This was our first cruise on the Minerva. We normally cruise on mid size ships, but booked this cruise to celebrate special birthdays. We got an early flight from London; the check in clerk told us that Swan Hellenic had booked passengers on 3 different flights that day, and he was surprised that they hadn't chartered a flight. We were lucky that our flight departed on time; the next one was 4 hours late, and those passengers were not happy, as they didn't arrive until late evening.

We had an aft cabin on Aegean deck, which was small but had just enough storage for a 2 week cruise. We were surprised to find that there were no tea/coffee making facilities in the room. The bathroom was tiny with a walk in shower, no bath, but the lighting in the bathroom was good. The cabin had an 18" TV, a safe and hairdryer. The bedside lamps were useless as they were positioned too low to read by, and we left a comment on this. The mattresses were the thinnest we have ever experienced; in addition mine was lumpy and I had to turn it in order to get some sleep! We heard some engine/propeller noise, but not enough to keep us awake.

There is a formal restaurant and a self service restaurant; we preferred the latter as we don't want to get dressed up every night. The food is the same in both and is of good quality. There is also a deck barbeque at lunchtimes, weather permitting. The service in the restaurants and bars is excellent. Tea and coffee is available in the self service restaurant 24 hours a day. Tea and cakes are served between 4 and 5pm. The wine list was rather limited. The cheapest drinkable wine was about £20 a bottle. There was a Captain's welcome dinner and a farewell dinner when wine was free, but unfortunately it was not of good quality, and one glass was enough for us!. Read more