Diahndra Burman

Age: 12
Number of Cruises: 4
Cruise Line: Festival Cruises
Ship: Mistral
Itinerary: Greek Islands

This was my 4th cruise with my father and we had planned on going for 8 months on this cruise trip. We were planning an earlier Summer Trip to Italy- Rome/Capri/Amalfi/ and last but not least Venice where we boarded the ship at around 1 pm. Embarkation was a quick and easy process for those who were booked in the mini suites like us. Knowing that there were about 1200 passengers we decided to come early. The First European People gave passengers their room keys and identification cards with an embarkation number. We received number 2, knowing we would be the second group to board. Boarding was pleasant and smooth and as we approached the gangplank, a crewmember took us to our rooms. We stayed at Athens Deck 10. The suite had limited space but efficient. The balcony was small and had 2 simple glass partitions and you could lean over and easily see the people staying next door. The ship was medium size. The ship sailed at 5 pm.

Food was served in L’Etoile, the main restaurant and Rialto Grill, where suite passengers dined and other passengers who paid the extra fee. My father who is a food and wine connoisseur sometimes complained about the freshness of the fish. The meat was exceptionally good while vegetables lacked in taste. Our waitress was Estelle and Assistant Waitress Nina who were both extremely kind. Unfortunately we had booked the late seating which was a mistake because all the good shows were on at that time as well as being tired. One huge problem was the communication factor – French, German, Italian, Spanish and a minority of English. 5 languages. This was a hard situation as hardly any passengers spoke English. Messages on the Public Address System were long and tedious. The Emergency Life Boat Drill was quite a hush hush and scramble but managed okay. 24 hour room service available but very small and could be improved menu.

There were 2 pools, 1 freshwater and 1 saltwater. Both were almost always crowded and obviously they needed a bigger pool. The Children’s Program is very edgy as for 11- 12- 13 year olds like myself were secluded from Kids’ club and Teens’ club groups. Staffs were all kind and excellent. Nightly entertainment was a tremendous highlight! Great shows and well performed. The itinerary visited the Greek Isles and the Capital of Greece Athens. Though the Shore Excursion Presentation was needless to say poor, the tours were all right. First Stop was Athens.

Excursions: Athens and the Acropolis(we took), Cape Sounion, Ancient Athens and Pictorial Plaka. The prices of excursions were not good value, we thought. The next day there were 2 stops. Nearby islands of Santorini and Mykonos. Santorini: Oia and Fira (we took), Flavours and Savours of Santorini: The volcano tour and hot spring dip, and Donkey Derby, This was a beautiful island formed long ago by a massive volcanic eruption and is still active. Mykonos: Delos(we took- an old and ancient island believed to have been the birthplace of the God Apollo), Discover Mykonos on foot, An evening in Mykonos. These were our favorite islands and someday we would love to revisit them. Soon it was Rhodes though we started on a tour, we decided to later explore on our own. Tours: Rhodes City and Lindos(we took), Flavours of Rhodes, Rhodes by Jeep, and Water World. The next isle was also one of our favorites, Corfu. From past experiences, we decided not to take a tour and instead hired a taxi for the day. Our driver was a very nice man. We drove around the island to see beaches, churches, and stopped at a panoramic point where we dined at a restaurant called the Golden Fox. The food was wonderful! This was one of the greatest days! Corfu Tours: Achilleon Place- Perama and Old Town, Corfu Old Town/Koum Kouat and Paleokastritsa, Encounter the hidden villages, Trypas-Traditional Greek Taverna, Shopping Shuttle. The last port was Dubrovnik which was in Croatia not Greece. We did the same thing as our tour in Rhodes. Tours: The Medieval City of Dubrovnik, The City Walls and Maritime Museum, In the footsteps of Sir Richard Lionheart, Ston and Tresno. To us, the cruise itself was so fast but we knew it was a once in a lifetime experience. Disembarkation day in Venice was no problem at all. We’ll remember this trip forever. No doubt.

D. Burman

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