Some more thought into the details would be recommended. I.e having food that suits the cultures on board/having an option for those that don’t eat fish/seafood for example. Some rooms Air Con didn’t work Some of the decisions and recommendations for activities dinner etc seemed strange and almost like there were “kick backs” or back scratching for certain places vs others. (Some of the organised dinner recommendations weren’t good) Lots/most of the activities that we saw online were not available. The boat owner needs to be much more friendly, less grumpy and controlling. Some of the logistics around swimming stops were obviously just to suit the boat and to be the most fuel/time efficient, which meant we were sometimes docked too early or swimming with boats passing by, not the crystal clear water advertised. Some of the staff were doing the bare minimum. The rep has potential but was barely engaging with the guests above giving a talk each day after lunchtime.
- Levi Smith , 13/08/2024 05:33, Travelled in a Couple
Dear Levi, Thank you for your review about your recent Explorer Cruise, Levi. We're sorry to hear that your experience didn't fully meet your expectations, and we truly value the time you took to share your thoughts. I can see we have received high feedback scores from your fellow travellers onboard, so we're sad to see that your experience fell short. The excursions are subject to minimum numbers and are organised by local supplierse in Croatia - we're sorry to hear that you were unable to take part in some of these. With regards to the logisitcs and the itinerary, it is not possible to reserve timeslots in port in Croatia, so our Captains try their best to arrive ahead of other ships to get the best placement for our guests, and also to ensure there is the perfect balance of time spent both on and off of the ship. Thank you for your feedback regarding the swim stops. We certainly do take food preferences and dietary requests onboard - we do ask our customers to let us know in advance if you have preferences and these are passed onto the Chef onboard. After looking into our communication with you, unfortunately we did not receive any preferences with regards to seafood or special requests. Lastly, your comments about the staff have been noted, and we’ll use your feedback to ensure better service across the board. We hope to welcome you in the future. Kind Regards
I had a good time but there were minor improvements I think that could be made to make it a great time. 1. When ocean is not great to swim in (Due to heat) offer to get the zodiac boat out and take few ppl to the little islands where we anchor. 2. Variety in breakfast 3. Everyone feels like lunch is v heavy and a lot (could scale back as u feel compelled to eat it 4. Bedroom designs: A) more hooks around the room given the limited space B) additional coat hangers C) ability to order some late night snacks or have them to purchase Lastly i was disappointed that when we got to split the crew had kinda given up it felt. They were disengaged and seemed like they were winding down Thursday night when we still have 2 days.
- Ryan, 21/05/2024 09:27, Travelled in a Couple
Hi Ryan, thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We are pleased to hear you had a good time. We also appreciate your suggestions which we have already passed onto our Operations team for their review. We are a little disappointed to read your comment regarding the crew as from the feedback we can see that they received an impressive score of 4.94/5. Thank you again for your feedback and we hope to welcome you again in the future.
We, as well as other guests, did NOT likethe food at all. Breakfast was good but the lunches were horrible. No fresh vegetables, all vegetables were frozen and mushy. Purées of I’m not sure what we’re always cold. Lasagna was good. A woman who only eats fish got what looked like frozen fish fingers. Basically the food was awful at lunch. The captains dinner was interrupted by Kara allowing the TV in for the rugby game Which followed by yelling and screaming. My husband had words with Klara. We left the dining room. It was ridiculous……chairs turned around toward the tv and we weren’t finished the main course. The partying that followed went on with very loud music and singing until after 1am. I think there were some complaints from other boats. The crew were always smoking at the window of the bar. The swim stops were amazing as were the islands and klara was a very good organizer. Would not recommend at this time.
- Anonymous, 09/10/2023 03:51, Travelled in a Couple
Hi there, thank you for taking the time to review our services and provide us with your further feedback. We are very pleased to hear you have enjoyed the swim stops, destinations that you have visited and that your representative was a very good organiser. We thank you for these kind comments. We also appreciate your comments regarding the food and atmosphere onboard during the rugby game. We are disappointed to hear that you found the food provided was not of the expected high standard. We will be sure to pass these comments to our operations team so improvements can be made. Any big sporting event be it football or rugby brings some excitement all around - we are sorry to hear this was not managed to your liking. Smoking is only permitted at outdoor, designated areas and if one notices anything different, we welcome reporting this to the Onboard Representative. Thank you for joining us and for your feedback.
Unfortunately night one we were stuck in the port due to bad weather. Everyone was left to fend for themselves with little information other than the boat should depart the following morning. Upon returning from dinner several people were still sitting on the boat with no room allocation. There was little to no communication as to when we could take our bags to our allocated rooms. The Sail Croatia representitive disappeared for several hours and it did not start off well. The entire crew energy felt tired and like they just wanted to be somewhere else. Positives from the trip - The food was excellent up until the last day. Things that can be improved to make everyones time better utilised - Each day our Sail Croatia Representitive would give a detailed speach about the port/town we were arriving into and the local things on offer. This was also provided in a WhatsApp message. Google Map links would be beneficial along with pre-booking activies like bikes/scooters. Most tours close 3pm
- Anonymous, 05/10/2023 23:21, Travelled in a Couple
Hi there! Thank you for your 3-star review. We appreciate all your comments and are really pleased to hear you enjoyed the meals served and the detailed daily speeches, thank you. The safety and wellbeing of all our guests is paramount, and due to bad weather the boat spent the first night in Dubrovnik. This was also communicated by your Onboard Rep. We understand during your week there were extreme weather conditions which is very unfortunate. Upon checking our internal reports, we can confirm that all rooms were allocated before lunch and guests were advised that rooms will be ready by 12:30pm. This was communicated by the Onboard Rep. Please note that the cruise starts at 1pm and the Onboard Rep was onboard to assist. On our Sail Croatia App, which is highlighted in your pre-departure information, it provides map links and location details, which comes in handy during your cruise. This is a great tool to use whilst in Croatia and has many resources. We appreciate your suggestions and welcome all your comments, thank you. We hope you enjoyed your time in Croatia and we thank you for choosing to travel with us this season.
Felt like a tired routine, not quite the experience I was hoping for. I think it’s too pricey for what we were offered. Ship feels dated compared to the others we saw in dock.
- John, 11/09/2023 06:06, Travelled in a Couple
Hi John, thank you for taking the time to write your review, we appreciate it. We are saddened to hear that this was not the experience you had envisioned. Our Explorer fleet's selection and booking process is customer-driven, allowing you to prioritise your first-choice ship, provided it's available. In the event that your preferred option is unavailable, we'll promptly offer a diverse range of ships that cater to every budget and luxury preference. You can find images and details of these ships on our website for your reference. We are pleased to see from the feedback you provided that you enjoyed other aspects of the cruise, and the issues you mentioned didn't detract from your overall enjoyment. Thank you again for your review and for joining us this season.
The food at lunch should be lighter and healthier.; not pasta and risotto. Sandwiches, salads, roasted vegetables, wraps, would be better. We don’t need dessert. Coffee needs to be out during the morning for longer that one hour. Keep coffee out until 11:00 AM. Happy Hour from 6-7. Drinks at bar poor quality. Quality of cabin was not great. I wasn’t expecting much, but the handle was off my drawer in the bathroom & bed and pillow VERY uncomfortable. I DID enjoy my trip as there was more to enjoy than these things and had a great time. Thank you.
- Sarah, 11/09/2023 03:17, Travelled Solo
Hi Sarah, thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We are really pleased to hear you enjoyed your time on the cruise and Croatia as a whole. We are disheartened to hear of the issues raised. All cruises include 3-course lunches which is usually a starter, main and dessert - I'm sorry to hear you were unhappy with the lunches served, our chefs aim to provide a variety of meals using fresh, local produce. Upon viewing the feedback you provided, we are happy to know you enjoyed the Captain's Dinner and other aspects of your cruise. We are disappointed to read about the drawer handle and pillow - we have a rigorous process in place for any issues that arise onboard, which is outlined in your pre-departure information and following this process ensures that no incident is left unreported. Had we been made aware, we would have resolved this immediately for you. We understand that coffee is important to some, so we provide filtered coffee which is available during breakfast hours and complimentary instant coffee is also available during the day. You also have the option of capsual coffee payable via your bar tab. We appreciate your comments and are thrilled to know that the issues raised didn't deter from your overall enjoyment onboard.
Our trip on Tempera was memorable for the lovely port schedule & tasty, well prepared meals. But since I have been asked to answer "what would I have changed to improve the product", here goes: Pre-departure information regarding the trip was patchy & very generic, including changing our boat (which we readily agreed to, without realising the trip would be accomodating such a young client profile) Some sailing times were very early in the morning, which meant no chance of getting a lie-in. There was quite a lot of hovering outside ports, so whilst not sailing, not able to sight-see either. Breakfast time could have been extended, especially on the days when we weren't in port until mid-afternoon, to enable a more leisurely start to the day. It was quite damp in our cabin, & noisy at night, with lots of smoking. Despite all of the above, we really did enjoy ourselves. Ioana, our guide, was enthusiastic & communicated very well. All staff worked tirelessly, especially catering: thanks.
- Janet, 27/06/2023 07:14, Travelled in a Couple
Hi Janet, Thank you for your review and for taking the time to provide us with your further feedback. We are pleased to read you thought your cruise itinerary was brilliant and you enjoyed the islands that you visited. Your suggestions for improvements to our pre-departure documents are very much welcome and have been passed on to our Marketing team. Thank you for your comments on sailing times, breakfast time and your accommodation onboard. It is great that these didn't detract from your experience onboard and you have truly enjoyed yourselves. Wonderful to hear your representative Ioana took good care of you and that the meals prepared by the outstanding chef were to your liking. Thank you again and do come back soon!
I felt that the prices for alcohol onboard were very expensive . The organizational skills of our host were non existent . We had to constantly ask for information and many times ( especially when on excursions) we were left trying to organise ourselves and sort out transportation issues !
- Arlene, 27/06/2023 04:54, Travelled in a Couple
Hi there, thank you for taking the time to write your review Arlene. After reviewing customer feedback, it's great to see you enjoyed some aspects of your cruise; Captain's Dinner, cabin, boat in general and the onboard crew, to name a few. We are pleased to inform you that our internal reporting shows that the majority of guests on your ship provided five-star feedback for the cruise and the service provided by our onboard Rep. However, we are disappointed to learn that your experience did not align with the rest of the group's positive feedback and this will be passed on. We hope to welcome you back to show the improvements made.
Let me first start with value of the trip, for what we paid for I expected more. 1. The food. Breakfast was very simple and it felt that the continental breakfast of scramble eggs, mixed vegetables, cheeses, some fruits, and cereal for 7 days was very mundane. Lunch a 3 course meal with puréed vegetables made me think I was eating baby food. The cruise team was very nice and pleasant, however the person in charge of keeping us informed of the days event, needed to have the ability to keep the passengers interacting with each others. Like a cruise director would. Many times I felt, we needed to mingle with the other passengers to get to know each others, verses having interactive things directed by the cruise organizer. I feel this would cause a good bond between the passengers and allowed a more interactive trip. The only two times this happened was when we all went to a club together and the BBQ. On the captains dinner it would have been nice if the captain visit each table.
- Doug, 07/06/2023 06:15, Travelled in a Couple
Hi Doug, Thank you for your review and for taking the time to provide us with your feedback on your Explorer cruise with us this season. We are so happy to read you found the team on board nice and very pleasant, this is wonderful to read. Please be assured your feedback is well received and very important to us at Sail Croatia as it is only with such feedback we can improve our experience for guests, where possible. Your comments and suggestions have been passed onto each of the relevant departments and we are very grateful for this. Space on board and in our kitchen is very limited, so we do try our best to provide a selection of meals to suit everyone and catering to dietary requirements, however this can be difficult with such a small amount of space. We wish to thank you for joining us this season!
A great little cruise totally let down by sales staff, allocations staff and after sales customer service. Information on booking was inaccurate and misleading. After sales customer service lame, defensive and frankly frustrating. Were unable to grasp the gravity of the situation. My separate complaint refers. On a positive Dino the Tour Guide did everything he could on board to offset the frustration and disappointment. Other than that great Tour Guide and Crew - thank you especially Dino and Sime! ❤️. Food service staff friendly but service sometimes slow and haphazard- half serving tables before moving to the next. Room cleanliness good. Food good but ran out of breakfast items - bananas and muesli. Captain didn't engage throughout even on Captains Night. Enjoyable and relevant excursions. Tour schedule altered one day due to inclement weather - saved the day! Perfect!
- Stephanie, 01/05/2023 08:37, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for your review Stephanie. We are pleased to hear Dino was helpful and available at all times and we will be sure to share your comments with him and Sime. We encourage guests to request more supplies if they run out, and our crew will be more than happy to replenish this. The onboard crew work tirelessly to provide outstanding customer service and we are disappointed to hear that there was some slow meal service at times, thank you for letting us know. We hope you managed to book some of the amazing excursions on offer during your week with us! In regards to the customer service levels provided, we are very disappointed to read this as we pride ourselves on providing an unbeatable customer service experience. Our records show that you did indeed have a request for a front cabin which was correctly noted by our Sales staff. We are aware that unfortunately this request was not met immediately at check-in however our Operations team reacted swiftly and were indeed able to accommodate your request of a front cabin soon after check-in on the first day. You initially decided to stay in your allocated cabin but we were pleased to learn that you decided to relocate during the cruise. Again, we thank you for all your comments.
1)think that the boats should have paddle boards and canoes like others we saw for swim stops 2) the ability to get to shore when just moored, use the boats that are already on board 3) Food could have more choice and communicating a menu in advance so people can say they don't want would save a lot of waste and in some instances, alternative could be arranged.
- Ian, 22/09/2022 11:41, Travelled in a Couple
Hi Ian - Thank you for your review. We hope you enjoyed your time in Croatia. We appreciate all your comments. We don't include paddleboards or canoes I'm afraid, however at times past guests may leave their water toys onboard for others to enjoy, or these can be purchased at local markets to enjoy at swim stops. Mooring in to each harbour is reliant on port authorities and when given the go ahead, at times there may be a delay. Our chef aims to provide fresh meals using local produce each day from their small gulleys, and we can of course cater to any dietary requirements you may have. Thank you again.
Two Internet bloggers on board the ship with cameras, and drones constantly filming the activities. No attempt to ask for permission. Constantly had to hide between doors to avoid being on camera. A rather stressful holiday at times.
- Annette, 27/06/2022 13:30, Travelled in a Couple
Hi Annette, thank you for your review. Thank you for also reaching out to us via email. We’re glad that you raised your concerns with the bloggers onboard your ship and requested not to be a part of any content they created. We expect all customers to respect one another onboard our cruises and take into consideration any requests by fellow travellers not to be filmed or photographed when documenting their holiday experience. We hope that action was taken by the guests in question to ensure that no footage of yourself or John was published on social media. Our Onboard Representatives are available on each ship to support guests throughout the week, and mitigate any situations that may arise. If you weren’t satisfied with the action taken by your fellow traveller, we would have hoped you would communicate this with the Onboard Representative so that we could have resolved this issue. I’ve spoken with our Marketing Manager, and all internal photographers and videographers who board our ships to capture content do so in a GDPR compliant manner. Unfortunately Sail Croatia cannot be held responsible for content that is created by guests onboard in a public setting. The issues you have raised with us have been actioned by being reviewed internally as well as with the ICO and ABTA. The learning is that there was no GDPR breach and our feedback system indicates no issues were raised onboard. I am sorry this was not brought to our attention when you were onboard, so we were unable to resolve the issue immediately. We hope that you enjoyed your time regardless and we thank you for your review.
I think to start it would of been nice to of been greeted with a drink once we all got on board. I also think the bedding and towels needed to changed more than once. We had to ask every day for butter with the bread and we’re never given side plates. It would of been nice to have a jug of water on the table with lunch. The stars of breakfast was very poor. Some days the fruit was brown. Ioana who was the sail Croatia Rep was fantastic though and always went above and beyond with her organisational skills, she was an excellent representation for your company.
- Joanne Goodwin, 15/06/2022 05:49, Travelled in a Couple
Hi Joanne, Thank you for your review - this is much appreciated. We're glad to hear that Ioana went above and beyond to provide you with all the information needed onboard the cruise, we will certainly pass your comments on to her. Prior to our guests arrival we complete a thorough cleanse of each cabin and we organise a mid-week bedding/linen change and thorough cabin clean, daily cabin cleaning service and have added the inclusion of beach and bath towels onboard. We appreciate your suggestions of side plates at dinner, and water on the tables, which will be passed on to the Captain. I have had a look through the feedback provided by all guests, mainly regarding the breakfasts and can see that most of the ratings received were 4-5 stars. We understand that meals may not be to everyone's tastes, however encourage requesting alternative options from the chef. We can also provide the option of a cooked breakfast daily which is priced at 40EUR for the week. Thank you again for all your comments and suggestions. We hope that you enjoyed your time with us overall and that the issues mentioned didn't detract from your overall enjoyment in Croatia.
Explorer/Excursions: was disappointed by the lack of excursions and exploring on the explorer cruise. On board we did a lot of relaxing and cruising so I anticipated action packed land adventures. This trip fell flat. The 1 to 2 excursion I did I really enjoyed. Hora wine tasting (great local place with the sweetest donkeys) and biking in Mljet Meals: I am a pescatarian (no meat, only seafood). I was served seabream-4-5 lunches in a row. I mentioned to the guide I'd like more variety, the next lunch I again received seabream. After that I mentioned to the head crew member I'd like to eat something other than seabream. Then I finally I had a change to tuna. The next meal seabass. The guide also had dietary restrictions and made a huge fuss in front of our entire table when given something she didn't eat. My final meal aboard was back to seabream with a side of peppers; meanwhile the guide had a overwhelming portion of gnocchi and peppers.
- Melissa, 04/10/2021 17:02, Travelled Solo
Hi Melissa, Thank you for your review. It's great to hear you enjoyed the Korcula Village Dinner, Wine Tasting and cycling around Mljet National Park. We agree, these are fantastic excursions and we love the Hora wine (and donkey's) also. It's nice to see from your feedback provided, you enjoyed your breakfasts onboard, rating this 4 stars, although not our usual 5 star service, we are glad you enjoyed the meals served each morning and we appreciate the fact that you would recommend us to others, thank you. Our onboard chef's aim to prepare delicious meals, using fresh, local produce, catering to all tastes, however at times, we understand that this is not always possible. Sea bream is a highly valued species of Adriatic white fish which would have been skill-fully prepared for you, especially as you had advised us of your dietary requirements. In saying this, we are sorry to hear that this became quite repetitive throughout the week. We have mentioned this to the onboard chef so that they are aware. We hope that this aspect didn't deter from your overall experience and we thank you for joining us this summer!
Sail Croatia manager, Boris, was very helpful, informative, friendly, and cordial all week. The Cristal Crew, however, were not. The first thing we were told by them was "We've been working for 19 weeks straight. Don't expect us to serve you before 730am." I understood completely but the delivery left much to be desired. No smiles. Rude tones. One bartender would routinely move you out of her way with her hand instead of saying excuse me. This happened to myself and my wife as well as many others during the tour. This all changed during the last 2 days of the tour as it was approaching tip time and I guess they thought we would forget about the rest of the week? On another note, the hot tub doesn't heat up past 29.5 degrees C. We tried to use it multiple times and were just shrugged off when we asked about the heater. Food on the boat was good. Overall, we had a great time. Excursions were very fun and the islands just gorgeous.
- Mike, 17/09/2019 09:59, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for your review! We are really pleased to hear you enjoyed your time overall onboard Cristal with good food, lovely fellow passengers and some fun excursions. We agree with you there, the islands are simply stunning! Boris is a superstar! He is a prime example of a Sail Croatia Representative Extraordinaire! Providing guests with as much information as possible, so that they enjoy a fun, relaxing and friendly environment - we're really happy to hear he was a welcomed inclusion onboard. We are really disappointed to read of the unprofessional experience with some of the crew and also the hot tub heating issues, these have been highlighted to the Operations Manager to investigate further and we thank you for raising these concerns with us. Thank you again and we hope to have you join us again sometime soon!
No changes
- Shane, 28/08/2019 15:50, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for your review and a great week on board.
We booked an explorer cruise, specifically different to the other cruises for either those wanting to party or those wanting to relax on a retiree/relaxed cruise. What we got was not what was listed on the website. We began noticing a few days prior to our cruise on Instagram that the age on the cruise appeared to be retirees. We contacted sail Croatia two days before our cruise to confirm we had booked the right cruise and we were told that the average was 39 on our cruise with the oldest person being 65 and a few that had not listed their age. We asked how many young couples were on board and were told there was another couple our age and a couple in their 30’s. We then asked the representative if we could change boats to a younger vibe on the premier plus navigator. We were told that was fully booked and not possible and that we would love the boat we were on. We asked again if there was any other option; However if we waited 4 more days we could change to another premier plus boat.
- Byron, 29/06/2019 21:41, Travelled in a Couple
Hi there and thank you for your review. We are sorry to hear of your disappointment with the cruise type you booked. There are a couple of points in your review that I just need to clarify for other travellers considering booking with us. Our Explorer cruise offers a balance between sightseeing, relaxation and socialising. This cruise is for those that feel they fit within the category of 'young professionals and young at heart travellers', however, is open to all ages over 15 years. As specified on our website, typically Explorer cruises will have an age range from mid 20s to mid 60s (as a guide). I do recall the phone call and advising that the average ages onboard were from mid 40's to mid 50's, and confirmed that the travellers onboard were between the ages of 27 - 64 years old. Unfortunately we were fully booked across all of our Navigator Cruises on your departure date and couldn't move your booking. So that you had all available options on surrounding dates, I offered the Navigator Return (South) cruise which would've departed on the Wednesday as this was the closest available departure, however didn't hear back from you. We do hope you got to enjoy some aspects of your cruise and hope to experience Croatia with you once again in the future.
The boat and crew were fantastic, but unfortunately I was quite disappointed with the age group of travellers on board. There were a large number of older travellers when I was hoping to mix and mingle with travellers around the same age in the 20-40 age group. The trip is marked for couples, young professionals, young at heart. Unfortunately there were too many 'young at heart' and couples on board for my liking. I would recommend doing a Navigator cruise instead with a Premier boat. On the plus side our guide Ivana was amazing and we had a Sail Croatia photographer with us for the week (still waiting for the pictures though which are overdue),
- Anonymous, 18/09/2018 02:02, Travelled Solo
Thank you for your review. We’re so glad to hear that overall you had a wonderful time onboard your Explorer Cruise, and that you were well looked after by the crew and your Tour Manager. We’re sorry to hear that the age range onboard didn’t meet your expectations. Our Explorer Cruises are perfect for travellers that wish to explore, socialise and experience Croatia at its finest, and we often find a mix of couples, young professionals and young at heart travellers onboard. Please keep an eye on the Sail Croatia Facebook page, where all images from the 2018 season will be published.
The cruise was amazing. The ship Provedenca was beautiful & the cabins & all areas very comfortable. The. Best part of the Cruise was Anna & her team their level of service was phenomenal and needs to be rewarded. The food was amazing too. The only thing I would maybe recommend is too have some snorkeling masks & fins available, we took ours with and had most of the guests lend ours as they also wanted to snorkel. Apart from that it was amazing and I would recommend sail Croatia to everyone!!!
- Bronwyn, 18/08/2017 06:59, Travelled in a Couple
Crew was generally great visited some amazing places, although bathroom was mouldy and wet, required better cleaning. WIFI didn't work the whole trip which made it hard to plan activities on the islands. Itinerary was vague at best there was no clear departure times given to us which also made planning your time on the islands difficult.
- James , 08/08/2016 11:32, Travelled in a Couple
Thank you for providing feedback on your Explorer Dubrovnik to Split cruise. It's great to know that the crew were great and that you enjoyed the places visited. I'm sorry to hear about your bathroom. We have strict procedures in place for any issues that arise whilst on our cruise and upon checking our reports from last season, I could not find any notification from you to a member of staff regarding this. Had a member of staff been made aware, we would have rectified this immediately. The Wi-Fi onboard is subject to data limits and network coverage whilst at sea, however I have passed your comments onto our Operations Team so they can check if additional upgrades are available. As standard procedure, our crew and/or representative should provide you with arrival and departure times at each destination daily so that you can plan your day - we will investigate what had happened here. Thank you again for your feedback.
2 courses for lunch is plenty. Shade over part of the top floor. Better quality of wine. Better quality of mixers for cocktails. Provide a receipt for each drink purchase to allow a tally of what has been charged.
- Doreen, 18/07/2016 21:27, Travelled in a Couple
The beds and pillows are shocking!
- mark, 18/07/2016 08:46, Travelled in a Couple