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Renaissance Cruises

MS R Four

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Craig Fosnock
# previous cruises: 2
Date of Trip: May 22, 2001
Itinerary: Mediterranean

In a nutshell the cruise and staff were great, but management in trying to expand profits caused the cruise to fall somewhat short of being an outstanding vacation. Because of this we were left with the desire to see what another cruise lines can offer us. The cruise was also geared toward senior citizens, because they made up the majority of the passenger.I had no problems with my fellow passengers, but because of the lack of youth the ship really had no night life what so ever

They are small but comfortable. At times it was hard to get a lounge chair. The library was nice, and the Card room was always full

The staff was excellent. They were attentive, and courteous. The food was good, but not excellent. The only real complaint about the food was that we had to watch what we were eating. For example if I ate the breakfast sausage (from the Panorama Buffet) I would have a sudden urge to use the bathroom within ½ hour. The best restaurant on the ship was the Grill room. No complaints their except it was hard to get a reservation. Certain restaurants on the ship required reservations as they are small dinning areas. The drinks were not that great either. I do not mind spending $5-$6 for a drink if its well made. I do mind spending it when the drinks served tastes like the same drink mixes you get from the supermarket. Because of this I was forced to order simple drinks like Martini’s instead of Long Island Ice Teas, or even a Tom Collins. When I’m on vacation I like to order exotic\festive drinks. I can get a good Martini anywhere. Renaissance also claims to have a wine cellar featuring wines from around the world. The wines on the cruise are the same ones that I can find at my local wine shop for $7-$10 per bottle, but that Renaissance charges $30 to $40 a bottle. Your better off getting your own wine at a port of call and paying the $10 cork fee. A good (not excellent) glass of Chardonnay costs $7.

All I can say is outstanding, and get a balcony its worth every penny!!

Poor entertainment. The ship had no real night life, and would completely shut down at midnight. One evening during karaoke the club (Horizons) was jumping, and it was the closes thing to being filled during the entire cruise. Unfortunately the schedule said that karaoke ended at 11:00 pm, and by God at 11:00 pm they stopped it, ignoring the fact that everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Everyone then left, and the club was practically empty by 11:10 pm. The dance music was great, and they took requests but it was basically 70's disco music, and you could set your watch by ABBA’s Dancing Queen. The shows were nice but short. The only must see was an Egyptian magician, that came on for a single nights performance.

Management charges way to much for most of the ships excursions. The one exception I can think of is Athens. In that case the ship’s excursion is not a bad price, that is unless you take the subway. The subway costs 75 cents, and it only takes 20 minutes to get to the Acropolis. In Egypt your better off arranging your own private tour. It makes the experience more enjoyable. In our case we had our own private tour guide, and a driver in a private van. These tours cost less than the ship’s bus tour. Go to the Egyptians government’s website at http://touregypt.net/ for more information on tour operators, and book them ahead of time or you will be forced to use the cruise’s tour. In case your wondering we used Cosmos Tours (http://www.cosmos.com.eg/index.htm) and we were quite happy with them. My wife loved the Spa facility, and it is highly recommended.

The cruise was full of senior citizens. My wife and I are in our 30s and everyone kept asking if we were on our honeymoon. Not what you would call a young crowd, in fact they must have only been 20-30 people under 40 years of age, with the bulk in their upper 60's or higher.