Europe - Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

My boyfriend and I took our first Mediterranean cruise through RC and had a fantastic time. The entertainment staff was very interested in everyone having a good time. The staff was extremely nice, but I feel a little understaffed. I didn't feel as pampered as the previous three cruises I've taken. 

It was a great cruise! I recommend it. The ship was organized. The staff was helpful and friendly.  My husband and I really enjoyed the trip. We can't wait for our next cruise.

AIR PORT DO NOT PROCESS TAX REFUND FOR MSC'S. THEY SAID SHOULD DO ON THE SHIP BUT, SERVICE DESK STAFF SAID DO IT AT THE AIR PORT. MAILED THE FORM TO THE MSC. PLS, PROCESS MY TAX REFUND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THIS IS A SUCH A HASSLE!!!

Thanks! 

We stayed in Istanbul for 7 days before going on this cruise. we did not know where we have to go to embark in istanbul as it said on the internet upto the last day that embarkation point- to be decided.so we had to phone cunard office in england and after a long delay they were able to help us--so some improvement there will be highly appreciated

My wife and I choose this cruise because it spent the most time in each of the ports we wanted to visit. The cruise was great! We had excellent food on the boat as well as in the ports. The ship had quality entertainment for all ages and the amenities were on point. Celebrity upgraded our drink package to Premium without telling us which was a great surprise. The only negative I can say about the ship Reflection is the pool sizes. There is one adult pool inside and two smaller pools on the main deck. These pools get crowded on sea days and the kids take over the pool during peak hours. I wish there was an outdoor pool for adults with a swim up bar. That would have been heaven. Other than that I think this cruise was amazing. We had a balcony suite and the views and the room service was beyond expectations. 

We had the most unfortunate thing to happen to us while traveling to our 44th wedding prepaid anniversary and yes, you've guessed it - no luggage showed up For 1 solid week, American Airlines managed to misplace or just lose our luggage leaving us without a stich to wear other than the clothes on our backs. The cruise staff in guess relations provided as much as they could but we missed all of our preplanned activities due to my Tux and the wife's evening gown in our lost luggage so we were forced to stay in our stateroom for several days while cleanings occurred. I have traveled millions of miles but this has been the worst experience ever and it is all because of AA who provided false information daily. when we finally received our bags we were receiving our disembarking information on the same night. I spent over $7,000 for business class and am Platinum and over $4,000 for the cruise and if it wasn't for Celebrity it would have been the worst trip ever so, please travel on Celebrity but avoid AA and US Air at all cost - they just don't care. Of course they insulted me by offering a $25 evoucher. Can you imagine that insult. they ruined my vacation totally and offered $25. If you want to do a cruise, travel on Celebrity, if you want to get there with Luggage fly Delta, United or any other caring airline. AA even kicked us off of our return flight citing the international cabin was over sold- what dumb airline does that for international travel. I booked our reservations in Dec 2014 and thought everything was fine until we were removed because according to the agent we were the easiest to be removed. if you are bold enough to fly AA take a carry on with most of your clothes in the bag.

This was hands-down the BEST cruise experience I've ever had.  The Celebrity Reflection is a gorgeous ship that is tastefully decorated with no expense spared.  Even though the ship carries about 3,400 passengers it never felt crowded to me at all.  The onboard entertainment could have been a lot better (see that category below), and some of the bar staff, especially at the Sunrise Bar on deck 15 aft, could have been more courteous.  But that aside, the staff overall was always very pleasant and gracious.  Most of our dining was in Opus, the main dining room, and our table staff couldn't have been nicer and accommodating.  We did not dine in any of the specialty restaurants because we felt the premium prices were too high.  I'm not sure why Celebrity continues to charge such high premiums for these restaurants because we usually found them completely empty, or with only 1 or 2 tables occupied.  Also, this ship is the cleanest ship I have ever been on...just spotless!   We look forward to our next cruise, which will definitely be with Celebrity!!!

Very good experience, on and off ship was easy. All Epic staff were nice and friendly.  Food was great!  Entertainment at night could use a little fine tuning.  If you didn't want to pay for entertainment, there wasn't much to choose from.  We traveled with a 16 yo and 18 yo.  The teen center was great for the 16 yo but not much for the 18 yo to do at night.  

Got on in Civitavecchia which is not the main embarkation or debarkation port the whole setup was a mess from the lack of free shuttle to/from the train... to unmarked crusie area and no prior directions. Made it to the port and have no clue where our ship was.. wandered until we found a shuttle bus stop waited 20min to be driven in circles had there been a map or something we would have just walked.

Checked in and our room was ready yay except our luggage took another 2 hours to arrive and then it was only one of the 2 got a little anxious but decided to be patient, the other finally arrived in time for sailing off.

Our mini suite was oddly designed.  In the shape of a wave with restrooms upfront followed by a couch then bed. The privacy issue as many people have mentioned is there... and the room was dirty there were crumbs all over the floor and there were screws loose all over the place. The mini fridge shelf originally was a cabinet but i guess they rethought that one and ripped out the door. Btw they lock the mini fridge the night before you get off and put all your stuff on the shelf in which case all my produce spoiled while I was on my tour.

The room was dirty when we got in but the linens were clean and we were too tired to care. There were crumbs all over the floor bits of food and a thick layer of dust on the coffee maker.  The room steward was great and did everything with a smile even managed to get us towels for the pool well ahead of time. 

The ship is much like the breakaway in terms of layout. 

My issues with NCL were this one they nickel and dime you on everything. Juice is not included only the chemical stuff.. fresh pressed is extra. Every little thing seems to be extra. They even changed the daily service charge mid cruise.

The pools were like hot tubs small and over crowded for the amount of ppl on board it was just not ideal. I tried the slides one night around 7pm aside from the ton of kids and long lines they are poorly made and bruised my back. As for the pools well major let down I came back from an excursion and was looking forward to a cool dip only to get into what looked like a kiddie pool under the big screen in the adults only section and it was warm and filthy and with 10 ppl it was so crowded you couldn't even really move around just stand there in tepid water. The one day at sea was so crowded on deck there was not a single chair available anywhere.  Honestly if I didn't have a balcony to retreat to I would have killed myself in that heat that day. 

The spa fee to use the indoor amenities is $40 per person per day...absurd. They try to up-sell you on their products for 20 min before your massage cutting into the time and after they push it again.. what a pain. Also I took one of their spa deals and they charged me for the wrong promotion and I got sub par service so make sure you bring the flyer with you and they ring you up correctly. No robes are provided either which i think is lousy nor can you use the facilities after to soak you would still need to pay the $40.

Seems the on-board activities are always the same towel folding.. .drink tasting... bowling and pool at the bar at  $.

Unlimited drink package wasn't very useful as had to pay the difference for certain glasses of wine and what not at the bars and dinner. Did not include the coffee and was barely utilized if you want to see the ports then i suggest the dinner package. Although that would require reservations which is tough to do when you are unsure of how exhausted you will be from your day trips.

Great trip and ship.. only suggestion would be to take the trip earlier or later in the season.  Hot and humid.  Trying to get away from the summer heat in Phoenix.

EXCELLENT service all around especially the dining room staff and house keeping.  Special thanks to Nelu, Clifford, and Iona for superb dining services.

We had a great time on Allure of the Seas. There was a ton to do and we were kept very busy.  The food was great, the rooms were always kept clean. Checkin and Checkout were easier than going to an airport.  The food was very good, including at the specialty restaurants we went to and the excursions were generally very good.

Although the ship was much smaller than the Royal Caribbean cruises we had been on earlier, we eventually adapted.  Our stateroom was wonderful.  There were two adults and three kids in one suite, and I was worried that we would be on top of one another, but we actually had plenty of space and privacy for everyone. 

The pools were too small for the number of people on board, and there were no separate areas for kids.  Our last ship had water slides for the kids.  It was hard to find a place to land. 

Our dining service was excellent. 

Our family cruise was very nice.  The ship is very clean and lovely.  The service was very good.  The food was abundant and ok.  The ports visited were very enjoyable and beautiful. We found there could be improvement in some areas and made the comments directly to the shipping company.  All in all we enjoyed the cruise and maybe we will cruise again.

I traveled with my teenaged daughter and we had a wonderful time.  The ship was lovely and the service was outstanding.  Ideally, I would try to go a little earlier in the year, even late spring, to avoid the heat.  

I also highly recommend booking through SkyMiles Cruises. Our representative, Kimberly, did an excellent job and also followed up to make sure that we did not have any last minute changes.  I would definitely book through SkyMiles Cruises again.

We began at the pier not knowing that the town of Civitavecchia had suffered a massive power failure, thus rendering the computers for check-in inoperable.  Thus, the boarding process was a chaotic mess, certainly not Celebrity's fault- except, NO ONE from Celebrity made any effort to communicate to more than a thousand sweating angry passengers massed together in a hot warehouse just WHY there was such problems.  The result was pretty ugly, with passengers pushing and shoving through non-working security terminals, angry people cutting in front of others to reach the check-in desks, etc.  Not a good beginning.  To make matters even more stressful, the woman who checked us in gave us serious grief because our 15-year old daughter's last name doesn't match ours.  (I'm her step-father).  Her passport was clearly in order, all of us having passed through Customs without a hitch.  Celebrity had no issues when we made our reservations months before, giving us no hint of any "added requirements".  Suddenly, my wife is being threatened, in a menacing way, that our daughter can't be allowed to board.  ("But, this time, we'll look the other way".)  This was ridiculous, and inexcusable.

    After the life boat drill, as we returned to our room, one of the crewmen exclaimed in a loud voice, "Let's Get This party started!".  Harmless enough, except the message seemed to be that the goal of the ship was a "drink til you drop" Carnival cruise.  (I'm familiar with those).  Not everyone on this ship was there to party.  Though from the music that blared incessantly throughout the ship, whether in the lounges, on deck by the pool, or through the PA system in even the most specialized restaurant, it was not possible to find what some of us were seeking: a little peace and quiet.  Even on the verandah of our suite, the awful music from poolside engulfed us.  I promise the folks at Celebrity that of the roughly 2800 passengers, a sizable percentage were not interested in hearing poorly done 1980s cover tunes.

One aspect of cruising we enjoy is the casino.  In this case, we were greeted by a casino employee, microphone in hand, who sung our first names out to anyone who would listen, with an absurdly enthusiastic "Jeff and Stephanie!  How wonderful to see you!"  As anyone who has been to Las Vegas can attest, that kind of indiscretion would have cost that woman her job in Vegas.  We do not gamble to make friends or become part of some kind of rumba line.  It's a personal experience that clearly, Celebrity does not respect.

Here's a piece of advice   for Celebrity:  Don't schedule Florence Italy as a stop on a Sunday.  With only a half day's time to enjoy one of the world's most spectacular cities, you put us there when the cathedrals and churches were closed to visitors until the afternoon, and for those who enjoy upscale shopping, many of the stores aren't open at all. 

You offer a "teen spa service".  Very nice- we scheduled our 15-year old daughter for a facial.  But, upon arrival, we were told that she isn't allowed to partake unless one of her parents sits with her the whole time.  That is NOT a teenager's idea of a spa experience.

There are a great many more nit-pick complaints, including the wine steward who didn't understand how to re-cork a bottle of very expensive Bordeaux we had intended to enjoy over two nights.  But in most cases, the staff was exceptional.   "Michael's Club", exclusively for suite passengers, was an excellent concept- the manager Bartosz, was wonderfully attentive to our needs, and helped to solve various issues.  Our suite's butler, Cesar, was wonderful.     The specialized dining rooms offered meals far above the cruise-ship norm.  (If only you could eliminate the rock music blaring above our heads).  In every case, the wait-staff and maitre'd were most friendly and helpful.   For breakfast, the one oasis of calm seemed to be the restaurant "Blu", but it was only open from 7:30 to 9:00.  (The typical "all you can gorge" buffet was packed, with a scramble to find a decent place to sit.)

I participated in a Texas hold-em tournament just outside the casino, where we were buffeted by what seemed to be a K-Mart blue-light special grab fest for cheap purses and jewelry.  A hundred or more passengers with shopping baskets, swarming over piles of what appeared to be cheap junk.  ("Purses, $10.  Buy 4, get one free!")  Really?  Tacky in the extreme.  An onboard flea market.

 The past four times we have cruised have been on Crystal Cruise Lines.  I now understand why they get the prices they do.  You get what you pay for.  In the future, we would opt again for the more expensive and considerably more sophisticated cruise.  Celebrity seems to try to have it both ways- offer a hint of elegance, with a constant theme that lets everyone know that if you miss the "party days" with Carnival, you can still find them here.  

Good value. Food and entertainment could be improved. Lots of dancing options. Evening entertainment was limited. Wish they had newer movies. Inconvenient port design in Malta, made us walk unnecessarily.

Overall the trip was great.  The food while good, was not great.  The activities were a bit on the boring side and not greatly varied.  The ports of call were wonderful!  However the shore excursions were not really worth the money. 

As experience cruisers, we were overall satisfied with the entertainment and food selections.  Cabin was very comfortable.  Bathroom was very spacious.  Love the fact that the shower had doors. Service people were lovely. Unfortunately we experience several problems during our stay on the Jade.  We had Cabin noise that was due to workers on the 12th deck placing lounge chairs down in the mornings.  Plumbing noise all night long along the outer wall of the cabin (11078) not typical bathroom noise.  Travel agent signed us up for dinning an soda package but we wanted the bar instead of the dinning package.  It told NCL until Wednesday to rectify the problem. Bar service at the pool side was lacking.  We had to get our drinks several times.  Especially on deck 13.  The need for Reinforcing underage at the spinnaker or any 18 and over lounge should be done by someone standing at the entrance checking ID.  

Oceania does a very good job of being a bit upscale without being stuffy. The specialty restaurants are just that "special".  The staff are all well trained and friendly. The cruise was on time to each port and  sail itself was very smooth.

We will choose Oceania in the future, they do it better than the cruise lines we have experienced in the past.

 In the future, I will choose to go to European cities during cooler weather.  July/Aug are too hot to fully enjoy the tours.