The ship was refurbished in 2011 and we thought the interior lovely, especially with all the delightful Christmas decorations and other Christmas touches for our December cruise.
We had a balcony cabin (C072) and found it spacious enough, clean, comfortable, quiet (except that the balcony doors tended to rattle) and with plenty of storage. We liked the bed - firm but not overly so - and bedding. The heating system was responsive and worked well. There were two UK power sockets and two US sockets by the desk and wi-fi extended to the cabin if you don’t mind paying for it (expensive and very slow). Tea/coffee-making facilities were provided, as was a mini-fridge (in a cupboard, with warm space above which was great for drying things).
The bathroom was tiny but adequate (tight for ‘big’ people). Toiletries from The White Company were welcome. The hairdryer was of the wall-fixed fat-hose variety but it worked well enough for us; if you have lots of hair or want to dry it outside the bathroom, take your own (we took a mini-dryer but didn't use it). Down-sides? There’s nowhere to stand a toothbrush charger or similar while it’s plugged into the shaver socket; the hooks on the back of the door are useless except for things with hanging loops; and the shower, which worked well, had a nasty clingy curtain (the brochure clearly shows a screen, which is naughty).
We are part-time restaurant reviewers and thought the food to be of a mainly high standard. There was a wide selection each evening in the Pacific dining room, with no repetition over two weeks. From memory, there were three (or was it five?) starters, two soups, seven mains (including a local dish each day) and five desserts. We ate lobster, partridge, pheasant, steak, lots of fish, a wonderful chicken tandoori - you name it. Vegetables were plentiful, varied and usually tolerably well cooked. The food was generally hot and delicious. Our only complaint was that it tended to be over-salted. To be fair, most people would be perfectly happy with the salt, and indeed others at our table always added more without even tasting the food, but we use almost no salt at home; chefs often forget that people can add salt at the table but not take it away, and we’d rather they gave us that option. They wouldn’t presume to know how much sugar we want in our coffee, so why do they think they know how much salt we want in our dinner? (Sorry…hobby-horse of mine!).
We didn’t try the Sorrento restaurant but did dine in the Ocean Grill once and thought it worth the supplement for cooked-to-order food in very pleasant surroundings.
The buffet food was what we would expect to find and we usually enjoyed it. Afternoon tea in the Pacific Dining Room was excellent except that the staff haven’t a clue how to cook crumpets! They were barely toasted, just warm and limp, completely inedible - someone needs to give them lessons!
Alcohol prices were very reasonable, no more than you’d pay in a UK high street chain restaurant. The cocktail of the day was usually good value.
We didn’t take any organised excursions, so can’t comment on them. We were among the first off and last back on board, most days, and either walked, used local transport or rented cars. I’d recommend car rental as cheap compared with excursions and offering flexibility in where you go and how long you stay there; take your own sat nav and a good guide book (or pay for a local guide when you get to an attraction).
The ship's theatre company, while only five-strong, proved talented and versatile, with song & dance shows, a Noel Coward play, etc. Visiting acts were good, in the main, e.g. John Martin (comedian), Peter Purves (a bit slow and long-winded but interesting for anyone who watched Blue Peter in the early days), David Steel (dull but worth a listen), Marco Fatichenti (excellent classical pianist), soprano Lynsey Simon (not to our taste, with too much inane chat, we much preferred the performance of resident Helen Wilding). We didn’t like the over-amplification though, especially in the bars where it was sometimes hard to hold a conversation. We’d rather have a tinkling piano or harp. On more than one occasion, during the shows in the Curzon Lounge, the balance between the main act and the backing band was all wrong. Overall, though, we were very happy with the entertainment.
There were lots of quizzes and similar activities, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The library was a lovely place to spend time, beautiful and surprisingly well-stocked for a small ship.
Staff were excellent throughout the cruise and thoroughly deserved their tips. We had no issue with any one of them.
Others have complained about the ‘strange movement’ of the ship. We may just have been lucky with the weather but didn’t experience any sea-sickness. My wife tends to suffer on cross-channel ferries but only twice felt the need to take a pill. Even then, it was more as a precaution because of the forecast than because she was feeling ill.
We really have no significant criticism of Adonia. If you want the sort of facilities and entertainment found on larger ships, with big shows and boisterous fun, fun, fun, or if you're travelling as a family, Adonia will not be for you. Us? We can't wait to get back on board.
Comment
by Haverty, Newbury (29 Jan 12 14:59)
about
this REVIEW
Somehow my ratings have 'gone wrong' and I can't edit them. I'd probably rate the food, entertainment and activities 4* overall, not 5, overall about 4.5.
.jpg_thumb.jpg "Santorini sunset")
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