Europe - Eastern Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

Tours were all too early, so did self tours/taxi drivers, esp. in Athens outstanding and drove us straight to Acropolis and told us to go down the "backside" to the Plaka rather than follow all of the tour busses. Windjammer Cafe was a very good alternative instead of the table for 10 which we did not request. I apologize for the very rude California male at our table who wore his cap/ was asked politely/quietly to remove it and then proceeded to make fun of the Roman ruins; staff were very courteous to him/completely ignored we 2 Asian females who are professionals in our fields (served as Mayor of our city). I would try Royal Caribbean again, but not Splendour.

Comfortable, clean and fine entertainment.

I think the whole thing together made it a perfect cruise!!! I loved the services, the ship, shows, the servers, cleanliness of our cabin, the italian people and everyone else that was a part of this cruise!!

We were greeted with a man handing us a Welcome Aboard drink which we took but thankfully didn't drink as he proceeded to ask for $9.00 a drink! That was just the beginning! If you took anything from the refirgerator in the room, you were charged %18 on top of the cost of the item. We had a room right over the tenders and they banged into the ship all day everytime they were used. We tried to get another room but were told both weeks were booked. We know for a fact that friends of ours on the first week were offered a second week in a room that obviously was open. The slot machines were very tight and paid out litlle to nothing. We went to many ports that we would have loved to explore more but by the time everyone got off, there was little time to see anything but Souvenir shops. The food in the specialty restaurants was no better than the dinning hall. Therefore, most nights the dinning rooms were packed with up to an hour wait. The 24 hour Garden Room served very little that was not cold and dried out. I do have to say that the staff were very nice and friendlyand also the ship was very clean. We have been on other cruise lines and know that this cruise line did not begin to match the quality. First and last NCL for us.

My wife and I took this cruise for our honeymoon and i think the ship itself is beautiful but the reception staff were very cold and uncaring about your needs. The food was not great and the only restaurant open after 10:30 pm was the blue lagoon which only served the same fast food every day. I have cruised before with royal caribbean and carnival and the food was 10X better. The itineraries were ok, could have avoided nafplion greece and dubrovnik croatia, nothing to really see or do there. My wife and I did enjoy Athens Greece and Izmir Turkey. go to Cesme beach in Izmir, beautiful!!! I want to take another norweigan cruise back in the US just to see if my complaints are mainly overseas in the mediterranean.

We really had a good time on the Dubrovnik, Athens, Izmir, Nafplion trip. Good amount of time in port, nice crew.

We had a great time on our cruise. The places were beautiful. The ship was huge and kept very clean. Staff, especially our cabin steward, were nice. Only wish was that we were alotted more time in some of the ports. Overall, really cherished experience.

I really loved this ship. There was always maintenance going on to keep it in tip-top shape; the food was excellent; the cabins were well laid out; the crew was awesome; the whole hand-sanitizer thing was really great.

Need to upgrade entertainment options. Much better entertainment experienced on domestic Royal Caribbean cruises.

Fabulous cruise!!

The ship Splendour of the Seas is an older and smaller ship than the new super ships. I like the intimacy of the small ships, but felt this particular ship definitely needs an update. The food selection was eclectic as the head chef was from India and each dinner had a dish from India. Since half of the cruise guests were Italian there was also a daily pasta dish. The food was good, but not the best I've had on other Royal Carribean ships. This was my fourth cruise with Royal Carribean and I was not disappointed. The staff on the ship is awesome.

We were very upset with this experience. It was our first cruise and 40th wedding anniversary. While the ship is brand new and beautiful, the air conditioning in our stateroom only worked occassionaly and they could not get it fixed making it impossible to sleep in sweltering temperatures. The positioning of the cosino allowed smoke to permeate the entire ship which was just plain disgusting for those of us who hate cigarette smoke. On the postive side, the crew in many areas was great, especially the dining room. What is sad in the end is that we just couldn't wait to get away from the ship. We spent a ton of money for a very low value.

We had a really great time but there are aspects of this cruise that can use improvement. For one thing the shore excursions were unnecessarily expensive. The ports visited were really rich in history so many, including us, took advantage of the offering of tours and excursions. However the cost was way too high. There were independent agents (not affiliated with Royal Caribbean) that offered much lower rates for transportation to these historic sites. Once there you can buy your own entry into a museum or similar site. I feel like we wasted a lot of hard-earned money on a few of the excursions we purchased because we didn't know about the competition. That being said I do have to comment on the service aboard Splendour of the Seas. From our waiters and housekeeping staff to the activities staff we were incredibly pleased with everyone we encountered on our cruise. Everyone just goes out of their way to make sure you are having the best trip possible. I am very grateful to the hard-working people that made our vacation a delight.

The Norwegian Gem was a nice ship. We were a bit disappointed with the number of restaurants that required a 15 to 25 dollar service charge per person to eat. There were 5 of these and two main dining rooms for those not willing to pay again for their lunch or dinner. The entertainment was some of the best I have seen on cruise ships and the cruise director was amazing in how he drew all the passengers into doing activities.

Good cruise.

We were very relaxed on the ship.

A huge ship, with many on-board activities and places to eat and drink. Loved the capability to view the bridge while underway. Main dining room food was excellent.

I liked NCL and in fact I am planning to return in October...I pre bought before I lleft the ship. The incentive of $250 deposit and $100 credit is an excellent marketing tool..

Loved the ship. It had so much to offer, the choice of dining experiences, the theatre, casinos and lounges, pools mini golf etc. Everything was easy to get to.

Please believe me when I'm saying that you are not going to have a happy cruise.... Food: The selection is good, but the quality makes you cry!!! Awful food...and let me tell you that I'm hispanic and I eat anything!! Ports: Destinations are great, but you do not have enough time to enjoy the islands. For example, in Santorini we were literally 30'. To get to Oia which is the most beautiful part of the island, you need to take a tender, a cable rail and a 20' bus ride. The ship is at the port only for 4 hours. This situation happened at least in 4 other different ports. The only port that we have time was in Corfu which was only 6 hours.... Entertainment: OMG, do not make me start!!! It is like going to your kid's school play. Believe the reviews, do not make the same mistake I did thinking that people sometimes can be exaggerated. This is not a cruise that you are going to enjoy!!!!!