Gil Eanes Cabins

4.0 / 5.0
5 reviews
Editor Rating
4.0
Very Good
Cabins
Jeannine Williamson
Contributor

All 66 cabins, comprising 64 standard cabins -- one accessible -- and two suites, are river facing and located on the lower, middle and upper decks. The standard cabins are compact, but well-designed to make the best use of the space. The clean blue and white decor gives a bright, airy feel with a splash of color.

All cabin categories have comfortable beds that can be configured as doubles or twins and have individual duvets. There is room for suitcases to be stowed beneath the beds. The cabins all come with climate control, TV, radio, hair dryer, full-length mirror and safe that is large enough for a laptop. TV programing includes CNN, BBC and various European channels along with a basic interactive menu showing the bow webcam, ship information and an overview of the daily program and menus. All cabins have a volume switch that allows onboard announcements to be heard in the cabin or turned off. There is a telephone that can be used to call reception, other cabins and be programed for a wake-up call, but it cannot be used to make or receive outside calls.

Cabin lighting is good and includes bedside reading lights. Another nice feature is the generous number of electrical outlets; five in total. The onboard voltage is 220 volts with European two-pin sockets, so passengers need to bring adapters for their electronic devices.

The bathrooms are white with tiled floors and a band of mosaic tiles around the wall. While they are relatively small, the best use is made of the space, with plenty of storage above, beside and below the sink for toiletries, along with hooks and hangers for towels. The shower is a good size, with folding doors and plenty of room to turn around. The position of the showerhead can be altered and there is decent-size soap dish. Note: You will need to bring your own soap as onboard toiletries consist of small CroisiEurope-branded bottles of shower gel/shampoo and conditioner and a fixed liquid soap dispenser beside the sink; the latter cannot be reached when you are in the shower. The cruise line warns that the ship does not supply facecloths – we think it might be more useful to note that there are no bars of soap!

As a budget line, you won't find bottled water, fruit, flowers, an ice bucket, fridge or other extras in the cabin. The chocolate hearts put in the cabin on arrival are a cute touch.

Standard Cabins: Virtually all of the ship's cabins fall into this category and measure 139 square feet. There are 18 on the lower deck that have two rectangular windows that don't open. These are much larger and fixed lower in the wall than most other river ships, so passengers in these waterline cabins don't have to crane their necks to see passing views.

There are 14 more standard cabins on the middle deck and 32 on the upper deck, all with French balconies and sliding floor-to-ceiling windows. A plus in all cabins is that the beds face out toward the window, which is not the norm (lines that do it are more upscale, including Tauck, Avalon and Crystal). The downside is that one side of the bed is flush against the wall, making it tricky for the occupant to get up without disturbing their cabin companion. There is one wheelchair accessible cabin, 224, situated on the middle deck and close to the elevator. It features a much larger bathroom that the other standard cabins, which is fitted out with grab rails and has a plastic stool that can be used in the shower.

A neat feature in the cabins is the retractable TV that is set flat into the ceiling and lowers at the press of a switch on the bedhead. Every cabin has a closet with two shelves and ample hangers. A small desk area, with a round stool, is situated behind the headboard along with a built-in chest with two shelves. Two handy hooks are located in the cabin and two more in the bathroom.

Suites: The ship's two suites are located on the upper deck at the rear of the ship. Measuring 204 square feet, they comprise one room with a French balcony at the side and a panoramic floor-to-ceiling window that opens onto a spacious balcony overlooking the aft of the ship. The veranda comes with two cool cone-shaped plastic chairs (more comfortable than they look), a table and lounger. The balcony doesn't offer privacy as it overlooks the neighboring veranda, with the two verandas separated by a small walkout area that other passengers can access from a door at the end of the corridor.

In the suites, there is ample room to walk around both sides of the bed. These cabins feature additional storage space, including a shelving and cupboard unit running along one side of the bed with a large mirror that extends along the length of the wall, a double closet and a dressing table/desk with two chairs. In the suites, the TV is fixed on the wall and can be swung around to face the bed.

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