This destination ship, the
Monet, was rebuilt into a charming 1,480-ton cruise ship in 2000 for Mediterranean cruising. With just 61 passengers, the Monet offers a yacht-style experience for visiting small ports especially in the Adriatic Sea. The family ownership and all-Croatian crew allow passengers to make a personal connection to the places they visit along the Croatian coast.
The company, Elegant Cruises and Tours, is headquartered in Long Island, New York, and it owns and operates the 105-passenger destination ship Andrea which cruises in European, South American and Antarctic waters.
Americans and British, age 50 and up, populate this ship, and its small size makes it ideal for whole-ship group charters. Life aboard is low-key and casual and the sedate-type passengers like it that way. The language aboard is English. Passengers are responsible for the tips.
In winter the Monet makes longer 14- to 18-night Adriatic Sea cruises along the Dalmatian Coast from Venice. Most cruises include two overnight stays in Venice and overnights in several Croatian ports including Dubrovnik. In the spring, summer and fall, the 7-day cruises begin with an overnight in Venice and exclusively visit Croatian ports including an overnight in Dubrovnik. Many of the ports allow easy access to independent touring ashore or with an excursion that may go on foot or in a bus. Beach lovers find many good swimming beaches close by.
The one lounge has a bar, piano, musical entertainment and dance floor. It provides the social center and the venue for informal talks. The mirrored ceilings give it a feeling of extra height. The open seating dining room affords good views with dining on Continental cuisine and complimentary wine and beer at lunch and dinner. As the chef knows the ports so well, he is able to buy locally caught fish and fresh vegetables. The outside teak decks offer lounge chairs for sunning, some under cover, and a whirlpool is forward and below the navigation bridge.
The 32 wood-trimmed cabins with showers are outside (picture window or porthole), located on three of the four passenger decks. All are twin- or double-bedded, and have a vanity with chair, satellite TV, VCR, audio channels, phones, safes and hair dryers. Of the seven categories, B, C & D are available as singles with a 50% supplement.
The all-white-with-a-blue-stripe Monet and its Croatian crew provide an ideal pint-size ship to cruise the Adriatic and the coast of Croatia. No one knows these waters better.
