Europe - Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

Its been our 6 cruises i  different cruiseline and first time in Costa. Every company has diff charactheristic strenght and downside to improve. All cities and islands most esp Santorini and Dubrovnic are fantastic. Nothing to compare any places that we visited in 6 continents.

We're not super experienced cruisers.   We've been on Carnival once and Disney two times.   So, when we booked this more "value priced" cruise of the Western Med., we were prepared for less than spectacular service, food and amenities than Disney offered.   We were very pleasantly surprised with this cruise on the Epic.   The overall design and layout of the ship was quite easy to learn.   Our stateroom (just an inside cabin) felt like a much larger space due to the very clever and effective storage features and efficient layout.   The food easily surpassed that of our previous cruises and the "Freestyle Choice" approach meant we ate where we wanted when we wanted and we never waited.   We were also suspicious of the built-in "service charge" (AKA tips) thinking that all incentive was removed and that we would not see good service.  Wrong again. Everyone from our cabin steward to the wait staff treated us like royalty.   As for the entertainment, we particularly enjoyed the small venue entertainment...Headliner's Club, Cavern Club, Pool Deck, etc.   As for the Epic Theater productions, they were very well done, extremely well staged and full of talent.   However, the shows were a bit raunchy for our taste.  With this experience we have to consider NCL on a par with Disney for our future cruising choices.

First time in a suite which I loved. Nice specialty restaurants and really good food. The shows were very good. Great cabin service. Only thing that was not so great was too many people. Also, I think that the change of shops from the ones in the other ships of this class was disappointing. Did not care for any of the same stuff they always have for sale. Very boring and not worth the hassle of people jumping all over you or not letting you even a chance to see the merchandise. The ship has become more advanced in some areas which are more convenient for the travelers. 

Check in and disembarkation was very quick and smooth. Our cabin, a mini-suite, had ample storage and was very comfortable.  Pre-ordered water was waiting for us.  

We knew this cruise would be port-intensive, and it was.  We took two privately booked tours, and one through the cruise line- Ultimate Rome.  Our guide for Ultimate Rome was not very good but I would still recommend this tour for someone who wants to "see it all" in Rome.  The port is an hour and a half from Rome and I would not risk trying to do this itinerary with a private tour, with Rome's notoriously bad traffic. 

Our privately booked tours, booked through Tour Italy and Provence Wine Tours, were both excellent.  

Service throughout the ship was excellent. The entertainment was the best I've experienced on any cruise ship, especially the Priscilla Queen of the Desert musical.  

Food was fine; best in the main dining rooms.  The biggest problem was cold eggs on the buffet every morning. Also, the buffet simply could not accommodate all the people trying to eat breakfast at the same time, prior to their shore excursions.  Specialty restaurants were disappointing.

Overall I would recommend.

This is the second Crystal Cruise and we have booked our third for next year. The entertainment and the travelers seem to be, on average, well pst 60 years old.  they are delightful, yet quite senior.  As a result, most of the entertainment is geared towards  a traveler who prefers ballroom dancing, Reviews, Magicians and Acrobats.  The one shining light was the Avenue Saloon singer Neal Fullerton.  Thank good ness for him.  He tried to bring us into the 60s (smile). The food is great: the quality and presentation are 5 Star.  Th various food venues are lovely with great choices there as well.  The excursions are varied and the guides are top shelf.  I think it might be difficult to cruise with anyone else after these terrific back-to-back trips.  Our first was to the Baltics last year.  Just fantastic.  

The ports were Great!

The ship was very big and very clean as it is brand new.

The dining room food was just okay and sometimes unedible.

Specialty Restaurant (Chops Grille) was a disaster.  Steak was sent back twice as was raw.  The manager did not charge us (except for 2 glasses of wine). So our anniversary gift special meal was not eaten.  What a disappointment for a big cruise line like Royal Caribbean.

We could not even buy a wine package as on past cruises with RCCL.  THEY ARE REALLY PUSHING ALL YOU CAN DRINK PACKAGES AT US $46.00 p/player plus Taxes.  How sad is that🤔

Two of our pre-booked shows were cancelled.  Should I go on?

This was the most expensive cruise we have ever taken.  Sure shows that BIGGER is not always better.

The entertainment was excellent but that was it. The food was lukewarm to cold in all dining areas except the Wasabi and O'Sheehans restaurants.  Wasabi's food tasted terrible. There was no variety to the menus and very few items tasted better than mediocre.  The floor in front of the buffet was so sticky at 6 am that my shoe was stuck and I had to use so much force to take a step that it broke my shoe. I reported this to someone to clean it up and they said "ok". I saw an officer and reported it again and received the same response. I then reported it to guest services. Guest services took my name and stateroom number but never heard anything more. I had to buy new shoes because of the filth.

We booked this cruise a couple of months before sailing and settled on the cruise because we liked the itinerary and favor Celebrity.  Four of us traveled together, two couples and we had two suites on the resort (pool) deck.  The suites themselves were very well appointed, spacious balconies and the service of a wonderful butler who took very special care of us.  We bought a package of four specialist restaurants and chose Murano (superb), Qsine (quirky and delicious) Sushi (absolutely fabulous) and The Lawn Club Grill (my least favorite but others in the party enjoyed). We thought the entertainment for the most part was very good, we liked the DJ's, the house band and many of the individual musicians.  We loved having access to Michael's Club a very chilled place to have a pre-dinner drink or pick up soft drinks, etc.  We ate in Laminae most nights but often ordered off the menu from the main Dining room.  We liked the atmosphere of Luminae but sometimes found the menu quite limited.

We were very disappointed with the excursion we booked via the ship to the Dead Sea, badly organized and inferior facilities once we got there.  We did get a 50% rebate on the fee though.  We arranged private guides in Jerusalem, Haifa and Kusadasi by researching them on Trip Advisor and were very happy with each of the guides.

The good:  Beautiful ship, better than the pictures in the Cunard literature.  Great, professional Cunard staff.  Fantastic service almost everywhere.  Britannia Restaurant food very good for mass-produced food, and Verandah Restaurant food better than that.  Really appreciated 2 full days in Venice.

 The OK:  Cruise entertainment ranged between great and not.  What was with that Queen cover band?  Awful!  Some of the shore excursions had too much bus time to get to unrewarding destinations.  They should disclose how much time is spent in a coach on each itinerary.  But most excursions great.  

The bad:  while the Spa services were good, the relentless up-selling by the staff really took away from the experience, and the treatments were expensive for what you got.  The internet service was terrible, and failed log-outs (not just me) wasted a lot of purchased minutes.  In-room entertainment was bland, and the technology was antiquated.  It should at least have allowed you t plug in your own device.

It was a shame there was no time to visit Venice, I would like something to be arranged for the afternoon for a couple of hours prior to departing. Flights home were too early for us to go when returning to Venice.

We did not use any of the shore excursions as many of them involved walking, and my husband could not do this. They also seemed very expensive.

In general, I thought the meals were average at best and was disappointed that I couldn't have lobster at the end of the week as there were none left.

On the two occasions that we went to the theatre to watch the RCI shows ( not others visiting to perform), we left as it was so bad.

The staff were very nice and very helpful, and obviously enjoyed their jobs. It was a nice touch that our cabin steward made 'animals' out of towels every evening that he came in to turn down the bed.

Not RCI's fault I think, but I had expected all inclusive, and was upset that the drinks package was minimal compared to my expectations.

We had an excellent time on board the Vision of the Seas last week, 

the crew is very much customer service oriented and provide excellent service !

It is a beautiful ship with many alternatives for entretainment on board and very good food quality !

I will definetly recomend the cruise line !!

thanks for a wonderful time !

The Dining Room Staff were great, but nothing that came out of the Kitchen was any good !  Also, the Cabin Service was Spotty.  The Entertainment in the Theatre was just Mediocre, and Main Foyer was just BAD !

Favorites: Ship staff; food choices; great shower in cabin; high quality entertainment (though heavily oriented to pop/disco); quiet hallway due to being in front of ship and very few kids on ship.

Less satisfied with: constant emphasis on selling (tours, art, shops, raffles, drinks, etc.); minimal educational content about ports, other than as part of selling tours (other cruise line had educational seminars before each port that were then replayed on TV); despite the few children on board, most movies in English seemed to be aimed at that audience (Angry Birds, Jungle Book, etc.); prohibition against bringing liquids on board (only diet soda was Diet Pepsi which is awful, while other drinks were heavy on sugar); buffet area was always very crowded and quite noisy.

Worst disappointment: insufficient incentives for back-to-back cruisers (incredibly slow wi-fi used up the "free" minutes in first week, no extra excursions for second week) despite constant email bombardment with offers to get 2-5 freebies per cruise.  The few dollars saved by buying back-to-back didn't compensate for the lack of incentives for the second week.

This was a fantastic cruise and vacation. Due to the time, end of September, it wasn't too crowded with children and it was a very relaxing atmosphere.

Ticked all the boxes, from the qualities of the foods on offer and the speciality restaurants to the entertainment provided, especially the production shows.

Favourite part of cruise was definitely the destinations,loved them all.Cabins were fine and stewards worked hard in keeping them clean and changing towels regularly.entertainment  was average compare to other Royal Caribbean ships we've been on although to be fair this is a much smaller ship.also seemed a lot less clearing up at bars and around pool areas.Overall we had a great holiday

Been cruising for about 10 years, but this was our 1st Celebrity cruise. We liked the layout of the ship, particularly the open area in the Lawn club. The food was very good and the staff very efficient and helpful. The captain was superb, very amusing man. We were disappointed with the decision to abandon formal evenings in favour of chic nights, as this is a key feature of cruising for us. Guest entertainers were of a high standard.

We booked this ship after listening to a presentation about it on another ship earlier this year.  Originally booked on Celebrity...similar itinerary.  Embarkation was a mess....no one directing passengers as to where to go ,long lines going around and around.  Even though we had a pre boarding time of 12-1230, we didn't get on till 330.  Our cabin was #8476 at the back of ship...great views of where you had been but long walks to see the shows or activities as well to go ashore.  Otherwise room was pretty standard...didn't care for the decks above ours had a clear view of your balcony,,,just wouldn't book it again.

Food was horrible...even in their steakhouse.  No flavor or seasonings added to anything.... Guy's Burgers was the only food with flavor!  Service in dining areas--main dining room and,wok kitchen only fair and poor at times. 

Shows and entertainment good because of a wonderful cruise director,Jaime.  She made it fun.  Shore excursions--most not worth the price.  Booked the "Sacred Rooms of the Vatican" for $255 each and only spent 10 minutes in this area.  All day excursion,on a hot bus and tour guides who were very difficult to understand.  Other excursions to Palermo,Palma and Marseille lacking interest and appear to be just filling the hours.

Average ship, even though it was new. Average food. Good ports of call. The itinerary was intense, Getting up early the morning for long day, without a day at sea in between can be tiring

I loved the ship but did not enjoy the industrial ports. I booked a balcony room to enjoy the arrival into each but was disappoint by each view. There were a couple of exceptions. I did love the fact that the ship was large enough to accommodate the number of people aboard and I didn't feel as though we were on top of each other,