MV Athena 2012 - Fremantle to the UK Cruise Review

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Please Note: Cruise-Australia is a non-commercial and privately owned cruise site and not connected with any cruise company or agency. Although the author has worked in the passenger shipping industry since 1960 yet I am now semi-retired, but has continued to write cruise and ship reviews as well as articles in order to better inform cruise and ship enthusiasts and provide information for those intending a cruise in the future. However, if you are interested in a cruise, I am happy to refer you to a dedicated cruise agent, be it in Australia, New Zealand or further afield and you will find these on my various articles and on my recommended “Cruise Agents” page. Be assured that all these are specialists in cruising and they will be able offer not only excellent service but also the best fares possible! Please be assured, I do NOT receive any commissions or favours from any agent and in the vast majority of cases agents will not be aware of my, or this site’s involvement, as I provide the reader with the agents (in their region) email and contact details. Reuben Goossens.

Page One

Introduction, History, Review and Cruise Experience

Welcome to the updated 2012 M/V Athena Cruise Review, which I trust will provide my regular readers and all new visitors to this site an insight to the delights that will await those who will join this, one of my favourite cruise ships!

Much of this review was written whilst I was still onboard the Athena sailing to England and it was completed upon my return home. You will find that this review has become some three pages larger than the previous four page edition on as it now has a total of seven pages, including the “Introduction Page,” thus this review will provide a great deal more information on the ship and its services, entertainments and it has many new images. However, you will find that many of the general interior images that I took on board in 2011 of her lounges and decks as well as most of the cabins, etc, are still much the same, but you will find a number of new ones scattered amongst them. ENJOY!

The author seen in the Restaurant

A photograph by the ships photographer – used with permission

Reuben Goossens.

Cruise‘n’Ship Reviewer, Maritime Historian, Author & Lecturer.

Commenced in Passenger Shipping in 1960.

Cruise-Australia is a 100% non-commercial cruise site and does not accept advertising, commissions or donations!

Please Note: It is important to note that the author and his travelling companion were on vacation and are not associated with the cruise company or any travel organisation and thus are fare paying passengers and “NOT a guest of Classic international Cruises!” Thus this review is entirely independent, honest and although you will note that there is a very positive note throughout, there are some negatives noted on page Three.

Introduction to the Cruise Review:

In 2011, I wrote my review regarding my voyage on the M/V Athena, as I and my associate Mr Hun-Eng Tan sailed from Fremantle to Portsmouth England via Asia and the Suez Canal in March 2011, and it was without a doubt a superb experience as my many readers will well know. In fact the voyage was so good that I and associate and friend, Eng Tan decided to do it all over again in 2012, for this time the Athena was sailing via South Africa.

As I am writing this I am still on board this rather remarkable ship and to date we have visited Mauritius, Reunion, Durban, Mossel Bay and Cape Town (South Africa) and we are currently heading for the Island of St Helena and its port of James Town. With five further fascinating ports of call yet to follow before arriving in England. However, before all that I will share my thoughts regarding this voyage and our boarding experience, etc., but first, a little about the history of this most amazing cruise ship.

M/V Athena is a ship that has the heritage of a genuine Trans-Atlantic liner, however since her day as a liner she has been comprehensively been rebuilt into a delightfully modern cruise ship as I have personally experienced having sailed on her for a wonderful 40 day voyage to England in 2011 and again in 2012, I found that all my positive conclusions regarding last year are confirmed!

Apart from this ship being rather unique and I hope that this review will spell out just why this is so, for I believe that what sets this ship apart from the vast majority of the other cruise ships is the fact that she accommodates no more than just 550 passengers, and on voyages such as this to or from the UK or Europe she will usually accommodate just over 400, utilising only her lower berths. In addition her cabins are very comfortable, delightfully bright, and modern and she is equipped with every possible facility to make your cruise a delight!

Although the Athena is a modern looking ship, as I have already indicated she provides very much a “Traditional Oceangoing Experience” similar in style to those wonderful days of ocean liners of yesteryear! Thus the Athena being a real ship offers a genuine shipboard experience in so many more ways than any of the modern and larger cruise ships can possibly provide, and I am sure that by the time you have read this review you will fully understand what I mean by this!

Contents of the Review:

This Cruise Review is spread over more WebPages than the 2011 review was as many new photographs have been taken and there is so much to update. Featured on Page One; although I am a passenger on vacation, who happens to be a maritime historian, I was asked by the Cruise Director, Marcos Teixeira during our voyage in 2011 to England to provide several lectures. However this time it has somehow grown, for I shall be giving a total of four lectures, with one of these lectures being repeated by request, and it is entitled “From the Stockholm to the Athena.” The Captain and his officers have come to all my lectures, and the theatre has been packed, with people standing around the walls. For the reader I will provide a very brief historical background of the M/V Athena below. Thereafter I will cover my cruise review starting with our Fremantle boarding on April 14, 2012, and our first wonderful afternoon and night on board as well as various subjects.

On Page Two there is a complete photographic tour of the ship covering all her decks and delightful public venues, although some of the copy may have changed, and a few new images, but most of the page is similar to last years cruise review. Page Three has a complete guide of her cabins and then the page continues with my review.

In addition you will be able to read what a good number of passengers on board had to say about their cruise experience and this will be followed by my official rating of our 2012 cruise that consists of the following points:

1… Service and staff performance. 2… Cuisine in the Olissipo Restaurant and Lotus Buffet, 3… Entertainment, 4… Overall condition of the ship and finally 5… Our cruise experience. Thereafter I will then conclude with my closing comments, including remarks regarding the staff on board and anything I have to say that could possibly be improved upon or implemented by the company.

The final page, Page Four, Five & Six will have a variety of items, including entertainment, activities, ANZAC Day 2012 on board, other details with some wonderful photographs, menus, programmes, and a number of excellent waiter and steward images and any other information I have collected during this voyage, which will complete this review.

The elegant and sleek looking M/V Athena is seen here berthed at Ponte des Galets, Reunion Island on April 24

She was once a fine Trans-Atlantic Liner, but today as you can see, she is a modern cruise ship

A shortened version of her story “From MS Stockholm to M/V Athena” is located below

“From Stockholm to Athena”

The stylishly modern M/V Athena was originally built for the Swedish American Line (SAL). In October 1944, SAL gave the task of building their new, but smaller sized Trans-Atlantic liner the MS Stockholm to the “Gotaverken shipyards” in Gothenburg Sweden. Within six months her keel was laid down in Yard 611, then on February 7, 1948, this two class 11,700-ton liner was delivered to her owners. MS Stockholm departed Gothenburg for her maiden voyage to New York on February 21, 1948.

The yacht like Trans-Atlantic liner - MS Stockholm is seen at sea as completed in 1948

A postcard from the author’s private collection

Although she had one of the finest quality riveted solid steel hull, yet this stylish looking Swedish built ocean liner was considered to be far too small to be a genuine Trans-Atlantic liner, especially by the Americans. It was for this reason she did not prove to be very successful for the company’s new Trans-Atlantic service as in the past their ships had been well over 22,000 tons and their interiors were far more grandiose! However the MS Stockholm did have that something very special for due to her intimate size as well as her slender and elegant design and her more relaxed charming and comfortable interiors she became very popular with the American public in the role as a cruise ship rather than a Trans-Atlantic liner. As built she did not have stabilizers and sadly she did have rather a bad habit of rolling badly during heavy winter seas whilst crossing the Atlantic, however in 1955/56 the Stockholm was finally fitted with those all important stabilizers, which did give her a much smoother ride. Yet this attractive looking liner was never a great success for the Swedish America Line on the Atlantic and certainly not a great financial success, although she did make countless voyages to and from Gothenburg to New York and return and countless cruises which were reasonably profitable, but it was not enough for the company decided to return to their more popular larger and grand liners. Finally in 1959 she was sold to an East German Trade Union group who used her as a full time cruise ship named the “Volkerfreundschaft” (Translation: Peoples Friend Ship) and she continued in this role for some twenty years. Later she was berthed in Oslo as an accommodation ship named the “Fridtjof Nansen.”

*For Stockholm’s complete history please see the bottom of each of these review pages as there is a link to my comprehensive Stockholm feature. This feature is located on my ssmaritime.com site.

In 1994 an Italian company had purchased this superb classic ship and decided to strip her right down to her solid ice strengthened all steel hull and rebuild her with brand new engines, cabins and a modern stylish superstructure. The result was a premium rated contemporary luxury cruise ship, named the Italia Prima. The cost for this mammoth rebuilding programme cost her owners well over US$150 million, which at the time was a massive amount!

Cruise Ship M/V Italia Prima seen whilst being completed in August 1994

Image from the author’s private collection

Upon completion the now a luxurious fully stabilised cruise ship had also been fitted with a large sponsoon (also known as a “Duck Tail”) at her stern to improve her speed, fuel consumption and of course her stability. Soon this stylishly modern and looking very much like a brand new cruise ship, the Italia Prima commenced cruising and she did so with huge success.

During a world cruise in 1997 the Italia Prima visited Australia including a visit to Sydney and the author was fortunate to be invited on board for a tour and lunch and I well recall that she was a delight to behold, as she still is to this very day! As I remember stating at the time that she was “A superb cruise ship, first class in every respect!” One passenger stated that their cruise was … “Beyond perfection I just love this ship as she not only has a special style of her own, but you know that you are sailing on a real ship. She is the perfect cruise ship!” Now many, many years later she is owned by Arcalia Shipping and operated by their cruise company, Classic International Cruises and she has had various refits and a good number of improvements have been made on board. However in so many ways she remains the same “superb cruise ship” I visited back in 1997, which is a great testimony to her owners due the rigid and superb maintenance schedule that has been continuously upheld and this was also obvious during our voyages to England! To this day the Athena is simply spotless throughout and to be honest, she is by far cleaner and in superior shape than most modern ships I have been on and you will not find any rust or wear or tear out on her decks anywhere!

M/V Italia Prima seen in Sydney in 1997

Photograph by & © Reuben Goossens

I honestly believe that she met with her greatest success when Classic International Cruises officially obtained her in 2005 after she had been renamed M/V Athena and she become CIC’s flagship. She was soon registered in Madeira Portugal, and just like all the CIC fleet, the Athena commenced cruising offering the companies famed traditional classic style and excellent service!

Classic International Cruises - in Australia

M/V Athena’s popular running mate, the M/V Funchal commenced cruising from Fremantle Western Australia during the summer of 2004/2005 and she set a new standard of style and service with this delightful ex classic liner, she continued to do so with huge success. Then having gained huge popularity, early in 2008 M/V Funchal, as she did each year after her summer season in Australia, returned to Europe via Singapore and whilst she was there I boarded her for a visit and found her to be just as I knew her to be.

Later that year Athena CIC’s flagship arrived in Fremantle and very quickly Western Australian’s would discover that the Athena would become a huge hit with the Australian public during her very first West Australian summer cruise season as she had already done in the past in the United Kingdom and around Europe! She returned to Australia for the next two summer seasons and she will again as she departs from Marseilles on November 12, 2012 bound for Australia, with some of the most fascinating ports of call that I have decided to join her once more on this wonderful voyage! She will arrive in Fremantle on December 18 and commence one of the most exciting summer seasons to date with many new and exciting new ports having been added to her schedule!

Although the 16,144-ton M/V Athena may not be a big ship, but I can assure you that she certainly does not feel like a small ship either. Well certainly not whilst we were on board sailing to England, via Mauritius, Reunion, Durban, Mossel Bay and Cape Town South Africa, then to the three Islands of St Helena, Ascension and St Vincent, and the ever popular Tenerife, then sailing to Casablanca in Morocco, Lisbon Portugal and finally arriving in the UK on May 24.

The point is that she is just a delightful ship to sail on to say the very least she has a feel of intimacy and she offers something that is extra special which is simply not found on any other cruise ship, unless of course you buy a ticket on a 6 Stay super luxury ticket, for 1. There is never a crowd and never a queue or a rush! 2. In addition, every single cabin, no matter if it is the most expensive suite or the cheapest roomy inside cabin, it will have a spacious Italian marble bathroom that has a full bathtub with shower and all the requirements and toiletries provided, as well as a hairdryer and even an bidet. Athena has 8 passenger decks and they are accessible by her two lifts, located forward and aft.

M/V Athena’s Specifications:

I have provided the following details for my many readers who are ardent ship lovers, although I have kept it short!

M/V Athena is 160m long, has a width of 21m and a draught of 7.60m. She is powered by two Wartsila Diesels engines (2 X 7,500 BHP) operating two propellers and her cruising speed is 16 knots, but she frequently tends to cruise at a comfortable 15 to 15.5 knots. She has Denny Brown Stabilizers providing a pleasant voyage.

M/V Athena is registered in Madeira Portugal, thus flies the Portuguese flag. Her Call sign is: CQRV and her IMO number is: 5383304.

My Cruise Experience & Ships Facilities:

Boarding - Fremantle April 14.

My good friend and assistant, Mr. Hun-Hun-Eng Tan and myself arrived at the Fremantle Cruise Terminal and our cases were efficiently taken from us and we headed for the upstairs Terminal per escalator. The boarding procedure for the Athena a most civilised event as the just under 400 passengers boarded per group number, which was handed out upon arrival kerbside. This way there were no queues and obviously this had so much to do with the ships smaller passenger capacity. With the boarding procedure being so well organised, from arrival at the terminal to entering to our stateroom it took just 21 minutes and this covered going through security, then the CIC check-in, where we received our cruise cards, which are used to board and leave the ship and for all purchases onboard, etc,.

The authors Cruise Card

So we did get a photo taken upon boarding the Athena on April 14, 2012!

Photo taken by the Ships Photographer & used with permission

Next it was immigration and then the obligatory pose for the ships photographer, thus boarding all went extremely smoothly and before we knew it we were ready to board on Promenade Deck, swipe our cruise cards and we had officially boarded the Athena and the party had just began!

Having sailed on Athena before, we obviously knew so many of the staff on board, be it restaurant or bar waiters, cabin stewards, etc, as well as officers and so many of the other crew. Therefore as we stepped on board it seemed just like coming home, for it was like a chorus of voices arising from the crew, “Welcome back Mr. Reuben and Mr, Eng, so good to see you again.” And these were completely genuine and warm greetings from those we know have become like friends to us last year, all of whom are such wonderful people who have looked after us with such great care! Then one of these wonderful stewards took us down to our stateroom having taken our hand luggage of course. When you think about it, sadly this is something that is no longer done these days on any of the large modern cruise ships, even those that are of a much higher grade, on which you are mostly pointed in the right direction and you have to find your own way to your cabin and you are left to carry your own bags! Classic International Cruises has obviously turned back the clock and has revived the great tradition of the sea to the days when passengers really mattered and you are treated like an honoured guest on board, therefore we and all passengers who boarded the Athena immediately felt that you were really WELCOME!

Upon arrival to our Junior Suite we discovered that our luggage had already been delivered, again something not ever found on a larger ship! Our wonderful Indonesian cabin steward Ade had our stateroom in spic and span condition and he proved to be the perfect steward in every sense of the word, for nothing was too much for him! Everything was so just right, and the company even remembered that I was a slightly larger person, thus my terry towel dressing gown was a L size and that of my travelling companion was a M size, these little details really matter!

Having booked somewhat later this year we missed out on our desired Premier Junior Suite, which we had last year up on Mediterranean Deck (4), but were very happy with our Suite located on Pacific Deck (2), number 211 nicely located amidships on the Port side. These suites are spacious and certainly comfortable to say the least. Once in our room I recalled that wonderful feeling, for as an old sea dog, that moment I stepped on the Promenade Deck again I really felt that I had stepped back on a real ship again, for I knew that she had a crew that understood old time values of the sea, and Athena certainly has that special feel of the sea and lets face it, she looks and feels like a real ship, unlike those floating giant ugly boxes, that look more like apartment blocks, which many on board the Athena sails, “they look more like sheep carriers,” yet they call them cruise ships these days with up to 6,500 passengers and 3,500 crew! There is no doubt of course that they are like grand hotels and floating resorts, but you can get that on an Island and ashore, a ship should be just that a ship!

Having boarded and feeling just fine, we headed up to the Lotus Grill Buffet located aft on Calypso Deck (4a) to have a bite to eat. As always there is an excellent variety on offer located along the two and a half massive buffets, delicious soups, together with a variety of main courses, as well as excellent salads, fruits and to die for desserts. There are countless stewards at hand to assist and they are not just delightfully friendly, but also ever helpful as they are more than willing to take your dishes to your table each time make your selection from the buffet, again something seldom seen on other ships, for there they only take away your dirty dishes and take drinks orders.

And here come the best news of all for a coffee lover, the coffee on Athena is excellent and some of the best I have tasted on any ship. And let’s face it, as this is my 125th.cruise, I have tasted some really bad to reasonable coffee, but the coffee and teas on board Athena is simply excellent and available most of the day. The coffee in the buffet and the restaurant is always made from freshly ground quality beans. However, for those who are not into ground (stronger) coffee, during meals, always available are instant coffees, such as Nescafe and other brands and a variety of excellent teas, including herbal teas! In addition, top quality Barista espresso coffee available at the Sirene’s Bar for just several A$2.25 from 0730 to the early morning hours, but I seldom obtained it as the free coffee available from 0630 hrs at the Lotus Grill is very good indeed! However the occasional specialty coffee was from the Bar was excellent!

The Lotus Grill Buffet with the delightful Vladimir working busily

After lunch we returned to our room and felt it best to unpack and get ready to enjoy. Obviously, we had to attend the “Lifeboat Drill,” which must be attended by all passengers by SOLAS Law, and all went well, but the photographer also attended and for the first time ever our photo was taken during this event, and only for this reason, here it is below!

The author and Eng Tan in our life jackets in the Calypso Showroom, But, We all realize that this is a serious matter and not to be taken lightly

Although their ship is in good hands and a very safe ship indeed, but still, too many do not take it seriously enough

After the drill we headed out onto the aft deck beside the pool and the Elpinor Bar and enjoyed the band and a superb sail‘a’way party that included the throwing streamers around the deck and ashore, as well as at each other. Besides the band, dancing and number of the ships entertainers performing, everyone certainly enjoyed the lively sail’a’way with a gusto and thus we all had a wonderful start to our voyage to England! At 1600 hrs M/V Athena departed Fremantle and headed out to sea bound for our first port of call Port Louis in Mauritius.

Here we see the ships spotless bow, as we headed across the Indian Ocean toward Mauritius

At 1900 we headed down to the Olissipo Restaurant on Atlantic Deck (3) to partake of our first evening meal on board for this voyage. We had three delightful surprises in store; 1. At the door we were met our dear friend from our cruise in 2011 Mr. Nicolae Arba, Athena’s superb Maitre D’ Hotel. The truth is that Mr. Arba is one of the most qualified Maitre D’s I have met in well over 40 plus years in the passenger shipping industry! Therefore we were most delighted to see him aboard again. 2. Mr. Arba escorted us to our favourite table, being table number 58. Obviously he is very good at keeping records of all past passenger’s desires and even their tastes as it turned out. 3. Next, to our delight we discovered that we were not only at our regular table, but we were also honoured with the same two wonderful waiters we had last year, senior waiter John who hails from Goa (India) and his wonderful assistant Cosmin who hails from Romania, who I have dubbed my “Coffee Director” for he never fails to make us the perfect cup!

Our superb waiter for dinner is John. In addition John also attends us at breakfast and lunch

Although John is seen here with my associate Mr. Eng Tan at the conclusion of the voyage - the “Farewell Dinner”

As I stated in my 2011 Athena cruise review, John could well be serving in the Queens Grill on the Queen Mary 2 or on any 5 star cruise ship, for the standard of his service is that high, and I have to say that this goes for a good number of waiters on board the Athena, such as Dedi and Ari (from Indonesia) and Romeo and Aldolfo (Philippines), Kumar (India) and Igor (Eastern Europe) and although I may not have mentioned all the fine waiters by name, but there are so many other superb waiters, be they Asian or from Eastern Europe such as Igor who excellent! But, John and Cosmin served us for dinner each night (as well as various others occasionally during other meals) for breakfast and lunch and did so in the most efficient manner, but with the kind of friendliness and having a superb memory for detail and this makes an ordinary voyage a very special one! See Page Six for so much more as well these waiters and other stewards photographs.

At this time we should remember that the Athena is not classed as a luxury cruise ship these days, yet she and the CIC pride themselves in offering a very high standard of service and cuisine. We are certainly more than grateful to John, Cosmin and all the fine waiters that looked after us, as well as our sublime Maitre D’ Hotel, Mr. Nicola Arba (Romania, but raised in Italy) who is a real gentleman as was his ever helpful assistant Mr. Denny Gunawan (Indonesia) who rejoined the ship in Mauritius and he was also on board last year, as well as the many other great staff who made our cruise so very special!

The Olissipo Restaurant amidships on Atlantic Deck 3 – looking aft

Welcome Aboard show.

After an excellent dinner and then a stroll along Promenade Deck (5) we headed for the spacious Calypso Show Lounge for the “Welcome On board Show” that proved to be huge hit!

This is a wide angle view of the Calypso Show Lounge looking forward taken during the day

Our cruise director Marcos Teixeira (Portugal) introduced us to the evening’s show that would provide us with a good idea of the superb standard of entertainment that we could expect during this voyage. And all I can say is that the talent on this voyage was simply astounding for all the entertainers were top class! Later in the evening the passengers were introduced to the charming Portuguese Captain Pedro Pinto (Portugal), his Staff Captain Alex Ribeiro (Portugal) and other officers as well as one of the most important persons on the ship, yes I do mean the Executive Chef - Mr. George Podder (India) and the delightful Maitre D’ Hotel, Mr. Nicola Arba as well as all Marcos’ assistants - the ships superb, talented, “super mad and funny” entertainment staff.

Our excellent Cruise Director Marcos Teixeira is ready to introduce Captain Pedro Pinto during the "Welcome Aboard Show"

Sofystic Chic Dancers.

The ships main Dance Troupe is a sublimely talented five member dance team named “Sofystic Chic” Dancers, which is headed and managed by a superb and famed choreographer Sofy. Dancers on this voyage included; Head (Male) Dancer - Andre Soares and Dancers - Audrey Moreau, Petra Albano, Salome Bigot and Noelia Giuntoli. Having seen this dance troupe last year, although except with Audrey this year there were three new talented girls in the show, but just like the previous year, this group was magnificent in every aspect as their technique is beyond the extraordinary and perfection.

I firmly believe they have shown us all on board some of the finest dancing, that certainly I have ever seen on any cruise ship, during my 125 voyages/cruise, ranging from modern to classical ballet. In addition I must complement their stunning wardrobe of costumes that is one of the most varied I have witnessed on stage. They range from drunkards, to elegant gowns to colourful and the simply sublime including those that will surprise!

This dance routine was part of the “Welcome Aboard” Show

Here is another scene from the “Sofystic Chic” Dancers brand new production - “Another World” performed in the Calypso Show Lounge

Besides their great talent, the variety of costuming, staging and props used was simply stunning to say the least

As you can see here the costumes are just amazing, but on Page Four there is full page covering the ships entertainment!

For bookings email Sofie at the “Sofystic Chic” at: sophysticchic@hotmail.com. Having seen “Sofystic Chic” Dancers two years in a row, I can personally recommend them to any 4 or 5 Star Cruise Company worldwide!

In addition on this night we enjoyed the delightful vocal cords of the ships three superb female vocalists; the sublime husky and Jazzy voice of Portuguese Ana Ribeiro, Portuguese superstar Elisabete Bras who had a voice of an angel, the ever delightful Balinese Ika Arcana who has a vast range and Portuguese star of TV and stage being the sensational voice Paulo Pacheco.

The music was provided by one of the finest bands at sea, being “The Cinnamon Band” featuring Allesandro Devillart (Drummer/Vocalist//Band Leader), Fernando de Sousa (Bass/Vocalist) ,Renato de Sousa (Guitar), Andre Silva (Keyboards/Vocalist and the wonderful Ana Ribeiro (vocalist/saxophonist).

We also saw the brilliant talents of the Magician Romao Rui, We were then amazed by the amazing talents of the excellent talents of the ships super talented pianist Nuno Taveres who plays daily in the Sirene’s Piano Lounge as do many of the aforementioned artists also perform there pre dinner, and at night after the main show. Last, but not least is guitarist and vocalist Joao Pedroso, who entertains occasionally in the Show lounge, but mostly at the outdoor Elphinor Bar close to the pool and lido deck

However, I must not forget great team who provided us entertainment with a difference and made us laugh until it hurts! They are; 1. There is our perfect “Showman” - Helder Camacho lovingly called “Cam,” who is a great character actor and ever so friendly and perfect hosting the various games on board. In addition, Cam just makes everyone happy and laugh! Cam was also on board in 2011, and it was good to have him back again! 2. Next is the all Australian “Funny Girl” Jayne Pincer who is a total riot as well as a superb game hostess a person that everybody loves! Jayne is simply adored by all! And I and all those who have booked the Marseilles to Fremantle voyage in November hopes that Jayne will be back next season, for she is a great asset to the ships entertainment complement! 3. Finally there is “the mad man” and I do mean “mad” and for a good reason! - Pedro Andrade. A strange person to say the least, but he is one of the funniest men on the stage as well as being a sublime dancer to boot. His mood changes are his main problem and he needs to attend to that. He will not be back, according what he told me and others, and personally I am glad of that!

Thus as you can see there is a vast variety of entertainment available and *Page Four is my complete entertainment guide.

From Left to Right vocalists; Ana Ribeiro, Paulo Pacheco, Ika Arcana and Elisabete Bras, backed by The Cinnamon Band

As you will have noted by their names, most of these artists hail from international various parts of the world, they all speak perfect English, and I can tell you; they do a great “Aussie Show” as we have already experience during the cruise! Although they occasionally sing a Spanish/Portuguese style song during an International show, they generally only sing in English of course and throughout the cruise they proved to be wonderful entertainers and they were certainly greatly enjoyed by all passengers on board throughout the voyage and many have sailed on various cruise ships with different cruise lines over the years. I felt that the entertainment was unique, and now looking back having now been on board for quite some time, I would say “The entertainment on board is better than special!”

*Further entertainment photographs and details are to be found on Page Four.

Back to our first Evening on board: As the first night came to a close it was time to retire to our room and I felt absolutely assured that this voyage to the UK had started very well indeed and I was quite sure that this was going to be yet another great cruise on what is, as all my regular readers will well know, what I believe this to be a superb classic style cruise ship. Yet having said that, and as I have already indicated earlier, the Athena although modern in so many ways she is operated more like ships used to be in those gracious days of the great ocean liners and thus there are so many traditional touches that are still alive and well on board this ship.

Some have asked me; “You say that Classic International Cruises has turned back the clock, if this is so will I miss out on anything?” the answer is simple … Certainly not! You will not miss out on a thing, except for the never ending marketing campaigns as found on the modern cruise ships these days, such as the never ending art auctions that will occupy your favourite lounge were we tend prefer to read a book, which is usually taken over for the whole day at least once or twice a week and then there are the continued attempts to have you heading for one of the optional restaurants on board, which means you have to pay an additional US$25 up to $75 extra (or more) for a meal, for which in reality you have already paid for in your fare. Did you know that on certain ships based in Australia, when you are at your regular evening meal, you are even, what I call being, accosted during your meal, with attempts to sell you, let’s say; oysters, prawns or other extra options to go with your fully paid for meal? I believe that this is 1 disgusting and 2 an utter disgrace and an intrusion to your privacy during your meal!

Thankfully this is never the case on Athena for everything is included in your fare, from early morning tea or coffee (0630), breakfast, morning tea or coffee, lunch, afternoon tea or coffee, dinner and delicious late hot and cold night snacks (2230), which is actually served by waiters around lounges and the aft deck areas, thus you do not have to go anywhere, it actually comes to you! Your fare even includes all port charges, taxes, and yes even your tips are included, whilst on other cruise ships around US$10 to9 around 12.00 per person per day is usually added to your daily account for tips. Athena is without doubt great value for money in so many more ways than one!

Having been on board before I am well aware of the measure of this ship. The truth is the Athena is simply wonderful and thankfully this time we have a total of 40 glorious nights on this ex classic liner, now a fine cruise ship!

This is part of our Junior Suite 221 located amidships on Pacific Deck (2)

Soon enough we were settled in into our sublimely comfortable oceangoing home as we sailed across the Indian Ocean bound for Port Louis at Mauritius Island where we would arrive on April 23. Of course this was a considerable stretch at sea. A question that many have asked me in the past: “As the Athena is a smaller ship, how does the she sail?”

As we sailed out of Fremantle we were well aware that there was quite a swell out on the Indian Ocean and that we would experience some movement from the ship, which is certainly not unusual for any ship, regardless their size. That evening and part of the next day Athena did a little, both in pitch and a little roll, but certainly it was far from uncomfortable and I can say did not see anyone seasick, which amazed me. As the voyage continued we enjoyed overall good weather and a happy ship as passengers were relaxed and the doctor never had such a quiet time of it. The ship did move like any good ship would, but ever so comfortably, just perfect to assist you to sleep well at night, thus we can say, it was just right!

Athena’s Bridge is always attended by the helmsman as well as the officer of the watch and another crew member although they are out of shot here

The author seen during one of his visits to the bridge

Photograph by Eng Tan

What Passengers have told me & the coffee situation on board - Over the past four summer seasons Athena has sailed from Fremantle and Adelaide, and I can honestly say that I have received countless emails, well over 3,400 in fact. I do remember that soon after the Funchal was replaced by the Athena, a number of rather staunch Funchal supporters were not too sure about this “larger ship Athena, that new ship,” but soon enough these Funchal supporters got used to CIC’s Flagship and the reviews have been nothing short from glowing and well over 99.7 of emails received have been very positive reviews indeed, in fact I have some of these online. But below is one of the most recent ones.

“Dear Mr. Goossens. We have read your cruise reviews over the years and last year we read and reread your review regarding your voyage on the MV Athena. We are most grateful for your total honesty and integrity that you have shown over the years in all your writings. Thanks to your positive review we have now cruised and returned from a delightful cruise on the Athena and I wish to thank you, for having now sailed on six cruises and to be honest four of these were much larger and more luxurious ships, the other one was the (---- x -----) and that was a bad decision and I will never go on that ship again. But we felt that the Athena, although she could not measure up to the luxury ships, yet we were far more at ease and made more friends with passengers and her crew who were simply outstanding, just as you stated. In addition, the Athena gave us a feeling of being at sea in the genuine sense and we enjoyed the hospitality, entertainment and our wonderful waiters and food was delightful. Thus when we came home we felt more than ever that we had been on a real cruise for the very first time! Once again thank you for all that you are doing. PS: I agree with you, she is a real ship, for what a fine hull she has! Sincerely. J.S.”

However, there have been just the odd ones and I mean only the “odd” few that had what I consider to be just a minor (or rather a personal) problem.

Let me explain.

M/V Athena by definition is not a luxury 5 star cruise ship and it is quite obvious that she is not marketed as such. We would all know that the fares reflect this fact. However, the standard on board I can say is greatly superior than I have found on a certain so-called “Premier” cruise ship that I sailed on in 2009, whilst on an extended world voyage. Although on Athena we may not have 24 hour free coffee available, but I don’t know about you, it just happens I do happen to sleep at night. Yet there are some folk who are rather desperate and obviously do not sleep and a few of these folk have emailed me with their tedious complaints about the “lack of coffee” and I mean over and over gain and believe me there was one person in particular. To be honest it came to the point that I listed this person and one other as a “professional complainer,” for frankly how desperate can you be?

Everyone on board Athena knows that coffee and a vast variety of teas are available for most of the day, in fact it is officially available at the following times at the Lotus Grill Buffet, as well with your meals in the Restaurant.

At the Lotus Grill Buffett it is from 0630 to 0930 hrs, but often runs overtime to 1000 hrs, then it is available again for morning tea at 1030 to 1100 hrs and more often than not this runs also into overtime to 1130 hrs. Then it is available again in the Buffett as well as the Restaurant from 1230 to 1415 hrs. Afternoon is tea is available between 1600 to 1700 hrs and during this cruise evening meal was in the Restaurant at 1900 hrs. Ice cold water is always available in the Buffett.

Above and below: Coffee and a variety of teas are available for most of the day and evening

In addition to coffee available freely as per the above, you can always buy a superb “Barista Espresso Coffee” or a variety of speciality coffees for a mere A$2.25 at the Sirene’s Bar and Lounge for a full 19 hours per day, starting from 0700 hrs (7 AM), try to get a coffee for that amount in Australia! Speciality coffees (such as an Irish Coffee) obviously cost extra.

But believe me or not I still have some of these folk (and I am being really nice here) write me and complain, just because it is available for free 24 hours per day in the buffet on a five star ship, yet they conveniently forget to mention 1. That these companies only offer either a cheap essence coffee or instant rubbish, whilst on the Athena all coffee is always made from freshly ground beans and the coffee on board is top quality and it is certainly the best I have tasted on any ship, and I love coffee! 2. On these 5 star ships, they tend to forget that they have already paid more than double for these so-called free coffees when they paid their fares.

The point is, when they joined Athena the fares they paid were certainly a great deal less, yet for some strange reason I never heard them complain about the low fares they paid. As a cruise reviewer, who cannot be bought by any company, nor bribed, I am delighted that every single passenger on Athena right now will tell you that this is a fine ship, that she has an excellent crew, and that the food and service on offer is wonderful and that they are having a superb experience! There is not one complaint to date and I have spoken to the vast majority of passengers on board. Although very early in the cruise there were a few very minor individual items that required attention, but all these were rapidly attended to through the Information Desk and some passengers received a new cabin, or had their air-conditioning adjusted, and as I have been advised it was all attended to very efficiently so.

I am sure that I have made my point and I feel that by now you will well and truly realise that I am delighted with this voyage as we have now continued further into the cruise heading close having passed St Helena Island in the Atlantic Ocean, and it just seems to improve day by day. Why is it that CIC just can’t do anything wrong? I believe it is because that CIC is one of just a very few independent shipping companies with a reputable 30 plus year history and they have the experience in operating classic ships and offering a classic style service that is unique in the industry, thus Classic International Cruises provides a cruise experience that I feel is simply beyond compare - an ocean voyage to remember!

Sirene’s Bar and Lounge

As I have been told over and over again as I speak with my fellow passengers, they are more than delighted with their cruise and many on board and most have sailed with various companies over the years, but somehow this ship has become special to them for she offers an unique experience in so many ways, as I am sure you will have gathered by now.

You will find a good number of passenger comments given to me during this 2012 cruise to the UK after the cabin images on Page Three.

You may ask, but are there any negatives at all? Of course for nothing is ever totally perfect and I will have a few comments regarding this also on Page Three, however, I do need to state here that like everything with human nature, not all things can be 100% perfect and I never expect it to be, but it always depends on how problems are handled by the appropriate staff member and on this ship they do this so well.

From left to right: The author, Athena’s Captain Pedro Pinto and my associate Mr. Hun-Hun-Eng Tan

Photograph by the Ships Photographer

Athena’s Venues and Facilities.

Before I continue this review, let say that the first three pages were written, compiled and/or updated whilst I was on board the ship, for I felt it better to write it whilst it was fresh on my mind and also that I could update it as required, as you will have already seen above with various details, and even referring to “day one” of the boarding section, as parts of it will include items that may be of a later date, but I felt it was still relevant to the basic story.

On the next page - Page Two I will take you on a comprehensive tour of the ship, which I will do with words as well as with a vast selection of photographs taken during this and the 2011 voyages. At each venue I will provide a brief description and related details, this will provide not just a better understanding and insight of M/V Athena, but also you will have seen ALL her delightful facilities.

As you continue to join me during my voyage’s to England, I trust that you will find something that is of interest and I certainly hope that you will enjoy this review enough that you may even consider sailing on the delightful Athena, for I certainly will again this very year, for whilst on this voyage, we have booked to join the Athena once again in Marseilles France on November 12, 2012 and sail to Australia via the Suez Canal, but with a new variety of ports! Full details regarding this voyage on the bottom of Page Six!

Should you wish to make any comments or ask a question you are more than welcome to contact me and you will find my email details at the bottom of each Webpage. In addition should you wish to make a booking on the Athena or any of the CIC ships, I will only be too happy to recommend a top cruise specialist in your region, all you have to do is ask! However, at the bottom of each page there is a link to the Classic International Cruises Website which can guide you on your way and then you will need a really good cruise agent and I mean, not just any travel agent but a cruise specialist who can provide you not just with superb service because of their expertise, but also with the correct up to date information and obtain the very best fares possible, etc!

Please Note: The author and Mr. Tan was on vacation and are not associated with the cruise company or any travel organisation and thus are fare paying passengers and “NOT a guest of Classic international Cruises!”

Reuben Goossens.

Cruise‘n’Ship Reviewer, Maritime Historian, Author & Lecturer.

Commenced in Passenger Shipping in 1960.

Cruise-Australia is a 100% non-commercial cruise site and does not accept advertising, commissions or donations!

M/V Athena 2012 Review sailing via South Africa – Index:

Page One … Athena Cruise Review

Page Two … Photo Page of the Ships Public Venues & Facilities

Page Three … Accommodation Page, Review Continued, Comments, & further Information

Page Four … Athena’s Entertainment Page with many Photographs

Page Five … ANZAC Day, Photographs, Menus & Other Items of Interest

Page Six … Meals, Menus, Waiters & Future Cruise Information

MS Stockholm … Athena’s History as the MS Stockholm – To be updated SOON

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For information on M/V Athena and her itineraries …

CLICK the “Classic International Cruises” LOGO above to enter the CIC Website

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Or Contact the …

“The Cruise Specialists”

Australia’s number One and First fully registered “Australian Cruise Agency” – Established in 1982

For Reservations or Enquiries - Email Corie Lisignoli

info@cruisespecialists.com.au

(Please NAME the SHIP you are enquiring about)

OR PHONE …

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For other specialised “Recommended” Cruise Agencies

There is a listing of “Recommended” Australian, New Zealand & International Cruise’n’Travel Agents

Enter my “Recommended Cruise Agents” page

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Contact the Author …

When sending an email please name the ship you are requesting information or speaking about

Please Note: Cruise-Australia is a non-commercial and privately owned cruise site. The author has been in the passenger shipping industry since 1960 and is currently semi-retired, but continues to write cruise and ship reviews and articles in order to better to inform cruise and ship enthusiasts and provide information for those intending a cruise in the future.

However, if you are interested in a cruise, I am happy to refer you to a dedicated cruise agent in Australia, New Zealand or further afield on my recommended “Cruise Agents” page, for these are agents that specialise in cruising and they will be able offer excellent service you and the best fares available! Be assured, I do NOT receive any commissions or favours from these agents, and in the vast majority of cases these agents will not even be aware of my, or this site’s involvement, as I provide the enquirer with the requested information of the agents (in their region) including their contact details. Reuben Goossens.

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*Photographs on the M/V Athena review were taken by the author and several by travelling companion Mr. Hun-Hun-Eng Tan. The ships historic images are all from the author’s private collection. However the majority of cabin photographs on Page Three, except those marked otherwise, were kindly provided by Classic International Cruises.