Europe - Eastern Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

A great cruise experience by A Cruiser from San Francisco Destination: Greece-Egypt-Turkey Sailing date: 2009-10-21 Pros:Stateroom size is excellant (full view window was not available) Cons:Specialty restatrant reservations were hard to get Ship facilities excellent; staff very friendly; information available was generally very good. All instructions were clear. Shore excursions were relatively expensive, but services were good. Food menu was very good and varied. Excellent tendering (ship-to-shore) service. Excellent Stardust auditorium. Some of the shows are good.

1) The ship is beautiful in every respect and functional 2) Myy cabin was always made-up in a timely manner well maintained 3) Every staff member with whom I had contact was courteous, accomodating, and friendly 4) I was most impressed with how efficient everyone was # THE ONLY RECOMMENDATION I WOULD HAVE IS THE SAME AS I HAVE MADE ON MY MAY CRUISE: YOU OUGHT TO PREPARE AND HAVE AVAILABLE A POCKET DECK GUIDE TO ENABLE PASSENGERS TO FIND WHERE THEY MAY WISH TO GO #

The Gem is a great ship that flows well. The pool area where all the outdoor entertainment is held (2 pools,kitchen,4 spa's, music) is too small. If you do not get a seat in this area early, you must seat far away and can not see what is going on or hear the music,

We were surprised to learn that coffee was included only at breakfast. We had to pay for water, tea, coffee at other times. I consider this to be a contract violation because policy is not stated in original travel documents. When I called front desk to register my complaint, I was asked if I was an American. I told him that I was, and he replied that was why I expected water to be served. "Americans drink water" . It was laughable. "What do other people drink," I asked. Food was cafeteria level. Staff usually stands around talking to eachother instead of helping or serving guests. We had to constantly request table service because staff is so busy talking to eachother. Extent of constant guest smoking is offensive and unavoidable.

The ship was new and well maintained. The rooms were small, but adequate. It took us awhile to learn the best ways to get around the ship, but once we did it was easier. The food was average; very European. The majority of the staff seemed to not really know what was going on most of the time. They seemed poorly trained - although well intentioned. The staff at the Reception desk were not helpful and were even rude. Onboarding and offboarding was often choatic and confusing - with little communication coming from the staff. Overall, we would not cruise with MSC again. Our previous experience with Royal Caribbean was much better in comparison. We got a great deal on this cruise, but after realizing that you pay for everything on the ship in euros, it didn't turn out ot be such a great deal afterall. Plus the ship wasn't as inclulsive as we thought it would be. There are many add-ons you find out about after you get on the ship.

THE CRUISE WAS GREAT BUT WE WERE TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTED WITH BOTH FLIGHTS, GOING AND COMING

new & beautiful!

Our cruise began in Venice, stopped in Ancona, 4 stops in Greece, one in Dubrovonik Croatia and then back to Venice. Rather than writing a full narrative, I'll just list the +s and -s Positives: Courteous Staff Good excursions (but they cost $$$ and you should really plan the cost of these ahead of time) Decent room (we thought it would be tiny but it was okay) Food was good, but not great Pool was spacious, but it was quite windy some days. There were enough chairs usually for everyone, but not always. A decent choice of activities, casino, etc. Negatives: You have to pay for Cokes... I hear this is normal, but it was unexpected to us many of the Italian people were rude and cut into line, invaded personal space a lot... if this bothers you, do not take this cruise line as it's an Italian line and most passengers are Italian The "shows' were not very good, in fact, they were bad in some cases, I didn't expect a ton but was still disapponted TV - not much on, and sometimes, it's nice to stay in the room, I would think they could add some more channels, especially English speaking for a minimal cost Stops were not long enough in some cases, I know that they could have given us much more time, the one stop that let us stay later in the day was great! Excursions - Greece was the Best! On Santorini, we did the "Oia Village" excursion and it was the one that gives you the amazing picturesque moments... we also heard that the "Black Beach" here was good. In Ancona - do the excursion that takes you to the caves, otherwise, there's NOTHING to do there (it takes you there on a Sunday, when everything is closed) The Athens "Acropolis" excursion was great... you get a lot of good stops and a bit of time for shopping. Other - Venice is great, but hard to get around, very expensive and not easy to carry bags around in... keep all this in mind, it's a water city, so there are NO ROADS... only water taxis, and oh, by the way, they're expensive as heck... the water bus is cramped and terribly hard to move around in with bags.

We were pleased with the ship totally. We were not pleased with the tour guides for Israel because of her pushing merchandise on the bus and only taking us to Jewish stores(The guide was Jewish). The overnight tour to Egypt was well done, except, once again, pushing merchandise on the bus. Celebrity arranged air travel, and although we had two hours after arriving at JFK to catch a connecting flight, the custom procedures were overwelmed by the number of passengers and only four agents checking in U.S. residents and we barely made the flight.

The ship was fantastic! There was so much to see and do! A great size, great accomodations and very smooth ride! The staff was very professional and very friendly.

I had only been on a Carnival cruise once before. No comparison. Voyager of the Seas was a great choice. We typically did not stand in endless lines to no-where as we did on Carnival. The staff was wonderful and personable. They all knew our names and likes/dislikes almost immediately. We chose the Dine on your Own Time option and that was wonderful, but still had the same wait-staff each evening which we enjoyed. We ate at the windjammer (buffet) once and chose to never do it again. Way too crowded and messy. However, everything else on the ship seemed really well thought out and made for a great vacation.

We have sailed with Royal Caribbean previously, but felt that our cabin seemed roomier than those we had before. There was plenty of room to store our gear. The three tiered dining room was very convenient.

Clean, secure, the everyday running of the ship and all that entails was never apparent to guests. It was just done superbly.

The Solstice surely is a world class ship. The atrium is open and beautiful, the whole layout was way beyond what other ships offer. The cabin we had on the fan tail was excellent, the service was great. The beds were comfortable and better than other ships we have sailed on. I have not cruised Celebrity before but after this cruise they have won me over and I wont sail on other lines!

We were on the maiden voyage on a Med. cruise from Rome for 12 days...the ship was beautiful, staff very friendly. Very organized boarding ship and disembarking...Diningroom food was very good, buffet food fair. We had a great time.

Horrible food, had to pay for everything..water, shuttles into town, shuttles back to the ship, information desk had no information on anything other than the tours that they offered... I could go on and on... but the best advice I could give you is to find another company to go on a cruise with.

The ship and crew we fabulous. Food was plentiful but not wastful. Passengers were friendly courteous and a pleasure to be with. If you are looking for a party all night ship, this isn't for you! It's quiet and relaxing.

Great cruise. The ship was new and the staff friendly

Legend of the Seas is aging gracefully. For those who prefer smaller ships over the mega's, she is great.

The ship mechanically was excellent, and so was the accommodations...some of the onsite activities were poor.