African Safari Club, Royal Star Review

Overall Rating

The dancers on-board, mainly Estonian/Ukrainian were helped with their choreography by the lack of stabilisers on the ship, which allowed them to move from stage left to stage right with little effort.

Price of visas for visits (expensive). Resident 3-piece "band" The Valmers - music consisted primarily of Bulgarian (their country of origin) and Hungarian folk music - what English songs there were, were sung with a thick Slavic overtone! Air conditioning throughout the whole voyage was set at about minus 5 degrees Celsius, 24/7.

The complete holiday from initial booking to finish was a disaster. We were overcharged for the holiday by the travel agent. After boarding the flight from Gatwick, we were ordered off because the toilets were blocked - a two hour delay ensued. During 6 out of the 9 days on-board the Royal Star African Safari Club cruise there were very heavy seas, and consequently a good proportion of the passengers remained in their cabins, as the stabilisation on the ship was non-existent.

With one exception, during every visit to shore we were pestered by the locals, either asking for money or trying to exchange something for money (an excursion or taxi ride etc).

Air-conditioning was set so low that one member of the group wore a cardigan and socks in bed! This is in the middle of the Indian Ocean! During inclement weather during the day, there was absolutely nothing to do on-board, apart from stare out of the rain-soaked windows and look at the rolling waves. The African Safari (AS) Airways flight from Mauritius to Mombasa at the end of the "cruise" was staffed by arrogant people. Landed in Mombasa at 9:15pm, and eventually got on a bus for the journey to the hotel after a 2 hour confrontation with Kenyan immigration staff regarding the cost of visas. We had been given incorrect information by AS staff, and only after considerable negotiation and threats of non-movement from the airport arrival lounge, were the 200-odd passengers allowed through. The bus trip of 30 - 45 minutes to the hotel was as good as a roller-coaster journey that is available at any theme park worldwide.

The hotel Dolphin was abysmal. After demanding a move from disgustingly filthy rooms, we were housed in superior rooms. The only difference was that the rooms looked out upon the ocean. The dirt was still there, and in addition the tiling in the bathroom was cracked. The shower was thick with grime and the windows were last cleaned during Queen Victoria's reign! (This last observation tended to negate the fact that the rooms overlooked the Indian Ocean, in that one couldn't look out of them)!

After one meal in the "package" (free) restaurant, we chose to pay for our remaining meals and eat in other restaurants (this was probably part of the overall plot)!

The highlight of the holiday was the flight back to Gatwick. The staff were very courteous and helpful. You may feel that our opinion on this point was coloured by the foregoing awful 13 days - you are probably right!

Members' Comments onPDERRICK's Review

• mjeavo on 25th Aug 2006

  I am booked to go on the Seychelles Royal cruise this weekend. I have been reading all the bad reviews and am considering trying to find a hotel in the Seychelles and forgoing this cruise. I am travelling in a party of 10 with 4 children. Can anyone give me any positive comments about this ship? I am quite concerned about the lack of stabilisers and food poisioning which has been commented about. Not so bothered about the entertainment.

• silverfox7422 on 28th Aug 2006

  totally agree with the comments of PDerrick. this was without doubt the worst holiday i have ever been on and the organisational skills of AS are to be rated at Zero.

• silverfox7422 on 28th Aug 2006

  This is not a cruise for children, there is absolutely nothing to entertain the children on board ship or on the stops along the way. In addition to that the stabilisers are ineffective once the ship is in the Indian Ocean.