Le Lyrial (Ponant) Review
-- / 5.0
Editor Rating
Ponant - Treasures of the Aegean Sea w/ COVID info August 2021
Review for the Eastern Mediterranean Cruise on Le Lyrial (Ponant)
AussieBoyTX
10+ Cruises • Age 50s
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Sail Date: Jul 2021
This was our first cruise since 2019 and it was another enjoyable experience on Ponant.
This review is lightly abridged from my day-by-day accounting here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2793516-on-board-le-lyrial-—-treasures-of-the-aegean-sea-—-july-30-august-6-2021/
This cruise was originally scheduled Istanbul to Athens, but was changed to Athens / Athens about 60 days in advance. The final itinerary was: Athens / Nafplion / Syros / Patmos / Delos & Mykonos / Paros / Hydra / Athens
Cabin Review
Aside from the suites, Ponant's cabins are very similar in size and decor, so I won't go into this much aside from these points:
This room was accessible, meaning it was slightly wider and more spacious than a normal cabin -- maybe 18 inches -- enough to get a wheelchair past the bed to the balcony (which also had accessible ramps). Instead of a separate toilet room from the sink / shower, they were combined into one compartment. Although the extra space was nice, we wound up making a mess splashing shower water all over the place. Next time, we'll take a standard cabin.
Note that there is only one 110 volt outlet in the cabin. The rest are European-style 220/240, so make sure you have adapters for your multi-voltage devices (like your phone chargers, most likely).
Port Reviews
Patmos
At Patmos, our guide literally wrote the book. It was available for sale for €17. He took us for a very interesting walk through the mountain-top village as well as some other scenic locations on the island. He only spoke English, which was highlighted on the program and at the excursion presentations, but most of the participants were French, so those who could wound up translating.
We enjoyed this tour because it was more about contemporary Greece than the other tours offered, which were very much focused on Saint John's writing of the Book of the Apocalypse.
Delos
At Delos, we toured with one of the four Greek guides who accompanied the ship. Her English was excellent and we got a great overview in three hours. We were reminded of the small ship advantage — we had the island to ourselves. Fifty in total and thirteen in our English tour. An hour later, the boats from Mykonos arrived with at least 400 people — most from Celebrity Apex.
Nafplion
Not our favorite port, but we did climb to the fortress of Palamidi. It was nice that Le Lyrial docked at the port, making it super easy to come and go as we pleased.
Hydra
Loved Hydra. Small town, yes, but we found the area immediately around the harbor to be charming and enjoyed just walking around.
18 Helpful Votes
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