Variety Cruises Avis 

Paradise lost at sea- A cruise best left unbooked.

Pegasos once perhaps a proud vessel now a tired old ship clinging to its former glory. Marketed as a mega yacht, its more mega disappointment.

From the moment we left port, the ship rocked like a carnaval ride gone rogue. Navigating the decks required balance, bravery, and perhaps divine intervention. Sea-sickness tablets on the bar where peanuts should have been, a telling substitution.

The zodiac more patches than a quilt and in need of constant air. The cabins, boasting ocean views, offered them only through rust streamed, fogged up windows. The decor screamed 1970 caravan right down to the brown tap water and threadbare towels and bedding.

The zodiac outing ended in full blown disaster. Guests tipped in the sea, belongings floating away. Rescued by sunbathers, then left on the island for 90 minutes.

Entertainment onboard. Think towel animals and a half hearted singalong of " if you're happy and you know it" though few clapped along. A snorkelor seeking guidance was simply told "just jump in" Excellent safety briefing that

When questioned about the days events, the Captain claimed nothing to do with him.

Variety Cruises, the operator behind this nautical nightmare, has admitted to multiple failings, safety among them- but dismissed the capsizing incident as caused by an unexpected wave. Funny, considering the very visible swell that day and the fact we had to trudge back through bushes and rocks before sitting on the zodiac floor like shipwreck survivors. Unexpected wave? Hardly.

Their grand gesture of goodwill? A discounted cruise. As they say, insanity is doing the same thing twice and expecting a different result. So no thank you.

In fairness, passengers should have the choice between a refund or a discount, depending on their ordeal.

The Seychelles remain a dream destination breathtaking and serene. Just don't experience them from the decks of Pegasos

While the crew onboard made visible efforts to assist us, several key issues significantly affected our overall experience and ultimately left us disappointed.

Cabin Allocation
We were initially assigned Cabin 302, where there was a strong and unpleasant odour present from the moment we boarded. This issue was reported multiple times and raised directly with both the Hotel Manager and the Captain, as it required immediate onboard attention. After repeated complaints, we were eventually moved to Cabin 101, which we accepted and appreciated.
That said, a cabin with such a condition should never be allocated to guests in the first place. While cabin assignments may be handled by headquarters, the readiness and condition of cabins are clearly the responsibility of the onboard hotel management. This issue should have been identified and addressed before embarkation.

Food & Catering
Our concerns regarding the food were not just personal preferences. These issues were openly discussed with other guests onboard, including travelers from Sweden and Portugal, who shared similar disappointment with the dining experience. This suggests the problem was not isolated.
Meals were frequently overcooked, particularly fish and meat, resulting in dry and tough dishes. This often points to operational issues such as production pressure, inconsistent cooking skills, ingredient quality, or inadequate temperature control — all of which noticeably affected meal quality throughout the cruise.

Itinerary, Weather & Overall Experience
We booked and paid for a four-day island-hopping cruise that was advertised to include destinations such as St. Anne, Curieuse, Aride, Anse Lazio, Cousin Island, St. Pierre, and Baie St. Anne. In reality, the experience felt largely like a ferry-style transfer from Victoria to Baie St. Anne, rather than the immersive island cruise that was promised.
While safety and weather considerations are understandable, the actual experience delivered was a significant departure from the itinerary advertised and expected, resulting in a clear mismatch between price, promise, and value.

Overall
This cruise did not meet the standards or expectations set by the marketing and itinerary description. Although individual crew members were polite and tried to help where possible, the combined issues with cabin condition, food quality, and itinerary delivery made this a disappointing holiday. Based on our experience, we would advise future travelers to carefully manage their expectations.

Greece > Jewels of the Cyclades > Galileo > 4 passengers > Oct 18-25 2024

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Variety Cruise appears to support a culture of safety and comfort violations, false advertising, and doing the bare minimum possible. Specifically, the Galileo ship, Captain Christos, Hotel Manager George and Tour Director Vicky.
Our mom’s 80th birthday trip was ruined.
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FALSE: “SAFETY & COMFORT”
********On the sundeck a 2.5 cm thick steel cable stay with steel chain at the end holding the central sailing mast, snapped with sound as loud as a gunshot and nearly took off my sister’s head. It hit the side of the vessel missing her head by a hair. I rushed to her thinking the worst, that she was severely injured. I held the cable down while another passenger went to alert the crew and tie it up. This was life threatening. Clearly the attachment point was rusted beyond its service life and should have been replaced prior to breaking. It was rusted out to approximately 5 mm wide while the other attachment points were 30 mm wide. Clearly indicating the ship has not undergone a safety inspection in many years. ********

Cabin 17 has a horrible moldy smell. I have been complaining to George several times a day, every day and he keeps saying there's nothing he can do to fix it and no empty cabins to move us to.

George offered to spray perfume in the room, and I told him not to because I'm allergic. Either George or housekeeping then sprayed my mattress with perfume and I had an allergic reaction, sore throat, headache, and couldn't sleep. The next morning, I dragged the perfumed mattress upstairs and handed it to him because i was so upset. The entire shipboard community saw me dragging the mattress up to him during breakfast.

There appears a seawater leak around the porthole as the wood around it is crystallized with salt. Bathroom has stained surfaces and shower grout is cracked and black with mold. Two other passengers had the same complaint to George about black mold in the bathroom also and difficulty getting it cleaned. George lied and said that it was black grout rather than mold. Fridge was broken (it was replaced).

When I was complaining about the mold in room 17, George lied that there's a water sensor in each room in case of leaks, Capt Niko confirmed there is no such thing.

My allergic reaction to room 17 has subsided but my sister's sore throat and headache continues to bother her. There were 2 other passengers cabins George could have moved us to that had crew in them. Plus 2 reservation agents were on the trip sailing free each with their own rooms who could have been combined.

We had planned to abandon the ship in Santorini due to the numerous health and safety concerns. However, the passengers in room 19 ended their trip early due to their dissatisfaction with Variety. George begrudgingly moved us into room 19 as if he was doing us a huge favor. Therefore, we stayed on the ship for the remainder of the voyage. But I had already reached out to corporate about the egregious issues occurring.

The boat was not built for the ocean, it is high with a flat bottom and no stabilizers, so it pitches and rolls uncomfortably in 1.5-meter seas, making my sister and a lot of people seasick.
Can't sit anywhere near the stern of the boat because the diesel exhaust is so thick one cannot breathe comfortably.
Diesel engines so loud and run rough that it shakes your teeth sitting in the aft of the boat.
70db in the staterooms to 100db in the stern, constant sound of the engine’s ranges from annoying to dangerously loud. (Exposure to sound over 85db causes hearing damage.)

I was a passenger on Variety's boat, the PANORAMA II to French Polynesia that began in Tahiti on November 3rd 2023. It's a relatively small ship... maybe 45 capacity and it wasn't full.
This was a much anticipated trip for me it was to be my first cruise ever. I have been saving for a long time to afford the costs and the flights over from the East Coast, USA.
The cruise was expected to end in Tahiti on November 13th 2023. We embarked as promised but we spent only one night on the boat. On the morning of November 4th, we woke to find there was no electricity. That meant among other things, that there were no lights, no use of toilets, no water and no kitchen services. And we were at sea.
After an hour of this confusion, we were informed that the cruise was canceled. We had to pack up and disembark immediately. We were ferried back to Tahiti and were told that Variety would refund us and would also pay for two nights in a hotel while we got our bearings. We were then told that Variety would only pay for one hotel night.
This was a very chaotic situation. We had to find our own accommodations on very short notice in a very expensive country during a very busy season. I was a solo traveler and this put me in a very precarious predicament. I did not anticipate being financially on the hook for the nine days that followed. This meant that I paid out of pocket for hotels, meals and all costs that would have been included in the cruise cost. I chose to stay in the islands and try to make the best of a terrible situation. Changing my flights would have been so pricey and difficult.

Because I purchased this cruise elsewhere, I was reimbursed immediately for the cost of the actual cruise. I also had expensive and extensive travel insurance and I submitted a claim. To my dismay, it will not cover Panorama's mechanical problems despite there being a massive trip interruption.

As of December 9, 2023, Variety has not communicated with me about compensating me for any of my expenses. They are 100% responsible for this trip interruption and it's been radio silence from them. However, not to fear... they have been very forthcoming with promises of discounts on a future cruise with their company.

I am not alone with my anger and disappointment. There are many other pasengers who are still extremely distressed by this situation. We are in communication with each other. I cannot speak for anyone else but I am incredibly disappointed with this cruise company.

I just want to be reimbursed for my unanticipated costs. If Variety comes forward with a reasonable offer that does not feel dismissive and insulting, I will change my review. But sadly...I am not hopeful.