Europe - Eastern Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

It was a good cruise. We had a good time. Shows were great.

We missed Israel due to break out of terrorist attack and subsequent war. Went to Bodrum and Marmaris Turkey. These were resort ports better suited to smaller ships but the were nice, would have preferred Alexandria and Istanbul.

Overall decent cruise. Had to pay to get to town. Be prepared for a ton of walking.

Itinerary was changed because of outbreak of war in Israel and concerns for risk of violence in Alexandria.Israeli ports of call and Alexandria therefore cancelled.I totally understand this and hope that peace will soon be established Ship went to Limassol for an overnight stay.Unfortunately this was the end of the tourist season so many businesses closed. Subsequently ship called at Mykonos,Rhodes,Santorini and Bodrum.Very nice ports but the vast majority of the passengers chose this cruise for the Israeli and Eygptian ports of call and were therefore disappointed.With the itinerary changed at such short notice shore excursions were severely limited and booked up within minutes of posting.It was therefore difficult to find things to spend onboard credit other than in the shops or casino.Onboard credit is not accepted for future cruise bookings. It was commented on by several fellow passengers that the same Greek Island/Turkey itinerary could have been had for a fraction of the price that we had paid for this one We were told that Celebrity would not be offering any compensation for missed ports of call in the form of reimbursement or future cruise credits.Despite the savings on fuel and port charges they must have made Strikingly noticeable this cruise was the low profile kept by the senior officers after the announcement of the change in itinerary. I am very surprised and disappointed at the attitude taken by Celebrity on this

The APEX is a beautiful ship. Our ports of call were amazing. The excursions arranged thru the ship were excellent. Our daily contact with all of the employees were out standing.

Hidden charges for everything They charge for water!

I've been on several cruises and by far this cruise is the only one that felt like a constant commercial. I can't say enough about our room steward, and dining rom wait staff. Balcony Stateroom 8520 My time dining table 243 Dennis and Dante!!!!

I am a veteran cruiser of 13 cruises. R.C. has good people working for them, but Explorer needs massive upgrading. When asking about broken things on the ship we were told, we report them and put in the work orders, but it's the follow through that is lacking.

Used tours by locals for our excursions and they were fantastic. Loved all the islands. Did not utilize the pool or spa. The one show we saw was good. Food could have been better and ship is definitely dated.

This was such a beautiful place we enjoyed our time in Athens Greece and cruise the rest. The hotel was nice, reasonable and in the middle of shops and restaurants.

They tried very hard with special meals but still could do better. Give them a a for effort. Food was not as good as on our ‘usual’ line. Staff is super friendly. Nice spaces on ship

Almost all passengers were Israelis, which for me was like a trip abroad while staying in Israel. The ship is not very big (which I personally like) but has enough things to do while you are on it. The inside cabin size is quite small, but since were were mostly there for shower or sleeping it didn't bother us too much. Most of the crew was very attentive and nice. I would probably do it again :)

We have traveled to several continents, sometimes with major tour operators like Tauck and NatGeo, but more frequently on our own. This was our first cruise and overall Ponant was very good. The ship, cabin, staff, food, and locations were all wonderful. The presenters and guides were consistently good, and measured up to that I would expect from the Smithsonian. The logistical execution was flawless, especially with getting passengers onto shore and back again. Onboard announcements and information was timely and accurate. My criticism focuses on the communications between Ponant and guests leading up to the cruise, which were in a deluge of emails. One email arrived June 23rd requesting a response by June 19th. A series of emails confused me on what I should wear for "dinner", "galas", "black and white theme" etc. Some information was found online but most was not. Other emails were imprecise, to be kind. For example, passengers should not select excursions based on a code like HRPLE02. These ought not be passenger facing, and caused us to miss a much anticipated excursion to Mostar. Again, all of this was done via back-and-forth email, often with different people. All of this should be online in a passenger portal. Despite all the positives, the miscommunications would dissuade us from traveling Ponant again.

Overall we had a great time thanks to the staff and the activities we were able to book outside of Celebrity. They could’ve provided more accurate information in terms of where the tender boats would drop you off, what basic services are available from the port to get you to the city, and posting the menus. The app wasn’t fully integrated to the ship, I wasn’t able to make reservations at any of the restaurants and they didn’t use it to send out any notifications/updates. But the staff was incredible and ultimately I would consider celebrity again, just a newer ship

We had a great time and created wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. The ship, itself, was very well kept, and the service staff was incredible! It was not too crowded, and everyone we met was friendly. I highly recommend this adventure!

The service on this ship was outstanding. Food was great and ship is layed out well. The only issue was the very poor excursion we purchased from Cruisely at Santorinni. We had to wait two hours to board tram up mountain. The tour guide was horrible. Totaly waste of money.

The Azamara Onward is a small, but capable ship perfect for our ports of call. We visited ports larger ships could not and enjoyed the beauty and charm of less traveled Croatia. The service and staff were attentive and excellent. The food and beverage were amazing and it was nice not having to provide a key card at bars and restaurants. Onboard entertainment was lacking but the Azamara Azamazing Evening and White Party definitely compensated for shortcomings in other areas.

I am a professed =X= snob but the dining room food has gotten bad. I'm very sad about it and will give them one more chance (I'm already booked on another =X= cruise). If the food doesn't improve, I'm done. It's their service that saved the day for me. Great as usual. And this itinerary is my second favorite in all of the cruise I've taken (43). Alaska is still number one, but this is a close second.

It is wonderful to have Crystal back in operation. There is certainly no drop off in service and pampering. Their standards definitely surpass anything we’ve found on the seas or on land before. We’ve now rejoined the ship for another week around Italy and looking forward to another wonderful cruise.

Superior staff. It’s a bigger ship than I’ve traveled in the past. We really enjoyed ourselves and would definitely choose Royal Caribbean again.