Europe - Western Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

Cruise director was excellect and daily schedules were excellent. If you couldn't find something to do, you just weren't trying.

Perfect--just the right size allowing alot of personal service

Wow! The ship is really nice but the best thing was using deiverguideservice.com in Naples, Florence and Rome. Their service (in every city) was AWESOME! We were taken care of (every moment, every day) and able to see and do much, much more than w/any ship excursion! They know it all and no lines! All of our drivers (Ivano,Sergio, Hileana) were exceptional guides (plus special site guides Genaro & Andrea) and were exceptionally knowledgable. The price is very reasonable as well.

My biggest complaint regards the pool. This was a very serious issue for me. The pool area was way too small. There were two pools but the number of lounge chairs was totally insufficient. The pools were in the same place so if you wanted to be away from the kids(and there were lots of them) there was no place to go. If you wanted a lounge chair you had to get up to the pool deck very early to get one. Although the rules say no reserving chairs that was not the case. I've never seen that rule enforced on any ship though. I would not recommend this ship for a Caribbean cruise where you want the sun all the time. The European itinerary where you're off the ship most of the time lessened the problem somewhat. Although when you returned while it was still sunny there was no way to get a lounge chair at the pool. There were chairs on other decks but I want to be on the level as the pool and it really irritated me.

Navigator is a rather large ship, despite this it was relatively easy to get around. Plenty of elevators and relatively easy to either wait or walk the stairs. For the number of passengers we found that the pool and pool areas were poorly organized and left something to be desired in terms of chaises and space. Our biggest complaint was the stops and the excursions. Sardinia is a waste and while recently added should be removed. Aside from a nice beach there is nothing worthwhile there. We took a walking city tour and it was a waste of time for the money. It was particularly troubling that neither RCI nor the excursion groups thought to provide us with water despite the temps being in the 90s. Only in Genoa did we get any water from the group. Overall there was not a single excursion we found that was worthwhile or could not have been done on our own. Genoa City Tour was short and we spent more time in the acquarium than anywhere else. In Villegranche I owuld suggest doing your own tour and travel. RCI does a poor job of letting you know how easy it is to get on the train and go to Nice or Monte Carlo but this was simple and you should plan it on your own. We did Barcelona alone and had a great time getting around on the train and visiting the sites. Majorca was the only place where the city tour was worthwhile. On thing we did do which was worhtwhile was we took the Rome city tour and central drop off since we were spending two extra days in Rome. Of course, arriving on a Sunday limits what ou can see at the Vatican and this was an issue. Overall we would not recommend this cruise at this time of the year because of the monstrous heat and the issues below.

WE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME ABOARD THIS SHIP CANNOT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THE SERVICE AND THE FOOD WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD! THE CREW WAS DELIGHTFUL AND THE CAPTAIN WAS SO GRACIOUS....WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TRIP (MEDITERRANEAN) HOPE TO CATCH THIS SHIP AGAIN IN DEC LEAVING NY...IF U WANT A GREAT VACATION CHOOSE NCL THEY ARE THE BEST!

Overall a fantastic holiday. We enjoyed every aspect of the ship. It was spotlessly clean and had so much to offer. There is always something to do. The staff couldn't do enough for us, the entertainment was lovely and the stateroom very comfortable and clean.

Overall, our experience was very positive. The ship is suberb, but needs some improvements with customer service, especially English speaking guests.

We realised after boarding that this in fact was a repositioning cruise, a onetime itinerary, but very successful.The size of the ship is overwhelming, but easy to navigate and plenty of room for all. We were surprised at the lack of crowds in the dining rooms, the Horizon Buffet, and indeed in all the theatres. Plenty of performers and performances, although not all to our liking. No pushing of "cocktail of the day" as on other ships. In general a quieter and seemingly more refined cruise. Took some time to get used to the size of the ship, and how to get around, but not a big problem.Crew and all we dealth with were super polite and in most cases most efficient. The only problem was the long queue to reduce/increase the onboard gratuities.We and others felt the ship was trying to make it difficult for passengers to change. On previous cruises a visit to the purser at ant time was sufficient, now only on sea days with two people to attend to hundres of passengers. More than enough eating places, even though we did not try the speciality restaurants due our strict diest, we only heard good reports. As for the dining rooms, we took anytime dining, and could not have been easier or more pleasant. No more than a few minutes wait and we always had excellent service and well presented tasty food. Due my wife being vegetarian, we also ate in the Horizon Court. Tasty and plentiful food almost 25 hours a day, again with good attentive service. For the most part the crew/staff were more than friendly and personal once they became to know us. I personally would have liked more poolside activities, but due only 3 sea days with one having high winds it was understandable.The Movies under the Stars, with small touches like popcorn, really made the day. We did not try the other outdoor eating venues, such as poolside grill, pizza parlour, but like to check the cafe in the piazza to see what daily offerings were on hand.Always something different. We had decided that we would enjoy the cruise part of the trip as opposed to the land excurions, since for us we have visited many of the places, and due closeness to us it is easy to return to those interesting places if we should want to do so.So at all ports we only walked around the port of call fo a few hours, except for Livorno where we had arranged a private tour to Cinque Terre

Overall I would give the MSC Fantasia cruise 3 out of 5 stars. I think two of the destinations we docked at should have been reconsidered. My husband and I took the city tour bus when we arrived at the port in Naples, Italy. The whole thing was so unorganized and took so long we only had time for one of the 4 routes offered throughout the city. One of the routes was completely blocked off due to construction and the red route was extremely pointless as we saw nothing but graffiti (including swastikas) and garbage. The city was an absolute dump. We did find a lovely little Italian Pizzeria which served homemade pizza and wine. It was by far the best restaurant we dined at in Italy! I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant, but I only remember the older gentlemans name who served us Antonio. We attempted another little Pizzeria prior to this one and it was absolutely atrocious. The pizza they served me was cold and contained cut up hotdogs and French fries. The other stop which could have been reconsidered or scheduled for a better date was the stop in Palermo, Sicily. We arrived on a national holiday so 90% of the shops in the city were closed, which in my opinion is devastating to any tourist. We decided to take a horse drawn carriage ride which was definitely worth the 60 Euros. (hint: its easy to negotiate the price down) The sites were beautiful and we were so happy with the experience. One recommendation I have for those scheduled to stop in Genoa is to book the Portofino excursion at the front desk. It is absolutely worth the cost! Portofino is a lovely, quaint town about a 35 minute drive and 15 minute boat ride from Genoa. Unfortunately, many of the restaurants didnt open in time for us to experience. We were only in Portofino for about an hour and a half before we had to be back at the boat to head back to the port. The food served on the ship left much to be desired. The menus were repeated daily with the exception of dinner. The day we embarked in Barcelona, we had our first dinner together with 3 other American couples. One of the couples bought a wine package which offered 5 bottles of wine. When they purchased the package, they specifically asked if they could have the same type of wine each evening at dinner if they so desired and were told they could. Once they were seated and mentioned this to the head waiter he informed them they could not request the same type of wine for each meal and would have to try each variety listed. Perhaps Im accustomed to American services where this would not be a problem to adjust to, but I was rather disgusted with the staffs inability to accommodate to their guests. The couple I just mentioned also celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary while on board. They went to the reception desk and requested a small celebration at dinner on the night of their anniversary. The receptionist told them a marriage certificate was required as proof and when asked why, she simply stated because they would be receiving a free cake and champagne. They were disgusted with her attitude and lack of customer service. They talked to the dinner staff, which were much more accommodating and provided the cake and champagne without a problem. In my opinion, anyone who can afford a luxury cruise can afford a cheap bottle of champagne and a cake. Its ludicrous to expect people to bring documentation aside from what is required at each countrys entry point. Aside from juice and coffee in the morning, every other beverage (including water) had to be paid for. I can understand paying for alcoholic beverages, but not water. The ship has a 4D Cinema on board which plays a movie that lasts approximately 6 minutes and costs 6 Euros to watch. Also, they had a clay pigeon shooting contest with a Frisbee and fake pellet-type guns, which also required a fee to play. For the cost of such a vacation, it seems ridiculous to nickel and dime the guests while onboard.

If you are looking for good value on your cruise vacation, I would advise avoiding Norwegian Cruise Lines. With NCL you end up spending a lot more money than you planned for a mediocre product and service. NCL doesn't just nickel and dime you, they $5, $10, $25 and up you for almost anything you would expect to enjoy on a cruise. Obviously, some things can be avoided like $50 haircuts and $150 spa services, but other things can't be avoided like beverages with your meals, getting from the ship to the shore and back, and mandatory tipping. NCL has raised ala carte pricing to an art form and the entire experience is designed to extract as much money from you as possible during your captive stay. Yes, other cruise lines charge extras but the NCL markup is exorbitant (typically 2 to 3 times retail), and often times hidden until it is too late to avoid. NCL touts freestyle cruising as giving you freedom to choose, but the reality is you are very limited without incurring steep additional charges. Examples: the ship's transit schedule get you into ports very early (before 7 am, when non NCL shore excursion services are closed); you must be back on board 30 minutes prior to departure, but NCL provided shore to ship transportation may terminate 90 minutes prior to departure (except for those who purchased NCL excursion packages). The result is that you are unable to enjoy a late afternoon cocktail ashore without incurring an expensive cab ride to the ship; you end up paying $8 + 15% gratuity for on board cocktails while you wait for the late arriving passengers from the NCL excursions. The dining rooms that do not charge $25 per person extra are over capacity at normal dining hours so you must either eat early and reduce shore time, eat late and miss the entertainment, or use the cafeteria where you bus your own dishes but still must pay the wait staff gratuity that is added to your bill at the end of the trip. Service: The cabin and wait staff are very friendly and informal. The wait staff is unpretentious but also unpolished serving from the wrong side and reaching across the table. The cabin staff does a good job but goes off duty at 9 pm; if they forget something you are out of luck until the morning. The bar staff does not share in the $12 per day per person mandatory gratuity but collects a 15% mandatory tip. As a result they are very pushy constantly interrupting asking if you want another drink. My major complaint is with the professional staff; no one has the authority to do anything. We had 2 minor problems and 1 major problem. In all cases the procedure was to disavow responsibility and imply it was the passengers fault (of which I agree there was some culpability since one is in a different environment). Regarding the major problem, the assistant cruise director was arrogant stating that every week passengers make the same mistake I made and causes a big problem for NCL. I pointed out that if it happens a lot then maybe it is a systemic problem and NCL should correct it; he insisted than NCL had no responsibility and walked off in huff.

Over the years my wife and I have taken many happy cruises aboard the Windstar and Windsurf sailing vessels available through Windstar Cruises. We have been extremely happy with the small size of these beautiful sailing ships and the personal attention we experienced. Last year Windstar contacted us less than a week before our cruise in the Caribbean to inform us the cruise had been canceled as a result of the Sailing Ship having to go to Dry Dock for repairs. In consideration for the inconvenience, we were offered a sizable discount on a future cruise. That was acceptable to us considering the events that took place. This year is quite the different story. I am guessing it has to do with the economy and poor customer relations. We booked a cruise on the Windstar leaving from Barcelona with final destination to Nice. At the time of the booking, we were told there were only two cabins left and to book as soon as possible. We booked the cruise and proceeded to make our final plans for our air and other destinations for before and after the cruise. We made arrangements to fly into Madrid and spend a few days and then fly to Jerez with destination to Rota Spain. From there we were to fly to Barcelona where we would board the Windstar and spend the next 7 days eating and touring our way across the Mediterranean. After arriving in Nice, we would head to Italy to visit some friends in Pigna and do some local things such as going to the Friday market in Ventigmillia. The phone rang..... it was American Express with a Windstar Representative on the line. I was being informed that Windstar had Chartered the ship I had reservations on. They would refund my Money and nothing else. When I commented they had lied to me about the number of remaining cabins... there was a dead silence. When I told them they were creating a huge problem for me, with this cruise being smack dab in the middle of our vacation, they had nothing to say. When I asked Sam (the representative with zero emotion) what they intended to do in the way of compensating me for having to change plans and parts of my air travel to fill in the blanks... the answer was nothing. It did not matter that we were members of their "Foremast Club". Nothing seemed to matter. As it stands now, Windstar may consider reimbursing us for part of the added plane ticket charges to get us from Barcelona to Nice. So much for giving a damn about their customers. Learn from our mistakes. Do not book any Windstar Cruises.

This medium-sized ship was nothing special. Use of mirrors and brass in the interior areas of the ship was nice, but lounges and most dining & seating areas tended to be crowded. We were amazed at how rude the European non-English speaking guests were - very pushy and loud (and noticed by some other guest we talked to so it wasn't just us!). If you want to see the port cities "on your own" and not the very expensive cruise-sponsored tours, do your homework ahead of time - not much information available otherwise. We were very disappointed with Tangiers - basically a dirty city that did not feel very safe. Definitely, women should not venture out alone there. I wore sandals and capris pants there and was glared at several times for my "disrespectful" dress. There was no information re this kind of thing at all.

THis had to be the biggest cash Grab in the history of cruising we were barely sailing and they were flogging the next cruise Always somone trying to sell you a drink Don't use the internet its slower than dial up and you are paying for it 55 minutes 100 bux you get 1 internet minute and pay 3 more waiting Rooms were beautiful Staff were Top Notch Food was edible ok activities were non existant unless of course you wanted to pay to play bingo or pay at the casino Pool outside is ok if the weather is warm Nov though not cold was still too cool to swim

Despite the ongoing installation of a casino, all was near perfect on this transoceanic, repositioning cruise. The ship was refitted from being an Hawaiian cruise ship to a Med and Florida one. New crew could not have been nicer.

Beautiful ship, clean and easy to move from one area to another. Crew was very, very friendly, helpful and courteous. GREAT SERVICE!

We chose Carnival to western Mediterranean due to the amazing ports of call and weren't disappointed. We didn't think the design of the ship was very cohesive, and the "special restaurant" was not very intimate and service and food were disappointing at best. The cruise was great, entertainment amazing and the excursions were varied and quite nice. The general age group was probably 45 and up, which was nice for us being in that age category. THe days at sea were boring at best...little to do and not much in the form of real entertainment. Cabins, so-so...service though was superb!

high energy experience, lots to do although not my taste in entertainment. productions rather bland. loved the ports including Sicily. have only the best things to say in general about the ship's crew - they really go out of their way to make their guests feel special. The ship looks very tired and worn in many areas and so it would be difficult for me to give an excellent rating on this basis. Also the food was very ordinary, nothing to write home about but at least the upside is that this eliminates the temptation to over-eat. Best combination for me would be this captain and crew, and newer, more attractive and better appointed cruise ship.

We recently sailed on the WindSurf (their Rome/Monte Carlo voyage) and had a wonderful time. The staff were extremely warm and attentative, the food and entertainment was terrific . . . it was truly the best experience of our lives. We'll be booking another cruise this summer.

Seems like this ship was dedicated to the drinkers. Shopping was very small compared to other cruise ships, yet there was bar next to bar next to bar. Freestyle eating proved to be as much as $50.00 more to eat in a specialty restaurant. Food in these restaurants was nothing extraordinary considering the price. One restaurant didn't even have everything on their menu in stock. Regular dining room had long waits since people didn't want to spend money since they already paid so much to cruise. We missed having a waiter who knew our names and our preferences. Most the the dining waiters didn't seem to care. Smoking was everywhere on deck so we couldn't find a place to breathe in clean air.