Europe - Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

From the destination experience, we had a wonderful vacation.  As cruises go, the experience was average. The food on the ship was okay, although nothing unique or fancy unless you wanted to pay above and beyond what you've already spent. Activities were limited, most of the activity leaders were impossible to understand, and it often sucked the fun out of them. Regarding port visits, if you weren't booked through Norwegian, the staff offered no help whatsoever and was often rude or curt, even at the "guest services" desk when you'd ask them for a copy of the map that was displaying right on the bulliten board next to it. "Where can I get one of those?"  "I don't know".   At the library, we asked the guy sitting at the desk for a book from the reference area. He told us it was not in library hours, although he continued to sit at the staff desk for another 45 minutes. Not the most accommodating staff I've ever met.

To be short and straight to the point - this cruise was the worst cruise in my life and this thought would share at least 1/3 of the ship. Very poor quality and choices of food, very poor entertainment and careless customer service. 

6 out of 11 days there was no internet service on the whole ship and they cared less what people think about that fact. 

The only good thing aboit this cruise is a nice ship and clean rooms. 

I've cruised with Costa before (as well as other cruise lines).  I was rather disappointed with this particular cruise, however.  Costa really made some serious cuts with this cruise and/or ship.  The schedule of events on board was dull, to say the least.  It seemed that the cruise director really slacked off on his job.  It was something of a half-efforted entertainment schedule.  Furthermore, many of the crew on board were rather rude.  Customer service was not a priority on this ship.  More than a few times, I heard a crew member tell a customer "That's not my job," or "ask someone else."  There was a general I-don't-care attitued aboard this cruise.  

With that in mind, the ports of call were amazing.  We had a blast everywhere we went!  The route was amazing, and I would take this cruise again (only, I wouldn't pay as much for it) just to go to the same ports.  I would, however, have to bear in mind that the cruise would be primarily a mode of transportation, and not expect much regarding entertainment on board.

Great itinerary, beautiful ship, fun Captin, good food, good value.  Very expensive excursions, internet access very expensive, library book selection poor, not enough leisure reading.  We had a really nice time and would go again.

My wife and I were celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary. We had never taken a cruise before, although we talked about it for years. When I booked this cruise I wanted a balcony room, but for the little bit extra I opted to get a mini suite w/balcony. It was absolutely an awesome experience. The room was more than I expected. Everyone on the ship were amazingly accomodating. I enjoyed "all the food" and it's many venues. The shore excursions were trips of a lifetime. Each city was phenomenal. The crew on the Jade were very accomodating in getting to the excursion bus and back on board. This was our first cruise and the staff totally took away our anxioties in a very short time. We will do this again! 

Serenade of the Seas was a nice size ship not too massively huge yet big enough to go rock climbing, dancing, shows and entertainment. The entertainment was great and all staff were very friendly. We enjoyed the cinema one day, gym another, casino tournament, pool, spa, needless to say there was always something to do, if not many things at once, something for every age. Food was great quality and ship was clean at all times. In all we thoroughly enjoyed our time on the Serenade of the Seas. 

The cruise on the Celebrity Equinox was just amazing.

The food was some of the best I have ever had anywhere but definitely on a cruise ship it would be at the top of the list for sure.

The service from all the staff was superb and always very attentive to whatever request we had.

The only  negative  would be the initial entertainment was poor. There was a comedian/juggler and he was sad.

Their dance troupe was very good. Their singer was also very good.

Overall it was an absolutely great trip and I look forward to planning our next one.

Thank you

My wife and I are long time cruisers (over 30 cruises in 10 years) adn we have tried most of the cruiselines (several ships in each line). This was our first Celebrity experience and I have to say that for a ship that is rated 5 stars, the service and food are not more than 3 stars.

The food was very standard at the restaurants and poor at the food courts.

Service around the ship was almost non-existant. Specially at the food courts where very few people are employed.

I wanted to do this itinerary and I had few cruiseline choices and we chose the Celebrity to experience it. we were disappointed.

Sallie and Victor

Great bargin with CruiseOnly for E Mediterrannean trip.

Right cool weather and right time.

Food service at Celebrity Constellation is great!

Very relaxing atmosphere. Some people dress up beautifully. Other people dress very casual.

People enjoy watching fitness exercise and dancing on the tenth floor deck.

I thought the crafts on the ship were great and the craft director was very personable, patient and considerate.  However, when people came after the sessions had begun, especially more then a few minutes late, I feel those people should have been told to sit down and wait until those who were already there and ready to work could get started.  Perhaps if the director had an assistant that could help things would be better.  Also often hearing was difficult because of the loud music below and because of the location, the director had to go to each individual table to show people what to do. Perhaps if she had a screen or some other way to show what was to be done that would be better.  She really tried to help and be of service to people, but she was not working in the best conditions.

We had a fabulous time. The only issues were rude concierge and reception staff. 

We were disappointed that we were not able to dock in Monte Carlo as well. 

All in all it was a great cruise.  The weather on the first week was perfect but it rained and grew much colder the second week.  On our final stop, Venice, the streets were really wet and the vendors were selling throw away rubber boots!  Some advice for those taking the trip:  it is VERY dry on the ship.  You may want to pack a humidifier if this is a problem for you.  It did insure that anything I washed and hung was dry by the next morning. Don't take the panoramic tour of Athens if you actually intend to see Athens or climb to the Parthnon.  Other tours are far more inclusive.  Take real walking shoes as the streets are very uneven.

As for the ship.  The public rooms are beautiful.  Our cabin, although it had a window, was very small probably the smallest of any cruise we have taken and it was on the fifth deck which meant that all elevators didn't go there.  The entertainment was fine on the three nights that there were real shows but they were short as in 30 minutes and you had to go early if you wanted a seat--at least for the early show.  Deck 15, where the buffet was, had good food but finding a table to sit and eat the food was not easy.  It's a big ship and there were lots of passengers so that's not surprising.  We were hoping for more ethnic food and entertainment but this was not to be.

If we had it to do again, we would have made our own airline reservations.  Going from FL to Rome, we were not seated anywhere near each other.  On the return flight, we were routed from Venice, to Frankfurt to Chicago.  With the Chicago airport closed for awhile because of storms, we sat on the runway in Detroit for hours and returned to Chicago to find the airlines had to locate a pilot to fly us to Orlando.  Result: it was a 30 hour transit.  There is no reason to ever go to Chicago to fly to Orlando except that the people making our reservations could care less.

Our only dissapoinment is with the menu of the main dining, it was poor no versatility, they almost repeat the same and taste of the food was not great.

Great Cruise. Starting witht the ship, the staff and the nroute. Entertainment was a little poor quality, but there were other things to do on the ship.

I've been on several cruises with different companies and Costa is the worst experience I've ever had.

When food was available, which was extremeley limited in it's hours, it was nearly uneatable. There were times when I wandered around the ship looking for something to eat other than what they called Pizza to be available. The food in the dining area was so aweful we couldn't eat it on some evenings.

A very good overall experience. The staff, especially the wait staff and the cabin stewards were extremely friendly and hard-working. The cabin stewards even folded our clothes every day! We would leave the room a bloody mess, and when we returned, it would magically be neat and organized. Likewise, the wait staff in the dining room was friendly and attentive.

On the negative side, most of the information supplied about the ports of call was focused on the Celebrity excursions which they were intent on selling you. It would have been helpful if they would have provided more useful information on the ports of call aside from the focus on the Celebrity excursions.

If I were planning this cruise for Celebrity, I would eliminate the Bodrum and Marmaris ports of call in Turkey, and, instead add more time in Athens. We decided to fly to Athens at the end of the cruise, so as to have more time there.

Also, because of the number of ports on this 12 day cruise, there was very little down time--it was a bit of a grind.

These criticisms aside, all in all, it was a wonderful experience, and I would highly recommend the cruise.

The ship was beautiful and the food was fantastic. The ports were well chosen and the staff were friendly and professional. I have cruised only  5 other cruse lines, but this is my first time on Holland America. It will not be my last!

Montenegro should be the next wonder of the world.  It was awesome!

Qsine was an experience you should not miss.

Tuscan Grill, also.  The crepes on Bristo on 5 are wonderful.  The show are an nightly must, plus you don't have to drive home.

Always something to do on the ship, your choice. Or relax on the verenda, I loved it!

You should have postcards in the gift shop from every port that you are visiting.

Your guests should be told when they book the cruise that some ports you have to go by tender.

Should offer people a tour, that is in between mild and wheelchair.  

Bathroom on the couch. In Florida, they have a bus that tilts, so people with mobility problems, can step on and off.  That would be a real plus for people with that problem

All tours should have audio.  You can't hear the tour guide unless you are near him.

Should offer for people that are in betweein mild to wheelchair a staff member from the different countries that are visited to take a small group at a slower pace, and a rest stop.  For a fee.

Soothing instrumental music while eating/reading in the background, perhaps music from the counry that we are visiting.

Also, their special food/desserts onboard when we return from our tours.

Dining Room Cuvee' and Oceanview Cafe was not as good as on our last cruise, on the 2011 cruise on the Solstice.

Booked our next cruise onboard.

So disappointing!Using your air connections, the layovers were horrible.  We missed Venice altogether.  then we found that the bulk of passengers were either Japanese or British (almost no Americans) which left us feeling " out of it". We were dismayed to find that these passengrs got much better "deals" as well.Was there no  other choice for breakfast besides eggs, tomatoes, and beans?When I describe the cruise as Brown,  I mean that to say that it was BORING.  We have been on over 40 luding two on cunard,and never experienced such boredom.  The entire ship was decorated in shades of brown.  Our cabin was so brownish that I had to order a bouquet of flowers just to add some color!  Cabin service was very good once we got a softer mattress to ease our hip pain. Onboard Activities reached a new level of boredom, and the shows were so poor (excepting the comedian ) that we walked out on two (singers) and fell asleep at another!  Even the crew  couldn't believe the lifelessness of this particular cruise.What happened?? Was it because the cruise was out of season?? We were really looking forward to sailing the Queen Elizabeth, but  were so disappointed.The bars and lounges were empty or closed early.  Then there were the ports.  Just huge piles of rock!!The excursions were overpriced and , although we took only the EASY sightseeing ones,  we found them barely interesting. Resorting to the spa for something to do, I was astounded to find that a dip in the indoor pool would cost $99.00!! On the upside, the food and service in the dining room were great.  The selections at the buffet were tasty and varied.The entire staff was excellent.

We truly had an amazing experience on the ship - entire staff were friendly and helpful, food was fabulous in it's presentation and taste, accommodations were clean and comfortable.  Unfortunately our journey ended in extremely sad news with the loss of my Mom.  The staff went far beyond in giving us assistance, arranging for calls to home and providing us comfort at a very difficult time.  We will never forget their kindness and their compassion.  We cannot say enough . . .

Will we cruise again with Royal Caribbean?  You bet !  We already have one booked with our family in January.