A cruise across the Adriatic is a brilliant way to discover the coastline and the stunning islands with all of their natural beauty and historical heritage. Before you embark on your dream journey of uncovering the hidden gems of the Adriatic some logistical steps lie ahead that have to be dealt with. One of the most important questions everyone faces is the one regarding the budget of the cruise. A bigger budget normally signifies that different types of amenities will be included in the program and the ship itself will be of a higher category. The focus of this text will be to highlight the differences between each ship category with the aim of helping you make the best possible decision regarding the ship to be used to carry out the cruise.

1. Superior category ships

Superior category ships are a great choice for those who want to enjoy some extra privacy and the convenience of a private toilet and shower ensuite. The cabins are generally with mostly bunk beds (with some exceptions). Also, cabins and saloon are fully airconditioned you will have a half bord type of services on these ships with two out of three meals included. You also get complimentary water daily.

In terms of star rating, these ships would correspond to a 3 star rating. These are most often wooden or more traditional ships, many of which were renovated but they still exude a special traditional charm. These ships are the most affordable and their price for a double cabin ranges between 600-700 eur per person for early departures in April to about 850-900 eur per person in high season. Such ships depart from all major ports on many different itineraries so you will have no problems finding the best itinerary as one of the ships from this class should normally be available in the majority of cases.

2. Premium category ships

Premium category ships are a class above our Superior ships in terms of space, comfort and luxury.  They are newer in design with slightly bigger cabins which have mainly twin or double beds, however some still have bunk beds. Each cabin has en suite bathroom facilities with a shower and toilet. The cabins are also air-conditioned. 

All bed linen as well as towels are provided. We recommend you bring a beach towel for use on the deck and beaches since beach towels will not be provided.

These ships have several included service like buffet breakfasts, three course lunches, Captain’s dinner, English speaking tour manager on board, guided tour, daily cabin service, luggage handling, olive oil and wine tasting on board, afternoon tea and coffee and complimentary water daily. An extra-special treat on the Premium ships is the Captain’s Dinner on one of the nights. This is a great opportunity to get dressed for dinner and mingle with your fellow shipmates and the crew. These ships are also available on almost all routes and they depart from all major ports. The prices for cruises on these ships range between 850-1000 eur for departures in April to between 1100 – 1250 per person for departures in high season.

3. Premium superior category ships

Premium superior vessels are recently built mini deluxe vessels featuring similar comfort to deluxe vessels, but are smaller in size – 38 to 41m in length. Air-conditioned cabins are 8 to 14m 2 in size with double or twin beds, hair dryer and safety deposit box.

Cruises on these ships include numerous services like buffet breakfasts, three course lunches, Captain’s dinner, English speaking tour manager on board, three guided tours, daily cabin service, mid-week fresh set of towels and bed linen, luggage handling. The price for such ships may range between 1000 – 1150 per person for departures in April to between 1250-1500 eur per person for departures in high season.

4. Deluxe and Deluxe superior vessels

There is in fact a slight difference in terms of luxury between deluxe and deluxe superior vessels the latter being a class of newer and larger vessels, the best vessels that exist on the Adriatic sea built with high quality materials of solid wood, glass, marble, stainless steel and similar. Minimum 47 meters in length, newly built or refurbished after 2016, with hot tubs and spacious, superbly designed, air-conditioned en-suite cabins with double or twin beds, 15 to 20 meters in size.

Cabins are equipped with wardrobes, deposit box, hair dryer, toiletries, bathrobe, slippers etc. Cruises on such ships have numerous included service like airport transfers, buffet breakfasts and four course lunches, drink with lunch, Captain’s dinner with live music, dinner in a typical Croatian setting, sightseeings, English speaking tour manager, various entrance fees, various tastings and daily cabin service. These deluxe superior ships also have upper deck cabins with private balconies offering a special type of comfort unrivaled on another ship or in other cabins, such cabins are also know with a popular abbreviation VIP. Prices for such cruises range between 1750 eur –  2700 per person for departures in April to between 2350 eur- 3400 eur for cabin in high season.

Hopefully, the above stated overview will give you an idea about what to expect on ships of different categories in terms of the level of comfort and services included. Adriagate has a wide offer of cruise programs suitable to any budget and its staff will do their best to assist you in finding the perfect cruise.