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4.8 from 11814 reviews
Clean but noisy boat with an experience for oldies not professional couples

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

Dizare, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2024-08-30:

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!

Boat needs maintenance

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

Dizare, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2024-08-30:

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.

0/10 anaphylactics beware! Victim blaming and no accountability

You don’t have enough characters to accurately describe my disappointment. My partner has a deadly allergy to peanuts and this was not taken seriously by the crew or comply. Was served a meal with peanuts in it and after only a small bite had an immediate reaction. Upon medicating herself other guest sort her out to ask her if her if she had eaten the meal since they could taste and see peanut chunks. The chef lied and said no nuts only to confirm to myself and another guest that the stuff that was in peanut was in the meal but he “only put a little bit in” so thought it would be okay. After being informed my partner could have died then changed his story again to say there was no nuts. This company did not follow any precautions to make sure the safety of my girlfriend’s life and then has gone on to say she is at fault and can not blame them since she didn’t need the hospital. We had an ED nurse on board and multiple epipens so we were able to assess and monitor the situation ourselfs

- CJ, 21/06/2024 05:14, Travelled in a Couple

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2024-06-21:

Hi CJ, Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We cater to many dietary requests on our cruises, and I can confirm that the crew onboard your ship were aware of your partner's nut allergy. While we take every precaution to reduce the likelihood of cross-contamination, due to the nature of the small kitchens onboard our ships, we cannot guarantee a completely nut-free environment. As outlined in our terms and conditions, all special requests must be advised in writing at the time of booking. We received your request the day before departure. Although we strive to pass on any reasonable requests to the relevant supplier, we cannot guarantee that every request will be met unless specifically confirmed. It is essential to obtain written confirmation that a special request will be complied with, especially where it is crucial for your safety. We have been in contact with the appropriate parties, including the Operations Team, Captain, Crew, and the Onboard Representative. We can confirm that peanuts are not a standard ingredient in burritos. Additionally, there were no nuts intentionally added to the meal. While we strive to ensure the safety of our guests, it is standard practice that individuals with severe nut allergies carry their medication with them. We appreciate that your partner had the necessary precautions in place and are relieved to hear there was no allergic reaction. Given that there was no allergic reaction, we regret that we cannot offer a refund for something that could have happened. We appreciate you raising this matter and providing us with feedback, as it is only through feedback like yours that we can continue to improve our services.

Disappointed

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

Marijana, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2024-05-28:

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.

Sail cycle

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

Cayley, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2024-05-15:

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.

Not what we were expecting

Croatia as a country was amazing and beautiful. However, the sail was disappointing. Our representative was not very engaging and for the price you pay, you don’t get a lot for it. Considering you pay prior, the drinks at the bar are expensive and ‘happy hour’ is only 10% off which isn’t worth it. They offered limited water and if you wanted a bottle of water you had to pay. Even when unwell, there is no bottled water that is accessible and you are not able to bring bottles from off the boat. As a couple, we were given two single beds and other groups of friends that requested single beds were in rooms with doubles. Overall, not worth the price you pay and we weren’t very satisfied and actually left the boat early due to being unwell and not being able to access cold water.

- Nikita, 04/09/2023 05:18, Travelled in a Couple

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2023-09-06:

Hi Nikita, thank you for your review. We are pleased to hear you enjoyed your time in Croatia and its beautiful coastline. However, we are disappointed to learn of your lack of enjoyment onboard. The drinks prices are set per ship and an estimated price list is available for your perusal via our website. The bedding configurations onboard our Navigator cruises are not confirmed until 1 week prior to departure, and these can either be made up of; bunk bed, twin bed or double bed configurations. I can see that a double bed wasn't requested in this instance. In regards to the water cooler, water is available onboard this boat 24/7 from outside the saloon area and you are welcome to re-use your own water bottle. Upon checking our internal reports, I can see that our Onboard representative had tried to make you as comfortable as possible whilst your partner was unwell by bringing tea and water to your cabin, and even offering further medical assistance - we hope that he has made a full recovery.

Aircon bad when we paid for it

Aircon was not working properly and the bedroom fascilities were terrible. No changing of sheets, towels or pillows when we were in a HEAT WAVE and many on board were sick was not good. Whole experience was uncomfortable. Chef also prepared wintery hot meals when we were in a HEAT WAVE. Very disspointed with the experience.

- A, 03/09/2023 14:02, Travelled in a Couple

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2023-09-06:

Hi A, thank you for your review. We are disheartened to hear of your experience and we hope that you were able to enjoy other aspects of your cruise. Our Premier ships include a mid-week cabin service which includes rubbish removal, floor and bathroom cleaned and a bed linen change. Additional towels can be provided upon request. All cruises include 3-course lunches which is usually a starter, main and dessert - I'm sorry to hear you were unhappy with the meals served, our chefs aim to provide a variety of meals using fresh, local produce and we are pleased to see that the overall feedback rating for the meals served during your week was rated 4.6 out of 5 stars. We understand that there was another group onboard who experienced sickness for less than 24 hours, due to reasons not relating to the cruise. Upon checking our internal reports, there were no reports of issues with the air-conditioning onboard. We have a rigorous process in place for any issues that arise onboard, which is outlined in your pre-departure information. Following this process ensures that no incident is left unreported and gives us the best chance to resolve this during the cruise for you. Again we thank you for your feedback, and we hope you enjoyed your time in Croatia as a whole.

So Many Issues

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

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2023-06-15:

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.

Dissatisfied

Better cleaning, more friendly, variety with the food, in rainy days have some entertaining even border games or something, the cruise itself is not cheap and of top of that we have to pay more more, a lot of my travellers wee really dissatisfied!!! Never ever will Travel again with you guys I will not recommended neither to my friends!!!!

- Marta, 22/05/2023 14:29, Travelled in a Couple

Cayley, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2023-05-31:

Dear Marta, thank you for taking the time to review your cruise with us this season. I am very sorry to hear you felt this way about your experience. Unfortunately we are unable to guarantee the weather, so it is a shame that you did not have the best weather during your time with us. Overall for your departure I can see most guests that joined the cruise have said in feedback that they would recommend us, so I am sorry to hear this is not the case for you. Thank you for joining us Marta and for taking the time to review your experience.

Missed Opportunity

The food was super disappointing, the cabin bathrooms had zero amenities, the wifi was spotty at best, and the service provided from most of the crew was minimal. There are a lot of places where minimal effort and money could be spent to make the guest experience so much better. I don't feel like we received what we were sold and I could not recommend this to others.

- Tammy, 03/10/2022 01:33, Travelled in a Couple

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2022-10-06:

We appreciate your review Tammy, thank you. We are so disappointed to read your comments. Some ships provide amenities however, this is unique to each ship and to avoid disappointment, we encourage guests to bring their own. Wifi is subject to download limits and coverage. We have taken all your comments into consideration and we appreciate you taking the time to share this with us.

Good People, but Wouldn't Recommend

The best part of the trip was the company of others who attended the same week, but everything else about the trip that was handled by Sail Croatia was pitiful. Horrible food, poor planning, disgusting cabins, and more than evident cost-cutting. The wifi was nonexistent and no soap, shampoo, or conditioner was provided. The bath towels provided were dirty and disgusting. I signed for a triple occupancy cabin and it ended up being a mattress on the floor. That is unacceptable. The other participants bonded on the boat over Sail Croatia's failings as a cruise liner. If I knew the lack of amenities provided and the poor organizing, I would not attend.

- Kalee, 01/10/2022 18:52, Travelled with Family

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2022-10-06:

Thank you for your review Kalee. We are sorry to hear you were unhappy with your cabin arrangements and boat in general. I have gone through all the feedback ratings and we were given 4 stars for the 'boat overall'. Our chefs prepare all meals in their small gulleys located onboard the boat, aiming to provide a variety of meals however we understand that this is not always to everyone's taste. Soap, shampoo and conditioning is not included and we advise guests to bring their own onboard to avoid disappointment. Triple cabin consists of a small double bed and single bunk, as advised prior to booking this room type. As they are the same size as a twin share (2 people per cabin) we provide a 10% discount. I understand that you were moved to another cabin free of charge. We hope this was more than suitable. After reviewing the organisation of the cruise by the Onboard Representative, they were rated all 5 stars which includes; destination, organisation and friendliness. We thank you for your review.

Disappointing and false advertising.

I’m so lucky that I met such an amazing group of people on this sail Croatia because without them I would’ve been very disappointed. The food served on the boat was almost inedible, most people skipped it and ended up buying their own food. The crew on the boat were quite rude and made no effort to remember dietary requirements which almost resulted in some dire situations with multiple members on the boat. The bar on the boat was pretty much always closed which made it difficult at ports where there were no external bars - everyone had a few early night which isn’t exactly what you picture when you sign up for sail Croatia. Although the bar being closed wasn’t all bad as the drinks were so overpriced hardly anyone could afford them. Another issue with the bar being closed is that you’re not allowed to bring any food or drinks onboard - this is inconvenient when you need something to eat or drink and there is no way to purchase anything on board. Thank god I had a good group!

- Chloe, 12/09/2022 10:24, Travelled in a Couple

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2022-10-06:

Thank you for your review Chloe. We are really pleased to hear you met some amazing people on your cruise. We have high expectations and aim to provide our guests with lovely, fresh meals week after week, so we are very disappointed to hear the meals served didn't meet your expectations. Dietary requirements are passed on to the chef, and we encourage guests to introduce yourselves to the chef and discuss any additional requests with them. The bar is open during the day, generally up until midnight unless instructed by the crew - we appreciate you bringing this to our attention and we will discuss further with our Operations Team to ensure our high levels of service are maintained. Thank you.

hike and cruise

-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

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2022-10-03:

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.

Food review

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

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2021-10-07:

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.

Functionally proficient?

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

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2019-10-16:

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.

Suggestions

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

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2019-10-08:

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!

Really great trip

The cabin rooms could have been a bit more spacious. While we spent very little time in our cabins ( except to sleep), they really were small.

- Patrick, 10/09/2019 04:31, Travelled in a Couple

Cayley, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2019-09-26:

Hi there. It's great to hear you had a really great trip! Our Standard ship cabins are smaller than the other ship types, this is stated on the website. I'm sorry to hear you were disappointed with the size of your cabin but pleased that you still enjoyed your time in Croatia. Thank you for joining us!

Great week with fantastic crew but the boat did not meet expectations

We upgraded to the premier navigator cruise and had a ship that was not nearly up to the standard of the ships depicted in the ‘premier navigator’ video. Our ship was basic only with the added extra of aircon. The crew were fantastic however the group asked for the spa, which was filthy, to be cleaned many times which wasn’t done. The spa was advertised as one of the premier added bonuses and it was extremely disappointing that we couldn’t use it. The food on board exceeded expectation.

- Madeleine, 04/09/2019 14:20, Travelled in a Couple

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2019-09-27:

Hi there and thanks for your review. It's great to hear that the crew were a great inclusion on your cruise. The ships used on our Navigator Premier page vary in style, some more traditional, rustic wooden ships and others more modern steel ships. Our Premier ships offer spacious cabins, (generally 6-8m2) with ensuite and air-conditioning. The jacuzzi may not be available at all times due to conditions such as electricity consumption, fresh water usage onboard and weather conditions however, we will be investigating this further. We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed the food - it's not easy producing great meals for so many people with a limited kitchen but the chefs manage to do that which is amazing. Thanks again.

Sales Customer Service

Lets start with the good experience. Staff onboard the ship Captain, Sailor and Tour guide were fantastic! It is them that makes the trip worth while. On another note, the sales team are terrible with their service. I told them from the beginning I am travelling with my partner and requested a double bed. They said it depends on the availability as first come first serve. When we got onboard, two girls who DID NOT request for a double bed got one and my partner and i got stuck on a bunk bed. There were only 3 couples on the ship. 2 whom got a double bed, except us. I would have been fine with it had we missed out because we booked later and the 3 doubles were already requested. It is upsetting when somebody gets .a room they didnt request and someone who really really wanted it doesnt. The rooms are ridiculously small and most of all there is no air circulation, if you left your door open, you would smell diesel, or others coming back in the early hours from partying. RIDICULOUS!

- Anita, 03/09/2019 01:04, Travelled in a Couple

Cayley, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2019-09-20:

Thank you for taking the time to leave us with your review and feedback of your Navigator cruise with us this season. We are so pleased to hear that you were happy with the staff on board and that they really made the trip for you. I understand we have been in touch with you via email with regards to your comments on the double bedded cabin. Bedding arrangements are never guaranteed on our Navigator cruises, I'm afraid. This was advised prior to booking and travel. Your further feedback has been passed onto the relevant departments and I do hope this did not deter you from having an amazing time in Croatia. Thank you for joining us.

Could use more genuine care about passengers

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

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2019-08-16:

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.

Cristal

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

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2019-08-09:

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!

Premium Price without the Premium Service

- 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

Cayley, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2019-08-05:

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 :)

BUDGET travel, cutting corners all around on navigator

Excursions were poorly planned with a lot of waiting time and timing did not make sense with the rest of the day scheduled. Swim stops were random in the middle of the sea and not in pretty locations as advertised. Some of the excursions offered were not even possible to complete due to timing constraints. The food was cheap, very small portions, and the drinks were under poured. Our ship was lucky enough to be equipped with AC which we paid for directly to the captain, except it "didn't work" 2/7 nights and we still had to pay for the full 7. The captain was very cheap and would shut it off thinking we wouldn't say anything. We weren't allowed to swim when parked in Port and there mostly wasnt time to beach bc of lunch at 1-230pm. Lunch was way too long for no reason. No snacks provided in between meals. They assumed as budget travelers we wouldn't notice all the corners they cut. Overall very poor. We left the boat 2 nights early. Would not recommend unless you want low class travel.

- Jillian, 01/07/2019 16:24, Travelled in a Couple

Cayley, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2019-07-10:

Hi there, thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. I'm sorry to hear you were disappointed with some aspects of your Navigator cruise. Excursions are subject to minimum and maximum numbers. Also, due to limited time in each location, some excursions do occur at the same time as others, it's not always possible to take part in more than one excursion at the same destination, I'm afraid. I've looked into your comment regarding the air-conditioning on board and you were booked onto an Ensuite ship where air-conditioning is not included in the cost of the cruise. I've been advised the captain did offer air-conditioning to the whole ship at an additional cost per person, per day and when this was not working for the final 2 days of the cruise this was then refunded back to everyone. It is not possible to swim in the ports as it is not safe to do so. This is a rule on board all of our ships as we would not want you to come into any harm by swimming where the ships are docked. Daily breakfast and a 3 course lunch is included in the cost of your cruise, however snacks between meals are not included. We have a process in place which is shown in your pre-departure information, so if you do have any issues at all on board we hope to resolve them before you disembark. I have looked into this further and I cannot see that you left the cruise early or raised any of these concerns with your on board Representative. We appreciate you taking the time to provide us with this feedback and we hope that you enjoyed other aspects of your cruise and that the issues onboard didn't detract from your overall experience and Croatia as a whole. Thank you.

Decent at best

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

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2019-07-10:

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.

Lunch

Dear Sail Croatia Firstly I want to say Alex and I very much enjoyed the accommodation on the boat and we were very impressed with the helpful friendly staff. Generally we thought the holiday was good value. My only criticism was the quality of the lunches and the repetitive breakfast menu. Cordial substituted for orange juice wasn't appealing. On most days I couldn't eat the main meal. The food offered was poorly cooked. On one occasion the fish was undercooked and covered in a very thick sauce, inedible. The vegetables were often overcooked. The chicken breast was dry and tough.. The entrees and desserts were generally acceptable. Our group of 6 travellers discussed the food and we all agreed a barbecue or smorgasbord of fresh salads could be offered. I understand some guests enjoy a hearty 3 course lunch however I do think there is room for improvement with the food. I'm not sure whether its your budget or the skill of the cook, or both..

- Anonymous, 27/06/2019 06:17, Travelled in a Couple

Cayley, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2019-06-28:

Hi there, thank you for taking time to leave us a review. We are really pleased to hear that you liked the accommodation on board and that you were impressed with the on board staff. Thank you for your comments on the food. Our chef tries to cater to a wide range of tastes, however at times we understand this is not always possible. We will pass your comments onto the relevant team so we can improve in the future. Thank you.

Did not get what we paid for

We booked the sail for late May. The itinerary did not match what was guaranteed on the website. Major clubs were closed and some excursions were cancelled. We expected a party boat and the our boat “Tuna” was definitely not that. Absolutely no money from the captain has gone into this boat to make it fun. We sailed along side “Penelopa” (the standard boat - same route) and watched their boat have a whole different experience. They had speakers that were loud and actually worked. They had party lights. They had two bars. They had no noise restrictions. They had a silent disco. Our group on board Tuna felt ripped off as we got none of these party features, having paid more for the en-suite rooms. Six people left our boat due to the lack of vibe and other reasons. Not only that but the bar staff was unprofessional and quite unapproachable. This made us feel uncomfortable. If we didn’t have such a lovely group of people on board the experience would’ve been 1 star.

- Maddie, 03/06/2019 07:55, Travelled in a Couple

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2019-08-09:

Thank you for your review. Upon checking your feedback for the week, we are really pleased to know you found the cleanliness of the cabin and meals to be 5-stars, thank you. In regards to the clubs and bars in Croatia, these are not guaranteed and are all subject to season opening times. Each of our boats are operated individually by the captain and crew, we are sorry to hear you found the overall experience was not as expected. We appreciate your comments regarding the crew, stereo speakers and party lights - all your comments will be passed on to the relevant department to look into this for you. We understand that there were adverse weather conditions at the time of your cruise which is unavoidable and very unfortunate. Alternative solutions were offered however, as the weather effected the most part of the week, our Rep did everything possible to ensure everyone was enjoying themselves as much as possible. We understand that some guests decided to depart early due to this. We hope that the issues didn't detract from your overall experience in Croatia and we thank you again for all your comments.

Clothes taken from cabin

I would like to warn others considering booking any cruises with Sail Croatia. I had 8 items of ladies clothing taken from our cabin wardrobe after I had left them there after departing the ship. The cleaning staff came in immediately after we walked out, knocking on our door to get in while we were still packing up. In our haste the clothed were left behind. Not noticing they were missing until the next day, we emailed Sail Croatia and notified them. The cabin was apparently checked and nothing found. And that was the extent to which Sail Croatia went to try and get my clothes back from the cleaning staff who did our cabin. Visited the Sail Croatia office in Split expecting something at least to be done, they promised to stay in touch. I had to email them to try and get some answers. The "Operations Team" were contacted so I was told in a reply and nothing was found. Phoned the office and was told the clothes would have been disposed of! Very upset customer.

- Angela, 28/05/2019 08:48, Travelled in a Couple

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2019-05-30:

Thank you for your review. I can see from your onboard feedback, provided to us at the end of your cruise, that you gave us a rating of 5-stars, this overall rating includes; the staff, onboard meals, ship in general, optional excursions and your onboard representative. Thank you for this. However, we are sorry to hear of your disappointment mainly regarding the items left in your cabin. We do state on our Pre-departure information, and via the welcome speeches onboard, that all items must be removed from your cabin at the end of your cruise and that Sail Croatia will not be held liable for any lost items. I can see that you had also emailed us once you realised the items were left behind. Our process is that any left items found by the cleaning staff will be handed to our Lost Property team and logged via our internal records. However, once followed up with our Operations Team unfortunately no items were found by the cleaning staff. We have since provided you with an insurance letter so that you can recover the costs of the items via your Insurance company. We do hope that the result of your lost property didn't deter from the amazing 5-star experience you had onboard. Thank you again for your review!

Could have been better

Meals were not up to my expectations. There were no attempts by staff to help the travellers mingle and get to know each other at the beginning of the cruise. A wine and cheese on the first night would have been good.

- Anonymous, 29/05/2018 13:44, Travelled in a Couple

Marijana, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2018-06-01:

Thank you for your review. Customer satisfaction is important to us, and we’re sorry to hear that meals didn't meet your expectations. I have looked into all reviews provided for your departure and have found that rating and traveller satisfaction was very high for this week. Thank you for your recommendation in regards to wine and cheese being offered on the first night. We will be sure to pass your feedback to our team. We thank you again for submitting your review and we hope that you enjoyed your time in Croatia overall.

Sail/cycle Croatia

Free tea and coffee available on the boat outside meal times. More hanging space for wet clothing and more pegs.

- susan, 13/10/2017 15:37, Travelled with Family

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2017-11-03:

Thank you for your review. Tea & Coffee availability is something we are currently looking into for future seasons. Thank you for your suggestion of more hanging space and pegs, this will be passed on to the Operations Team for potential future improvements. Thank you.

No air conditioner

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

Beth, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2017-03-22:

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.

Significant Issues

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

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2017-03-22:

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.

Disappointed

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

Ceira, Sales Rep at Sail Croatia replied 2017-03-22:

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.

Explorer cruise

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- Russell, 02/06/2016 05:29, Travelled in a Couple