Europe - Western Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

Overall good cruise, a bit disappointed I really expected more for the first crossing Thanksgiving was lacking decorations They need more staff and they should have a little more training in how to treat the passengers a smile means a lot

Booked an excursion which I thought was coming from the ship when we did it on line. Cruiseline.com/Shipmate company. When we go to Lisbon the time we were supposed to meet them was 20 minutes away. The ship could not let ppl off until okayed and it made us late. Contacted the company but they said we had to cancel 24 prior. How were we 2 know 24 hours prior they wouldnt let us off the ship. Lost $ 100.00, the cost of the excursion. If we had taken the 2nd excursion offered we would not have gotten back to the ship on time.

MSC Preziosa is a quality ship with caring companionate employees! The fellow passengers come from all over the world which makes for an even more exciting experience! I definitely recommend this to everyone!

Very port intensive and exhausting. Would have appreciated a sea day mid cruise to relax and recharge.

Not sure why the staff was so poorly trained or if they were just tired at the end of the season. Some said the we're looking forward to the crossing to the Caribbean so maybe. This was my first time on Norwegian and I did not feel treated special and felt that for the $$$ it was not a good value. As a result of this trip, I won't be traveling on Norwegian any time soon.

Nice ship with packed itinerary, only 1 sea day in the beginning. The ship has capacity of more than 4500 people, luckily other than guest services, you don’t see long lines. Food is only ok, desert was very good.

Back home just last week from my first Norwegian cruise aboard the Epic. I had an amazing holiday thanks to the lovely, friendly people that I met on board. Would I cruise again with the Epic though? Don’t think so. I’ll start by mentioning the positive points about the ship that made my trip enjoyable. The ship is clean, well maintained and the decor is sublime. Very hard working crew. Also, very friendly when they’re allowed to be. Some great entertainment. Friendly/fun atmosphere with guests of all ages (mostly Americans) Freedom with dining times and tables in the restaurants. If you’re a solo traveller, you will love the private solo lounge and the studio, as well as the solo gathering (meet-up). I got to meet some amazing people! Now, the negative points that will definitely stop me from booking another cruise with Norwegian: If you’re a foodie person like myself and enjoy fine dining, the Epic is not for you. The complimentary dinner restaurants like the Manhattan and Taste serve similar dishes and the menu is the same every day with only one or two changes if you’re lucky. The dishes are extremely poor quality/presentation - it’s basically similar to what you would get served in a Wetherspoons. I found that a lot of the food was too salty to eat. You’ll also notice that some dishes have lost their original flavour due to being defrosted and not prepared fresh. The buffet in the evening has better quality and variety but stays the same for the most part. You might be impressed the first and second day but after that you’ll be bored of eating the same thing over and over again. The drinks package is not worth it unless you just want to get drunk and don’t care about the options or quality of what you’re drinking. The wine, cocktails, soft drinks are all the cheap, non-branded stuff. If you want good wine you’ll have to pay extra. A fresh squeezed orange juice or even bottle of water costs extra too, which I thought was a joke. The crew seem to be under a lot of stress and sometimes it’s like they can’t breathe. I’m quite friendly and love chatting to people who work on board even for just a few seconds. I’m aware they have plenty to do but it just shows some appreciation and it can help to break up their day by even asking them how are they. The problem is they don’t seem to be allowed to make small talk with guests! I noticed crew members seemingly looking distracted a few times and it turned out that they were looking around in case their manager caught them talking to me. It really put me off that the crew are treated very poorly, especially compared with staff members who are separate and do seem to have a bit more freedom. It actually upset me when I asked a couple of staff members why they couldn’t talk and the suggestion was they were working under military rules and could get fired any minute. No wonder they hire a lot of people from developing countries! Managers on the cruise lied to me! I wanted to stay an extra 4 days on board as I had a swollen ankle and didn’t want to travel on it. I was given a price which I was happy with but then told the next day that no rooms were available. I tried to say that I didn’t mind which room I stayed in and that I’d be happy to pay extra money but the answer was still a no. Imagine my surprise then, when I saw on the website that rooms were available! I was truly disappointed and felt like I was chasing them to take my money. In the end, despite knowing I could actually book through their website and stay I decided to keep my money and endure the pain of a 5-6 hour journey home with my ankle still swollen. For me, those are the main points, although some more would be: Poor medical centre service when my ankle got swollen. The Internet doesn’t work at all so don’t even bother buying it. A lot of extreme loud alarms go off every single morning! Toilets not flushing seemed to be a common problem. If you order room service, bear in mind you’ll have to wait 1 hour even if it’s just for a bottle of water. The entertainment is good but was very repetitive. Entertainment at the atrium and pool was poor. Tiny, shallow swimming pools. The lady who works at the second Manhattan restaurant desk and looks for an available table for you was truly unhelpful and cheeky. Overall, if it wasn’t for the hard-working crew and some amazing people on board I would’ve definitely had the worst time ever. Basically, once they have your money, they don’t care if you’re coming back or not, or if you’re happy or unhappy. So if you’re young, don’t care about fine dining and just want to party, this cruise might be for you. However, if you’re a foodie person and love variety in your meals, good wine, a good chat with people (even those who who work onboard) and enjoy different shows/music, this cruise is definitely a no. Day 1 on the Epic: This is amazing!! I’m booking my second cruise the second I get home. Last day: Never gonna be back! Back home: Booked 2 cruises for next year….with P&O!

Epic was our first cruise back in June 2017, we've never looked back since. Great to go back on for a second time. Norwegian cruise line is definitely our favourite . Shows,food and drinks excellent and the crew were wonderful.

Great cruise, great ports and great fun! The entertainment, food and crew were all fantastic.

If you are a first time cruiser, make sure to ask questions again and again. NCL has a lack of imformation given to there quests.

6 ports in 8 days. Lots of steps but great sights Pompei always amazes

I have to say the many senior officers that we have seen that participate in the guest events is great to see. A special shout out to Paul Hotel Director, Jaco Food and Beverage Manager and Alistair Executive Chef and many many more that got out and participated in the events with guests. This was the best cruise where senior management on the ship were out and mingling with the passengers – Brilliant.

For the 7 Day Mediterranean Cruise you are basically using the ship as a hotel if you are doing excursions in ports. There is travel time in to the country (away from the sea/port) which is fine. Just be aware. Our shortest excursion was 5 hours. Be aware when booking excursions that many of them involve a great deal of walking. If you do not want / cannot walk a lot - pick excursions accordingly. Also, note the excursions that are wheelchair / handicap accessible if this is an issue for you or your companions. They have some, but many. I cannot express how beautiful this cruise / ports / excursions were for this trip. The history is simply amazing. If you want to have a lot of activities on the ship for younger guests in your group you may want to choose another ship. The Brilliance is a beautiful ship and was perfect for our cruise (60+ years), but I can see young/younger children being bored. Stay out of the Casino!!!! It is very, very small and the machines are very tight! I did not play anything other than the slots. This was a big disappointment from our previous Royal Caribbean cruises.

Great cruise, exceptionally fantastic staff andc crew. Average age of passengers abt 65yrs. Need more on-board entertainment and activity options. Ports were all great experiences.

First time with MSC always cruised with P&O before. Endless announcements in multiple languages gets a bit dull after a while. Glad to say next 5 cruises booked already with P&O so normal service will resume soon! Well February 2020 to be exact. Chose this cruise as have teenage kids who say P&O ships are boring, so this cruise was really for them. We were super lucky with the weather and it was a great break. We would cruise with MSC again if the itinerary suited us, I would not say it was great value, 1 week 4 of us sharing a room over 4K but we did opt for Aurea level so got the free access to the spa and got the premium drinks package which was a god send! Sky lounge there version of the Crows nest, no atmosphere very quiet a real shame. Good experience but looking forward to slipping on my comfortable slippers aboard P&O.

This cruise is all about the ports. Every cruise I've been on has been very relaxing, but this one wore me out. Not complaining, it was worth it. Just know what you're getting.

Fun filled packed full of adventure and exploration!! There was never a dull moment! The staff was attentive and took the time to know our names and treat us special. The spa people were amazing!! My massage and facial girls were the best!! The Blu dining room crew was amazing!!!

A terrific week, that left us wanting more. Would like to go back during a less rainy period, but we made the best of our travels.

Amazing cruise, Everything was wonderful, the suite benefits made me feel extremely spoiled, the restaurant, the lounge, the upper deck and the concierge. amazing experience

Cruise has plenty to do both on the ship and off the ship.