Europe - Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

The ports and weather were great.

Unfortunately NCL is no longer our favorite cruise line.

They are allowing smoking on both sides of the deck 7 so we could not enjoy a stroll on the deck. Smoking is still allowed in the casino while most other cruise lines have stopped that practice.

The guest services staff were unfriendly and unhelpful.

The ship is in poor shape with many malfunctions. 

Food variety and quality is not as it was on other NCL ships.

TV programing is poor and the same movies were played for 28 days.

 

We had a lovely rest aboard the ship.  The Norwegian Spirit needs a lot of re-doing.  The staff was lovely for the most part; however, we saw many of the staff not  paying proper attention to clearing tables in the Buffet area.  The ship was very disorganized.  Getting off was horrible. 

 

Announcements cannot be heard in your staff room or for that matter on deck.  This is terrible and needs immediate attention.  There was never enough chaise lounge chairs.  Fits were witnessed because of this.

 

We found the office staff disorganized and this created issues.  Entertainment was not par for such a long voyage.  We would never travel the spirit again.

 

The executive chief was great, food was good.  Old ship, certainly not representative of how Norwegian works.  Never had any issues on any of their other ships and we have travelled most.  It was worth what we paid.

Our Oceania cruise was a memorable vacation. This was our first trip to Europe and what a way to start. The Riveria is a wonderful ship and is easy to navigate as it isn't a mega size ship like my wife and I have been on before. We noticed workers painting and cleaning on the outside of the ship which shows the upkeep that they do during the trip. The dining experience lived up to its billing and we very much enjoyed the 4 specialty restaurants. The entertainment at night was good but not great. We played trivia several nights and met some nice folks who joined our team. We also  enjoyed taking one of the cooking classes that was offered. The fitness facilities were excellent, but due to the good weather I made more use of the outside track. The port itinerary was very good. We went into every port and did 3 of the port excursions that were offered. The port excursions we picked were handled well. We had trouble understanding one of the guides but she tried her best with the language. Our favorite ports were Monte Carlo, Portofino, Livorno, and Rome where we stayed over afte r the cruise. We liked Cinque Terre but it was a rainy day which we were told is common in that area. We agreed that we didn't have a chance to enjoy more of the amenities and activities that were offered on the ship due to the time we spent at each port. 

We enjoyed this cruise; the ports of call were excellent and the ship itself is very nice.  The cabin and dining room staff were pleasant and onboard entertainment was good. 

 

Nevertheless, we have agreed that we will not book another cruise on Royal Caribbean.  In the words of others, it seems that Royal Caribbean constantly is “ripping off” its customers.  Examples:

A 1 liter bottle of water from the stateroom mini-bar is priced at $6.00 A 1.3 ounce can of Pringles also is priced at $6.00 When our $95.00 trip was cancelled in Athens, by asking employees in the port cruise center, we learned of an express bus—port to the Acropolis—with a €4, 24-hour ticket Transfer from the ship to the train station in Civitavecchia—a 10-15 minute ride—cost $25.00 per person; transfer to FCO cost $75.00 per person (x 40 persons per bus = $1,000 or $3,000!) Royal Caribbean “strongly advised” online check-in for return flights but charged $15.00 for one hour of Wi-Fi access

We were pleased with the service provided by our Cruises Only agent, J.J.  She was knowledgeable and accessible when we needed to contact her. 

If you like crowds then you would like this cruise. I guess that's what the cruise line wants. The ship was crowded but at least you can find some place to get away. We signed up for a 5 port Cruise package. There was one tour guide per bus full of people. They gave out headphones which never worked. Impossible to hear so most people just put the earbuds in their pockets and tried to maneuver the crowds in the ports of call. 

Very Disappointing! The change of itinerary changed the trip to not what I wanted to do and the compensation was not adequate. Not getting Latitudes credit of benefits was puzzling. The overall experience was disappointing.  The cabin did not meet expectation because of the balcony impairment. Service from our Cabin attendant was the high point of the cruise. The food was cold when served as a rule. Lines and waiting for everything is not a vacation. The shore excursion was OK but lacked value. The staffing, organization, and systems did not seem adequate for the number of passengers.  The rude and not helpful interaction with half the staff offset the other half's great service. The whole thing was not what I expected from Norwegian. It was a great disappointment which was matched with an indifferent response on every level. Hard to understand the marketing for return business.

Very disappointing.It started at Souuthampton,we had ordered three .wheelchairs,we sat in the lounge for ninety minutes.It took another thirty minutes to take us to the cabin.We next had a lifeboat drill,without life jackets.After travelling from London we were all Hungary.This proved too be very traumatic,with one blind passenger and two who are informed it was impossible for us to get a seat.The service in the Taste restaurant was poor,we were served coffee and on many occasions we would wait five minutes for milk.My friends and ourselves have travelled with Orient Lines and Norwegian Cruise Lines many times and this was nowhere near your usual high standard.Our overall impression is the ship is too big and is not suitable for disabled passengers.

The cruise started off with some negatives as they changed the start date from Sunday to Monday and took off Malaga as a stop - they did offer to compensate financially, but the change not appreciated and we missed out on Malaga. The ship itself was very nice and clean with great activity options including water slides and a climbing wall. However, there were limited activities like dance classes or gym classes that we usually do on cruises. the person running a napkin folding workshop knew one fold, and that was it. He could not even follow the directions fro the other ones - although the line dancing was fun with a very enthusiastic teacher. Much of the bar staff was rude, although that's where the mixed bag comes in. We had some wonderful waiters and some rude ones, a wonderful bartender and rude waiters, and all of the room attendants were extremely friendly and did a wonderful job - always greeting us by name or a cute nickname and left fun towels creations on our bed each evening. Disembarkation and re-embarkation were quite smooth. So, a fun experience, but a mixed bag as far as quality of cruises.

getting to the ship in Venice was AWFUL!! It would have been nice if they had even one person at the train station to give a direction. the ship was great. all the staff was so nice and happy. the food was excellent. we had plenty of room in our cabin and enjoyed the balcony. we picked the late dinner which we enjoyed, always enough time to get back from any excursion and freshen up for dinner. the entertainment was at 830 and 1030 so, we never saw any of the shows. we did go see a magician who we had to get tickets for. the lunches on the excursions were very good, two out of our three were at small restaurants. most of the excursions were good. one gave us too much free time (1 1/2 hours) considering it was raining and off season so most things were closed.

Best cruise ever. . Lots of places to see and do. The ports that we toured were amazing. Excursion tours in every port with a variety of minimum city tours to full day tours. Never been in the Western Mediterranean. Food were amazing. Historical areas are still in tact from centuries past. the Ship provided your hotel and majority of the your dining. Ship does not feel like we were in the water. Incredible themes in almost every floor. A Central Park and a Boardwalk was extra to most regular ship. Dreamworks characters was great for the ship. None stop activities if you can last.  Can't wait for the next cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean. 

while I feel an attempt was made to accommodate my diet it was not a successful attempt and did not live up to their promises. they asked to be informed months ahead of any dietary accommodations. I assumed when I arrived someone would be aware of my dietary restrictions, far from the case. most of the staff had no idea what a vegan was and I was offered the fish or chicken.

 

I was also told things were vegan when I was served only to have them removed as I was eating on more than one occasion. somehow as I was eating my meal acquired unvegan characteristics. curious.

 

I was told to request anything I wanted for the next day. I actually had a friend look up recipes on the internet and submit them to the chef. when I arrived for dinner I was told they did not have the ingredients. my request was for seitan. I am still wondering which ingredient they did not have, the flour or the water.

 

I was told they would have dessert other than fruit and that there would be chocolate. well there might as well not have been because all but one of the desserts served were so awful as to be inedible. the only dessert that was delicious was an unrequested surprise made by silk road chef naka-san. his dinner was also the perfect vegan accommodation which I had discussed with him the night before. he personally served it and made a wonderful dessert which I had not ordered.

 

for the most part service was great if a little over solicitous. each server would ask if everything was perfect 3 times. this was a little overbearing since there were many servers and we would be forced to tell each of them 3 times that everything was perfect. we would also have to explain we did not need anymore coffee each time we took a sip to the 2 or 3 people pouring coffee.

 

i'm not sure this was their fault and assumed it was part of their training. maybe most people enjoy this kind of service but my family and friends found it a bit intrusive and interruptive.

 

our travel agent gifted a $125 credit which we were not given. when I requested the credit I was told it would take days to research. by the time it was credited there was nothing we could use it on. so most of our credit was blown at the casino which I would never had gone to. I wanted to use the credit on a tour.

 

all in all the food on the buffet was wonderful and the chef at the buffet was kind and generous. but I would have to wait for him to come down and tell me what I could and could not eat each day because no one else knew what was vegan. he was not always available and I would often have to wait for him and my food.

 

this being said there was dancing with hosts which both I and my husband enjoyed. I, because I love to dance and he because he doesn't.

 

our party's consensus overall, there were 5 of us,  was the shows were neither as good or as large as the productions of other far inferior cruises we have attended in the past. the cast we felt for the most part was far superior to the productions which hobbled them. individually many of the performers truly shined.

we have been on at least 4 other lines. off hand I can only think of princess, costa, Holland and Norwegian all of which had superior shows and scheduling.

 

your ship was beautiful, well maintained, the cabins were lovely and clean. I very much admired your  move towards being more green and hope you continue in this direction. I was very happy that you shared this information in your currents and only wish you had shared it earlier. I feel if you had it might have made a larger impact and solicited greater cooperation.

 

being vegan and the lunatic fringe of green I can think of many ways for your company to continue moving toward a more economical use of resources and would be happy to discuss it with you.

 

at times we found your currents difficult to read and understand because of the format. it was also a bit redundant and at times said something that was contradicted in the very next sentence. editing could certainly use some attention.

 

I think most of my disappointment was due to the fact I was promised more than was delivered. had I not been I think I would have been less upset at the shortfalls because the cruise was  superior  in many ways. I will probably go on another celebrity cruise someday but next time I will have more realistic expectations and I will know to look for dessert on shore.

 

as far as the nonvegan food and dessert my friends found them 5 star. unfortunately we are still searching for a cruise line that is a little more vegan friendly.  I think cruise lines are not the only ones to not accommodate the small  number of vegans. I wonder if they are aware that although we are small in numbers very often we are the ones choosing which cruise or rest. to patronize based on our dietary needs. in this case I was with a party of 5 which chose crystal based on the promises they made me and were not honored.

 

having a laundry available was great and a good reason to choose celebrity.

 

Although not up to our expected journey, the trip was nice.  The crew had to scrounge Ports of Call to make up for the change in plans.  The entertainment was not up to Celebrity's usual standards.  As usual the service was wonderful.  Our cabin crew took care of every need and the dining staff was superb.  The excursions were up to par on the original manifest and seemed to be enjoyed by all.

Everyone onboard the ship are wonderful people. They are always willing to help you any way they can. I have been on the Star and they also were just as friendly.  When I cruise again, I will be going on with the Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Room Steward & remainder of staff warrant a 5 star rating, but food & dining experiences were only average on this cruise.   Didn't care for the overall selections in the dining rooms and the food in the Garden Café was often cold & dried out.    Entertainment provided was also only fair. 

We were on back to back cruises on the Norwegian Jade. The ship itself was an average ship compared to others we have been on. The itinerary was the main reason we took this particular cruise. On this cruise, the second week of 2, there was a fair number of new staff that embarked and this was for the good. The cruise on the first week, the staff was anything but exemplary. Most looked tired of working and were not very friendly. This cruise was much better especially for the bartenders. The other issue was the ship, especially the bar, were short of staff. This caused long waits at time for drinks. One bartender in a busy bar is not enough. 

The overall experience was good, Celebrity is a great company, they just really disappointed a whole ship full of customers that booked a cruise to the Holy Land but cancelled on the day of departure all the Israel stops. There was no communication other than a robot call and text to a phone. No options to cancel for future cruises, not really an apology by the staff which I am sure was not their decision. The cabin in Aqua Class is the highest before going to suite level and it felt really cramped, smallest balcony ever. The only recommendation was the food at Blu. This my second cruise with Celebrity first was the ship Reflection which seemed nicer, smooth and bigger spaces.

This was by far the worst cruise we had ever experienced!!! Not only was the service very poor and unfriendly, the food was very bad and not to mention the people on the cruise had no manners and were very miserable people. The ports were also too short of times and they tried to make extra money out of you at most for shuttles. Unlike other ships you have to pay for room service breakfast. We got on the boat each day just before the 30min before take off and each time were told to be on earlier next time which we have never heard before. Overall, just an awful experience.

Thank you for offering such carefree and leisure free time. The staff has been extraordinary friendley and helpful again. Organisation of on and off board is perfectly managed. Food was delicious and the choice of ports was very interesting. This is is the only concern however. The small islands like Santorini or Mykonos seem to small for harboring more than one cruise ship at a time. Anyway, we are a part of the problem ourselves- understandable everyone loves cruising.

what a great time we had from beginning to end. Thank you George and Herald from who made this an Amazing, fun filled, adventure filled, beautiful time. We will always book with them for the future. Sissy and Tom 🚢❤️

We had so many problems and on-going issues with this cruise that it is difficult to fit into this survey. I have written a detailed letter to our cruise agent, Kristi Pullman and I hope she will forward it to you.

* Ship lost our dinner reservations in specialty restaurants continuously

* Waitress in Manfredi's was over the top rude to us

* Sheets not changed on bed last 3 nights

* Excursion tours didn't include what they advertised

* Lack of entertainment and when one local dance group was suppose to appear, they simply didn't show up

* Four attempts at breakfast room service and never once got the right order

* Directions on printed Viking Daily very confusing and crew admitted it

* Post hotel in Barcelona total nightmare

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