After canceling a cruise to the Middle East because of the uprising in Egypt, my wife and I looked for another sailing during the same time period, though it was only months away. We purchased the “Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships,” a terrific book that has everything we wanted to know and more, to aid in our search.
We prefer ships that hold fewer than 1,000 passengers, and we found a listing for Swan Hellenic, an English company specializing in “programs of highly academic lecturers and speakers.” This appealed to us.
(In fact, the speakers were not significantly different than those found on any other cruise ship, although there were more of them and they had impressive academic credentials.)
We inquired through their Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, office (866/923-9182), which sent a brochure with prices listed in US dollars.
Their ship, Minerva, sleeps up to 350 passengers. On our cruise, 15 days from Rome to Lisbon, May 5-June 8, 2011, there were only 250.
We noticed that the cabins were very small, so we chose to book one of the largest (226 square feet). The inside cabins on the lower deck resembled large closets (120 square feet), though the price for those was as low as $2,000 per person for the 15-day cruise.
None of the cabins had verandas, but ours had a couch and sufficient closet and storage space. Only three of the 12 cabins of this deluxe category ($7,000 per person) were occupied.
The modest appearance of the cabins did not extend to the ship’s public space. The lounges and library area were attractive, and the library was extensive. There were also two bar/lounges plus several card and meeting rooms. One lounge featured a piano player.
A nice auditorium was used for the day lectures, which could also be seen on each cabin’s television.
Minerva has an attractive, large dining room. Dinner was formal, with men required to wear jackets and ties and, on two nights, requested to wear black tie and/or dinner jackets. My wife and I found that very nice.
Of course, breakfast and lunch were informal, but pool or beach clothing certainly was not appropriate. There was an informal dining room which offered a self-service buffet for all three meals.
Both my wife and I considered the service at the tables to be abrupt — as soon as anyone put a fork down, their plate was pulled away — but, overall, the food and service were good. All meals had open seating, providing an opportunity to meet and talk with other passengers, many of whom had cruised on Minerva year after year. The ship has a certain charm.
In advance of the cruise, an excellent book was provided detailing all aspects of the trip, including an orientation to the countries and ports to be visited. The 75-page publication was well written and very descriptive. All of the shore excursions were rated by activity level, and any difficulties that might be encountered by less-agile passengers were described.
The currency used on the ship was the British pound, though settlement of the final bill could be done in US dollars. Although tipping was not required (gratuities were included), we tipped our cleaning person in dollars.
Except for a few supplementary excursions, the only extra cost was for alcoholic beverages.
Airfare from the US was not included, but we learned, after the cruise, that Swan Hellenic can assist in North American flight arrangements. More importantly, they arrange charter air service from/to the UK.
Neither we nor our travel agent understood this was available for a price less than that of a commercial flight, so we spent more money than needed flying from London to Rome and from Lisbon back to London on British Air. Passengers on the charter also had luggage service at both ends.
If you are satisfied with a small cabin, the Minerva is a good value.
BILL DIXON
Richmond, VA
The Minerva has recently been renovated to feature added space in its cabins and public areas and includes an increased number of balcony cabins (from 12 to 44) plus upgraded facilities in all cabins. The remodeled ship’s first sailing was in March 2012.
