Sail Croatia needs a boat dedicated to solo only travellers. My experience was fun and thoroughly enjoyed it although it was somewhat difficult to socialize with others as they were glued to their friend until roughly day 5 where everyone started to branch out and really connect as a group.
- Anonymous, 11/09/2024 12:41, Travelled Solo
It really depends on the group & crew that makes the trip. The bartender on the boat wasn't the most pleasant and the chef was horrible. I knew going on the boat that the food was not going to be the best but it was horrible. Also, I didn't like how we didn't have to much free time and the swim spots were okay, nothing great either. Overall, the trip was okay.
- Jessica, 09/08/2024 14:15, Travelled Solo
Dear Jessica, thank you for sharing your review of your recent Navigator Cruise. We appreciate your feedback. Thank you for the feedback regarding the food, bartender, and chef. Rest assured, your feedback will be passed on to the team. We hope to welcome you again in the future!
Sail Croatia really let me down with my experience by not mixing the people on our boat. Out of 30 people there were 29 women (13 of which were one big group that were not very interested in socialising outside of their group) the one male was a partner of the only couple on the boat. I believe variety in people would have most definitely improved everyone's experience. While our tour manager was absolutely lovely and kind I was disappointed with their lack of knowledge of Croatia in general. Unfortunately their inexperience showed when they struggled to comand respect and order when addressing the group. This showed when organising activities or even getting people excited meet up to learn about our beautiful scenic stops. The crew onboard were so lovely and accommodating. The food was great. After stopping at a few ports and seeing the variety in types of Sail Croatia Boats I was also disappointed that when booking I was not given options to upgrade to a boat with better facilities.
- Caris, 03/08/2024 08:31, Travelled Solo
Dear Caris, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and for completing our feedback form. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your experience with the crew and the swim stops, and we truly appreciate the high scores you provided on the feedback form. While we always strive to provide the best possible experience for all our clients, we unfortunately cannot guarantee or control the bookings and other clients we receive, including the ratios. As per your enquiry and request, we booked the Ensuite ship category for you. Please note that we do offer higher-tier options, such as our Premier and Premier Plus ships, which were available at the time of your booking. Should you have wished to upgrade, we would have been more than happy to arrange this for you. Once again, thank you for your feedback, and we hope to welcome you on board again in the future. Kind regards,
I felt like it was almost expected of us to drink every single night, which led to many of us feeling sick and terrible by the end of the week and not actually enjoying the beautiful places we stopped at. I wish there were more non-drinking activities so we could’ve gotten to know everyone better. Sometimes it felt like you couldn’t participate unless you were drinking. Our boat was also definitely one of the cheapest models. If I had a little more detail about what exactly each boat entailed I probably would’ve booked the next level up. That being said, the crew was fantastic and our guide was great.
- Julia, 13/09/2023 07:21, Travelled Solo
Hi Julia, thank you for your review! We are pleased to read you were happy with the crew on board and your Sail Croatia Representative, thank you for this. Our Navigator cruises are designed for 18-39 year old travellers looking to socialise, party and meet others, so often some of the guests on board will consume alcohol. This is of course entirely up to each individual. With regards to ship types, the difference between each category can be found on our website and on the Navigator cruise page. I can confirm the Standard ship category you booked is the lowest price and usually aimed at guests on a budget, and usually perfect for travellers backpacking across Europe! Thank you so much for joining us in Croatia this summer.
being able to get new clean towels for showering would of been good as the rooms and bathrooms get so disgusting especially since there are no curtains on the showers so water gets everywhere. i didn’t expect the drinks to be as expensive as they were. the crew was great regardless of these factors.
- Anonymous, 07/08/2023 12:55, Travelled with Family
Hi there and thank you for taking the time to review our cruise. We are really pleased to hear you had a great time onboard, thank you. We understand that towels can get dirty during the cruise, upon request the crew will be able to provide an additional towel. We understand budgeting is important for guests, so we have a few readily available blogs available on our website which details approximate drink prices onboard our ships. Great to hear that these issues didn't detract from your overall enjoyment on the cruise. Thank you for choosing to travel with us this season and we hope to have you join us again in the future.
First I want to say the crew was amazing, very helpful and friendly. Also the food was epic. Unfortunately on my ship our rep left after 1 day and we were stranded, the new rep came on and bless her soul she was lovely but not suited to a party boat. The boat I was on as well had one big group of friends who didn't really want to mingle that much with everyone else or actually party much which was annoying. My roommate was also very sick and she got me sick, so I'm angry about that because it's ruined my trip. All the food places we went to were hella expensive and meh, also the clubs were over hyped and too expensive. The drinks on the boat were annoyingly over priced and so we just didn't want to pay those prices to drink a lot. I was recommended this by a friend but unfortunately I will be telling people not to waste their money especially if traveling solo. It was the worst part of my trip so far.
- Kirstie, 05/08/2023 11:40, Travelled Solo
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We are pleased to hear that you found our crew amazing and enjoyed the meals onboard. We are however sorry to hear you were unwell during your cruise which had an affect on your overall experience. We aim to get a good mix of travellers onboard our ships, and whilst our Reps work tirelessly to ensure group dynamics are balanced, this is not always possible as it ultimately depends on the individuals onboard. We understand budgeting is important for guests, so we have a few readily available blogs on our website which details approximate drink prices onboard our ships, and also the type of prices to expect at local restaurants which are updated regularly. We appreciate your feedback as it is valuable to us, and we hope to have you onboard again in the near future.
The ship, crew, tour leader, food etc. was simply awesome. Can’t fault the destinations and sight seeing either. Absolutely stunning. However the booking system needs serious improvement. Large groups are placed on the boat which inherently makes it hard for solo guests to socialise as these groups are generally not as interested to meet new people. It makes solo guests feel awkward and like a ‘spare wheel’. It was clear our tour manager could see this occurring. It would be far better if solo guests or small groups be placed together, and Sail Croatia would have known these groups were on the ship with me. Pretty disappointed I wasn’t given the option to even downgrade vessel, if that meant I could be with more ‘like-minded’ travellers or guests. I’m going to find it difficult to recommend to others who are solo travelling as well….Coupled to this when placed in a room with a complete stranger, give each guest a key. If either guest wants to do different activities, makes things awk.
- Thomas , 17/07/2023 05:19, Travelled Solo
Hi Thomas, Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your review and your constructive feedback. It is wonderful to read that the ship, the crew, your representative and the sights and sounds of visited destinations didn't disappoint. Your feedback regarding having 2 x sets of keys per cabin is very welcomed and has been passed on to our Operations team and the Captain. Regarding the mix of travellers onboard your cruise, our cruises aren't specifically sold or booked as solo traveller cruises and everyone is welcome onboard. The final mix of travellers is inevitably dependent on any bookings that we receive and I can see we did have some other solo travellers booked apart from yourself. We are sad to hear that the overall mix wasn't to your expectations and satisfactions, however, it is great to see that overall, based on your submitted feedback, you would still recommend us. Thanks again for joining us this season!
I enjoyed my time but was it worth the amount of money I spent? No way, could’ve had a much better time spending less money doing something different. Obvious attempts to make extra profits left a sour taste. Drink prices on board were similar to a bar and lot’s of people found discrepancies between what they were charged and what they ordered. Nearly everyone just drank offshore towards the end of the cruise. The BBQ dinner was the most obvious sign of taking our cash. Charging us 25 Euro’s for a BBQ and offering no other alternative for dinner since we were out of port was shocking. Was just very average food so reckon it cost about 10 euro’s per person. Some other compulsory charges like the tourist tax should’ve just been included in the initial price anyway, if we 100% have to pay it then why exclude it from the initial price?
- Anonymous, 05/07/2023 07:57, Travelled Solo
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review and provide us with feedback. It is great to hear you enjoyed your time onboard our Navigator cruise. We strive to ensure accurate and transparent billing for all our guests when it comes to the bar tab. You are also welcome to ask for a daily tally of your tab as one can easily lose track of what has been consumed during the week. Regarding the pricing, Croatia has only recently adopted Euros as a currency and we are going through a phase of adjusting the local pricing. We are sorry to hear you didn't find the BBQ to be of good value. Please rest assured your feedback has been passed to the Captain. All local tourist tax is payable locally rather than packaged in a price of the holiday. You will find this is a standard practice across the industry in various destinations and not just Croatia. Thank you again for your feedback and do come and see us again!
The food on our boat was horrible. There was very little provided for breakfast (usually just bread with butter) and the included lunch was always extremely disappointing (usually soup with bread and some kind of boiled meat). We were all very hungry and there were no snacks provided during the day- we couldn’t bring our own snacks on board and we didn’t dock until the afternoon so there was no option to get off the boat to buy food. The rest of the tour was amazing and I would definitely do it again.
- Anonymous, 06/06/2023 07:46, Travelled Solo
Thank you for your 3 star review and for taking the time to provide feedback on your cruise with us this season. Your comments have now been passed onto the relevant teams and changes are already set in place so that improvements can be made. We thank you for bringing this to our attention and love to read you would join us again - we would love to have you! Thank you for a great week exploring Croatia with us.
The boat was great and loved Croatia, however the problem was with the organisation and poor communication from staff. There were two trainee guides on board as well and they all clashed with each other. We were promised parties in the middle of the sea with a barbecue when in reality we had an early curfew and this didn’t go ahead at all. Early June was off season for most of the clubs so itinerary was not accurate at all. Swim stops were not communicated so I missed some of them. Croatian staff on board (bartender, captain, cook) were great though.
- Issy, 01/09/2022 07:03, Travelled Solo
Hi Issy, Thank you for your 5-star review. We are really pleased to hear you enjoyed your time on the boat and had a fabulous time in Croatia. However, we are sorry to hear you were disappointed with some aspects of your cruise. We pride ourselves on having the most knowledgable, friendly and local Representatives. Before the season commences, our Reps go through rigorous training and shadow work, so they are confident prior to their first departure solo. I have checked, and can see that the feedback for the Reps was 4-5 stars. On all our ships we have a midnight curfew which is to ensure those that wish to party on, can do so in the towns - visiting the best local bars and clubs, and those that wish to stay onboard and get an early night, can do so in peace. In early June, most bars and clubs are open to public however, we understand that Covid has caused a slight delay in opening times. Swim stops commence each day and the onboard rep will advise everyone of the daily schedule - I'm sorry to hear you missed some of them. Thank you for your comments on the onboard staff - we will pass this on :-). I'm pleased that overall you enjoyed your time on the boat and in Croatia as a whole.
The website is extremely hard to navigate. On day 1 of our cruise we were told to get off the boat after the meeting time because it wasn’t ready yet. This kind of disorganisation could have been avoided if you had a later meeting time. The price of excursions and drinks was pretty expensive and the fact that there wasn’t organised shuttles for a lot of stops was quite poor. There was a lot of hidden extras that added up. I definitely should have researched my ship more as it was way too party for me. I liked that breakfast and lunch was included everyday, however we didn’t get a lot of free time at most stops. Whilst I’m glad I did it I wouldn’t be doing another sail again. I think navigator is best suited to under 25 party goers. Also you shouldn’t ask people to review on the last day in front of their tour manager. It’s very awkward and not anonymous.
- Kieran, 22/08/2022 05:50, Travelled Solo
Hi Kieran, thank you for your review. We are continuously improving our customer experience by ensuring our website is easy to navigate. Check-in time onboard is from 10:30am - 12pm, however please note that your boat may not be ready by this time as mentioned in your pre-departure documentation. The boat left promptly at 1pm as scheduled. We do advise that dinners, drinks and excursions are at an additional cost so that you can budget for this, we have prices for drinks and excursions available. We're happy to know you enjoyed the inclusions of breakfasts and lunches. However, are sorry to hear this was too party orientated. Our Navigator cruises are aimed at under 39 year old travellers looking for a more party type cruise. Perhaps the Explorer cruise may be a better option as this has a good balance of socialising, relaxing and exploring. We encourage reviews and feedback to be provided privately, in your own words - we will be investigating further, thank you for making us aware. Thank you again for all your comments Kieran as this is the only way we can look to improve our services where possible. Thank you.
Great experience and people involved! Loved everything that was provided however paid extra to have an ensuite and be on top deck however the heat in my room was unbearable. It was right next to the engine room, the aircon faced away from the bed and didn’t provide any cooling effect. The bathroom was tiny and hot with the shower head facing the toilet. I didn’t sleep in the room at all and slept on the floor down below deck as the air con was much better down there. I would like to be compensated for the extra money I paid for an ensuite as the room was not liveable.
- Kate, 12/07/2022 19:20, Travelled Solo
Hi Kate - thank you for your review, we appreciate it. We are really happy to hear you had a great experienced and enjoyed the company of your fellow travellers. We have 4 ship types available; Standard, Ensuite, Premier and Premier Plus on our Navigator cruises. I can see that you booked an Ensuite ship which includes ensuite and a fan in your cabin. Air-conditioning is not included on our Ensuite ship, however we are pleased to hear your Captain turned this on in the communal areas downstairs free of charge. Having a look at the ratings for this room for previous departures, the feedback given was 5 stars for the previous two departures. I have confirmation from our Onboard Representative that the fan was in working order in your cabin. I would highly recommend our Premier or Premier Plus ship in future as this includes air-conditioning and more cabin space for added comfort. Thank you again for your feedback.
With a backdrop as beautiful as Croatia its hard to go wrong. Yet, this wasn't smooth sailing. Maybe it was the fact I had such high expectations from the glowing reviews that Sail Croatia gets, but the tour just felt extremely disorganised. We had a very lacklustre tour manager that did very little to hype up the mood and bring the group together. There was also A LOT of wasted time on the boat. SC markets these gorgeous daily swimspots; reality was not this with spots in random locations overlooking roads and deserted housing. We spent 4-5 hours each day anchored in the one spot rather than seeing the actually towns/islands marketed. The tipping point being the 'Day trip' to Mljet. We anchored near Mljet at 9am and didn't port at the park till close to 2pm, where we were then told to be back at the boat by 4pm. This left about an hour to explore! After completing many organised tours in the past, this definitely has turned me of organised tours in the future!
- Nick, 11/07/2022 06:32, Travelled Solo
Hi Nick, thank you for your review. We agree - Croatia is absolutely gorgeous and we are pleased you enjoyed your time. We pride ourselves on providing local guides that have a wealth of knowledge and are passionate about their country and culture. Having a look at the ratings for your Onboard Representative, he had received all 4-5 star ratings for your week, which includes organisation, friendliness and information. We appreciate your 4 and 5 star feedback rating and we are sorry to hear of your disappointment here. Our Captain chooses a variety of secluded bays to swim in, for the enjoyment of all guests. I understand that there were some issues with the anchor for one day in Mljet, and whilst this was being rectified, there were complimentary drinks provided and all guests were happy with the resolution. You remained in Mljet overnight until the next morning. We do hope that the issues experienced didn't detract from your overall enjoyment Nick. We do hope to have you join us again in the future.
The main thing I would change would be the tour guide. He was a very nice person but brought no energy or people skills to the group. Sometimes when we were asking him stuff it was like trying to draw blood from a stone. His answers were always “I don’t know I’ll ask the captain” lucky our group was very independent and we managed to find our own things to do and entertain ourselves. The aircon on the boat was very poor and j was disappointed at the boat crew handing us the review form on their iPad telling us we need to give them a 5 star review and then leaving an envelope in our rooms for tips. I had higher expectations as I heard a lot of good things and but it’s if I wasn’t b a problem
- Chris , 27/06/2022 01:54, Travelled Solo
Hi there Chris, thank you for your review. We hope you enjoyed your time in Croatia and got to immerse yourself in the country and culture. We are disappointed to read your comments regarding the Tour Guide, as we pride ourselves on having the best, local, friendly and knowledgeable Tour Guides onboard all our ships. Upon checking our feedback for this week, your rep received mostly 5 star reviews with 1x 4 star review. The boat you were on was Ensuite which doesn't include air-conditioning. It is at the Captain's discretion whether this is turned on, we are pleased he included this free of charge. We encourage our guests to provide us with their honest review and tipping is completely at guests discretion. ,We are disappointed to learn that you felt pressured to provide this - your comments will be passed on to the Operations Manager. Thank you again for all your comments, we hope this didn't detract from your overall experience in Croatia.
Staff were incredible, but to many issues happened on the boat. Generator was down for days, the chef cut his leg open and was unable to cook. Amongst a lot of other issues.
- Anonymous, 11/07/2019 10:00, Travelled Solo
Hi there and thank you for your review. We are really pleased to hear that the staff were incredible and we are glad to see your 5-star feedback rating on all aspects of the cruise, thank you! We understand that there were a few issues onboard which were immediately resolved by the crew. Thus being the generator being down for 24 hours, and I understand all guests enjoyed a free BBQ onboard for the inconvenience. The chef was unable to cook mid-way through the cruise due to the his injuries however, was still involved in the food preparation. Thank you.
I would like to send an email to fully explain my thoughts, however there were a number of events that detracted from my experience. Please note that the crew Bruno, Boris, Hichela, Marko, Karlo and Mate were fantastic in their efforts to solve the issues, and were extremely professional and dedicated to their jobs. When Mate injured his foot, the remainder of the crew were forced to cook, meaning the food quality decreased slightly (not their fault - they’re not chefs) and they couldn’t focus on their primary role. I was disappointed that Sail Croatia did not send a replacement chef or waitress to help. Secondly was a power issue cause by operator error, but again, I saw this as Sail Croatia’s mistake in not correctly training their crews or familiarising them with the ship. I still had a fantastic week (because of the crew and locations) but was disappointed with the lack of support from your company. Our crew were fantastic, but your company could use some improvement.
- Guy, 08/07/2019 09:53, Travelled Solo
Thank you for your review and your email with additional comments, this is appreciated. We are pleased to hear that the crew and your representative were fantastic with their efforts and were professional at all times. However, we are sorry to hear of your disappointment with some aspects. I have spoken with the representative Boris and he has confirmed that on day 3 of your cruise, chef Mate was unable to continue his role as head chef due to injuries. Given that it was such short notice, the captain was unable to obtain a chef replacement. However, the Captain then stepped in to resume this role with the chef assisting with the food preparation for the remainder of the cruise. I've had a look at the issues regarding the generator onboard and can see that this has been recorded via our internal records. I understand that the generator was down for 24 hours and that all guests received a free BBQ onboard due to this human error made by one of the crew, which has been followed up. We hope that these issues didn't detract from your overall experience, and we thank you again for bringing this to our attention via email, so that we could address them directly with you.
Booking process should show availability. You select a cruise that you want and it shows as available only to get an email shortly after that that boat/cabin is not available. I booked late, under the impression that there were heaps of spots remaining as the website said so only to end up in the worst room on the worst boat. No big deal in the end but annoying. Zero attempt by Sail staff to get everyone introduced together. Unfortunate weather meant we had to divert first night, no ones fault. Swim stops were few and far between, other ships seemed to have a lot more in better locations. missed the second last stop because of weather and went straight to dubrovnik. Weather was blue skies and no wind, I heard its because the boats don\'t want to pay docking fees. Staff very friendly. Food was actually good on boat, recommended restaurants were awful. Drinks wayyy to expensive, should be on par with mainland $5 AUD for a beer is a bit much for young people. Still fun.
- Marcus, 13/09/2016 05:19, Travelled Solo
Hi there, thank you for your review regarding your Navigator Split to Dubrovnik cruise.It is great to hear that you found the crew friendly, you enjoyed the food on-board and that you had fun on your cruise. In regards to availability of our cruises, our prices don't reflect availability and this is noted under the pricing grid for each cruise. We prefer to speak with our customers and we feel by doing so, adds value to their experience with us, and enables us to assist them in finding the best suited cruise for them. In the case of bad weather, or even the chance of bad weather, the Captain may have to alter the itinerary and will visit a different island and port, to ensure the guests are safe yet still get to experience Croatia. I can assure you this has nothing to do with avoiding port fees as pricing is similar at all ports. At the time of docking, the weather may seem to be perfect however, in the early hours this can change drastically and the captain will be aware of this hours in advance. In ports such as Hvar where it is quite open and susceptible to rocky seas if a storm strikes the captain may decide to dock at Stari Grad where the port is fully protected. As the boats will be docked for around 12 hours, for the safety of our guests he will decide to dock at the safest port possible that offers the most protection from stormy weather. In regards to the swim stops, when possible, the Captain will stop to give guests a chance to swim, however this depends on the weather and the scheduling of the ship. I am sorry that this wasn't communicated clearly to you when on-board. In regards to the drinks prices, these do vary and range from 1.96EUR ($2.60AUD) to 2.60EUR ($3.50AUD). Thank you again for taking the timing to let us know about your experience.
The room that I got was on the ensuite boat downstairs. Unbearable. Was so so hot down there, get no breeze through the hallway door, and when I opened the outside window a wave came in soaking my bed and ruining my phone. If your going to have rooms like this you need to make sure that the aircon on the boat works and if it doesn't work, get it fixed. I got really sick from this week due to lack of sleep and sleep in a saltwater soaked bed. Food was good, crew was good, activity options were good
- Nathan, 10/08/2016 04:32, Travelled Solo
Hi there and thanks for your feedback. We are pleased to hear the food on-board was good as well as the optional activities and crew - we will pass your comments on to them. In regards to the Lower Deck cabins, at times the rooms can become hotter during peak months. We advise, when safe, to open your port hole for ventilation whilst you are in your cabin to let air-flow through. As you booked an Ensuite Lower Deck cabin, we provide a fan in each of our Ensuite cabins as air-conditioning is not included on this boat type, (it is included on our Premier and Premier Plus boats). We are sorry to hear about the soaked bed. We have rigorous procedures in place for any issues that arise on-board our cruises, which is included in the pre-departure information emailed to you before the cruise and is outlined at the welcome speech. The first step is to communicate with the crew. If this does not resolve the issue, the second step is to contact our representative in which case we log this in our central reporting and manage the issue onboard until it is fully resolved and customers are happy. We also supply the contact details for our Operations Manager and Managing Director in the unlikely event you are disatisfied with any response from our team members. This procedure does then give us the opportunity to resolve an issue during the trip and follow up or check historical issues.I have searched our records and cannot see that you had reported this to a member of staff. Had this been reported, we would have rectified the bedding situation immediately. We are happy that you had a good trip overall and thank you for providing feedback.
Had a great time, however, the ratio of girls to guys was way too unbalanced on our boat, we were 28 girls and 5 guys, where 14 of those girls came as a group and kept to themselves most of the time. This limited group socialising. And then hearing about other boats who were having so much more fun as their group socialised more. Was a great cruise, make some cool friends nonetheless.
- Mary, 01/08/2016 21:12, Travelled Solo
Thank you for your feedback on our Navigator Dubrovnik to Split cruise. It's great to hear you had a good time on this cruise and made some new friends. We always aim to get a good balance on-board all our boats taking into consideration age, gender, nationality, group makeup - friends, solo travellers and couples. However, at times this is not possible as it heavily depends on who has booked what boat. We would like all our guests to socialise with other groups on-board, but it is down to the individual. In saying this, we had several boats on this route which hopefully provided you with a more sociable atmosphere in being able to mingle with travellers from other boats. Thanks again for your feedback.
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- Katharine, 30/06/2016 09:07, Travelled Solo