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Louis Cruise Lines

MS Perla

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Dmitriy Voloshin
# previous cruises: 31 to 40
Date of Trip: August 11, 2006
Itinerary: Europe

This trip ended up being a contradictory combination. Without a doubt, Perla was the most run down ship with the worst food and service I ever witnessed at sea. Mind you, I am not comparing Perla to Celebrity or Princess ships, but to now defunct old Soviet liners like Ivan Franco or Dolphin IV that was doing two day trips out of Tampa.

However, it ended up being the best cruise and vacation I ever been on. The good company and irresistible Greek isles, not to mention Turkey, more than made up for any Perla's shortcomings. We visited Istanbul (overnight), Santorini, Mykonos, Patmos, Kudasay, and Rhodes.

Please note, that whilst this review may appear too negative, I had a fantastic time on the cruise and would recommend Perla to anyone willing to experience different cultures and to save money at the same time. Perla is an outstanding value, but it is a budget ship belonging to a budget cruise line in the truest meaning of the word. I knew what to expect and was not disappointed.

For my American compatriots, please realize that there is a reason Perla's fares are so much lower than of its competition. You are getting what you are paying for. Do not expect a Celebrity or even NCL-level service, be open minded, and you will have a fantastic time. Without a doubt, this cruise is not about the ship, but about the itinerary.

I could swear that the public rooms haven't been remodeled since the ship's NCL days. Everything is old, small, and not terribly clean. For example, the casino consisted of two tables and six slot machines.

The food was not tasty or delicious, but it was edible. The bottom line is, I was almost never hungry and never got sick. Neither did any of my friends. Please note, that the food is not available around the clock and the room service menu is very limited and not free.

The service is spotty and not eager to please a'la American style. At the same time, I met several waitresses from my hometown of Odessa, and they provided outstanding service to my friends and me.

Do note that for E120 you can purchase unlimited alcoholic beverages for the duration of the cruise (7 days). It definitely paid for itself several times over :)

We had a tiny inside cabin of no more than 120 sq ft (10 sq m or so). There was absolutely no storage space (no closet of any sort, just a few drawers). The luggage did not fit under the bed either. The room was not redecorated for decades, or so it seemed. A piece of ceiling molding was coming off. There was no television. The bathroom was tiny and also had no storage at all. But again, if you're after good amenities, we saw a lovely Sea Dream yacht following us from port to port. It's all about choices in life, isn't?

I find most of cruise-ship entertainment amateurish. The entertainment on Perla was amateurish even when compared to other cruise lines. But again, you are in the Aegean, who cares about a silly Broadway show or a third-rate magician?

I did not notice any activities at all, but the itinerary was amazing. We did everything on our own and saved hundreds of dollars on our car insurance, sorry, on our excursions.

Greece met all of my expectations; it proved to be a stunningly beautiful country with incredibly good-hearted and friendly people. Turkey, on the other hand, ended up exceeding all expectations. Personally, I found Istanbul, for example, to be more European than Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.

Everyone raves about Mykonos, but I found it to be a bit fake. It reminded me of South Beach in Miami: a fake place full of fake people (forgive me for using 'fake' too many times). Santorini, on the other hand, was amazing and real.

There was a truly international crowd on board. I'd venture to say that the passenger breakdown was quarter each for Brits and Australians, French, and Spanish. The other 25% consisted of small numbers of Americans, Greeks, and Italians. The average age on board was no older than late 30's - mid 40's. Most passengers, especially the Brits, were very friendly.