Europe - Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

Trip highlights (as a first time cruise passenger) - Sailing in and out of Venice, viewing the shore, towns and countryside of Montenegro as the ship made it's first port call,  looking out at the wide open, quiet and peaceful ocean from our balcony stateroom.   Eating at different restaurants each night was also a nice and convenient pleasure.   I wasn't  prepared for the relatively short port calls and the time and effort it took to get on and off the ship.  Half of our stops we anchored, not docked, requiring passengers to line up for the disembark process used for getting on the ship's tenders.

We overall were very disappointed with this cruise.  Water wasn't provided at dinner unless you have prepaid for it (and I mean, not even tap water).  The tap water access on the 9th floor was even cutoff at 10pm, so you have to order from room service and pay a service fee if you want a cup of TAP WATER.  This cruise advertises themselves as being known for their Italian cuisine which was terrible.  The only food any of our party enjoyed was the desserts.  Food service was promptly cutoff as passengers entered the ship from excursions and was replaced with sandwiches, meat, and cheeses.  We felt nickel and dimed the entire cruise.  There were no towel animals on the bed when we returned from dinner which I thought all cruiselines surprise you with these.  Customer service got rude at times also.  We paid more for this cruise for an interior room than we have ever paid before and were not happy with the overall experience.  The entertainment was not very well thought out either.

We had a beautiful suite on this trip which was marvelous. It included all of the bells and whistles. Our butler, Joseph was outstanding.

Unfortunately, the food was disappointing. It was not hot when served, and at Moderno the skewed meats were all cooked well done.

The  ports of call were just breathtaking, but all tour offers were quite short.

Please start using a higher grade of toilet tissue. The one used is substandard..

We loved the itinerary--that's what drew us to this cruise in the first place! The ship itself was just fine.  It was perfectly adequate and impressed me in some areas, but left me with some disappointment in others. The crew was great, other than our cabin steward and the food was excellent (we did have a dining package and especially enjoyed Cagney's).  The cabin was smaller (compared to a similar cabin on Carnival), but we liked the shower doors and the separate toilet better. Some of the furnishings were a bit "tired," but everything was clean and in working order. We loved each port, but both Dubrovnik and Santorini have problems handling that many cruise ships in the port at the same time. Overall, it was a great value and we made great memories!

Beautiful ship, wonderful crew, all the tasty wine and Champagne you can drink, great shore excursions, being treated like royalty for seven days - what's not to like?! 

This was our second cruise on Silversea and we will never try anyone else ever again - once you have had perfection it's hard to go back to less.

Great service.  We had our room cleaned or looked at a few times a day.  Spotless work.  All areas of the ship were very clean and maintained constantly.  Food and service at the four special restaurants was excellent. Same great food and service at  the Grand Dining room and Terrace Café. The 9:30 PM entertainment in the main lounge was excellent.  Very hard working and talented performers.

Butler and housekeeping service was wonderful along with the food. Entertainment and tours were awful. Toilet overflowed twice tours were completely unorganized.

Lovely ship. Amazing itinerary. Plenty to do. Despite the size, shore excursions and meals were smooth and very seldom had to wait in line. Great fitness center. 

They do oversell. Most sea day activities are based on selling something. The Spa was the worst. Based on my location, I had to walk past the Spa desk every time to get to the coffee bar or service desk. The Spa personnel were like vultures. I finally began getting off one deck higher and walking a different path. Even then they still lurked outside the elevator on other floors and would literally run up, grab you and pull you over to the sales desk. T

Normally the spa is one of the treats I look forward to, but the hard sell told me what I could expect if I actually did make an appointment. First cruise that I never stepped in the spa once. I get they want to make money, but this team was worse than the  street vendors. 

We were celebrating milestone birthdays and splurged more than usual.  One passenger had never been on a cruise.

Windstar Cruises strive to make every passenger feel special while delivering exceptional service and attention.  The staff gets to know the travelers and deliver a friendly and attentive service.

The itinerary included the popular stops like Santorini and Mykonos but it was the smaller ports and islands that charmed us.  The special event at Ephesus was a magical evening that few people would be able to access were it not for Windstar's arrangements.  The stop as Kusadasi, Turkey was another sleeper hit with many passengers.

Overall, the attentive staff, the accommodations on the ship and the itinerary made for an unforgettable experience we already long to emulate on a future trip.

This was our first cruise on an 'upscale' line, so cannot really compare to other 'upscale' cruises. We liked the smaller vessel with less than 700 passengers that could get in to the 'lesser visited' ports. The Windows Cafe was more relaxing (than similar type venues) than on the larger ships, with tables relatively far apart and easier access(less crowded) to the buffet. The staff throughout was very friendly and welcoming. Although only two separate locations (front and rear) the elevators were always prompt and hassle-free. Cabin service was good and unobtrusive. On some days the 'house' white wine wasn't very good, but not undrinkable. Shore excursions always went smoothly, with 18-22 people per tour, a real plus.  They really took care of their "Le Club Voyage" (loyalty club) passengers. We had sailed on Celebrity last year so were already Le Club members.    

We felt the itinerary had wonderful ports of call and the length of time at the ports allowed travelers to enjoy visiting them

The NORWEGIAN SPIRIT was very well maintained and very very clean.

It was very quiet and stable.  It was quite a relaxing and pleasant experience.

The shows were very good.  It would be nice if there was a movie theater, as good movies were offered but it was not a comfortable setting.

We thought the quality of the food and the choices in the menu were  not as good as when we traveled on the JEWEL about 8 years ago.  Also the names of some dishes were misleading, i.e. an entry called cassoulet of escargots, was not a cassoulet and the escargots were not escargots but mushrooms.

The desserts were not well prepared.  We were better off ordering fruit, cheese or ice cream.  

However, the attention we received from the Norwegian staff and employees was excellent!  Everyone, from the customer desk, the cruise desk, the hostesses and servers in the dining rooms, the cabin attendant,  was very friendly, helpful, professional and welcoming.  I believe the crew gave us the best attention we have experienced in our more than 20 cruises.  

Our thanks to everyone for their wonderful and kind attention!

The worse part of the cruise was the food, the so called specialty restaurants aren't worth the time or money, flavorless food, not one meal in these restaurants were exceptional in any way. I always look forward to great meals when I cruise and I was totally let down,  cruising the Mediterranean Sea, some the best known seafood in the world and we couldn't be provided a decent seafood meal, BAD BUISINESS!!

 This was our 2nd cruise on NCL, yet 1st NCL cruise in Europe. Our party of 4 adults (2 rooms) was very pleased with the NCL Epic for our sail out of Rome (Rome to Florence to Cannes to Palma Majorca to Barcelona to day at sea to Naples and back to Rome) area on 5/3-5/10/17. We arrived a few hours ahead of departure and had no problems with embarking, quickly grabbing a couple of Prosecco's in the bar for a toast.

After about an hour, our balcony rooms were ready (11175 & 11179), which was nice. My initial thought was the room was very nice and I didn't see any issue with the bathroom toilet/shower arrangement. However, I did have an issue with the very tiny sink/sink area and the limited and dim lighting, which took some time to figure out which switch controlled what. The bed was comfortable but the curvature at the foot of the bed was tolerable. I was very impressed with the significant amount of storage space (2 large closets, 3 large drawers, hidden storage behind the sofa and other areas, medicine cabinet space and large area under the bed to stow away empty luggage). HINT - the electrical outlet is hidden away under the middle mirror area beneath the counter (as is the hair dryer). Look for the hole in the counter top to fish your electrical cord.

We were told the ship was full, which I didn't believe as at no such time did it ever feel as if it was. Maybe the only time would have been during breakfast time when the buffet got very crowded. HINT - get your breakfast and head down to La Cucina. We had the UBP and UDP and we were very pleased with our cocktail and dining choices (Teppanyaki was fantastic, as was Moderno, but the best was Le Bistro where the food was outstanding and the service was even better (thank you Ronie and April Joy!). Since we had a busy day on excursions (we booked ourselves and not via the cruise line - & saved significant $) at each port. We only had 1 day at sea where we just chilled and hung out at Spice H2O for the majority of the day where food and drink were available. We really enjoyed Howl at the Moon, where we spent quite a few hours during the week. We also enjoyed Burn the Floor but were so so on Priscilla Queen of the Dessert show.  We were looking forward to dancing a bit more at the Glow party and other dance areas (Bliss) but there was too much techno beat music, which just didn't quite fit the age demographic of most travelers that I saw. Needed more 70s-present era music. 

All in all, it was a fantastic cruise, great weather, calm seas, wonderful ports (although Palma Majorca was very so so), friendly staff, great customer service, and plenty of things to do. HINT - please don't believe all of the negative reviews that many people post as we thoroughly enjoyed our cruise on the NCL Epic.

My favorite part was the staff- just terrific bunch always looking to make us

feel as if we were the only guests on board.

The menus for at the San Marco could have been planned with more choices; both we and pour friend felt it was limited . We have cruised on both the Solistice and the Equinox and both had better menus . Same applies to more varying and interesting activities on board. They were jut the same run of the mill stuff I.e. Trivia, volleyball blah, blah

overall we had a great time and look forward to our next trip.

we love our cruise agent Harry Kroll he is the best

My opinion of the cruise was excellent, I enjoyed the food, the kind and helpful people who worked on the cruise.  Italy was more than I expected.

I appreciated the invitation to visit the area of the ship where the food was prepared. What a tremendous job being done there.  

The cruise over all was a good experience. The staff needs more training on customer service. but the over all was not bad. some ports need to be replaced with more fun ones. 

It was nice to cruise overnight each day and be in a new port in the morning.

Transportation shuttles from ship to get out of ports was not good at all.

Coordination and directions were awful.

Tender system in Cannes was more than awful. Why should someone wait over an hour for a scheduled tender?

Most favorite part of this cruise was visiting several Greek Islands.

It was a brand new ship.  Beautiful & Impressive. Clean & Bright.

Crew on this ship were not as well trained as other Princess Ships.

Almost Princess every ship I have sailed in the past had regular

Enrichment Lectures onboard, on varied subjects. This ship had None.

The Captain's daily announcements were very clear & informative.

Very long queues for everything. No enough assistance was available

in the Computer room. Every other Princess I have been on had many Desk Top terminals. This ship had only 2. Last day's production Show - Excellent.

This ship is brand new and we thought that there may be a few glitches they were working out. On the contrary it was all perfect. Great mix of very attentive crew from different Princess ships so lots of interesting stories, nationalities and perspectives. Loved the outdoor movie theater. After dinner settle on a deck chair with a blanket provide and watch the latest movies. The last night they previewed a new show in the theater which was beyond spectacular. Food was outstanding no matter where you ate. Only complaint was the tendering process, they need to find a more equitable process. Those who had booked a tour through the cruise line had preference and the rest of the passengers (about 1,500 of us) had to wait for well over an hour, sometimes two, in the dining room for a tender. There were a lot of complaints so I am sure they are working on it.

My favorite stops: Kotor, the cruise out was spectacular and the city itself very unusual and interesting. Mykonos, was the all out favorite stop. Take taxi to one of the beaches for $15 and spend the day on a lounger, right on the beach as long as you buy something to eat or drink it is free. Food and drinks are very reasonable so it is a good deal.  Could have done with more beach locations and less historic towns and ruins. Most of the islands have a beach option, take that if archaeology is not your main interest.    

No matter what small hassles there may have been they pail into insignificance given the overall experience, it still get 5 stars for me.

Menu diversity was mediocre. Each dinner in the principle dining room was repetitious. Always with an Italian slant. Not good for a ship with multiple nationalities on board and boring for a 10 night cruise.  Garden salads with main course were always the same vegs.,  with very limited salad dressing selections. Optional cheese plate was unappetizing and looked like left-overs from breakfast buffet or prior day offerings.

2. In the buffet afternoon restaurant the very same cheese selections and cold cut appeared relentlessly.

CLUE: GET A NEW COOK BOOK.

3. Upscale premium- charge restaurant had same menu as main dining room but at an extra price.

4. Premium charge - room service breakfast for premium cabins arrived cold, food was badly prepared and orders for husband and wife arrive 25 minutes apart.

5. WiFi reception throughout the ship was unreliable and often failed to work in a timely fashion.

6. Bar tenders poured soft drinks from cans or bottles (10 oz) and served them in smaller glasses (7 oz.)  so they didn't provide the full portion. I asked to have them pour my entire beverage into a larger glass and they refused. Very stingy portion control on soft drinks and worse on alcohol, despite "all-you-could-drink" high cost drink packages.

7. On board television had only 1 channel consistently in English ( sometimes MS-NBC), but 5 channels were dedicated to Costa-only channels. Many more channels were provided in French or Italian. None in German or Spanish.

8. Ship lacked any source where you could purchase  small toiletries like: mouth wash, antiperspirant, hair spray, cough drops, aspirin, antiacids, camera batteries, OTC medicine,

9. On Costa provided shuttle buses into town, drivers did not speak any English and could not tell people where they were being dropped off, so it was difficult to find the bus stop at the end of the day to return to the ship.