Royal Olympic Cruises, Ltd.

MV Olympia Explorer

Rating:TBD
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Operator:Royal Olympic Cruises, Ltd.
Year Built / Last Refurbished: 2001/ 2001
Length / Tonnage: 590 / 24,500
Number of Cabins / Passengers: 400 / 800
Officers / Crew: Greek / Greek
Operating Area: Europe in summer, Caribbean in Winter
Overview: She finally entered service in May of 2002 after an extended dispute with the shipyard regarding necessary "modifications" to the vessel.

As the accompanying picture attests, she and her sister retain quite an air of old world smartness. She and her sister Olympia Explorer register 24,500 gross tons (and NO, gross tonnage is NEVER weight...so when you see someone has written such and such vessels "weighs xxx,000 GROSS tons", you'll know that that person doesn't know that a gross ton is a unit of volume, not weight...and that one gross ton equals one hundred cubic feet of enclosed space not otherwise exempted (like bridge and engine spaces) from admeasurement..."

The sisters are 590 feet long, 84 feet in beam and draw 24 feet of water. With a speed of 27 knots using 85% of power of their diesel engines, these are the fastest cruise ships built in THIRTY years...the fastest ships ever built specifically for cruising...(I hear you critics now...chiming in that the QE2 is faster...and while you claim she's a cruise ship I see you making a booking for a transAtlantic voyage...THAT ship was built to do both...). A crew of 360 looks after some 800 passengers who are comfortable quartered in 400 cabins. Life is good for us suite fans...these sisters each have 48 suites besides 222 outside doubles.

The line has considered handicapped folks, too, reserving four cabins specifically for them. Each ship has 126 inside cabins so you won't have to put much of dent in your wallet to come along. Whatever cabin you choose, you have the use of 16 public rooms...and that fabulous Royal Olympic crew serving you in their incomparable friendly way.

While the level of service is very nice, the quality of the food on these ships has slipped a bit. Additionally, they vibrate a bit when approaching top speed and the design of the aft decks is such that they do not provide the degree of protection that you might expect. This results in less usable deck space when she is under way.

This year OLYMPIA EXPLORER will sail on alternating 7 day cruises from Athens or Venice. The Athens itineraries include stops at Corfu, Venice, Dubrovnik, Nafplion, Dardanelles, Istanbul, Mykonos, and Santorini. The Venice itineraries will include stops at Dubrovnik, Nafplion, Dardanelles, Istanbul, Mykonos, Santorini, Athens, and Corfu.