Cruise’n’Travel Journalist /
Cruise Reviewer
& Maritime Historian
Passenger
Cruise Reviews
Photo provided by “Classic
International Cruises”
Reworked by Cruise-Australia
As Western Australian cruise lovers have now long known,
Classic International Cruises (CIC) has an annual summer series of cruises to
South East Asia, along the
CIC first arrive to Australian shores in 2004 with
their delightful classic cruise ship MV Funchal and she very quickly became a massive
favourite considering that she has a warm and such a wonderful charm and is
packed with such fine facilities. The author had a superb time on board and has
a comprehensive page covering this ship … see the relevant “Funchal
Ship Review” link at the bottom of this page.
It would be in 2008 that CIC decided to relocate
their largest ship, and flagship, the
However, in the very early stages, for a a small number of the dedicated Funchal regulars it took a little
time for them to get used to the new larger ship, yet soon enough they became
converted, for the Athena was built as a powerful trans-Atlantic classic liner
and she was then totally rebuilt into the modern looking cruise ship we see
today having some of the finest facilities afloat, and believe me she has some facilities
that are not even found on some of the newest luxury ships that are built
today!
In recent times I have been flooded with emails from
regular readers of Cruise-Australia and others who have cruised on the
However: As the author sailed on
The delightful and intimate MV Athena
Photo provided by “Classic
International Cruises”
Review 1:
“Our check in and boarding process was a happy and a friendly experience. What we found as soon as we boarded the Athena was good old fashioned attentive service and for us it was like stepping back into a familiar time of passenger shipping when the passenger was treated like a respected guest, rather than when you board a cruise ship these days by the thousands and you are just a card with a number. We had booked a double bedded room on Mediterranean deck, and having been escorted to our stateroom (a thing of the past with other companies) we were surprised as we entered for it was far better than we ever dared to expect for it was far more spacious, as well as being light and bright with a good sized window. The wall behind the bed featured a large Roman style mural, and there was a bathroom that had an actual bathtub, something we were told by the stewards is not even found on the most luxurious cruise ships, for every cabin on Athena has one, even the cheapest inside four berth cabin. There was heaps of wardrobe space, sufficient for all our clothes for our longer cruise. The room had everything you could wish for, a TV, phone, fridge, safe, hairdryer, in fact it was so much better (and by far cheaper) than the so-called “premier” (name deleted) cruise line we sailed with last year on the east coast.
We soon headed up to the lounge deck and
explored the lounges and we decided to stay in the forward Calypso Lounge,
which is also the showroom. The waiters and bar staff were friendly and
efficient, and we soon discovered after the ship had left port and we were
underway that staff soon remembered our names as well as our favourite drinks,
how impressive! What can I tell you
In all, my wife and I both feel that we have had one of the best cruise experiences, for it was like turning back the clock, for we received real service as we were not just a number but individuals! We were not part of a crowd and had to line up to get on or off the ship, for there were only 558 passengers on board. I could mention the ports of call, but we had been to most of them before, but we certainly did enjoy our return visit to them all, but our main reason for this voyage was a “classic cruise” experience! In conclusion, we experienced great food, excellent entertainment, and had a fine grade 7 stateroom.
Reuben did I tell you we really, really enjoyed our cruise on the superb MV Athena? J & W.”
Welcome aboard - the ships mini atrium
On the lower level is the
main lobby & the Pursers Desk & Tours office, with the lounges &
Bars on the upper level
Photo provided by “Classic
International Cruises”
Review 2:
“Let me tell you what makes the
Athena so special, I found that it is her intimacy for this is without doubt
her biggest point of difference to the majority of cruise ships I have sailed
on to date. Recently I sailed on the mega boxlike cruise ship, the Oasis of the
Sea that has rock climbing walls, countless swimming pools, wave pools, a huge
stories high amidships indoor shopping mall dotted with cafes and restaurants
that all come at an optional cost, a ship with 6,500 passengers. Whereas the
delightfully and intimate Athena accommodates just 550 passengers in a
twin/double bedded configuration (or 650 if all upper beds are used). The
difference between these two cruises was massive, on one cruise you felt like a
stranger on board and it was difficult to even make friends in the short time
onboard as you were in port most days, whilst the other was like you were
someone special and I made friends even before departing Fremantle as it was
such as friendly ship!. Obviously the latter was on the Athena. Crew actually
guides you to your cabin, which is unheard off on any other cruise line, and
the cabins are quite good and spacious having all the mod-cons that any of the
very latest built ship has, but Athena as even more, a bathtub and shower over
head. This is unheard of on any ship unless you go on one of the small 6 star
super luxury expedition cruise ships, costing from $2,000 per day. The food on
Athena was also well up to standard and with 6 courses on offer that was one
course better than on Royal Caribbean. The quality and variety of food as well
as the dinning room service was excellent!” Overall, I found that Classic
International Cruises has a winning combination with their ships, and when I
was on board I as told that Athena was some 60 years old, and had been the
famous Swedish transatlantic liner Stockholm, I was stunned, for this ship, although
from having seen her powerful strong steel hull upon boarding, I realised she
must have been an older ship, but once on board you would never guess her age
for her interiors and her outdoor maintenance is simply beyond belief,
perfection, something I could not even say of the “Oasis of the
Seas”, which as a, almost brand new ship, externally looked rather shoddy
with vast amounts of rust showing! Not on Athena, she is as clean as a whistle
and her fine teak decks are perfection! I would recommend the Athena to anyone
who wishes t experience a real cruise, one that provides a picture of the past.
One thing I particularly liked was that unlike on all other cruise ships, on
Athena mid-morning tea and coffee is served every day at 10.30 AM. There is much
more I could add, but all I can really say it go and try it for Classic
cruising at its best is here in
The delightful Muses Lounge and Bar, then at
night it becomes the lively “Night Club
Photograph by Andrew
Mackinnon
Review 3:
“My mother and I recently
sailed on Classic International Cruises MV Athena for 10 days combining two
cruises from January 27 to
The spotless MV Athena berthed in Fremantle -
February 2010
Photo provided by “Classic
International Cruises”
Review 4:
“We were fortunate enough to be able
to have what turned out to be an excellent cruise on the motor ship Athena. And
I thought I’d let you know some of my thoughts on the experience, for I
feel that many Australian’s should know about this amazing ship. Beside
the excellent service, wonderful food and great entertainment we experienced,
what I really want to highlight is this. I just could not believe that a ship
could be this spotless. We found that the decks and
A view of the
starboard Boat Deck looking forward
Photograph by Andrew
Mackinnon
Review 5:
“Just returned
from a 7 night trip on
The
ships pool
Photo provided by “Classic
International Cruises”
As most readers will know, the author and Cruise-Australia has supported “Classic International Cruises” (CIC) for many years – Why? I believe that they provide their passengers. With an excellent and a classic cruise experience on a ship that is a real ship, not a huge box which is over crowded with up to 6,500 people. They offer wonderful dinning, entertainment that is constantly praised and service on the Athena receives the highest praise from every single writer! In addition, CIC offers great value for money, need I say more?
It is also worthy to note that CIC also
operates fly/cruises from Australia to Singapore or Hong Kong and sail on the
superb MV Princess Daphne cruising South East Asia. These cruises have proved
to be exceedingly popular, as has the varied Athena cruises of the coast of
A note by the author of Cruise-Australia:
There is no doubt that the Athena, besides being one of the safest ships around is also one of the finest maintained ships I know. It is the same as it is with all the CIC fleet, for each of their ships are simply sheer perfection whenever I have seen them, and those who write me constantly comment regarding this, as seen by the comments above!
Special Note: I shall be joining the MV Athena in Fremantle on
Reuben Goossens.
CIC - Classic International Cruises - Index:
Deck Plan
MS Stockholm … * Athena’s HISTORY as the MS Stockholm
CIC’s other ship’s
MV Funchal
SS Funchal … * Funchal’s days
as a Portuguese Atlantic Liner, Presidential Yacht and Cruise Ship!
MV
Princess Daphne … Sailing from
MS Port Sydney … * Read the history
of the Princess Daphne and her CIC sister Princess Danae
MS Istra … Arion
was built as a Yugoslavian cruise
ship in 1965 - on ssmaritime.com
An elegant looking Athena in port for the evening
For information on CIC ships and itineraries …
But for general Information and Reservations
International – Phone:
******************************************
Who is the Author of Cruise-Australia & ssMaritime?
Commenced in the Passenger Shipping Industry in May
1960
Contact the Author …
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
Classic Liner enthusiasts visit