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SCL Overseas Ltd

Ms Palmira
Your Rating:
Reviewed by:Patrick Wetter
# previous cruises: 10+
Date of Trip: September 10, 2000
Itinerary: Mediterranean

Cruises with MS PALMIRA or her sister ship MS PALOMA are not luxury cruises. But the ship, recently entirely refurbished, provides good cruises in a relaxed and funny, familiar ambiance. owner: PSM Shipmanagement cruise line: SCL Overseas Ltd. technical management: Vival Marine / Blasplan operators: Hansa Touristik, Neckermann Seereisen and Columbus Seereisen

The ship has been entirely refurbished in all public areas. Compared to her time as the LEV TOLSTOY, this ship has been upgraded. The aft sun-deck has been enlarged to provide more space. A new fitness-room with sea view has been added. The top-deck, over the bridge is now free for passengers and provides excellent views while entering or leaving a port. All together there is a pool-bar, sauna- and massage-facilities, a disco, a music-lounge, the Veranda-bar, the dining room, a fitness-center, a childrenīs playroom, a shop and a room with slot-machines.

The food and catering on board the PALMIRA is provided by International Hotel & Shipmanagement which does an excellent job. Service is provided by a well-trained, Ukrainian crew. Food quality is excellent and presentation is very well done. Buffets, compared to what you pay for your cruise, are absolutely ok. They have nice outdoor parties with good barbecue-style food. The dining-room is nicely decorated in fresh colors and has windows on three sides and can take all passengers for one seating.

All cabins have been totally new furnished and can be compared with those of a modern ship. Bathrooms are compact but provide much space to store things. Cabin-furniture is solid and cabins are well insulated. Suites are very spacious and do all feature TV and VCR and separate bed-rooms. Some have bathtubs too.

The entertainment was provided by professionals and the crew themselves. Itīs no Las Vegas-style but it brings a lot of fun and gives the ship its real Ukrainian sole it is known for. The disco is well-visited too and has nice surroundings. Normally there is one band which plays in the show-room and over the day on the sun-deck.

Excursions were provided by the very friendly and helpful German cruise staff and were quite well organized. Stops in ports on the typical seven day-run are not very long. Other itineraries provide many smaller ports which a large ship would not visit. If you donīt want to go ashore, on board there are always passengers with whom to talk. As well the sympathetic Hotel-manager and the captain are always around and stay with you for a longer while to talk about many funny and interesting things.

Your fellow passengers will be all from Germany or German-speaking countries. You can very easily get contact with others and you always end up your cruise by having a huge new family of friends. The crew, while all rather young, is always there for you if you need anything.