Europe - Western Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

The cruise was very good overall, however there were a few disappointing experiences. The food, crew staff and rooms were great. However, the communication with the passengers was deficient.

The night before we arrived at Cannes we went to the excursion desk to get information on what to do in Cannes since we hadn't booked an excursion for this city. The response from the person attending the desk was: "Well, if you didn't book an excursion with us you are on your own". I then went to Guest Services to find our more information and on what deck to disembark and I was told we were not docking, we had to use a tenner and make a reservation. I was surprised and asked what a tenner was, since we had never used one before. They explained they were the small safety boat s and we had to make a reservation. By that time, they were by the letter S, so I asked how many tenders will be transporting passengers and how long it would take. The lady at the desk responded, we will have two going back and forth every 15 min approximately. They I said, that is going to take a long time, how come we were not informed, what happens if I don't have a reservation. The lady replied, then you will have to wait for all the reservations to disembark and then the people without reservations go. The next day we woke at 6:00 am as usual, got the three kids ready, had breakfast and sat to wait for our letter "S" to be called. We waited until 9:30 am and they were only by the letter “E”, not only that, if someone had hot showed up when their letter was called, they had a chance to skip the line and board the next tender. So, we decided to go to the back of the ship and see if there was a way to disembark quicker. Well, we found out there were two lines, one for reservations and one for non-reservations. The whole procedure was a mess, everyone complaining and getting impatient, no one was informed correctly. At the end, we were able to disembark and finally got shore around noon. I felt we lost most of that day. Since the cruise was a seven-day cruise I think we should get reimbursed for one seventh of what we paid.

Another disappointing thing was that they decided to paint the pools two of the days or our cruise. They closed one pool one day and another pool the other day. This maintenance should be done while the ship is not occupied, we paid to have all the pool areas functioning the whole cruise.

We are a family with two kids and we loved it! There some things you should know about the cruise. First, there are free shuttle in most of the cities, no matter what the cruise line says. We paid $50,- (4 Persons) to take the NCL shuttle into Marseille, an we asked before about free transportation...the answer was "no". However, a couple of 100ft away there is a free shuttle we found out later from passengers from another cruise ship. This was a bit "anoying". If you like to save money, check the ports, most of the rental car stations deliver to the port. So do your own shore excursion...super easy in Europe and safe!

We took the cruise in June, be aware that it can be really hot outside this time of the year (90F/35C+), means: If you like to visit historical sides like Pompeji-there is no shade! The destinations are great, Europe light but plenty to see.

Overall, we cruised a lot before with NCL and other cruise lines. If you´re used to it, you know what to expect!

NCL: The cabins are overhauled and the food was excellent. By the way, you´re visiting Italy, France and Spain- go local!!! Great restaurants and bars-use this opportunity

Overall I can recommend this cruise, no matter if you´re with a family, single or with friends.

One more: There is a train going to Civitaveccia from Rome City for 15 Euros p.P. (taxi and cruise line ask 50 Euros p.P.). Easy travel, if you plan to stay in Rome before/after the cruise. If you travel direkt to/from the airport Rome (FCO) to Civitaveccia, you have to take an additional train for 10 euros and swith trains at Roma Triento (central station) which is easy.

Have a wonderful cruise and enjoy western Europe!

I won't book another Norigean cruise again. I have booked a Royal Caribean cruise for 2018 for 14 nights. I love cruising but this was by far the worst customer service I have experienced on a cruise.

We've been on many cruises.  The destinations, food and entertainment were better than the others.  Service was a bit hit or miss.  We would recommend this cruise to others as a good way to visit beautiful places in the Mediterranean.

our favorite part of the cruise was the service we received from our waiters at dinner and our room server. They all made us feel special despite the thousands of people in the cruise.

the shows and activities on board were varied and of very good quality.

things to improve: add at least one more ice cream station by the pool and keep them open for a longer time.

The ship is beautiful and very very well maintained.  The food and the restaurant staff are all incredible. Overall we had a very nice vacation.

However, because of the numerous customer service issues we encountered, I would not sail on the Rivera again. I don't need to be dealing with incompetence on my vacation - a theme which was consistent between many of the guests we met during the cruise.  I feel the customer service management on this ship needs to improve significantly.  A few tips from Marina would help!

This Med cruise was wonderful.  Our AA cruise specialist, Jeremy, was very attentive and guided our selections for a beautiful on board experience.  Notifications and reminders were helpful.  Embarkation went smoothly and ahead of schedule.  On board, the Oceania crew and staff were fabulous.  Rooms were clean and comfortable and we enjoyed our large balcony.  Committment to excellence was very apparent... from the housekeeping personnel, to the venue servers, to an outstanding evening in La Reserve, a seven course dinner with wine pairings... which was overseen personally by the senior executive chef... and was our favorite evening.  Gourmet food, informative cooking classes and wine tastings aboard were excellent.  The only downside were the Oceania cruise excursions.  2 of 3 were sub par due to audio issues... couldn't hear half of what was said.  The excursions we booked on our own via the Internet were 100% better in quality and price.

The cabin was clean, food was overall good but even with all the specialty restaurants, nothing memorable. Service was polite friendly but not too personable. It's not the crew's fault....there is just a lot of passengers - 4100 is A LOT! Lines for buffet and lines for everything if you don't have a reservation. The 2 major complaints we had were in regards to tendering in port at Cannes, and the other was crowd control. In Cannes, you had to make a tender reservation...which we didn't find out about until the day prior from the TV. We got lucky and were off the ship only 30 minutes later than I had expected, but there were not enough tenders to move the number of clients, and many did not get to shore until 3 hours+ after arrival in port, which meant they lost half a day. The process was very disorganized. The 2nd complaint was crowd control and the issues with certain misbehaving clients. We had people push out of queue getting off/on the ship with no regards to others. We watched in horror as families let their children throw ice cream wrappers straight on the ground after eating them (this was while lining up to get back on the ship...the same with the hand towels being tossed on the ground or trash cans instead of the proper bin. These incidents require staff to be polite but firm....instead of being afraid to say something to these clients. 

Our least favorite ship.  Our balcony room had a poor layout compared to others.  Our bed was near to door instead of the balcony and hard to pass through.  It did have sufficient storage.  As usual our stewardship was great.  Many of us passengers missed an excersion because they changed the time without adequate notice.  So glad we visited Barcelona three days earlier.  Long bus rides to most destinations took time away from most sights.

Our most pleasant experience was dinner with our waiters & our excursions off the ship.

We were disappointed with the entire experience.  The quality of the food was not what I have experienced in prior RC cruises.  Deserts were not that great and the cheese plate was not what we experienced on past RC cruises. 

We ordered room service for breakfast 3 times and only received it once.  Which was a disappointment because we had early excursions and had no time to eat in the dining area.  The one time we did get breakfast only half was delivered and we had to wait while they brought the other half.  They apologized and brought us treats to make up for it. I have never been disappointed by RC before. 

Then in our room we ran out of toilet paper and had to ask for more.  This was after our room had been serviced and cleaned clearly an overiste. 

We met some really nice bartenders from Jamaica all 4 we met were really nice, friendly and happy. We met others that were not so friendly. 

We were too exhausted from our excursions and the time change to see any shows.  So i cannot comment on that.

The locations of destinations was fantastic but the food and overall interaction with other English speaking guests was not good. The food was a very big disappointment, types of food was limited, locations available for meals was limited and quality was VERY POOR.  Mostly frozen meats, no real fresh quality at all.  No true 24-hour pizzeria (without paying an additional amount), which you would expect on a cruise and it seemed they were pushing the "paid" restaurants versus the other food options. Will not take another Costa cruise.

The staff and crew of the EPIC was way below what i have expected from NCL, their attitude and level of service was way below expectations. The food in all but the specialty dining location was usually cold and lack flavor and quality. Cruised last year on the ESCAPE and this crew/staff could take lesson in how to treat customers, the one bright spot was our cabin steward Patrick who was amazing, i have been on more than 15 cruises with a number of lines and this was by far the worse cruise i have ever been on. i seriously considered getting off in Cannes and flying home from there, it was that bad

extremely disappointed in NCL  all round from the way they handled my reservation and cabin to the actual on-board ship experience. I doubt i ever cruise with NCL again. I will never get on the EPIC that's for sure

this was my first cruise, didnt know what to expect. was very thankful the waters were calm. the food was good, not great. the service was excellent. we did wish there was a better drink package available. 1. we do not drink sugary soft drinks, and 2. we are are not heavy alcohol drinkers. it would have been nice if there was lite wine package, one or two glasses with dinner. bottled water should be included at all times. Most of our excursions where good. at least one we thought should have left the ship earlier. we barely made it back on time. all in all it was a good first time experience.

This was an amazing trip. The schedule was great and the ports fantastic. The ship however left some to be desired. I have sailed with NCL before and had great experiences. This trip I was disappointed with the ship and service.  The food was good, but often restaurants had long lines and poor service, reservations were not accepted for the included restaurants. Shows and entertainment were often booked up.  Everything seemed crowded. Felt like too many people on the ship for the amount of space and service.

This was our first Princess Cruise and our second Mediterranean cruise. (Our first was with Disney). I must say Disney set the bar very high so going into this cruise we had lower expectations but Princess is our new favorite. For starters the ship is gorgeously maintained and elaborately decorated. They overall feel is very upscale from the stunning piazza area to the violinist and piano players are multiple decks to the oak trim and subtle lighting. We are hard to impress but we were! The food in the specialty dinning restaurants was superb! (We could have eaten every meal at the Crown grill just for their steaks and selection of salts!) The cabana couple's retreat message was the best we've ever had. We loved the free pop corn and swirl ice cream while watching movies under the stars on the pool deck. It was magical! The high tea on board was awesome! The specialty coffee card was worth every penny!

The salon service was amazing! The laundry facility was very helpful.

As for the ports of call, we were pleased overall with every stop with the exception of Catagena Spain. It was very boring and could easily be replaced with someplace offering more options but who can complain while on holiday in the Mediterranean right? We just felt for such a small cruise (7 days is not a lot) that time would have been spent better at another stop or extend the Gibraltar stop so we have the option to visit Morocco. 

The only cons we could say was the food in the buffet was hit or miss and the staff in the child care facilities were less than friendly but we are definitely going on another Princess cruise overall it was fabulous. 

The accommodations on the cruise ship were great as we got a cabin with a balcony. We were a group of 10 and we were all on the same deck. The service was excellent and the customer service desk was very accommodating with money exchange. The food and variety was also good. Some of the excursions were full. It would have been nice if more guided tours with trolley transportation were available. The best part was in Capri as my son had his wedding there. 

Guest relations is always top-notch with NCL! From the minute you board to the minute you disembark, the NCL staff is right there, making sure your experiences are positive. My husband and I both loved the shows! The first night was a dinner show and I had the best steak of my life - plus the show was spectacular! I don't think we had any negative experiences at all. Our room was perfectly cleaned, the food was plentiful and accessible. The excursions were good, but we really enjoyed the restful and relaxing environment on the ship.

Thanks, Norwegian Cruise Lines! We will see you again in the near future!

I have traveled using other cruise lines such as: Princess, Royal Caribbean, Big Red Boat, etc. But my experience with NCL was most disappointing. Just a few highlights: Their crew member stole my wife's jewelry and $600 cash from safe vault in our room; They were charging nickels and dimes for everything, no laundry machines or ironing facilities on ship, medical center was out to get you (gave me 6 pain killer tablets for $364), and entertainment programs were just average with ridiculous prizes meant for babies. I will have to think twice before I use them again.

Very disappointed. Very friendly crew, but food was not very good. I won't even say what was in my salad on day 1, bones in my fish filet on day 2; specialty restaurants were better than the regular dining rooms, but not great. Entertainment was good. but you needed to get tickets (no charge) in advance for the main shows. Not enough time in the ports- everything was rushed. I've been pn several cruises, and this was the most disappointing.

The tour guide on the Rome/Coliseum excursion was dreadful!  She could not speak English very well at all.  We were on Bus #9, Shore Excursion #CIVF5611.  Her name was Flavia.  in fact, we had to pick her up at the train station in Rome.  She was not very knowledgeable -and we couldn't understand her.  There will be more reviews on this from the passengers on this excursion.  We also had another lady named Daniella on the bus--but she did not do the tour.  We also had to walk through a  very long dark tunnel to catch the bus at the end of the tour. Cars were speeding through the tunnel and we had to walk through it in a single file.  It was not the safest or smartest thing to do!