FERRY TEST N°1

	H/S/F Superfast VI – SUPERFAST FERRIES, Ancona – Igoumenitsa – Patras line, 03/08/05 h 19.00, expected arrival at Patras 04/08/05 h 16.30, cabin AS2 8026
	H/S/F Olympia Palace – MINOAN LINES, Patras – Igoumenitsa – Ancona line, 18/08/05 h 18.00, expected arrival at Ancona 19/08/05 h 13.00, airplane-type seat

	Olympia Palace	Superfast VI	Note
Timetable	****	**	A good timetable those of Minoan, even if the ferries are capable of faster connections; Superfast fails the latest and unique direct connection between Ancona and Patras with an unprofitable call at Igoumenitsa.
Check-in	**	***	A very long queue at Patras terminal for Minoan, surely due to the full ship; anyway, I think that they could solve these situations with another employee at the terminal or divertine part of passengers to the central office, near to the port and empty. The Ancona office of Superfast is much efficient, but it’s not fair to throw on the passenger the reservation problems.
Embarkation	*****	*****	Very quick in everyone of the two ferries, the officers have a good skill to fill any corner of the ferries.
Garage	***	*****	A good loading capacity for Minoan, with a direct ramp access to the upper garage; instead the garage of Superfast VI is simply perfect, with double drive-through facility, tiltable ramps and also a walk-way along the engine casing.
Passengers entrance	*****	*****	Both the two ferries have a stern separate access by ramp; Superfast has also a lateral entrance on port side if the ferry is moored bow-in.
Crew kindness	*****	*****	Very enjoyable on both the two ferries, particularly on Superfast, which improved very much this feature.
Ship Layout	***	***	Another draw: Minoan is far better for internal spaces and their specific layout, but the overall layout of the ship is confusionary and has a very criticable staircase from the lower garages to the passenger areas; Superfast instead has a “German layout”, everything at the right place, anyway, according to Superfast’s tradition the internal layout is unsatisfactory.
Accommodation	*	****	A very negative evaluation on Minoan Lines: the fabulous “business class” seats were deprived of LCD TV and audio entertainment. Anyway, the seats are still very confortable, but on a ferry of this class is not acceptable that the reclining system of the seat could be broken and that there isn’t an assigned and numerated seat, being diverted from a waiter to the first free seat. The cabin on Superfast ferry is very confortable, even if not so big and very simple, but perfect for a good sleep. In my opinion the policy of forcing passengers which want the single-use of the cabin to get an external-one is not acceptable.
Catering service	***	*	The food on Minoan Lines, even if not at the top, is very good. The evaluation could have been higher if the restaurant a-la carte weren’t close for the lunch, being only the self service working and generating a big queue which resembled old times and other ferries. Unfortunately, the evaluation of Superfast Ferries is far negative: I don’t like that the self-service and the restaurant have not separate spaces making you eat with other persons with are walking at no more than twenty centimetres far from you, and moreover the quality and choice of food is not satisfactory. But Superfast says that they’re members of the “Chaine des Rotissieurs”…
Bars	****	*****	Swimming pool, conference centre, piano bar and disco bar on Minoan, well furnished and good choice, even if I didn’t checked if the disco bar was opened when the disco was off; swimming pool, second external bar, cafeteria and disco-bar on Superfast, with internal bars slightly smaller than on Minoan. A bar is opened all night-long and also the choice to have lunch on external bars.
Other features	*****	***	Swimming pool, shops, internet point, casino/slot machines/games room and discotheque for Minoan, the same thing for Superfast except for the discotheque, which is replaced by a DJ working at the stern bar.
Furnishing	*****	***	The furnishing by De Jorio is unbeatable; the Superfast one is more economical and resembles very much the “Ikea” style.
Outer spaces	***	*****	Nothing exceptional on the “Olympia Palace”, big and sheltered spaces on Superfast, even if they aren’t so “shipspotter-friendly”. But this isn’t a great pity…
Punctuality	**	*	More than an hour delay for Minoan, a while less of two hours for Superfast. Awful.
Stars media	3,6	3,6
Final vote	72/100	72/100

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