Europe - Western Mediterranean Cruise Reviews

Взагалі нам сподобалось.

Гарно підібрані міста .  Ввічливий , доброзичливий персонал. Принаймні досить природньо посміхаються.

  Досить незвичне для нас явище - прихована ціна. Необхідних витрат - більш ніж 200%! То податки , то сбори,  то взагалі "сервісний збір"!

  Але найбільше обурила необхідність залишити каюту до 8:00 в останній день. 

  Хотілось би ще. Але!!!  лише з компанією, яка не буде примушувати залишити каюту до моменту висадки з лайнера.

I admit that this critique reflects the fact that I have not traveled on many cruises, but I'll say it anyways: it's unenjoyable to be nickle-and-dimed for everything. That was my big take-away for Costa Cruise. Even the crew members (who were incredibly hospitable and lovely) admitted this fact to me: if you go with Costa, you're not gonna make it off the boat without paying a couple hundred extra euros for a fairly-basic experience. This may be standard practice for all cruise lines, but that doesn't make it right or desirable. 

Overall the cruise is reasonably good.  The food is acceptable but could be better.  The quality of the food can be improved.  The housekeeping personnel did keep the rooms cleans, and worked efficiently.  The biggest complaint we have is that the pillows and blankets appeared to be used over and over by one cruise after another without actually being laundered.  There was a pretty bad and stale odor, especially the pillows.  They were so bad that they kept us awake frequently, and we eventually had to wrap the pillows with the towels to reduce the odor.  I don't know if the blankets and pillows are ever cleaned.

The ship is new and nice, but the customer service is the worst.  There are lots of hidden charges (food service fee, cabin service fee, etc.) and they would even charge you for a tap water at the bar.   The Internet plan on the ship is a scam.  I bought 250MB Internet Package, for which I was told I could “upgrade anytime” when signing up, but they refused to honor my upgrade because I used up all the data for the previous plan.  Ok, lesson learned, so, I purchased “per minute” plan after my initial 250MB package expired.  But when I reviewed my bill at the end, I noticed that they charged me for the minutes, as well as for another data package plan concurrently.  When I took it up to the Customer Service desk, the lady said that the Internet charge is handled by a system and is automatic, so a mistake is NOT possible.  Then she started to lecture me that Costa cannot be held responsible If a customer mistakenly pushes a wrong button, or forgets to log off.  I happen to be an IT executive so I know exactly how Internet works and how data transmission is not possible after the WiFi is turned off, but she was not willing to budge insisting that system does not lie.  Such an awful experience.  This was my second Costa cruise, and will be the last one.

We got a gorgeous suite at the front of the boat, staff were fantastic and food was lovely.  Absolutely no complaints and would go back in a heartbeat!!

let me start with they told us to meet them in the wrong place ! ports times changed daily! food was not good in most of the places  food was very BLAND they gave you to eat! the duty free and gift shop over charge twice as much if not more.and not a lot of things to choose from. exchange rate was the same for the whole 11 days. tv was a few shows shown over and over everyday. internet was not cheap. ELEVATORS were not marked clear how to get to all DECKS! port times were very short. very limted things to do everday. trip was setup for MUCH OLDER GROUP OF PEOPLE! staff was good. and ship is kept very clean. have to pay for soda and have to wait a long time to get it. and if you don't carry you card with you 24/7 you will not get it or anything else.

LOVED THAT TO ENTER AND GET OFF THE CRUISE WAS SO FAST.  THE FOOD WAS DELICIOUS.

THE SPA AREA IS EXCELLENT......   WE SURE DID RELAX

COULDN'T STAND BEING AT THE CASINO,   THERE WERE TO MANY PEOPLE SMOKING

THE STAFF AT EXCURSION WERE VERY HELPFUL.

THE TOUR BUSES WAS A BLAST 

It is worth the money paid. itinerary is very interesting ,  the ship is good and service is excellent in most cases.  Entertainment is mediocre .  Good pools -one is covered ,  and four Jacuzzis. Food is OK but nothing special . Surprisingly ,  upgrades of food are offered in the free dining room for additional cost. Why do they do that? If someone wants to indulge ,  there are different restaurants on board that serve meals for fees.

ALso, kind of cheap that no body lotion is provided .  It is expected as a given and creates inconvenience. Of course, lotion can be purchased in the ship shop.

Norwegian Epic was enjoyed by the whole family. The kids loved the water park and the entertainment, mum and dad like The Haven. We had a great time and would sail on the cruise line again.

On our first stop we visited Florence then Pisa Italy,  these two stps alone were well worth the trip.  To see things you've only seen in books or TV was great.  The next stop you can take the train to Monte Carlo need I say more.  The next stop was Marseilles.  Our next stop in Barcelona we took a guided tour about the life of Picasso when he lived and studied in Barcelona.  Plus the Picasso art museum.  Very worth the time about 1 hour of walking then atleast 2 hours in the museum.  Next day was a sailing day to Naples, Italy.  There's plenty of entertainment on the ship everyday especially today.  In Naples we climbed Mt Vesuvius then took a guided tour of Pompeii.  This too was well worth the trip but be prepared to walk.  We took this trip to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary and that's why it was a trip of a lifetime.

This cruise Itinerary ports were amazing.  You get to see so many cities in 3 different European countries with a nice cruise.  This ship was a little out to date compared to all the new ships but we weren't on board that much due to all the great cities we visited.  The rooms were nice and the trip was enjoyable. 

Love this cruiseline.  We had aurea experience which meant checkin was super fast, despite being told that preferred checkin is only available in Italy.  We were dealt with immediately at embarkation in front of hundreds of people queuing.  The balcony stateroom was beautiful, large, spotless, extra touches like bathrobes and slippers, the steward made different animals from towels every night which had us in stitches.  My choice dining was excellent.  We met many nationalities and were served immediately, whatever time we arrived. Food was good to excellent.  The inclusive drinks package is a must.  I won't go on P and O anymore because they don't have an all inclusive drinks package.  Lisbon was our favourite port, Casablanca our least favourite - dirty, not a real 'bazaar' like Tangier, nothing to do.  Very disappointing.  We are now looking for another MSC cruise.  The service in cabin and restaurant is superb. 

Cruise are lovely and clean.  Staff and crew are very helpful and fun with us.  We are deaf,  Crew and staff are good understand.  Food are very nice.  we stayed different places.  We like Rome, Florence, Pisa and Barcelona.  Very interested see ball room dancing every night.  We are disappointed nothing else if we don't want stay to watch Ballroom.  

This cruise was high quality, as you'd expect from a premium class cruise line like Holland America, but the prices were too high and left me feeling I was nickel and dimed by HAL.  I felt I could get the same quality for less money from other providers, like Viking and Norwegian.

The best thing HAL had going for it was its superb staff, who were always friendly, helpful, and informed.  Even the behind the scenes staff, who I met during a tour of the ship and who were totally anonymous, yet even they went out of their way to smile and say hello.  I definitely felt treated like royalty!

The route was also a strong selling point, and did a better job of covering key sights in southern Spain than comparable offerings from other cruise lines--this is the reason I did not go with my first choice, Viking.  The onboard activities were cheesy, but comparable to what you'd get on other ships, except for the live music entertainment, which was superb and a high point of the cruise.  The main entertainment was in transition and I don't feel I saw what HAL really has to offer, so I will only say that the venue definitely had potential.  The shore excursions were a low point, and I would strongly recommend booking excursions with an independent provider.  HAL's offerings were weak on content, greatly overpriced ($150/pp for a behind the scenes ship tour that was nice, but not that much nicer than the free tours other ships offer.)  

The food was another strong selling point, with a varied and excellent selection in the main dining room, above average offerings in the buffet, and ala carte Pinnacle Grill and Tamarind restaurants that were superb and actually reasonably priced.  I would definitely recommend trying them at least once, and if you time your visit for one of their specialty evenings, you will not be disappointed by the Michelin-quality fare!

More on the nickel and dime philosophy I experienced.  I didn't choose this cruise to save money, and I expected HAL, like most cruise lines to bank on making money from my drinks, gambling, shopping, etc., but HAL took things to such an extreme that it cheapened the overall experience, taking what could easily have been a five star experience down to three.  They charged for transportation from the dock to city centers, for water bottles to take on excursions, for the behind the scenes ship tour, and not only did they charge extra for everything, but they kept doing a hard sell to try to get me to buy stuff, even bottled water at dinner when I said I'd settle for tap water.  Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I did the cruise and I had a wonderful time, but the great locations and superb staff was done no favors by HAL's excessive marketing.

The Eurodam is a really beautiful ship. The staff was attentive, kind and helpful.They have lovely specialty restaurants. with delicious food at an increased price.  Enjoyed all the lovely bars,spa, and wonderful concierge club . however i have a big complaint about the main dining room..beautiful but crowded, long lines and food adequate at best except for formal nights. I did not like going to my beautiful Neptune suite and see bottles of water with price tags... charging for water and soda is ridiculous. We travel so much on Regent, Silver Seas and Seabourne where  everything is all inclusive including tours. As the price for this ship is less than those other ships but still has as high  a quality, I don't mind paying for liquor and wine..but the water and soda is not acceptable.

destinations and excursions great.  Entertainment good. Food & service below average.  Dining room wait service worse among my 12 cruises.   Food was average.   Insulting that we have to pay for certain entrees in the main dining room.   Also, had to pay for pizza and ice cream.  Ridiculous! Buffet hours and food choices very limited.   Room amenities poor.  Entertainment was varied and everywhere during the evening.   We enjoyed the options.   Excursions and guides were great.

I enjoyed all of the tours I went on. The ship itself was amazing.  However, I did have problems regarding my membership status and i will follow-up with the Corporate office which is located in Miami.

I was very excited to go on a brand new ship. Being an experienced cruiser in my young age we have been on 12 and was looking forward to the new. However some things left something to be desired. Why of course the new and beautiful was nice the enormous size of the ship was simply not for me. We had to make reservations for shows to say instead of just playing it by ear and going with the flow which is what me and my husband love about cruising. The service which by no mean was poor I believe there was simply too many people for the cruise. the kitchen especially at sit down dinner could not often keep up with demand. I did really enjoy Jamie's Italian restaurant. The white truffle pasta was by far the most amazing thing I have ever eaten.

The ship was very large but didn't feel overcrowded. Great choices for Entertainment and Food. I one thing I would say if you upgrade to a Specialty Dining Package it doesn't include coffee or soft drinks, if you don't have the drink package. Wrong when you can get it in the main dining rooms - buffet. Didn't like the fact that they block your wi fi so that you are forced to buy their package to use your phone on ship. 

We have waited some time to take the cruise of our lifetime and we did a considerable amount of research prior to booking this cruise with Oceana.

The ports of call allowed easy access to some of the world's greatest treasures. Our tour of Pompei and Herculean were absolutely enlightening and tour guides were fabulous. The dress code was easily met with country club attire for the folks that do not care to eat in full formal dress. The restaurants were gorgeous and the food gourmet and delishous. All food, even the name restaurants, were included and with no extra charge. The O'life program makes tours free or less pricey, the Internet was free and gratuities were prepaid. All of this and no surprise charges!

Oceana is an excellent  choice for luxury cruises!