Europe - Eastern Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

Cruise was great.  Loved the ports.  Food was divine!  Entertainment could definitely be improved.  We were some of the younger people on the cruise (early 30's), so maybe it just wasn't geared toward us.  Additional shore excursions would be nice, as there weren't many options at each port like there are on Caribbean cruises.  Overall, would do it again in a heartbeat!

Sailing out of Venice on a beautiful afternoon was wonderful;

Our cabins were excellent;

the sail into Kotor, Montenegro and shore visit, lovely place. Excellent.

Food moderate (one dinner had to be sent back; only just warm!)

Drinks package excellent value considering the cost of drinks on board.

Theatre shows slightly disappointing; not top quality. One entertainer failed to show!

Ports were very interesting.  Unfortunately had to cut the cruise short by two days.  Husband had an accident and had to be taken to hospital in Dubrovnik.  Medical staff on board were fantastic.  Royal Caribbean arranged a port agent to assist me with hotel, flights home etc and he was excellent.  Could not have managed without his help.  Didn't get to see Venice.  Will have to return sometime.

I enjoyed all of the ports. The ship's staff were eager to please.  My favorite  person was Gina, the front desk manager.  Gina went above and beyond.  Kelly at the Japanese restaurant was awesome and most of the servers  remembered our names. Best cruise yet! The staff made the difference.  I would have liked to have found breakfast food at a later time and the restaurant on deck  8 wasn't good.  The food seemed to be warmed up and not cooked.  

The MSC Magnifica  honors its name.  The ship is beautiful, very clean, and its staff very well trained.  On our day at sea we encountered a thunderstorm which lasted a long time, but the ship was smooth as glass. The itinerary was very good, only one day at sea, which was a big plus for us.

The passengers were from all over, but a very large majority were from Italy and there were a lot of children that had the run of the ship.  This was mostly evident in the buffet restaurant and the pool area where they seemed to be unchaperoned.  After a very hectic experience at the buffet restaurant, we went to all our meals at the sit down restaurant, adjusting our days to their opening hours.  This experience was shared by all the passengers at hour table, avoiding the 13th deck at all cost.

Next time I will make sure that schools are back in session before I book our trip.

This was the first and last time we will cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line.

It was totally geared up for American customers although a large percentage were

European etc...

The ship it self was very nice, clean etc.. however some staff were lacking and

in a couple of instances quite rude and abrupt.

There were lots of hidden extras such as WIFI, drinks were extortionate prices

and food in some bars and restaurants poor.

We will be going back with Fred Olsen next time

Enjoyed every aspect of the cruise. Embarkation and disembarkation most efficient I have ever experienced. The ship was spotlessly clean. All members of staff were were friendly and helpful. The food and service were first class. Excellent choice for ports of call and of course the weather was superb. Best cruise ship I have ever sailed on. I have previously sailed with Cunard, P&O, NCL and Royal Caribbean.

Enjoyed every aspect of the cruise. Embarkation and disembarkation most efficient I have ever experienced. The ship was spotlessly clean. All members of staff were were friendly and helpful. The food and service were first class. Excellent choice for ports of call and of course the weather was superb. Best cruise ship I have ever sailed on. I have previously sailed with Cunard, P&O, NCL and Royal Caribbean.

Great cruise with stops in great places. The biggest complaint is the shower size. The service is five star on Azamara and not having to pay for the basics ( coke or beer and wine) makes it even better.

Really enjoyed Croatia ports which we knew little about - NCL excursion guides were knowledgeable and courteous.  Santorini is one of the most picturesque places in the world!  No need to book a ship excursion there, just explore Oia and Fira on your own.  Good to have a guide in Athens - so much history!  Plan to stay an extra day in Venice - an amazing city and its surrounding islands of Murano and Burano are fun to visit.  Don't forget your gondola ride in Venice - a classic!

NCL Jade is an old ship but has everything needed for a great cruise, Freestyle is awesome and the ultimate dining and beverage packages were great value!

The cruise itinerary had two days of "At Sea," this was really nice as just having a couple of days to relax between ports and go no where was pleasant. We loved the Shore Excursions, but needed some down time to just relax as well.  Cabin temperature controls were excellent, especially when it was 85F with 80% humidity outside.

1) My son is allergic to Dairy products.  They recommended a desert for him and insisted that it didn't contain any milk or milk products.  However after eating a bit my son started having reaction and had to take medication.

2) We were assigned to a stateroom right next to engine room.  Every time when ship is docking or leaving, it made horrible noise for half an hour.  And at least 3 times it docked in the very early of morning and affected our sleep/rest. 

Dining and crew service have been excellent.  The cleanness of the ship is good for the most part except you can smell the bathroom sometime when in common area on the ship.  There is too much chemical in the indoor pool which made our eyes burn.  

This was our 3rd cruise with Norwegian and it was the worst one!! The passengers and many of the crew were EXTREMELY rude.  The activities on the ship were a joke.  There were so many activities and nighttime entertainment on the other NCL ships that we were on previously.  Most of the crew didn't understand English and were unable to answer our questions.  The service was poor at the specialty dining and the complimentary sit-down restaurants.  We had to wait very long for a soda refill plus many times when we ordered items such as dessert, we were served something that we didn't order or the items didn't come at all.  If I ordered a regular Pepsi, I would get a diet Pepsi.  It took very long for the bar drinks to arrive at the table as well.  I ordered a Mudslide and the bartender made it with pina colada mix---I didn't ask for a pina colada, I asked for a mudslide.  When we ordered room service, the person who took the order asked how many people were in the room and when I told them 2 people, they remarked that "it was a lot of food for just 2 people".   We are extremely disappointed with our experience and doubt we will cruise with NCl again.  Such a let down. 

Itinerary was good with the exception of Olympia.  Vibration from the ship's engines made it difficult to sleep or eat at night.  No 24 coffee pastry shop on board.  Tours experienced long delays which left little time for sightseeing. Many passport delays in ports and even disembarking the ship at the end of the cruise

This was the first cruise I've ever done, but have traveled extensively, including in the Adriatic.  

- I was disappointed by the amount of time we had in several ports.  4-5 hours in Dubrovnik and Kotor?  The Olympia tour was extremely underwhelming.  Many people complained about not being able to go to the museum, so that should be highlighted as an exclusion.

- Also, pretty screwed up that you can book the tours at the last minute on the dock for way less than those who prepared in advance paid. 

- travelling alongside other ships created extreme overcrowding in ports.  Split streets were barely navigable. 

- I intentionally booked an Italian cruise line expecting fabulous food.  This was also incredibly disappointing.  I had one dish that would pass as good, and nothing above that.  Finally stopped going to the nightly dinners because it was not worth my time to sit and eat mediocre food for 2 hours.  Not even fresh pasta?  I always seek out several gourmet meals when traveling, so was really shocked at the quality of food and lack of flavor.  

- Overcrowded...  Realize as an American we are at a disadvantage in a culture where pushing, shoving, and skipping in lines is normal.  I also heard several European and South African guests complaining about the aggressiveness of other guests, uncontrolled children, inability to get a seat at buffet dinners, even on the pool decks, etc.  An elderly South African family said they would only do an American cruise line in the future because of the crowding and being pushed and shoved around so much. 

- Timing of food?  Again understand this is cultural and some cultures eat much earlier than others, but not having food available in the late afternoons, besides what you have to pay in addition for, was annoying.  After coming back from spending hours walking or sunbathing, it would have been nice to be able to get a bite to eat.  

- Paid food - the crepes were barely edible. 

- Cost of minibar in room was exorbitant, especially if one had paid for a drink package.  Not being able to go somewhere and pick up water or soda for the cabin (besides when in port and paying for it) is pretty stupid. 

- Just really really overcrowded.  Could barely get through certain areas.  1/2 the elevators were out at any given time, creating long lines and competition to get on an elevator.  

- I am a 40-something single and placed with elderly women at dinner, along with families.  In such a situation, language is not as important as age and life situation.  

- Never imagined I'd have to set my alarm every day on vacation.  That was quite a surprise.

I loved my cabin and deck - and paid greatly for it.  My cabin steward Maria was amazing!

It was a nice size ship for a first-time cruiser as was one of our party.

The workers had a wonderful attitude. we greatly appreciated Alvin, our  3602 cabin attendant. The food staff was attentive especially Karandeo and Alexandru for our second seating dinner at table #172. Alexandru went out of his way to see that our needs were met any time he saw us around the ship, Less desirable was the quality of the dinner entrees. Several were sent back to the kitchen due to being over cooked or cold. One huge disappointment i viewed in the windjammer dining area was when a server dropped a box of jelly packets on the floor and picked them back up and put in th container to be used by diners after being on the floor. Disinfectant at the dining room entrance didn't help much if diners were then placing items on their trays that were on the floor. We loved the food and service in the sushi restaurant. Elizabeth was awesome and personable.  The ship was clean and towels plentiful.We took advantage of the spa services, sauna's and steam rooms and loved playing in the casino. I would recommend this cruise and especially ROSE DOYLE. By dealing with Rose, I was more comfortable taking this cruise. because she was available for my questions and always reassuring.

The service staff was excellent and the dining room food was very good. The specialty restaurant, Giovanni, was outstanding. The buffet was average or less. There was a good mix of age groups and nationalities. This made it difficult to cater to the needs of everyone in the selection of food choices, activities and entertainment. Most activities were suited to the younger passengers. 

simply excellent totally this is my opinion ,the ship with a total of 28000 passengers is my ideal to be on the cruise with lots of space to move around .Costa Deliziosa will be my next cruise.

The Itinerary was excellent, the Ship was quite nice, service excellent as always, however both Royal Caribbean and Cruise 118 were a disappointment on delivering our special Birthday celebrations