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Royal Olympic Cruises

MTS Olympia Countess

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Reviewed by: Paolo Degrandi
# previous cruises: 10 - 20
Date of Trip: August 22, 2003
Itinerary: Mediterranean

She was formerly the Cunard Countess, an informal San Juan based ship, sailing year round to the Southern Caribbean. Purchased by Royal Olympia Cruises in 1998, she isn`t so well maintained as you could expect.

Many signs still remind that she was a Cunard ship. On the two sides you can still clearly read " Cunard Countess " ( only painted over ). Inside there are some interesting posters of the Mauritania, and in all the cabins nice caribbean paintings originally ordered by Cunard. The interiors are quite dated and worn. The casino, the pool and the fitness facilities are very limited and small. There isn`t a jogging track. The nicest place is the Brazil Coffee, with rattan chairs and furnitures.

The cuisine was international with some greek specialties, but the choice was quite limited and the portions small. The service was attentive and friendly, but lacked some finesse. The buffets were quite basic. The company offers 24 hours room service at no extra charge, but the choice of food was very poor.

The ship offers five different types of accommodations: standard inside and outside cabins, mini suites and suites. The standard cabins are very small, and the closes and drawer space is very limited. The bathroom was very compact and the shower uncomfortable: it was always very difficult to get the right temperature of the water. Every cabin is noisy, with poor insulation.

The entertainment was low key. Only the greek night was interesting. There isn`t a real animation during the day.

It was a 3 days cruise, round trip from Piraeus, with stops at Myconos, Kusadasi, Patmos and Rhodes. Due to the short time at each port I suggest you to book an excursion ( Rhodes apart ). There weren't no dedicated activities or facilities for children, apart a small playroom.

There was a good mix of international passengers: all the announcements were done in English, Greek, Italian, French, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese. I have met some interesting persons: hope to have the opportunity to see them again a day.