COVER STORY


cruises on board the same ship. The size of the ships gives them distinct


advantages in terms of accessibility, espe- cially in tender ports when the larger ships are offloading passengers by the thousand. They are generally well run, with many service staff from the former eastern bloc. Communicating with some can be dif- ficult, but there is on the whole a genuine desire to please, and ensure you have a good time while on board. The Greek Isles cruises run typically


from April to October, and are mainly handled by the Aquamarine, which many will remember as Airtours’ Carousel. A short-lived attempt to run an Indian Ocean service did not work out, and resulted in the return of the ship to Greece. Cristal operates through the summer


from Piraeus to Turkey and the Greek islands on week-long itineraries that often include a welcome overnight in fabled Istanbul, as well as the exotic passage through the Dardanelles. Another old NCL favourite is the Orient


Queen (ex-Starward) recently lavishly refur- bished and mainly operating 10-night Medi- terranean itineraries from both Marseilles and Venice. Coral, also an NCL stalwart as Sunward II, runs a similar route from Genoa.


58 WORLD OF CRUISING I Autumn 2010


The company was dealt a hard knock with the sinking in 2007 of the Sea Dia- mond after she hit rocks off Santorini. But Louis’ claims the area had been inadequate- ly sounded out, and so unmarked on their charts, were recently proven to be true. However, it was the purchase of Majesty that really raised the company’s profile. Typically, most of the fleet spends the winter months laid up, but the new ship gave Louis a bigger, more amenity-laden ship that could range comfortably through the entire region, year-round. Her bookings are consistently brisk and she has a very upbeat vibe that distinguishes her from any other year-round ship in the same region.


minute, but the company is now actively looking at the possibility of its first new- builds, perhaps in a Far East shipyard. To sum up, Louis Cruises offer a decent


A


value-for-money product to some excellent destinations in a quite cosmopolitan style, notably more traditional in many aspects and distinctly more small-scale than the me- ga-liners (although Majesty definitely takes their appeal into more mod-con territory). It can be loud and, while it may lack the finesse of the five-star lines, Louis con- tinues to expand its horizons while staying true to the ideals that have seen it grow so dramatically over the last decade or so. There is little formality on these friendly


ships, where the fun-in-the-sun vibe prevails everywhere on board. Louis is a choice short on crowds, but certainly not without its charms. 


seemingly minted deal to purchase NCL’s Norwegian Dream at the same time fell through at the last


FACT FILE


LOUIS CRUISES


Louis Majesty: built 1992; 40,876 tons; 1,800 passengers; rating – 4-star Superior


Aquamarine: built 1971; 23,149 tons; 1,250 passengers; rating – 3-Star Superior


Calypso: built 1967; 11,162 tons; 740 passengers; rating – 3-Star Standard


Orient Queen: built 1968; 15,781 tons; 912 passengers; rating – 3-Star Standard


Coral: built 1971;


14,491 tons; 968 passengers; rating – 3-Star Superior


Cristal: built 1980;


25,611 tons; 1,200 passengers; rating – 4-star Moderate


Sapphire: built 1965; 12,263 tons; 680 passengers; rating – 3-Star Moderate


More info: Call 0800 0183 883 or visit www.louiscruises.com.


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