Europe - Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

This was a mother and daughter cruise and both our first time cruising and we had a great time. We enjoyed all the options the ship provided from the restaurants and entertainment. I found all the food great and had an amazing dietician, PJ, who made sure all our meals were gluten free. As soon as they heard we couldn't have gluten they immediately introduced us to PJ and he spoiled us. That was bonus we didn't know was even offered.

My daughter and I don't drink alcohol so I didn't pay for all the drinks to be inclusive and it was annoying sodas were not free, or had to pay for a lemonade in the bars, but it helped me cut back, and drink more water. Also, the free coffee in the machines up in the garden cafe was the worst ever, but I would not lower my score for that reason. The coffee is the only negative thing I dealt with every morning. 

Our storeroom steward, Wayne, was first-class. Another reason we felt spoiled. 

Overall, I will do another cruise again and would use Norwegian again.

We had a wonderful 7 day cruise on Norwegian Epic.  We started by flying in a couple of days early into Barcelona, Spain and we were so happy that we did!  We stayed at the B-Hotel which was in very short walking distance to many restaurants as well as shopping and the Magic Fountains.  We had an incredible time on the cruise and went on a new adventure each and every day.  This is a great way to see Europe because it gives you a little taste of so many different cities!  We would explore all day and then come back to luxury at night.  Would highly recommend this trip to anyone!

I loved the 7 day cruise that I was on. The staff, room service, and food was excellent. I chose this cruise due to the affordability of viewing the most countries in the short amount of time. However, there were no shuttles to most of the ports and all transportation off of the ports were costly and had to be outsourced by independent drivers everyday of the cruise except one day when the shuttle was provided the customers were charged. Due to this daily expense and the hidden daily fee per person for room servicing my vacation became expensive and way over budget.

I have a mixed review for this cruise.  The up side was the wait staff in the dining room was fantastic.  The rooms were nice sized and our room steward was wonderful, very attentive and got all the details right.  The art staff was also very informative, friendly and just great people.  Loved all the ports of call.

On the down side food was severely lacking in taste and variety.  Also, the customer service was not helpful at all, nor was the shore excursion desk.  I booked our shore excursions online and when there was an error, they said they could not fix it.  Also, on one excursion, my husband's headset didn't work and they couldn't fix it until half way through the tour and they really didn't care.  When I told the shore excursion desk, they said they would get back to me, they never did.  They also planned shipboard activities when we were in port, making it difficult to participate.  A majority of the bartenders did not know how to make the most basic of drinks.

i am not sure I would cruise on Royal Carribean again.  There were more down sides than up regarding service and isn't being spoiled why we all go on a cruise?

I highly recommend the Oceania Exclusive Excursions!  The personal attention to detail made it not only an excursion, but a personal experience! Their tour guides were so informative and all spoke English. The food on board was impeccable! The staff was so friendly and always smiling. I don't think I could ever go on a cruise with any other cruise line other than Oceania after this!

The itinerary was great.  The room and dining room staff was very good.

Ship needs updates.  Room air conditioning system was not working.  Took 3 days to get it fixed.  This should have been fixed after the first complaint was made.  Room needs new mattresses.  Food was terrible and what happened to Lobster Night?

We wanted to experience Greece as it is today, and we wanted to gain some sense of Greek history. The variety of islands and mainland access afforded us by the Norwegian Jade allowed us to experience several periods of Greek history and even prehistory. We were conveyed from port to port in unparalleled comfort.

The food was good, the accommodations were great, and we enjoyed terrific views from our balcony. 

I have been on many cruises and I can say the food on this cruise was very good.  We had exceptional service from Trixie during our dinner services.

However I was highly disappointed with the bar service.  On all other cruises there was sufficient staff walking around taking drink orders for the customers.  On this cruise, the staff was few and far between.  In the main lounge they had 2-3 - which seemed sufficient.  There were only a few by the pool.  However by the 'adult pool area' there were ZERO staff to take orders.  The client had to go to the bar to get the drink.

Not only that, but in the first couple days of the cruise when going up to one of the bars we were informed they were out of one of the popular beers (Bodingtons), and the decent wine Clou de bois was out.  What we found out that at that bar they were out, the other bars had them.  So me, the customer, had to walk from bar to bar to find out who had the beverage we wanted.

WAIT - the customer is going from bar to bar to get the drink - having to go from deck 9 to deck 4 hitting multiple bars to finally find the beer and wine.  I can not believe that Royal Caribbean did not have staff as 'runners' to ensure the alcohol was fulfilled.  Do they not know that this is the money maker on a cruise ship.

I must honestly say we've done Norwegian and Carnival (in the Mediterranean) and both of those cruises were SIGNIFICANTLY better service than RC.  

SO HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED 

First time cruising with Princess and overall it was a very enjoyable experience. 

Mini-suite stateroom was good size, had good space, and a very comfortable bed.

Staff at all levels was very nice, very accommodating and interesting to talk with.

Food was good with broad selection at the buffet.

Never felt crowded, even on sailing days. 

Really enjoyed The Voice of the Ocean and Movies Under the Stars.

Stability of the ship was surprisingly excellent, even on rougher sea days.

The ship decor and layout was upscale/elegant in nature and very beautiful, but less fun than Royal Caribbean.

The ships amenities and activities cater to a more mature crowd -- over 55. 

The theater was smaller and less impressive than on Royal Caribbean, thus the shows were less extravagant, yet the dancers and singers were talented.

The fitness center was decent but more geared for cardio vs. weight training.

Lotus Spa tried to sell us $300 worth of lotion/oil following our spa service--appaling. 

The cruise was very nice. State rooms were great and kept very clean by staff.  Dinners were great in the dining rooms also.  The buffet could be improved - I thought almost all the hot food was on the cold side and was often the same items daily for breakfast and lunch.  I think there should be more custom options like maybe a Panini station or more varieties of pizza or something.  Also the design of the boat in some sections really had me confused.  There was a sundeck with no access to the pool at all without walking into a restaurant or gym area, which was uncomfortable. Also I would suggest printing out your online price quotes for things like spa treatments, I reserved a massage at a lower price online and had to prove it on the boat to get that price, luckily I was able to or I would have been charged $13 more + tip percentage. The excursions were pretty well organized but just too full. The majority of them were rather crowded.  These negatives did not overshadow the positive.  We had a very nice time.  Thank you Princess! :)

10 of our family joined and enjoyed the cruise. The service, food, shore excursions were so good. We ate dinner at the main dining room, and enjoyed great food and services in Garden Main Dinning room. Very relaxed or you can dress up to the max. A lot of opinions to do during the day or night if you want.  

Would I recommend this cruise? In short ,Yes! Why? Price, accommodations and port of calls.  This cruise ship was a great way to visit fun places in a short period of time while having a place to go home every night.  You must keep in mind that you are given about 8 to 9 hours to visit the cities and points of interest, so you find yourself running like crazy.  On this trip, I wish there would had been more time at Mykonos, Rome, Naples and/or Pisa/Florence and this could had been done if the cruise line would had skipped Toulon, though a nice little town, not the best way to impress your guest.  Yet again, given that most guest were older (over 50) a stroll in a small town works just fine.

Tip of advice to those that won't take the tours with the cruise line:

- Go online and pick the places you want to visit at each city

- Search and plan the train schedules that you will use in each city you visit

- Find the best and fastest way to get to and from the port to your point of interest

- Hop - On - Hop Off types of excursions work best t if you want to take pictures  from outside the venues

- No time for long museum visits - you miss a lot if you do, save it for when you visit just one city for multiple days

- Get a SIM card for your cell phone so that you can use Google map to get around - get info from your cell phone provider

- Carry some cash for last minute taxi rides

Food

We dinned in at one of their restaurant only 4 times, servers were prompt and courteous.  Food was good and provided many options.

Most of the trip we decided to eat from the buffet at upper deck because we returned late from the excursions.  The buffet provided plenty of options to choose from and stayed open a little late.  The food was very good and always fresh.

Beverages

Plenty of options: wines, liquors, and if you are an american beer drinker then you are for a treat, order a six pack of Coors Light as the bottles are the 16 oz, rather than the 12 oz on all other beers, this will get you more for your money, but if Coors is not your beer then of course they have many more options.

Room/Restroom

We had a room with a window and it was spacious for the two of us.  It was very quite and the A/C worked just fine, no issues.  The bathroom had a sliding door separating the toilet from the rest of the restroom (keep in mind that his might be the standard for the highest price room but not expected for the $699 package that we paid for).  The closet had more than enough space for our clothes, yet we only travel with two small carry on bags but it should be good for 2 big bags.

Entertainment

The night shows were good and fun to watch from magic shows to comedian to aerial performances.

I wish they would have had events/games/group dancing in the pool deck as we had great weather throughout the trip.

In summary, great value for the price, good food, entertainment, and nice ports. 

This is my first cruise vacation with family. Staff on the ship is really nice, especially our server at our table is excellent. All the disembarkation and embarkation are very warm welcoming and nicely arranged.

Officers were professional and accessible.  The Cruise Director was annoying in that he was seemingly obsessed by his nationality (Argentinian) and his height (short).  The shows were very good and working level staff were as good as on any cruise we have been on.

GOING TO EPHSUS ON KUDASI WAS A B EAUTIFUL EXERIENCE..THE STORES IN THE JPORT WHERE MORE READY TO MAKE SALES THAN ANY WHERE ELSE WE WENT...WE FELT EVERYTING THERE WAS A GOOD DEAL....WE REALLY ENJOYED THE HOUSE WHERE MARY HAD LIVED... 

It had been over a decade since we were on the Constellation and I can state that it is still a wonderful ship in remarkable condition.  The crew was wonderful which might be a reflection of the Captain who was approachable and very visible throughout the trip.  The Dalmatian coast itinerary lived up to it's expectations and we would select this ship again without reservation.  The shore excursions and shuttles buses ran like clock work.  The only very minor criticism I would make is who ever selects the "music" for the Oceanview Cafe should be locked in a room and required to listen to it.  Overall another wonderful trip on Celebrity!

Our Equinox experience is very good, facility, faculty, service, all are superior without question.   We do have a few observations:

- We are used to activities like dance classes lasting 45min - 1 hour long.  There are not many on Equinox, and when there is, it's only 30 min long, seems it's over when we just warmed up.

- The photos are too expensive.  We have a group of 10, and would love to buy some of the pictures if the price is in the $15-20 range.  I am sure a lot of other customers would think the same way.

- The overall food is good in the dining room.  But there was only one time shrimp/scallop dinner offering throughout the 13 days trip.

This was an excellent cruise. The ports were very interesting. The ship's food was very good. The crew were all very friendly and efficient. I would recommend this cruise to everyone.

I have to admit, I had some trepidations about the cruise after reading some mixed reviews and hearing of plumbing issues, sewage smell problems, and poor service from staff.  Our experience included none of those issues.  It was a very pleasant and smooth cruise.  I found the boat and the crew to be very good.  Everything ran smoothly and all of the crew was anxious to please.  It is only our second cruise (both with Norwegian), so I don't have a lot to compare it to, but I spoke with a number of more experienced cruisers on the ship and they all felt the same about our cruise. 

While the Spirit is the smallest and oldest ship in the fleet, it has a charm and sophistication that we enjoyed.  Our first cruise was on the Dawn 10 years ago, so it's hard to recall everything from that cruise, but I definitely enjoyed this ship and cruise more than our first. 

The Spirit is a well laid-out ship, with nice deck and pool area (which never felt overcrowded, even on sea days).  The restaurants were all very good (even the free ones - The Garden was our favorite).  The Windows restaurant was also very nice, especially the view through the windows at the back of the boat.

The ports of call were amazing (except Toulon, which we sort of skipped, other than a brief walk through the main marketplace area).  Getting on and off the ship was very well organized and was generally a quick process (the nice part about a smaller boat).

In summary, we loved our cruise, and would definitely do it again. It was a relaxing and enjoyable experience. 

Thanks Norweigan!!

One final note:  Dave, the Cruise Director, did an outstanding job in my opinion.  I don't know when he slept, because he was always up and about keeping things going.  He records his daily TV sessions at 4:00 AM.  Crazy man!!

everything was great expet the quality of food and the variety in the dining room. The service was excellent.  The staff and the the crew didn't know how to please us.  They were wonderful.  The ship was very clean.