, Kate was immediately apologetic and offered to reduce your bar tab and provide a free bottle of wine as a gesture. We will pass your comments on to our Operations Manager to ensure that our sailors reiterate the importance of the swim stop rules. Thank you again for all your comments here and we do hope that the issues onboard didn't detract from your overall experience.
Food on board was average at best,some days great some days terrible. Breakfast needs a rethink and an upgrade to the coffee machine is required. Maybe brunch rather than breakfast and lunch given we all go for dinner in the evening. Staff were great and the boat was brilliant. Menu card and restaurant recommendations at the start of the trip would be helpful rather than when we arrive in port. Overall a great experience and one we would recommend to friends and family.
- Ian , 05/08/2019 18:59, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for your review - we appreciate all your comments. We are pleased to know that you would recommend us to family and friends and that you enjoyed your accommodation and the inclusion of the lovely staff onboard. Our chefs aim to cater to all tastes and at times, we understand that this may not be possible. However, upon request the chef may be able to provide you with more of the foods you enjoy. We appreciate your comments on the coffee machine and this will be passed on to the captain. We find that having breakfasts and lunches included on our cruises, gives our guests just the one meal to budget for and gives guests the opportunity to go out and try the delicious local cuisine for dinner. Our representatives provide guests with all the information for each port daily as we feel our guests enjoy receiving this information just as you are arriving into port. Thank you for choosing to sail with us!
Before booking my tour I asked to be put in a boat with solo travellers, as I myself was travelling solo and they said it would not be a problem. To my surprise I got put in a boat with couples and and people who knew each other. Careful going on the smaller boat because you might be stuck with people who are close and will be hard to make friends.
- Fatah, 02/08/2019 09:11, Travelled Solo
Hi there. Many thanks for your review. I'm sorry to hear of your disappointment of the tour. I have looked through previous correspondence and can see you were advised we only had availability on our Under 35s Yacht Tours for your requested departure date, so we did not have any other options available for you at the time, I'm afraid. Our Under 35s Yacht Tours consist of a group of usually 6 to 8 yachts sleeping 8 passengers on each sailing together in a flotilla, so it usually a very social experience. I checked and can see your departure had 47 guests across 6 yachts to enjoy the social experience on board. Thank you for joining us this season :)
- Navigator cruise was advertised for Young Professionals, yet our boat had a vast majority being over 50. Thankfully we (24y/o's) had two other amazing couples to experience it with. I heard the week prior only had 1 couple under 50 (I would of requested a refund if I was them). They need to ensure the weight of ages is reasonable so each generation can experience it their way. - Staff were atrocious. Incredibly rude, dismissive, literally rolled their eyes at all of us when we would enter the salon to get a drink. Had the audacity to leave a tip envelope on our last day (of which we gave nothing). Sail Croatia MUST have involvement in the selection of crew as it knocked 2 stars of our review, easily. - Recommendations for restaurants, bars and the tours offered were way below expectations. Again, this is a cruise for a "Young Professionals", so we want beautiful food, amazing cocktails and awesome experiences. Need to have different recommendations for each cruise type.
- Anonymous, 16/07/2019 22:53, Travelled in a Couple
Hi there, thank you for your review. I've looked further into the ages of the passengers that were on board Cristal with you and around a third of your fellow travellers were in their thirties or under. The rest of the passengers on board were in their forties, fifties and 4 were in their sixties. Our Explorer cruises are designed for young professional and ‘young at heart’ travellers looking to blend socialising, sightseeing and relaxation with an average age on-board from 25-60. In your review you mentioned Navigator cruises which is a different type of cruise to the one you booked which was an Explorer cruise. Our Navigator cruises are for passengers aged 18 to 35 years old looking to party, socialise and explore Croatia. I have passed your comments onto our Operations Manager with regards to the crew on board Cristal. Thank you for brining this to our attention and for joining us this season :)
Awesome people but terribly planned. If someone took maybe 15 mins to use common sense to plan this it would have gone so much smoother. The lack of communication was laughable. Excursions that were offered were decent but nothing I would go out of my way to do. The swim stops were a joke. We would stop the boat in the middle of nowhere overlooking a construction site. Also, pretty lame that once the boat was in port you couldn't go in the water unless you went to beach.
- Anonymous, 01/07/2019 14:04, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for your review - we appreciate your comments. The excursions offered are optional and we're sorry to hear that none of the excursions appealed to you. Our swim stops generally take place in secluded bays in the middle of the Adriatic Ocean overlooking the coast and the sites are spectacular. Upon speaking with the representative, she confirms that the construction site was near the town centre during the time of sail. In regards to swimming in the port, we mention in our Ship Rules (emailed to you prior to the cruise and available onboard) that swimming at the port is prohibited as a safety precaution as there are generally many ships docking and departing so is not a safe swimming zone. We do hope that you enjoyed other aspects of the cruise and that these issues didn't detract from your overall experience.
Went on the Navigator North trip with the Tarin boat. We had no overnight power for 2-3 days when docked in port, therefore our fans in the room did not work in the intense heat, People resorted to sleeping on the roof as the cabins were unbearably hot. We also couldn't charge our mobile phones in order to take pictures the next day, set alarms, etc. Our water dispenser was taken off the boat a day before the cruise ended because the boat was going to be used by another company the following day. The whole boat vibrated when moving, making sleep in the morning extremely difficult. Eggs were not provided for breakfast every day. In fact the were on a random scheduled according to how the chef felt. One day I woke up for breakfast only to be told the eggs had already finished.. The next day I woke up earlier and was told eggs were only made every second day and not daily. On the plus side we did visit some pretty cool places and met some amazing people. Tarin and Ivanna were great!
- Anonymous, 18/09/2018 01:55, Travelled Solo
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your review! It is great to hear you that you enjoyed the destinations visited on your Navigator Cruise, and that your Tour Manager and the crew onboard Tarin ensured you had a great week onboard. Cooked breakfast isn’t provided on our Navigator cruises as an inclusion and we are very pleased to hear you had enjoyed a hot breakfast on certain days throughout the week. I have checked our internal reporting system and unfortunately I was unable to find any reports of feedback referencing the fans and water dispenser onboard. Had your onboard Tour Manager been made aware of your concerns, we would have been more than happy to resolve these issues whilst you were on the cruise. Thank you again for your feedback, as only through this feedback, can we improve our products and services.
Revamp the itinerary to exclude Korcula to enable walks to take place in the mornings not in the heat of the day after a hearty 3 course lunch (delicious as it was with such a variety prepared by Renata in her tiny kitchen!) Some of the walks very challenging. Miranda and Tea were excellent hosts, friendly, smiley, informative - a credit to Sail Croatia. They work so hard on a punishing schedule. The captain and "sailors" looked after us well, as did Angie supplying copious glasses of cold beer and chilled wine! Cabins were adequate with the bonus of air conditioning - something we hadn't expected. The towels had seen better days but were replaced on request, but surprised they were not changed during the course of the week.. The boat itself was kept exceptionally clean (Marija Magdalena), spacious, just 19 of us on board. Upper deck with deck chairs and large table and chairs with sun shaded areas. Lower deck where breakfast (again excellent) and lunch taken provided shade.
- Kathy, 17/09/2018 09:35, Travelled with Friend/s
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your review! Feedback is extremely important to us, as it helps us to improve our products and services. I have passed your comments to our Operations Manager, who will address the points raised with the appropriate parties directly to see where improvements can be made. It is great to hear you have enjoyed the food, the accommodation provided and that you were well looked after by our whole team. We hope to see you with us again soon!
No air conditioner working half the trip No fitted sheets Heads very basic, door does not close Boat should stop off for a swim every day during transit Cycles were in great condition
- Michael , 21/09/2016 07:22, Travelled in a Couple
Hi there and thank you for your feedback on our Cycle cruise. We are pleased to hear you found our bicycles to be in great condition. We see that you were booked on our Ensuite boat - we provide a fan in each of our Ensuite cabins as air-conditioning is not included on this boat type. We recommend booking a room on our Premier boats if you prefer air-conditioned cabins. I'm sorry to hear you had an issue with your door - we have rigorous processes in place and upon searching our records, I couldn't see that you had raised the door issue with a crew member or representative. Had they been made aware of these issues, they would have rectified this as soon as possible for you. Swim stops generally take place daily however, at times it may not be possible due to the weather conditions or guests on the boats requesting to get to the next destination earlier. If it isn't possible, your captain/crew would advise the reasoning behind this. We hope you had a great time overall.
Overall the cruise was good!! The boat looked the oldest and most run down compared to others and other companies next to us with tiny bunks and had about 10 deckchairs that were falling apart for 30 plus people. I even emailed before hand to try and secure a decent vessel but was told it's basically a lucky dip. Won't recommend sail Croatia.
- Tyson, 19/09/2016 07:02, Travelled with Friend/s
Hi, thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on your Navigator cruise. We are proud of all the ships in our fleet and work hard to ensure that all ships in each category maintain a similar standard, so I am sorry to read that you were not happy with the Standard ship you had booked. Each ship is unique in style with some modern in style and others a more rustic style. Not all ships can provide deck chairs for all passengers due to the space on the main deck. However, we will be looking into the quality of the deck chairs for future cruises. We do have a range of ship types available, and our Premier ships are much more spacious in comparison to our Standard ships as there is limited cabin space on this ship type. Thank you again for your review.
1. When booking, we were never told that we would have to pay all on-board charges with cash - not our credit card at the end of our cruise. 2. Staffing Issues - although the staff on board was extremely friendly, for an 'Elegance Cruise' there should be more staff (i.e. guest should not have to walk to the bar to order, staff should circulate the boat to take orders during opening hours). 3. Meals - Breakfast is only available for 1 hour (8am-9am) each day. Passengers are on holiday, they should be offered meal options whenever they wish. Also, rather than a daily 3 course lunch menu - average at best - an al-a-cart menu should be offered. Many people would prefer to experience local restaurants on the islands rather than being restricted to a 2+ hour on-board lunch every day! 4. Lack of time on islands. On many days, arrival to the next island was AFTER a 2+hour on-board lunch. Arriving earlier would be much better.
- KENNETH, 23/08/2016 16:40, Travelled with Family
Thank you for your feedback regarding your Elegance cruise. I'm happy to read that you found the staff extremely friendly. I am sorry that it wasn't clearly communicated with you that cash is to be used on-board. We will be implementing a new bar tab system next season, and we are also currently looking at offering alternative payment methods in the near future. We have found that in the past passengers prefer having lunch on-board instead of evening meals as they like to experience the local cuisine in the evenings. Arrival time into port depends on port traffic, scheduling and weather - I am sorry that you found this to be too late. We have found that our guests prefer a swim stop before lunch, then after lunch we would make our way to the next destination. Swim stops can sometimes delay the arrival time at the next destination. In regards to your suggestion of having staff circulate the boat to take drinks orders, this is a great suggestion and I have passed this on to the Operations Team for improvements - thank you. We are always looking at ways to improve our services. Thank you again for taking the time to provide feedback and we hope that the issues onboard didn't detract from experiencing the beauty Croatia has to offer.
Unfortunately myself and my partner didn't enjoy our cruise. As we made friends for a few couples and others on board our opinions all had been of the same. The premier plus ship was not as appeared on the inside as it did on the outside. The room we had was for a couple. We found two single small beds pushed together, we actually fell through the mattresses. On the first day our port window blew open, we advised one of the ship hands who came to take a look at the problem, he played around with it as he had not know about the issues and said he would fix it before dinner time. At dinner I told the bartender, she said that she had been telling him for over a month now about the window in cabin 6. Unfortunately it didn't get fixed and throughout the rest of the journey nothing seemed to work to lodge the window closed. The food on the boat "3 course meals" was absolutely disgraceful. I would barely call frozen meat and fish and canned fruit and VEGETABLES 3 course. Utterly disappointed!
- Warren , 16/08/2016 17:22, Travelled in a Couple
Hi there, thank you for your review. I am sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy your time on your Sail Croatia Cruise. We are very proud of the ships in our Premier Plus fleet and work hard to ensure they are all maintained to the same high standard. Our cabins are either fitted with double beds or twin beds which are fixed or can be pushed together to create a double. We try and accommodate everyone’s bedding preferences when doing our allocation, due to the high number of couples we have on-board, sometimes we can only accommodate them in a double bedded cabin if 2 beds are pushed together. We are sorry to hear about the porthole in your cabin. 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. We are always looking at ways to improve our services and understand that food plays an important part of your holiday so we appreciate your comments here, and will look into this. Thank you again for your review.
Over all it was good. However, receiving an email that you have been put into a double room the afternoon before departure was a really big downside. I booked 4 months in advance and somehow that was still not enough time to put us in a twin single room. Upon receiving the email I immediately asked if it were possible to change to a twin single room. I received a reply and told it was not possible due to ship configuration. At the time I thought fair enough, we must have booked last hence why we've been put in this situation. Once we were on the ship, and got to know the others on board we saw some of their rooms. The twin single rooms were so much more convenient and I dare say spacious! Now I was annoyed. The icing on the cake was finding out that people who had booked several months after us were not put in the predicament that was forced upon us. In the future, don't email customers last minute to inform them they HAVE TO share a double bed!! Kind regards, Deni
- Deni, 14/08/2016 07:32, Travelled with Friend/s
Thank you for your feedback, it's great to hear you had a good time overall. We confirm the ship name 1 week prior to departure, and shortly after we finalise the cabin allocation - we try and ensure this is done as soon as possible however may only be possible a couple of days before departure to accommodate any last minute bookings and changes we may receive. On some occasions it isn't always possible to accommodate passengers with their requested bedding arrangements due to the nature of bookings and the configuration of cabins as each boat is unique in style. However, we do understand your points raised and are looking at improving our system here for next season. We do hope that this didn't detract too much from your time in Croatia and hope you enjoyed your cruise overall. Thank you again for your review.
1. Friendlier staff - asking for drinks / coffee was not received well by the bar staff 2. Accommodating our needs - we asked for certain alcohol to be brought onto the boat to be sold to us which was completely ignored and declined by the staff which I cannot understand why at all when we would be paying for it? 3. Selling food - we weren't allowed to bring food onto the boat but if you missed breakfast you could then not buy anything and had to wait until lunch?! Not my idea of a holiday 4. No flexibililty - there was no flexibility in terms of if we wanted to spend longer at a swim stop or port. Overall its really hard to ruin a holiday in Croatia but I would not recommend using Sail Croatia to my friends for their future travels sadly.
- Nicholas, 27/07/2016 17:49, Travelled with Friend/s
Thank you for your feedback. I am sorry that you didn't find the staff friendly, your comments have been passed onto our Operations Team to discuss with the Captain of the ship. The bar is operated by the Captain and it is at his discretion what is sold, I'm sorry they were unable to accommodate you with your drink preferences. With regards to food on-board, Breakfast and a 3-Course Lunch is served every day. I'm afraid food from outside the boat, isn't allowed to be bought on by guests, however I have passed your comments on about having the option to purchase snacks on-board so this can be looked into. With regards to your comments about flexibility, the Captains are on a fixed itinerary, so whilst they try and ensure guests have enough time to swim as well as having enough time in the ports, swim stops may have to be missed or cut short so the ship can reach each destination on time and have space to dock in the ports. Thank you again for your feedback.
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- Russell, 02/06/2016 05:29, Travelled in a Couple