Europe - Western Mediterranean Cruise Guide and Reviews

We really enjoyed the service and the friendliness of the staff. The ports were great and hiring individual drivers was truly the way to go with the size of our family of eight. That gave us opportunity to modify places and excursions as we needed. But we always seem to run out of time. There was so much to see and do.

Great steward - his name was MULI!! Great service people overall!

1- Food in the buffet was horrible (makes Norwegian's tasteless buffet look delicious). The only buffet food that is somewhat acceptable is breakfast. 2- Service in the main restaurant is very slow, it takes about 1.5/2 hours every single night to finish dinner, which meant we did not make it in time for the Euro games and shows. Additionally, the portions are very small and to be satiated you have to order at least 3 portions of what you should. 3- Entertainment is very boring and lousy at the very best, there is no common knowledge on how to keep the passengers entertained with music and parties like on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, etc. Even Princess does a better job at this. 4- Kids are allowed to be rude and noisy around the ship with no reprimands by parents, staff, or lifeguards. Pools are filled with kids, and adults have no space to swim or relax. There should be a dedicated pool just for kids and one for people at least 18+, just like on other cruise lines. Furthermore, kids below the age of 18 should not be allowed to drink and enter the disco at night. To prevent such thing, a bouncer should be hired just like on other cruise lines. 5- When getting off and on at ports and scanning the card keys, there should be two dedicated lines for people entering and people exiting, not both on the same line. 6- MSC is supposed to be an Italian cruise line however people dress even worse than Americans on Norwegian. A cruise line with such reputation is supposed to enforce the dress code much more. 7- Even though this is an Italian cruise line, the hours at the restaurants and buffet should be geared towards the needs of the foreigners. For example, restaurants for lunch need to be open from 11am at least, and for dinner 6pm at least. Moreover, in the afternoon and later at night it is almost impossible to find something to eat, especially for somebody who is diabetic. 8- The elevators are very small with no air conditioner, which is highly unacceptable especially in the summer when they are crowded. Saying that the ship is small is a very feeble excuse because I have been on many different small ships from other companies that did a wonderful infrastuctural job at designing decent and efficient elevators. 9- In the cabins, the shampoo and body wash have the same ingredients and I know this because there was a list of ingredients attached on the shower wall. Moreover, there is no shower cap, no conditioner and no lotion, unlike on other cruise lines. 10- While I was taking a nap in the afternoon, I received two phone calls in the span of two hours from the same photographer inviting us to take pictures in the studio, even though I told him no the first time. I thought the cruise is supposed to be a relaxing vacation and not an harassment.

Our trip did not go well. We came home sick with Covid. We (my husband, and another couple) became ill within five days into our cruise. We spent the remaining days sick in our cabin. I saw the doctor onboard and requested a Covid test and was not given one. There needs to be an improvement on sanitation on this ship. It was so evident that money and time are not spent on sanitation (ie. lack of hand sanitizer dispensers, the furniture in cabins, lobbies and restaurants are stained and visibly dirty). It was just unhealthy.

Overall this was a great cruise. I enjoyed it tremendously. I went with my family and I had my own cabin which was nice. I enjoyed watching the ocean from my balcony. There is much to do on the ship though I stayed away from the crowded areas. The pool on sea days was very crowded. I think the spa offerings are too expensive so I did not partake of any of their services. Celebrity is top notch in my opinion. The food is excellent and so is the wait staff. The service overall was excellent and accommodating.