I recently had the pleasure of sailing with Variety on the PanOrama II in July of this year with a group of friends 23 strong. We began our trip with an overnight stay, arranged through Variety, in Athens at the Herodian Hotel. The hotel is 5 stars: the staff was very accommodating in securing our luggage when we arrived at 11 AM and the rooms were not ready. Then onto the ship and we began our wonderful trip. The ship can accommodate 49, there were only 29 on board, our group of 23 and 6 others who quickly became part of our group. The ship was lovely, the cabins were very comfortable and the bathroom were quite spacious for a small cruise ship. The staff was wonderful and could not do enough for us. All requests were met with a smile and service. Sonny, the bartender, was the best. Joseph, the tour director, did a great job with the excursions, especially when the weather did not allow up to sail to Mykonos and we spent two nights docked in Syros. Joseph took us on a tour of the waterfront, explained the history of the island and pointed us in the right direction for a wonderful stay on the little known island. The food on board was great both in volume and quality. The daily home made butter cookies were a personal favorite. All in all, I would highly recommend Variety Cruises!
The cabin was well appointed, the a/c worked fine, it would have been nice if we could have opened the window but that is a minor complaint. Beds were very comfortable and the bathroom was spacious for a small cruise ship.