Europe - Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

Our 10-day Mediterranean cruise was a wonderful trip.  The sites visited, Olympia, Ephesus, Athens and the Acropolis, Istanbul, Pompeii and the Amalfi coast were interesting places of history, and we were able to spend time in Rome before the ship sailed too.  Some of our land tours were secured through NCL, but not all.  Except for having tour guides who used headsets and radios while walking the sites, there wasn't much difference.  Personally, Ephesus is the site most memorable, and shouldn't be missed if you're planning this cruise and need to be selective.  With some research and independence, you can probably see everything in Istanbul without a guide, because there are many modes of transportation to get your around.  We paid extra for a penthouse cabin, and the extra amenities that came with that were totally worth it, expecially being able to have breakfast and lunch at Cagney's every day.      

I would rate the Food a c-.  It was always load in the dinning room. The table was always set different, short always on something (salt and pepper, silverware or glasses ect).  Food was always the same thing and with no taste. We sat with other couples every night and they also agree with us.  We drank water and had to ask for it all the time.  In the bars we also drank water and it was hard to get someone to wait on us.  Food in the buffett was the same all the time.  Chocolate night was a big let down.  Norwegian Jade needs to hire someone new with new ideas.  I can do better at home.

Acitivities at night NOT.  Nothing to do.  Shows were BAD in the Stardust all but the one couple the one night.  Other guests we met also agree with us on the shows. Bingo game you would have more people playing with it didn't cost so much.  The singing contest, the guy from Russia should not have won.  He is on all the cruises and wins.  He sings all over.  His  personality is all wrong and a plain in

the butt the whole cruise.   His family and friends talked the whole time the others were singing.

The Jade is out dated.  Nothing to dress up for.  White night music was fun and people of all ages were dancing until the raper guy got in and did his music.  Then the dance floor changed with only young high schoolers.  What were you thinking when you invited them on a cruise of older people.

We are 55, right in the middle of the old people and the young people.  We don't want rap and we don't want slow music for the 80 year olds.

No we will not go on another Norwegian Cruise,  we like the Princess Cruise Line.  I guess we will continue to cruise with them.

Our stateroom was fine and always cleaned.

We stayed in Rome the night before our cruise and took train from Termini station to Civitavecchia port where we met the Norwegian Jade. The train cost is about 6 euros.  The ship was large but was easy to get around and to locate different places of interest. We signed up and took a shore excursion thru the ship at most ports. The stop in Livorno,Italy- we took the tour to Florence & Pisa that included a meal. This was fun and it was a four course meal.  Next stop was in Monte Carlo,Monaco and took tour to see Nice,Eze and Monte Carlo. Very good tour and the cities were clean and everything expensive. People watching in Monte Carlo is the thing to do at the sidewalk cafes. Next stop was in Toulon, France and we just walked the city, no tour taken. Next port was in Barcelona, Spain and took the Barcelona and Montserral tour. This tour was very good and worth the money. Next port was Valencia, Spain and took the Sagunto and StJoseph caves. This was an ok tour but not enough time to explore.  Next port was to  Palma de Majorca,Spain. Didn't take a tour and just walked the city on our own. Walked up the aprox. 500 steps to the Belliver Castle which has a great view of the city. Only walk if your health is good. Next port was at Cagliari, Italy. Took the Nora-A walk thru Ancient Times. You will see some  old Roman remains which are very interesting. Also on the drive, you will see some pink flamingos.  Next stop was in Palermo,Sicily Italy. Took the Agrigento Temple Valley tour. Tour drive takes about 2 1/2 hrs. You will see Greek temples and ruins built 510BC. These were very impressive.  Next stop was at Naples, Italy.  Took the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii tour.  The Amalfi coast was amazing. The bus driver earns his pay on driving this coast road. The view is breathtaking.  The stop in Pompeii is outstanding but lots of people. Wish we had more time in Pompeii.  The port stops made on this cruise were excellent.  Enjoyed this cruise. Food was pretty good. We only ate at the places that were included with the cost of the trip.  You can upgrade your food choose at an additional cost.  We also stayed on deck 10 in an inside cabin which was ok with us as we were not in the cabin unless we were sleeping. The only thing a didn't like was that they didnt have self service laundry.  They have a special, which cost about $25.00 for a bag full of laundry. That's not very special to me.Otherwise,I would recommend this cruise. Happy sailing.

Good service, comfortable rooms, good entertainment. Love all the ports! Food in the dining room and Garden Cafe need more varieties, and services need improvemenf. Food in the Le Bistro is excellent! Ove it was an excellent vacation .

This was our second NCL cruise, our last being a 7 night Carribean voyage. While we enjoyed most of the stops, some for the onboard stuff was less than we expected...our room was awesome, and the staff was great, but the food definitely left something to be desired. Our last cruise the food was fantastic- every dish was phenomenal. This time, we often walked away just saying "meh." This was certainly a disappointment, especially since this cruise had a significantly higher price tag. We were also not as impressed by the on board activities- this could perhaps be to cater to a different crowd from the Carribean cruise, but I still feel like there could have been more fun onboard activities. The cruise staff that ran the events, however, were fabulous.

Overall, we had a lot of fun but were expecting more.

Very crowded and noisy cruise.  Room was fine, as was cabin steward. Dining was always crowded and prolonged in the dining room - sometimes taking 2 hours for dinner! Food not varied enough and essentially the same in both dining rooms.  Ran out of orange juice and bananas for the last 3 days! Service was spotty in the dining rooms, sometimes excellent, sometimes poor. Entertainment was ok as expected - variety and choices in the bars and theater.  We particularly enjoyed the piano playing, both in the bar and in the general areas. 

The foods served on board were terible, even special restaurants.  Foods were cold and tasteless.  I ordered a Seafood Chowder soup.  When the waitress brought it the our table, the guy sat next to me covered his nose because it smelled like death fishes.  I personally think the CEO Chef must go.  Breakfast was even worse.  They served the same old things all over for 10 days on board.  And of course, they were not good either.

Other than that, the services, waiters, waitresses, room services were very nice.

I would not try Norwegian Cruise Line again.

This cruise was relaxing, interesting and at times exotic.  We started from Rome, went to Greece, Turkey, and back to Italy.  The tours in Greece focused on the ruins of Olympia and Athens.  In Turkey we went to Ephesus and Istanbul.  From Naples we toured Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. 

The ship was comfortable.  The food was ok - pretty crowded in the buffet, not a lot of choice in the full service restaurants.  Service was very good during this cruise.  Entertainment was excellent at times, at others it was not to our liking - that's why there's variety. The piano bar was where we spent most evenings, as the player took requests and had a very nice voice.  I would recommend this cruise. 

The Costa Pacifica cruise itinerary is spectacular and the cruise personnel were very helpful and pleasant.  Breakfast and lunch menu items were the same each day which was a little disappointing as we are use to a wide variety of foods at each meal on other cruise liners.  Over all, the value of this cruise was very good and we were satisfied.

   Muy bonitas las cabinas, muy amplias y limpias.  El servicio muy bueno de parte de toda la tripulación.  Las excursiones muy bonitas pero algo caras, si las adquiere junto con el crucero ya no tiene que preocuparse durante el viaje.  Lo único que me parecio fuera de lugar es la venta de los refrescos gaseosos, que no van incluidos en las comidas, cada refresco cuesta 3.50 Euros; las bebidas que si van incluidas son: agua, té, café, leche, jugo.  La comida en general buena, pero muy estrictos en los horarios, retiraban todo el bufet y si alguien llegaba fuera de ese horario ya no encontraba nada.  Los shows del teatro muy buenos, los bailarines de las coreografías son excelentes, dominan todo tipo de bailes, pero la pareja de cantantes que se presento casi cada día, no sirven, no es que esten desafinados, sino que no transmiten ninguna emoción cuando cantan, como que les falta alma o algo.

   Fuera de esos detalles todo muy bonito y recomendable.

The entertainment was the highlight of the cruise.

The desserts were not up to par and the chocolate buffet was very disappointing in taste.

We had to ask our cabin stuart to fill our ice bucket several times and request glasses.

I finally had to write a note to remind him.

Overall I felt like the recommended tipping was too high.

On other cruises I've taken the recommended tipping is $7.50/day/person.

Considering these issues we probable will not travel on NCL again.

Good experience. Could have used more sea days and less Tunisia. This cruise was one that required lots of energy as there was a port of call every day but one. The weather didn't cooperate on the first leg but didn't hamper the experience too much. I wouldn't recommend the Tunisia port to anyone as it was just not a comfortable situation. Overall the NCL cruise brand is still a brand I would recommend but a cruise with this many ports of call should come with a few more sea days to recoupe some energy. 

It was a honeymoon holiday for us.  We flew to Barcelona to board this cruise.  The port is close to town but the cruise was parked at the outermost terminal.  Glad that we took a taxi from Parallel to the boarding gate.  (Do not attempt to take a bus and walk even from La Ramblas... it is very far walk regardless if you have luggages.)

This cruise embark and disbark at almost every port.  This is very interesting.  We met a few other North Americans who boarded in Barcelona.  But apparently, Savona and Marseille are the most popular embark/disbark ports for locals.

We had a Balcony cabin, it was very comfortable.  Generous bedroom size and bathroom size.

The population on the cruise is mostly European families.  All announcements were made in at least 4 languages including English.

When I was onboard, I was non-stop bombarded with "Book your excursion now!" information.  No one forced us to book anything, but I feel that there were too much onboard-selling... it was on announcements, cabin TV, swimming pool screens... non-stop looping.  I managed to visit and navigate all the ports on my own without any excursions.  But I have heard good reviews on the excursions from other passengers.

Most ports have excursions organized by local companies, look at those if you have time.  Much better pricing.

Drink packages, upgraded dining, jewlery sale, spa specials... these are in my face all the time!  Not complaining, but for budgeting.  Just beware that the cabin price only includes the basics and be ready to spend more money onboard!

The only rough day (I actually puked and stayed in bed all day) was the "At Sea" day.

Overall, it was a great experience.  Great staff, great food, great shows, great ports.

    The cruise was well organized . The ship was clean . Two Costa excursions were cancelled due to lack of English guests . The ship appeared to be full at all stops . This caused a real, mess at dining areas for serve yourself . Each AM we had to wait for seating as all seats were taken . We ended up walking to the pool area long distance twice to find a seat . Do not try to eat at anything other than first or second seating in the evening because the only serve yourself food was pizza with a long wait line . There is no evening buffet except for pizza and you must use the seating assignment or pay at one of the restaurants .

Food was just O.K. very small portions for dinner so it forced you to order more courses and made the staff work much harder. No buffet for dinner as other lines. Inconsistant wake up times. One day we didnt recieve one. One day we got one on time. Next day we got one a half hour early. Staff was unclear on common questions. Had a shuttle from the airport but not one returning. Airport an hour away had to get a taxi (100 Euros). Only one English speaking TV station (BBC) in room. All excursions were cancelled for lack of English speaking people.

i would think that sailing through Italy and France would bring about some pasta and other good food options. None of these were available. The sweets were lacking taste and it seemed that they only offered ice cream during lunch from 12-2 in which most people were visiting the country. Only sauceless pizza and dam near burned burgers were available for lunch options from 4-6. The main dining options for dinner were much better. Announcements were in 4 different languages which seemed to be repeated every 15 minutes. Guest service staff were not on the same page as you were told different information. They kept your passport which was our only form of ID so we could not use our credit cards to buy stuff off the ship unless we had cash. It was a hassle to get the cruise to make a photo copy for us. The only great part was that our rooms were great as well as the service for the room. 

This 11 Night Western Mediterranean cruise aboard the Norwegian Jade was one of the best cruises we have ever been on.  This was our 16th cruise.  The ship was beautifully designed and decorated.  The evening shows could not have been better.  There were so many ports to visit stopping in several different countries.  Overall, we will recommend this cruise to our friends.

Excellent service...shows were amazing (Elements is great!!!) 14th NCL trip and certainly the top one. Zorica in dining was the best hostesss we ever had and really took great care of us.  

excellent shows

excellent spa (though with a fee)

good buffet

repetitive food at main restaurant (other restaurants for a fee)

poor activities for teenagers

enough time to explore each port of call

no covered pool:  a drawback during a winter cruise

We were very happy with our (high-priced) stateroom and with the various places we visited.

 We were a lot less happy with some of the extra charges which we felt should have been included.

Frankly, next cruise, I will look for something more "all-inclusive".