Europe - Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

Overall, we enjoyed the destinations.  NCL did not honor the meal package that was part of the purchase.  We also paid $359 for unlimited internet that didn't work for much of the trip.  Both of these issues were brought to the attention of NCL and we were told there was nothing that could be done. NCL claims that is responsible for the meal issue and that you shouldn't expect working Internet as the satellite is 22,525 miles away and is not dependable (they should tell you this when they sell it to you).

Shows are very poor for 12 night cruise. The overall this ship doesn't make you too happy. It designed mostly to get money from you as much as possible. 

This was our fourth Costs cruise in the Med and it exceeded expectations in nearly every respect.  The ship was very well laid out and the flow was natural.  The rooms were very comfortable, as one would expect from a Costa cruise.  The ship is very large and in some ports the distance to the city was quite long, in one case only possible to get there by purchasing a port shuttle ticket. 

This was a first time cruise for my daughter and I . We loved the whole experience.

The staff was amazing. The cruise ship was beautiful. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to do a European cruise.

WARN EVERYONE AGAINST MSC!!!!!!

This is my 10th cruise.  By FAR the worst!!   Royal Caribbean looks like Viking in comparison!!  And I thought RC bad.....  

The food was BAD. Everyone we talked to agreed. It was the biggest topic of conversation everywhere.  

Cheap food, and always COLD.  To quote one of the many Germans (80% of the 3,000 passengers), "Ist KALT!!  IMMER (always) KALT!!"  I LOST weight on this cruise. I went without lunch 2 days - just couldn't face the buffet on Deck 14.   No coffee with dinner. What?  We had to PAY for water with dinner or breakfast.  We had to PAY for water to brush our teeth!!  In fact, pay extra for everything!

Service bad, too, except for the poor lowly probably miserably underpaid souls like deck stewards who were very nice - both of ours were quitting asap. Had to scrap our Athens tour booked with you because they offered NO help in getting to the meeting place.  Any chance of reimbursement?? 🙏🙏

Huge ship, but lovely-looking elevators worked sporadically. 

More service again:  One had to back up to see all the elevators, then race if it actually opened - (we missed more than we got. Usually ended up hiking 4-5 flights of stairs).  I tripped backing up. A crew member standing right there totally ignored me, & when I expressed regret over spilling my coffee & asked for help with a refill (still lying flat on my back), he said: "Get it yourself."  So much for passenger care....  Can you believe it?

They cancelled our MSC tour for Genoa with nothing else to offer. We got into  town, but didn't learn anything about Genoa. 

BUT!!!  The other tours we booked with you for Israel were fabulous!!! 😍😍

You would have to PAY me a LOT to ever book MSC again. 

Please warn people. 

Viking meticulously managed every aspect of a wonderful trip.  All features of the ship and its operation were perfect.  A wide option of onshore activities was offered at each port and guided by local professional and highly experienced guides.  The Viking staff and crew were extremely friendly and thorough in carrying out their duties to the ship and its guests.  We were extremely impressed with the constant effort to make our trip comfortable and enjoyable.  Dining and menu options provided for every need and appetite from a wide offering buffet setting to fine dining in a non-formal setting.  

On the positive side, we enjoyed in particular the folks in Greece. we found them to be kind, gentle and full of life. To speak with 3 generations of shop keepers who proudly respect their ancestors who made a living in the small but well kept market was good for the soul. We hired taxis to carry us into the mountain villages and we welcomed with a variety of tasty and fresh foods. Sarah's GPS recorded 6 - 7 miles exploring the off season ports and surrounding points of interest. We made provisions to tuck our cash and ID's out of reach and avoided "Night Life" and areas of concern, zero safety problems.

As a frequent cruiser, Costa was a poor choice, it became apparent they were cutting amenities and adding charges across the board. Best to pick another line. Charges for coffee, tea, water, insufficient buses for promised free shuttle service. Noisy intercom commercials, in summary, the crew did their best, under poor administrative policies.

Food and variety of menu very poor.  Care of and Cabin good.  Itinerary satisfactory. Long lines pre and post tour. Poor communication with service desk. 

           We booked a cruise back in February 9, 2016, with Fantasia embarking from Rome Civitavecchia  at 19:00.  That was the disembarkation time listed on my itinerary, however, by the time we made it to the port at 

around 1700, the ship had just left the port leaving us standing on the port feeling desesparate, confused, scared and angry because we were in a foreign country, and we did not speak the language.  At the very 

moment when my daughter exclaimed, “Oh my God, Mom the ship is moving,” confused and teary,  I then, realized that we had been left behind stranded in a foreign country.  I had not the slightest ideas 

what to do, because I was still in shocked.  I took a few minutes to recomposed myself, and then, I managed to figure out a plan to catch the ship at the next port.  Luckily for us, the next port was only 4 hrs away from 

Civitavecchia an it was accessible by train and automobile.  We had to spend the night at a hotel and kept my one day rental car for another day.  We had to drive 4 hrs from Civitavecchia to Geneva to meet the ship at the 

port.  

I'd give them another star if it weren't for their customer service.  This was the first leg of a back to back cruise.  Our issues started before the cruise.  The US reps couldn't answer many of our questions regarding procedures and had no inclination to find out the answers. On board, the difficulties continued. For instance, we were supposed to receive tickets for drinks, which we were told would be in our cabin.  Not there.  At Guest Services they had never even heard of such a package.  After some discussion, they called the bar manager who recognized the package and said it would take a couple of hours to get it - we should come back later.  We did at the appointed time, nothing was there.  Call the bar manager again.  Someone came up 10 minutes later.  A complete waste of time and lack of service.  Otherwise, a great trip.  Excellent waiters and some good servers and bartenders.  Cabin stewards were very good.  Pasta and pizza excellent.

This was not a bad cruise. The rooms were compact & efficient. (Dual plugs were a plus) the service was friendly and not overly intrusive. The food was just OK. Not great. As Americans, we did not have to pay for water with meals. There were many many things that were extra. Like water, soft drinks, juice, etc. ( a beverage plan is available @ different price points) there were several alternative restraunts  for dinner, all cost extra. Trying to get breakfast or lunch @ the buffet was like hand to hand combat. It was crowded and difficult to navigate. Shore excursions were overpriced! Overall it was a good experience, but it is also a case of you get what you pay for. 

We had such a good time. The food in the specialty restaurants was amazing. The weather was really cold for these Floridians so we didn't stay outside much. The only negative thing we could find was the bathroom layout. Didn't like it at all!

This is only hotel, nice and big but only hotel.Boring time , two weeks is to short but three weeks was to long. Garden food court was very clean  and good.The rest of the ship had nothing to offer for the three weeks , boring lazy time.

Not a great cruise, I think the service isn't as good because of the prepd gratuities.

Will be going back to Princess for my next cruise. Did meet some amazing people though so wasn't all bad.

Entertainment was exceptional and the best we have experienced on any ship!!!!!

We ordered an interior room as we have done on other cruise ships, but found our room very stylish but very limited in storage, utility, comfort. Our beds were tiny and not comfortable and I had backache each morning. We noticed other rooms were very much nicer and larger and we wish we would have known that. Again we were next to area the was a work area for the crew and also the large medical center. We had to remove towels and their supplies to make room for our simplest basic things. Tiny sink was in the small room counter & not in the bathroom. Bathroom was divided with shower in one compartment & toilet in another.  Ship was too large and crowded with 4100 passengers and 1750+ crew.We heard comments from different people that said they would not go on the Epic again. They all commented the size was too big.  Many times in the Garden Buffet it was very hard to get a table and going outside was too cold to eat there most days.  Foods was either very good and sometimes very salty.  Staff was friendly and helpful. It is beautiful  ship and well organized.  They were able to move people on and off rapidly.  Tours were organized well and interesting even though expensive.  This is the second time on NCL and both times people had respiratory dry coughs & Norovirus.  Its possible we would use NCL again if it were a itinerary that contained locations we hadn't visit before.

Costa Diadema is a high quality ship and the services we received were excellent. The places we visited such as Palma de Mallorca, Rome, La Spezia, Savona, Marseille and Barcelona were all memorable stops. The weather was also nice-in the mid-60 F during the day.  Due to the snow storm in the northeast region in US, we had a hard time of starting the trip, but all in all, it was a good trip.  

They now charge a fee for room service ......They need to change that !     It will make a difference if I use them again .

Not enough seating for events or eating .

Show cast talented ! Really enjoyed the shows !

The price got our attention for this cruise since it was such a good deal. If we had paid more, we would have not been pleased.

The Epic is a HUGE ship that seems to be not well thought out given the number of guests that it carries.

The positives:

     - The decor and cleanliness of the ship are excellent

     - The cabin was very comfortable (large balcony - deck 9) 

     - The food and service were generally not bad

     - The ports of call were great and were an excellent experience for us

The negatives:

     - Entertainment required reservations but were quickly filled up

     - The desserts and the coffee were not up to par

     - The "Ultimate Beverage Package" did not cover many things 

        such as specialty coffee, fresh-squeezed juice or bottled water

     - The O'Sheehan's restaurant was a big disappointment - poor service and

        low quality food (the prime rib was the exception - it was great)

     - Nearly every port required a "transfer" to get to the city or attractions

     - Shore excursions seemed very over-priced

       (booked tours from non-NCL sources except for one)

Overall, we will continue to cruise with NCL, but not on the Epic or similarly over-sized ships.

Loved the cruise...not happy with lack of info regarding booking excursions

online if they would be available once on board ship.  Hotline not helpful

regarding this matter.  so we booked our own excursions with other companies

Very clean modern ship, nice staterooms with excellent bathrooms.    Some TV noise from adjacent cabin, called front desk and they handled problem .  Entertainment and food could be a little better.