Europe - Eastern Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

The ship is clean and classic. Decorated beautifully and very pleasant public spaces everywhere. Just the right size (1600, plus or minus passengers mostly Americans and Canadians with a sprinkling of Europeans of all nationalities). Staff is graceful, friendly but not obtrusive, and overall management seemed excellent.

The ship was gorgeous and the shows they offered were fantastic! I felt like we were at Cirque de Soleil. It was THAT good!

This was one of the oldest and smallest ships I've been on so I was a little concerned, but it was really nice. We got to know other guests better because we saw they more often and it had a cozy feel. We did hit rough weather which is felt a lot more on a smaller ship, but it doesn't bother me. The boat was dated because it is older. We had a Jr. suite which was really nice. The dining room staff was excellent and the food was delicious. We had a few minor problems with housekeeping which were quickly resolved, but guest relations was a little more difficult to deal with. All in all it was a great trip and I would travel on this ship again.

We were pleasantly suprised with the great condition the ship is in. Since it's older, we expected it to look worn. It was refurbished last year and looks great. We've been on about 18 cruises and Royal Caribbean is our favorite line because of their friendly, happy staff that all seem to enjoy their jobs. The staff on this ship is the best of the best. They were always asking if we needed anything and eager to please.

The Cruise was good,with the exception of the problem we had with our luggage. The airline lost it then delivered it to our cabin. We reported it to the cruise staff, and asked what we could do. We checked everyday,had to keep explaining it to someone different everyday. No one ever got back to us about condition. Poor customer service. Too many languages,annousements ran on and on.

As this was our honeymoon, we wanted to do something new and exciting. Hence, the Mediterranean Cruise. It was excellent. We loved the ports of call, which included Dubrovnik, Croatia, Kusadasi, Turkey, Santorini, Greece, and Corfu, Greece. I loved all the ports. We took one shore excursion in Turkey, which I would recommend, because if you don't take an excursion, the city in which you walk is not that interesting. I would have liked to see more of the countryside in Corfu. There are lots of people at the ports, but it is easy to explore on your own and get a taste of the local culture. This was the perfect experience for a honeymoon. There were about 20 other honeymoon couples on the ship, as well as a couple celebrating their 53rd anniversary! And, there was EVERYTHING in between. So, it was a great mix of people. The shows were just excellent and dinner in the formal dining room was the highlight of every day! We had a blast at the casino as well. I guess my truly favorite part of the cruise was the balcony in our state room. We slept with it open every night, and the wind and sound of the ocean was simply amazing.

The food everywhere was terrible but the speciality restaurants were good but you had to pay for these restaurants. If the food in the paid restaurants can be good why couldn't the unpaid for restaurants have good food as well. I assume it's because NCL wants you to PAY for dinner which is counter-productive to the all-included cruise experience.

The ship was rather new, well designed, and all in all, well organized and run. Freestyle dining was good, but sometimes we had to wait up to 20 minutes to be seated. Food in general was good, but we always had to tell the waitresses to make sure it it hot; otherwise it would have been lukewarm.

Overall, the cruise was very enjoyable. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The ship for the most part was clean, and emphasis was put on sanitation. Although, our stateroom bathroom, and the bathrooms on board had a constant faint smell of urine and poo. I was under the impression the ship is a little older, and the plumbing could probably use some updating. Also, I wouldn't recomend this cruise ship for people under 45. Not much night life for younger people.

Well maintained. Clean and efficiently operated. Staff was excellent in every area. English speakers were always available. Customer Service was their foremost concern but they were very attentive to the bottom-line of merchandising everything. Euro valuation made Duty Free more expensive than local at-home costs.

The ship was very impressive. It was impeccably clean. The staff and crew were very helpful, considering that I did not speak a foreign language and needed explanations. My room was good size and very quiet. The dining room seemed very noisy, maybe due to the number of people in it? The service in the dining room was very good. The bathrooms were extremely clean at all times.

The ship was very well organized. The tendering and shuttles were well run. Early seating 7:15 pm had some crying infants if that bothers you choose the second seating.

We were the 16th cruise on the new Costa Serena. The ship is superb, and the crew gives real meaning to the words "customer service." They were terrific. This is a big ship, holdiing over 3500 passengers, but the design makes it seem more intimate. The decor is something you either like or dislke depending on your personal taste, so I won't comment on that. With that many people on board you would think that it would seem crowded, but once again the design allows everyone the space they need without feeling cramped. We found the food excellent both in quality, quantity and availability. You won't be hungry on the Serena. If it is available we suggest you purchase the X-1 beverage package which was well worth it for us. Ask about it when you're making your reservations. Make sure you're outside on the highest deck for the sail-away from Venice. It's something you'll never forget. And its fun to watch the captain dock the ship in Bari. There are people who can't park their cars that well. Enjoy this great experience.

WE HAD A GREAT TIME.

Clearly a rather old ship and it shows in many ways. If your focus is on the harbours, trips and onshore regional spefifics, it serves its purpose. If the focus is more on cruising and enjoying the ship, it does not. The staff though, does its best to make up for it.

I felt the staff shouuld have catered more thowrd English guests, particularly guest services. My cruise was 90% Italian passengers. Food was less than average.Butler to suites was unnecessary and unprofessional. Specialty restaurant was horrible, expensive and only one restaurant offered. Entertainment was horrible.

This was our first cruise and overall we enjoyed the experience. The excursions were great and the ports were fun places to visit. We booked our trip through RCI and they handled our questions well. Our airline bookings were fine but we were seated in middle seats when we expressly requested aisle/middle seats together. The sign-in process was very unorganized. They wanted to get us out of there as quickly as possible without explaining anything. We tried to get someone that spoke english as a 1st language but that was not happenning. Once we got on board, we had a hard time getting someone to answer a few questions because it was so hectic. The housekeeping staff was professional, friendly and efficent and the same goes with the wait staff, bartenders and purser's desk attendants. Overall, the staff and the ship's officers were great to talk to. We even had a chance to go to the bridge as the ship was sailing to see how it operates. Our room was clean but it was probably due for an update in the next few years. The bed was comfortable and we slept well. They had a cellular service on board which made keeping in touch with my family very easy. The peace of mind that provided made the trip that much more relaxing. We enjoyed the pools, especially the Solarium pool which didn't have anyone under 16. It was a great place to unwind and have a few drinks after the excursions. My wife took advantage of the Spa and enjoyed a massage while I sampled different tropical drinks at the Schooner bar, which was as crowded as a local bar on Friday night. The after dinner shows were entertaining and lasted about 45 minutes, which was not too long. The late night scene was too late for us because the excursion schedule usually had us awake at 7am.. I preferred the informal meal setting while my wife wanted to eat everything in ther King and I restaurant. The meals were good, but not five star quality. I was told that if I wanted to go on a cruise just for the food, not to go on this ship. That might have been too harsh a judgement, because we enjoyed it but we're not food critics either. All in all, I'll say it was a good experience for our first cruise and we will be cruising again in the future, but probably with our kids. Good ports of call, good excursions, good accomodations and good food/drinks.

I expected the ship to look older but and was in beautiful condition. The service was great although the people who ran the shops had sour looks and didn't know their products. I did not use all of the shops and I don't want to say which ones. They definitely need some smartening up. I enjoyed the trip very much but I would not go again to those ports except to Corfu. I like to visit some of the beaches. I don't appreciate having to go on a excursion to go to the beach.

We have been sailing Royal Caribbean for years and never do so again. the overall quality of the line has decreased dramatically.

Overall the ship is fine. There is nothing about it that takes your breath away, but also, nothing that was a significant problem.