Europe - Western Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

We enjoyed the elegant service in the Pinnacle Grill on the night of our Anniversary, after a wonderful shore excursion in Carthage, Tunisia. There were so many ancient historical ruins to see. The best was the cold front that hit Tunisia. Got down to 105 degrees.

We did the Venice to Barcelona cruise over 14 days. It was , in a word, magnificent. Nothing but good things to say about the ship, the food, the crew and our fellow passengers. We met a lot of really nice people, and we had fun. The ports of call were generally excellent, but on the downside we could have skipped Corfu and the Blue Grotto! Absolutely loved the mind blowing visit to Pompeii, highly recommended, but more time needed to fully appreciate this ancient wonder.

Went on a Med cruise this past summer. Since the ship was usually hours away from the different cities we could always look forward to several hours ona hot bus.The food was served in small porations and my wife had hair in her main courses twice. The dinng rooms are tediously dull and have a cramped felling due to the low ceilings.

Since the cruise departs from Spain, I expected it to be mostly European people and to my surprise, I felt I was in the US which is not what I wanted. I had cruised before and I expected every meal to be included and it turned out that only certain restaurants were included. I also expected the food to be gourmet like in other cruises and the food on this one was cafeteria like. .

This was my 5th Carnival cruise and I was very disappointed in the ship. In retrospect you sometimes get what you pay for and I paid for an inside cabin. I would have been more upset if I'd sprung for a balcony or a minisuite. The rooms were fine. The public rooms, particularly the dining room decor and lighting, were not impressive. The food was cold over half of the time and without taste at the main dinner seating. Many times the buffets were closed. The exact same breakfast was served everyday! I may have sailed my last cruise with carnival as every cruise seems worse than the last.

We just returned from a 7 day mediterrean cruise on Voyager of the Seas. What a great experience! We had never been to Europe before. The ship is fabulous and the ports we visited were fantastic. This is a wonderful way to get a taste of Europe. It was a pleasure to go back to the ship each night after touring all day. We were pampered at dinner and looked forward to our evenings to discuss our day with the fellow passengers and waiters.

My husband and I had a good time. The restaurants on the ship were wonderful. Our cruise had some "Cooking Light" meals for those that want to try to stay healthy (at Tsar's). Enjoyed Mama's (recommend eating outside.) Recommend eating at a Tsar's and not the buffet in the morning. The buffet is too chaotic in the morning, unless you sit outside. For the Mediterranean tours: I do not recommend the Highlights of Messina excursion. No one I spoke with liked that excursion. Also, the "Scenic" Drive and Wine Tasting was not scenic at all. Not all buses go to the same winery so they all may not be just highway. Just don't expect to see Tuscany on the drive. Both Messina and the Wine Tasting were 1/2 day excursions, so maybe you need to have full day excursions to be able to enjoy any of the stops. (It is probably worth the additional money for the full day excursions, especially if you do not go on cruises that often like me.) Passengers who took the Mt. Etna tour highly recommended it and we heard that Tuscany is beautiful (we just didn't get to see it.) We did enjoy the following excursions: Sorrento w/lunch on a farm and Pompei and Eze and Monaco. The ship was new and clean. The staff was wonderful. The fitness center was great.

This was a fantastic cruise with wonderful accomodations. Some of the ports were far from the main attractions which made it so that you could not see everything in the area during the port stay.

i will not cruise with ncl again

The Rotterdam was a large, beautiful ship that sailed from port to port without delays or overcrowding. There was always plenty of room in and around the ship to accommodate our every whim, whether reading, sunbathing, or relaxing to beautiful music. The Lounges were beautifully decorated with leather and plush fabrics and accomadated many guests enjoying live entertainment with a variety of music from classical, jazz to soft dance. The large library was filled with titles to occupy hours of reading pleasure. Daily puzzles were available to sharpen your logic and challenge your trivia knowledge. Dozens of wireless computers, DVD players and games were available in comfortable, private settings. A specialty coffee bar and a cigar lounge were open where we could watch big screen sports or just sit and make new acquaintances. The shops restocked at each port providing new, unique and exclusive jewelry or art. Dining was always comfortable and delicious. But more impressive to me was the friendliness of the crew at every turn, whether at a meal, shopping or just sitting poolside. There were always lounge chairs and fresh towels available near helpful, friendly staff that made sure I was comfortable and delightfully hydrated. The ships spa and fitness center was filled with many pieces of equipment and staffed with knowledgeable personnel that assisted each guest personally without aires.

You get what you get. Not the best brand. Language is largely Italian.

This trip was a much anticipated experience for us and for some, it was the trip of a lifetime. Some members had never cruised before while others had not travelled internationally. Overall, the cruise experience was good. The food was surprisingly good. There were a LOT of people on the cruise, especially in the buffet dining areas. The cruiseline app had lots of errors and communication to passengers on the ship was less than desirable.

We really enjoyed our . We learned that we really enjoy the small port cities…. And exploring on our own and experiencing the food. I enjoyed the shows and the live music and always felt there was something to do on the ship. I only wish they had more activities like Zumba and dance classes. My adult kids loved all the trivia.

Total relaxation! Perfect cruise for a group couples trip. Relaxation, great food, and exploration all in one.

NCL removed our FAS promos for an action which I didn't do. They stated that I prepaid service charges which obviously removes the promotions including the FAS plus which was paid 18 days earlier. Their claim is that I prepaid service charges 6 days prior to sailing, which I did not and never do. NCL is horrible, once they have your money, they don't care. I will never sail them again, after them being our favorite prior to this cruise.

this is our 4th times cruising with NCL. in general the cruise was OK, one disappointment was nor formal night. otherwise it was alright.

Our Virgin cruise was a wonderful way to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary; thanks so much!

We just returned from a 10-day cruise on Norwegian Viva, starting in Lisbon and ending in Rome. We have done two river cruises on Viking and Emerald, and four ocean cruises on Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity (Edge) and NCL. In each case we had a balcony cabin. I would have to say that, out of all six cruises NCL was the overall lowest quality and least value for the money. The key detractors were: 1. Poor Food Quality and Selection: a. NCL Viva offers two main dining rooms: Hudson’s on deck 7 and the Commadore on deck 6. The ambiance in both was moderate, with Commadore feeling claustrophobic and needed another two feet of ceiling. The decor in both is average and the atmosphere is hectic. The menus are identical, and the food quality, variety and taste were somewhere between a Denny’s and an Olive Garden…but definitely lower than a Olive Garden. b. In comparison, The Celebrity Edge class offers four completely different included dining experiences; Mediterranean, Continental, French and Italian. Each one has a unique and elegant ambiance with an excellent individual menu and daily unique specials. The meals in any one of these offerings were simply outstanding. I could see no reason to go to a specialty restaurant. c. Viva’s French and Italian specialty restaurants were the only ones that could compare to Celebrity’s included venue’s…and at a significant extra charge. d. Even breakfast was poor at the Viva’s Hudson’s. I tried the simplest items… pancakes…but even these were seemingly stale and dense. I literally had to saw through my Eggs Benedict English muffin. e. The buffet was less than Denny’s quality and selection. I have seen and appreciate a high-end buffet…but this was pure assembly line and poor quality. I would have rather eaten at Denny’s. 2. Poor Drink Quality: a. Almost everything on Viva is a pre-mix, and it tastes like it. Even the wine is on tap at the bars. Don’t ever try to get a Margarita with real lime…its always an overly sweet pre-mix. It feels like the old MacDonalds orange mix when you want a real Orange Crush. 3. Lack of Personal Connection: a. Viva feels like an assembly line for hospitality that is just half a bubble off: b. Our room attendant never introduced himself and we were never really sure who he was. In contrast, our Celebrity room attendant not only introduced himself, but immediately spotted the need for a gallon of distilled water for the CPAP machine and found a hair pin for my wife in seconds. c. None of the room attendant staff encountered seemed to know ANYTHING about the rest of the ship, its restaurant locations, amenities, or entertainment. It felt like an upstairs/downstairs class segregation of crew with little personal ownership of the rest of the ship. d. The table staff at the restaurants was either full on or felt like they were either one week into their first cruise with a lack of needed experience or were just burnt out. e. On the other hand, it felt like the overly dramatic and enthusiastic breakfast buffet greeter had just done two lines of cocaine every time you saw here first thing in the morning. f. The security staff on disembarkation and embarkation were brutally stoic, without a smile…EVER. They did not seem to enjoy their jobs in the least. 4. Restaurant Breakfast Hours a. If you weren’t out of the bunk and at the table by 09:30, you were relegated to the overcrowded feeding trough of the 17th floor breakfast buffet, as every sit down venue closed at an inexplicably early 09:30. I’m on holiday…not in the army. 5. Lack of Detail: a. No turn down service. b. No fridge replenishment. c. Tablets for ordering wine in a specialty restaurant. This latter point could be executed to deliver both the information of a tablet and the elegance of a wine list experience, but it was just a clunky tablet with a user interface that not even the server understood. d. No free water for excursions. Only one out of six provided water. e. There was a Starbucks coffee bar, but you quickly found out that it was extra…a lot extra. In contrast, Celebrity had their own coffee bar, with wonderful daily pastries and it was all included…including the shot of Baileys in her cappuccino that my wife was offered each morning! f. Only one out of six of the excursions offered wireless hearing units for the tours…very poor indeed. g. Limited roving servers in the outdoor venues. 6. Bland Interior Common Areas: a. The central atrium is just boring. It has zero “Wow” effect. b. As noted earlier, the ambiance of the included food venues was below par for this kind of vessel. Viva’s key strengths were: 1. Outdoor Areas: a. The best and most extensive outdoor lounging areas I have ever seen. I could always find a lounging location…and not just a sun chair, but a cool themed area that was extra comfortable. 2. Cabin Bathrooms: a. Viva’s cabin bathroom was the best laid out and most roomy that I have ever experienced on a ship. 3. Cleanliness and Ship Condition: a. Viva was truly shipshape! I know that it is a relatively new ship, but still, the level of cleanliness, on a ship that big, with that many people onboard, was notable. 4. Entertainment: a. The entertainment that we did see in Syd Norman’s Pour Bar was nothing short of OUTSTANDING!! (The venue was far too small for the talent on display) b. The 80’s show in the theater was fantastic. Top quality musical talent at both. In the end, though, a cruise is all about food, drink, luxury, and entertainment…and Viva was only hitting on one of four cylinders. I would not go on another NCL cruise when, for the same money, I can have a far more complete experience with Celebrity and their Edge-class ships.  

After doing multiple cruises with other cruise lines i found the VV cruise to be very disappointed. For the price they charge compared to others it should have been way better then what we received. MSC , NCl and Celebrity are hands down a better value and experience.

Virgin is a totally different experience. Ship itself was great, destinations were also great. The food choices and options are completely different. We were not impressed with food, but some people were. The people are also a different group, so lots more LGBTQ than on other ships, nothing good or bad, just a fact. This probably isn't our favorite cruise, but glad we did it.