I have just been on a KL1 cruise with KATARINA LINES from Opatija to the Islands.(19 - 26 Sept. 2009)with my husband and we really enjoyed it very much indeed. The sunny weather and calm seas were wonderful. The not-too crowded islands at this time of the year were also a treat.
Our boat,the Kalipsa was kept at all times in a spotless condition and the crew (all 4 of them) were most helpful and efficient. The Captain is to be complemented on running such a slick vessel, as well as for his handling of the Kalipsa in very tight corners in some ports!
The food was great - we appreciate the special efforts by the Chef who created (in his tiny galley) unusual variations every day so that we never had the same lunch twice. His soups were especially delicious. We appreciate the fact that he catered to our vegetarian / allergic dietary problems so well!
Breakfast was a continental spread - cheese, cold meats, eggs, orange juice and plenty of delicious fresh bread, tea or coffee. Lunch was a 3-course meal, starting with soup and ending with fruit.
In the evenings, we were free to do our own thing on the island where we docked and spent the night before sailing the next day after breakfast.
There were only 24 passengers and deck space was adequate, so we never felt crowded.
Our cabin was above deck and sleeping with the door open door to the fresh seabreezes at night was a treat. We had a single and double-bunk and tiny en suite toilet and shower (above the toilet) - rather awkward to use.
A few extra proper showers on deck for passenger use would be appreciated. (There is just 1 of these on deck) Even if it meant showering in public in one%26#39;s bathing costume, this would be preferable to the cramped en-toilet showering!
I do have only one further complaint about our cruise,and this is that between 2 - 5 hours every day were spent at anchor for people to swim. Not everybody swam, and for the non-swimmers, it was usually impossible to reach the shore! Surely a 2-hour maximum stop for swimming would be more than adequate to please everybody?
I realise that it is hard to please everyone, but we (and other passengers too)were disappointed that we only got into port every evening at about 5 pm, which left very few hours of daylight to see or photograph very much of the island. So we could only see the harbours and the small area in their vicinity, whereas we had hoped to explore much more of the interesting islands themselves.
We would have preferred arriving in port in the early afternoon, which would have left enough time for a bus trip / bike ride or other excursion in order to see more of the islands.
Otherwise, in general, we were extremely pleased with the cruise - and especially with the Katarina Line service - from the minute of making booking enquiries, we had prompt, exceptional service and replies to every query from the Head Office in Opatija.
The lady representative from Katarina Line who came on board before our departure, explained things about the cruise and boat clearly, introduced the crew and answered our questions.
The small crew, the boat and beautiful and very different country of Croatia were all a very pleasant and worthwhile experience. We shall certainly recommend Katarina Line in future to friends wanting to cruise in the Adriatic.
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Thank you so much for the trip report. I found your comments most helpful. I was considering doing the cruise but I like you, would prefer to spend more time exploring and less time swimming. I will have to explore other options.
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Hi Sarah,
Thanks for your reply to my review on the Croatian cruise. In retrospect, it is very easy to go from Opatija on day cruises by ferry to various islands, for a fraction of the price, stay overnight or more than 1 night on an island and continue from there by ferry. There are regular ferry crossings by Jadroline ferries.
Good luck! We would definitely do it that way, in preference to sitting at sea for 5 hrs. on end and only seeing the harbours at night!
PS we are ex-South Africans too, living in the Czech Rpublic now.
Regards,
Pearl.
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Dear Pearl
Greetings from a windy Johannesburg.
Thanks for the info on the ferries. I think we%26#39;ll go with that option, we%26#39;ll prefer to be more flexible. I will look into Jadroline ferries and plan from there. Info most helpful.
Keep warm up north.
Regards, Sarah
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