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Louis Cruise Lines

MS Perla

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Robert Duchesneau
# previous cruises: 1
Date of Trip: June 20, 2006
Itinerary: Mediterranean

This was my first cruise, and I thought it was a very convenient form of travel, although relatively expensive. I felt that Louis Lines provided quality service at a budget price. If you're cruising the Med and you want to keep the cost down, I highly recommend them. I mainly went for the excursions to ancient Greek and Turkish sites.

Unfortunately, I didn't sample the public areas much. I liked the open observation area on top of the bridge; it was great for taking photos of the ports. The forward elevators were too small, though.

The main dining area was comfortable and the staff were very attentive. The food was pretty much for American tastes, although feta cheese and olives were there to remind us it was a Greek line.

The cabin was a bit small, but comfortable. The beds were comfortable. There was enough closet space. The triangular shower was a tight fit, though. There were both 110V and 220V outlets. We felt having a porthole was a real advantage and made the cabin seem larger. There wasn't much noise or vibration.

We didn't sample the entertainment.

Our cruise was a whirlwind tour of Istanbul, Mykonos, Patmos, Kusadasi/Ephesus, Rhodes, Crete, Santorini, and Athens. Our primary goal on the cruise was taking excursions to ancient sites. The Perla's small size kept the excursion group size manageable. Louis somehow seemed to get excellent tour guides for all the excursions. Another feature was that time for shopping was included at each port.

It seemed that about half the other passengers were Americans. Most of them were pleasant to talk to.